Christmas before Last; or, the Fruit of the Frag
The story follows a young man named John who travels to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts in search of his long-lost uncle, only to find himself embroiled in a dangerous treasure hunt. Along the way, he meets a cast of colorful characters and must use all his wits to outsmart his enemies and claim the prize.
By Frank R. Stockton · First published 1892 · Genre: Fiction, Holiday, Adventure · 9,002 words
First lines
The "Horn o' Plenty" was a fine, big, old-fashioned ship, very high in the bow, very high in the stern, with a quarter-deck always carpeted in fine weather, because her captain could not see why one should not make himself comfortable at sea as well as on land. Covajos Maroots was her captain, and a fine, jolly, old-fashioned, elderly sailor he was. The "Horn o' Plenty" always sailed upon one sea, and always between two ports, one on the west side of the sea, and one on the east. The port on the west was quite a large city, in which Captain Covajos had a married son, and the port on the east was another city in which he had a married daughter. In each family he had several grandchildren; and, consequently, it was a great joy to the jolly old sailor to arrive at either port. The Captain was very particular about his cargo, and the "Horn o' Plenty" was generally laden with good things to eat, or sweet things to smell, or fine things to wear, or beautiful things to look at.
What this Textopian page supports
Christmas before Last; or, the Fruit of the Fragile Palm is listed on Textopian as a short story by Frank R. Stockton, dated 1892 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Frank R. Stockton
- Date: 1892 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Holiday, Adventure, Romance, Drama
- Length: 9,002 words
- Structure: 1 section, 133 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Christmas before Last; or, the Fruit of the Fragile Palm by Frank R. Stockton
- 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 Christmas before Last; or, the Fruit of the Fragile Palm?
- How does this short story by Frank R. Stockton fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Fiction — The book is a work of imaginative narrative.
- Holiday — The story is centered around the Christmas season.
- Adventure — The plot involves a journey and exploration.
- Romance — There are elements of romantic relationships in the story.
Tags
Christmas · holiday · fiction · short story · humor · satire · family · tradition · adventure · mystery · narrative · whimsy