Maud moved out to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in the summer of 1890. It was then that she attended school and made lots of new friends. But there was one person whose acquaintance she would rather not have made - her teacher, John Mustard.
At this time, the brother of one of Maud good friends, Will Pritchard, was showing Maud some attention. And Mustard did not like this at all. Maud wrote in her journal, “Mr. Mustard was furious with me to-day because he caught me exchanging notes with Will. What does make him act so?” And later, she wrote, “If Will P. and I ventured to say a word to each other he pounced on us, though everyone else seemed at liberty to talk as they pleased.”
Soon after, Mr. Mustard started calling at Maud’s home – much to her vexation, as she believed she was showing him no encouragement whatsoever. They would sit and have deep discussions. “…we got up to our ears in theology and began to debate the doctrine of predestination. I denied it; Mustard upheld it.” (For those who don’t know, Maud’s future husband firmly believed in predestination – the idea that everything that happens, including your fate, is entirely decided by God).
Maud could not stand Mustard’s visits, especially when they appeared serious in nature and they became the source of gossip. Even her own family teased her about it. She writes, “Even father can’t ask me to pass the mustard at the table without a grin! It simply makes me furious!”
Finally, things came to a head in the summer of 1891 when Mustard, who had plans on becoming a minister in Toronto, point blankly asked Maud if their friendship could ever turn into anything more. The long and short of her response was, “I don’t see what else it could develop into, Mr. Mustard.”
Later, Maud reflected, “Oh, dear, it was really dreadful. And there were actually tears in his eyes. But I didn’t cry or feel like crying. He has brought it all on himself, for any sane man night have taken the hint that I had no use for him long ago. I just wanted to laugh…I am devoutly thankful that the dreaded ordeal is over.”
Many years later, when Maud recorded all of her beaux for her future grandchildren in 1917, she reflected on Mustard:
“I never could understand why John Mustard endured it. I was a pretty girl, but I was never such a distracting beauty that a man would be involved in such an infatuation because of my face; and in no other way did I try to attract him. Yet he kept up the crazy pursuit until he had to be flatly refused. There have never been any pleasant memories in connection with this one of my lovers. I have always felt queerly ashamed of the whole incident…”
For many more details about the life of Montgomery, take a look at The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Vol. I: 1889-1910 and Vol II: 1910-1921 and The Lucy Maud Montgomery Album.
Picture: Rev. John A. Mustard, from The Lucy Maud Montgomery Album
