Cicely and Other Stories

In Short

Annie Fellows Johnston’s Cicely and Other Stories is a collection of five domestic tales centered on young American women finding their footing in early twentieth-century society. Through seamstresses, schoolgirls, and impoverished Southern heiresses, the book explores themes of hospitality, social pretense, self-esteem, and honest labor. Each story tests its heroine’s character against financial hardship, vanity, or class bias. The book has endured as a gentle moral compass, offering a slice of turn-of-the-century period charm alongside timeless lessons on kindness, resilience, and the quiet dignity of work over empty social status.

The Story

The book opens with "Cicely," the tale of a lonely orphan left stranded in a strange city following her father’s death. To help her older sister Marcelle pay off their family debts, Cicely works for minimal pay as an apprentice to Madame Levaney, a harsh dressmaker. When Cicely accidentally ruins a luxurious gown meant for a grand party by staining it with blood from a needle prick, the cold-hearted customer Miss Shelby demands her dismissal. However, Miss Shelby’s cousin, Rhoda Balfour, shows compassion, offering the weeping girl a bouquet of American Beauty roses. Cicely shares these flowers with Miss Waite, a lonely music teacher across the hall, sparking a comforting, lifelong friendship that brightens the winter for both women.

In "Alida’s Homeliness," a sensitive young woman overhears a cruel remark calling her a "comic valentine" and retreats into morbid self-pity, refusing party invitations. Her perspective shifts when "Doctor Agnes" prescribes a unique remedy: looking up the archaic definitions of "homely" and "cozy"—words originally meaning comfortable, helpful, and friendly. Embracing this new mindset, Alida forgets her physical insecurities. When a neighbor's toddler accidentally ingests insect poison, Alida acts swiftly using her medical knowledge, neutralizing the poison before the doctor arrives and saving the child's life.

"The Hand of Douglas" follows Mary Lee Marker and her friend Travis Dent on a summer outing to Wicklett, a grand Southern mansion operating as a boarding house. Mary Lee is devastated when a snobbish guest, Molly Glendenning, refuses to share a musical program with the daughter of a mere bookkeeper. A kindly old general intervenes, taking Mary Lee and Travis under his wing and introducing them to the most distinguished guests, including a famous novelist. Recognizing their charm and character, the other boarders quickly drop their prejudices, leaving Molly to seek their acquaintance.

"Elsie’s 'Palmistry Evening'" centers on a boarding school where a dominant girl named Elsie plays with fortune-telling. Elsie predicts from the lines in the hand of a timid freshman, "Timoroso," that the girl is destined to take her own life. The fragile girl falls into deep despair and sleepwalking, nearly jumping from a window before her roommate stops her. Realizing the danger of her thoughtless fad, Elsie and the other students work to restore Timoroso’s spirits.

Finally, "Their Ancestral Latch-String" depicts three impoverished Southern sisters struggling to maintain the grand, crumbling estate of Marchmont. After sacrificing their only summer picnic to entertain an unannounced guest out of traditional hospitality, they find themselves hiding in the attic when another visitor knocks, ashamed of their lack of food and servants. Realizing that true nobility lies in the hardworking spirit of their pioneer ancestors, the sisters abandon their foolish pride: one becomes a dress designer and another a market gardener to rebuild their home.

How It Unfolds

A seamstress in distress Orphaned Cicely faces the harsh working conditions of an urban dressmaking shop to help pay off her late father's debts. Her despair deepens when she accidentally ruins a customer's evening dress, but an act of unexpected kindness from Rhoda Balfour gives her hope.

Finding comfort in shared roses Cicely shares her gift of American Beauty roses with a sickly music teacher across the hall, creating a warm bond of friendship that sustains her through the long winter.

Overcoming shallow insult In "Alida's Homeliness," Alida hides away after hearing herself called unattractive, but Doctor Agnes redirects her focus toward being helpful, cheerful, and welcoming to others.

Saving a child’s life Putting her lessons into practice, Alida acts with immediate presence of mind when a runaway toddler ingests deadly roach poison, earning the deep gratitude of her community.

Confronting social snobbery In "The Hand of Douglas," Mary Lee Marker faces rejection at a Virginia resort from a snobbish girl who despises her father's humble profession as a clerk.

The general's intervention A wise old general ensures Mary Lee and Travis are introduced to the resort's most prominent guests, forcing the snobs to reconsider their exclusionary attitudes.

A dangerous prophecy In "Elsie's 'Palmistry Evening,'" a schoolgirl's amateur fortune-telling terrifies a timid freshman into believing she is fated to commit suicide, driving her to the brink of a breakdown.

Rebuilding self-reliance In "Their Ancestral Latch-String," three sisters abandon empty aristocratic pretenses and take up honest trades—gardening and fashion design—to restore their family's decaying plantation.

The People

• Cicely Leeds: An orphaned girl working as a dressmaker's apprentice in a strange city. She wants to earn enough to rejoin her sister, struggles against intense loneliness and poverty, and finds joy through small acts of generosity and new friendships.
• Alida Gooding: A self-conscious young woman who wants to fit in but is paralyzed by her fear of being plain and unattractive. With guidance from Doctor Agnes, she overcomes her reserve and becomes a courageous, practical figure.
• Mary Lee Marker: The spirited, affectionate daughter of a hard-working bookkeeper. She wants to enjoy her summer resort holiday, is deeply hurt by social snobbery aimed at her family's status, but triumphs through her genuine charm.
• Travis Dent: Mary Lee’s poised, self-reliant travel companion who possesses a serene, "eagle's view" of life, remaining entirely unbothered by the superficial gossip around her.
• Timoroso (Susannah Talbot): A extremely shy, sensitive freshman schoolgirl who wants only to fit in, but becomes morbidly obsessed after an amateur palm reader predicts a tragic fate for her.
• Claribel and Wilma Marchmont: Two impoverished Southern sisters who initially cling to false notions of ancestral pride, but eventually embrace hard work and practical careers to save their crumbling family home.

In Its Own Voice

When Cicely is invited into the music teacher's cozy apartment on New Year's Day, she experiences a rare moment of comfort and warmth:

"Only one who has been as cold and hungry and homesick as Cicely was, can know how much that evening meant to her, or how the cheer and the warmth of it all comforted her lonely little heart."

In "The Hand of Douglas," the old general offers Mary Lee a perspective on rising above the petty social prejudices of the resort guests:

"'Ah, my little friend, Miss Travis has a broader outlook than the petty hollows. She has risen to the eagle's view.'"

In "Their Ancestral Latch-String," Wilma reflects on her family history after deciding to become a market gardener to support her household:

"'Now if sister makes any objections to our plans, I'll just refer her to the first of the grandmammas who made our hospitality proverbial, and, hardening her hands with the work of the wilderness, was yet the truest gentlewoman of them all.'"

What It's Really About

Beneath its gentle domestic plots, Cicely and Other Stories explores the conflict between empty social pretense and genuine moral character. Johnston questions the rigid class distinctions and shallow standards of beauty that dominated turn-of-the-century American life. The stories argue that true gentlehood is not inherited through aristocratic bloodlines, expensive clothes, or physical perfection, but is earned through practical usefulness, warm-hearted hospitality, and quiet strength. The narrative continually challenges young women to reject self-pity and idle vanity, suggesting that looking outward to serve others is the ultimate cure for loneliness and insecurity. It also champions female economic independence, showing that honest work elevates rather than diminishes a woman's true dignity.

Why Read It Today

Cicely and Other Stories will appeal to readers who enjoy cozy, classic domestic fiction like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women or L. M. Montgomery's works. Reading the collection feels like stepping into a sunlit parlor from a bygone era; it offers a gentle, comforting atmosphere filled with roaring hearth fires, old-fashioned roses, and earnest moral striving.

Modern readers must navigate period-specific elements, including late-nineteenth-century social hierarchies, slightly dated moralizing, and stereotyped depictions of African American domestic servants like "Mam Daphne," whose dialect and depiction reflect the typical racial attitudes of early 1900s juvenile literature.

Despite these historical limitations, the book’s central emotional conflicts remain deeply relatable. The anxiety of feeling left out, the sting of thoughtless insults, and the struggle to maintain self-worth in a world obsessed with appearances are timeless human experiences. Johnston captures these emotions with remarkable tenderness and sincerity. What stays with you after reading is the collection's enduring warmth and its reassuring premise: that small acts of kindness, courage, and practical effort can transform even the most discouraging circumstances into something beautiful.