The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-11-28
i MAIN STREET
The Story Of Carol Kennicott
ny SINCLAIR LEWIS
COPYRIGHT isse, Harcourt Brace & Iicwc.
eeseeseeeeeseSseeeeeeee


friends whom che did not clearly
know as ffiends--thc njornstams
To Hugh. the Red Swedc was the
most heroic and powerful person In
the world. With unrestrained adora.
ton he trotted after while Miles fed
the cows. chased his one pig--an
animal OF lax and migratory IN.
sthcts-or dramatically slaughtered
\ chicken. And to Hugh. Olaf was
lord among mortal men. less stall
wart than the old monarch. King
Miles. but more understanding OF the
relations and values OF things. OF
snali sticks. lone playing cards. and
irrctrlevahly injured hoops.
Carol saw, tho she did not admit.
that Olaf was not only more beau.
tifui than her own dark child. but
more gracious, Olaf was Morse
chieftain; straight. sunny haired.
large. iimbed. resplendently amiahle
TO his subjects. Hugh was vul.
rarian: a bustiing business man. II
was Hugh that bounced and said
Lets play Olaf that opened
luminous blue eyes aud agreed "All
right" In eondescendlng rentlcness.
II Hugh hatted him and Hugh did
bal him-Onf was unafraid but
shocked. In magnificent solitude he
marched toward the house. while
Hugh hcwailed his sin and tho over.
cloudlng OF august favor.
The two friends played with an
imperial chariot which Miles had
made out OF a starch. box and four
rcd spoolS: together they stuck
switches into a nousehole. with vast
satisfaction tho entirely without
known results
nea. the chubby and hummlna
Sea. impartially gave cookies and
seedlings TO both children. and II
Carol refused cup Of coffee and a
wafer OF buttered knAckebrod. she
was desoiated.
Miles had done wen with hts dairy
lie had six COWS two hundred chick
ems. a cream separator. Ford truck
In the spring he had built two
room addition TO his shack. That
lilustrlous building was TO Hugh a
carnival Uncle Miles did the most
spectacular. unexpected things; ran
up the ladder. stood ON, the ridge
pole. waving a hammer and singing
something about ITO arms. my citi-
rcns.'' nailed shingles faster than
Aunt Bessie could iron handkcr.
chiefs: and lifted two-by.six with
Hugh riding on one end and Olaf
on the other. Uncle Miles most &C.
static trick was TO make figures. not
on PAPER but right on a new pine
board. with the hrosdest. softest pen.
Gil in the world. There was thing
worth seelngi
The tooisi In his office Father
had tools fascinating In their shini
ness and curious shapes. but they
cfiied steriiixed. and th~y distinctly
were not for boys to touch. In fac,
II was a good dodge 10 volunteer Il
must not touch." WHEN you looked
at the tools on the glass shelves In
Fathers office. But Uncle Miles
who was a person altogether superior
TO Father. let YOU handle all his Nit
except the saws There was a ham.
rurr with a silver head: there was a
metal thing Hike "a big l.. there was
a magtr instrument. very precious
made out OF costly red wood and
gold. with a tube which contained a
drop--no. IL wasn't drop. u was
a nothing. which lived In the water.
but the nothing looked like a drop.
and u ran IN frightened way up
and down the tube. no matter how
cautiously you tilted the magic in
strumeut. And there were nails.
very different and ciever-bir val.
liant spikes. middle. sized onrs which
were not very interesting. and
shingie nails much joiller than the
fused up fairies in the yellow book.
III
While he had worked on the add
ton Miles had talked frankly to
Carol. He admitted now that go long
az he stayed IN Gopher Prairie he
would remain a pariah. Bes's Lufh-
crsn friends were az much offended
by his sgnostic gibes as the mer-
chants by his radicaIism. And I
can't seem to keep my mouth shut.
I think I'm being a baa-iamb. and
not springing any theories wilder
than cat spells cat but when folks
have gone. reIizc I've been step
ping on their pet religious corns. Oh.
the mill foreman keeps dropping In.
and that Danish shoemaker. and one
fellow from Elders factory. and
few Svenskas.' but you know BE: big