A Curious Story by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The story revolves around a romantic triangle between three characters: a young woman, her fiancé, and a mysterious stranger who appears at their engagement party. The stranger's presence sparks a series of supernatural events that ultimately lead to the dissolution of the couple's relationship. Through a mix of romance, mystery, and the paranormal, the narrative explores themes of love, fate, and the complexities of human relationships.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1899 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Poetry · 470 words
First lines
I heard such a curious story / Of Santa Claus: once, so they say, / He set out to see what people were kind, / Before he took presents their way. / 'This year I will give but to givers, / To those who make presents themselves,' / With a nod of his head old Santa Claus said / To his band of bright officer-elves.
'Go into the homes of the happy / Where pleasure stands page at the door. / Watch well how they live, and report what they give / To the hordes of God's suffering poor. / Keep track of each cent and each moment; / Yes, tell me each word, too, they use: / To silver line clouds for earth's suffering crowds, / And tell me, too, when they refuse.'
What this Textopian page supports
A Curious Story is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Poetry, Moral Tale, Holiday
- Length: 470 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Curious Story by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- 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
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Genres
- Children's Literature — The story revolves around Santa Claus, a central figure in children's stories, and contains elements of fantasy and moral lessons typical of children's literature.
- Fantasy — The narrative includes fantastical elements such as elves, Santa Claus, and magical observations, which are hallmarks of the fantasy genre.
- Poetry — The text is written in verse form with a rhythmic and rhyming structure, characteristic of poetry.
- Moral Tale — The story imparts a moral lesson about generosity and selflessness, which is a key feature of moral tales.
Tags
Romance · Mystery · Supernatural · Fantasy · Gothic · Dark Fantasy · Paranormal · Ghost Story · Haunted House · Love Triangle · Tragic Love · Fate