По следам детективов: увлекательные истории для изучения английского языка - Анжелика Ягудена

Mary was a real fighter. The legendary writer had to overcome a lot of hardships that fate had in stock for her. As I see it, nothing could break her spirit. Mary always kept her head high and worthily confronted all life’s challenges. Who knows, maybe financial difficulties in the family built the character of this strong woman. In my opinion, Mary always depended only on herself. When the girl was just fifteen, she published her first stories in the newspaper and got a dollar for each story. That’s how her writing career began. However, it would be years before Mary Roberts Rinehart devoted her life entirely to writing.

At the age of seventeen, she enrolled at the Pittsburgh Training School for Nurses. There she met her future husband, a homeopathic doctor Stanley Marshall Rinehart. After graduation, they got married. The couple had three sons: Stanley Jr., Alan, and Frederick. According to some sources, they also had a daughter, Elizabeth Glory Roberts. However, we can’t affirm this unconditionally because nothing is known about Elizabeth except her name. Mary and her husband were happily married, and the writer liked the role of а homemaker. From time to time, Rinehart wrote articles and short stories for magazines, but she did it for her own pleasure, not for a living. But it wasn’t always this way. After the stock market crash in 1903, Mary and her husband lost their savings. To support him and to contribute to the family budget, this strong woman decided to do something she was good at – to make up stories. This decision would change her life forever.

In 1908, Mary Roberts Rinehart published her first mystery novel The Circular Staircase, which was an overnight success and made her famous. The next year, fortune smiled on her again – the legendary writer published another book called The Man in Lower Ten, which also became an international bestseller. Apart from writing articles, shorts stories, and novels, she also tried her hand at writing plays, and some of them even became Broadway hits. During World War I, the great writer worked as a war correspondent and interviewed many prominent historic figures, such as Winston Churchill and Mary of Teck. Rinehart was a prolific writer, and her family had everything they wanted: a giant apartment in Washington, a house in Wyoming, and even servants.

The only thing she couldn’t handle was manage her own finances properly. According to certain sources, Mary lost a considerable amount of money due to some unwise investments. In my view, human life is cyclical, but the ups and downs should not stop you from chasing your goals and dreams. Loss is an inevitable part of any business. As the saying goes: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Or, like the old Russian saying goes: “He who doesn’t take risks, never drinks champagne.” I believe that losing money is not a big deal though some people take it very seriously. The most important thing is not to lose heart. It appears that Mary’s husband, Stanley, was really concerned about financial losses. According to some resources, he would often blame himself for all the misfortunes. And this could not but affect his health. In 1932, Dr. Rinehart died with family by his side.

Mary continued to live in their house in Washington alone but then moved to New York City. Over time, her children grew up, and each of them built a successful career. Her two sons Stanley and Frederick devoted themselves to publishing, and Alan became a writer, film producer, and playwright. Meanwhile, the legendary writer started having health problems. She suffered a heart attack and could not climb stairs as before. The strong woman also suffered from cancer and underwent а major surgery, but she never gave up. On the contrary, Mary published an interview where she encouraged women to have regular medical check-ups to prevent cancer. As I said, she was a real fighter. Her will power, optimism, and life energy are enviable. Despite her health issues and grief for her late husband, the writer remained strong and cheerful. As is known, everyone reacts differently in complicated situations in life. Mary Roberts Rinehart found her own way out of loneliness: she purchased a luxury hilltop mansion with guesthouses. This is where the great writer was nearly murdered…

One morning of 1947, Mary Roberts Rinehart was speaking to a new butler in her library when suddenly her Filipino cook Blas Reyes appeared at the doorway. He took a gun out of his pocket and pulled the trigger. Luckily, the gun misfired. However, that didn’t stop the angry man, and he tried again. By some miracle, Mary managed to escape. Doesn’t it sound like a chilly thriller? But this is a real-life story that happened to the legendary writer. The poor woman didn’t even remember how she ended up in the kitchen; she was breathless and scared to death. Happily, there was her chauffeur Ted, who came to Mary’s aid. He managed to beat back the attacker and grabbed the gun. Peggy, the writer’s maid, was so shocked by what happened that she refused to believe the reality. When Peggy finally came to her senses, she ran to get the first-aid kit – Rinehart had a heart condition. Meanwhile, Mary herself hurried to call the police. Then suddenly, Reyes appeared, holding a long knife in each hand. Here again, her faithful helpers saved Mary’s life. Ted and her gardener knocked the cook down; his hands were twisted and held tight so that he couldn’t free himself. Finally, the police arrived, and the nightmare was over.

What was running through the mad man’s mind when he decided to commit the crime? Why did he become so angry? What could this elderly woman have done – at that time the writer was 71? Just imagine: Reyes had been working for the Rinehart for 25 years and was highly praised for his cooking talents. There, he met his wife, Peggy. So, what could have happened? It turned out that Reyes was not happy about a new butler that Mary had hired. What’s more, he didn’t like taking orders from the woman. Reyes thought that Dr. Rinehart was his employer, not his wife. He had made a number of attempts to quit his hateful job, but something stopped him every time. So, on that fateful day, Reyes told Mary he was leaving, but she didn’t take him seriously. Then he had a fight with his wife Peggy, who refused to leave with him. So, Reyes decided to drown his sorrows in wine, and what happened next, you already know. When Reyes was interrogated by police, he was unable to tell about his motives. The only explanation I can give is that this man could not have been in his right mind.

Mary Roberts Rinehart died in her sleep on September 22, 1958. She will always be remembered as one of the greatest writers of all time.

Among her most famous works are The Circular Staircase, The Wall, The Lipstick, The Door, and many others.

Vocabulary

principal character [ˈprɪnsəpl ˈkærəktə] – главный герой

shoot [ʃuːt] – выстрелить, застрелить

stab [stæb] – ударить ножом

lay traps [leɪ træps] – расставлять ловушки

fall into a trap [fɔːl ˈɪntuː ə træp] – попасть в ловушку

fake [feɪk] – имитировать, притворяться, фальсифицировать

attempted murder [əˈtemptɪd ˈmɜːdə] – покушение на убийство, попытка убийства

maiden name [meɪdn neɪm] – девичья фамилия

live modestly [lɪv ˈmɑːdɪstlɪ] – жить скромно

huddle [hʌdl] – ютиться, толпиться

choose a creative path [ʧuːz ə krɪˈeɪtɪv pɑːθ] – выбрать творческий путь

enroll [ɪnˈrəʊl] – поступить, зачислить

homemaker [ˈhəʊmˌmeɪkə] – хранительница домашнего очага

stock market crash [stɒk ˈmɑːkɪt kræʃ] – обвал на фондовом рынке, биржевый крах

overnight success [əʊvəˈnaɪt səkˈses] – неожиданный,