The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Sunny Side, by A. A. Milne
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Title: The Sunny Side
Author: A. A. Milne
Release Date: September 12, 2004 [EBook #13441]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SUNNY SIDE ***
Produced by Rick Niles and John Hagerson, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team.THE SUNNY SIDE
BY A. A. MILNE
Author of "If I May," "The Dover Road," "Mr. Pim Passes By," etc.
1922
TO OWEN SEAMAN
AFFECTIONATELY IN MEMORY OF NINE HAPPY YEARS AT THE "PUNCH" OFFICE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
I. ORANGES AND LEMONS
II. MEN OF LETTERS
III. SUMMER DAYS
IV. WAR-TIME
V. HOME NOTES
VI. A FEW GUESTS
VII. AND OTHERS
INTRODUCTION
My publisher wants me to apologize for--"introduce" was the kindly word
he used--this collection of articles and verses from _Punch_. I do so
with pleasure.
_Among the many interests of a long and varied career_--
No, I don't think I shall begin like that.
_It was early in 1871_--
Nor like that.
Really it is very difficult, you know. I wrote these things for a number
of years, and--well, here they are. But just to say "Here they are" is to
be too informal for my publisher. He wants, not a casual introduction,
but a presentation. Let me tell you a little story instead.
When war broke out, I had published three of these books in England, the
gleanings of nine years' regular work for _Punch_. There are, I
understand, a few Americans who read _Punch_, and it was suggested to me
that a suitable collection of articles from these three books might have
some sort of American sale. So I made such a collection, leaving out the
more topical and allusive sketches, and including those with a more
general appeal. I called the result "Happy Days"--an attractive title,
you will agree--and in 1915 a New York publisher was found for it.
This is a funny story; at least it appeals to _me_; so I won't remind
myself of the number of copies which we sold. That was tragedy, not
comedy. The joke lay in one of the few notices which the book received
from the press. For a New York critic ended his review of "Happy Days"
with these immortal words:
"_Mr. Milne is at present in the trenches facing the German bullets, so
this will probably be his last book_."
You see now why an apology is necessary. Here we are, seven years later,
and I am still at it.
But at any rate, it is the last of this sort of book. As I said in a
foreword to the English edition: "It is the last time because this sort
of writing depends largely upon the irresponsibility and high spirits of
youth for its success, and I want to stop before (may I say 'before'?)
the high spirits become mechanical and the irresponsibility a trick.
Perhaps the fact that this collection is final will excuse its air of
scrappiness. Odd Verses have crept in on the unanswerable plea that, if
they didn't do it now, they never would; War Sketches protested that I
shouldn't have a book at all if I left them out; an Early Article,
omitted from three previous volumes, paraded for the fourth time with
such a pathetic 'I suppose you don't want _me_' in its eye that it could
not decently be rejected. So here they all are."
One further word of explanation. You may find the first section of this
book--"Oranges and Lemons"--a little difficult. The characters of it are
old friends to that limited public which reads my books in England; their
earlier adventures have been told in those previous volumes (and
purposely omitted from "Happy Days" as being a little too insular). I
feel somehow that strangers will not be on such easy terms with them, and
I would recommend that you approach them last. By that time you will have
discovered whether you are in a mood to stop and listen to their chatter,
or prefer to pass them by with a nod.
A.A. M.
THE SUNNY SIDE
I. ORANGES AND LEMONS
I.
THE INVITATION
"Dear Myra," wrote Simpson at the beginning of the year--"I have an
important suggestion to make to you both, and I am coming round to-morrow
night after dinner about nine o'clock. As time is so short I have asked
Dahlia and Archie to meet me there, and if by any chance you have gone
out we shall wait till you come back.
"Yours ever,
"SAMUEL
"P.S.--I have asked Thomas too."
*
*
*
*
*
"Well?" said Myra eagerly, as I gave her back the letter.
In deep thought I buttered a piece of toast.
"We could stop Thomas," I said. "We might ring up the Admiralty and ask
of 00
The Sunny Side by Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander), 1882-1956
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