Ralph Henry Barbour (1870–1944)

Story begins with a young man recovering from an illness that struck him down while he was traveling. His doctor takes a liking to him and invites him to come and stay at his house.

The doctor has a niece living with him named Joyce. She decides that she will invent an engagement for herself so that the young man doesn't have to be afraid that she's chasing him. This is a highly misplaced bit of consideration that didn't really forward the plot at all, since she didn't even tell him about the "engagement" till he was obviously already in love with her and she with him. So... what was the point? It was only manufactured tension, with which I have little patience.
Other than that, it was fairly cute and easy reading, but that was all.… (mere)

This was the most fun, darling story. It was a sweet romance, but the main guy was so eccentric that it felt really fresh. If anybody wants a really quick read (it's pretty short) that they will easily be motivated to finish, this is it.

A man and his dog are tramping along a country road when they stop to talk to a local farmer. The man wants to buy a house, and he describes it down to the last detail, even its name--"Heart's Content"--to which the farmer says, 'There's nothing like that around here, maybe it's in Alderbury.'
(It is quickly apparent to the reader that actually, the house as yet exists only in the man's imagination.)

Meanwhile in Alderbury, Beryl and her mom are sitting outside their house one day, and her mom is really frustrated that Beryl is turning into a social recluse. She's depending on her daughter to bring all the bright young people of the world into their home, and it's not happening.

Then they both see an odd character lounging about in the lane with a dog, staring at their house. Beryl's mom is amusingly torn between concern that he might be up to no good and delight that at last there's A MAN in their vicinity, woohoo! She goes down to talk to him while Beryl looks on.
In the ensuing conversation, he begins as he means to go on: spacey but charming. Beryl's mom is enchanted. And confused. But mostly enchanted.

This is the beginning of the town's acquaintance with Allan Shortland. Everyone loves a nut, so everyone loves Allan. What about Beryl? Well, she likes him, too, but she can't quite get a grip on his personality. She goes back and forth between tolerant amusement and genuine frustration at his antics. She wants to know what is WRONG with him; he is just so out there.

I'm not going to share any of the rest of the plot, but it's very sweet. I think I have a weakness for the kind of storyline where the hero is a bit undervalued by the heroine because he plays the fool, or wears his feelings too lightly, but below the surface he is steady as a rock. Kind of Scarlet Pimpernel-like.

This was such a happy book! It had a great balance of comedy and feeling. I highly recommend. Find it for free on archive.org.

Fascinatingly, this author appears to have written novels that fall into one of two genres: Romance, or Football. I am impressed.… (mere)

Wade Forbes, a former New York state man who went west and made his fortune in mining in Colorado, returns to New York City for the Christmas holidays with his business partner in this charming romance from 1912. While the two are attending an opera, Wade sees THE GIRL - a beautiful young women with whom he falls instantly in love. Having no idea of her name or the location of her home, Wade immediately sets out to track her down, an adventure that no only takes him around Manhattan, but involves a frantic train journey from New York to Boston, and from there on to Quebec. Prue Herrick Burnett - for that is THE GIRL'S name - turns out to have been very aware of his pursuit, and after a tense meeting at a lonely train station, the two come to an understanding...

I picked up Cupid en Route the other day because it is on my 'Christmas' shelf, but although there are a few Christmasy bits in it - especially the Christmas shopping in New York City in 1912! - I don't really think of it as a Christmas romance, so much as a romance that happens to be set at Christmas. The events chronicled are highly unlikely - the love at first sight theme is always a little questionable - but the story is still enjoyable, in a light, cream-puff confection kind of way. Apparently Ralph Henry Barbour, who was a prolific author of boys' sports stories, set in high schools and colleges, also produced a great many lighthearted romances. I found this one interesting, and suspect I would find other Barbour romances interesting as well, because it is written by a man, and is from the man's perspective - something I don't often see in the romance genre. Perhaps it was not so uncommon, a century ago, as it is today? Whatever the case may be, I found this one enjoyable, and will certainly track down more from the author.… (mere)

Expecting to spend his Christmas holidays at the home of his friend and fellow Harvard student, E. Satherwaite is dismayed to receive a last-minute telegram informing him that the invitation must be rescinded, due to a sick relative. Thrown into a state of dejection at this state of affairs, and with nothing to do with his time until the following morning, when the next train leaves for home, Satherwaite takes to cleaning his dorm room in his desperation. When he discovers that a book he borrowed a week before from an acquaintance is still in his possession, he sets out to return it, finding himself intruding upon a party of college men he doesn't know - college men working their own way through school. Here, at this unexpected holiday gathering, Satherwaite realizes that there is something to be said for appreciating small blessings...

Originally published in 1910, as part of Ralph Henry Barbour's collection, The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories, where it is known as "A College Santa Claus," this short story makes for an engaging, old-fashioned Christmas tale. There is no overt moralizing here, but the lesson that Satherwaite learns - that there are many young men at school with him at Harvard who, although not in his social class, are well worth knowing and having as friends - is made perfectly clear through the story. I'm not sure why this was reissued as "A College Santa Clause," with an "e" added to Claus, as the pun doesn't seem to relate to anything in the story. Leaving that issue aside, as well as the prevalence of pipe smoking (something the young men all do together, and which may strike the contemporary reader as being unpleasant), this was quite enjoyable, and made me eager to track down more of the prolific Barbour's college fiction. Recommended to those seeking old-fashioned Christmas stories, especially such stories aimed more at young men.… (mere)