A Mislaid Uncle by Maud Van Buren

Name: A Mislaid Uncle
Author: Maud Van Buren

John James Alston, a wealthy, hard-hearted New York bachelor who believes he has no family, is travelling two days before Christmas when a four-year-old girl’s talk of her grandfather’s crowded holiday home awakens an unfamiliar loneliness in him. While waiting at a Junction, he is mistakenly welcomed by Aunt Sarah and several children as “Uncle John” Damon, a relative expected from the West. Though he initially tries to correct them, the affection of little Dolly and the warmth of the family persuade him to accept the role. On the ride to the Damon farm, John gathers information about the man he is impersonating: John Damon has been absent for ten years, has lost his wife Annie, and is brother to Asher. The family assumes that he has returned to see his feeble father. At the farm, Alston is greeted by Asher, Mary, cousins, children, and the old father, whose sincere emotion makes him sharply aware of his deception. He struggles to behave like a farmer and former family member, attracting occasional suspicious looks, but finds himself increasingly absorbed by the household’s affection and activity. Realizing Christmas is near and that “Uncle John” ought to bring gifts, Alston telephones a Boston business acquaintance and orders a large shipment. He devotes himself to the children, who become devoted to him, while he attempts and fails at such country tasks as harnessing old Griggs. The express box arrives, and Alston and Asher unpack lavish presents: toys, books, clothes, skates, a doll, gifts for the women, boots for Asher, a dressing-gown for the old father, and other surprises. Among them is a cashier’s draft for five hundred and fifty dollars, enough to pay the remaining mortgage and interest on Asher’s farm. Alston explains that he is repaying Asher for taking a whipping intended for him long ago, a memory he learned from the station-master and has made part of his assumed identity. Christmas morning fills the house with astonishment and delight. The family enjoys its gifts, food, games, and fellowship, while Alston forgets his former lonely self and feels wholly at home. That evening, however, the real John Damon arrives, delayed by snow. The family immediately sees that Alston is an impostor, and the two men confront one another. Alston openly confesses that he is John J. Alston of New York, a man without close ties who yielded to the temptation of being claimed as family after seeing Christmas reunions everywhere around him. He asks pardon and hopes to remain a “second Uncle John.” The children’s attachment to him, the family’s recognition of his generosity and goodwill, and the real John Damon’s good-humoured response secure his forgiveness. John Damon accepts the extraordinary situation and joins the celebration. Alston goes to bed knowing that peace and good-will are real, and resolves to seek out his Connecticut cousins before the next Christmas.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Christmas Fiction, Sentimental Fiction, Domestic Fiction · 6,426 words

First lines

_E. Vinton Blake_

Five feet eleven of vigorous, well-fed, clean-shaven humanity, a little / past the middle age, enveloped in a fur-lined overcoat, and carrying / a handsome dress-suit case; this was John James Alston of New York, / a hard-headed, hard-hearted old bachelor, with no kith or kin in the / world, that he knew. There might be a few distant cousins or so, / somewhere out Connecticut way; he didn't know or care. He had worked / his way in the world himself, and made a moderate fortune, and knew how / to take care of it. What more did a man want? [8]

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

A Mislaid Uncle is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Maud Van Buren
Date: 1927 CE
Language: English
Genres: Christmas Fiction, Sentimental Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Family Fiction
Length: 6,426 words
Structure: 1 section, 108 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for A Mislaid Uncle by Maud Van Buren
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

Similar titles

Genres

Christmas Fiction — The story is set over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with family reunions, gift-giving, charity, festive meals, games, and an explicit celebration of peace and goodwill.
Sentimental Fiction — Its central purpose is emotional transformation: a lonely, guarded bachelor discovers affection, belonging, generosity, and the value of family connection.
Domestic Fiction — The narrative concentrates on household life, kinship, children, rural hospitality, meals, gifts, and the intimate social rituals of a large family.
Humorous Fiction — Comedy arises from mistaken identity, Alston's increasingly difficult impersonation, his inept attempts at farm tasks, and the eventual arrival of the real uncle.