
In a tidy New England home of the 1860s, the Lee family’s gentle routine is quietly disrupted when the Long family’s youngest daughter, Mary, is invited to stay with them. The bustling household, with its polished rooms, fine pictures and treasured trinkets, offers Mary a glimpse of a world far removed from her modest cottage. As the children explore the elegant surroundings, their curiosity is sparked by the small mysteries that linger in everyday life.
One such mystery centers on a tiny gold thimble, a beloved gift that mysteriously disappears from Flora’s sideboard. The search for the missing piece spirals into a thoughtful lesson, as Mr. Lee weaves a story‑within‑a‑story for the youngsters, urging them to consider honesty, humility, and the hidden value of simple acts. Listeners will find a warm, gently moral tale that captures the charm of childhood wonder and the quiet wisdom of an older generation.
Language
en
Duration
~28 minutes (27K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1862.
Credits
Bob Taylor, Aaron Adrignola and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
Release date
2023-11-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1822–1897
A 19th-century American storyteller and educator, he wrote lively adventure books for young readers under the pen name Oliver Optic. His tales of ships, schools, and moral choices made him one of the best-known juvenile authors of his era.
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