“Kitty’s Class Day” as a title sounds like a story about a young child going to school, but it is in fact about a 17-year-old obsessed with looking her best, making use of what materials she’s got to look fashionable and make men’s heads turn with admiration and women look with envy.

This light-hearted and amusing tale is my favourite of this collection.

4 stars.

“Aunt Kipp” is the name of a 70-something rich woman who is something of a Scrooge. She does little to help her niece, grandniece, or grandnephew, but succeeds in annoying and upsetting them. Only 11-year-old Toady has any impact on her hard old heart but he tends to rub her up the wrong way quite often, as he tends to tell the truth without ever considering tact.

I found this to be an upbeat, amusing tale.

4 stars.

“Psyche’s Art” is about a female sculptor who wants to be the best she can in her art. After a chat with a man much more talented than she, Psyche (strange name for a lady!) comes to see that caring for others is the best way to ‘feed her soul’ and ultimately excel with her passion.

A sombre moralistic tale, this one, and one of Ms Alcott’s least appealing for me, so only 2 stars.

I read “A Country Christmas” separately in December 2013, which is the best time for a simple, sweet, satisfying, seasonal short story such as this.

3 stars.

“On Picket Duty” is a short story comprised of four even shorter stories, one each told by the four characters who are, as the title suggests, on picket duty.

Better than the previous tale, but still not to my tastes, so 2 stars again.

“The Baron’s Gloves” is more to my liking than the previous two stories; however, Ms Alcott practically disowns this one in the preface. She states:

“I have added "The Baron's Gloves," as a sample of the romantic rubbish which paid so well once upon a time. If it shows what not to write it will not have been rescued from oblivion in vain.”

I disagree, as I enjoyed the light-hearted tone and upbeat mood of this tale.

Two young women – Helen and Amy – accompany their uncle during a trip through Germany. The women long for some adventure to add spice to the routine feel of the travels.

Sure enough, their hopes are realised, and this long short story – perhaps it qualifies as a novelette – is comprised of several individual incidents that are linked together.

3 stars, despite the author suggesting it isn’t even worthy of 1 star!

“My Red Cap” is about a nurse who meets a newly recruited soldier by chance before he departs on his new life.

Throughout the tale the pair meet again over time, the third occasion being after a 20-year gap, and upon every meeting the soldier is in a worse state than before. However much he suffers he manages to grin and bear it.

The nurse feels affection for him but this is not a tale of love but rather of platonic friendship.

Found this quite mundane and skipped a few paragraphs. Not Louisa at her best, in my opinion.

2 stars.

“What the Bells Saw and Said” is about a group of spirits who “dwell” in the bells. Set on Christmas Eve, the spirits discuss the year on the whole, mixing tales of happiness and woe. The amount of woe resulted in me skipping half of this.

Found this too preachy and lifeless.

1 star. ( )

New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1908. 334 pages, colour frontispiece, 21 cm. Hardcover without dust jacket, blue boards with silver titles, pictorial endpapers.