But it was the Corinth of the
newer railroad days that made this monument of cast-iron; and under the
cast-iron, life-sized, portrait figure of the dead statesman, this newer
Corinth placed in cast-iron letters a quotation from one of his famous
speeches upon an issue of his day.
The Doctor argues in language most vigorous that the broken sidewalks,
the permitted insolence of the railroad, the presence and power of that
Spirit, the Ally, and many other things and conditions in Corinth, with
the lack of as many other things and conditions, are all due to the
influence of what he calls "that hideous, cast-iron monstrosity." By
this it will be seen that the Doctor is something of a philosopher.
The monument stands on the corner where Holmes Street ends in Strong
Avenue. On the opposite corner the Doctor lives with Martha, his wife.
It is a modest home for there are no children and the Doctor is not rich.
The house is white with old-fashioned green shutters, and over the porch
climbs a mass of vines. The steps are worn very thin and the ends of the
floor-boards are rotted badly by the moisture of the growing vines. But
the Doctor says he'll "be damned" if he'll pull down such a fine old vine
to put in new boards, and that those will last anyway longer than either
he or Martha. By this it will be seen that the Doctor is something of a
poet.
On the rear of the lot is the wood-shed and stable; and on the east,
along the fence in front, and down the Holmes Street side, are the
Doctor's roses--the admiration and despair of every flower-growing
housewife in town.
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