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_We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's evening. Some of us let those great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them, nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the suns.h.i.+ne and light which come always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true._
The President finished. For a moment he stood looking down at the faces turned up to him, and Big Ivan of the Bridge thought that the President smiled at him. Ivan seized Anna's hand and held it tight.
"He knew of my Dream!" he cried. "He knew of it. Did you hear what he said about the dreams of a spring day?"
"Of course he knew," said Anna. "He is the wisest man in America, where there are many wise men. Ivan, you are a citizen now."
"And you are a citizen, Anna."
The band started to play "My Country, 'tis of Thee," and Ivan and Anna got to their feet. Standing side by side, holding hands, they joined in with the others who had found after long days of journeying the blessed land where dreams come true.
JAMES FRANCIS DWYER
Mr. Dwyer is an American by adoption, an Australian by birth. He was born in Camden, New South Wales, April 22, 1874; and received his education in the public schools there. He entered newspaper work, and in the capacity of a correspondent for Australian papers traveled extensively in Australia and in the South Seas, from 1898 to 1906. In 1906 he made a tour through South Africa, and at the conclusion of this went to England. He came to America in 1907, and since that time has made his home in New York City. He has been a frequent contributor to _Collier's_, _Harper's Weekly_, _The American Magazine_, _The Ladies'
Home Journal_, and other periodicals. He has published five books, nearly all dealing with the strange life of the far East. His first book, _The White Waterfall_, published in 1912, has its scene in the South Sea Islands. A California scientist, interested in ancient Polynesian skulls, goes to the South Seas to investigate his favorite subject, accompanied by his two daughters. The amazing adventures they meet there make a very interesting story. _The Spotted Panther_ is a story of adventure in Borneo. Three white men go there in search of a wonderful sword of great antiquity which is in the possession of a tribe of Dyaks, the head-hunters of Borneo. There are some vivid descriptions in the story and plenty of thrills. _The Breath of the Jungle_ is a collection of short stories, the scenes laid in the Malay Peninsula and nearby islands. They describe the strange life of these regions, and show how it reacts in various ways upon white men who live there. _The Green Half Moon_ is a story of mystery and diplomatic intrigue, the scene partly in the Orient, partly in London.
In his later work Mr. Dwyer has taken up American themes. _The Bust of Lincoln_, really a short story, deals with a young man whose proudest possession is a bust of Lincoln that had belonged to his grandfather; the story shows how it influences his life. The story _The Citizen_ had an interesting origin. On May 10, 1915, just after the sinking of the _Lusitania_, President Wilson went to Philadelphia to address a meeting of an unusual kind. Four thousand foreign-born men, who had just become naturalized citizens of our country, were to be welcomed to citizens.h.i.+p by the Mayor of the city, a member of the Cabinet, and the President of the United States. The meeting was held in Convention Hall; more than fifteen thousand people were present, and the event, occurring as it did at a time when every one realized that the loyalty of our people was likely to be soon put to the test, was one of historic importance. Moved by the significance of this event, Mr. Dwyer translated it into literature. His story, "The Citizen," was published in _Collier's_ in November, 1915.
LIST OF AMERICAN SHORT STORIES CLa.s.sIFIED BY LOCALITY
I. THE EAST
NEW ENGLAND
_A New England Nun_; _A Humble Romance_, Mary Wilkins-Freeman.
_Meadow-Gra.s.s_; _The Country Road_, Alice Brown.
_A White Heron_; _The Queen's Twin_, Sarah Orne Jewett.
_Pratt Portraits_; _Later Pratt Portraits_, Anna Fuller.
_The Village Watch Tower_, Kate Douglas Wiggin.
_The Old Home House_, Joseph C. Lincoln.
_Hillsboro People_, Dorothy Canfield.
_Out of Gloucester_; _The Crested Seas_, James B. Connolly.
_Under the Crust_, Thomas Nelson Page.
_Dumb Foxglove_, Annie T. Slosson.
_Huckleberries Gathered From New England Hills_, Rose Terry Cooke.
NEW YORK CITY
_The Four Million_; _The Voice of the City_; _The Trimmed Lamp_, O. Henry.
_Van Bibber and Others_, Richard Harding Davis.
_Doctor Rast_, James Oppenheim.
_Toomey and Others_, Robert Shackleton.
_Vignettes of Manhattan_, Brander Matthews.
_The Imported Bridegroom_, Abraham Cahan.
_Little Citizens_; _Little Aliens_, Myra Kelly.
_The Soul of the Street_, Norman Duncan.
_Wall Street Stories_, Edwin Le Fevre.
_The Optimist_, Susan Faber.
_Every Soul Hath Its Song_, Fannie Hurst.
NEW JERSEY
_Hulgate of Mogador_, Sewell Ford.
_Edgewater People_, Mary Wilkins-Freeman.
PENNSYLVANIA
_Old Chester Tales_; _Doctor Lavender's People_, Margaret Deland.
_Betrothal of Elypholate_, Helen R. Martin.
_The Pa.s.sing of Thomas_, Thomas A. Janvier.
_The Standard Bearers_, Katherine Mayo.
_Six Stars_, Nelson Lloyd.
II. THE SOUTH
ALABAMA
_Alabama Sketches_, Samuel Minturn Peck.
_Polished Ebony_, Octavius R. Cohen.
ARKANSAS
_Otto the Knight_; _Knitters in the Sun_, Octave Thanet.
FLORIDA
_Rodman the Keeper_, Constance F. Woolson.
GEORGIA
_Georgia Scenes_, A. B. Longstreet.
