Barney Snaith owns his own island up in the woods. The townspeople in Deerwood, including Valancy's family, believe Barney is some kind of a criminal. Part of the reason they think this is because Barney hangs out with the town drunk, Roaring Abel.
After Barney and Valancy marry, Valancy learns Barney's true identity. Barney turns out to be the heir of the Redfern fortune because his father invented various ointment, pills and liniments that are to cure different ailements.
Barney is also the author of Valancy's favorite books, John Foster. Barney has been shunning his father's money for 11 years and living off of the royalties he makes form authoring his books. Barney keeps all of this a secret, however, even from Valancy. It's only when Barney's father shows up that Valancy discovers Barney Snaith is actually Bernard Snaith Redfern.
