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83 pages

English

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In this, Sarah Orne Jewett's last published collection of short stories, a number of the themes and topics she experimented with over the course of her literary career come to full fruition, including, most notably, the evolving role of women in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

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Short story

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 mars 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776677436
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE QUEEN'S TWIN
AND OTHER STORIES
* * *
SARAH ORNE JEWETT

*
The Queen's Twin And Other Stories First published in 1899 Epub ISBN 978-1-77667-743-6 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77667-744-3 © 2015 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
The Queen's Twin A Dunnet Shepherdess Where's Nora? Bold Words at the Bridge Martha's Lady The Coon Dog Aunt Cynthy Dallett The Night Before Thanksgiving
*
To
SUSAN BURLEY CABOT
The Queen's Twin
*
I.
The coast of Maine was in former years brought so near to foreignshores by its busy fleet of ships that among the older men and womenone still finds a surprising proportion of travelers. Eachseaward-stretching headland with its high-set houses, each island of asingle farm, has sent its spies to view many a Land of Eshcol; one maysee plain, contented old faces at the windows, whose eyes have lookedat far-away ports and known the splendors of the Eastern world. Theyshame the easy voyager of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean;they have rounded the Cape of Good Hope and braved the angry seas ofCape Horn in small wooden ships; they have brought up their hardy boysand girls on narrow decks; they were among the last of the Northmen'schildren to go adventuring to unknown shores. More than this onecannot give to a young State for its enlightenment; the sea captainsand the captains' wives of Maine knew something of the wide world, andnever mistook their native parishes for the whole instead of a partthereof; they knew not only Thomaston and Castine and Portland, butLondon and Bristol and Bordeaux, and the strange-mannered harbors ofthe China Sea.
One September day, when I was nearly at the end of a summer spent in avillage called Dunnet Landing, on the Maine coast, my friend Mrs. Todd,in whose house I lived, came home from a long, solitary stroll in thewild pastures, with an eager look as if she were just starting on ahopeful quest instead of returning. She brought a little basket withblackberries enough for supper, and held it towards me so that I couldsee that there were also some late and surprising raspberries sprinkledon top, but she made no comment upon her wayfaring. I could tellplainly that she had something very important to say.
"You have n't brought home a leaf of anything," I ventured to thispracticed herb-gatherer. "You were saying yesterday that the witchhazel might be in bloom."
"I dare say, dear," she answered in a lofty manner; "I ain't goin' tosay it was n't; I ain't much concerned either way 'bout the facts o'witch hazel. Truth is, I 've been off visitin'; there's an old Indianfootpath leadin' over towards the Back Shore through the great heronswamp that anybody can't travel over all summer. You have to seizeyour time some day just now, while the low ground 's summer-dried as itis to-day, and before the fall rains set in. I never thought of ittill I was out o' sight o' home, and I says to myself, 'To-day 's theday, certain!' and stepped along smart as I could. Yes, I 've beenvisitin'. I did get into one spot that was wet underfoot before Inoticed; you wait till I get me a pair o' dry woolen stockings, in caseof cold, and I 'll come an' tell ye."
Mrs. Todd disappeared. I could see that something had deeplyinterested her. She might have fallen in with either the sea-serpentor the lost tribes of Israel, such was her air of mystery andsatisfaction. She had been away since just before mid-morning, and asI sat waiting by my window I saw the last red glow of autumn sunshineflare along the gray rocks of the shore and leave them cold again, andtouch the far sails of some coast-wise schooners so that they stoodlike golden houses on the sea.
I was left to wonder longer than I liked. Mrs. Todd was making anevening fire and putting things in train for supper; presently shereturned, still looking warm and cheerful after her long walk.
"There 's a beautiful view from a hill over where I 've been," she toldme; "yes, there 's a beautiful prospect of land and sea. You would n'tdiscern the hill from any distance, but 't is the pretty situation ofit that counts. I sat there a long spell, and I did wish for you. No,I did n't know a word about goin' when I set out this morning" (as if Ihad openly reproached her!); "I only felt one o' them travelin' fitscomin' on, an' I ketched up my little basket; I didn't know but I mightturn and come back time for dinner. I thought it wise to set out yourluncheon for you in case I did n't. Hope you had all you wanted; yes,I hope you had enough."
