Stopping the leak by Madeline Leslie
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"Stopping the leak" by Madeline Leslie is a moral domestic novel written in the mid-19th century. It traces how waste, dishonesty, and intemperance drain both fortune and character, and how shrewd, warm-hearted Aunt Mercy Lovell helps a naive young couple—Lily and Lawrence Everett—and the struggling Allen family learn economy, duty, and self-control. The opening of the novel shows Aunt Mercy visiting the lavish Everett home and instantly sensing “a leak” in a
household where careless spending and scheming servants flourish while Lily knows little of housekeeping. Her quiet reconnoissance exposes waste and theft, she counsels Lawrence, recounts her own youthful heartbreak that left her a guardian to his family, and then, after his ill-judged leniency, departs. The narrative shifts to Mary and Joseph Allen—kin to Lawrence—whose farm is lost to drink until a temperance pledge and Aunt Mercy’s aid set them to work, school, and thrift. When a business crisis looms for Lawrence, Aunt Mercy returns, catches the servants in a theft ring with a grocer, and has them arrested, while Lily begins learning practical economy. The excerpt closes with the reformed Allens modestly prospering—Joseph as head gardener, a cow and chickens secured, and children diligent at school and work, earning the goodwill of their employers. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Leslie, Madeline, 1815-1893 |
|---|---|
| Title | Stopping the leak |
| Original Publication | Boston: Graves and Young, 1865. |
| Series Title | Brookside series |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres |
| Subject | Christian life -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Household employees -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Aunts -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Diligence -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Theft -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Marriage -- Juvenile fiction |
| Subject | Home economics -- Juvenile fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77089 |
| Release Date | Oct 19, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 238 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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