Gene Stratton-Porter

Orphaned and maimed, Freckles' bitterness about his fate is lessened when he is hired to guard a stretch of lumber in the wild Limberlost and, after meeting the beautiful "Swamp Angel," he determines to find out about his past.

In "A Girl of the Limberlost" Elinora dreams of going to school to escape her dreary life. She succeeds, and eventually finds love but must unweave a tangled web of old secrets and misunderstandings. In "Laddie" the love between a brother and sister proves a strong bond against adversity.

Nick, a seventeen-year-old orphan, leaves Chicago searching for his identity, and unexpectedly finds romance and a home in a majestic forest. Nick finds himself torn between his love for Angelica, who believes the forest should be preserved, and loyalty to his boss, the owner of a lumber company. In the end they must unite to catch the murderous thieves who are destroying the land.