Among the Lindens — Reading Companion

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In Category - Historical Psychological Social Fiction

Authors: Raymond, Evelyn, 1843-1910, Searles, Victor A. [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2021 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Poor families -- Juvenile fiction; Benefactors -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 63,342

Reading time 276 min

Text sections 27

For Among the Lindens — Reading Companion, the stored edition analysis reports 63,342 words, 4 hr 36 min estimated reading time, and 27 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 13.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #65290

Evelyn Raymond's 1898 novel follows Miss Joanna Brook, a city woman who moves to a country estate called The Lindens, where she befriends a poor family and helps a boy named Robert start a poultry business. The story contrasts urban and rural life through detailed domestic scenes and character interactions.

Editorial Edition Score 4.8/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg65290

Read the Text

“Is the man senseless?” cried a second voice.

“This way, sir--this way--quick! Dear me! Are you hurt?”

The school-girl who had uttered the first exclamation darted suddenly forward into the midst of the crowd, and pulled from under the very hoofs of the horses, attached to a heavy dray, the queer little old gentleman who had occasioned her outcry.

Every New Yorker knows how thronged is that particular point, at the southwestern corner of pretty Madison Square, where Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-third Street--all favorite thoroughfares of the shoppers--meet to shake hands, as it were; while each adds its complement of humanity on foot and humanity in vehicles to swell the current eddying about the corner.

A gay and lively place it was, on that early afternoon. All the curbstone merchants had come out with their mechanical toys, forever getting under the pedestrians’ feet, tripping them up, and threatening more than one with mischance.

Among such was an old gentleman whose dress was quaint and out of style, while his manner was that of one unused to scenes of confusion. For some moments he had stood upon the sidewalk, watching with curious interest what went on about him; but when a papier-maché monkey gave a realistic spring from the end of an elastic cord, and clasped his ankle, he stepped boldly forth into the whirlpool of wheels. For half the short distance between curbs all went well; then he slipped upon the slimy pavement, and just where hoofs and wheels were in most hopeless tangle, he fell.

There was an outcry of horror from many throats.

The policeman piloting a party of women over the crossing turned hurriedly, just in time to see what had happened, as well as a slim girlish figure spring to the rescue.

“Stop! That’s dangerous! Why should two be killed?”

There were groans and execrations from the drivers of carts and carriages, the swiftly forming blockade which follows any break in the routine of city transit, and the patrolman was back, seizing the old man’s shoulder and demanding why he should make so much more disturbance than was necessary by tumbling down in that ridiculous manner. Or if the policeman did not put his inquiry in just those words he made it distinctly evident to Mr. Philipse Chidly Brook that visitors who could not conduct themselves any better than he had done might likely find themselves at the station-house, to be cared for at the public expense.

“Come this way with me, will you? Come this way just for a moment!” cried the old gentleman, and seized upon Bonny’s hand so forcibly that, whether she would or no, she had to follow where he led. This was into the flower-shop close by, and she obeyed readily enough, after all; for she loved an adventure dearly and therefore--so her sister declared--was always meeting with one.

Isabelle, who had been with her all along, now interposed: “Bonny! What are you doing? You must not go anywhere with a stranger. Come away at once!” and she laid her hand in firm remonstrance upon thoughtless Beatrice’s shoulder.

“Yes, Belle; directly. But I must see if he is hurt. Come along, too.”

“Yes, certainly; come along, too,” repeated Mr. Brook, turning toward the elder miss.

“Thank you. It is impossible. Come, Bonny.”

But fun-loving Bonny had already followed the man into the shop; where, with a smile of gratitude upon his very muddy face, he asked: “Who are you, my dear?”

“Oh! no matter about that, sir. Are you hurt?”

“Not at all, I think. Time will tell. I might have some cracked bones about my anatomy somewhere, and yet not know it, amid all this whirl and racket. Five-and-twenty years since I set foot in the streets of New York before, and I find them greatly changed. But I must know your name, please. I must know to whom I am indebted for my life. I should have been killed but for your courage, my dear; or have been arrested and sent to the lock-up, than which I would almost think death preferable.”

“Bonny! Bonny Beckwith! Come at once! Mother would be very much displeased! The idea of your following a stranger about in this way!” cried Belle, now opening the door of the shop, and looking threateningly at her sister.

