THE WEATHER IN THIS BOOK.

No weather will be found in this book. This is an attempt to pull a book

through without weather. It being the first attempt of the kind in

fictitious literature, it may prove a failure, but it seemed worth the

while of some dare-devil person to try it, and the author was in just the

mood.

Many a reader who wanted to read a tale through was not able to do it

because of delays on account of the weather. Nothing breaks up an

author's progress like having to stop every few pages to fuss-up the

weather. Thus it is plain that persistent intrusions of weather are bad

for both reader and author.

Of course weather is necessary to a narrative of human experience.

That is conceded. But it ought to be put where it will not be in the

way; where it will not interrupt the flow of the narrative. And it ought

to be the ablest weather that can be had, not ignorant, poor-quality,

amateur weather. Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand

can turn out a good article of it. The present author can do only a few

trifling ordinary kinds of weather, and he cannot do those very good.

So it has seemed wisest to borrow such weather as is necessary for the

book from qualified and recognized experts--giving credit, of course.

This weather will be found over in the back part of the book, out of the

way. See Appendix. The reader is requested to turn over and help

himself from time to time as he goes along.

The American Claimant