TY - BOOK AU - Aldrich,Thomas Bailey TI - Miss Mehetabel's Son AV - PS PY - 2007/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Short stories KW - United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2007-11-06; Produced by David Widger; Original publication data not identified N2 - "Miss Mehetabel's Son" by Thomas Bailey Aldrich is a novel written in the late 19th century, specifically around the 1870s. The story unfolds in a remote New England setting, focusing on the peculiar dynamics between its characters, particularly at a once-thriving tavern that has fallen into a state of neglect. The narrative explores themes of memory, regret, and the power of imagination, particularly as it relates to the titular character, Miss Mehetabel's son. The plot revolves around the protagonist, a civil engineer who finds himself staying at the isolated tavern at Bayley's Four Corners during a dreary assignment. There, he encounters Silas Jaffrey, an eccentric old man whose life has been overshadowed by the memory of his lost love, Mehetabel. Despite never having married her, Silas conjures an elaborate imaginary existence for their hypothetical son, Andy, whom he talks about with heartfelt fervor. As the civil engineer spends time with Silas, he becomes strangely drawn into this whimsical fantasy, even as he navigates the dark, atmospheric setting of the tavern—its haunting sounds and ghostly memories—revealing the profound impact of loss and longing in shaping reality. As Silas grapples with his past, the line between reality and fantasy blurs, inviting readers to ponder the depth of human emotions tied to unfulfilled dreams and connections. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23357 ER -