Patty Blossom

A November snowstorm interrupts a visit to Lakewood, but Patty Fairfield finds plenty to enjoy indoors. Staying with her friend Elise at Pine Laurel, she meets Sam Blaney, a poet whose unusual clothes and solemn views on art make him an object of both curiosity and amusement. Carolyn Wells begins this story with playful arguments, cheerful resilience and the small frictions of friendship.

As Patty becomes interested in the Blaneys' studio gatherings, music and interpretative dancing offer her a different kind of social excitement. Her enthusiasm reaches her clothes and hairstyle, drawing sharp comments from Nan. Meanwhile, after Mona's wedding, Philip asks Patty for an answer about marriage, and she asks for more time. The story brings together artistic ambition, courtship and the difficulty of deciding whose judgment to trust. Readers interested in stories about young women will find lively dialogue and a close view of Patty's changing tastes.