Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery and is a sequel to Chronicles of Avonlea. Published in 1920, it includes a number of stories relating to the inhabitants of the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea and its region, located on Prince Edward Island.

Stories

1. Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat, in which Aunt Cynthia leaves her beloved Persian cat Fatima in the care of her unwilling nieces Sue and Ismay Meade. When Fatima disappears, Sue must call on desperate measures to avoid the wealthy Aunt Cynthia's wrath.
2. The Materializing of Cecil, in which Miss Charlotte Holmes, unwilling to admit that she has never had any suitors in her life, invents the dashing Cecil Fenwick of Blakely, New Brunswick, to keep the Avonlea gossips at bay. When the real Cecil appears, Miss Charlotte the truth will be told. (This story was used as a base for an episode in the popular Canadian television series Road to Avonlea, in which Marilla Cuthbert is substituted for Miss Charlotte.)
3. Her Father's Daughter, in which Rachel Spencer invites her father to her wedding, to the fury of her estranged mother Isabella.
4. Jane's Baby, in which Jane Roberts dies and both her feuding cousins, Miss Rosetta Ellis and Mrs Charlotte Wheeler, arrive for Jane's newborn baby.
5. The Dream-Child, in which David's beloved wife Josie, who is still in grieving for their first baby, is called to the seaside by a mysterious wailing, which she believes to be the calling of her child's ghost.
6. The Brother Who Failed, in which the successful Monroe family converges on the family home in Avonlea, where Aunt Isabel tactlessly remarks that Robert Monroe is "the only failure". His siblings initiate a scheme to restore Robert's self-esteem.
7. The Return of Hester, in which the dying Hester Meredith forces her sister Margaret to promise not to marry Hugh Blair. When Margaret and Hugh fall desperately in love, Hester herself intervenes.
8. The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily, which is narrated by Anne Shirley. While staying at Echo Lodge in Grafton, Anne and her friend Diana Barry become acquainted with the irritating old maid Miss Emily Leith. When Miss Emily dies, Anne is sent a mysterious parcel which she was bequeathed.
9. Sara's Way, in which Mrs Eben Andrews and Mrs Jonas Andrews discuss Mrs Eben's daughter Sara, and her suitor Lige Baxter. When Baxter's brother's business is ruined, everyone involved takes a different view of affairs.
10. The Son of his Mother, in which Thyra Carewe learns that her beloved son Chester has bestowed his affections on another mortal, the beautiful Damaris Garland.
11. The Education of Betty, in which the newly widowed Sara Churchill arranges for a former beau to tutor her untamed daughter Betty, with surprising results.
12. In Her Selfless Mood, in which the dying Naomi Holland asks her sister Eunice Carr to care for Naomi's son, Christopher. Eunice devotes her life to this task.
13. The Conscience Case of David Bell, in which David Bell refuses to testify in the name of Jesus Christ, to the horror of Avonlea society.
14. Only a Common Fellow, which tells of the love triangle between Phillippa Clark, Mark Foster and Owen Blair.
15. Tannis of the Flats, which is set in the Canadian North-west, in the trading station of the Flats. The telegraph officer there, Jerome Carey, becomes the object of the affections of a beautiful young "half-breed", Tannis Dumont. Carey eventually falls in love with Elinor Blair of Avonlea, to Tannis's horror. This story shows strong evidence of racism against American Indians on the part of the author.

References

• Further Chronicles of Avonlea, freely available at Project Gutenberg