Project Gutenberg 2014-01-30 Public domain in the USA. 54 Bacheller, Irving 1859 1950 Bacheller, Addison Irving 20021481 The Prodigal Village: A Christmas Tale Reading ease score: 82.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. Produced by Charlene Taylor, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "The Prodigal Village: A Christmas Tale" by Irving Bacheller is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds in the seemingly tranquil village of Bingville, focusing on characters like Henry Smix, a well-meaning but slow-witted individual, and young Bob Moran, affectionately referred to as the Shepherd of the Birds, who finds joy and purpose despite his physical limitations. The book addresses themes of community, innocence, and the contrasting realities of wealth and poverty during the Christmas season. At the start of the novel, we witness the chaos brought on by Henry Smix's encounter with a gasoline-powered vehicle, leading to unintended consequences for the town and establishing its whimsical tone. Bob Moran, a young boy confined to his home, finds solace in nature, painting, and caring for birds, embodying a spirit of cheer and creativity that captivates the community. As the narrative progresses, it hints at deeper societal issues, such as the disparity between wealth and the struggles of the less fortunate, with Bob's heartfelt desire to help those in need serving as a poignant contrast to the indifference of the wealthy, highlighted by Mr. J. Patterson Bing's aloof charitable acts. This opening portion sets the stage for a story rich in human connection, moral lessons, and the festive spirit of Christmas. (This is an automatically generated summary.) file:///public/vhost/g/gutenberg/html/files/44796/44796-h/images/cover.jpg en Fiction Christmas stories PS Text Christmas Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 191265 191268 2024-10-18T18:45:52.467779 2023-09-19T13:42:22.690988 text/html text/html 191979 2014-01-30T08:15:54 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 120898 2014-01-30T08:16:12 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 126568 2024-10-18T18:45:56.033857 application/epub+zip 127453 2024-10-18T18:45:53.014755 application/epub+zip 127452 2024-10-18T18:45:52.726776 application/epub+zip 202150 2024-10-18T18:45:58.603720 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 180323 2024-10-18T18:45:55.725754 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 180539 2022-09-20T12:50:13.140800 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 169174 168947 2024-10-18T18:45:52.084765 2023-09-19T13:42:22.343928 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 168875 2014-01-30T08:15:36 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 66059 2014-01-30T08:16:12 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 168866 2014-01-30T08:15:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 66045 2014-01-30T08:16:12 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 22111 2024-10-18T18:45:58.736728 application/rdf+xml 25299 2024-10-18T18:45:52.802778 image/jpeg 4312 2024-10-18T18:45:52.764756 image/jpeg 121408 2024-10-18T18:45:52.486784 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia