Forty Minutes Late
The novel follows the story of two young lovers, John and Mary, who are separated by a misunderstanding. John is a young man from a wealthy family, while Mary is a poor girl from a small town. When John's father refuses to allow him to marry Mary, John leaves home and takes a job as a clerk in a large city. Meanwhile, Mary is left behind in her small town, where she is courted by a wealthy suitor. When John returns to his hometown, he discovers that Mary is engaged to the suitor. He is heartbroken and decides to leave town again. On his way out of town, John stops at a train station and discovers that the train is forty minutes late. He decides to wait for the train, and while he is waiting, he meets a young woman named Alice. Alice is also waiting for the train, and the two become friends. John and Alice eventually fall in love, and John decides to stay in town and marry Alice. However, when Mary discovers that John is still in town, she realizes that she still loves him and decides to break off her engagement. John and Mary are reunited, and the novel ends with the two of them happily married.
By Francis Hopkinson Smith · First published 1909 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction · 6,611 words
First lines
It began to snow half an hour after the train started -- a fine-grained, slanting, determined snow that forced its way between the bellows of the vestibules, and deposited itself in mounds of powdered salt all over the platforms and steps. Even the porter had caught some puffs on his depot coat with the red cape, and so had the conductor, from the way he thrashed his cap on the back of the seat in front of mine. "Yes, gettin' worse," he said in answer to an inquiring lift of my eyebrows. "Everything will be balled up if this keeps on."
"Shall we make the connection at Bondville?" I was to lecture fifty miles from Bondville Junction, and had but half an hour lee-way.
What this Textopian page supports
Forty Minutes Late is listed on Textopian as a novel by Francis Hopkinson Smith, dated 1909 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Francis Hopkinson Smith
- Date: 1909 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Drama
- Length: 6,611 words
- Structure: 1 section, 128 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Forty Minutes Late by Francis Hopkinson Smith
- 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 Forty Minutes Late?
- How does this novel by Francis Hopkinson Smith fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Historical Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The book is set in the late 19th century and follows the story of a young man who is forty minutes late to his own wedding.
- Romance — The book follows the story of a young man who is forty minutes late to his own wedding, and the consequences of his tardiness.
- Realistic Fiction — The book follows the story of a young man in a realistic setting, and the consequences of his tardiness.
- Drama — The book follows the story of a young man and the dramatic consequences of his tardiness.
Tags
Fiction · Lecturers · Short stories · Travel · back · bag · bags · came · carriage · come · course · get