This article is about the abridged and edited 2021 version. For the BeForever version, see Manners and Mischief.
Samantha: The Gift is a bound, abridged, and modified book of the first two books of Samantha's original Central Series and two of her Short Stories. It is included with the Samantha doll when she is purchased and available separately.
Stories Included[]
- Meet Samantha (truncated and modified; see below)
- Samantha Learns a Lesson (truncated and modified; see below)
- Samantha's Blue Bicycle
- Samantha Saves the Wedding
Changes from Manners and Mischief[]
- Several--but not all--illustrations have been placed back into the text, as well as illustrations from the short stories; however, several are not tied to the original events. For example, the illustration originally of Samantha going to Jessie to have her stockings repaired after falling out a tree is instead tied to her going to be cleaned up after struggles with bike riding.
- The first five chapters of Meet Samantha have been removed. Thus, there is no subplot regarding Jessie resigning from working for Grandmary, Samantha and Nellie speculating and later sneaking out at night to determine exactly why Jessie has left her job, learning about her son Nathaniel, and Samantha persuading Grandmary to rehire Jessie. There are also no interactions with Eddie Ryland (so he is not the one to inform her that Nellie is arriving, Samantha meets Nellie herself) or the introduction of Gardner Edwards and Cornelia Pitt with their arriving in their motorcar (or Samantha riding in it). While Gardner and Cornelia do arrive in the motorcar, the scene is taken from the short story Samantha's Blue Bicycle rather than the book.
- The events of Samantha's Blue Bicycle are seen across multiple chapters connected to and intertwined with various scenes. Because of this, the events happen before the wedding rather than after; some scenes are removed or edited to fit their new place in the stories.
- Samantha is not seen at school before teaching Nellie to read (though she does interact with two classmates after meeting with Nellie after school, who taunt her for interacting with servants), nor does she ask her teacher for assistance in helping to teach Nellie; instead she makes the choice herself and helps Nellie learn to read from The Wizard of Oz. Only a few scenes are shown of Nellie's tutoring lessons; also, at that point in the story, Nellie does not own the Lydia doll, which Samantha did not need to persuade Grandmary to let her earn and already (and still, at that point) owns.
- Cornelia is given more prominence in the stories. New added scenes show the growing seriousness of Cornelia and Gardner's relationship, and Samantha grows closer to Cornelia faster than previously.
- Nellie returns back to New York City because her mother has influenza and her father needs her to help with her sisters, rather than because she is not considered strong enough for her servant duties. It is not stated who she works for, as the Rylands are removed. (While a woman speaks to Grandmary about Samantha's interactions with Nellie, it is instead Edith Eddleton's mother and Mrs. Ryland is not mentioned.)
- The book Samantha's Surprise is completely removed and is instead replaced with Samantha Saves the Wedding. Due to this, Gardner and Cornelia are engaged by October (this is announced at dinner) and hold a fall wedding, as opposed to a Christmas proposal and later early spring wedding. The date of the wedding is thus moved from March 1905 to November 1904.
- The events are compressed into occurring from about late September to early November 1904; the original stories included spanned from summer 1904 until spring 1905.
Due to the multiple significant changes in the story events--including many new and written scenes--for this book, chapter summaries will be outlined on this article, with any scenes retained from original stories mentioned in reference to avoid repetition and characters linked as needed.
New Chapter Summaries[]
Chapter One: Nellie[]
Samantha is waiting for the milkman on the front porch; she is holding on to an apple core to give to his horse, Cloudy. As she is waiting, two men ride by on bikes. Samantha thinks the bikes are tall and spindly and don't look like they'll hold a rider. Her grandmother, Grandmary, thinks of bicycles as ridiculous contraptions and that they are dangerous, and Samantha can't think of herself riding one. Grandmary, furthermore, would consider bike-riding unladylike. As she is waiting, the side door on the yellow house next door opens and a girl appears wearing a gray servant's uniform and carrying a large wicker basket of laundry. Samantha is surprised to see the girl is about her own age. Mrs. Hawkins comes out to set the empty milk bottles down and asks what Samantha is doing out so early. Samantha says she's waiting to feed the milkman's horse, then points out the girl working next door and that she's very small to be carrying such a large basket. Mrs. Hawkins says that the girl is probably used to hard work and not every child is fortunate as Samantha before she goes back inside.
Samantha, sighs, feeling lonely. While she loves her grandmother, living with her alone isn't the same as having parents or siblings. The girl next door is hanging the laundry and the wet sheets are larger than she is; she still must keep them off the ground as she stands on a stool to hang them. Samantha leaves the front porch and goes to the girl, asking to help. The girl, flustered, declines, but Samantha insists as she's only waiting for the milkman and introduces herself. The girl introduces herself as Nellie O'Malley, and explains she has been working there for two days; she used to live in the city with her family and worked at a thread factory, but the bad air made her sick and so she's been sent there to work now. Samantha is shocked at the idea of Nellie leaving her family, but Nellie explains that things are better here as she has more food to eat and can even attend school--though she misses her family. Samantha says she's glad Nellie is here and that her parents died when she was five, so she lives with her grandmother and her uncle lives in the city. Samantha has the exciting idea that the next time she goes to visit her uncle, Nellie can come with her and visit her own family.
