Boston Neighbours In Town and Out By: Agnes Blake Poor
First Page: [Illustration: "HE TOOK OUT HIS EYEGLASS TO STUDY IT."] BOSTON NEIGHBOURS IN TOWN AND OUT BY AGNES BLAKE POOR [Illustration] G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1898 COPYRIGHT, 1898 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS [Illustration] CONTENTS PAGE OUR TOLSTOI CLUB 1 A LITTLE FOOL 41 WHY I MARRIED ELEANOR 83 THE STORY OF A WALL FLOWER 123 POOR MR. PONSONBY 187 MODERN VENGEANCE 239 THREE CUPS OF TEA 274 THE TRAMPS' WEDDING 300 The author and the publishers desire to make acknowledgment to the publishers of the Century Magazine and of the New England Magazine for their courtesy in permitting the re issue of certain stories which were originally published in these periodicals. [Illustration] OUR TOLSTOI CLUB I should be glad to tell a story if I only knew one, but I don't. Some people say that one experience is as interesting as another, and that any real life is worth hearing about; but I think it must make some little difference who the person is. But if I really must tell one, and since you all have told yours, and such nice ones, and anything is better than nothing when we are kept in all the morning by a pouring rain, with nothing to do, because we came only for a week, and did not expect it to rain, I will try and tell you about our Tolstoi Club, because that was rather like a story at least it might have been like one if things had turned out a little differently. You know I live in a suburb of Boston, and a very charming, delightful one it is. I cannot call it by its real name, because I am going to be so very personal; so I will call it "Babyland," which indeed people often do in fun. There never was such a place for children. The population is mostly under seven years old, for it was about seven years ago that young married people began to move into it in such numbers, because it is so healthy; but it was always a great place for them even when it was small. The old inhabitants are mostly grandfathers and grandmothers now, and enjoy it very much; but they usually go into town in the winter, with such unmarried children as they have left, to get a little change; for there is no denying that there is a sameness about it the sidewalks are crowded with perambulators every pleasant day, and at our parties the talk is apt to run too much on nursery maids, and milkmen and their cows, and drains, to be very interesting to those who have not learned how terribly important such things are. So in winter we I mean the young married couples, of whom I am half a one are left pretty much to our own devices. Though we are all so devoted to our infant families, we are not so much so as to give up all rational pleasures or intellectual tastes; we could not live so near Boston, you know, and do that. Our husbands go into town every day to make money, and we go in every few days to spend it, and in the evenings, if they are not too tired, we sometimes make them take us in to the theatres and concerts. We all have a very nice social circle, for Babyland is fashionable as well as respectable, and we are asked out more or less, and go out; but for real enjoyment we like our own clubs and classes the best. We feel so safe going round in the neighbourhood, because we are so near the children, and can be called home any time if necessary. There is our little evening dancing club, which meets round at one another's houses, where we all exchange husbands a kind of grown up "puss in the corner"; only, as the supply of dancing husbands is not quite equal to that of wives, we have to get a young man or two in if we can; and for the same reason we don't ask any girls, who, indeed, are not very eager to come... Continue reading book >>

Boston Neighbours In Town and Out By: Agnes Blake Poor

First Page:

[Illustration: "HE TOOK OUT HIS EYEGLASS TO STUDY IT."]

BOSTON NEIGHBOURS IN TOWN AND OUT

BY AGNES BLAKE POOR

[Illustration]

G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1898

[Illustration]

CONTENTS

PAGE OUR TOLSTOI CLUB 1 A LITTLE FOOL 41 WHY I MARRIED ELEANOR 83 THE STORY OF A WALL FLOWER 123 POOR MR. PONSONBY 187 MODERN VENGEANCE 239 THREE CUPS OF TEA 274 THE TRAMPS' WEDDING 300

The author and the publishers desire to make acknowledgment to the publishers of the Century Magazine and of the New England Magazine for their courtesy in permitting the re issue of certain stories which were originally published in these periodicals.

[Illustration]

OUR TOLSTOI CLUB

I should be glad to tell a story if I only knew one, but I don't. Some people say that one experience is as interesting as another, and that any real life is worth hearing about; but I think it must make some little difference who the person is. But if I really must tell one, and since you all have told yours, and such nice ones, and anything is better than nothing when we are kept in all the morning by a pouring rain, with nothing to do, because we came only for a week, and did not expect it to rain, I will try and tell you about our Tolstoi Club, because that was rather like a story at least it might have been like one if things had turned out a little differently.

You know I live in a suburb of Boston, and a very charming, delightful one it is. I cannot call it by its real name, because I am going to be so very personal; so I will call it "Babyland," which indeed people often do in fun. There never was such a place for children. The population is mostly under seven years old, for it was about seven years ago that young married people began to move into it in such numbers, because it is so healthy; but it was always a great place for them even when it was small. The old inhabitants are mostly grandfathers and grandmothers now, and enjoy it very much; but they usually go into town in the winter, with such unmarried children as they have left, to get a little change; for there is no denying that there is a sameness about it the sidewalks are crowded with perambulators every pleasant day, and at our parties the talk is apt to run too much on nursery maids, and milkmen and their cows, and drains, to be very interesting to those who have not learned how terribly important such things are. So in winter we I mean the young married couples, of whom I am half a one are left pretty much to our own devices.

Though we are all so devoted to our infant families, we are not so much so as to give up all rational pleasures or intellectual tastes; we could not live so near Boston, you know, and do that. Our husbands go into town every day to make money, and we go in every few days to spend it, and in the evenings, if they are not too tired, we sometimes make them take us in to the theatres and concerts. We all have a very nice social circle, for Babyland is fashionable as well as respectable, and we are asked out more or less, and go out; but for real enjoyment we like our own clubs and classes the best. We feel so safe going round in the neighbourhood, because we are so near the children, and can be called home any time if necessary. There is our little evening dancing club, which meets round at one another's houses, where we all exchange husbands a kind of grown up "puss in the corner"; only, as the supply of dancing husbands is not quite equal to that of wives, we have to get a young man or two in if we can; and for the same reason we don't ask any girls, who, indeed, are not very eager to come... Continue reading book >>

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