The charming remembrance of an Irish orphan who escapes the Great Famine of 1840s Ireland and comes to the New World to seek a fresh start in the pioneer hinterland of Canada West (Ontario). Slater captures perfectly the lilt of the Irish and the wry wisdom of an old soul to paint an affecting portrait of trials and tribulations in a long-ago time.

Patrick Slater was the pseudonym of John Mitchell (1880-1951), a Toronto lawyer.