
Mrs. Wiggs meets each day with a grin, even after a fire destroys her country home and her husband’s death leaves her family struggling. She moves into the ramshackle Cabbage Patch, a neighborhood of crooked cottages and tin roofs, and salvages a single door to make a new house. Her philosophy—that something always sings in the mud and scum—keeps her spirits high as she battles cold mornings and scarce resources.
The household revolves around her children: Jim, a fifteen‑year‑old already bearing the weight of a provider, his carefree brother Billy, and three little girls named after far‑off continents—Asia, Australia, and Europena. Mrs. Wiggs runs a Sunday‑school in the cramped parlor, turning simple meals of potato soup into moments of laughter and community. Listeners will feel the warmth of her optimism and the close‑knit bonds that help the Cabbage Patch endure hardship.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (108K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines.
Release date
2003-08-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1870–1942
Best known for creating the beloved Mrs. Wiggs, this Kentucky novelist wrote warm, lively stories that mixed humor with sympathy for people living on the margins. Her most famous book became a major bestseller and helped bring wider attention to life in Louisville’s poor neighborhoods.
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