The Nice People by H. C. Bunner — A Charming Couple Whose Stories Don’t Quite Match

The Nice People by H. C. Bunner — A Charming Couple Whose Stories Don’t Quite Match

From LitReading - Classic Short Stories and Timeless Tales by Short Storyverses

July 21, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

The episode explores the themes of gossip and appearances through the story 'The Nice People' by H.C. Brunner.

Atop Orange Mountain, in Mr. Jacobus's summer boarding house, a bored married couple finds relief from their tiresome fellow guests in the arrival of the Bredes — a graceful, good-looking young pair who seem, in every visible way, to be "nice people." But their charming small talk keeps springing leaks. Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855–1896) was a poet, novelist, and the longtime editor of the humor magazine *Puck*, celebrated for polished short stories that find real feeling inside social comedy. "The Nice People" is one of his warmest — a story about gossip, appearances, and the whole hidden other side of people that we never see from the heights of our own self-esteem.  If you enjoyed this story, buy me an e-book! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/donmcdonald or click FOLLOW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Short Storyverses

Topics covered

  • gossip
  • appearances
  • social comedy
  • relationships
  • human nature

Keywords

  • classic short story
  • H.C. Brunner
  • gossip
  • social comedy
  • relationships
  • human nature

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Apple Podcasts, Puck, shortstoryverses.com

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