Peter (short story)

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Peter is a short story by Willa Cather, first published in The Mahogany Tree in 1892.

Peter Sadelack was once a respected violinist in Prague. Now his arm shakes and he can no longer play. His son Antone pressures him to sell the violin. Peter thinks about his past life in Bohemia and his former fame, and he tries to play one last song, Ave Maria, but his shaking prevents him from finishing.

In despair, he goes to the stable, takes Antone’s gun, breaks the violin, and shoots himself. The next morning Antone finds his father dead outside and realizes that Peter left the bow intact; he plans to sell it in town. Because Peter died in the cold, his body could not be prepared for a coffin and he is buried in a pine box.

The story notes that it was retouched and published by Peter’s English professor, Herbert Bates, without her knowledge. Some readers believe elements of Peter appear later in My Ántonia, with Mr. Shimerda’s suicide.