The Lilac Girl is a graceful early-twentieth-century American romance, built around the encounter between youthful idealism and the sobering demands of character, loyalty, and love. Barbour's narrative moves with the clarity and poise of popular Edwardian fiction, blending sentimental charm with a disciplined moral structure. Its emblematic use of the lilac-suggesting memory, freshness, and elusive beauty-places the novel within the genteel tradition of courtship fiction while retaining the brisk readability associated with magazine storytelling. Ralph Henry Barbour, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was best known for his school, college, and athletic stories, works that often examined formation, honor, and self-command. His long familiarity with young protagonists, competitive social worlds, and the rituals of American respectability informs this novel's treatment of romance not merely as attraction, but as a test of conduct and maturity. Readers drawn to classic American popular fiction will find The Lilac Girl appealing for its elegance, sincerity, and period atmosphere. It is especially recommended to those interested in romantic fiction before modernism, when emotional restraint, moral choice, and social grace shaped the imaginative landscape of love. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - Hand-picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Autorentext
Ralph Henry Barbour (1870-1944) was an American novelist, who wrote adventure novels, romances and popular works of sports fiction for boys. Barbour wrote under several pen names and during his prolific career, he produced more than 100 novels as well as a number of short stories.
Zusammenfassung
Wade Herrick and his business partner Ed are prospectors looking for gold in Colorado. One day, as they wait between the claims, a train stops in the station and Wade notices a beautiful young lady on it. He approaches to meet her and after a pleasant conversation he expresses his affections to her and swears on eternal love to her under the moonlight. She laughingly gives him a sprig of her lilacs as a love-token, and he promises to keep it forever and to find her one day. Years pass and Wade's partner Ed dies, leaving his property and belongings to Wade, including a house in New Hampshire. When Wade shows up to his new house he is in for a shocking surprise, his next door neighbor as a lilac girl from the train.