Americans All Part 47

CALIFORNIA

_The Cat and the Cherub_, Chester B. Fernald.

_The Luck of Roaring Camp_; _Tales of the Argonauts_, Bret Harte.

_The Splendid Idle Forties_, Gertrude Atherton.

NEW MEXICO

_The King of the Broncos_, Charles F. Lummis.

_Santa Fe's Partner_, Thomas A. Janvier.

WYOMING

_Red Men and White_; _The Virginian_; _Members of the Family_, Owen Wister.

_Teepee Tales_, Grace Coolidge.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

_Caybigan_, James N. Hopper.

NOTES AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

THE RIGHT PROMETHEAN FIRE

In Greek mythology, the work of creating living things was entrusted to two of the G.o.ds, Epimetheus and Prometheus. Epimetheus gave to the different animals various powers, to the lion strength, to the bird swiftness, to the fox sagacity, and so on until all the good gifts had been bestowed, and there was nothing left for man. Then Prometheus ascended to heaven and brought down fire, as his gift to man. With this, man could protect himself, could forge iron to make weapons, and so in time develop the arts of civilization. In this story the "Promethean Fire" of love is the means of giving little Emmy Lou her first lesson in reading.

1. A test that may be applied to any story is, Does it read as if it were true? Would the persons in the story do the things they are represented as doing? Test the acts of Billy Traver in this way, and see if they are probable.

2. In writing stories about children, a writer must have the power to present life as a child sees it. Point out places in this story where school life is described as it appears to a new pupil.

3. One thing we ought to gain from our reading is a larger vocabulary. In this story there are a number of words worth adding to our stock. Define these exactly: inquisitorial; lachrymose; laconic; surrept.i.tious; contumely.

Get the habit of looking up new words and writing down their meanings.

4. Can you write a story about a school experience?

5. Other books containing stories of school life are:

_Little Aliens_, Myra Kelly; _May Iverson Tackles Life_, Elizabeth Jordan; _Ten to Seventeen_, Josephine Daskam Bacon; _Closed Doors_, Margaret P. Montague. Read a story from one of these books, and compare it with this story.

THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE

Central Park, New York, covers an era of more than eight hundred acres, with a zoo and several small lakes. On one of the lakes there are large boats with a huge wooden swan on each side. Richard Harding Davis located one of his stories here: See "Van Bibber and the Swan Boats,"

in the volume called _Van Bibber and Others_.

1. How is this story like the preceding one? What difference in the characters? What difference in their homes?

2. How does Myra Kelly make you feel sympathy for the little folks?

In what ways have their lives been less fortunate than the lives of children in your town?

3. What is peculiar about the talk of these children? Do they all speak the same dialect? Many of the children of the East Side never hear English spoken at home.

4. What touches of humor are there in this story?

5. What new words do you find? Define garrulous, pedagogically, cicerone.

6. Where did Miss Kelly get her materials for this story? See the life on page 37.

7. What other stories by this author have you read? This is from _Little Citizens_; other books telling about the same characters are _Little Aliens_, and _Wards of Liberty_.

8. Other books of short stories dealing with children are: _Whilomville Stories_, by Stephen Crane; _The Golden Age_, by Kenneth Grahame; _The Madness of Philip_, by Josephine Daskam Bacon; _The King of Boyville_, by William Allen White; _New Chronicles of Rebecca_, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Read one of these, and compare it with Myra Kelly's story.

THE TENOR

1. Point out the humorous touches in this story.

2. Is the story probable? To answer this, consider two points: would Louise have undertaken such a thing as answering the advertis.e.m.e.nt? and would she have had the spirit to act as she did at the close? Note the touches of description and characterization of Louise, and show how they prepare for the events that follow.

3. One of the most effective devices in art is the use of contrast; that is, bringing together two things or persons or ideas that are very different, perhaps the exact opposite of each other. Show that the main effect of this story depends on the use of contrast.

4. Read the paragraph on page 43 beginning, "It happened to be a French tenor." Give in your own words the thought of this paragraph. Is it true? Can you give examples of it?

5. Compare the length of this story with that of others in the book. Which authors get their effects in a small compa.s.s? Could any parts of this story be omitted?

6. Other stories by H. C. Bunner that you will enjoy are "The Love Letters of Smith" and "A Sisterly Scheme" in _Short Sixes_.

THE Pa.s.sING OF PRISCILLA WINTHROP

1. Does the t.i.tle fit the story well? Why?

2. Notice the familiar, almost conversational style. Is it suited to the story? Why?

3. Show how the opening paragraph introduces the main idea of the story.

4. To make a story there must be a conflict of some sort. What is the conflict here?

5. How does the account of Julia Neal's career as a teacher (page 64) prepare for the ending of the story?