A Christmas Fairy

Dainty Series #13

by John Strange Winter

Excerpt from A Christmas Fairy

This letter will smell queer, darling; it will be fumigated before posting. It must be owned that when Bertie Fellowes received this letter, which was neither more nor less than a shattering of all his Christmas hopes and joys, that he fairly broke down, and hiding his face upon his arms as they rested on his desk, sobbed aloud. The forlorn boy from India, who sat next to him, tried every boyish means of consolation that he could think of. He patted his shoulder, whispered many pitying words, and, at last, ?ung his arm across him and hugged him tightly, as, poor little chap, he himself many times since his arrival in England, had wished someone would do to him. At last Bertie Fellowes thrust his mother's letter into his friend's hand. Read it, he sobbed. So Shivers made himself master of Mrs. Fellowes' letter and understood the cause of the boy's outburst of grief. Old fellow, he said at last, don't fret over it. It might be worse. Why, you might be like me, with your father and mother thousands of miles away. When Aggie is better, you'll be able to go home  and it'll help your mother if she thinks you are almost as happy as if you were at home. It must be worse for her  she has cried ever so over her letter  see, it's all tear-blots.

52 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

John Strange Winter was the pen-name of Henrietta Eliza Vaughan Stannard (January 13, 1856, York – 1911), an English novelist.

Promotional poster for Private Tinker.She was the daughter of Reverent H. V. Palmer, rector of St Margarets, York. She early began to write fiction for different magazines, producing sentimental stories, chiefly of army life. An indefatigable journalist on matters affecting women, she was the first president of the Writers Club (1892), and presided from 1901 to 1903 over the Society of Women Journalists. In 1884 she married Arthur Stannard, a civil engineer.

Reviews

[scott]

Man, the 19th century musta been rough. A Christmas story in which a woman loses a child in childbirth while her other two children roast themselves some chestnuts while shits going down. Uplifting

[Ella あいみ M.]

Nice, very short story about 2 boys who can't go home for Christmas break and what they do to help the other. I liked both of the kids, but I think I liked Tom better because of how willing he was to sacrifice his own comforts for Bertie. The story itself didn't have much depth, though, but I guess it's kind of hard with such a short book.

[Laura Plack]

Meh, it was just okay (audiobook)

[Meagan Andrews]

Kindness is never wasted in this world.