The working title of the novel was The Town's Coming This Way, which was an expression her father used whenever he brought a large tract of undeveloped property.

He starts working in his Uncle Sam's cigar store, before beginning to sell Arbuckle coffee, which proved highly successful.

Over the years he gets involved in oil wells, gold mines, steam laundries, and real estate development.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times said the novel was "one of the most amusing personal histories available this season.

"[3] The Philadelphia Inquirer also gave the novel a positive review, although they did not like it as much as Chicken Every Sunday.