Walking with the Ancestors - Hesba Stretton

The Lucky Leg

‘Hesba Stretton’s’ break arrived courtesy of no less a luminary figure than Charles Dickens, who published her short story The Lucky Leg during 1859 in the journal Household Words, which he then edited. The inspiration for the tale was provided by an anecdotal story told to Benjamin Smith and related to the authoress by her elder sister Elizabeth, which she then worked up into a story for their own amusement. Unbeknown to Hesba, Elizabeth sent the piece to Dickens who forwarded a £5 fee and requested more stories of a similar nature. A strong friendship eventually blossomed between the two writers and Miss Stretton quickly became a regular contributor to several popular magazines and periodicals. However, she was forced to wait a little longer for genuine literary fame as an author.