Olive Higgins Prouty

Name: The Star in the Window — Chapter 11
Author: Olive Higgins Prouty

Summary

“The Star in the Window — Chapter 11”, is a work by Olive Higgins Prouty. It explores elements such as stepfather, mother and chores.

Quotes from The Star in the Window — Chapter 11 (Olive Higgins Prouty)

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ But he wouldn't let up nagging me about how his rifle got loaded. He flogged and flogged me one night, to make me say I'd been fooling with it, but I wouldn't give in. No, sir. I preferred to lie, and be whipped to death, than imprisoned for life for murder. 'Twasn't long before my stepfather caught on to how it frightened me to be accused of having loaded that gun (though it never crossed his mind what my motive was, I guess) —and he used to threaten he'd tell the sheriff who was really responsible for my mother's death, if I didn't do this or that thing to please him. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ The sea isn't what you'd call a refining life, like the city; nor educating, like college, but a fellow can keep clean and decent on it, if he's a mind; and as for me—I've no fancy nor never had for mixing up in the mire of every foreign port I touched, like some chaps. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ We—me and my mother and my stepfather—lived six miles away from the store—on a kind of rocky clearing on the edge of some woods, in an old weather-beaten sort of shack, with tar paper nailed all over one side of it, to keep out the wind.
"It wasn't much of a place for a woman like my mother to live. She'd been used to things nice. She was a school-teacher once—my mother was. She was a small, delicate little thing. I wish I had a picture of my mother. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ My mother knew how I felt, and did all she could to help me. Lots of times she'd do the chores around the place herself, so's I could have the time to study. When I got through with the district school I began going to an academy twenty miles from our place. I used to walk across to the railroad four miles from our farm—if you could call it a farm—every morning, and get a train that went right near the academy. The engineer used to let me ride for nothing. And at night I'd come back with him, and walk home again—four miles, in time to milk and do a few chores. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ They're all over. There's one in Shanghai. I thought it would be a good clean place to stop at here, so that was how I happened to see the notice of the entertainment from the Ladies' Alliance, where you and me met. I kind of wanted to meet some nice American young ladies. There used to be some nice girls at the academy, though I never dared to more than look at them. I was kind of hungry I guess, miss, that night you got my number—to know somebody like you, and I've been getting kind of hungrier since, I'm afraid. That's why I took such a liberty last night, before you knew anything about me. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ It was my college money. When my stepfather wasn't around we used to take it out and count it. There was most a hundred dollars in it when my mother died. She didn't know she was going to die—my mother didn't. I didn't mean to kill her. But I meant to kill somebody!
"You see, my father got worse, miss. The drink got hold of him worse. He used to guide some of the men up at the camp sometimes. He'd keep straight on a job all right, but it got so he was just never sober when he was home, loafing, with mother and me. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Olive Higgins Prouty, The Star in the Window — Chapter 11

“ If she does—if she should—oh, miss," he tossed the gravel in his hand far off into some grass, and rubbed his palms together hard. "I'll be back here in three years," he told Reba. "Perhaps I'll be back rich. I'd be more worthy of you then. Perhaps too I can make myself finer—somehow—read more, study nights—and——" He stopped abruptly. His voice was trembling again. "I get sort of carried away sometimes, I'm afraid," he apologized. ”

Olive Higgins Prouty

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Quotes from The Star in the Window — Chapter 11 (Olive Higgins Prouty)

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