The sad fact of rural life in "the gilded era" was that most folks, especially after the children were grown up and gone, werepoor and lonely, and often caring for the elders. Mary E.Wilkins (thats how she signed her books) was a good  storyteller in this genre- and the people were often siomple and honest and hardworking. 

 

Check out our website at www.bestof1001stories.com