Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

"MA GIG CASEMENTS"
"January 18, 1888.
"My Dear Mrs. Dickinson:
"A long while ago-.March of last year-you wrote me
a letter asking me for my photograph and autogyraph. My
neglect to answer immediately arose not from indifference
toward your request but because I had had no photograph
taken for so long a time that I felt a reluctance toward
having myself projected upon material cardboard, fearing
the result. At last, however, I have had it done and such
as it is I send it to you. I 'imagine to myself the little
ones looking at it in far away Wisconsin. 'What! they
cry, 'is that Howard Pyle? Why, he is bald! He is gray!
and-yes-if one looks closely enough one finds lines at
the corners of his eyes that the photographer has forgotten
to obliterate with his pencil!'I
"My dears, your mother would have me send you my
photograph. I cannot help being as I am. Listen and I'll
tell you a fable:
"Once upon a time in a country far away over the seas
and mountains in the further borders of Nowhere, where
little pigs run around ready roasted and apple pies grow in
the trees and turkeys run around with cruets of oyster
sauce on their backs and all the pebbles are marbles and
candies can be had for the asking (and it's a fine country
I can tell you) there lived a people who had all that they
wanted provided they didn't want too much.
"Now, nobody had ever seen the king of that country
and this was why:
"First of all there was a grand and beautiful castle as
big as I am and all made of gold and silver.
"Then there was a room inside of the castle and the
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