Her Only Son by Hesba Stretton

Joanna Fleming packed up her bags to go to London to help raise her son's children. She found him living in a poor hovel in an attic and was astounded. She stayed as she had planned, but the money ran out and events went bad. Through desperation the son's life is brought to a reckoning point. This story is allegorical of Christ's sacrifice for salvation.

Paperback 8X5.25, 82 pages. ISBN  9781935626145

SARAH SMITH (1832-1911) was born in Wellington, England.  She had the good fortune of being able to read books from her father's bookshop, a printer of evangelical literature. Her mother was a strong evangelical, but died when Sarah was young. In the March 19th, 1859 issue of Household Words, a publication conducted by Charles Dickens, she published her first short story called The Lucky Leg. It is an intriguing story about a man who wanted to marry a woman with a missing leg. It was more secular, but her talent was recognized. Hesba Stretton became her pen name, Stretton coming from the name of a neighboring village, and Hesba coming from the initials of her siblings. H (Hannah or some sources Harriett), E (Elizabeth), S (Sarah), B (Benjamin), and A (Annie).