[July, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
1873.] 
EDWARD EGGLESTON’S THIRD GREAT 
AMERICAN STORY. 
The Mystery of MetropolisviUe. 
By EDWARD EGGLESTON, Author of “ The Hoosier School-Master," “ The End of the World," etc. 
FINELY ILLUSTRATED. 
A COLLISION. 
Westcott bad been drinking all of one night 
with some old cronies of the Elysian Club, and his 
merry time of the night was subsiding into a quar¬ 
relsome time in the morning. He was able, when 
he was sober, to smother his resentment towards 
Albert, for there is no better ambush than an en¬ 
tirely idiotic giggle. But drink had destroyed his 
prudence. And so 
when Albert stepped 
on the piazza of the 
hotel where Westcott 
stood rattling his 
pocketful of silver 
change and his keys 
for the amusement of 
the bystanders, as 
was his wont, the lat¬ 
ter put himself in 
Charlton’s way, and 
said, in a dreary, half- 
drunk style : 
“ Mornin’, Mr. 
Hedgehog! By 
George! he! he! he! 
How’s the purty little 
girl? My little girl. 
Don’t j’ou wish she 
wasn’t ? Hard feller, 
I am. Any gal’s a fool 
to marry me, I s’pose. 
Katy’s a fool. That’s 
just what I want, by 
George ! he ! he! he ! 
I want a purty fool. 
And she’s purty, and 
she’s — the other 
thing. What are you 
goin’ to do about it ? He! he! he!” 
“I’m going to knock you down,” said Albert, 
“ if you say another word about her.” 
“ A’n’t she mine? You can’t help it, either. 
He! he ! The purty little goose loves Smith West¬ 
cott like lots of other purty little-” 
Before he could finish the sentence Charlton had 
struck him one savage blow full in the face, and 
sent him staggering back against the side of the 
house, but he saved himself from falling by seizing 
the window-frame, and immediately drew his Der¬ 
inger. Charlton, who was not very strong, but 
who lmd a quick, lightning-like activity, knocked 
him down, seized his pistol, and threw it into the 
street. This time Charlton fell on him in a thor¬ 
oughly murderous mood, and would perhaps have 
beaten and choked him to death in the frenzy of 
his long pent-up passion, for notwithstanding 
Westcott’s struggles Albert had the advantage. 
He was sober, active, and angry enough to be ruth¬ 
less. Westcott’s friends interfered, but that lively 
gentleman’s eyes and nose were sadly disfigured by 
the pummeling he had received, and Charlton was 
badly scratched and bruised. 
Whatever hesitancy had kept Albert from talking 
to Katy about Smith Westcott was all gone now, 
and he went home to denounce him bitterly. One 
may be sure that the muddled remarks of Mr. 
Westcott about Katy—of which even he had grace 
to be a little ashamed when he was sober—were 
not softeued in the repetition which Albert gave 
them at home. Even Mrs. Plausaby forgot her 
attire long enough to express her indignation, and 
as for Miss Marlay, she combined with Albert iu a 
bayonet-charge on poor Katy. 
Plausaby had always made it a rule not to fight a 
current. Wait till the tide turns, he used to say, 
and row with the stream when it flows your way. 
So now he, too, denounced Westcott, and Katy was 
fairly borne off her feet fora while by the influences 
about her. In truth, Katy was not without her own 
private and personal indignation against Westcott. 
Not because he had spoken of her as a fool. That 
hurt her feelings, but did not anger her much. She 
was not in the habit of getting angry on her own 
account. But when she saw three frightful scratches 
and a black bruise on the face of Brother Albert, 
she could not help thinking that Smith had acted 
badly. And then to draw a pistol, too! To threat¬ 
en to kill her own dear, dear brother! She 
couldn’t ever forgive him, she said. If she had 
seen the much more serious damage which poor, 
dear, dear Smith had suffered at the tender hands 
of her dear, dear brother, I doubt not she would 
have had an equally strong indignation against Al¬ 
bert .—From u The Mystery of MetropolUsyille:” 
NOTICES BY THE PKESS. 
The Mystery of MetropolisviUe, like its predecessors, is 
unapproachable as a transcript of certain phases of 
Western American life. It is wonderfully graphic, in¬ 
tensely vivid, and thoroughly human.— Sunday-School 
Times. 
As a literary work it is admirable. The illustration® 
are very expressive.— Chicago Evening Journal. 
Iu design and in execution the work is in harmony 
with the highest forms of purity and nobleness in char¬ 
acter, and in its moral tendency promotive of them.— 
College Courant. 
This, his (the author’s) most ambitious work, is iu many 
respects the best of all .—Palladium, Worcester, Mass. 
The tragic elements of life are not absent from this 
picture, and they are 
touched with a firm and 
gentle hand. Like all 
of Mr. Eggleston’s stor¬ 
ies, it is pervaded by a 
deep religious feeling. 
— JY. Y. Independent. 
If by “the American 
novel” we mean one 
which portrays graphi¬ 
cally those features of 
American life which are 
distinctly American in 
that they are developed 
nowhere else — which 
catches up the expres¬ 
sion and reflects the 
character of the ideal 
and unexaggerated Am¬ 
erican man and woman 
—then we may as well 
give over seeking for it. 
for it has come, and 
Edward Eggleston is 
its author. . . . Truth¬ 
ful characterization, a. 
ready humor, a graphic- 
style, and a skillful use 
of the Hoosier dialect 
combine to make The 
Mystery of Metropolis- 
ville a vivid picture of 
the times and scenes 
with* which it has to do. We award Mr. Eggleston the 
palm as the most characteristically American writer of 
the day.— Boston Journal. 
The story is told with much spirit.— Pittsburgh Leader, 
It is a good story, told with vim and naturalness. — 
Daily Commercial, Wilmington, Del. 
The plot of the story is very simple, but the happy 
faculty the author possesses in delineating border life is 
used to capital effect.— Weekly Advertiser, Portland, Me. 
It is finished better than either of the former ones 
(“Hoosier School -Master ” and “End of the World”), 
and has less of the preacher and more of the novelist 
in it.—Springfield Republican. 
It is a very bright and readable book. — Liberal Chris¬ 
tian, New York. 
The tendency of the book will be to make a brave, 
true life honorable, and to make idleness, hypocrisy, and 
irreligion odious.— Methodist llecorder, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
All the characteristics of Western life are well illus¬ 
trated in this racy volume — the rough and the smooth, 
the coarse and the fine.— State Republican, Lansing, Mich. 
He (the author) particularly excels in treating of certain 
phases of American manners, and this is the main task 
which lie wisely places before himself— Daily Palladium, 
New Haven. 
Price, Post-paid, $1.50. 
“one savage blow full in the face.” 
ORANGE .JUDD AND COMPANY, 2Y5 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 
