Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks A Picture of New England Home Life   By: Charles Felton Pidgin (1844-1923)

QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER

AND

MASON'S CORNER FOLKS

A PICTURE OF NEW ENGLAND HOME LIFE

BY

CHAS. FELTON PIDGIN

Boston C.M. CLARK PUBLISHING COMPANY 1905

REVISED EDITION

Respectfully dedicated to the Memory of the late HON JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL the perusal of whose famous poem "THE COURTIN" supplied the inspiration that led to the writing of this book.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER'S only title was plain "Mr." His ancestors were tradesmen, merchants, lawyers, politicians, and Presidents. He, too, was proud of his honored ancestry, and I have endeavored in this book to have him live up to an ideal personification of gentlemanly qualities for which the New England standard should be fully as high as that of Old England; in fact, I see no reason why the heroes of American novels, barring the single matter of hereditary titles, should not compare favorably as regards gentlemanly attributes with their English cousins across the seas. C.F.P.

GRAY CHAMBERS, BOSTON, October, 1902.

CHAPTERS

I. The Rehearsal

II. Mason's Corner Folks

III. The Concert in the Town Hall

IV. Ancestry versus Patriotism

V. Mr. Sawyer Meets Uncle Ike

VI. Some New Ideas

VII. "That City Feller"

VIII. City Skill versus Country Muscle

IX. Mr. Sawyer Calls on Miss Putnam

X. Village Gossip

XI. Some Sad Tidings

XII. Looking for a Boarding Place

XIII. A Visit to the Victim

XIV. A Quiet Evening

XV. A Long Lost Relative

XVI. A Promise Kept

XVII. An Informal Introduction

XVIII. The Courtin'

XIX. Jim Sawyer's Funeral

XX. A Wet Day

XXI. Some More New Ideas

XXII. After the Great Snowstorm

XXIII. A Visit to Mrs. Putnam

XXIV. The New Doctor

XXV. Some Plain Facts and Inferences

XXVI. The Surprise Party

XXVII. Town Politics

XXVIII. The Town Meeting

XXIX. Mrs. Hawkins's Boarding House

XXX. A Settlement

XXXI. An Inheritance

XXXII. Aunt Ella

XXXIII. The Weddin's

XXXIV. Blennerhassett

XXXV. "The Bird of Love"

XXXVI. Then They Were Married

XXXVII. Linda's Birthright

XXXVIII. Fernborough

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Frontispiece. "The village gossips wondered who he was, what he was, what he came for, and how long he intended to stay."

It was a marvellous rig that he wore when he reappeared

The barge led the procession to Mason's Corner

And then he landed a blow on Wood's nose

"The Deacon and his wife led off"

CHARACTERS AND SCENES FROM THE STAGE PRESENTATION OF QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER.

Mandy Skinner

Mrs. Putnam's anger, upon discovery of Lindy's parentage (Act III.)

Quincy reading Alice's letter to her (Act III.)

Samanthy Green

Quincy makes a speech (Act III.)

An old fashioned husking bee (Act III.)

Alice recovers her sight (Act IV.)

QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER.

CHAPTER I.

THE REHEARSAL.

It was a little after seven o'clock on the evening of December 31, 186 . Inside, the little red schoolhouse was ablaze with light. Sounds of voices and laughter came from within and forms could be seen flitting back and forth through the uncurtained windows. Outside, a heavy fall of snow lay upon hill and vale, trees and house tops, while the rays of a full orbed moon shone down upon the glistening, white expanse.