Roberta's mother, a French noblewoman, had died long before that and so there is no one to take care of them. Her father, on his deathbed, instructed Roberta to go to America, the land of his home. There, she should find her Uncle Robert, a man of decent wealth. They are, however, lacking in funds. As they approach land again, they must stretch the small amount of money they have left to reach Uncle Robert. And when they reach him, will he be as benevolent as her father hopes he is? Or will Roberta need to find a new way of obtaining an income to keep herself and her brother from starving? Maria Thompson Daviess was an American artist and author. She wrote thirteen novels, one of which was Miss Selma Lue, a novel that typifies her optimistic style. She also participated in efforts to bring women's suffrage to Tennessee.

Author Biography

Maria Thompson Daviess (1872 - 1924) was an American novelist and artist, best known for her popular novels written with a "Pollyanna" outlook. Daviess was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky in 1872. After her father died when she was eight, her family relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. She studied one year at Wellesley College and then went to Paris to study art. Returning to Nashville, she continued to paint and also took up writing. Her first novel, Miss Selina Lue and the Soap-box Babies was published in 1909. The Melting of Molly, published in 1912, was one of the top best-selling books for the year. She published sixteen novels between 1909 and 1920. In 1921, she moved to New York City, where she died in September 1924. She did not marry and had no children.