L.M. Montgomery
Edited by Rea Wilmshurst
Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1995
The twenty stories in Across the Miles take us back to a time when the art of letter-writing still flourished, and people – especially those in small towns and villages, where so many of Montgomery’s stories are set – depended on the mail to hear news of family and friends and the world at large.
Many of the stories in this collection turn on the sending or receiving of a letter, yet the concerns of the correspondents and the outcome of their stories are ingeniously varied. Mistaken identity, secret confessions of love, fanciful revelations – all play a part in these delightful tales. Throughout, the wit and wisdom of L.M. Montgomery shine through.
Across the Miles is the seventh collection of rediscovered Montgomery stories, joining Akin to Anne, Along the Shore, Among the Shadows, After Many Days, Against the Odds, and At the Altar.
Contents
Introduction (vii–xiv)
A Correspondence and a Climax (1–16)
Cyrilla’s Inspiration (17–24)
Miss Sally’s Letter (25–38)
The Understanding of Sister Sara (39–50)
Aunt Caroline’s Silk Dress (51–62)
The Old Fellow’s Letter (63–71)
The Promissory Note (73–84)
Anna’s Love Letters (85–97)
At Five O’Clock in the Morning (99–112)
The Letters (113–28)
A Fortunate Mistake (129–36)
The Growing Up of Cornelia (137–53)
Aunt Susanna’s Birthday Celebration (155–62)
Miss Madeline’s Proposal (163–71)
The Girl and the Photograph (173–84)
The Jest that Failed (185–92)
A Millionaire’s Proposal (193–211)
Our Runaway Kite (213–20)
The Schoolmaster’s Letters (221–35)
The Revolt of Mary Isabel (237–54)
Afterword: Finding L.M. Montgomery’s Short Stories (255–60)
Editorial Note (261–2)
Acknowledgements (263)
Other Books by L.M. Montgomery (265–6)
