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Bayou Folk

by Kate Chopin (1850–1904)

  • Free to read
  • 4 hours to read
  • 13 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Bayou Folk" by Kate Chopin is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The work offers readers a glimpse into the lives of Creole characters in Louisiana, exploring themes of love, identity, and the unique culture of the bayou region. The stories are interwoven with rich descriptions of the southern landscape and the complexities of local relationships. At the start of the collection, the narrative introduces two young men, Wallace Offdean and Fitch, discussing financial opportunities, which sets the stage for Offdean's journey to inspect a piece of land formerly owned by the Santien family. Offdean's character is depicted as one seeking purpose and grounding in life. The narrative then transitions to the Santien plantation, reflecting on its past grandeur and current disrepair, as well as the familial bonds and tensions among characters like Placide Santien and his fiancé Euphrasie. These interactions not only establish character dynamics but also hint at the broader societal changes experienced in the post-Civil War South, setting a rich and engaging scene for the stories that follow.

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  • Short stories, American
  • Louisiana · Social life and customs

Read the opening

Chapter I

One agreeable afternoon in late autumn two young men stood together on Canal Street, closing a conversation that had evidently begun within the club-house which they had just quitted.

"There's big money in it, Offdean," said the elder of the two. "I would n't have you touch it if there was n't. Why, they tell me Patchly 's pulled a hundred thousand out of the concern a'ready."

"That may be," replied Offdean, who had been politely attentive to the words addressed to him, but whose face bore a look indicating that he was closed to conviction. He leaned back upon the clumsy stick which he carried, and continued: "It's all true, I dare say, Fitch; but a decision of that sort would mean more to me than you'd believe if I were to tell you. The beggarly twenty-five thousand's all I have, and I want to sleep with it under my pillow a couple of months at least before I drop it into a slot."

"You 'll drop it into Harding & Offdean's mill to grind out the pitiful two and a half per cent commission racket; that 's what you 'll do in the end, old fellow—see if you don't."

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Contents

  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter I
  11. Chapter II
  12. Chapter III
  13. Chapter IV

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About this edition

This free edition of Bayou Folk by Kate Chopin comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #46650, released 2014-08-22. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Short Stories, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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