The state herald., 1920-12-07
Prologue.

but be mbued with some OF the life that
pulses therein.-From q Frontiersman' 8
Diary.
Long ago, when the great city of
Gltcheapolis was a rather small, un-
tidy hamlet In the middle Of plain.
It used to be that pool Of water.
possibly Two hundred feet square.
gathered every spring Immediately
back Of the courthouse. The snow
falls thick and heavy In Gitcheapolis
in winter; and the pond was nothing
more than snow wster that the inefii-
eient drainage system Of the city did
not quite absorb. Besides being the
despair Of the plumbers and the city
engineer. II was q severe strain on
the beauty-lovinG instincts Of every
inhabitant In the town who had any
such Instincts. Il was muddy and
murky and generally distasteful.
A little boy played At the edge Of
the water, this spring day Of long ago.
Except for his interest In the pond. II
would have been scarcely worth while
10 60 to the trouble Of explaining that
II contained no fish. BE. however,
bitterly regretted the fact. In truth.
he sometimes liked to believe that II
did contain fish. very sleepy fish that
never made ripple, and as he had an
uncommon Imagination he was some
times able to convince himself that
this was SO. But he never took hook
and tine and played at fishing. He
vas too much afraid Of the laughter
u his boy friends. His mother prob
abiy wouldn't object II he fished here.
he thought. particularly II he were
1reful not to get his shoes covered
nth mud. But she wouldn't let him
70 down to Gitcheapolis creek to fish
With the other boys for mud cat. He
ms not very strong, she thought, and
wns rough sport anyway, and be-
ades-she didn't think he wanted to
- very badly. Az mothers are usual.
b particularly understanding. this
was curious thing.
The truth was that little Dan Fall
ing wanted to flsh almost a. much as
he wanted to live. He would dream
shout II Of nights. His blood would
glow with the thought Of II In the
springtime. Women the world over
viii have hard time believing what
m intense. heart-devouring passion
the love OF the chase can be. whether
II In for fishing or hunting or merely
knocking golf balls into q little hole
upon green. Sometimes they don't
remember that this instinct Is just MS
much part Of most men. md thus
most boys. ms their hands or their
lips II was acquired by Just rs Ia
borious process-the lives Of un-
counted thousands OF ancestors who
fished and hunted for a living.
. II was true that little Dan didn't
look the rnrt. Even then he showed
siEns Of physical frailty. His eyes
looked rnther large. and his cheeks
were not the color Of fresh sirioin, a.
they should have been. In fact. one
would have had to look very hard 10
En- any color IN them at all. These
facts are Interesting from the light
they throw upon the next glimpse Of
Dan. fully twenty years later.
Except for the fact that II was the
background for the earliest picture OF
little Dan. the pool back OF the court.
house has very little Importance In
his story. II did. however. AFFORD an
illustration TO him Of one Of the real.
ly astonishing truths Of life. He saw
n shadow In the water that he pre-
tended he thought might be fsh. lie
threw a stone Mt II.
The only thing that happened wns
n splash. and then slowly widening
ripple. The circumference Of the rip
pie grew ever larger. extended npd
widcned. md finally died NJ the edge
Of the shore. II set little Dan &c
thinking. He wondered H. had IN,
pool been larger. the ripple s'ill woult
have sprcnd: and n the pool had beer
eternity. whether the ripple woult
have gone on forever. A. the time h,
did no, know the laws Of cause mn,
effect Later when Gl,chcnpolis wni
great md prosperous and no long.'
untldy he was going TO IND out thn
n cause II nothing hut n rock thrown
into n pond of lnnnliy. md the rippl'
THAT IL IT'S cfrcc, keeps growing mn,
rowing forever.
The little incidcn, that Is the rcn
-Finnlng ~ this story wnE of NJ
,orc importance thnD pebble throw
sto the snow-wntcr pond; but It's RI
re, was 10 remove N. life of Dni
Failing. since grown M, fnr out o
th~ realms Of the ordinary.
And that brings NIL matters dow
90 1919. In the last days OF n particu
inriy sleepy summer. You would hard
~ know Gl,cbcnpolia now. The busl
nesa district has Increased tenfold
And the place where used TO be IN
pool and the playground Of Dan Fail
Ing Ia now laid on In M green nm
prr,ty city pnrs ns one could wis'
"a 500.
Some day. when the city bceoinc