Project Gutenberg 2007-09-21 Public domain in the USA. 112 Bellamy, Edward 1850 1898 Hooking Watermelons 1898 Produced by David Widger "Hooking Watermelons" by Edward Bellamy is a novel written in the late 19th century. It tells the story of Arthur Steele, a young lawyer who returns to his hometown of Fairfield, bringing with him a sense of nostalgia and connections to family and childhood friends. The narrative explores themes of community, youthful innocence, and the complexities of social relations, especially as they manifest in the interactions of the characters. The story primarily follows Arthur's visit home, where he encounters his family, particularly his younger sister Amy, who is facing social challenges at school. Amidst this, Arthur devises a plan to catch watermelon thieves that leads to an unexpected encounter with Lina Maynard, a girl from the nearby seminary. Their interaction, initiated in a comedic yet tense situation of accidental "theft," unfolds into a charming exploration of character growth and understanding between social classes as, ultimately, both Arthur and Lina learn from their experiences and develop a bond that hints at a burgeoning relationship. The plot weaves together humor and a social commentary on the perceptions of innocence and morality within a small-town context, culminating in a delightful resolution. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction PS Text Category: Romance Category: Humour Category: Novels Category: American Literature 75103 2025-07-09T11:57:30.679597 text/html 72563 2021-01-26T02:00:22 text/html 101846 2025-07-09T11:57:35.548567 application/epub+zip 100618 2025-07-09T11:57:33.386581 application/epub+zip 88851 2025-07-09T11:57:32.340570 application/epub+zip 214762 2025-07-09T11:57:37.099593 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 207513 2025-07-09T11:57:34.905559 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 184252 2022-09-10T14:48:01.706713 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 63100 2025-07-09T11:57:30.433584 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 63060 2018-03-08T06:15:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 62497 2007-09-21T16:20:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21643 2025-07-09T11:57:37.217553 application/rdf+xml 15053 2025-07-09T11:57:32.810573 image/jpeg 3824 2025-07-09T11:57:32.572582 image/jpeg 25190 2018-03-19T05:50:54 application/octet-stream application/zip 26733 2021-01-26T02:00:22 application/octet-stream application/zip 25080 2007-09-21T16:20:56 application/octet-stream application/zip 100134 2025-07-09T11:57:30.686595 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia