New Opportunities Are Second Chances: L.M. Montgomery’s Short Story ‘Miss Calista’s Peppermint Bottle’

Unsubstantiated stereotypes take a hit in this 19th-century short story by the author of “Anne of Green Gables.”

Miss Calista gets more than she bargains for when she uses a bottle of peppermint extract in a pinch, in "Miss Calista's Peppermint Bottle." Halil ibrahim mescioglu/Shutterstock

Almost everyone, at some point in their life, wishes that they could redo a moment. Yet L.M. Montgomery shows in her short story “Miss Calista’s Peppermint Bottle“ that some people are never given a first chance. She goes even further to show that sometimes a person’s second chance means giving them an opportunity to prove themselves.

The Farm

Miss Calista is an old maid who lives alone on her farm. For a while, her nephew, Caleb Cramp, lived with her and helped her around the farm. Unfortunately, Caleb decided to leave for the Klondike to make his mark, leaving Miss Calista with little help. 

With so many jobs to complete, Miss Calista tries to find another farmhand. Drunken Jake Stinson applies, but Miss Calista turns him away. Ches Maybin arrives and, though she doesn’t have “any particular prejudice against Ches Maybin, or [know] anything positively to his discredit,” Miss Calista refuses to take him on. Unconsciously, she follows the town’s example of shunning Ches. Everyone blames the 18-year-old when something mischievous happens. After all, his father had been “a shiftless and tricky rascal.”