The Sunny Side

A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

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• Publié par: iprey
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 72
• Langue: English

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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
*** 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.
1922TO OWEN SEAMAN
AFFECTIONATELY IN MEMORY OF NINE
HAPPY YEARS AT THE "PUNCH" OFFICECONTENTS
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 OTHERSINTRODUCTION
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 SIDEI. 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