Back in the late 1800's, life for women was controlled by the dominant sex - men. Women had little to say in a man's world. A woman's place was in the home. But this certain pattern in the female society soon was broken with the life story of a nine - year old girl named Janelle.
             Janelle lived in a small rundown neighborhood in New York City with both her parents and two sisters. Janelle was your typical child, she'd go to school and help around the house. She excelled quite a bit in school, because she mostly attended her studies to stay out of her parents way when the fought.
             Janelle's mother was quite sick and had been bed ridden for almost a month, therefore Janelle had to leave school in order to maintain things in order. One would think that Mark, Janelle's father, would help since his wife was nearly dying, but instead he would disappear. When he showed up a few days later all run down and drunk, he would demand things from Janelle. With the other girls in school, Mark had free time on his hands, which he used to bother Janelle. She would end up all bruised or sore from all the "sleeping". But through this all Janelle stayed determined not to let her life become a waste. She was persistent in getting ahead and taking her family with her.
             When money and food became scarce, because Mark would use it all up for his habit, Janelle preformed small tasks for neighbors in return for some money or food to support her nearly dead mother and under nourished sisters. A few weeks passed and Janelle and her sisters had to go on in life without their mother alongside. She now found herself being torn by two forces - her education (she had gone back to school for a while) or supporting her sisters.
             Their father had been gone for over three months and word around town was that he was living in a neighboring town with some hussy and her two children. As Janelle heard this knew she though to herself...