Narrates the true account of two economically disadvantaged Oneida County, New York, women, educated at Oneida Seminary, Oneida, New York, who overcame adversity through education, resolve, and faith. A select school was first established at their homestead in Verona, N.Y., removed to New Hartford, N.Y., in 1876, and returned to Verona in 1883. Eunice Hale Toll was assisted by her sister Theodosia Toll Foster, who was the locally known authoress Faye Huntington. Docia co-authored books on temperance and virtues with her best friend Isabella MacDonald Alden, known as the authoress Pansy. This book also briefly addresses the issues of the last half of the 19th century: women's rights, temperance, and the import of the W.C.T.U., and includes a documented history of the Home School for Girls, a partial student list, and a critique of Faye Huntington's literary work.