September 24, 2025 • 11 mins
Praised by io9 as the first lesbian science fiction novel, *An Anglo-American Alliance* is a whimsical exploration of love, transformation, and geopolitics set in the imaginative year of 1960. In this world, the Anglo-American Alliance reigns as a global government, heralding a new era of technological and social progress. Yet, even in this seemingly utopian time, the love that dare not speak its name remains taboo. The narrative centers on the secret romance blossoming between two women, Margaret MacDonald and Aurora Cunningham, at a ladies seminary in Cornwall. As they navigate their hidden desires, they also learn to harness the powers of science and technology to turn their dreams into reality. Please note While the novel offers progressive insights on sexuality and gender identity, it also reflects the prejudices of its era, containing instances of ethnocentrism, antisemitism, and casual racism that may be uncomfortable for some listeners. - Summary by ChuckW
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter five of An Anglo American Alliance. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Chuck Williamson, An Anglo American Alliance. A serio
(00:24):
comic romance and Forecast of the Future by Gregory Kasparian.
Chapter five, The Fistic Duel. The evening following the Moonlight Fete,
a little after sunset, when the western sky, stained with
a luminous golden hue, had spread on verdant hills and
(00:48):
valleys its radiance of languorous serenity. Two motorcyclists were speeding
along on a secluded path that led into the main
highway from the Diana Seminary to the West Point Military Academy.
The one in advance was wheeling in a leisurely way,
while the one behind exerted greater speed, as if in
(01:11):
pursuit of the other. He was gaining rapidly, so that
in a very few minutes the foremost was overtaken. As
they both reached a wooden bridge spanning a small body
of water, both came suddenly to a stop and dismounted.
They were Professor c. L. O. Allanson and Carlos Stoneseville.
(01:35):
Don Seville, stung by the rebuke which the Professor had
administered to him the night previous at the seminary, had
decided to take the cowardly course of waylaying the instructor
in this lonely path, in order to avenge himself for
the righteous verbal punishment the latter had given him. Carlos
Stoneseville was a degenerate scion of a once noble Spanish
(01:59):
family who had settled in the United States, and, like
many such offspring, was engaged in sowing his wild oats.
Financially dependent on a small income, he was always at
his WIT's end in order to secure money with which
to continue his reckless profligacy. Being inherently foolish and improvident,
(02:25):
he always had the illusion that some day something would
turn up, and encouraged by this belief, he had recourse
to gambling and speculation. As soon as he received his
dwindled allowance, he made himself a willing prey of card
sharps and get rich quick brigands. Lately, however, he had
(02:48):
conceived the idea of marrying an heiress, and for that
purpose he was hovering around Diana Seminary, annoying the young
ladies by his unsalted attentions or by brazen audacity, intruding
unceremoniously upon their receptions. His snobbish mendacity reached its climax when,
(03:12):
at the night of the Moonlight Soiree, he accosted Aroar
and Margaret at the intermission of the dance, while they
were sauntering arm in arm along the Partei to a
trysting nook. Notwithstanding Margaret's bold declaration of the previous day
that she wanted to give Juski a peace of her mind,
(03:34):
the feminine temerity and reserve had taken possession of her.
The minute they saw him advance, they took to their
heels and scampered back with appealing gestures toward Professor Allanson, who,
divining at once the situation, came gallantly to their rescue,
giving Donzeville a scathing reprimand and commanding him to depart
(03:58):
unless he desired, announced the Professor to be skinned alive
by the war dogs of the military Academy. Don Seville,
frightened and abashed, beat an inglorious retreat and disappeared. Professor c.
Llo Allanson, better known at the Military Academy as the
(04:18):
Old Guard, was a venerable man past seventy. He had
a highly intelligent countenance, and his silvery white hair and
patriarchal beard gave him a noble dignity which commanded respect.
His strenuous, virility and inexcusable energy was ever a lesson
(04:38):
in a rebuke to the many indolent youths who came
in contact with him. He was a philosopher of the
first rank and an intense lover of nature, imbued with
a deeper knowledge of the subtle workings of natural phenomena.
