
A tranquil New Mexico ranch unfolds under a sapphire sky, its adobe house shaded by lone alamo trees and surrounded by orchards, alfalfa fields, and distant, dramatic mountain ranges. The ranch doubles as a health resort, where thin, dry air offers a fragile hope to those weakened by consumption, and the daily rhythm is marked by quiet conversations, smoking pipes, and the occasional song that drifts across the patio.
Into this serene yet melancholy setting arrives Leonard Starr, a weary traveler whose tired steps belie a spirited presence. With a game‑bag full of meadow pigeons and a ready smile, he quickly becomes the catalyst for laughter and camaraderie among the bedridden guests, whose lives have settled into a cautious routine of hope and resignation. His stories and good‑natured teasing lift the mood, turning the ranch’s slow afternoons into moments of shared vitality, even as the looming mountains remind listeners of the harsh beauty that surrounds them.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (212K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by sp1nd, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2012-08-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1822–1906
Known for poetry, literary criticism, and garden writing, this 19th-century American author moved easily between art and everyday life. Her books range from verse to reflections on home gardening, giving her work a thoughtful but approachable charm.
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