The enchanted kingdom

The enchanted kingdom by Nevis Shane is a romantic short story written in the late 1920s. It follows a young couple whose love is tested by hardship, sudden wealth, jealousy, and temptation, asking whether the true “enchanted kingdom” is luxury or the steadfast bond between two people.

Candis Moore marries oil driller Ronald Carlton and follows him to the harsh Texas outpost of Sola, where they craft a loving home through poverty and loss, including the stillbirth of their child. Years later, a gusher makes them rich, and a whirlwind of European luxury pulls Ronald into high finance and away from Candis. Lonely, she meets Stephen Trent, while a flirtatious socialite, Gelda Blair, stirs suspicion. When Candis discovers a letter confirming Ronald’s brief, regretted lapse, she leaves him and, briefly considering Trent, recoils from the cheapness of revenge. Ronald confronts Trent, then desperately searches for Candis in vain until he returns to their old Sola shack. There, Candis has also come back, and they recognize that their real enchanted kingdom is not wealth but their enduring love, and they reconcile. (This is an automatically generated summary.)