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
I repine? My pride tells me 'no,' so I dismissed the, young
lady for the present by putting her in the portfolio in disgrace, and, having in the meantime received a note from
Mrs. Dodge accepting all my fables but the 'Unwise Hen'
and the 'King's Prime Ministers,' I went to work designing
some illustrations.
"Mrs. Dodge especially requested me to design but one
of them, but, so far from following her injunctions, I made
a design of the discontented philosopher (as good a design
as I have made lately) and two for the Bat, knowing my
chance of having them accepted. I also wrote another fable
to make up the half dozen in a budget; and struck in it a
truer and broader sin of human nature than I have heretofore done, I think. A starving crow begs admission to
a pigeon cote in the winter time and through compassion
is admitted. The next year he brings three friends and
coolly requests to have them quartered for the coming cold
weather also. The next year he brings a whole flock and,
turning the poor pigeons out, they take possession themselves. What one asks as a favor in the beginning is only
too apt to be demanded as a right in the end.. 0.)
"November 24, 18 76.
"I took down my fable and illustrations to Mrs. Dodge
yesterday morning, and, as I hoped, all the designs were
accepted; she was very much pleased with the last fable.
She gave me two designs to write for;i one of them, two
little birds fighting, is an illustration I think thee once wrote
an accompanying story for to the Little Messenger. The
other is a couple of nondescript birds of the stork species
running a race. At present my ideas are in rather a chaotic
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