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and, strange to say, he went over the mountain this evening
 

                                          It is too bad he
that he had some claim upon the estate, but he never
                        should be set to puttering over womans work, when he
prosecuted it, and, strange to say, he left Cleveland
                        gets so little time for his books .
 

OCR cross-column confusion,
at Lizzie W. Champney, “Mrs. Pillsbury’s Will” in The Continent 4:14 (Philadelphia, October 3, 1883) : 435-439 (436) (Michigan copy)
same (Wisconsin copy, at hathitrust)

A complicated and lively story involving a “stolen inheritance.” The error weaves these two passages together —

  1. ...that he had some claim upon the estate, but he never prosecuted it, and, strange to say, he left Cleveland without coming to see me. Perhaps he hadn’t the face to do so, knowing that all his questions about the state of my finances would be reported to me.”
    and
  2. Dec. 8.—I feel as if I were going to have a spell of sickness; a fit, or a dizziness, or the cramp, took me while I was churning, and made an alarm for the Doctor. He says Eliphalet must do the churning. It is too bad he should be set to puttering over woman’s work, when he gets so little time for his books. He went over the mountain this evening to see about fencing-stuff for the cow pasture.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Williams Champney (1850-1922)
drawing instructor (earlier); writer of children’s (and other) fiction, foreign travel
wikipedia
Vassar Encyclopedia / Distinguished Alumnae / Elizabeth Williams Champney

something about her final years — that included a sojourn in Japan — can be gleaned from the Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD) entry on her son Édouard Frère Champney (1874-1929)

One other story by Lizzie W. Champney appears in a different number of this journal —
“The Bride of Saint Antonio,” in The Continent 3:8 (Philadelphia; February 21, 1883) : 236-241 (NYPL copy)
same (UC Berkeley copy, at hathitrust)

The Continent (“An illustrated weekly magazine”), was published 1882 through 1884; it was edited by Albion W. Tourgée (1838-1905).
wikipedia

Champney’s story “Mrs. Pillsbury’s Will” is immediately followed by “National Education,” being the text of an address by Tourgée to the National Educational Association, August 9, 1883 (pp 440-444).
 

2 May 2022