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Author: Sarah Orne Jewett

Born on the rural coast of Maine in 1849, Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) dreamt of becoming a physician like her father and grandfather, but instead turned to writing after reading the works of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Jewett authored several novels, but most of her works were short fiction. Profoundly influenced by her experiences growing up observing local farmers and fishermen, Jewett often wrote about her New England coastal upbringing and the people she knew there. Works include Old Friends and New (1879), Tales of New England (1890), and The Queen’s Twin and Other Stories (1899), among others.

A Christmas Guest

Sarah Orne Jewett
This 1887 short story by American novelist and writer Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) takes as its subject a common Christmas trope: the stranger in need. A young girl, Rebecca, maintains a lonely Christmas Eve vigil, waiting for her uncle to return with a nurse to care for her ailing grandmother.

A Village Patriot

Sarah Orne Jewett

In this story from 1897, Maine novelist and short story writer Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) explores different attitudes toward the Fourth of July among members of a group of workmen who, on July 3rd, are shingling the roof of a new country house outside Boston.

The Lost Turkey

Sarah Orne Jewett

In this story from 1902, novelist and short story writer Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) explores the connection between doing good for others and prospering oneself, as well as the relationship between material wealth and some richer prosperity.

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Sarah Orne Jewett

This selection explores the blessings of neighborliness and hospitality, given and received. In this story (1899) by Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909), old Mrs. Mary Ann Robb, a woman who formerly had delighted in bringing aid and sustenance to the poor, is sadly contemplating her situation on the night before Thanksgiving.