Yorkshire Stories by Mr Robins

Thanks to National Parks U.K.

Title: Yorkshire Stories 

Author: Mr Robins

Publisher: Not known 

Source book: The Abbey Girls Again by Elsie J Oxenham

Jen Robins’s father is ill and, to take his mind off things, he has written several articles (or possibly short stories) about his beloved Yorkshire. He is planning on putting them together in a book. Sadly for our purposes the proposed book has no title, but the book needs to be typed and that’s an excuse for Jen, a major character in the Abbey Girls series by Elsie J Oxenham, to meet Mary Dorothy Devine, soon to become a sort of second tier character in the series.

Mary Dorothy always wanted to be a writer but her journalist father cruelly trampled on her ambitions and since his death she has been unhappily slaving away in an office full of typists. She is deeply unhappy, never does anything fun, and her relationship with much younger sister Biddy is on the verge of breaking down completely.

But when Mary meets Jen, and subsequently Joy, Rosamund, Maidlin et al, her life changes forever. Mary learns folk dancing, learns to teach folk dancing, becomes Joy’s secretary, learns to cope with Joy letting her down, but much more importantly for us, turns into a successful author of books for girls. In many of the books that follow The Abbey Girls Again we see Mary correcting her galley proofs, working on a new book (a new one every year) and definitely acting like a published author.

We see Lindy and Littlejan and Jansy and Benedicta and Gail reading Mary’s books (even if they think they’re too grown up for school stories) and eagerly looking forward to the next one. Apparently every teenage or young adult reader known to the Abbey Girls has heard of Mary and is excited to meet her. Or even sleep in a bedroom with her books on the shelf.

Which makes it all the more annoying that Elsie Oxenham couldn’t be bothered to give a title to any of Mary’s books. Oh Elsie, you slacker!

Of course she doesn’t tell us what Jen's dad plans to call his book, or give much information about Rachel Ellerton’s books for girls either. Rachel is a latecomer to the Abbey and takes on the role of abbot (tour guide) when not writing.

Sorry Jen’s dad. I used your writing as an excuse to write about Mary Dorothy Devine. 

Thanks to Country Living Magazine