beforehand that it is not a novel: it has neither the structure nor
the purpose of The Novel.

It is a story. There are two characters--a middle-aged married couple
living in a plain farmhouse; one point on the field of human nature is
located; at that point one subject is treated; in the treatment one
movement is directed toward one climax; no external event whatsoever
is introduced; and the time is about forty hours.

A second story of equal length, laid in the same house, is expected to
appear within a twelvemonth. The same father and mother are
characters, and the family friend the country doctor; but
subordinately all. The main story concerns itself with the four
children of the two households.

It is an American children's story:

"A Brood of The Eagle."

During the year a third work, not fiction, will be published,
entitled:

"The Christmas Tree: An Interpretation."

The three works will serve to complete each other, and they complete a
cycle of the theme.



CONTENTS