Sheila of Big Wreck Cove

At the Ball homestead on Wreckers' Head, Captain Ira Ball and his wife Prudence face the practical troubles of growing old. The retired mariner struggles with his health, while household chores strain Prudence. Their savings cover basic needs, but they want a younger person to share the house. News of Prudence's great-niece Ida May Bostwick, working at a Boston store, gives their conversation a possible answer.

James A. Cooper's Cape Cod novel combines this domestic concern with the habits and speech of a coastal community. In a later scene, Sheila helps Aunt Lucretia clear the table and wash the dishes, then walks with Tunis along the beach, collecting shells and autumn flowers. Tunis calls her Ida May, introducing uncertainty about her identity. The contrast between the elderly couple's worries and Sheila's lively seaside walk gives readers both household intimacy and a sense of the shore, with affection and acceptance shaping the encounters.