The Torch Bearer

"The Torch Bearer" by Reina Melcher Marquis is a story set in early 20th-century Kentucky, focusing on Peter Burnett, a schoolteacher, and Sheila, an unusual orphan girl he instructs at a girls' school managed by Mrs. Caldwell. The story looks at ideas about getting older, guidance, and wanting to be an artist inside the complicated Southern culture of Shadyville. We meet Peter Burnett as he loves a free weekend from his job, which shows us he is smart but doesn't really care about what people think. While walking in town, Peter meets Mrs. Caldwell, who talks to him about Sheila, her favorite granddaughter. They talk about Sheila's great mind and creative personality, like that of a young poet, which Mrs. Caldwell worries might separate her from others. The story shows how Peter will help Sheila, hinting at his problems and wishes for a more interesting life, which starts the relationships and fights that will happen in the book.