The Log of the "Jolly Polly"

"The Log of the 'Jolly Polly'" by Richard Harding Davis is the story of a novelist, Fletcher Farrell, whose career is in decline, but is offered a strange solution when a wealthy couple proposes to adopt him to secure their fortune and rise in society. At first hesitant, Fletcher ends up in Fairharbor, where he falls for Polly Briggs and begins to understand the Farrells' odd ways and fancy style of life. The story explores the conflict between needing independence and wanting wealth and acceptance, through the journey he learns that love and staying true to himself are worth more than money and fame. In a surprising turn, his relationship with Polly becomes more important than his connection to the Farrells, which changes how he sees family and where he belongs.