Nellie protests that she wouldn't be permitted to go, then goes silent as Elsa interrupts them by grabbing Samantha's shoulder. Elsa fusses she's been looking everywhere for Samantha as her grandmother wants her--and will not be pleased to know she's been hobnobbing with servants. Elsa tells Nellie to stick to her work and stop bothering Samantha as she puts a hand on Samantha's back to steer her back towards the house. Samantha tosses the apple core into the bushes and gives Nellie a sorry look.
Elsa leads Samantha to the parlor where Grandmary is sitting, and tells Grandmary she found Samantha next door hanging laundry with the new servant girl. Grandmary dismisses Elsa, then tells Samantha to come forward and explain what she was doing next door. Samantha explains she was helping Nellie hang the big sheets, that Nellie came from the city and why, and that they're about the same age. Grandmary is thoughtful, then tells Samantha she cannot be friends with Nellie, as she is a proper young lady and Nellie is a servant and thus not a suitable friend. Samantha is disappointed but knows she can't contradict her grandmother, so agrees. But, she adds, Nellie is lonely (and thinks that she is as well), and misses her family. Grandmary says Samantha must respect Nellie's position as a servant and not distract her from her responsibilities--and that while they are not allowed to play, Samantha is allowed to help her; Samantha says that's what she was doing. Grandmary then straightens Samantha's hair bow and tells her to go practice the piano for an hour before Gardner and Cornelia arrive for lunch. She adds that she wishes that they wouldn't come in the automobile and she doesn't understand how a fine young lady like Cornelia can abide traveling in such a contraption. Samantha can, as Uncle Gardner took her for a ride once and she found it thrilling and faster and smoother than a carriage. She wonders how Cornelia feels traveling in a motorcar and if she likes it like Samantha or dislikes it like Grandmary.
Samantha goes to the music room and starts to play the scales, but her mind is on Cornelia rather than her practice; this is to be the first time they're meeting, and while Grandmary has told Samantha about her, Samantha is uneasy to meet her and worried that her uncle--who is special to Samantha and understands her in a way almost no one else does--might treat her differently with Cornelia present. She hits a C chord (thinking of it as C for Cornelia) and isn't sure she wants to meet Cornelia at all, thinking that Cornelia should stay in New York City and leave Uncle Gard to Samantha in New Bedford. Elsa, who is dusting, fusses at Samantha's sour playing. Samantha flusteredly plays through her scales and once Elsa leaves, closes the piano and goes to peek if she can still see Nellie; instead she hears noisy pops and rumbles and tires on gravel, and a black roadster pulls into the driveway. Samantha, too excited to be proper, calls out that Uncle Gard has arrived.
Chapter Two: A Gift From Uncle Gard[]
(This integrates scenes from Samantha's Blue Bicycle.)
Samantha does not wait for Hawkins to open the door and does so herself, leaping into Gardner's arms. He pretends to stagger and says she's grown a foot--but then teases her with a frown, saying he hopes she hasn't, as with three feet she wouldn't be able to use her new gift. Samantha thanks him for the gift, and Gardner says that they have it unless they forgot, as it was Cornelia's idea. Hawkins is helping Cornelia out of the automobile, and Samantha sees her for the first time; she is dressed in a long duster and veil to protect herself. Gardner asks if they forgot the gift, and Cornelia says no, and Samantha realizes he's teasing her. Cornelia introduces herself to Samantha and Samantha is exceptionally polite, calling her Miss Pitt; Cornelia says to not be so formal and Samantha can just call her Cornelia. Grandmary joins them, welcoming Cornelia to Mount Bedford and then takes Gardner's cheek kiss, saying that things have been too quiet without his dreadful automobile. Samantha smiles--even Grandmary jokes with Gardner. Gardner says that if the car is noisy, then she'll appreciate Samantha's gift, which is perfectly silent. Samantha is puzzled--even Cloudy makes noise.
Gardner then asks Samantha to guess what her gift is. She guesses a sled, and Cornelia says that is a good guess and she loves sledding and they should go this winter. (Samantha is slightly upset as sledding is something she and Gardner do together.) Gardner says to guess again. Samantha guesses a rowboat, then a canoe. Gardner says it's like a canoe on wheels, then pulls the canvas tarp off to show three bicycles. Grandmary asks what Samantha will do with three, and Gardner says have fun before rolling the blue one forward and that all three bicycles will be stored in Mount Bedford for the three of them to ride when they visit.
This segues into the original short story scenes of Samantha asking to keep the bike, Grandmary's complaint about "bloomer girls" and bicycling being unladylike and Cornelia's counterargument that a lady is a lady no matter her clothes, and Grandmary agreeing to let Samantha have the bicycle. After lunch, the scene of Samantha's first ride in the driveway, trying to ride at the park with Cornelia and Gardner, and the subsequent crash at the park and fall into the lake occurs. (Grandmary is not present at the park in this, and so has no reactions to Samantha's spill; however, Samantha thinks that Grandmary would decide that bikes were too dangerous after hearing about the spill and what she'll say to her.) The bike is not damaged (as in the original story), but Samantha feels humiliated at not being as fast and free on a bike as Cornelia said she was as a girl. Gardner says she'll have time to practice before they come back (as they are walking the bikes home) and Samantha thinks she never wants to get back on the bike again as long as she lives.
After Gardner and Cornelia leave and Samantha has supper with Grandmary, Samantha goes out to the back porch; tomorrow is Sunday, so servants have the afternoon off. She sits down and waits hoping to see Nellie. The daylight fades and Samantha is almost ready to give up when Nellie comes out with a metal bucket to dump ashes into the ash can. Samantha rushes across the lawn, calling softly to Nellie and asks if she has Sunday afternoon off. Nellie says she does starting at one o'clock. Samantha says they should meet and she knows a secret place they won't be seen, pointing out the the lilac hedge and saying that there's a hole in the hedge that connects the yards--a hidden tunnel they won't be spotted, and Samantha will wait there for her. Nellie agrees to meet her then.
Chapter Three: Lydia[]
(This integrates truncated scenes from Samantha Learns a Lesson.)
The next day--Sunday- Samantha is sharing cookies and her doll, Lydia, with Nellie. Nellie discusses her sisters, Bridget and Jenny, who are still back in New York City with their parents.
It keeps the scenes of Nellie crying after her disastrous first day of school in from the chapter "Nellie", as well as scenes from "Mount Better School" from Samantha Learns a Lesson. This also means there are no scenes of Samantha walking all three girls to school or any of Bridget and Jenny attending school, as the plot states that they are not there with Nellie.
Chapter Four: The Speaking Contest[]
(This integrates truncated scenes from Samantha Learns a Lesson.)
This contains Chapter Ten, "The Contest," and Chapter Eleven, "Progress," from Samantha Learns a Lesson.
Chapter Five: A New Thought[]
(This integrates scenes from Samantha's Blue Bicycle.)
This chapter has the scene of Samantha crashing her bike on the driveway trying to ride again. It adds new scenes of Hawkins comforting Samantha in the carriage house, Jessie examining Samantha's torn petticoat, and Samantha talking about Cornelia with Grandmary at dinnertime.
Chapter Six: A Matched Pair[]
(This integrates truncated scenes from Samantha Learns a Lesson.)
This has the scene of Samantha riding her bicycle with the aid of bloomers. It also has Chapter Six of Samantha Learns a Lesson, "Winners."
Chapter Seven: An Act of Kindness[]
(This integrates truncated scenes from Chapter Six of Meet Samantha.)
There are new scenes of Samantha riding her bike comfortably with Uncle Gard and Cornelia, This has the scene of Samantha giving Lydia to Nellie as she is sent away as seen in Meet Samantha in Chapter Six, "A Sense of Value". This also has Samantha discussing giving away Lydia over dinner, and later Gardner saying that Cornelia has agreed to marry him and they will get married that fall (as opposed to the original Christmas proposal and spring wedding, as the Christmas book is removed.).
Chapter Eight: Agnes, Agatha, and Alice[]
(The near entirety of Samantha Saves the Wedding is published across the last three chapters.)
Chapter Nine: Alice's Wedding Dress[]
Chapter Ten: A Most Exceptional Bridesmaid[]
The chapter title is the first title of Samantha Saves the Wedding when the short story was published in American Girl Magazine.)
Inside Samantha's World[]
Items Associated with and Pictured in Samantha: The Gift[]
- Samantha's Meet Outfit and accessories (Classic[3] and Beforever versions[4])
- Play Dress and Pinafore (dress and bow)
- Nellie's Doll
- Buster Brown Dress
- Samantha's Bridesmaid Dress (modified)
Trivia[]
- This is the first (and so far only) abridged volume to include any character's short stories.
- Maxine Rose Schur isn't listed in the byline (since Samantha's Surprise is removed) and is instead replaced by Pleasant Rowland. However, Ms. Rowland--though she created the character of Samantha--did not actually write any of the books in this or any historical character's series.
- Samantha isn't listed in the large group of other Historical Characters in the back of the book.
- Unlike most other characters, there are no added diagrams or maps in the front of Samantha's abridged books. This is also true for Kit's books.
- The first chapter of Samantha: Lost and Found is included at the back.
See Also[]
- Samantha's Story Collection I
- Samantha's Story Collection II
- Samantha's Short Story Collection
- Manners and Mischief: A Samantha Classic Volume 1
- Lost and Found: A Samantha Classic Volume 2
- Samantha: Lost and Found