PREFACE 13 



Scott Hobart, and in the evening of a great 

 day, as grandmother and "Aunt Frank" 

 Coohdge sat rocking and visiting on the 

 back porch, I got their permission to go on to 

 the sidewalk some distance from their big 

 house. I remember I was all dressed up with 

 new little boots that had copper toes. I fol- 

 lowed the sidewalk to the old covered bridge 

 and finally ventured through it, and there saw 

 a great city for once without grandmother 

 holding me. I was in a trance of delight 

 watching it, when a big handsome man, named 

 Marshall Dudley, came up to me and in a bass 

 voice, said: "Are you so and so." I said, 

 "yes." "What then are you doing in Silver- 

 ton alone? You get back to Aunt Frank 

 Coolidge's as hard as vou can run." I did 

 and found to my horror that I had bumped 

 a copper toe ofip one of my new boots some- 

 where enroute. 



From that moment Silverton has always 

 been to me the greatest city in the world. I 

 saw in it that evening a dignity, possibly 

 radiating from the giant oak tree, that no other 

 place ever could have. Its people were so 

 kind, its stores filled with such good things, 



