Frances Gilchrist Wood (1859–1944) was born in Carthage, Illinois, a small prairie town. Wood worked as a reporter and editor for western newspapers, and worked alongside her father in railway administration, traveling all over the United States and Mexico. Wood published many popular short stories, including “Shoes,” “The White Battalion,” and “Turkey Red.” Her musings on American life in the 20th century have been included in several anthologies of celebrated short stories, such as The Rhetorical Short Story: Best American Short Stories on War and the Military, The Best American Short Stories of the Century, and The Best Short Stories and the Yearbook of the American Short Story: Volume 1920.