Summary

Chapter 1: Margaret

"Margaret" begins with a rhyme:

“The infant, named Margaret, had hair on her head

Thick and wild as a fire, and three times as red.

The midwife, a brawny and capable whelper,

Gave one look and crossed herself. “God above help her,”

She whispered, but gave the new mother a smile,

“A big, healthy girl. Now you rest for a while …” Page 9

The night after Margaret is born, the attending midwife laments to her own husband that Margaret's mother is nineteen years old and recently widowed. She considers the birth of the baby girl a curse. The mother will not be able to work for two weeks and her family is in no position to help her. The midwife points out that the storm in Chicago and the rotting smell of the streets are warnings that the baby girl will cause...