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

HOWARD PYLE: A CHRONICLE
carpets of the room were of silk and satin interwoven in
beautiful patterns with threads of gold and silver, and the
walls of the room were of moss agate and the windowpanes
of diamonds, so that it was as fine a room as you'ever saw
in your little lives.
"Then in the middle of the room was a table of ebony
and gold, studded all over with pearls and sapphires and
rubies and what not and 1 wish that I had one like it.
"Then on the table was a golden casket which I would
describe like the rest, only that my gold and jewels have
given out!
"And in the casket was the King and nobody had ever
seen him. 'He is the greatest and noblest king in all the
world!' said the people of Nowhere; but you know as
well as I do why they said that. You do not? Why, I
have just told you-it was because they had never seen him.
"Well, one day a stranger came traveling into that land.
" 'But what is your King like?'I said he.
"'We don't know,' said the people of Nowhere, 'we never
saw him.'
"'I don't believe there is a king,' said the stranger.
"'Oh yes there is,' said the people of Nowhere, 'for yonder is his palace and you can see it with one eye shut.'
"11'Yes,' said the stranger, 'that's all very well but there's
many a nutshell without a kernel,' and then the stranger
showed that he had more sense than he appeared to have.
"The people of Nowhere were more silly than we are
hereabouts, so that a few words like those that the stranger
dropped were enough to set their heads a-buzzing. No,
nothing would do them now but to see that same King of
theirs; for it would be a pity if they should not be able
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