The Books: Further Chronicles of Avonlea: ‘Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat’ (L.M. Montgomery)

Daily Book Excerpt: YA/Children’s books:

Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery. Another short story collection! We’re gonna be doing LM for the next couple of months. Oh, I’m so happy!!

First story in this collection is a very funny little domestic drama – the kind of which Lucy Maud was just a MASTER of. There’s also a sprinkling of romance – but the COMEDY is what is paramount here. I love her sense of humor. I just get it, I respond to it.

So anyway, first story is called “Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat”.

The elements in the story:

— Sue and Ismay are sisters – they are adults, neither married, and are living in the old family house

— They have a fussy old Aunt Cynthia – of whom they both live in a kind of mild state of fear.

— Sue has a “friend” named Max – who has asked her to marry him once a year for the past 10 years or whatever. They are best friends – but Sue is just convinced that he is not the man for her, even though she adores him, and loves having him around. (A recurring Lucy Maud theme.) Oh – and funny thing … Anne Shirley (excerpt here) shows up in a peripheral way here. There’s a rumor that maybe Max wants to court Anne Shirley – and even though Sue doesn’t want to marry Max, she … well … she certainly doesn’t want him courting anyone else!!

— Aunt Cynthia descends upon Sue and Ismay one weekend and she’s going out of town or something and she wants them to take care of Fatima – her white Persian cat – a cat that Sue and Ismay both despise. But because they live in fear of Aunt Cynthia, they say “sure, we’ll take care of Fatima”

— Of course – Fatima is lost during her stay with Sue and Ismay. UTTER PANIC ENSUES. It’s hysterical – literally, Sue and Ismay are beside themselves. Max gets involved in the drama – mainly because he is such a good “friend” of Sue (you just love Max – he’s a very humorous character, the kind of guy I think I would like)

Anyway, it all turns out all right in the end.

But here’s an excerpt that gives the flavor of why I love this little story. Lucy Maud, when she’s “on”, is such a great example of how to keep it simple. She was SO good at that. Her short stories have nothing extraneous – and yet you still get the sense that they are chock-full of reality, and … you always feel like you are peeking through someone’s window – getting a glimpse of a full life lived. She’s marvelous.

Here’s the excerpt.

Excerpt from Further Chronicles of Avonlea – “Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat”. by L.M. Montgomery.

“You can take care of that horrid Fatima beast yourself,” said Ismay, when the door closed behind Aunt Cynthia. “I won’t touch her with a yardstick. You had no business to say we’d take her.”

“Did I say we would take her?” I demanded, crossly. “Aunt Cynthia took our consent for granted. And you know, as well as I do, we couldn’t have refused. So what is the use of being grouchy?”

“If anything happens to her, Aunt Cynthia will hold us responsible,” said Ismay darkly.

“Do you think Anne Shirley is really engaged to Gilbert Blythe?” I asked curiously.

“I’ve heard that she was,” said Ismay absently. “Does she eat anything but milk? Will it do to give her milk?”

“Oh, I guess so. But do you think Max has really fallen in love with her?”

“I dare say. What a relief it will be for you if he has.”

“Oh, of course,” I said, frostily. “Anne Shirley or Anne Anybody Else, is perfectly welcome to Max if she wants him. I certainly do not. Ismay Meade, if that stove doesn’t stop smoking I shall fly into bits. This is a detestable day. I hate that creature!”

“Oh, you shouldn’t talk like that, when you don’t even know her,” protested Ismay. “Every one says Anne Shirley is lovely –”

“I was talking about Fatima,” I cried in a rage.

“Oh!” said Ismay.

Ismay is stupid at times. I thought the way she said “Oh” was inexcusably stupid.