THE "GENIUS"

The Genius
By Theodore Dreiser

Chapter 1
This story has its beginnings in the town of Alexandria, Illinois, between
1884 and 1889, at the time when the place had a population of somewhere
near ten thousand. There was about it just enough of the air of a
city to relieve it of the sense of rural life. It had one street-car line, a
theatre,—or rather, an opera house, so-called (why no one might say, for
no opera was ever performed there)—two railroads, with their stations,
and a business district, composed of four brisk sides to a public square.
In the square were the county court-house and four newspapers. These
two morning and two evening papers made the population fairly aware
of the fact that life was full of issues, local and national, and that there
were many interesting and varied things to do. On the edge of town, several
lakes and a pretty stream—perhaps Alexandria's most pleasant feature—
gave it an atmosphere not unakin to that of a moderate-priced
summer resort. Architecturally the town was not new. It was mostly
built of wood, as all American towns were at this time, but laid out prettily
in some sections, with houses that sat back in great yards, far from
the streets, with flower beds, brick walks, and green trees as concomitants
of a comfortable home life. Alexandria was a city of young Americans.
Its spirit was young. Life was all before almost everybody. It was
really good to be alive.

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