Max Keesler's Horse-Car
The story revolves around a horse-car company owned by Max Kessler, which is on the verge of bankruptcy due to a rival company's aggressive competition. The protagonist, a young man, tries to save the company by proposing innovative ideas and working diligently to implement them. Through his efforts, the company starts to recover, but not before facing several challenges and setbacks.
By Edward Everett Hale · First published 1876 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Social Commentary · 7 chapters · 8,920 words
First lines
Yes, Mr. Keesler told me the story, virtually in confession. It is a queer story, and I was somewhat at loss as to the counsel I was to give him. So I take the gentle reader into my confidence and his. I may as well say, as I begin, that it was not in Boston or in Brooklyn or in New York that this happened. The place was a sea-board town, where most of the people lived in a pretty suburb, but came into the old compact city for their work and for their amusements.
"It all began with the paint-shop," he said.
What this Textopian page supports
Max Keesler's Horse-Car is listed on Textopian as a novella by Edward Everett Hale, dated 1876 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Edward Everett Hale
- Date: 1876 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Social Commentary, Drama, Literary Fiction
- Length: 8,920 words
- Structure: 7 chapters, 174 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Max Keesler's Horse-Car by Edward Everett Hale
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Max Keesler's Horse-Car?
- How does this novella by Edward Everett Hale fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Historical Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- A Civil Servant by Edward Everett Hale
- Crusoe In New York by Edward Everett Hale
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- The Consul by Richard Harding Davis
Genres
- Historical Fiction — Set in a specific historical period with detailed descriptions of the era.
- Adventure — Features a journey and various challenges faced by the protagonist.
- Social Commentary — Addresses social issues and critiques societal norms of the time.
- Drama — Contains emotional and relational conflicts among characters.
Tags
American Literature · 19th Century Fiction · Historical Fiction · Adventure · Youth Fiction · Coming of Age · Transportation · Horse-Drawn Vehicles · Innovation · Progress · Industrialization · Urbanization
Contents
- THE PAINT-SHOP
- THE WOMAN BEGAN IT
- A LODGMENT MADE
- AN EXPERIMENT
- REGULAR WORK
- YOUR UNCLE
- THE END