The Last Penny and Other Stories

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About this book

A shoemaker's last penny becomes a test of family responsibility in T. S. Arthur's collection of moral stories. Thomas Claire works steadily at repairing shoes, yet his spending on beer and tobacco reduces the money available to his wife and three children. His frail daughter Lizzy keeps him company in his garret workshop. When he considers buying her an orange, a small purchase exposes the distance between his affection for her and his daily habits.

The collection also includes a story of the American Revolution, in which Emily Geiger seeks shelter during a difficult ride and must judge how much to tell strangers whose loyalties are uncertain. Domestic choices and public dangers give Arthur different settings for questions of duty, generosity and courage. Readers interested in nineteenth-century writing for young people will find direct moral commentary alongside scenes built around ordinary needs and difficult decisions.