
THE STORY OF A COUNTRY TOWN.
PREFACE.
THE STORY OF A COUNTRY TOWN. - CHAPTER I. FAIRVIEW.
CHAPTER II. THE HELL QUESTION, AND THE REV. JOHN WESTLOCK.
CHAPTER III. THE HOUSE OF ERRING.
CHAPTER IV. THE RELIGION OF FAIRVIEW
CHAPTER V. THE SCHOOL IN THE CHURCH.
CHAPTER VI. DAMON BARKER.
CHAPTER VII. A NEW DISPENSATION.
CHAPTER VIII. THE SMOKY HILL SECRET.
In the quiet hours after a long day at the press, a tired editor turns his ink to the story of a small prairie town. He paints vivid snapshots of its streets, the clatter of the midnight bell, and the gentle rhythms that shape daily life. The narrative feels like a personal diary, where every name—Jo Erring, Damon Barker, Agnes Deming—tells a larger truth about hope and hardship.
Through modest humor and quiet melancholy, the book explores the bonds that tether neighbors together and the solitary doubts of its author‑narrator. Readers hear the rustle of wheat fields, the chatter of the local jail, and the whispered legends that hover over Twin Mounds. It’s an intimate portrait of a community that feels both specific to the late‑nineteenth‑century Midwest and oddly timeless.
Language
en
Duration
~12 hours (716K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive)
Release date
Dec 7, 2014
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1853–1937
Best known for a sharp, plainspoken voice, this Midwestern editor and novelist turned small-town life and everyday opinions into witty, memorable writing. His work moved between fiction, journalism, and aphorisms, giving him a distinctive place in American letters.
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