Marion Marlowe's True Heart, or, How a Daughter Forgave

# Marion Marlowe's True Heart: Or, How a Daughter Forgave

This serialized story by Grace Shirley concerns a rural family crisis. Deacon Joshua Marlowe, a once-prosperous farmer, has mortgaged his property to cover a five-hundred-dollar loan he made to his son-in-law Tom Wilders, who lost the money in a "bunco" scheme in New York with counterfeit currency. The mortgage is now being foreclosed by Silas Johnson. The family faces the poorhouse while the daughters have left home: Samantha married the stingy Wilders, and Dollie eloped with a man named Lawson. The deacon disowned Dollie; only Marion—described as determined, courageous, and independent—remained unbowed. Marion unexpectedly returns home stylishly dressed and reveals she has been in New York working toward nursing at Charity Hospital on Blackwell's Island. She also earned a hundred dollars singing at a concert. The narrative addresses themes of parental authority, family estrangement, urban temptation, and redemption. The excerpt concludes mid-sentence.