The Golden Road - Part 32

Please enjoy this reading of "The Golden Road", the charming 1913 sequel to "The Story Girl", by Lucy Maud Montgomery. We continue to follow along with the adventures of the same group of young cousins and friends on Prince Edward Island in Canada, as they grow up...

This book is dedicated to Montgomery's Great Aunt Mary Lawson, from whom she heard so many of the tales shared in these delightful books about "The Story Girl" and her friends...!

Transcript

Hello there. Thank you so much for joining me for this continued reading of The Golden Road, The beautiful novel from 1913 by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. We have actually reached the penultimate chapter in this book. Perhaps you've heard the preceding parts. If you haven't and you'd like to, You can look for the playlist for The Golden Road and you'll find everything there in order. But for now, Let's just take a moment here to have a nice, Deep exhale. Letting go of the day. Letting go of whichever baggage we might be bringing along with us into this moment. For right now, There's nothing else we have to do, Nowhere else we have to be. So we can just relax, Get ourselves comfortable and enjoy the ongoing tale of The Golden Road. Chapter 32. Our last evening together. It was the evening before the day on which the Story Girl and Uncle Blair were to leave us. And we were keeping our last tryst together in the orchard where we had spent so many happy hours. We had made a pilgrimage to all the old haunts, The hill field, The spruce wood, The dairy, Grandfather King's willow, The pulpit stone, Pat's grave and Uncle Stephen's walk. And now we four gathered in the sare grasses about the old well and feasted. On the little jam turnovers Felicity had made that day, Specially for the occasion. I wonder if we'll ever all be together again, Sighed Cecily. I wonder when I'll get jam turnovers like this again, Sighed the Story Girl, Trying to be gay but not making much of a success of it. If Paris wasn't so far away, I could send you a box of nice things now and then, Said Felicity forlornly, But I suppose there's no use thinking of that. Dear knows what they'll give you to eat over there. Oh, The French have the reputation of being the best cooks in the world, Rejoined the Story Girl, But I know they can't beat your jam turnovers and plum puffs, Felicity. Many a time I'll be hankering after them. If we ever do meet again, You'll be grown up, Said Felicity gloomily. Well, You won't have stood still yourselves, You know. No, But that's just the worst of it. We'll all be different and everything will be changed. Just think, Said Cecily, Last New Year's Eve we were wondering what would happen this year and what a lot of things have happened that we never expected. Oh dear. If things never happened, Life would be pretty dull, Said the Story Girl briskly. Don't look so dismal, All of you. It's hard to be cheerful when everybody's going away, Sighed Cecily. Well, Let's pretend to be anyway, Insisted the Story Girl. Don't let's think of parting. Let's think instead of how much we've laughed this last year or so. I'm sure I shall never forget this dear old place. We've had so many good times here and some bad times too, Reminded Felix. Remember when Dan ate the bad berries last summer and the time we were so scared over that bell ringing in the house, Grinned Peter. And the judgment day, Added Dan. And the time Paddy was bewitched, Suggested Sarah Ray. And when Peter was dying of the measles, Said Felicity. And the time Jimmy Patterson was lost. Said Dan. Gee whiz. But that scared me out of a year's growth. Do you remember the time we took the magic seed, Grinned Peter. Weren't we silly, Said Felicity. I really can never look Billy Robinson in the face when I meet him. I'm always sure he's laughing at me in his sleeve. It's Billy Robinson who ought to be ashamed when he meets you or any of us, Commented Cecily severely. I'd rather be cheated than cheat other people. Do you mind the time we bought God's picture, Asked Peter. I wonder if it's where we buried it yet, Speculated Felix. I put a stone over it, Just as we did over Pat, Said Cecily. I wish I could forget what God looks like, Sighed Sarah Ray. I can't forget it. And I can't forget what the bad place is like either. Ever since Peter preached that sermon on it. When you get to be a real minister, You'll have to preach that sermon over again, Peter, Grinned Dan. My Aunt Jane used to say that people needed a sermon on that place once in a while, Retorted Peter, Seriously. Do you mind the night I ate the cucumbers and milk to make me dream, Said Cecily. And therewith, We hunted out our old dream books to read them again. And forgetful of coming partings, Laughed over them till the old orchard echoed to our mirth. When we had finished, We stood in a circle around the well and pledged eternal friendship in a cup of its unrivalled water. Then we joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne. Sarah Ray cried bitterly in lieu of singing. Look here, Said the story girl, As we turned to leave the old orchard. I want to ask a favour of you all. Don't say goodbye to me tomorrow morning. Why not, Demanded Felicity in astonishment. Because it's such a hopeless sort of word. Don't let's say it at all. Just see me off with a wave of your hands. It won't seem half so bad then. And don't any of you cry if you can help it. I want to remember you all, Smiling. We went out of the old orchard, Where the autumn night wind was beginning to make its weird music in the russet boughs, And shut the little gate behind us. Our revels there were ended.