Bayard Taylor
Joseph and His Friend
America’s First Gay Novel
e-artnow, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
EAN: 4064066499587
Table of Contents
Chapter III. The Place and People.
Chapter IV. Miss Blessing Calls on Rachel Miller.
Chapter V. Elwood's Evening, and Joseph's.
Chapter VII. The Blessing Family.
Chapter IX. Joseph and His Friend.
Chapter XVI. Joseph's Trouble, and Philip's.
Chapter XVIII. On the Railroad Track.
Chapter XXIII. Julia's Experiment.
Chapter XXX. Mr. Blessing's Testimony.
Chapter XXXI. Beginning Another Life.
Chapter XXXIII. All are Happy.
The better angel is a man right fair;
The worser spirit a woman colour'd ill.
Shakspeare: Sonnets.
To those who prefer quiet pictures of life to startling incidents, the attempt to illustrate the development of character to the mysteries of an elaborate plot, and the presentation of men and women in their mixed strength and weakness to the painting of wholly virtuous ideals and wholly evil examples: who are as interested in seeing moral and intellectual forces at work in a simple country community as on a more conspicuous plane of human action: who believe in the truth and tenderness of man's love for man, as of man's love for woman: who recognize the trouble which confused ideas of life and the lack of high and intelligent culture bring upon a great portion of our country population,—to all such, no explanation of this volume is necessary. Others will not read it.
CHAPTER I.
JOSEPH.
Rachel Miller was not a little surprised when her nephew Joseph came to the supper-table, not from the direction of the barn and through the kitchen, as usual, but from the back room up stairs, where he slept. His work-day dress had disappeared; he wore his best Sunday suit, put on with unusual care, and there were faint pomatum odors in the air when he sat down to the table.
Her face said—and she knew it—as plain as any words, "What in the world does this mean?" Joseph, she saw, endeavored to look as though coming down to supper in that costume were his usual habit; so she poured out the tea in silence. Her silence, however, was eloquent; a hundred interrogation-marks would not have expressed its import; and Dennis, the hired man, who sat on the other side of the table, experienced very much the same apprehension of something
