Poppy

"Poppy," by G.B. Stuart, extracted from The Argosy (summer 1888), is a romantic story set in the Devonshire village of Stanacombe during harvest season. Patience Williams, a London Board-School teacher, arrives for a month's holiday, lodging with the sexton Mr. Gridge. The villagers nickname her "Poppy" after her distinctive red umbrella. George Joslin, an unconventional young farmer breeding Jersey cattle, becomes quietly infatuated with her, though he initially keeps his distance. After encountering her during a rainstorm near Polworthy market, he offers her a ride home, during which they converse easily about farming and country life. Joslin subsequently invites her to visit his farm, Pounders, but village gossip reaches his mother Mrs. Joslin before he can properly explain, setting up domestic conflict as the narrative concludes.