The Calling of Dan Matthews

"And because the town of this story is what it is, there came to dwell in it a Spirit-astrange, mysterious power-playful, vicious, deadly; a Something to be at once feared andcourted; to be denied-yet confessed in the denial; a deadly enemy, a welcome friend, anall-powerful Ally."This story began in the Ozark Mountains. It follows the trail that is nobody knows how old.But mostly this story happened in Corinth, a town of the middle class in a Middle Westernstate.There is nothing peculiar about Corinth. The story might have happened just as well in anyother place, for the only distinguishing feature about this town is its utter lack of anydistinguishing feature whatever. In all the essential elements of its life, so far as this storygoes, Corinth is exactly like every other village, town or city in the land. This, indeed, is whythe story happened in this particular place.Years ago, when the railroad first climbed the backbone of the Ozarks, it found Corinthalready located on the summit. Even before the war, this county-seat town was a place ofno little importance, and many a good tale might be told of those exciting days when thewoods were full of guerrillas and bushwhackers, and the village was raided first by oneside, then by the other. Many a good tale is told, indeed; for the fathers and mothers ofCorinth love to talk of the war times, and to point out in Old Town the bullet-markedbuildings and the scenes of many thrilling events.But the sons and daughters of the passing generation, with their sons and daughters, likebetter to talk of the great things that are going to be-when the proposed shoe-factorycomes, the talked-of mills are established, the dreamed-of electric line is built out from thecity, or the Capitalist from Somewhere-else arrives to invest in vacant lots, thereon to buildnew hotels and business blocks.The Doctor says that in the whole history of Corinth there are only two events. The firstwas the coming of the railroad; the second was the death of the Doctor's good friend, theStatesman.5The railroad did not actually enter Corinth. It stopped at the front gate. But with JudgeStrong's assistance the fathers and mothers recognized their "golden opportunity" and tookthe step which the eloquent Judge assured them would result in a "glorious future." Theyleft the beautiful, well-drained site chosen by those who cleared the wilderness, andstretched themselves out along the mud-flat on either side of the sacred right-of-way-thatsame mud-flat being, incidentally, the property of the patriotic Judge.