02243cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000280011324500230014126400510016430000470021533600260026233700260028833800360031450000310035050801200038152013230050153400450182465300120186985600430188199900170192415315UtSlPG20260610133347.0mcr n260607r2005||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPR1 aBeale, Anne,d1816-190010aGladys, the Reaper 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2005  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2005-03-10  aE-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Martin Pettit, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team  a"Gladys, the Reaper" by Anne Beale is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story takes place in a rural setting, focusing on the life of a young Irish girl named Gladys, who appears to be in a state of distress and exhaustion, as she journeys to find her family relations in Wales amidst a backdrop of hardship and poverty faced by many characters in the narrative. The novel explores themes of compassion, social disparity, and the moral responsibilities of individuals towards those less fortunate.  The opening of the novel vividly establishes the setting during a summer evening, painting a picturesque yet contrasting image of nature's beauty alongside the plight of the impoverished characters. Gladys is introduced as a weary young girl, surrounded by a group of impoverished Irish people who are pleading for assistance. Her condition draws the attention of the kind-hearted farm-lady, Mrs. Prothero, who offers refuge to Gladys despite her husband's disdain for the Irish beggars. As Mrs. Prothero navigates her husband's objections, she demonstrates genuine compassion and a strong sense of duty, making the reader curious about how Gladys's presence will affect the dynamics of the Prothero household and the broader themes of charity and social class. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aFiction40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15315  c56703d56703