Under the Redwoods

In Short

This collection of American short fiction captures the erratic, vibrant pulse of mid-to-late nineteenth-century California and its far-reaching cultural echoes. Moving from snow-bound Sierran mining claims and treacherous river canyons to the breezy streets of early San Francisco and satirical visions of English country houses, these stories trace unlikely bonds, sudden tragedies, and humorous misunderstandings. Through vivid characterizations and a keen eye for regional atmosphere, the narrative highlights the clash between wild landscapes, rough social codes, and the gentle absurdities of human nature.

The Story

The narrative landscape shifts across a series of distinct human dramas set against the rugged backdrop of early California and beyond. In the mountain settlement of Sawyer’s Ledge, a dark afternoon of wind and rain illuminates two extreme turns of fortune: a wealthy, boisterous celebration held by Robert Falloner, a miner who has struck it rich, contrasted with the gloomy, fever-ridden cabin of Dick Lasham, an unlucky companion tended by his well-meaning but easily distracted neighbor, Daddy Folsom. In another mountain community, the independent-minded young sisters Del and Georgy Piper navigate the clumsy romantic overtures of local suitors and timid surveyors. When a sudden flood threatens their canyon, a desperate situation drives the community together as the water rises. An unlikely rescue effort falls upon Tom Sparrell, a crippled local man, assisted by the fierce and resolute Delaware Piper, who labor together high on the trail to fell a tree and dam the torrent.

In Santa Ana, the quiet social hierarchy of a religious community is thoroughly upended when Mr. Brooks coaxes the timid widow Mrs. Wade onto the floor for an old waltz. The provocative music sweeps through the room, igniting an infectious frenzy that draws in even the most stern deacons and revivalists until the entire assembly collapses in a whirl of unexpected delight. Along a lonely stretch of coast, Captain Pomfrey tends a remote lighthouse, finding peace in his books, orderly chores, and sandy rambles, until his solitary routine is interrupted by the elusive appearance of a wild native girl who swims in the pounding ocean swell and playful estuary bar, mocking his timid attempts to approach her.

In the rising metropolis of San Francisco, a young newspaper editor living under a bare roof finds two abandoned children left in a neighboring vacant room by their absent mother. His efforts to care for them are interrupted by the sudden intrusion of James Bodine, a boisterous, intoxicated outlaw proud of his violent reputation, who staggers in with his loyal henchman. In another corner of the city, Kane, a quiet apothecary, attends to a injured woman clad in gold and spangles after a late-night accident, while a naive visitor from Missouri looks on in absolute, wide-eyed wonder at the spectacle of urban life. Meanwhile, a young Chinese boy named Li Tee navigates the open hostility of local schoolboys and the forest surroundings of a small-town newspaper office.

Farther afield, narrative satire takes hold as an American traveler named Paul finds himself at an English manor house where guests participate in a surreal "telephonic dinner party," conversing over empty plates while eating separately in their own homes to avoid material grossness. Finally, the story turns back to the heart of San Francisco itself, where persistent trade winds sweep relentlessly across the dunes, driving the city’s restless, ambitious people forward through cold fogs, sudden fires, and tragic early-morning duels.

How It Unfolds

A night of contrasting fortunes Stormy winds and heavy rain blot out Sawyer’s Ledge until cabin lights flicker on, exposing the stark contrast between a noisy party celebrating a miner’s rich strike and the silent, feverish sickbed of an unlucky companion.

Courting and canyon floods In Red Gulch, the fiery Miss Piper rebuffs a timid suitor’s awkward advances with a swift box on the ear, only to prove her true bravery later by helping a crippled man fell a tree to save the town from a rising flood.

Scandal on the dance floor A quiet widow is swept into a daring waltz at a local gathering, unexpectedly triggering a wild, euphoric dancing frenzy that absorbs even the most austere church deacons before ending in bewildered exhaustion.

The swimmer off the reef A solitary lighthouse keeper, accustomed to strict routine and peaceful isolation, finds his orderly life disrupted by the playful, elusive presence of a native girl who glides through the dangerous ocean surf.

Invasions under the roof An editor working in an unfinished San Francisco building discovers two young children left alone by their mother, only to be confronted shortly after by a swaggering, armed fugitive boasting of his violent exploits.

An outsider's lesson At an late-night San Francisco pharmacy, a simple, admiring traveler from Missouri mistakes a bloody, bizarre accident for the breathtaking standard of high-toned city life.

Voices over the wire An American visitor in England accidentally attends a bizarre "telephonic dinner party," where guests converse across distance through earpieces while eating their own meals in separate houses.

The city of sun and wind The narrative closes on the sweeping landscape of San Francisco, where the relentless, sweeping trade winds shape the architecture, clear the air, and drive the fierce, restless spirit of its inhabitants.

The People

• Robert Falloner: A fortunate miner whose sudden strike brings wealth and loud festivity, though he soon finds himself entangled in a strange misunderstanding involving a stolen photograph and an indignant young woman.
• Dick Lasham: An unlucky, fever-ridden miner who lies suffering in a humble cabin while his neighbors celebrate nearby.
• Daddy Folsom: An overly hopeful, talkative neighbor who attempts to comfort the ailing Lasham with exaggerated sympathy while secretly longing to join the party down the mountain.
• Delaware "Del" Piper: A sharp, spirited young woman with a long brown braid and reddish-brown eyes who fiercely rejects unwanted suitors and shows remarkable courage during a town emergency.
• Tom Sparrell: A physical cripple who earns the skeptical astonishment of his neighbors by persistently working a woodman's axe on the trail to help construct a lifesaving dam.
• Mrs. Wade: A timid, polite widow whose hesitant agreement to dance a single waltz releases a shocking wave of uninhibited celebration across a conservative community.
• Captain Pomfrey: A meticulous, bookish lighthouse keeper who guards his solitary routine on the shore until an evasive native girl captures his curiosity.
• Li Tee: A clever, resilient Chinese boy who uses his wits to survive the relentless harassment of local schoolboys while running errands through the pine forest.
• James Bodine: A boastful, aggressive gunman who proudly recalls his violent clashes with vigilantes while barging into a quiet editor's quarters.

In Its Own Voice

"These stars were of varying brilliancy that evening, two notably so--one that eventually resolved itself into a many-candled illumination of a cabin of evident festivity; the other into a glimmering taper in the window of a silent one."

A quiet, observing voice frames the sudden turns of mountain life, where fortune and misery sit only a few yards apart in the dark.

"It was an old Julien waltz, fresh still in the fifties, daring, provocative to foot, swamping to intellect, arresting to judgment, irresistible, supreme!"

The sudden rhythm of music breaks through rigid social expectations, sweeping a cautious gathering into unexpected, joyful motion.

"Untiring themselves, they allowed no laggards; they drove the San Franciscan from the wall against which he would have leaned, from the scant shade in which at noontide he might have rested."

The atmospheric trade winds become an active force in the narrative, shaping both the wild physical landscape and the energetic character of the young city.

What It's Really About

Beneath its frontier humor and dramatic coincidences, the narrative explores the deep isolation of human existence and the fragile, unexpected bridges built between disparate souls. Life on the Western frontier is shown as a gamble where wealth, health, and social standing can vanish or appear overnight. The stories examine the tension between rigid social respectability and the raw, unpredictable impulses of nature. Whether through an uninhibited waltz, a shared struggle against a rising flood, or an unexpected act of shelter in a drafty building, the characters repeatedly discover that genuine human connection requires breaking through inherited prejudices and self-imposed barriers. The relentless natural environment—the sweeping winds, ocean surges, and mountain storms—serves as a constant reminder of human vulnerability.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an authentic, unfiltered window into the texture of nineteenth-century Western life, combining sharp observation with a dry, ironic wit. Readers who enjoy rich regional atmosphere, vivid character sketches, and swift dramatic pacing will find much to admire. The narrative captures the raw energy of early San Francisco and its surrounding wilderness without romanticizing the harsh realities of frontier survival.

The prose moves fluidly between humorous social satire and genuine pathos. While modern readers may encounter period-specific dialect, vintage slang, and social attitudes reflective of its era—particularly in the depiction of frontier prejudices and rural speech—the underlying humanity remains clear. The author's eye for small, revealing details brings each scene to life, from the scent of coastal flowers to the chaotic energy of a town dance. Ultimately, the book stays with you because of its memorable portraits of misfits, dreamers, and quiet heroes navigating a world where the wind never stops blowing and fortune never stays still for long.