Maid Sally

"Maid Sally" by Harriet A. Cheever is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around a young girl named Sally Dukeen, who lives in poverty with a woman named Mistress Cory Ann Brace, who neither shows much kindness nor cruelty towards her. Sally's heart is filled with dreams of escaping her hard life and learning to read and write, spurred on by her imaginative nature and a fragment of a fairy tale she once heard. The opening of the book introduces readers to Sally as she is drawn to the enchanting world of Ingleside, a grand estate nearby, and to her struggles under the care of Mistress Brace. Sally's daydreams and fantasies intertwine with her stark reality, where she yearns for knowledge and the freedom to be a child. After she overhears a story about a fairy that allows children to drift off into a splendid dreamland, she is left longing for a similar escape. The first chapter captures Sally’s reluctance to return home and her desire to engage with a potential learning opportunity, setting the stage for her journey of growth and self-discovery.