Short Fiction Harte, Bret: A Sappho of Green Springs. v1. 9 Dec 2014

[crutledge]

Francis Bret Harte (August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American author and poet, best remembered for his short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a career spanning more than four decades, he wrote poetry, fiction, plays, lectures, book reviews, editorials, and magazine sketches in addition to fiction. As he moved from California to the eastern U.S. to Europe, he incorporated new subjects and characters into his stories, but his Gold Rush tales have been most often reprinted, adapted, and admired.

A Sappho of Green Springs is a collection of four longer tales, including "Sappho," the title story, "The Chatelaine of Burnt Ridge," "Through the Santa Clara Wheat," and "A Maecenas of the Pacific Slope."

"A Sappho of Green Springs" features a recurring Harte character, the gambler Jack Hamlin. A caller has come to the offices of the Excelsior magazine, seeking the identity of a writer. He's a lumberman from Mendocino, struck by the truth of a poem submitted by a writer known as White Violet, and hopes to meet her. The editor explains that he cannot give out identities, but will write to White Violet if desired, and if the author consents, provide an address. Jack reads the poem, agrees on its merits, and makes a bet with the editor that he can find the writer. Jack is a gambler, but this is a different sort of bet.

This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

To report a copyright violation you can contact us here.