4 h 53 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 53 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A film hangs in the balance, and the scattered islands of the St. Lawrence hold a mystery for Ruth Fielding.
Ruth Fielding is a resourceful young woman with a stake in the motion picture business. In Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence by Alice B. Emerson, her work takes her to the Thousand Islands. Something threatens the completion of a film, and Ruth faces a puzzle with more than curiosity at stake.
The upper St. Lawrence River gives this adventure its setting: rocky shores, old stone houses and islands scattered between the United States and Canada. Ruth meets trouble with courage and good sense. The story pairs a race to save the picture with loyal friendship, fair play and clean, old-fashioned suspense.
What you’ll discover
- A heroine with resolve Follow a capable young woman who brings courage and practical sense to trouble.
- Islands full of atmosphere Explore a river landscape of scattered islands, rocky shores and old stone houses.
- A picture at risk Enter a mystery where Ruth's work matters and a film's completion is under threat.
- Friendship and fair play Find an adventure grounded in loyalty, honesty and generosity rather than shades of moral doubt.
- Old-fashioned suspense Enjoy quick chapters that keep the puzzle and the race to save the picture close.
Who will love it
Readers who love lively girls' adventures with a central mystery will enjoy this novel. It also suits those curious about how silent films were made, and anyone drawn to summer stories of islands and rivers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A wedding where the ceiling gives way
- Bilby arrives at the Red Mill
- A scarecrow, a slipper and a chase
- The King of the Pipes appears
- Smoke, mist and a signal in the night
- A summons, a yellow lady and a marooning
- Work, money and who gets to decide
- Jealousy, friendship and a clue underground
Who’s who
- Ruth FieldingA young screenwriter from the Red Mill who is determined to finish her picture and protect her star from a scheming rival.
- Tom CameronA former army captain and Ruth's devoted friend, who drifts through social life and grows jealous of a rival.
- Helen CameronTom's twin sister, a bold, funny girl who loves adventure and snubs Chess Copley for reasons she keeps to herself.
- Chessleigh CopleyNicknamed Lasses, a hard-working young real estate man who admires Ruth and is eager to prove himself.
- WonotaAn Osage girl and rising screen actress who wants to learn the white world's ways and play the roles Ruth writes.
- TotantoraWonota's father, an Osage chief and former prisoner in Germany, who guards his daughter fiercely.
- Horatio BilbyA fat little film producer who will try almost anything to take Wonota away from Mr. Hammond's company.
- The King of the PipesA ragged old man living on a lonely island who believes he rules over a secret kingdom.
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- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
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- Hardcover
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Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence
by Alice B. Emerson · 1922
Ruth Fielding travels to the Thousand Islands to film a pageant, and finds a strange old man on a lonely island.
Easy read2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
A wedding breakfast is in full swing on Madison Avenue when a lump of plaster drops onto Tom Cameron's plate. The ceiling is tearing loose, and the worst of it hangs over the chair where Ruth Fielding sits.
Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 40 min2 h 5 min fast, 3 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 38,100 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1922by Alice B. Emerson
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A wedding where the ceiling gives way
The story opens in a New York church, packed for the marriage of Jennie Stone to Major Henri Marchand, a French officer who has come to fetch his bride. Ruth Fielding is maid of honor, and Tom Cameron, an American captain, is best man. Jennie smiles at her friends and beams at her husband all the way down the aisle.
At the breakfast, Tom sees where the seating plan has put him. He sits across the table from Ruth, and beside her sits Chessleigh Copley, a fair-haired former sergeant everyone calls Lasses. Chess talks to Ruth, and she talks back with great interest. Tom's brows draw together.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Emerson, Alice B. Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/ruth-fielding-on-the-st-lawrence.
Emerson, A. B. (2026). Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ruth-fielding-on-the-st-lawrence (Original work published 1922)
Emerson, Alice B. Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ruth-fielding-on-the-st-lawrence.
@book{emerson2026ruth,
author = {Emerson, Alice B.},
title = {Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ruth-fielding-on-the-st-lawrence},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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What is Ruth Fielding on the St. Lawrence about?
Ruth Fielding, a young film writer, travels to the Thousand Islands to shoot a historical pageant with her Osage star Wonota. A rival producer tries to take Wonota away, and a strange old man on an island draws Ruth into a mystery.
Who is the King of the Pipes?
He is a ragged, gentle old man whom Ruth meets on a lonely island. He believes he rules a secret kingdom and warns her to leave. The boatman Willie knows him locally as Charley-Horse Pond, a harmless local oddity.
Do I need to read the earlier Ruth Fielding books first?
No. The narrator briefly reminds you of Ruth's past, including the Red Mill, her friends from Briarwood Hall and her earlier film Brighteyes, so the story stands on its own and is easy to enter.
The author
Alice B. Emerson
Collective pseudonym for children's writers
Alice B. Emerson is the name on the Ruth Fielding series, a long run of books for girls published in the early twentieth century. Such series were often written by hired authors under one shared pen name. The books follow one heroine through school, war work, film making and travel, and mix adventure with friendship and a working woman's ambitions.
More by Alice B. Emerson
See all their booksMore like this
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