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  DOMESDAY BOOK

  SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY

  BY EDGAR LEE MASTERS

  SOME PRESS OPINIONS

  "One of the greatest books of the present century."--_Nation._

  "The 'Spoon River Anthology' has certain qualities essential togreatness--originality of conception and treatment, a daring that wouldsoar to the stars, an instant felicity and facility of expression."--C. E.LAWRENCE in _The Daily Chronicle_.

  "Mr. Edgar Lee Masters will become a classic ... so close-packed is thebook's pregnant wit, so outspoken its language, so destructive of cant andpharisaism and the veneer of the proprieties, so piercingly true ininsight."--EDWARD GARNETT in _The Manchester Guardian_.

  "It is a remarkable book and it grips."--_Daily Telegraph._

  "This book is of a quality that will endure.... Mr. Masters has beendaring with the certainty of success."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

  "A quite remarkable volume of verse ... quite masterly."--_Sphere._

  "Its reality, ingenuity, irony, insight, and vision areunique."--_Bookman._

  DOMESDAY BOOK

  BY EDGAR LEE MASTERS AUTHOR OF "SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY," ETC.

  LONDON EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY LIMITED 1921

  COPYRIGHT IN THE U. S. A. BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  TO MY FATHER HARDIN WALLACE MASTERS SPLENDID INDIVIDUAL OF A PASSING SPECIES--AN AMERICAN

  CONTENTS

  PAGE

  DOMESDAY BOOK 1

  THE BIRTH OF ELENOR MURRAY 4

  FINDING OF THE BODY 9

  THE CORONER 13

  HENRY MURRAY 23

  MRS. MURRAY 36

  ALMA BELL TO THE CORONER 50

  GREGORY WENNER 59

  MRS. GREGORY WENNER 71

  DR. TRACE TO THE CORONER 80

  IRMA LEESE 84

  MIRIAM FAY'S LETTER 94

  ARCHIBALD LOWELL 101

  WIDOW FORTELKA 110

  REV. PERCY FERGUSON 118

  DR. BURKE 126

  CHARLES WARREN, THE SHERIFF 138

  THE GOVERNOR 152

  JOHN SCOFIELD 158

  GOTTLIEB GERALD 163

  LILLI ALM 173

  FATHER WHIMSETT 179

  JOHN CAMPBELL AND CARL EATON 188

  AT FAIRBANKS 210

  ANTON SOSNOWSKI 219

  CONSIDER FREELAND 229

  GEORGE JOSLIN ON LA MENKEN 237

  WILL PAGET ON DEMOS AND HOGOS 247

  THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT 254

  JANE FISHER 270

  HENRY BAKER, AT NEW YORK 277

  LOVERIDGE CHASE 286

  AT NICE 289

  THE MAJOR AND ELENOR MURRAY AT NICE 305

  THE CONVENT 312

  BARRETT BAYS 319

  ELENOR MURRAY 356

  THE JURY DELIBERATES 377

  THE VERDICT 395

  DOMESDAY BOOK