The Eventful Trip of the Midnight Cry
The story revolves around a young girl who embarks on a journey to find her missing brother. Along the way, she encounters various characters and experiences several events that shape her understanding of life and relationships. The narrative explores themes of family, love, loss, and self-discovery as the protagonist navigates through challenges and learns valuable lessons about herself and those around her.
By Kate Douglas Wiggin · First published 1877 · Genre: Fiction, Humor, Historical Fiction · 5,285 words
First lines
In the little villages along the Saco River, in the year 1850 or thereabouts, the arrival and departure of the stage-coach was the one exciting incident of the day. It did not run on schedule time in those days, but started from Limington or Saco, as the case might be, at about or somewhere near a certain hour, and arrived at the other end of the route whenever it got there. There were no trains to meet (the railway popularly known as the "York and Yank'em" was not built till 1862); the roads were occasionally good and generally bad; and thus it was often dusk, and sometimes late in the evening, when the lumbering vehicle neared its final destination and drew up to the little post-offices along the way. However late it might be, the village postmaster had to be on hand to receive and open the mailbags; after which he distributed the newspapers and letters in a primitive set of pine pigeon-holes on the wall, turned out the loafers, "banked up" the fire, and went home to bed.
What this Textopian page supports
The Eventful Trip of the Midnight Cry is listed on Textopian as a short story by Kate Douglas Wiggin, dated 1877 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin
- Date: 1877 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Humor, Historical Fiction, Romance, Social Commentary
- Length: 5,285 words
- Structure: 1 section, 44 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- The Cricket Match by J. M. Barrie
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Genres
- Fiction — The narrative is a fictional account set in a specific historical context, focusing on character interactions and events.
- Humor — The story employs comedic elements, particularly through character dynamics and situational irony.
- Historical Fiction — The setting in the mid-19th century and references to historical elements provide a backdrop that reflects the era.
- Romance — The plot includes romantic tensions and relationships, particularly involving the characters' interactions.
Tags
Coming-of-age · Family-drama · Friendship · Growing-up · Humor · Literary-fiction · Nostalgia · Realism · Satire · Social-commentary · Travel-narrative · Youth-literature