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

THE CRUCIBLE OF NEW YORK
in regard to my other manuscript. It was very kind in him
to offer to criticize it, which he did with great frankness.
His criticism was much the same as theirs. He said that
the characters were very well sketched and that it was
written in a lively manner, but that the characters were
commonplace and the conversation had nothing distinguished
about it, but was j ust such as anyone would use. He said
he would be very happy to examine any others of mine
that I might desire to submit to him and was quite interested
in reading this...
"November 20, 1876.
"It rained all day yesterday, and I, accordingly, stayed in
my room, reading; having Hume's History of England on
hand, I have waded so far successfully through the early
Britons, the Saxons, the Danes, and the Normans up to
the time of Stephen.. 0 0.
"November 21, 1876.
"It rained in a most dismal manner all day yesterday
and I remained at home working on the 'Queen Mab'
picture. I was not at all satisfied with the result and accordingly commenced another which seems to be coming up
infinitely better. I try to remember my own fable, id est,
'Hasty completion spoils a work.'...
"Miss Smith, making an engagement to go out riding
next Friday morning with a lady friend, very kindly extended the invitation to me. The horse, she said, was not
a very good hack, but he would go. I must say that I am
rather alarmed at the prospect, when the animal is so
ambiguously spoken of. Suppose he is one of those incarnate devils one hears of constantly, or a 'bucker,' a
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