Project Gutenberg 2007-10-24 Public domain in the USA. 155 Trowbridge, J. T. (John Townsend) 1827 1916 Trowbridge, J.T. Trowbridge, John Townsend The Man Who Stole A Meeting-House 1878, From "Coupon Bonds" Produced by David Widger "The Man Who Stole A Meeting-House" by J. T. Trowbridge is a humorous tale written in the late 19th century. This novella combines elements of social commentary with satire, unveiling the foolishness of extreme frugality through the absurd exploits of its protagonist. The story revolves around a man named Jedwort, whose miserliness drives him to absurd lengths, including the theft of a community meeting-house. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of the narrator's traveling companion, who recounts the story of Old Jedwort and his family. As the tale progresses, we learn about Jedwort's oppressive nature, his relentless pursuit of wealth, and the impact of his behavior on his wife and children. The plot thickens when Jedwort decides to claim the old meeting-house as part of his property and attempts to fence it in, asserting a ridiculous claim to the abandoned church. As tensions rise within the community and among his family, an unexpected turn of events, including a fire that destroys the meeting-house, leads to Jedwort's temporary insanity. Ultimately, the tale concludes with Jedwort's return to sanity, revealing the positive changes his family has experienced in his absence, highlighting themes of redemption and the importance of community support. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 87.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories PS Text Category: Humour Category: Novels Category: American Literature 77473 2025-08-09T13:57:56.599471 text/html 75219 2021-01-26T02:35:00 text/html 112896 2025-08-09T13:58:01.699425 application/epub+zip 111578 2025-08-09T13:57:59.453445 application/epub+zip 84032 2025-08-09T13:57:58.382457 application/epub+zip 222440 2025-08-09T13:58:03.336429 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 214593 2025-08-09T13:58:01.043429 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 188102 2022-09-11T04:11:15.420822 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 64481 2025-08-09T13:57:56.279457 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 64474 2018-03-16T12:11:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 63930 2007-10-24T08:48:58 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20363 2025-08-09T13:58:03.465417 application/rdf+xml 14573 2025-08-09T13:57:58.862439 image/jpeg 3490 2025-08-09T13:57:58.619449 image/jpeg 25227 2018-03-16T12:15:14 application/octet-stream application/zip 26775 2021-01-26T02:35:00 application/octet-stream application/zip 25117 2007-10-24T08:48:58 application/octet-stream application/zip 111912 2025-08-09T13:57:56.606459 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