Miss Dexie A Romance of the Provinces

In the winter of 1864 a New England town is shaken by the endless reports of the Civil War, as families crowd around telegraphs hoping for news of their loved ones. Mr. Sherwood arrives home late with a dispatch that forces him to travel north to the family farm, while his wife worries about her brother Charley’s uncertain fate. Their conversation reveals a clash of loyalties—her Southern‑born mother opposes his possible enlistment with the Union, adding personal strain to the national turmoil.

The couple’s train ride to Crofton opens a window onto the Sherwoods’ past: a prosperous farmer once married to a Southern lady, a devoted Black nurse named Dinah, and their quiet son Clarence. These memories suggest lingering cultural divides that will test the household as war pressures mount. Listeners will hear the clatter of winter wheat, the soft chatter of children, and the tentative stir of a romance blossoming amid uncertainty.