Dodge, Mary Abigail

Mary Abigail (1838-1896), an American writer, better known by her pen name of "Gail Hamilton." She was born at Hamilton, Massachusetts. For some years she taught in the high school at Hartford, Connecticut. She was one of the editors of Our Young Folks from 1865-67. Besides numerous contributions to current literature, Gail Hamilton was the author of Gala Days, Twelve Miles from a Lemon, Biography of James G. Blaine, Country Living and Country Thinking, and several other books. She was a widely known and much respected writer of current literature. Her style was vigorous, clear, and pleasing. She had a keen sense of humor, and took a deep interest in affairs which concerned the welfare of the country. She was well known among literary people. The story goes that in war times she sent Whittier a pair of slippers in facetious allusion to the well known fact that Whittier's sympathies with the North in the struggle were somewhat at variance with his Quaker principles. Each slipper was embroidered with a bristling war eagle with thunder-bolts clutched in his claws, but the colors were sober, Quaker gray. Gail Hamilton's writings are little read at the present time.