Book excerpt: This creative non-fiction work is based upon the romance and actual love letters of Marie Antoinette "Nettie" Stuntebeck and Fred Marion Fister from 1900-1904. Before radio, television, and autos, they carried on their romance separated by 100 miles, a full day's round trip by train, not manageable on horseback. They faced deadly plagues, putrid water systems, horrific accidents, violence, murders, and vicious political turmoil, including the assassinations of Kentucky Governor Goebel and US President William McKinley. Women had no right to vote and were blocked from many occupations. About the only reliable things they had were local daily newspapers and United States Postal Service mail delivery 365 days a year (366 in Leap Years), including Sundays and holidays.