Warning: If you have a visual impairment, use the manuscript transcript version including the Lucy Maud Montgomery’s foot notes and contextual annotation references.

Chapter 26

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platform seats, no longer sat at the same desk and a promising friendship of three years was broken up. Josie Pye and Julia Bell did not “speak” for three months, because Josie Pye had told Bessie Wright that Julia Bell’s bough bow when she got up to recite made her think of a chicken jerking its head (begin subscript)^(end subscript)(begin superscript)and Bessie told Julia(end superscript). None of the Sloanes would have any dealings with the Bells because the Bells had declared that the Sloanes had too much to do in the programme and the Sloanes had retorted that the Bells were not capable of doing the little they had to do properly. Finally, Charlie Sloane fought Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, because Moody Spurgeon had said that Anne Shirley put on airs about her recitations, and Moody Spurgeon was ‘licked’; consequently, Moody Spurgeon’s sister, Ella May,, [sic]



TEXT ANNOTATION

"Moody Spurgeon": Montgomery humorously named this character after two prominent evangelical ministers: Dwight Lyman Moody (1837–1899) and Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892) (Annotated Anne, p. 278).

Various adaptations of Anne have helped the character take on a life of his own. Between his name and generally gangly and goofy characterization, Moody Spurgeon MacPherson has become comic relief in both Anne of Green Gables—The Musical(begin superscript)TM(end superscript) and Anne and Gilbert and has his own merchandise and fan following.