'The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher' is a dramatic novel written by Isabel C. Byrum. The story unfolds by introducing us to Mrs. Fischer, a young widow with three young children. She seeks to leave her infant son Edwin at the county poorhouse in eastern Pennsylvania. August Engler, the steward of the poorhouse, objects, explaining that the rules of the institution do not allow for children under seven months old to be accepted without their mothers. Mrs. Fischer had recently learned that her husband, a soldier in the Civil War, had been killed and was overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for her children on her own. She was able to find homes for her daughter and son, but no one was willing to take care of baby Edwin due to his young age. Desperate, Mrs. Fischer turns to the poorhouse, but Mr. Engler suggests that she stay to help care for the child for at least seven months if they are to accept him.
