An Arkansas Planter

"An Arkansas Planter" by Opie Percival Read focuses on domestics and politics in the post-Civil War reconstruction south. The Major believes he has his household strictly under control. He adores his wife and his two children Tom and Louise, and he feels that he knows what is best for them. His family, however, has their own ideas, many of which are not compatible with what the major sees for their future. His daughter runs off, his son is romantically interested in someone unorthodox, and life seems to fall apart, no matter how much control our hero thinks he has.