Across the Miles: Tales of Correspondence
was published in 1995 and contains 20 stories re-discovered and edited by Rea
Wilmshurst. It was very special to read Rea Wilmshurst's account of how
she
discovered the stories in her afterward of my book. Each story
in some way involves a note, journal, letter or some form of writing that leads
the plot
along (original publication dates are in
parentheses, click on a title to see a short, spoiler-free summary):
"A Correspondence and a Climax" (1905)
"Cyrilla's Inspiration" (1905)
"Miss Sally's Letter" (1910)
"The Understanding of Sister Sara" (1905)
"Aunt Caroline's Silk Dress" (1907)
"The Old Fellow's Letter" (1907)
"The Promissory Note" (1907)
"Anna's Love Letters" (1908)
"At Five O'Clock in the Morning" (1905)
"The Letters" (1910)
"A Fortunate Mistake" (1904)
"The Growing Up of Cornelia" (1908)
"Aunt Susanna's Birthday Celebration" (1905)
"Miss Madeline's Proposal" (1904)
"The Girl and the Photograph" (1915)
"The Jest that Failed" (1901)
"A Millionaire's Proposal" (1907)
"Our Runaway Kite" (1903)
"The Schoolmaster's Letter" (1905)
"The Revolt of Mary Isabel" (1908)
"A
Correspondence and a Climax"
(Sunday Magazine, August 20, 1905, pp. 13-14, 17; Family Herald,
September, 27, pp. 6 and October 4, 1905, pp 6)
Twenty year old Sidney Richmond has written a penpal, John Lincoln, out east for
four years. She should be excited when he plans to visit her on a trip,
but she's stunned because her letters have all been lies.
"Cyrilla's Inspiration"
(Epworth Herald, November 25, 1905, pp. 673-675)
Cyrilla Blair comes up with an idea to occupy her and her boarding house friends
(Carol Hart and Mary Newton) on a drab, rainy day. This story reminded me
of the story "A Christmas Inspiration" in the
Christmas with Anne collection.
"Miss Sally's Letter" (Canadian
Courier, November 26, 1910, pp. 13, 24-25)
Willard Stanley asks man-hating Miss Sally to help him furnish and prepare his
new home for his bride. The secret is, he doesn't tell her who he wants
his bride to be.
"The Understanding of Sister Sara"
(Pilgrim, 1905, pp. 11-12; Holland's Magazine, October 1907,
20-21)
This story is told as a series of journal entries after Beatrice Mason finds she
needs a confidant and her sister Sara would "not understand." She confides
her romances in it and her love for Walter Shirley (sounds like a name Anne
Shirley would like).
"Aunt Caroline's Silk Dress" (East
and West, September 7, 1907, 285-286)
Patty and Carry Lea have been struggling through life since the death of their
father. Carry is invited to a wedding and Patty to a party, but there is
only one suitable dress in the house, until Patty gets an idea to make-over an
old dress.
"The Old Fellow's Letter" (Blue
Book Magazine, April 1907, 1246-1249)
Unusual for LMM, this story is told from a man's perspective. Paul
(nicknamed Polly) and his friend Ruggles play a prank writing a love letter from
Old Fellow to Sylvia Grant.
"The Promissory Note" (Zion's
Herald, September 20, 1913, pp. 1170-1172)
Ernest Duncan works diligently to take care of his mother after the death of his
father. Everything is fine until a copy of an old promissory note
resurfaces, which Ernest's father previously paid. Without the old
receipt, the Duncan family doesn't know how the $1,100 they owe will be paid.
"Anna's Love Letters" (National
Magazine, January 1908, pp. 441-445)
Sisters Anna and Alma Williams live on their own. There neighbor Gilbert
Murray has recently left Exeter after believing himself engaged to Anna, but
from Anna's point of view, she's a free woman. Anna refuses to answer
Gilbert's letters and tells Alma to write to him if she thinks it needs to be
answered. Anna replies simply as "A. Williams," deceiving Gilbert.
