Beadle's Dime Novels No. 3: Myra, the Child of Adoption

About this issue

This issue of Beadle's Dime Novels (No. 4) contains two complete stories. "Alice Wilde: The Raftsman's Daughter" by Mrs. Metta V. Victor follows the title character through frontier settings. The main feature is "Myra: Child of Adoption" by Mrs. Ann S. Stephens, a sentimental romance depicting the forced separation of a young mother, Zulima, from her newborn daughter. Zulima, who was deceived into a false marriage by a man named De Grainges, has legitimately married her current husband but must relinquish their child temporarily to protect her reputation until her first husband faces trial. The narrative emphasizes emotional anguish as the father takes the infant away despite the mother's protests, while a female slave servant observes events. The story explores themes of illegitimacy, social standing, and domestic tragedy characteristic of nineteenth-century sentimental fiction.