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Various

"Short-Stories"


The period between 1875 and 1879 was one of improved health and
considerable literary activity. During this time he published _A
Lodging for the Night, Will o' the Mill, The New Arabian Nights_, and
an _Inland Voyage_.
While in southern Europe he met and fell in love with Mrs. Osbourne.
So after she returned to her home in California, Stevenson received
the news that she was seriously ill. He immediately sailed for San
Francisco, travelling as a steerage passenger because of lack of funds
and a desire for literary material. Out of this experience grew a
number of stories and essays. Exposure on the voyage affected his
health and caused a very dangerous illness. After his recovery he
married Mrs. Osbourne and returned to England with his wife and
stepson.
For a few years his work was more or less spasmodic on account of his
bitter struggle with poor health, in 1883 he achieved success by the
publication of _Treasure Island_. _Markheim_ appeared in 1884.
_Kidnapped_ and _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ were published in 1886.
After the death of his father in 1887, Stevenson and his family sailed
to America, where they settled in the Adirondacks for the winter of
1888. Here his health was good and he wrote a number of essays for
_Scribner's Magazine_. In the spring of the same year they started on
a cruise of the south seas. They visited many of the southern islands
and settled at Vailima, Samoa.


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