Marcella's Reward Page #3

"Marcella's Reward" is a captivating short story by Lucy Maud Montgomery that follows the journey of the titular character, Marcella, a young woman determined to pursue her dreams against societal expectations. Set in the picturesque backdrop of early 20th-century rural Canada, the narrative explores themes of love, ambition, and the quest for personal fulfillment. As Marcella navigates the challenges of her ambitions and the complexities of relationships, she learns valuable lessons about resilience and the true nature of reward. Montgomery's signature rich prose and deep character development shine through, making this story a poignant reflection on the balance between personal aspirations and the realities of life.

• Short story

								

her old room out there that we always slept in when she came to stay
all night with me. It's all ready for you. What's that? You can't
afford to lose your place here? Bless your heart, child, you won't
lose it! The owner of this store is my nephew, and he'll do
considerable to oblige me, as well he might, seeing as I brought him
up. To think that Mary Carvell's daughter has been in his store for
three years, and me never suspecting it! And I might never have found
you out at all if you hadn't been so patient with that woman. If you'd
sassed her back, I'd have thought she deserved it and wouldn't have
blamed you a mite, but I wouldn't have bothered coming to talk to you
either. Well, well well! Poor child, don't cry. You just pick up and
go home. I'll make it all right with Tom. You're pretty near played
out yourself, I can see that. But a summer in Fir Cottage, with plenty
of cream and eggs and my cookery, will soon make another girl of
you. Don't you dare to thank me. It's a privilege to be able to do
something for Mary Carvell's girls. I just loved Mary."

The upshot of the whole matter was that Marcella and Patty went, two
days later, to Dalesboro, where Miss Draper gave them a hearty welcome
to Fir Cottage--a quaint, delightful little house circled by big
Scotch firs and overgrown with vines. Never were such delightful weeks
as those that followed. Patty came rapidly back to health and
strength. As for Marcella, Miss Draper's prophecy was also fulfilled;
she soon looked and felt like another girl. The dismal years of
drudgery behind her were forgotten like a dream, and she lived wholly
in the beautiful present, in the walks and drives, the flowers and
grass slopes, and in the pleasant household duties which she shared
with Miss Draper.

"I love housework," she exclaimed one September day. "I don't like the
thought of going back to the store a bit."

"Well, you're not going back," calmly said Miss Draper, who had a
habit of arranging other people's business for them that might have
been disconcerting had it not been for her keen insight and hearty
good sense. "You're going to stay here with me--you and Patty. I don't
propose to die of lonesomeness losing you, and I need somebody to help
me about the house. I've thought it all out. You are to call me Aunt
Josephine, and Patty is to go to school. I had this scheme in mind
from the first, but I thought I'd wait to see how we got along living
in the same house, and how you liked it here, before I spoke out. No,
you needn't thank me this time either. I'm doing this every bit as
much for my sake as yours. Well, that's all settled. Patty won't
object, bless her rosy cheeks!"

"Oh!" said Marcella, with eyes shining through her tears. "I'm so
happy, dear Miss Draper--I mean Aunt Josephine. I'll love to stay
here--and I will thank you."

"Fudge!" remarked Miss Draper, who felt uncomfortably near crying
herself. "You might go out and pick a basket of Golden Gems. I want to
make some jelly for Patty."
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