Even So

By Charles Boardman Hawes

Charles Boardman Hawes is the Newberry Medal award-winning author of 'The Dark Frigate'.

"Donald Hastings followed the sea. Holiest, impetuous, young, as were so many of those sea captains in that golden era of the early nineteenth century, he left but one shadow on his memory—perhaps not altogether a shadow. Therein lies the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dancing Unicorn Books
• Release date: Nov 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781515441878

Charles Boardman Hawes

Charles Boardman Hawes (1889-1923) was an American writer of fiction and nonfiction sea stories, best known for three historical novels. He died suddenly at age 34, after only two of his five books had been published. He was the first U.S.-born winner of the annual Newbery Medal, recognizing his third novel The Dark Frigate (1923) as the year’s best American children’s book. Reviewing the Hawes Memorial Prize Contest in 1925, The New York Times observed that “his adventure stories of the sea caused him to be compared with Stevenson, Dana and Melville”.

Book preview

Even So

by Charles Boardman Hawes

©2020 Dancing Unicorn Books

Even So is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or institutions is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

ISBN: 978-1-5154-4187-8

It all happened a century ago. On this day, the village minister of those other years wrote in his slow, regular hand—the pages of his journal are yellow as saffron now, and the ink is faded brown—on this day did Captain Hastings sail in command of the Amaryllis, taking with him as hitherto, poor Christine Widmer, concerning whom there has been so much talk. For my own part I cannot be properly scandalized by their relation. Certainly the thought of marriage with one in her condition is not to be tolerated, and I believe her to be happier with him than elsewhere. Christian charity, indeed!

There have always been men of the Hastings name in the village. They came in the days of its first settlement. There are a score of them living here at this very minute. And, like the most of them in the early years of the republic, Donald Hastings followed the sea. Holiest, impetuous, young, as were so many of those sea captains