Short stories by Jesse Stuart
Born in Greenup County, Kentucky, in 1906, Jesse Stuart was a noted author, educator, lecturer, world traveler, farmer, and environmentalist. He was a prolific writer who published 2000 poems, 460 short stories, and more than 60 books. His works appeared in many regional and national journals and magazines. He served as Kentucky’s Poet Laureate in 1954-55. In addition to being one of Appalachia’s best known and most anthologized authors, Stuart’s works have been translated into many foreign languages. Stuart died in 1984 and is buried in Plum Grove Cemetery a few miles from his home place in W-Hollow, a little valley in Greenup County that became a part of America’s literary landscape through Stuart’s writings.
Listing 8 stories.
A young boy wades down a creek killing water moccasins, despite his mother telling him not to since another boy in town was recently bitten by one. On his way home, an encounter with the snakes gains the attention of the adults nearby but leaves the boy confused.
After the death of her father, a teen girl learns to navigate family demands and her own personal desires as she grows up and pursues an education.
In this period piece set in a small village, two rejected lovers team up to break up a happy couple.
A train conductor serves his community faithfully for fifty years and wins the hearts of the people along his track.
A farm boy kills a female snake, protecting her babies. He later learns that there are consequences for his actions.
A narcissistic cattle trader experiences the fall that inevitably accompanies pride.
On a sunny fall day, a young boy goes for a drive with his aunt and uncle. They accidentally hit a child, who flies off the hood of the car.
A wife living in a rural town wants to move out of her husband's house with her three children. However, her will wavers when a rainstorm prevents them from moving, and the husband begs them to stay.