The brother clerks

Two brothers travel to New Orleans to take positions as clerks in a merchant's establishment; the elder plans to rebuild their family's fortunes while the younger, sensitive and devout, clings to memories of home. The story follows their first impressions of the city's bustle, their lodging above the store, encounters with coworkers and servants, and the anxious separation when the elder wanders off, prompting a worried search. Episodes trace their efforts to make favorable impressions, the bonds of fraternal care, and the pressures of adapting to commercial urban life.