Myra, the Child of Adoption

Myra, the Child of Adoption, a romance of real life by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, comprises this Beadle and Adams dime novel. The narrative opens in an elegantly appointed chamber where a young mother named Zulima, confined to her bed after childbirth, tends her newborn daughter. A conflict emerges between Zulima's maternal devotion and her husband's insistence that the child be given up temporarily. He reveals that Zulima was previously deceived into a false marriage by a man named De Grainges, who already had a living wife. Though now imprisoned and awaiting conviction, his existence prevents her husband from publicly acknowledging their union without scandal. To protect Zulima's reputation, he demands the infant be sent away until De Grainges is legally punished and their marriage can be publicly declared. After an emotionally wrenching scene, Zulima reluctantly surrenders the child.