The Girl and the Wild Race

"The Girl and the Wild Race" by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a captivating short story that follows the adventures of a spirited young girl named Tansy as she participates in a thrilling race through the wilderness. Set against the backdrop of a small Canadian community, Tansy navigates challenges, embraces her independent spirit, and showcases her determination. The narrative beautifully intertwines themes of nature, courage, and the joy of youth, reflecting Montgomery's signature style of celebrating the marvels of everyday life. Through Tansy's journey, readers are reminded of the importance of community, friendship, and the wild beauty of the world around them.

• Short story

								
"If Judith would only get married," Mrs. Theodora Whitney was wont to
sigh dolorously.

Now, there was no valid reason why Judith ought to get married unless
she wanted to. But Judith was twenty-seven and Mrs. Theodora thought
it was a terrible disgrace to be an old maid.

"There has never been an old maid in our family so far back as we know
of," she lamented. "And to think that there should be one now! It just
drags us down to the level of the McGregors. They have always been
noted for their old maids."

Judith took all her aunt's lamentations good-naturedly. Sometimes she
argued the subject placidly.

"Why are you in such a hurry to be rid of me, Aunt Theo? I'm sure
we're very comfortable here together and you know you would miss me
terribly if I went away."

"If you took the right one you wouldn't go so very far," said Mrs.
Theodora, darkly significant. "And, anyhow, I'd put up with any amount
of lonesomeness rather than have an old maid in the family. It's all
very fine now, when you're still young enough and good looking, with
lots of beaus at your beck and call. But that won't last much longer
and if you go on with your dilly-dallying you'll wake up some fine day
to find that your time for choosing has gone by. Your mother used to
be dreadful proud of your good looks when you was a baby. I told her
she needn't be. Nine times out of ten a beauty don't marry as well as
an ordinary girl."

"I'm not much set on marrying at all," declared Judith sharply. Any
reference to the "right one" always disturbed her placidity. The real
root of the trouble was that Mrs. Theodora's "right one" and Judith's
"right one" were two different people.

The Ramble Valley young men were very fond of dancing attendance on
Judith, even if she were verging on old maidenhood. Her prettiness was
undeniable; the Stewarts came to maturity late and at twenty-seven
Judith's dower of milky-white flesh, dimpled red lips and shining
bronze hair was at its fullest splendor. Besides, she was "jolly," and
jollity went a long way in Ramble Valley popularity.

Of all Judith's admirers Eben King alone found favor in Mrs.
Theodora's eyes. He owned the adjoining farm, was well off and
homely--so homely that Judith declared it made her eyes ache to look
at him.

Bruce Marshall, Judith's "right one" was handsome, but Mrs. Theodora
looked upon him with sour disapproval. He owned a stony little farm at
the remote end of Ramble Valley and was reputed to be fonder of many
things than of work. To be sure, Judith had enough capability and
energy for two; but Mrs. Theodora detested a lazy man. She ordered
Judith not to encourage him and Judith obeyed. Judith generally obeyed
her aunt; but, though she renounced Bruce Marshall, she would have
nothing to do with Eben King or anybody else and all Mrs. Theodora's
grumblings did not mend matters.

The afternoon that Mrs. Tony Mack came in Mrs. Theodora felt more
aggrieved than ever. Ellie McGregor had been married the previous
week--Ellie, who was the same age as Judith and not half so good
looking. Mrs. Theodora had been nagging Judith ever since.

"But I might as well talk to the trees down there in that hollow," she
complained to Mrs. Tony. "That girl is so set and contrary minded. She
doesn't care a bit for my feelings."

This was not said behind Judith's back. The girl herself was standing
at the open door, drinking in all the delicate, evasive beauty of the
spring afternoon. The Whitney house crested a bare hill that looked
down on misty intervals, feathered with young firs that were golden
green in the pale sunlight. The fields were bare and smoking, although
the lanes and shadowy places were full of moist snow. Judith's face
was aglow with the delight of mere life and she bent out to front the
brisk, dancing wind that blew up from the valley, resinous with the
odors of firs and damp mosses.

At her aunt's words the glow went out of her face. She listened with
her eyes brooding on the hollow and a glowing flame of temper
smouldering in them. Judith's long patience was giving way. She had
been flicked on the raw too often of late. And now her aunt was
confiding her grievances to Mrs. Tony Mack--the most notorious gossip
in Ramble Valley or out of it!

"I can't sleep at nights for worrying over what will become of her
when I'm gone," went on Mrs. Theodora dismally. "She'll just have to
live on alone here--a lonesome, withered-up old maid. And her that
might have had her pick, Mrs. Tony, though I do say it as shouldn't.
You must feel real thankful to have all your girls married
off--especially when none of them was extry good-looking. Some people
have all the luck. I'm tired of talking to Judith. Folks'll be saying
soon that nobody ever really wanted her, for all her flirting. But she
just won't marry."

"I will!"

Judith whirled about on the sun warm door step and came in. Her black
eyes were flashing and her round cheeks were crimson.

"Such a temper you never saw!" reported Mrs. Tony afterwards. "Though
'tweren't to be wondered at. Theodora was most awful aggravating."

"I will," repeated Judith stormily. "I'm tired of being nagged day in
and day out. I'll marry--and what is more I'll marry the very first
man that asks me--that I will, if it is old Widower Delane himself!
How does that suit you, Aunt Theodora?"

Mrs. Theodora's mental processes were never slow. She dropped her
knitting ball and stooped for it. In that time she had decided what to
do. She knew that Judith would stick to her word, Stewart-like, and
she must trim her sails to catch this new wind.

"It suits me real well, Judith," she said calmly, "you can marry the
first man that asks you and I'll say no word to hinder."

The color went out of Judith's face, leaving it pale as ashes. Her
hasty assertion had no sooner been uttered than it was repented of,
but she must stand by it now. She went out of the kitchen without
another glance at her aunt or the delighted Mrs. Tony and dashed up
the stairs to her own little room which looked out over the whole of
Ramble Valley. It was warm with the March sunshine and the leafless
boughs of the creeper that covered the end of the house were tapping a
gay tattoo on the window panes to the music of the wind.

Judith sat down in her little rocker and dropped her pointed chin in
her hands. Far down the valley, over the firs on the McGregor hill and
the blue mirror of the Cranston pond, Bruce Marshall's little gray
house peeped out from a semicircle of white-stemmed birches. She had
not seen Bruce since before Christmas. He had been angry at her then
because she had refused to let him drive her home from prayer meeting.
Since then she had heard a rumor that he was going to see Kitty Leigh
at the Upper Valley.

Judith looked sombrely down at the Marshall homestead. She had always

								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes