Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888):

  Annotated List of Adult Short Stories

Year Compiled: 1997

Scope

Also, you will notice that a few of the stories listed here are accompanied by notes with question marks. Those are unconfirmed facts which I have inferred from the sources I have so far consulted. I am conducting ongoing research to locate concrete evidence for these particular assertions. If you can confirm or refute any of the facts that I have listed with a question mark, please contact me. Thank you for your patience and your assistance with this work in progress.  --Susan L. Tolbert, M.S.L.I.S.

Louisa May Alcott's Adult Short Stories

1. The Abbot's Ghost.  (1867)
   • Alternate Title:  Maurice Treherne's Temptation: A Christmas Story.
   • Published serially from January 5 to 26, 1867.
   • First Published In:  The Flag of Our Union  (a weekly)
   • Authored under pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard".
   • Organized into eight chapters.
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
   • Thriller tale.
2. Anna's Whim.  (1873)
   • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
   • Issue:  August 28, 1873  [vol. 25, no. 1291]
   • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
3. Ariel.  (1865)
   • Subtitle:  A Legend of the Lighthouse.
   • Published serially on July 8 and 15, 1865.
   • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
   • Page Number(s):  81-83;  99-101.
   • Authored anonymously.
   • Organized into three "parts".
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern, Myerson, and Shealy's A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
   • Thriller tale.
4. The Baron's Gloves.  (1868)
   • Alternate Title:  Amy's Romance.
   • Published serially from June 20 to July 11, 1868.
   • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
   • Authored anonymously?
   • Reprinted in Proverb Stories .
   • Proverb Addressed: "All is fair in love and war."
   • Setting and some incidents based on her first trip to Europe.
5. Behind a Mask.  (1866)
   • Alternate Title:  A Woman's Power.
   • Published serially from October 13 to November 3, 1866.
   • First Published In:  The Flag of Our Union  (a weekly)
   • Authored under pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard".
   • Organized into nine chapters.
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
   • Thriller tale.
   • Major Characters: Miss Jean Muir; Gerald Coventry; Edward ³Ned² Coventry; Sir John Coventry
   • Keywords: governess; carriage; Scotch; music; sick; tea; disguise; flowers; horse; portraits; stories; French; ankle; history; tears; London; letter; knife; artery; tourniquet; palms; commission; departure; library; pocket; orphan; tableaux; friend; hide; maid; rose; pacing; silks; spy; picture; garden; train; accident; station; marriage; discovery; actress.
   • Summary: A suspenseful love story of a greedy, deceitful actress who secures her future while employed as a tutor to the young daughter of a rich British family.
6. La Belle Bayadere.  (1870)
   • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
   • Issue:  February, 1870
   • Authored anonymously.
   • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
   • Organized into two chapters.
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
   • Thriller tale.
7. Betrayed by a Buckle.  (1870)
   • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
   • Issue:  February, 1870
   • Authored anonymously.
   • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
   • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
   • Thriller tale.
8. The Blue and the Gray.  (1868)
   • Subtitle:  A Hospital Sketch.
   • First Published In:  Putnam's Magazine 
   • Issue:  June, 1868  [vol. 1, no. 6]
   • Authored anonymously.
   • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
   • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
9. By the River.  (1875)
   • Subtitle:  A Legend of the Assabet.
   • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
   • Issue:  June 10, 1875  [vol. 27, no. 1384]
   • Year(s) Written: 1860-?
   • Organized into three chapters.
   • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
10. Countess Varazoff.  (1868)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Issue:  June, 1868
    • Organized into three chapters.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • A spoken version is also available on B & B Audio's The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott  cassettes.
    • Thriller tale.
11. Debby's Debut.  (1863)
    • First Published In:  The Atlantic Monthly  (magazine)
    • Issue:  August, 1863  [vol. 12, no. 70]
    • Authored anonymously?
    • Year(s) Written: 1860
    • A romance story.
12. Doctor Dorn's Revenge.  (1868)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  February, 1868
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • Thriller tale.
13. A Double Tragedy.  (1865)
    • Subtitle:  An Actor's Story.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  June 3, 1865
    • Page Number(s):  1-3.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into three chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern, Myerson, and Shealy's A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
14. Enigmas.  (1864)
    • Published serially on May 14 and 21, 1864.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Authored anonymously?
    • Thriller tale.
15. Fatal Follies.  (1868)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  September, 1868
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • A spoken version is also available on B & B Audio's The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott  cassettes.
    • Thriller tale.
16. Fate in a Fan.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  January, 1869
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • A spoken version is also available on B & B Audio's The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott  cassettes.
    • Thriller tale.
17. The Fate of the Forrests.  (1865)
    • Published serially from February 11 to 25, 1865.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Page Number(s):  325-26;  341-43;  362-63.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into three "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern, Myerson, and Shealy's A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
18. The Freak of a Genius.  (1866)
    • Published serially from October 20 to November 17, 1866.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Page Number(s):  74-75;  90-91;  102-103;  122-23;  138-39.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into eight chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
19. A Free Bed.  (1978)
    • Published posthumously.
    • First Published By:  Friends of the Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah)
    • Authored as "L.M.A."
    • Discovered and edited by Madeleine Stern.
    • Possibly submitted (and tabled) for publication in a Boston or Wellesley, Massachusetts religious periodical.
    • Year(s) Written: 1886?/1887?/1888?
    • An autobiographical story.
    • Major Characters: Mrs. Moody; Mrs. Cheerable
    • Summary: One nursing home resident visits another, who is in worse health, and learns the latterıs strategy for both sleeping well at night and amusing herself in her otherwise boring bedridden hours.
20. The Golden Wedding and What Came of It.  (1864)
    • Published serially on April 29 and May 6, 1864.
    • First Published In:  The (Boston) Commonwealth  (an abolitionist weekly newspaper)
    • An alternate version of this story appeared as a chapter in her novel, Moods .
21. Honor's Fortune.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  June, 1869
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into two chapters.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • A spoken version is also available on B & B Audio's The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott  cassettes.
    • Thriller tale.
22. Hope's Debut.  (1867)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  April 6, 1867
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into three "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Jacques Le Brun; Hope Scott
    • Keywords: "Hamlet"; tragedian; actress; green-room; "King Lear"; chandelier; hospital; gossip; picture.
    • Summary: A teenage orphan is offered her first break at acting, alongside a man who is later revealed to be her long-lost father.
23. A Hospital Christmas.  (1864)
    • Published serially on January 8 and 15, 1864.
    • First Published In:  The (Boston) Commonwealth  (an abolitionist weekly newspaper)
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
24. An Hour.  (1864)
    • Published serially on November 26 and December 3, 1864.
    • First Published In:  The (Boston) Commonwealth  (an abolitionist weekly newspaper)
    • Authored under pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard".
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
    • An antislavery story.
25. How I Went Out to Service.  (1874)
    • Subtitle:  A Story.
    • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  June 4, 1874  [vol. 26, no. 1331]
    • *Not* pseudonymous or anonymous
    • Based on her own experience as a domestic, in 1851.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
26. Independence.  (1876)
    • Subtitle:  A Centennial Love Story.
    • First Published By:  Roberts Brothers (Boston)
    • Organized into six chapters.
    • In Silver Pitchers, and Independence
27. The King of Clubs and the Queen of Hearts.  (1862)
    • Subtitle:  A Story for Young America.
    • Published serially from April 19 to June 7, 1862.
    • First Published In:  The Monitor  (Concord, Massachusetts)
    • Reprinted in On Picket Duty, and Other Tales
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
    • A romance story.
28. La Jeune.  (1868)
    • Alternate Title:  Actress and Woman.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  April 18, 1868
    • Page Number(s):  332-34.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Year(s) Written: 1867
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
29. The Lady and the Woman.  (1856)
    • First Published In:  Saturday Evening Gazette  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  October 4, 1856  [quarto, no. 40]
    • *Not* pseudonymous or anonymous
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • A romance story.
    • Major Characters: Mr. Edward Windsor; Miss Kate Loring; Miss Amelia Langdon; Alfred Loring
    • Keywords: carriage; pilgrimage; farm; ravine; rain; flood; doctor; shovels.
    • Summary: By showing both courage and caring, a "strong-minded" woman defeats a dainty lady in an unspoken contest to win a young gentleman's heart.
30. A Laugh and a Look.  (1868)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  July 4, 1868
    • Page Number(s):  83-85.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Year(s) Written: 1867
    • Organized into two chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
31. Letty's Tramp.  (1875)
    • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  December 23, 1875  [vol. 27, no. 1412]
    • Organized into two chapters.
    • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
32. Love and Loyalty.  (1864)
    • Published serially from July to December (except October), 1864.
    • First Published In:  The United States Service Magazine 
    • Page Number(s):  58-64;  166-72;  273-80;  469-75;  543-51.
    • Organized into four "parts", the last of which was subdivided into "beginning" and "concluded".
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
    • A Civil War story.
33. Love and Self-Love.  (1860)
    • First Published In:  The Atlantic Monthly  (magazine)
    • Issue:  March, 1860  [vol. 5, no. 29]
    • *Not* pseudonymous or anonymous
    • Year(s) Written: 1858
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • A romance story prompted by her near suicide attempt.
    • Major Characters: Effie Ventnor; Basil Ventnor; Agnes Vaughan
    • Keywords: orphan; lark; marriage; boat; death-bed; grandfather; poverty.
    • Summary: A charitable but hardened gentleman learns the hard way to conquer self-love and finds true love with his young wife as a result.
34. A Marble Woman.  (1865)
    • Alternate Title:  The Mysterious Model.
    • Published serially from May 20 to June 10, 1865.
    • First Published In:  The Flag of Our Union  (a weekly)
    • Authored under pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard".
    • Organized into ten chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
35. Marion Earle.  (1858)
    • Alternate Title:  Only an Actress!.
    • Published serially, circa July to September, 1858.
    • First Published In:  American Union  (weekly storypaper)
    • Authored as "L. M. Alcott"?
    • Thriller tale?
36. The Masked Marriage.  (1852)
    • First Published In:  Dodge's Literary Museum
    • Issue:  December 18, 1852  [vol. 6, no. 2]
    • Authored pseudonymously.
    • A romance story.
37. M.L..  (1863)
    • Published serially from January 24 to February 22, 1863.
    • First Published In:  The (Boston) Commonwealth  (an abolitionist weekly newspaper)
    • Year(s) Written: 1859?/1860?
    • Organized into five chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • An antislavery romance story.
    • Major Characters: Claudia; Paul Frere; Mrs. Jessie Snowdon
    • Keywords: singing; gossip; Spaniard; rose; feline; betrothal; hand; scar; letter; initials; slave; sister; liberty; vigil; wedding.
    • Summary: When a beautiful woman of high position, who has fallen in love with a mysterious man, learns her fiance's dark secret and chooses to marry him despite the consequences, she discovers both true friendship and religion.
38. A Modern Cinderella.  (1860)
    • Alternate Title:  The Little Old Shoe.
    • First Published In:  The Atlantic Monthly  (magazine)
    • Issue:  October, 1860  [vol. 6, no. 36]
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
    • Authored anonymously.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • A romance story, based on her sister (Anna) and brother-in-law's relationship.
39. Mrs. Podgers' Teapot.  (1864)
    • Subtitle:  A Christmas Story.
    • First Published In:  Saturday Evening Gazette  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  December 24, 1864  [vol. 50, no. 52]
    • Page Number(s):  1?.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories
40. Mrs. Vane's Charade.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  August 21, 1869
    • Page Number(s):  199-200.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
41. My Contraband.  (1863)
    • Alternate Title:  The Brothers.
    • First Published In:  The Atlantic Monthly (magazine)
    • Issue:  November, 1863  [vol. 12, no. 73]
    • *Not* pseudonymous or anonymous
    • Reprinted in Camp and Fireside Stories .
    • Based on her Civil War nursing experience.
    • Reprints are available for modern-day reading, in Elaine Showalter's Alternative Alcott and in Frank McSherry's Civil War Women .
42. My Mysterious Mademoiselle.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  September, 1869
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • Thriller tale.
43. My Red Cap.  (1881)
    • Published serially from December 7 to 10, 1881.
    • First Published In:  The Sword and Pen  (daily serial for "The Soldiers' Home Bazaar": December 7-17; Boston, Massachusetts)
    • Page Number(s):  3;  3-4;   3-4;   3-4.
    • Reprinted in Proverb Stories .
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Cornelia Meig's Glimpses of Louisa .
    • Proverb Addressed: "He who serves well need not fear to ask his wages."
44. My Rococo Watch.  (1874)
    • First Published In:  The National Elgin Watch Company Illustrated Almanac for 1875  (New York)
    • Revised and reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
    • Reprinted in Spinning Wheel Stories ?
45. The Mysterious Key, and What it Opened.  (1867)
    • Series: "Ten Cent Novelettes" of Standard American Authors  -- no. 50
    • First Published By:  Elliott, Thomes & Talbot (Boston)
    • Authored anonymously as "L. M. Alcott".
    • Organized into eight chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
46. A New Year's Blessing.  (1856)
    • First Published In:  Saturday Evening Gazette  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  January 5, 1856  [quarto, no. 1]
    • Adult Story?
47. A Nurse's Story.  (1865-66)
    • Original Title (pre-publication):  The Carruths.
    • Published serially from December 2, 1865, to January 6, 1866.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Page Number(s):  28;  29-30;  39-40;  53-54;  68-71;  85-87.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into eight chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • An alternate version of this story later appeared as a chapter in her novel, Work .
    • Thriller tale.
48. On Picket Duty.  (1864?)
    • First Published By:  James Redpath (Boston) ?
    • In On Picket Duty, and Other Tales
    • Reprinted in Proverb Stories
    • Proverb Addressed: "Better late than never."
    • A Civil War story.
49. A Pair of Eyes.  (1863)
    • Alternate Title:  Modern Magic.
    • Published serially on October 24 and 31, 1863.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Page Number(s):  69-71;  85-87.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Year(s) Written: 1861
    • Organized into two "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern, Myerson, and Shealy's A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
50. Pauline's Passion and Punishment.  (1863)
    • Published serially on January 3 and 10, 1863.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Organized into four chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Winner of $100 prize.
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Pauline Valary Laroche; Manuel Laroche; Mrs. Barbara ³Babie² St. Justin Redmond; Gilbert Redmond
    • Keywords: paced; beauty; Cuban; letter; traitor; betrothal; flowers; hotel; dance; shawl; master; glove; hammock; balcony; lorgnette; gambler; forgery; kiss; mountains; plunge.
    • Summary: A twisted love story of greed, jealousy, and revenge ends in a double tragedy.
51. Perilous Play.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner   (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  February 13, 1869  [vol. 8, no. 194]
    • Authored anonymously as "L.M.A."
    • Year(s) Written: 1868
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Rose St. Just; Mark Done
    • Keywords: ennui; watch; bonbons; hashish; sailing; storm; lighthouse.
    • Summary: A dangerous, frightening boating incident, resulting in part from experimentation with an intoxicating drug, leads a young man and woman to acknowledge their love for each other.
52. The Rival Painters. (1852)
    • Subtitle:  A Tale of Rome.
    • First Published In:  The Olive Branch (a magazine)
    • Issue:  May 8, 1852  [vol. 17, no. 19]
    • Authored anonymously as "L.M.A."
    • Year(s) Written: 1848
    • A romance story.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • Her first published short story.
    • Major Characters: Guido; Madeline; Count Ferdinand
    • Keywords: mother; painting lessons; Carnival.
    • Summary: Two painting students of very different backgrounds vie for the hand of their instructor's daughter.
53. The Rival Prima Donnas.  (1854)
    • First Published In:  Saturday Evening Gazette  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  November 11, 1854  [no. 45]
    • Authored under pseudonym, "Flora Fairfield".
    • Organized into two "parts".
    • A sensational romance story.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • Rewrote as a play in 1855.
    • Major Characters: Beatrice; Theresa; Claude
    • Keywords: opera-house; box seat; moonlight; iron crown; painter; roses.
    • Summary: A love triangle involving two competing opera singers ends in the murder of one and the insanity of the other.
54. The Romance of a Bouquet.  (1868)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  June 27, 1868
    • Page Number(s):  234-35.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Freaks of Genius: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
55. The Romance of a Summer Day.  (1872)
    • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  August 29, 1872  [vol. 24, no. 1239]
    • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
56. Scarlet Stockings.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Putnamıs Magazine 
    • Issue:  July, 1869  [vol. 4, no. 19]
    • Organized into three chapters.
    • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
57. The Sisters' Trial.  (1856)
    • First Published In:  Saturday Evening Gazette  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  January 26, 1856  [quarto, no. 4]
    • Authored as "M.L.A."
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
58. The Steel Bracelet.  (1859)
    • Alternate Title:  The Skeleton in the Closet!.
    • Series: "Ten Cent Novelettes" of Standard American Authors  -- no. 49  (the 1867 reprint), --printed with Perley Parker's The Foundling
    • First Published In:  American Union  (weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  May 21, 1859
    • Authored anonymously as "L. M. Alcott".
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
59. Taming a Tartar.  (1867)
    • Published serially from November 30 to December 21, 1867.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Page Number(s):  166-67;  186-87;  202-203;  219.
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Year(s) Written: 1866
    • Organized into seven chapters.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern, Myerson, and Shealy's A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Mademoiselle Sybil Varna; Prince Alexis Demidoff; Princesse Nadja Tcherinski
    • Keywords: Russians; mirror; Paris; hotel; salon; St. Petersburg; tears; whip; dog; paw; piano; bouquet; bears; politeness; uniform; journey; caress; droschky; smile; spurs; czar; ring; pardon; spy; ankle; fainting; April; embroidery; operation; cloak; window; hand; love; Volnoi; pistols; angel; servants; fire; husband.
    • Summary: A teacher accepts the opportunity to become companion to a widowed, invalid princess and over time transforms the personality of the princessıs tyrannical brother, who is master of the house.
60. Thrice Tempted.  (1867)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner  (a weekly storypaper)
    • Issue:  July 20, 1867
    • Authored anonymously.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Ruth; Walter Strathsay; Laura Catharine Richmond
    • Keywords: love-letter; jewels; picture; face; desk; fever; fire; death; bridegroom; apparition; coffin.
    • Summary: An upstanding but unattractive girl ultimately loses the opportunity to marry her one true love, after her overwhelming jealousy causes her to allow her beautiful but conniving, unfaithful friend to be buried alive.
61. Transcendental Wild Oats.  (1873)
    • Subtitle:  A Chapter from an Unwritten Romance.
    • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  December 18, 1873  [vol. 25, no. 1307]
    • Reprinted in Silver Pitchers, and Independence
    • Based on her childhood experience of living at Fruitlands, her father's Utopian commune, this story was originally intended to be a chapter in The Cost of an Idea , a book she had considered writing about her father's life.
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Shealy, Stern, and Myerson's Louisa May Alcott: Selected Fiction .
62. Up the Rhine.  (1867)
    • First Published In:  The Independent  (a weekly)
    • Issue:  July 18, 1867  [vol. 19, no. 972]
    • An autobiographical story.
63. V.V..  (1865)
    • Alternate Title:  Plots and Counterplots.
    • Series: "Ten Cent Novelettes" of Standard American Authors  -- no. 80  (the 1870 reprint)
    • Published serially from February 4 to 25, 1865.
    • First Published In:  The Flag of Our Union  (a weekly)
    • Authored anonymously as "A Well Known Author".
    • Organized into ten chapters.
    • The 1870 reprint used her pseudonym, "A. M. Barnard".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.
    • Major Characters: Virginie Varens / Mrs. Montmorenci Vane; Victor Varens / Jitomar / Señor Juan Arguelles; Earl Douglas
    • Keywords: greenroom; tattooed; danseuse; Paris; engagement; tomorrow; stabbed; gossip; mystery; pipes; resemblance; hair; colonel; bracelet; ring; curl; stairs; arm; park; warning; test; ghost; lace; horses; cramp; gloves; shawl; shun; drive; disclosure; boy; swoon; curtain; gone; train; pit; footprint; coin; gypsy; Spaniard; Frenchman; fountain; eavesdropper; coffee; challenge; dénouement; key; brand; maskers; pistols; handcuff; avenge; truth; punishment; wine; poison.
    • Summary: A beautiful young dancer woos many men in an effort to gain wealth, fame, and security, leaving much heartache and death in her wake.
64. Victoria.  (1881)
    • Subtitle:  A Woman's Statue.
    • Published serially from March to May, 1881.
    • First Published In:  Demorest's Monthly Magazine 
65. Which Wins?.  (1869)
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine
    • Issue:  March, 1869
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Discovered by Madeleine B. Stern and Victor A. Berch.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Stern and Shealy's From Jo March's Attic .
    • A spoken version is also available on B & B Audio's The Lost Stories of Louisa May Alcott  cassettes.
    • Thriller tale.
66. A Whisper in the Dark.  (1863)
    • Published serially on June 6 and 13, 1863.
    • First Published In:  Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper  (a weekly)
    • Authored anonymously.
    • Not organized into chapters or "parts".
    • Year(s) Written: 1861
    • A reprint is available for modern-day reading, in Madeleine Stern's Plots and Counterplots: More Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott .
    • Thriller tale.

Jump to:

[Top of This Page] (Annotated List of Adult Short Stories)

Go back to:

[Titles-Only List of Adult Short Stories ]   or   [Top of Previous Page] (List of All Works)

• Information about Louisa May Alcott or
• Susan Lank Tolbert's home page

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Comments? ... E-mail me your feedback!