Cover of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday

Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday

  • Free to read
  • 4 hours to read
  • 40 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday" by Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller is a romantic novel written in the late 19th century. The story revolves around Dainty Chase, a charming and innocent girl, who faces jealousy from her cousins Olive and Ela as they all navigate their way through society, love, and rivalry, particularly concerning their wealthy relative Lovelace Ellsworth. As the plot unfolds, themes of ambition, deceit, and the complexities of young love take center stage against a backdrop of family dynamics. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to Dainty, who is preparing for a summer trip to her aunt's country home where she hopes to charm Lovelace, who has just returned from Europe. Meanwhile, her cousins plot to undermine her, revealing their jealousy over her beauty and potential to attract Lovelace's attention. Dainty's sweet and trusting nature is contrasted sharply with the deviousness of Olive and Ela, setting the stage for a tale rife with tension and romantic entanglements. The opening chapters focus on establishing these characters and their differing motivations, while hinting at the emotional and dramatic conflicts that are sure to arise as they all converge at the family estate.

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  • Young women
  • Love stories
  • Cousins
  • Adventure stories
  • Aunts

Read the opening

Chapter I: "A Sweet Girl Graduate."

"Her eyes
Would match the southern skies
When southern skies are bluest;
Her heart
Will always, take its part
Where southern hearts are truest.

"Such youth,
With all its charms, forsooth.
Alas! too well I know it!—
Will claim
A song of love and fame
Sung by some southern poet."

"It's a perfect godsend, this invitation!" cried Olive Peyton, with unwonted rapture in her cold voice.

"Yes, indeed!" assented her chum and cousin, Ela Craye, joyfully. "I have wondered over and over how we were going to buy our summer clothes and spare enough money for a trip, and here comes Aunt Judith's invitation to her country home just in the nick of time."

"And how lucky, to think of her step-son, Lovelace Ellsworth, getting home at last from Europe! Either you or I must capture him, Ela!" added Olive, eagerly, her black eyes sparkling with the hope of getting a rich husband.

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Contents

Show all 40 chapters
  1. Chapter I: "A Sweet Girl Graduate."
  2. Chapter II: "The Prettiest Girl in the Room!"
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V: "Only a Dream."
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII: "The Trail of the Serpent."
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX: "All That's Bright Must Fade."
  10. Chapter X: "The Grim Fates."
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII
  24. Chapter XXIV
  25. Chapter XXV
  26. Chapter XXVI
  27. Chapter XXVII
  28. Chapter XXVIII
  29. Chapter XXIX
  30. Chapter XXX
  31. Chapter XXXI
  32. Chapter XXXII
  33. Chapter XXXIII
  34. Chapter XXXIV
  35. Chapter XXXV
  36. Chapter XXXVI: "Only to See You, My Darling."
  37. Chapter XXXVII
  38. Chapter XXXVIII
  39. Chapter XXXIX: "For All Eternity."
  40. Conclusion

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About this edition

This free edition of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday by Alex. McVeigh Miller comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #31257, released 2010-02-12. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Romance, Novels.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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