This is one of my favorite LMM short stories. Published the same year as
Anne of Green Gables, this story has a Gilbert, a Charlie Moore (not
Sloane) and Anna and Alma, a group of very familiar names.
"At Five O'Clock in the Morning" (National
Magazine, July 1905, pp. 405-411; MacLean's, September 1914, 8-9,
132-134)
Mr. Murray is a soon-to-be-rich, lazy man living as a boarder on a farm.
He wakes early, for once, due to fate and meets a lovely girl that he dubs Eve
in a place he dubs Eden.
"The Letters" (National
Magazine, November 1910, pp. 119-126; MacLean's, December 1915, pp.
23-25, 89-91)
After her father's death, Isobel Shirley fears life alone with no one to work
and live for, but she finds consolation written in the form of weekly letters
from an unknown stranger who encourages and stimulates her. This story is
very sweet with the name "Shirley" sounding familiar once again.
"A Fortunate Mistake" (Girls'
Companion, January 24, 1904, pp. 4)
Nan is bedridden with a sprained ankle, and her sister Maude is off to a picnic.
Maude writes a note to invite Florrie Hastings to keep Nan company, but
accidentally writes Florrie "Henderson" instead.
"The Growing Up of Cornelia" (Pictorial
Review, October 1908, 8-9, 15, 65)
The reader watches young Cornelia grows up through a series of journal entries.
The story contains the sort of familiar line "'Call me Cornelia.'"
"Aunt Susanna's Birthday Celebration" (New
Idea Women's Magazine, February 1905, 30-31)
Aunt Susanna tells Nora May the story of Anne Douglas and Gilbert Martin and her
birthday gift to them. Another Anne and Gilbert! Wow!
"Miss Madeline's Proposal" (Modern
Women, September 1904, pp. 103-104; Westminster, December 1913,
633-636)
Miss Madeline receives her first proposal from Cecil Thorne after discussing
with her newly engaged niece (Lina) that she would like to have at least one
proposal in her lifetime.
"The Girl and the Photograph" (MacLean's,
May 1915, pp. 36-38; also published in a slightly different version as "A
Girl and a Picture" Farm and Fireside, August 10, 1907; pp 13 and 17)
Curtis falls in love with a girl in a photograph owned by his friend Peter
Austin. He asks Peter to ask the girl to correspond with him, and Marian
Lindsay and he fall in love through their epistles. But when he plans to
meet Marian, he realizes the photo did not match the name of his correspondent.
"The Jest that Failed" (Household
Guest, 1901; Presbyterian Banner, March 16, 1911, 1330-1331)
Two snobby girls play a prank on the unpopular Grace Seeley by forging a letter
from the popular Sidney Hill inviting her to the prom.
"A Millionaire's Proposal" (Amulet
Magazine [1907])
Written as journal entries, Katherine "Kitty" turns down her neighbor and
childhood friend, Jack Willoughby's, proposal, and goes to Montreal to make a
match with a rich man as her sister Alicia did. This is a very nice story
with a proposal scene very similar to the first proposal of Gilbert to Anne
Shirley.
"Our Runaway Kite" (New
Idea Women's Magazine, October 1903, pp. 44-45)
Philippa and Claude Leete live alone with their father on an island lighthouse.
Philippa narrates the story of their kite flying adventures, where they patch
a hole in their most beautiful kite with an old letter, lose it, and what occurs
next.
"The Schoolmaster's Letter" (Sunday
Magazine, June 4, 1905, pp. 7-8, 12-13; Holland's Magazine, August
1914, 14, 39)
The schoolmaster writes love letters to Una Clifford each day that he never
intends to send her, full of his affection in flowery passages. However,
the letters are sent to her.
"The Revolt of Mary Isabel" (Blue
Book Magazine, December 1908, pp.318-325)
Mary Isabel Irving has been trodden upon by her sister Louisa all her life.
She only has one secret from her. When Mary Isabel receives a long lost
letter, she realizes that she must live her own life and escape her sister's
hold on her life.
Last Updated 03.08.07
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