The Portygee

The novel addresses the tribulations of Cap'n Zelotes Snow whose orphaned grandson, Alberto Miguel Carlos Speranza, comes to live with him. Speranza is the son of Snow's daughter who married a Spanish opera singer against her parent's wishes while she was away at school. The proud Cap'n Snow initially has trouble accepting his grandson, calling him a half-breed, and describing him as descended from a "Portygee", and a "macaroni-eater".