This is a book I read as a child and borrowed from the school library in the early 1990s. I’m fairly certain it was a fictional book, not an autobiography. I think it was called ‘Under the Mulberry Bush’ but could be wrong, as I can’t seem to find any book that matches that. It was about a girl (possibly with a French grandmother?) who goes to live with another family that’s experiencing some financial troubles, and they have a lot of mulberry bushes, which means that they have a lot of silkworms, which eat mulberry leaves. She comes up with the idea of using the silkworms to make money by harvesting the silk they produce and selling it. It’s a very risky proposition, and it takes a lot of exhausting work because she doesn’t know anything about silkworms and harvesting their silk, but she manages to learn all she needs to and get it to work. In the end, she saves the family and falls in love with one of the family’s sons, even though they didn’t get along at first. (and I want to say they have some sort of private joke about crab apples, and in one of the ending scenes, he throws a crab apple at her and she catches it)
Sorry, I don’t have much more than that! As a child I remember it being a sweetly romantic tale that I would love to buy and reread.
Sounds like THEY LOVED TO LAUGH, by Kathryn Worth
Should have added that THEY LOVED TO LAUGH is almost certainly based on the lives of the author’s relatives (or possibly ancestors), Jonathan Worth was born on November 18, 1802 to Dr. David Worth and Eunice Worth (née Gardner). On October 20, 1824, Jonathan Worth married Martitia Daniel.
They Loved To Laugh
by Kathryn Worth
Characters:
Martitia Howland – a young girl who became orphan
Dr. David Gardner – the kind town doctor
Eunice – Dr. Gardner’s wife
Ruth – the daughter
Jonathan, Clarkson, Milton, Barzillai and Addison – Dr. Gardner’s sons
Madame De La Brousse – a silkworm raiser
The Story:
There was a young girl who became orphan at 16 when her parents died because of typhoid fever. The kind Dr. Gardner brings Martitia to his home and introduce to her wife Eunice. She also met their sons Jonathan, Clarkson, Milton, Barzillai and Addison and daughter Ruth. Martitia easily came along with the boys, they make her laugh and forget the sadness she felt for a while. While Ruth does not want her that much because she doesn’t know many things in the house like cooking, sewing, weaving and even how to clean.
But that does not make Martitia lose hope; she is determined to learn. Her parents only teach her to paint and playing the spinet. The Gardner boys always having fun with her until one time she baked for them, they pretend to have stomach ache after eating the bread and when she almost want to cry because of fear they all laugh and tell it’s a joke.
One day, someone writes to her telling to come and live with them, her aunt Margaret who lives in Richmond Virginia. She asked her to leave the doctor and her family but Martitia opt to stay with the Gardners because they are very warm and kind to her. And not later, Ruth became good to her and they used to be good friends.
Time past and they need to go to school away from home. Jonathan studied law while the other boys took their own courses. Martitia spare time at the farm until she met a silkworm raiser Madame De La Brousee, whom delighted to her and giver some worms to start a small silk industry.
Martitia is very firm to grow and earn from her production. And when the time comes that Jonathan needs money to fulfil his career Martitia lend her saved money from silk weaving. Then Jonathan finished his course and became a fulfilled lawyer and not later wins Martitia’s heart.
Solved!! I borrowed this from the local college library, and it WAS the book I was looking for!!! Many thanks to all who contributed and helped me find this book again!!
I have been looking for this book for years! I could not remember the title, but I remembered the silkworms. I’ve ordered it from a library and look forward to re-reading it. Thank you so much!