Project Gutenberg 2000-05-01 Public domain in the USA. 112 Harte, Bret 1836 1902 Harte, Francis Bret A Ward of the Golden Gate "A Ward of the Golden Gate" by Bret Harte is a novel written during the late 19th century, likely in the period of westward expansion in the United States. The story is set in San Francisco and focuses on significant characters including the enigmatic Kate Howard, her daughter Yerba Buena, and the influential Colonel Pendleton, who are all intertwined in a plot involving maternal sacrifice, guardianship, and societal expectations. At the start of the novel, Harte paints a vivid picture of San Francisco during a rainy season, emphasizing the city's unique environment and setting the stage for social interactions that follow. The prologue introduces Kate Howard as a woman of mysterious background seeking to secure a future for her daughter, which sets a compelling tone. The narrative then shifts to a meeting between Kate, the Mayor, and Colonel Pendleton as she seeks their help as guardians for her daughter. Throughout this initial portion, themes of identity, secrecy, and the nuances of human connection are established, foreshadowing the conflicts and discoveries that will ensue as the characters navigate their roles and relationships within a demanding society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 69.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en American fiction -- 19th century Love stories Man-woman relationships -- Fiction San Francisco (Calif.) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: American Literature 317771 2025-07-01T12:09:45.083018 text/html 313103 2020-12-31T15:37:15 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 118484 2020-12-31T15:37:15 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 187559 2025-07-01T12:09:50.393071 application/epub+zip 191870 2025-07-01T12:09:46.694085 application/epub+zip 191870 2025-07-01T12:09:45.661969 application/epub+zip 347494 2025-07-01T12:09:53.286963 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 335237 2025-07-01T12:09:49.787063 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 292563 2022-09-01T14:11:55.612702 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 298540 2025-07-01T12:09:44.527032 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 298456 2020-12-31T15:37:15 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 116192 2020-12-31T15:37:15 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19193 2025-07-01T12:09:53.404940 application/rdf+xml 12964 2025-07-01T12:09:46.150019 image/jpeg 3805 2025-07-01T12:09:45.904987 image/jpeg 183830 2025-07-01T12:09:45.108094 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia