‘A Consent’ by Wendell Berry

A Consent by Wendell Berry, 1994

The magic trick:

Sweetness

We should all aspire to bring half as much sweetness into the world as is contained in this short story.

I suppose you could complain it’s a bit saccharine, but don’t do that. Just sit back and enjoy a story that doesn’t need darkness or evil to drive its conflict; a story that isn’t afraid of leaning all the way into the happy ending.

And that’s quite a trick on Berry’s part.

The selection:

But Tol’s difficulty and his discomfort had not altogether failed of a compassionate witness. His unexpected presence had not failed to cause a small flutter in the bosom of Miss Minnie and a small change in the color of her face. As soon as she decently could, Miss Minnie excused herself from the circle of women with whom she had been talking. She took the bell from her desk and went to the door and rang it.

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