On Location: Winter in Woodstock

And then, all of a sudden, in the early, brisk winter twilight, Woodstock—happened!

Climbing out of the train Stanton stood for a second rubbing his eyes at the final abruptness and unreality of it all. Woodstock!

What was it going to mean to him?

In Molly Make-Believe, Eleanor Hallowell Abbott's charming novella about a young businessman who falls in love with his anonymous pen-pal "Molly" while recuperating from an illness, Carl Stanton’s quest to track down the elusive Molly eventually takes him to the town of Woodstock, Vermont. His trip (and the reader’s) through the town is swift, but just a few words of description—“[a] transient vista of village lights; a brief, narrow, hill-bordered road that looked for all the world like the aisle of a toy-shop, flanked on either side by high-reaching shelves where miniature house-lights twinkled cunningly”—paint an enticing picture of a charming, old-fashioned New England village on a snowy night.

Would You Like Some Milk with That Serial?

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, magazines were a large and thriving industry. But the word “magazine” referred to something quite different than the shiny, advertisement-filled publications found on racks today. Around the turn of the century, popular monthly magazines such as Everybody’s, McClure’s, and Munsey’s ran from around 100 to 150 pages, sometimes including thirty or more stories, articles, and poems, and cost ten or fifteen cents per issue. Though fiction has largely disappeared from today’s magazines, in those days it was a staple—besides publications that combined fiction and nonfiction, there were many all-fiction magazines, some devoted to specific genres—love stories, adventure stories, Westerns, mysteries, and more.

History Notes: Great Changes, Fat Presidents, and Girl Scouts

The 1910s was a decade of great change for America. It was during this decade that the United States was first considered a world leader. Many of the issues of 1910 are ones we face today: including the escalation of immigration and poverty, labor and monopoly battles, work safety and child labor problems. World War I - the first 'war to end all wars' raged. The 1910s were the decade America came of age. ~Peggy Whitley, Lonestar College

One of the “great changes” during this time was that of the American Woman. She had had enough. As early as 1840, women started taking a stand on issues important to them. The right to vote and the right to own property; the right to make wages the same as their husbands and the right to establish their own businesses; and the right to sue and the right to divorce their husbands on the same grounds as men could divorce their wives.

Take Two of These and Call Me in the Morning

I haven’t decided what’s worse. Paying ridiculous amounts of money for health insurance (at least the doctor will find what’s wrong with you and treat you appropriately--maybe) or having a doctor that only prescribes a hot water bottle for your ailments and checks on you a few times a week. Is it because you can’t afford medical insurance and can’t expect to get quality care? No. You live in the 1900s and they’ve only recently named strep throat as an ailment!

Take moment to ponder all the different long-term illnesses we know about today and then think about how many have just been named in the last hundred years. Many of these sicknesses were “diagnosed” as rheumatism.

According to WiseGeek:

Some conditions that were once given the general label of rheumatism or called rheumatic diseases include, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, and tendonitis. Frequently autoimmune disorders, since they remained unnamed but caused pain as well as affecting other organs, were classed as rheumatism. Illnesses like lupus were particularly susceptible to being called rheumatism. Later understanding of the actions of these illnesses show that the problem is not dysfunction of the joints, but rather immune systems that can attack joints, muscles and organs."

Enhanced eBook: Molly Make-Believe by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

Get it today for 99-cents!

What's a fellow to do when the girl he loves doesn't exist?

Recovering from a long illness, Boston businessman Carl Stanton is unable to accompany his fiancée Cornelia on a mid-winter trip to warm and sunny Jacksonville. Lonely, bored, and disappointed in Cornelia’s lack of affection, Carl decides to answer an advertisement from the Serial-Letter Company, which promises real letters, delivering comfort and entertainment, from imaginary persons. Carl signs up for their love letter program, thinking he might have a bit of fun, and teach his fiancée a lesson in the process.