1846

An elderly Black woman's story of a patchwork quilt that was sewn during the thirty years she worked in the home of a White family.

In the Italian city of Bologna, a tragedy unites Imelda with her family’s enemy, the lord Boniface. The two fall in love, but are plotted against by Imelda’s brothers. While Imelda and Boniface plan their escape from danger, Imelda’s brothers plan…

The narrator recounts a time in which her neighbor, Mrs. Devon, describes her charitable attention to local Irish Immigrants. While Mrs. Devon's charity is lauded, suspicion arises over the honesty of those she is serving. Questions form over the…

A mother tells her daughters the story of a young woman who decided to marry an older man of whom she was fond but not passionately in love.

The narrator describes two auctions in which she took part, and reflects on friendship, buying, and selling.

A young man borrows money from his intended fiance's father and, after the stock market collapses, is estranged from her and family. Unbeknownst to the other, he works to repay her father, and she remains true to her love for him.

The narrator, a self-described "old married man," compares and contrasts the entertainment offered in a single evening by a range of New Yorkers of different classes and ages.

The narrator provides several examples of people who died, and questions whether their deaths should be attributed to God's will or human actions.