Sarah Orne Jewett places her most famous short story, "A White Heron,"
in her native Maine. Originally published in 1886, it's a coming-of-age
story about a young city girl now living with her grandmother in the
country. She comes out of her shell in nature, more comfortable with
creatures than with people. A visit from a young bird hunter awakens her
interest in the opposite sex, but when presented with an ethical
decision, she protects her beloved white heron, instead of revealing its
location. "...she remembers how the white heron came flying through the
golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and
Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its
life away."
This short work is part of Applewood's American Roots series, tactile
mementos of American passions by some of America's most famous writers
and thinkers.