He could not draw a line, he would say, between
the manifestations of human, animal, and vegetable kingdoms. How damned
(05:05):
cur I demand no apology, but satisfaction, snarled don Seville abruptly,
his face livid with anger. For a second, the professor
was taken aback. But in that very second, through his
initiative and resourceful mind, flashed the fact that he was cornered.
(05:27):
He was not a man easily frightened, for as a
major of volunteers during the Panama and Columbian trouble, and
while in his teens he had led on his handful
of men up the hills against the ramparts of the enemy.
But a problem which required instantaneous solution was now presented
(05:48):
to him by Carlos don Seville. It was a problem
which neither diplomacy, moral persuasion, nor flight of oratory could solve.
He realized that in that very second that the only
way out of this difficulty was to take the coward
at his word. It was to be a fistic encounter
(06:11):
to the finish apology. I have none to offer you, sir,
and am ready to give you such satisfaction as you desire,
replied the old man with a dignified firmness. A remarkable
change had taken place in the person of c. L. O. Allanson,
(06:32):
that venerable and spiritual individual, who had transformed in a
twinkling of an eye into a grim and determined looking animal,
And like an expert gladiator of the fistic arena, he
took the attitude of self defense. The ring constituted the
platform of the wooden bridge, the side rail of which
(06:56):
served as the partial ropes. There were no seconds to
goad their favorites into action. No referee to decide the
doubtful or unlawful blows, no gong to mark the rounds,
nor timekeeper to count the defeated out of action in
the languorous glow of the twilight, their shadows reflected in
(07:19):
black silouettes on the placid waters below, were the only
silent witnesses of this remarkable encounter. The contest was constant and,
in the vernacular of pugilism, superbly, game, fast, and furious.
After the acceptance of the challenge, there was no parley
(07:42):
between them, but by a sudden rush landed a hammering
blow on the Professor's skull, which the latter parried with
his left with dexterous agility, and thus saved a crisis,
for if left unchecked, the blow would have reached his
solar plexus. In rapid succession. The fight continued, Doneseville taking
(08:08):
the aggressive and the Professor acting more in self defense. However,
as often as opportunity presented, the latter put in a
few well aimed jabs here and there on the vital
points of Doneseville's anatomy. At the same time, it was
apparent that Doneseville was getting the best of the contest.
(08:30):
The veneral professor, unused to long continued strain of the kind,
began to experience difficulty in breathing, and this did not
escape Donzeville's observation. Shortly, however, a remarkable change was visible.
The professor seemed to grow stronger with each onslaught he made.
(08:53):
He had gained his so called second wind, thereby recouping
his adroitness and elasticity with the consummate skill of a
scientific boxer. Several times he feigned signs of weakness by
giving false openings, of which his infuriated antagonists attempted to
avail himself, thinking the professor to be on the verge
(09:16):
of collapse, only to receive in return several well directed
right and left swings on the jaw. These staggered Dondeville
to his knees, but he was allowed to rise to
his feet by the generous tolerance of the professor, and
the consciousness of this humility caused him to wage the
(09:37):
attack with reckless fury, with vulgar oaths. He began to
resort to foul tactics, trying to hit the defender beyond
the limits of decent pugilism. Don Seville's endurance had now
come to its end. His youth, dissipated by debauchery, was
(09:59):
undermined its stability, and in spite of the wide disparity
of ages, the old man had Doneseville absolutely in his power.
It was time, he thought, to terminate these proceedings so
distasteful and undignified to him. But the only way he
(10:19):
saw was to lay aside the tactics of self defense
and adopt those of a punitive retaliation. With keen alertness,
he watched for an opportunity, and when don Seville, almost
crazed with anger, rushed on him for a clinch, entirely
oblivious of the intention of the professor, the latter gave
(10:43):
a sudden shift to his position by swinging his body
away from his antagonist. Doneseville blindly followed him in his
determination of a desperate onslaught. It was then that the
venerable Allanson shot out a driving uppercut to the jaw.
This was the finale. Donzeville staggered to the rails, and
(11:07):
toppling over, fell with a splash into the limpid waters below.
