Produced by Kevin Handy, Dave Maddock, and Distributed Proofreaders THE BRIDE OF THE MISTLETOE By James Lane Allen Author Of “Flute And Violin,” “A Kentucky Cardinal,” “Aftermath,” Etc. TO ONE WHO KNOWS Je crois que pour produire il ne faut pas trop raissoner. Mais il faut regarder beaucoup et songer à ce qu’on a vu. Voir: tout est là, et voir juste. J’entends, par voir juste, voir avec ses propres yeux et non avec ceux des maîtres. L’originalité d’un artiste s’indique d’abord dans les petites choses et non dans les grandes. Il faut trouver aux choses une signification qui n’a pas encore découverte et tâcher de l’exprimer d’une façon personelle. --GUY DE MAUPASSANT. PREFACE Any one about to read this work of fiction might properly be apprised beforehand that it is not a novel: it has neither the structure nor the purpose of The Novel. It is a story. There are two characters--a middle-aged married couple living in a plain farmhouse; one point on the field of human nature is located; at that point one subject is treated; in the treatment one movement is directed toward one climax; no external event whatsoever is introduced; and the time is about forty hours. A second story of equal length, laid in the same house, is expected to appear within a twelvemonth. The same father and mother are characters, and the family friend the country doctor; but subordinately all. The main story concerns itself with the four children of the two households. It is an American children’s story: “A Brood of The Eagle.” During the year a third work, not fiction, will be published, entitled: “The Christmas Tree: An Interpretation.” The three works will serve to complete each other, and they complete a cycle of the theme. CONTENTS EARTH SHIELD AND EARTH FESTIVAL I. THE MAN AND THE SECRET II. THE TREE AND THE SUNSET III. THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES IV. THE WANDERING TALE V. THE ROOM OF THE SILENCES VI. THE WHITE DAWN EARTH SHIELD AND EARTH FESTIVAL A mighty table-land lies southward in a hardy region of our country. It has the form of a colossal Shield, lacking and broken in some of its outlines and rough and rude of make. Nature forged it for some crisis in her long warfare of time and change, made use of it, and so left it lying as one of her ancient battle-pieces--Kentucky.