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THE RIVET IN GRANDFATHER'S NECK

A Comedy of Limitations

BY
JAMES BRANCH CABELL

"To this new South, who values her high past in chief, as fitfoundation of that edifice whereon she labors day by day, and withaugmenting strokes."

1915

TO

PRISCILLA BRADLEY CABELL

  "Nightly I mark and praise, or great or small,
  Such stars as proudly struggle one by one
  To heaven's highest place, as Procyon,
  Antarês, Naös, Tejat and Nibal
  Attain supremacy, and proudly fall,
  Still glorious, and glitter, and are gone
  So very soon;—whilst steadfast and alone
  Polaris gleams, and is not changed at all.

  "Daily I find some gallant dream that ranges
  The heights of heaven; and as others do,
  I serve my dream until my dream estranges
  Its errant bondage, and I note anew
  That nothing dims, nor shakes, nor mars, nor changes,
  Fond faith in you and in my love of you."

CONTENTS

PART ONE - PROPINQUITY

PART TWO - RENASCENCE
PART THREE - TERTIUS
PART FOUR - APPRECIATION
PART FIVE - SOUVENIR
PART SIX - BYWAYS
PART SEVEN - YOKED
PART EIGHT - HARVEST
PART NINE - RELICS
PART TEN - IMPRIMIS

In the middle of the cupboard door was the carved figure of a man….He had goat's legs, little horns on his head, and a long beard; thechildren in the room called him, "Major-General-field-sergeant-commander-Billy-goat's-legs" … He was always looking at thetable under the looking-glass where stood a very pretty littleshepherdess made of china…. Close by her side stood a littlechimney-sweep, as black as coal and also made of china…. Nearto them stood another figure…. He was an old Chinaman who could nodhis head, and used to pretend he was the grandfather of the shepherdess,although he could not prove it. He, however, assumed authority over her,and therefore when "Major-general-field-sergeant-commander-Billy-goat's-legs" asked for the little shepherdess to be his wife, he nodded his headto show that he consented.

Then the little shepherdess cried, and looked at her sweetheart, thechimney-sweep. "I must entreat you," said she, "to go out with me intothe wide world, for we cannot stay here." … When the chimney-sweep sawthat she was quite firm, he said, "My way is through the stove up thechimney." … So at last they reached the top of the chimney…. The skywith all its stars was over their heads…. They could see for a verylong distance out into the wide world, and the poor little shepherdessleaned her head on her chimney-sweep's shoulder and wept. "This is toomuch," she said, "the world is too large." … And so with a great dealof trouble they climbed down the chimney and peeped out…. There laythe old Chinaman on the floor … broken into three pieces…. "This isterrible," said the shepherdess. "He can be riveted," said thechimney-sweep…. The family had the Chinaman's back mended and a strongrivet put through his neck; he looked as good as new, but when"Major-General-field-sergeant-commander-Billy-goat's-legs" again askedfor the shepherdess to be his wife, the old Chinaman could no longer nodhis head.

And so the l

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