Josiah's Secret: / A Play

Marietta Holley (pen names, Jemyma, later, Josiah Allen's Wife; July 16, 1836 – March 1, 1926), was an American humorist who used satire to comment on U.S. society and politics. Holley enjoyed a prolific writing career and was a bestselling author in the late 19th century, though she was largely forgotten by the time of her death. Her writing was frequently compared to that of Mark Twain and Edgar Nye. Along with Frances Miriam Whitcher and Ann S. Stephens, Holley is remembered as one of America's most significant early female humorists. Holley's work appealed to all classes of society. Her readers are scattered over the entire world and include men and women of every station and grade. Her books are widely read in Europe.

Many of Holley’s writings share themes of prohibition and women's rights. Like Charles Dickens, she brought to her aid the very people whose sufferings she aimed to relieve, and whose evil deeds she hopeed to check. She was not only quaint in expression but magnetic, and her sentiments were often touchingly and pathetically strong.

Josiah's Secret is a short play written by Mariettta Holley. It's considered as one of the classic and famous play till date.