
As the day fades, the low western sun paints the creek and ancient windmills in amber, while an old stone church looms behind a stand of trees. The quiet countryside, with its rust‑colored house and whispering fields, feels both timeless and intimate. Into this landscape walks Linda Talbot, a thoughtful young woman whose dark hair and violet‑blue eyes hint at a spirit caught between duty and desire.
Linda returns to the family homestead to find Phebe, the kindly cook, preparing crab cakes beside a kitchen window. Over a shared meal, she confides her fear that the farm will pass to her sister Grace, leaving her with little more than a roof and a few meals. Determined to claim her own future, she resolves to earn a living beyond the bounds of inheritance.
The story follows Linda as she negotiates the expectations of a close‑knit rural community, the lingering shadows of family obligations, and the stirrings of a new romance. Listeners will hear the gentle cadence of early‑20th‑century life, the humor of everyday chores, and the quiet strength of a woman choosing her own path.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (344K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Molly Wolfe 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
2014-07-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1856–1926
Known for warm, lively stories for young readers, this American author wrote dozens of novels, poems, and tales that stayed popular well into the Project Gutenberg era. Her work often follows girls and families through everyday adventures, travel, school life, and historical settings.
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