The Great Central Fair — Janet R. Stafford

It is 1864 and romance is in the air for Maggie Blaine Smith's daughters when Sergeant Patrick McCoy and Captain Philip Frost make a surprise visit to Blaineton, New Jersey on their way to their new posts at Mower General Hospital, Philadelphia. It is obvious that eighteen-year-old Frankie will marry Patrick. But when? Maggie is hoping and praying that it will not happen for a while. Meanwhile, Maggie's husband Eli Smith is on a campaign to protect his stepdaughter's chastity, something both Frankie and Patrick find intrusive. And yet, neither Maggie nor Eli has any concerns about Lydia. She is the sensible one, the one who never does anything impulsively. And she is an adult - nearly twenty-two years of age - and still in mourning for her late husband, Edgar Lape. Philip Frost is a friend from their days in Gettysburg with whom she has been corresponding for under a year. Nothing to see here. But a visit Philadelphia and the Great Central Fair bring about surprises for everyone.