Young Lucretia and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman. The stories were originally published individually in literary magazines such as Harper's Young People and St. Nicholas Magazine between 1887 and 1892. They were later collected and reprinted by Harper & Brothers in 1892. These stories primarily feature children who learn moral lessons after misbehaving.
Stories
"Young Lucretia" Young Lucretia Raymond lives with her strict Aunts Lucretia and Maria. During Christmastime, Lucretia is invited by the other schoolchildren to trim (decorate) the Christmas tree at the schoolhouse. When she anticipates her aunts' disapproval and refusal to let her participate in the trimming, the other girls insult her aunts, calling them “mean” and “stingy.” They also taunt Lucretia, saying she would not get anything on the Christmas tree. Lucretia comes to feel she does not fit in with the other children and that her family was dishonored. Lucretia asks her aunts for presents, but they refuse her request, so Lucretia wraps parcels for herself and leaves them at the schoolhouse while her aunts are out. During the distribution of presents at the Christmas celebration, Lucretia's name is called many times, to her aunts’ amazement and Lucretia's remorse. When she opens the packages, the aunts see that the parcel's contents were objects from their house. One package, however, contains a rag doll made by Mrs. Emmons, one of their neighbors. When Lucretia sees this doll, she cries and expresses surprise that someone had given her a gift. On the way home, she confesses to her aunts that she wanted the other children to think that she received presents. The aunts confiscate her rag doll, and send her to bed before deciding they were being too harsh. The next day, on Christmas Day, the aunts buy Lucretia a big wax doll, bedstead, baby carriage and bureau.
"How Fidelia Went to the Store" The story begins with Mrs. Lennox deliberating with her sister, Maria Crooker, on what to do about the fact that Mr. Lennox had forgotten to bring back the raisins necessary to bake the wedding cake of the Lennox's older daughter, Cynthy Lennox. Since Mr. Lennox and Cynthy were both out of town, and Mrs. Lennox and Aunt Maria where physically incapable of going to the store, the women decided to send Mrs. Lennox's six-year-old daughter, Fidelia, to Ms. Rose's store for raisins. After giving Fidelia instructions to knock on the side door of Ms. Rose's store, Mrs. Lennox gave Fidelia a penny for a peppermint as a treat, and sent her off with a cart to carry the raisins. When Fidelia failed to return home by the expected time, the women became nervous. Aunt Maria decided she would set out to look for Fidelia. Soon after, Mr. Lennox and Cynthy returned in the buggy. When they found out that Fidelia was lost, they set out in the buggy to search for her, picking up Aunt Maria midway. When the party reached Ms. Rose's store, they found Fidelia next to the store door. Fidelia cried and complained that she had knocked and knocked, but that no one had answered her. When Mrs. Rose realized this, she exclaimed that she had been in the kitchen and had not heard the knocks. At the end of the story, Fidelia was given cookies and milk from Mrs. Rose's. As the party was about to leave, Fidelia cried for her peppermint candy. Subsequently, she received an assortment of candies.
"Ann Mary; Her Two Thanksgivings"
“Ann Mary; Her Two Thanksgivings” is a short story by American writer Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. It was first published in 1892. The story revolves around Ann Mary, a delicate and slender little girl who lives with her grandmother. Despite their differences, Ann Mary shares an odd resemblance to her grandmother, not only in features but also in mannerisms. The narrative captures the dynamics between the two as they prepare for Thanksgiving, with Ann Mary keeping a watchful eye on her grandmother’s cooking endeavours.
"Ann Lizy's Patchwork" Ann Lizy Jennings is orphaned and lives with her grandmother. One day she, put on her best dress and set out to visit her friend, Jane Baxter. Before Ann left, her grandmother gave her embroidered green silk bag to Ann to carry patchwork in. She also instructed Ann to be careful with the bag and her dress, and to finish four squares of patchwork at Jane's before playing. Ann realized that sewing four squares of patchwork and taking tea with Jane would leave her with less than enough time to play with Jane. About halfway to Jane's house, Ann used her handkerchief, and when she put it back into the bead bag containing her patchwork, she purposefully left the bag open and swung it by one string. When Ann arrived at Jane's house, the bag felt empty, but she ignored the emptiness and played with Jane. In the meantime, the parson's wife's sister, her husband, and her daughter Sally were traveling in the area. They picked up Ann Lizy's patchwork, which Sally decided to put it in her quilt.
Eventually, Ann settled down to sew her patchwork and panicked because it was gone. Mrs. Baxter sent Ann and Jane to look for the patchwork, but along the way, Ann Lizy climbed a wall and ended up tearing her best dress. She also lost her grandmother's embroidered green bag. That night, after Ann returned home, her grandmother scolded her. Ann eased her conscience by confessing she had lost her patchwork on purpose. That week the parson's wife visited Mrs. Jennings, and Ann Lizy noticed that she was carrying grandmother's green embroidered bag. Later on, grandmother took her friend, Mrs. White, and Ann to visit the parsonage. Sally and her family happened to be visiting too. Sally was asked to show Ann Lizy her patchwork. To Ann's surprise, Sally's patchwork pieces were the ones Ann had lost. Mrs. White commented on the fact that the patchwork pattern matched one of grandmother's dresses. At the discovery, the parson's wife insisted that Mrs. Jennings take back the handkerchief and embroidered bag. Sally's mother also insisted that Ann take back the patchwork despite the fact that Sally had sewed it. In response, Ann confessed that she had lost the patchwork on purpose because she did not want to sew. On their way home, grandmother realizes Ann had learned her lesson.
