📖 The Olive-Branch
Author: A. L. O. E. (Charlotte Maria Tucker)
From: The Olive-Branch and Other Stories, 1874
known as “A Lady of England” she wrote gentle Victorian tales filled with hope, kindness, and imagination. Her stories remind us that even the smallest acts of love can brighten the world, one page at a time.
Rosina is a tender-hearted little girl riding with her father, Carlo, through the countryside when she asks to visit her Aunt Barbara — even though Barbara has quarreled with Rosina’s gentle mother, Bice. The grown-ups’ disagreement has created silence and pride between the two sisters, but Rosina’s innocent heart feels only love. With a child’s courage, she carries her mother’s message of peace — a “kiss of love” sent in forgiveness.
Though nervous, Rosina bravely delivers the kiss to her stern aunt, who at first tries to hold onto her bitterness. Yet the warmth of that small gesture melts her pride; her eyes fill with tears, and she sends Rosina home with an olive branch, the ancient sign of reconciliation. When Bice receives it, she forgives at once, and the families reunite in love.
Later, Rosina plants the little branch, which grows into “the Peacemaker’s Tree” — a living reminder that love softens hearts where anger once lived, and that even a small act of kindness can bring peace where pride once stood.
