Miss Dexie / A Romance of the Provinces

Set against a Civil War–era provincial backdrop, the story follows a young woman whose domestic life, family obligations, and romantic attraction to a man named Lancy are shaped by small-town opinion and wartime unease. Everyday details of household care, neighborly talk, and moral restraint alternate with moments of acute peril, including a winter accident that tests courage and devotion. Courtship, misunderstandings, and the imperative to preserve reputation drive personal choices, while episodes of tenderness and sacrifice reveal how community expectations and external danger influence emotional life in a rural setting.