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A Double Barrelled Detective Story
The story weaves two revenge plots: a woman trains her son, who possesses a bloodhound-like sense of smell, to destroy his abusive father's reputation.
"A Double Barrelled Detective Story" by Mark Twain is a satirical novelette that places Sherlock Holmes in the American West. The story weaves two revenge plots: a woman trains her son, who possesses a bloodhound-like sense of smell, to destroy his abusive father's reputation.
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The first scene is in the country, in Virginia; the time, 1880. There has been a wedding, between a handsome young man of slender means and a rich young girl—a case of love at first sight and a precipitate marriage; a marriage bitterly opposed by the girl’s widowed father.
Jacob Fuller, the bridegroom, is twenty-six years old, is of an old but unconsidered family which had by compulsion emigrated from Sedgemoor, and for King James’s purse’s profit, so everybody —some maliciously— the rest merely because they believed it. The bride is nineteen and beautiful. She is intense, high-strung, romantic, immeasurably proud of her Cavalier blood, and passionate in her love for her young husband. For its sake she braved her father’s displeasure, endured his reproaches, listened with loyalty unshaken to his warning predictions, and went from his house without his blessing, proud and happy in the proofs she was thus giving of the quality of the affection which had made its home in her heart.
The morning after the marriage there was a sad surprise for her. Her husband put aside her proffered caresses, and said:
Contents
- 01Part I
- 02I
- 03II
- 04III
- 05Extracts from letters to the mother:
- 06IV.
- 07V
- 08The next day came and went.
- 09Part II
- 10I
- 11II
- 12III
- 13IV
- 14From a letter to Mrs. Stillman, dated merely “Tuesday.”
- 15V
- 16Ten days later—
About this edition
- Author
- Mark Twain
- Era
- Modern (c. 1800–1945)
- Reading level
- Introductory: no background needed
- Formats
- EPUB, PDF
- Length
- 62 pages
- This edition
- Modern Philosophers