"What I don't understand is how with a name like Livingston
your first husband had family in France."
Geoffrey had been so busy setting up, he ended up sitting
at the party with some of the junior Thackers and Mrs
Thacker and Ruth. And Mrs Julliana Thacker had just put her
baby down in the basket before she asked that question of
Mrs Thacker.
"It's not a difficult story," Mrs Thacker said. "My first
husband's father was Lieut. Benjamin Livingston, and he had
retired with an injury from the British Army and was given a
post in the administration in Canada, where he fell in love
with the oldest daughter of a cheesemaking family in Qu.bec.
At first it caused quite a scandal. But he settled right down
and learned French and learned a lot about the cheese busi-
AUGUST 5, 1889 • 37
ness and got her with a child. And so her extended family
decided to accept him and they went on a one-year trip to
France, his family was reasonably well-off and since then our
branch of the family has always been very well accepted."
"Well I suppose that does answer the question," Mrs
Julianna replied. "We have always greatly appreciated your
cheese even before you married into the Thacker family. But
what is the French family name?"
"M.con," Mrs Thacker replied. "Which is also the name
of the large local town, although the cheese making part of
the family lives in the hills near a village where there is a
simply enormous cave system."
"I visited it, you know. For our honeymoon. We were
several months there, which is where I learned French and
cheesemaking."
"And now your children get to go. How marvellous!"
Geoffrey noticed Mrs Thacker looking a bit red, and
wondered if Mrs Julianna had done it on purpose, mentioning
'your children' like that.
—
Thank you for coming round Arthur’s Substack. I hope and pray it will be a blessing to you.
Arthur publishes with Wise Path Books and include the children’s/YA books:
The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid
and
As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations.
Quite a few chapters of the Bobtails and No Ordinary School are here on this substack as audio.
I also write as Von, and I encourage you to check out that substack. There is a lot of theology and politics there, as well as quotes, poems, other articles, and links to other Science Fiction. But ‘Von’ also is publishing some serial books and stories. Much more adult and serious books than here, for the most part. Some of them.
Von is publishing the stories:
Contract Marriage
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Article 17
Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.
Island People
Island People is a young adult fantasy book centring on a young prince. The book starts with his kidnapping and follows his adventures as he not only escapes from his kidnapper but gains critical allies and friends.
The entire book is scheduled on Substack, and there are several sequels. This is a book I wrote years ago, so it is in a bit of a rough form. Critiques and comments are more than welcome, they are requested.
…and his story ‘The Oracle’ is in haitus, but there are some chapters there. Feel free to check them out.
God Bless you as you read, and may you do all to the glory of God.
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