Here is my story. I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Tessie May Stevens. But I didn't become Tessie May stevens in till I was 10 years old. For the first 9 years of my life I was just plain Tessie May. When I was a year old my parents got sick and died and I was taken to the Hudson Street Home for girls. On my 2nd birthday Miss. Hannigan the mean woman who ran the orphanage back then brought in a cute red headed baby and told me that her name was Annie and that I should take care of her. I really didn't know how to take care of a baby so I went into one of the dorms for the older girls and asked for help and a nice girl named Kate came over and said that she would help me. One day I when I was trying to change Annie's diaper she kept squirming around I got really frustrated Kate heard me and told me to calm down. She said "Tessie let me tell you something that my mother told me before I came to the orphanage. She said that when I got frustrated or worried to say oh my goodness." After Kate told me this I calmed down and thanks to Kate's help was able to change Annie's diaper. From then on whenever I got frustrated or worried I would remember Kate's advice and would always say oh my goodness to help me calm down. When I turned 4 and Annie turned 3 Miss. Hannigan came into the nursery and said " Tessie and Annie come here. I fell that you two are old enough to move into one of the dormitories." When she said this I hope that we would be moving into the same room as Kate as she and I had become really good friends. I has so happy to find out that we would indeed be in the same room as Kate. When we got into the room a mean girl came up to us and said "what are you runts doing in here?" Then she pushed Annie down. I was surprised when she got back up without crying. Kate then turned to the mean girl and said " Pepper why don't leave them alone and go back to bed?" Pepper then went back to bed. After Pepper got back into her bed another girl came up to us and introduced herself as July. I few minutes latter Miss. Hannigan came into the room and said that it was lights out. I whispered to Kate "where should Annie and I sleep." She showed us a couple of empty metal cots and said that was where we should sleep. After I got into my new bed in the dormitory I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Early the next morning came into the room blowing her whistle and yelled for everyone to get up. After everyone was up she said "Tessie you and Annie are old enough now to start earning your keep. That means learning to sew and meeting a quota of one dress by the end of the day or you will be paddled. Also you will take your turns like everyone else in the washing room." After that she took Annie and I into her office and closed the door. She said " Tessie, Annie since you are big girls now there are some rules for you to know. Number one never tell a lie. Number two always addresses me as Miss. Hannigan and number three when you are asked you are to say that you love me. If you fail to obey any of these rules You will be paddled." After that she took both by the hand and led us up to a closet filled with all sorts of whips and paddles. She then handed us a pail and a scrub brush and told us to start scrubbing the floor. After that my life continued its dull and dreary routine. That is until Molly came.