"Oh, yes, indeed," said I. My landlady was always peculiarly bountifulin her supplies when she left me to fare for myself, as if she made asort of peace-offering or affectionate apology.
"You know that hill with the old house right on top, over beyond theheron swamp? You 'll excuse me for explainin'," Mrs. Todd began, "butyou ain't so apt to strike inland as you be to go right along shore.You know that hill; there 's a path leadin' right over to it that youhave to look sharp to find nowadays; it belonged to the up-countryIndians when they had to make a carry to the landing here to get to theout' islands. I 've heard the old folks say that there used to be aplace across a ledge where they 'd worn a deep track with theirmoccasin feet, but I never could find it. 'T is so overgrown in someplaces that you keep losin' the path in the bushes and findin' it asyou can; but it runs pretty straight considerin' the lay o' the land,and I keep my eye on the sun and the moss that grows one side o' thetree trunks. Some brook's been choked up and the swamp's bigger thanit used to be. Yes; I did get in deep enough, one place!"
I showed the solicitude that I felt. Mrs. Todd was no longer young,and in spite of her strong, great frame and spirited behavior, I knewthat certain ills were apt to seize upon her, and would end some day byleaving her lame and ailing.
"Don't you go to worryin' about me," she insisted, "settin' still's theonly way the Evil One 'll ever get the upper hand o' me. Keep memovin' enough, an' I 'm twenty year old summer an' winter both. Idon't know why 't is, but I 've never happened to mention the one I 'vebeen to see. I don't know why I never happened to speak the name ofAbby Martin, for I often give her a thought, but 't is a dreadfulout-o'-the-way place where she lives, and I haven't seen her myself forthree or four years. She's a real good interesting woman, and we 'rewell acquainted; she 's nigher mother's age than mine, but she 's veryyoung feeling. She made me a nice cup o' tea, and I don't know but Ishould have stopped all night if I could have got word to you not toworry."
Then there was a serious silence before Mrs. Todd spoke again to make aformal announcement.
"She is the Queen's Twin," and Mrs. Todd looked steadily to see how Imight bear the great surprise.
"The Queen's Twin?" I repeated.
"Yes, she 's come to feel a real interest in the Queen, and anybody cansee how natural 't is. They were born the very same day, and you wouldbe astonished to see what a number o' other things have corresponded.She was speaking o' some o' the facts to me to-day, an' you 'd thinkshe 'd never done nothing but read history. I see how earnest she wasabout it as I never did before. I 've often and often heard her alludeto the facts, but now she's got to be old and the hurry's over with herwork, she 's come to live a good deal in her thoughts, as folks oftendo, and I tell you 't is a sight o' company for her. If you want tohear about Queen Victoria, why Mis' Abby Martin 'll tell youeverything. And the prospect from that hill I spoke of is as beautifulas anything in this world; 't is worth while your goin' over to see herjust for that."
"When can you go again?" I demanded eagerly.
"I should say to-morrow," answered Mrs. Todd; "yes, I should sayto-morrow; but I expect 't would be better to take one day to rest, inbetween. I considered that question as I was comin' home, but Ihurried so that there wa'n't much time to think. It's a dreadful longway to go with a horse; you have to go 'most as far as the old Bowdenplace an' turn off to the left, a master long, rough road, and then youhave to turn right round as soon as you get there if you mean to gethome before nine o'clock at night. But to strike across country fromhere, there 's plenty o' time in the shortest day, and you can have agood hour or two's visit beside; 't ain't but a very few miles, andit's pretty all the way along. There used to be a few good familiesover there, but they 've died and scattered, so now she 's far fromneighbors. There, she really cried, she was so glad to see anybodycomin'. You 'll be amused to hear her talk about the Queen, but Ithought twice or three times as I set there 't was about all thecompany she 'd got."
"Could we go day after to-morrow?" I asked eagerly.
"'T would suit me exactly," said Mrs. Todd.
II.
One can never be so certain of good New England weather as in the dayswhen a long easterly storm has blown away the warm late-summer mists,and cooled the air so that however bright the sunshine is by day, thenights come nearer and nearer to frostiness. There was a coldfreshness in the morning air when Mrs. Todd and I locked the house-doorbehind us; we took the key of the fields into our own hands that day,and put out across country as one puts out to sea. When we reached thetop of the ridge behind the town it seemed as if we had anxiouslypassed the har