s country, a reader of, and thinker upon, the records of the
past, having seen history in its making, and, as it were, in the very
furnace and crucibles of war, having traversed the globe along the
line of its highest civilizations, having watched at the cradle of our
own nobler empire in the great West, Carleton determined to write for
the young people of this nation the story of liberty, and of liberty's
highest expression, "The American People and Their Government."

It was not a sudden impulse that came to him, it was no accident, but
the result of a deliberate purpose. Opportunity and leisure now made
the way perfectly clear. He had long been of the opinion that the
events of history might be presented vividly to the youthful mind in
a series of pictures. He would portray the experiences of individuals
whom the reader has been led to regard as persons, and not merely
parts of an army, a church, and a government. He believed this was a
better method, with young readers at least, than that usually followed
by the majority of writers of history. To form his style, he read and
re-read the very best English authors. He studied Burke especially,
and ascribed to him the strongest single literary influence he had
known. Years afterwards, when (like the swords of the Japanese
steel-smiths, Muramasa and Sanemori, which never would rest quietly in
their scabbards, but always kept flying out) Carleton's books were
nearly always usefully absent from the shelves, the librarian at
Dover, New Hampshire, in surprise made criticism to his face of
Carleton's own statement about Burke. She remarked to him that she had
not thought of Burke as a model for a person intending to write
fiction,--referring, doubtless, to "Winning His Way," and "Caleb
Krinkle."

Carleton replied that the strong, fine style of the British author
gave him the best possible lesson in presenting a subject. "Whether
writing fiction or fact, if the author wished to make and retain an
impression on the mind of his reader, let him study Burke." At a
particular time, as the chief librarian of a large public library told
him, Carleton's books were more largely read than those of any living
writer in the world.

"Caleb Krinkle" is a story of American life in which the characters,
the habits of thought, and the rich details of daily routine are given
with minuteness, accuracy of observation, and genuine sympathy. The
landscape is that of New Hampshire, but the outloo