Here is the true story of an attempt to put the fear of God into an American rural community; that is, to bring order out of the chaos of its social and civic affairs, to put pride and co-operation in the place of suspicion and individualism, to make narrow prejudice and plain cussedness give way to sympathy and unselfish service. Perhaps it will do you good-but it wasn't written for that purpose. It was written largely to explain to my wife why I am so frequently late to meals and why I have not spent more evenings in her dear presence.