Funny Big Socks

During a rainstorm, a discouraged writer sits in a room lined with books and pictures until the wind interrupts his gloomy thoughts with a story of its own. A burgomaster and his family set off by sleigh from Leipsic for an evening at a forest inn. When they take the wrong road, a stranger offers to guide them, but his wild driving soon makes the passengers uneasy. The scene mixes winter pleasures with comic fear, brisk conversation and a mysterious interruption to an ordinary outing.

Sarah L. Barrow's children's stories also find comedy in household confusion and ambitious daydreams. Wise Peter and Silly Catharine quarrel over a series of costly mistakes, while Bartlemy Bowbell, a London tailor's apprentice, dreams of riches through a wonderful jewel called the Gold Stone. The tales pair foolish decisions with fanciful possibilities. Readers interested in older children's fiction will find playful scenes alongside firm ideas about work, judgment and conduct.