Munsey's Magazine, March 1927

Helen the Hermit, a complete novel by Gertrude Pahlow, follows Helen Hope, a wealthy young orphan who abandons New York society for solitude in a mountain cabin. Overwhelmed by constant social invitations and marriage proposals, Helen responds to a newspaper advertisement and leases a remote woodside cabin from the Rev. Jarvis Agnew, a retired minister. Upon arrival, Helen explores the natural surroundings and attempts to cross a ravine to climb a mountain trail. While negotiating dangerous stepping-stones over a foaming stream, she freezes in fear and is rescued by a contemptuous young man in forest clothing. The narrative establishes Helen's retreat from urban life as interrupted by unexpected human contact, suggesting her hermitage will not remain uncompromised.