Leslie Moore

Leslie Ford (nee West) was the daughter of Rose and Frank West, wife of Owen Ford, mother of Kenneth and Persis Ford and friend of Anne Shirley.

Early life
Leslie was born in 1862 in Four Winds, Prince Edward Island, to Frank West and Rose Elliott.

"Leslie had her mother's looks and her father's brains, and something she didn't get from either of them. She took after her Grandmother West--a splendid old lady. She was the brightest, friendliest, merriest thing when she was a child."

- Cornelia Bryant about little Leslie.

She was Frank's favorite and she was awful fond of him. They were chums, as she used to say. Leslie couldn't see any of his faults.

Kenneth's death
In 1866, Kenneth was born. She worshipped little Kenneth - he was four years younger than her, and he was a dear little chap. Eight years later he died. Kenneth fell off a big load of hay just as it was going into the barn, and the wheel went right over his little body and crushed the life out of it. Leslie saw it - she was looking down from the loft.

"She gave one screech - the hired man said he never heard such a sound in all his life - he said it would ring in his ears till Gabriel's trump drove it out."

- Miss Cornelia about Kenneth's death.

Leslie jumped from the loft onto the load and from the load to the floor, and caught up the little bleeding, warm, dead body. Wests buried little Kenneth at the graveyard over the harbor, and after a while Leslie went back to her school and her studies.

Frank's death
Leslie's father began to go down after Kenneth's death. Two years later, in 1876, he hanged himself in the middle of the parlor from the lamp hook in the ceiling - it was anniversary of his wedding day.

"Poor Leslie had to be the one to find him. She went into the parlor that morning, singing, with some fresh flowers for the vases, and there she saw her father hanging from the ceiling, his face as black as a coal."

- Miss Cornelia about Frank's death.

Leslie didn't cry at her father's funeral any more then she had cried at Kenneth's. Rose whooped and howled for two and Leslie had all she could do trying to calm and comfort her mother. She loved her mother. They buried Frank next to Kenneth, and Rose put up a great big monument to him. It was bigger than Rose could afford, for the farm was mortgaged for more than its value.

Studies
Not long after Frank's death, Leslie's gradmother West died and left her a little money - enough to give her a year at Queen's Academy.

Leslie attended Queen's in September 1877 and took two years' work in one year and got her First. When she came home she got the Glen school. Leslie was so happy and hopeful and full of life and eagerness. She wanted to put herself through Redmond College.

Before wedding
Abner Moore, Dick's father, held the mortgage on the West farm, and the interest was overdue some years, and Dick just went and told Rose that if Leslie wouldn't marry him he'd get his father to foreclose the mortgage. Rose put her foot down. Having lived on that land for all of her life, Rose did not want to give up where she had come as a bride.

Wedding
Leslie loved Rose dearly. Thus, Leslie married Dick in 1878 and settled down on the West place - Rose couldn't bear to part with her dear daughter - and lived there for the winter. In the spring 1879 Rose took pneumonia and died. Leslie was heart-broken enough over it.

Dick's voyage
He went over to Nova Scotia to visit his relations and he wrote back to Leslie that his cousin, George Moore was going on a voyage to Havana and he was going too. They sailed on Four Sisters and they were to be gone about nine weeks. The summer went by and the Four Sisters didn't come back.

For a time, Leslie lived in some peace. But then, Captain Jim was sailing, and found Dick in Cuba. Jim returned him home, and it was discovered that there must have been an accident, which Dick was involved in.

He was obese, where before he had not, he was extremely good-natured, where before he had not been, and it was obvious that there was something wrong with his brain. Leslie then felt like an animal chained.

Anne's coming
Anne's first sight of Leslie was mysterious, and what she would have called in earlier days, a 'thrill'. Leslie's beauty, even to the cold look in her eyes, enthralled her. Anne inquired after her to Gilbert, but he did not know who she was. He suggested that she was a girl on vacation... but Anne thought otherwise.

In the days that followed, Anne wondered who the girl was. Likely, she would not be able to see the girl again... or so Anne thought. But one stormy night, when Doctor Gilbert was away, Anne went down to the sandbar. Thinking no one else was there, she started to dance. And then it was that she saw Leslie... she, the dignified doctor's wife!

Marriage with Owen Ford
Leslie married Owen at Christmas 1892 and they moved to Toronto. Their first child, Kenneth, was born one year later. Leslie named him after her dead brother. In 1895 she gave birth Persis. Probably Owen named her after his grandmother, The Schoolmaster's bride, Persis Leigh.

They lived in Toronto and in summer came to House of Dreams. In 1906 they stayed in Japan, because Owen was writing a novel.

In 1914 World War I began. Next year her only son enlisted. He became a Captain and came home healthy in March 1919.

Personality
Leslie was extremely pretty. With hair like the gold of sunshine rays, and eyes like the sky on a spring morn. Scarlet grace, viking dances... Wildness like a sea, crashing and billowing during a storm. Also extremely clever. Leslie hoped to attend Redmond College - until circumstances proved otherwise.

Dick Moore
It was a horrible pair, even from the start. Leslie held neutral feelings towards Dick, until the two were living together. Then she hated him with her whole heart.

Appearances

 * Anne's House of Dreams (first appearance)
 * Anne of Ingleside
 * Rainbow Valley (mentioned only)
 * Rilla of Ingleside (mentioned only)