“Directly, dear. Now, sir, can you tell me where you are stopping? If you are such a stranger here, I should think you would better take a carriage to your home--or hotel. After twenty-five years the town must seem like a new world to you, or, I mean--”

Continue Reading →

The novel opens with a dramatic rescue on a crowded New York street corner, where a school-girl pulls a "queer little old gentleman" from under a dray's horses. This moment of quick action introduces a pattern of benevolent intervention that recurs throughout the excerpts. The setting—Madison Square, where Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-third Street meet—is described as a "gay and lively place" filled with "mechanical toys" that trip pedestrians, establishing a tone of bustling urban energy that contrasts with later rural scenes.

Raymond's prose moves between vivid city description and intimate dialogue. The opening chapter's title, "A Kindly Deed," signals the moral framework, while the girl's impulsive cry—"Look out! Oh, look out, sir!"—shows her character through action rather than exposition. The excerpts suggest that the story will balance external incident with quieter domestic moments, as when Miss Joanna later explains poultry care to Robert, using terms like "sitting time" and "mother biddy" to teach country life.

Rescue and Introduction

The first excerpt establishes a pattern of rescue and gratitude. The school-girl's intervention saves the "queer little old gentleman," and the scene's urgency—"pulled from under the very hoofs of the horses"—creates immediate tension. Raymond uses the crowded corner to introduce multiple characters: the girl, the gentleman, and the watching crowd. The description of "curbstone merchants" with "mechanical toys" adds period detail and a sense of chaotic commerce.

This opening also hints at the novel's social concerns. The girl's quick action suggests a compassionate nature, while the gentleman's odd appearance—"queer little old gentleman"—marks him as an outsider. The chapter title "A Kindly Deed" frames the event as morally significant, but the excerpt does not reveal the characters' names or relationships, leaving the reader to infer connections from later passages.

Country Life and Character

Later excerpts shift to rural settings, where Miss Joanna Brook becomes a central figure. In a poultry yard, she discusses snakes with a boy named Robert, who admits his fear: "I don't like snakes, an' there ain't no use pertendin' I do." Raymond uses dialect—"Wull," "dretful," "cowardy"—to mark Robert's speech as distinct from Miss Joanna's more formal language. The scene shows her patience: she explains snake habits until Robert becomes "intensely interested."

Miss Joanna's brother is mentioned as "a very wise man" who "likes snakes better" than poultry, suggesting a household of contrasting temperaments. The dialogue reveals class differences: Robert's mother worries about "tiring" Miss Brook, while Miss Joanna insists she enjoys questions. This dynamic—a wealthy woman mentoring a poor boy—drives the narrative, with the poultry business as a practical goal.

Mystery and Resolution

The excerpts include a mysterious element: "mysterious rappings" that disturb the new tenants at The Lindens. Mr. Brook investigates "every part of the house and grounds" and declares "faith in a rational explanation." The mystery is solved by Mr. Dolloway, though the excerpts do not reveal the solution. This subplot adds suspense to the domestic narrative, echoing the earlier rescue scene's tension.

Raymond balances the supernatural hint with practical concerns. Miss Joanna's assessment of the poultry yard—"mentally determining the cost of the needed repairs"—shows her as both empathetic and pragmatic. The mystery's resolution is left to a minor character, suggesting that the novel values community cooperation over individual heroism. The reader must wait to learn what caused the rappings, but the excerpts imply a natural, not ghostly, explanation.

Dialogue and Dialect

Raymond uses dialogue to distinguish characters and advance plot. Robert's speech is marked by contractions and colloquialisms: "I ain't a-goin' to keep no hen things, I ain't." Miss Joanna responds with formal encouragement: "A little lad who has a love of the truth so strong that it will overcome personal fear is the sort of boy for me!" This contrast highlights their different backgrounds and the mentorship theme.

The excerpts also show Raymond's interest in natural history. Miss Joanna explains snake behavior—"habits of the hated reptiles"—and poultry cycles: "Every mother biddy in the flock... is now thinking about her coming family." These details ground the story in specific knowledge, making the rural setting feel authentic. The dialogue often serves an instructive purpose, as when Miss Joanna teaches Robert about animal life, blending entertainment with education.

Readers should pay attention to how Raymond uses setting to mirror character development. The move from crowded city streets to the quiet Lindens estate reflects a shift from external action to internal growth. The excerpts suggest that the novel rewards patience: small details—a snake's habits, a chicken's sitting time—carry thematic weight. The mystery of the rappings, though unresolved in these passages, hints at the importance of rational inquiry over superstition.

I think of Miss Joanna Brook’s quiet patience with young Robert, how small kindnesses built a sturdy future. There’s a similar steady warmth in Tom Slade at Bear Mountain — A Closer Reading, where a boy’s clumsy courage finds its footing among pines and lakes. Both books listen to their characters’ ordinary days, and that gentleness stays with me, like an old friend’s hand on the shelf.