
In a bustling town where appearances often dictate opportunity, a young woman of striking beauty finds herself weighed down by poverty. Though her charm turns heads on the market streets, she must navigate the daily indignities of a world that values wealth over heart. Determined to protect her family, she balances honest work with the quiet hope that kindness will one day be recognized.
When a well‑to‑do gentleman notices her grace, a tentative friendship begins, offering a glimpse of a different future. Yet societal expectations and lingering secrets threaten to keep them apart, and she must decide whether to trust the promises whispered in candlelit parlors. The story follows her steady courage as she confronts the judgments of neighbors and the temptations of a life beyond her means.
Through gentle humor and heartfelt moments, the narrative explores themes of self‑respect, the true cost of love, and the quiet strength that can arise when beauty meets hardship. Listeners will find a tender portrait of resilience that lingers long after the final chapter.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (306K characters)
Series
Eagle library no. 8
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Street & Smith, 1890.
Credits
Demian Katz, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy of the Digital Library@Villanova University.)
Release date
2022-09-07
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1851–1924
These fast-moving 19th-century stories were written under the name Julia Edwards, a pen name linked to American novelist John Russell Coryell. Best known today through surviving popular fiction such as Beautiful but Poor, the work reflects the melodramatic, accessible style that reached a wide mass audience.
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