Sinbad

"Sinbad" by C. Kay-Scott is a novel written in the early 20th century. It is a psychological romance set in postwar New York’s bohemia, tracing a volatile triangle among Lester Drane, a once‑renowned scientist turned would‑be novelist, Emily Tyler, a gifted painter, and Howard Story, a magnetic etcher. Through their Village circle it probes desire, jealousy, artistic ambition, and the friction between idealism and the body. The opening of the novel follows Emily and Lester through foggy New York into a convivial dinner with their bohemian friends, where Howard arrives and swiftly fascinates Emily. Parties, sharp art talk, and intimate visits heighten the pull between Emily and Howard while Lester’s past sacrifices and present insecurity surface, revealing a man who left a brilliant scientific career to write and love. Tension grows—tearful scenes, a failed attempt at calm, and a raw park confrontation—just as Lester is sent to Chicago, where Emily spends a night with Howard and writes that she is leaving for Europe; Lester answers with a pained, lucid letter. At the start of the next section, they return to New York, and their uneasy life among Village cafés and salons shows the affair already souring amid brittle talk and frayed loyalties.

Sinbad, by C. Kay-Scott. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #77919.