The Black Swans 



But we are forgetting Blue Island 

 in our contemplation of Pike County's 

 tragedy. An island used to be denned 

 in my old school geography as a body 

 of land entirely surrounded by water. 

 The only water in or about Blue Island 

 is that which flows through big iron 

 mains beneath the pavements, and 

 along the bed of a creek called the 

 Little Calumet, soon to be utilized as 

 a part of a big drainage ditch. While 

 near the great city it is not the con- 

 ventional suburb at all. On the con- 

 trary, it has a past of its own; an 

 existence and individuality of its own 

 and certain institutions of its own to 

 which its inhabitants and those of the 

 country tributary to it cling with the 

 traditional tenacity and conservatism 

 of people of their race — old country- 

 men mainly of German peasant deriva- 

 tion. For instance, at stated intervals, 

 by and with the consent and co-opera- 

 tion of the town authorities,' a genuine 

 old country street fair is held, upon 



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