The professor promptly jumped down the embankment and pulled out
his still unconscious adversary. If abandoned in that condition, the
young man might have drowned in the shallow waters. The
(11:28):
professor began to do all in his power to restore
him to consciousness. Just at that time a farm hand
on horseback appeared on the scene, and by his aid,
the Academy ambulance was summoned and Doneseville was taken to
the military hospital. End of chapter five
Chapter five of An Anglo American Alliance. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Chuck Williamson, An Anglo American Alliance. A serio
(00:24):
comic romance and Forecast of the Future by Gregory Kasparian.
Chapter five, The Fistic Duel. The evening following the Moonlight Fete,
a little after sunset, when the western sky, stained with
a luminous golden hue, had spread on verdant hills and
(00:48):
valleys its radiance of languorous serenity. Two motorcyclists were speeding
along on a secluded path that led into the main
highway from the Diana Seminary to the West Point Military Academy.
The one in advance was wheeling in a leisurely way,
while the one behind exerted greater speed, as if in
(01:11):
pursuit of the other. He was gaining rapidly, so that
in a very few minutes the foremost was overtaken. As
they both reached a wooden bridge spanning a small body
of water, both came suddenly to a stop and dismounted.
They were Professor c. L. O. Allanson and Carlos Stoneseville.
(01:35):
Don Seville, stung by the rebuke which the Professor had
administered to him the night previous at the seminary, had
decided to take the cowardly course of waylaying the instructor
in this lonely path, in order to avenge himself for
the righteous verbal punishment the latter had given him. Carlos
Stoneseville was a degenerate scion of a once noble Spanish
(01:59):
family who had settled in the United States, and, like
many such offspring, was engaged in sowing his wild oats.
Financially dependent on a small income, he was always at
his WIT's end in order to secure money with which
to continue his reckless profligacy. Being inherently foolish and improvident,
(02:25):
he always had the illusion that some day something would
turn up, and encouraged by this belief, he had recourse
to gambling and speculation. As soon as he received his
dwindled allowance, he made himself a willing prey of card
sharps and get rich quick brigands. Lately, however, he had
(02:48):
conceived the idea of marrying an heiress, and for that
purpose he was hovering around Diana Seminary, annoying the young
ladies by his unsalted attentions or by brazen audacity, intruding
unceremoniously upon their receptions. His snobbish mendacity reached its climax when,
(03:12):
at the night of the Moonlight Soiree, he accosted Aroar
and Margaret at the intermission of the dance, while they
were sauntering arm in arm along the Partei to a
trysting nook. Notwithstanding Margaret's bold declaration of the previous day
that she wanted to give Juski a peace of her mind,
(03:34):
the feminine temerity and reserve had taken possession of her.
The minute they saw him advance, they took to their
heels and scampered back with appealing gestures toward Professor Allanson, who,
divining at once the situation, came gallantly to their rescue,
giving Donzeville a scathing reprimand and commanding him to depart
(03:58):
unless he desired, announced the Professor to be skinned alive
by the war dogs of the military Academy. Don Seville,
frightened and abashed, beat an inglorious retreat and disappeared. Professor c.
Llo Allanson, better known at the Military Academy as the
(04:18):
Old Guard, was a venerable man past seventy. He had
a highly intelligent countenance, and his silvery white hair and
patriarchal beard gave him a noble dignity which commanded respect.
His strenuous, virility and inexcusable energy was ever a lesson
(04:38):
in a rebuke to the many indolent youths who came
in contact with him. He was a philosopher of the
first rank and an intense lover of nature, imbued with
a deeper knowledge of the subtle workings of natural phenomena.
He could not draw a line, he would say, between
the manifestations of human, animal, and vegetable kingdoms. How damned
(05:05):
cur I demand no apology, but satisfaction, snarled don Seville abruptly,
his face livid with anger. For a second, the professor
was taken aback. But in that very second, through his
initiative and resourceful mind, flashed the fact that he was cornered.
