The Rose of Old St. Louis

The narrative, told in the first person, follows a visitor to early St. Louis who becomes enmeshed in local social life, romantic pursuit, and personal danger amid Creole customs, picnics, balls, and domestic scenes. Interleaved with these intimate episodes are extended, faithfully rendered accounts of high-level diplomacy and debates over the Louisiana cession, including verbatim treatments of negotiating agents and congressional deliberations. The result pairs lyrical local color and courtship with detailed political history, as private relationships and community events intersect with the larger diplomatic and civic forces that determine the region's future.