A Spinner in the Sun

(1906) Romance / Emotional/moral suffering / Dramatic reading


R: *****


Plot bullets

Miss Evelina returns to her long closed home after twenty five years.
She left it with scars, both physical and mental.
She is reclusive and shy.
She has created a mental and emotional darkness of hate behind the veil she always wares. Hate for the man who betrayed her.Others spin their threads and weave their lives in the dark and others in the sun.

o Miss Mehitable has imposed a false life of piety for herself and her niece, as a response to a past hurt.

o Araminta (the niece) was born for the sun, but is kept in darkness by her Aunt.

o Doctor Dexter is the source, past and present, of most of the grief.

o Piper Tom is a traveling peddler selling needles, threads and other goods.
He takes it upon himself to bring Miss Evelina from behind her veil and from the darkness to spin the threads of a new life, in the sun.


From the book.


"Did you never," asked Evelina, thickly, "hear of chains?"


"Aye," said the Piper, "chains of our own making. 'T is like the ancient people in one of my ragged books. When one man killed another, they chained the dead man to the living one, so that he was forever dragging his own sin. When he struck the blow, he made his own chain."


"I am chained," cried Evelina, piteously, "but not to my own sin."


"'T is wrong," said the Piper; "I'm thinking there's a loose link somewhere that can be slipped off."


"I cannot find it," she sobbed; "I've hunted for it in the dark for twenty-five years."


"Poor soul," said the Piper, softly. "'T is because of the darkness, I'm thinking. From the distaff of Eternity, you take the thread of your life, but you're sitting in the night, and God meant you to be a spinner in the sun. When the day breaks for you, you'll be finding the loose link to set yourself free."


"When the day breaks," repeated Evelina, in a whisper. "There is no day."


"There is day. I've come to lead you to it. We'll find the light together and set the thread to going right again."

o Doctor Ralph (son of Doctor Dexter) is a young doctor in love with Araminta. He also has a task to set aside the shadows imposed on her.

I read Myrtle Reed's book "Old Rose & Silver" and liked it so much that I downloaded this one, and I liked it even better! Myrtle Reed is a very good writer and this book grabs you right from the first paragraph and doesn't let you go! I could give a better description of the book, but I won't because it would have too many spoilers, but this is a must-read and I highly recommend it.