(05:27):
He was not a man easily frightened, for as a
major of volunteers during the Panama and Columbian trouble, and
while in his teens he had led on his handful
of men up the hills against the ramparts of the enemy.
But a problem which required instantaneous solution was now presented
(05:48):
to him by Carlos don Seville. It was a problem
which neither diplomacy, moral persuasion, nor flight of oratory could solve.
He realized that in that very second that the only
way out of this difficulty was to take the coward
at his word. It was to be a fistic encounter
(06:11):
to the finish apology. I have none to offer you, sir,
and am ready to give you such satisfaction as you desire,
replied the old man with a dignified firmness. A remarkable
change had taken place in the person of c. L. O. Allanson,
(06:32):
that venerable and spiritual individual, who had transformed in a
twinkling of an eye into a grim and determined looking animal,
And like an expert gladiator of the fistic arena, he
took the attitude of self defense. The ring constituted the
platform of the wooden bridge, the side rail of which
(06:56):
served as the partial ropes. There were no seconds to
goad their favorites into action. No referee to decide the
doubtful or unlawful blows, no gong to mark the rounds,
nor timekeeper to count the defeated out of action in
the languorous glow of the twilight, their shadows reflected in
(07:19):
black silouettes on the placid waters below, were the only
silent witnesses of this remarkable encounter. The contest was constant and,
in the vernacular of pugilism, superbly, game, fast, and furious.
After the acceptance of the challenge, there was no parley
(07:42):
between them, but by a sudden rush landed a hammering
blow on the Professor's skull, which the latter parried with
his left with dexterous agility, and thus saved a crisis,
for if left unchecked, the blow would have reached his
solar plexus. In rapid succession. The fight continued, Doneseville taking
(08:08):
the aggressive and the Professor acting more in self defense. However,
as often as opportunity presented, the latter put in a
few well aimed jabs here and there on the vital
points of Doneseville's anatomy. At the same time, it was
apparent that Doneseville was getting the best of the contest.
(08:30):
The veneral professor, unused to long continued strain of the kind,
began to experience difficulty in breathing, and this did not
escape Donzeville's observation. Shortly, however, a remarkable change was visible.
The professor seemed to grow stronger with each onslaught he made.
(08:53):
He had gained his so called second wind, thereby recouping
his adroitness and elasticity with the consummate skill of a
scientific boxer. Several times he feigned signs of weakness by
giving false openings, of which his infuriated antagonists attempted to
avail himself, thinking the professor to be on the verge
(09:16):
of collapse, only to receive in return several well directed
right and left swings on the jaw. These staggered Dondeville
to his knees, but he was allowed to rise to
his feet by the generous tolerance of the professor, and
the consciousness of this humility caused him to wage the
(09:37):
attack with reckless fury, with vulgar oaths. He began to
resort to foul tactics, trying to hit the defender beyond
the limits of decent pugilism. Don Seville's endurance had now
come to its end. His youth, dissipated by debauchery, was
(09:59):
undermined its stability, and in spite of the wide disparity
of ages, the old man had Doneseville absolutely in his power.
It was time, he thought, to terminate these proceedings so
distasteful and undignified to him. But the only way he
(10:19):
saw was to lay aside the tactics of self defense
and adopt those of a punitive retaliation. With keen alertness,
he watched for an opportunity, and when don Seville, almost
crazed with anger, rushed on him for a clinch, entirely
oblivious of the intention of the professor, the latter gave
(10:43):
a sudden shift to his position by swinging his body
away from his antagonist. Doneseville blindly followed him in his
determination of a desperate onslaught. It was then that the
venerable Allanson shot out a driving uppercut to the jaw.
This was the finale. Donzeville staggered to the rails, and
(11:07):
toppling over, fell with a splash into the limpid waters below.
The professor promptly jumped down the embankment and pulled out
his still unconscious adversary. If abandoned in that condition, the
young man might have drowned in the shallow waters. The
(11:28):
professor began to do all in his power to restore
him to consciousness. Just at that time a farm hand
on horseback appeared on the scene, and by his aid,
the Academy ambulance was summoned and Doneseville was taken to
the military hospital. End of chapter five
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