
In the opening pages a weary New Yorker discovers he has unexpectedly inherited a remote Swiss chalet, complete with a crumbling farmstead, a bottling plant, and a solitary red‑haired girl sweeping the veranda. The scenery is almost cinematic—towering peaks, a silent valley, and a neglected garden that seems to have stopped time. As the narrator surveys the odd collection of buildings and the indifferent Swiss officers, his frustration mounts, and a dry, sardonic humor colors every observation.
The story quickly sets up a clash between the protagonist’s modern, city‑slick sensibilities and the quaint, stubborn reality of Alpine life. His attempts to dismiss the inheritance as a mistake clash with the bureaucratic absurdity embodied by the Gendarmerie, while the mysterious “laughing girl” hints at deeper layers beneath the humor. Listeners are drawn into a witty, slightly surreal adventure that explores identity, duty, and the unexpected ways a place can demand attention.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (404K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2016-10-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1865–1933
Best known today for the eerie stories in The King in Yellow, he was an American writer and trained artist whose work ranged from supernatural fiction to historical romance and popular magazine fiction. His reputation has endured largely because those uncanny tales went on to influence later horror writers.
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