Doctor Warrick's Daughters. A Novel (e-book) (used book) | bookbook.eu

Description

From one of America’s early highly regarded women writers comes this tale of a not overly successful doctor coming home at the end of the Civil War to find himself widowed with two daughters to raise and introduce into society. As a back drop to this is the rebonding of North and South and some of the difficulties that occurred due to the war.
Here is an excerpt:

They always talked of “our little burgh” with proud humility: as the great Louis was known to his people only as “Monsieur,” because there could be but one gentleman in France. Of course they knew that there were other towns in the country, but they thought of them vaguely, as one does of affairs in the Antarctic circle. Luxborough was the final result of the creation. For it Columbus had sailed, and Washington fought, and the Bible been written. They delighted to tell each other that “with our resources and water power we could easily have surpassed Philadelphia at any time. But our people, sir, have had higher pursuits than trade.” A small college gave a scholastic flavor to the pursuits of some citizens; others were army and navy officers on half pay; still others derived their support from the meagre dividends of the venerable Luxborough Bank. But a meagre income did not interfere with the self-respect of any Luxboroughan. He wrapped his poverty about him as a royal garment and smiled down patronage on the world.

Now, these people all knew that their forefathers had been Swedish peasants who came over on the Key Of Calmar: or mechanics and cotters brought to his principality by Penn. But had they not founded Luxborough? That was a patent of nobility in the minds of their descendants, who clung fondly to their old oak chests and chain clocks.