Thomas Mayne Reid 
Quadroon Adventures in the Far West [EPUB ebook] 

This novel from 1858 is surprisingly good. The story takes place in Louisiana where a young Englishman is wounded in the rescue of Eugenie, a planter’s daughter, from a burning steamboat. While recuperating on Eugenie’s plantation, he first sees Aurore, a beautiful mixed-race slave. The two fall in love. When an unscrupulous steward of Eugenie’s property forces her into bankruptcy, Aurore and the other slaves are sold at auction. The ensuing efforts of the protagonist to save Aurore from a terrible fate are full of nail-biting suspense, non- stop action, and difficulties of every kind. Gives a sense of the horror of slavery in the American South, yet ends with a positive note. (amazon)