In 1895, the Toronto publisher
William Briggs released
Miss Dexie, a Romance of the Provinces, attributed to Stanford Eleveth but in fact authored by Dickson. The novel was set in areas familiar to Dickson: Halifax, Maine, and Prince Edward Island, and tells the story of the imaginary Miss Dexie (short for Dexter). Gwendolyn Davies, writing in the
Dictionary of Canadian Biography, notes similarities with
Little Women including the strong-minded female protagonist's androgynous name, the timeframe, an abandoned romance, and the focus on familial support. Dickson incorporated recent developments, such as train travel and modern Victorian kitchens, and local details such as a vivid description of a
McDonaldite worship service on Prince Edward Island. The novel was well received, being reviewed in Toronto's
Saturday Night,
The Week, and
Christian Guardian, the
Portland Transcript, the
Orillia Packet, and the
Halifax Herald. The publisher produced three editions in the first year and continued to issue printings until 1907. Dickson may have also produced some
children's books, but she never wrote another novel and largely disappeared from the literary scene after the 1890s. ==Deaths==