Mrs Adis is a story written by English writer, Sheila Kaye Smith. The story was originally published in 1929. Sheila Smith’s “Mrs Adis” story centers around a life of a Kind hearted lady and her son.
Mrs Adis Summary By Sheila Smith
Summary of Mrs Adis By Sheila Smith
The story begins with character, Mrs Adis, 42 years old woman who lives in North East Sussex. She is brown in color and has wrinkles on her face. Mrs Adis is a very kind woman. She has a son named Tom. She lives in village with her son, Tom. Her home is surrounded by trees and flowers. One day, it was dark night, stars were shining in sky and there was silence all around.
A man named Peter Crouch was passing near Mrs Adis’s house, when he saw light on in Mrs Adis’s house, he decides to see in house, and at that time Mrs Adis was cooking in kitchen. Peter thinks for a while and then go inside of Mrs Adis’s house. He goes inside her house without asking. Mrs Adis knows Peter so when she saw Peter coming in her house, she gets shocked. She ask him, why you didn’t knock, Peter ? On this, Peter replies that he don’t want any noise. Mrs Adis ask him, what happened, is everything alright ?
Peter’s hands and body were shaking, he tells her that he is in big trouble. Mrs Adis asks him, what have you done ? Peter tells her that he shot a person. Mrs Adis gets shocked, she ask, is he dead or alive ? Peter replied, I don’t know whether he is alive or dead. Mrs Adis ask him, what you want from me, why you are here after shooting him ? Peter tells her that he wants to stay in her home for a while as people are looking for him.
Mrs Adis asks, who people ? He tells her that forest keepers are looking for him. They were four people and I was alone, I had a fight with them and I shot one of them. They are looking for me, so please allow me to stay in your home for a while. Mrs Adis doesn’t say anything as Peter is a friend of her son, Tom.
She allowed him to stay in her home till Tom comes. After Tom will come home then we will decide what to do. Mrs Adis is not liking Peter in their home as he came as a murderer. Afterwards, Mrs Adis takes Peter in store room behind their kitchen. She ask him to stay there as no one would be able to find him there. And if someone come looking for you, I will tell them that I haven’t seen you. Peter praises Mrs Adis and thanks her with all his heart.
Thereafter, she closed her store room’s door. Peter is sitting in store room alone and there is no light in it. There is a small hole in store room through which Peter can see outside. Mrs Adis is cooking food for her son, Tom, who works in nearby farm. An hour has been passed and its time for a Tom to come home but he has not come yet. Peter was able to smell delicious smell of food. He thought that after eating food, he will go from Mrs Adis’ s home. But he fall asleep in store.
Peter immediately wake up when he heard a sound of footsteps. He heard a footsteps of few people. He is trembling and his heart starts beating loudly. He thought that these people are forest keepers and they have find out about him. Peter was talking to himself and thinking how idiot he is to hide in Mrs Adis’s home. As I’m hiding in Mrs Adis’s home, keepers can easily guess that I must be hiding in my friends home. He hides himself in a corner of store.
Thereafter, Mrs Adis came to Peter and tells him that forest keepers came looking for him but now they are gone. And it will be better if you leave my home. She advises Peter to go in Cansiron City from where he can take Train to go anywhere. Peter replied, I have no money to buy ticket. Mrs Adis takes out money from her kitchen and gives 7 shillings to him. Peter thanks to Mrs Adis. She replied, he don’t need to say thanks to her as she is doing it becuase he is Tom’s friend.
I hope you don’t get stuck in any problem now. But you should leave before Tom come. Peter was about to come out from store room but then he heard a sound of footsteps. Mrs Adis replied, it must be Tom. But Peter believes its not Tom, it is be somebody else. She ask him to hide back in store room. Peter goes back to store room and Mrs Adis locked store room from outside.
Peter was looking outside from store room’s hole. He saw that Mrs. Adis going out to open the door. As she opened the door, a man came inside her home. The person who came inside is Vidler, who is a forest keeper. The four keepers who were looking for Peter, Vidler is one of them. As Peter saw Vidler, his body starts trembling and called himself fool. Although, Vidler came to tell something to very important to Mrs Adis but he was not able to tell her. He was standing in silent there.
When Mrs Adis asks him, Vidler tells her that he has a bad news for her. Peter was listening Vidler and Mrs Adis conversation from store room. As Vidler said that he has a bad news for Mrs Adis, she gets nervous as her first thought was about her son, Tom. She right away asks Vidler, what happened to Tom and where is he ? Vidler replied, Tom is outside. She try to go outside to see Tom but Vidler stop her. He said, you can’t go outside now, you can go when I will tell you to go. Mrs Adis pushed Vidler.
Vidler tells Mrs Adis that there is a forest named Cinder wood. There was a person who was trying to steal Rabbit in dark night, Tom was also roaming near, we hear a sound, it was very dark and we couldn’t see that person. We tried to scare him but in return he fired at us which hit Tom.
Few keepers were standing outside of Mrs Adis home and they were waiting for the order of Vidler. As Vidler tells her about the incident, others keepers bring Tom’s body inside and put it on a floor of kitchen.
Mrs Adis asks keepers, is he dead, The keepers shake their head without saying anything. On the other side, when Peter learns that he killed his good friend, Tom with his hands. He felt deep pain in his heart as Tom was his good friend and he killed him by mistake. He thought that he killed Keeper but he doesn’t know that he killed Tom. Peter don’t want to live now, as he believe he has no right to live.
Mrs Adis sits on a chair near to fire. The keepers tells Mrs Adis that they will go in Ironlatch cottage and tells Mrs Gains to come to you to give you company. And whoever done this to Tom, we will not spare him. We have an idea about a person who shot with gun.
Although, we did not see the face of killer but we have his gun. I have full faith that gun is of Peter. When we caught Peter stealing corn few time back, he was fired from his job. Since that day, he has changed.
I have full faith that this is Peter’s gun and he has killed him. But yes, when Peter fired the shot, he would not have known that Tom was in front of him because Tom and Peter were very good friends, so he might have fired the shot by mistake.
Vidler also added that Tom deserved a better friend than Peter. Peter was looking outside from hole that how Mrs Adis is holding herself strong. Vidler tells Mrs Adis that we have few men who are after Peter so we would find him soon. He asks Mrs Adis, have you seen Peter btw ? Mrs Adis replied that he doesn’t came here and I have not seen him sinceTuesday.
Vidler replied, we will bring Mrs Gain here to give you company for sometime. As Keeper goes, Mrs Adis closed the door and comes to store room. Peter is more scared now, how he would face Mrs Adis now. Peter believes its better to die instead of facing Mrs Adis. She goes to store room, opened its door and goes inside her house. She doesn’t go inside of store room. Peter understands what he should do and what Mrs Adis wants him to do.
If Mrs Adis wanted Peter to be hanged, she would have told about him to keepers but she doesn’t did it. Mrs Adis wants Peter to run away from here, Peter does the same thing, he opened the door and runs away from her home.
The question is why Mrs Adis let Peter run away ? It is because Mrs Adis is a very kind woman, she has a big heart and Peter killed Tom by mistake. He didn’t kill him on purpose, he killed him by mistake. So that’s why Mrs Adis forgive Peter and let him run away.
Recommended Reading
A Wrong Man in Worker’s Paradise By Rabindranath Tagore
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