The Man of the Hour
Octave Thanet
This was a great source of sorrow to Johnny-Ivan, as our hero was called, and the departure of his beautiful mother across the sea and her subsequent death almost broke his heart. Mr. Winslow had married a second wife, who was a noble woman, but John-Ivan had steeled his heart against her; after his father’s death, which occurs after his leaving college, he is incensed at the division of the property. John-Ivan is left one hundred thousand dollars, while the rest of the large fortune goes to his stepmother, but this legacy is soon dissipated as he scatters it broadcast in his effort to aid suffering humanity. At the end of a year John-Ivan is penniless and seeks employment as a common workman in a factory. He sees life in all its phases, suffers many hardships, and meets with injuries and misfortunes.
During this time his stepmother and his sweetheart, Peggy Rutherford, have been doing everything in their power to find him, but he has purposely hidden his identity. Peggy finally discovers his whereabouts and corresponds with him under the assumed name of Roger Mack, a boy he had once befriended. At length John-Ivan returns to his father’s factory in order to assist in suppressing a labor uprising and is shot and seriously wounded. Upon his recovery his stepmother gives him a letter written by his father before his death, telling him that the legacy was given him as an experiment and the whole fortune is to be his eventually. By this time John-Ivan has realized the futility of his socialistic efforts and is ready to begin life anew with the faithful Peggy as his helpmate. ~ Bartleby
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Details
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publication Date | 1905 |
| Publisher | Grosset And Dunlap |
| Format | Hardcover |
| No. of Pages | 477 |
| Notes | Illustrated throughout with B&W art reproductions.
Author Alice French wrote under the name Octave Thane as an homage to her beloved Octavia Putnam with whom she shared a room and a bed during a year at Andover (a school). During the 1880s, French settled down with life-long partner Jane Allen Crawford. Their partnership was interrupted by Jane’s 4-year marriage and then her tour of Europe. “While Octave Thanet is really a woman, Alice French of Iowa, she nevertheless writes like a man.” The Dial, May 1890. ‘Alice French (Octave Thanet) (1850-1934) was a lesbian local colorist who wrote much about her adopted state of Arkansas. She wrote “lesbian-coded” stories that celebrated independent, financially self-sufficient, women-centered women.’ |
| Language | English |
| Rating | NotRated |
| Illustrator | Lucius Wolcott Hitchcock |
| BookID | 8059 |
