l this is to anticipate.

CHAPTER TWO

_A Town with a History_

Before, during, and after the war, Shady Dale presented always the same
aspect of serene repose. It was, as you may say, a town with a history.
Then, as now, there were towns all about that had no such fortunate
appendage behind them to explain their origin. No one could tell what
they were begun for; no one could say whether they had for their nucleus
an old field or a cross-roads grocery, or whether a party of immigrants
pitched their tents there because the grass was fine and the water
abundant. There is one city in Georgia, and it is the most prosperous of
all, that was built on the idea that the cattle-paths and the old
government roads afford the most convenient and picturesque contours for
the streets; and to this day, the thoroughfares of that city afford a
most interesting study to those who are interested in either topography
or human nature; for it is possible to go to that city, and, with half
an eye, discover the places where the waggons and other vehicles turned
aside nearly a hundred years ago to avoid the mudholes, the fallen
trees, and other temporary obstructions. They have been preserved in the
conformation of the streets.

Shady Dale is no city, and it may be that its public-spirited citizens
stretch the meaning of the term when they call it a town. Nevertheless,
the community has a well-defined history. When Raleigh Clopton, shortly
after the signing of the treaty of peace between the United States and
Great Britain, crossed the Oconee, and settled on the lands of the
hostile Creeks, his friends declared that he was tempting Providence;
and so it seemed; but the event proved that from first to last, his
adventure was under the direct guidance of Providence. He demonstrated
anew the truth of two ancient maxims: he who risks nothing, gains
nothing; heaven helps those who help themselves. Raleigh Clopton risked
everything and gained the most beautiful domain in all the land. He had,
indeed, one stormy interview with General McGillivray, the great Creek
chief and statesman, but after that all was peace and prosperity.

General McGillivray was one of the most remarkable men of his time, and
his time was during an era of remarkable men. He possessed a genius that
enabled him to cope successfully with the ablest statesmen of his day.
He drew Washington into a secret treaty with the Creek Nation, and when
McGillivray died, the Fath