"The Little Persian Princess" The story was originally published in St. Nicholas Magazine.
Dorothy came from the almshouse to work for Dame Betsey, spinning flax to make linen for the Dame's six daughters. Since Dorothy's only family member is an old grandmother at the almshouse, she lives off the table scraps of Dame Betsey and her daughters, but still willingly shares her food with the poor little boy next door. One day, a cat arrives and the Dame's daughters ask to keep the cat to spite their mother, who hates cats. That night, after all the daughters had gone to bed, Dorothy was sewing an apron for the Dame's eldest daughter when the cat transformed into a princess in Dorothy's sight. The Princess confessed her status as a Persian Princess traveling under the disguise of a cat in order to rescue her brother, who has been transformed into a Maltese cat. She then asked what Dorothy desired the most. Dorothy answered that she wished to provide a cushioned chair and a window for her grandmother. The princess asked Dorothy to follow her little ways away from the house, where they find the Princess’ portmanteau disguised as a small wallet. From the portmanteau, the princess pulled out a robe for Dorothy to exchange for her freedom from the Dame. The next day Dorothy obtained her freedom and set out with the princess. They settled in a cottage and Dorothy made cushions from the Princess’ inexhaustible dresses in the portmanteau. Eventually, Dorothy was able to support her grandmother, and the princess set off on her travels again. Awhile later, Dorothy went into the city to deliver cushions. At the house she was making the delivery to, she encounters the princess and her brother in the form of two cats. Dorothy learns that they are in the care of two older women, and the princess shares that her brother is under a spell that can only be broken if one of the women chases him out with a broom. However, the Princess states that this seems unlikely to happen because the ladies are quite kind to them. Before Dorothy and the princess parted, the princess wished her a happy life. Dorothy eventually marries the boy next door.
"Where the Christmas-Tree Grew" This story originally appeared in St. Nicholas Magazine.
Jenny Brown is a naïve girl who lives alone with her mother and is attending her first term of school. One day, during recess at school, some girls and Earl Munroe, the handsome son of the wealthiest man in town, trick Jenny Brown into believing the idea that Christmas presents are grown on Christmas trees. They told her that if she climbed the Franklin Mountain past her house, she could find the Christmas trees and Christmas presents. Jenny believed the other children headed towards the mountain after school. That night, Mrs. Brown ran to the Munroe's and reported that Jenny was lost. When Earl heard this, he sobbed and confessed that he had tricked Jenny into believing presents grew on trees. Mr. Munroe raised an alarm and organized a search party to look for Jenny. In the meantime, Earl decided to give away his Christmas tree and presents to Jenny, transporting them by sled. On the way to Jenny's house, he meets Maud, the Judge's daughter. Earl suggests that Maud give her things to Jenny too, and Maud overcomes her reluctance, contributing food and clothes. As Earl proceeded to the Brown's house with the gifts, more children joined the procession, bringing their gifts to Jenny. The next day, some searchers met an old woodcutter, who said that he had found Jenny crying on the mountain and had taken her home, but that the storm had prohibited him from letting the searchers know. When Jenny returned home, she was met with love and with presents.
"Where Sarah Jane's Doll Went" Sarah Jane receives a new rag doll from her sister Serena, who warns Sarah not to take the rag doll to school. Sarah loves the doll so much that she is reluctant to separate from it during the school day, so she defies her sister's warning and takes the doll to school. At recess, Sarah displays her doll to many other admiring children. One of the older boys, Joe West, comes over, asking to hold the doll. Sarah is initially reluctant to let him hold the doll but she ultimately relents. When Joe gets the doll, he makes fun of Sarah and refuses to return the doll. Afterschool, Joe ignores Sarah's pleas for the doll. He takes it with him and runs home. On the way home, Sarah passes the Wests’ fields and sees Joe teasing a calf. She calls out to Joe but he ignores her, heading towards the house. Sarah then sits by the roadside and cries as a remorseful Joe watches her through the window from his house. In actuality Joe had not been teasing the calf, Sarah had been watching Joe attempting to wrestle the doll from the mouth of the hungry calf who had caught hold of the doll in Joe's pocket.
Three months later, there was a knock on Sarah Jane's door. A packet containing a china doll was left for her. Unknown to Sarah, Joe had worked for three months to buy the doll. This time Sarah obeyed her mother's instruction not to take the doll to school. Years later, Joe and Sarah laugh about the story.
"Seventoes' Ghost"