born, a
thin tentacle from the central mass of strands reached out and fastened
itself upon him, dragging out his desire year by year until the strand
was thick and strong and woven in securely among the old scaly ones.

The folk who lived at the mills had hardly anything to do with the Life
of Five Points. They were merely the dynamo that kept the Life alive.
They were busied down in the woods making the money for the men who made
the town. They came to town only on Saturday nights. They bought a
flannel shirt and provisions at the Company store, a bag of candy at
Andy's for the hotel and then went back to have their weekly orgy in
their own familiar surroundings. They had little effect on the Life of
the town. That was contained almost entirely within the five points
where the road met the forest.

* * * * *

The Life of Five Points had one fearful enemy. Its home was in the black
forest. Without any warning it was likely to break out upon the town,
its long red tongues leaping out, striving to lick everything into its
red gullet. It was a thirsty animal. If one gave it enough water, it
went back into its lair. Five Points had only drilled wells in back
yards. The nearest big stream was a mile away.

Twice already during the existence of the Life the enemy had started
forth from its lair. The first time was not long after the town had
started and the pattern of Life was hardly more than indicated in the
loosely woven threads.

Down in the forest the people saw a long red tongue leaping. With brooms
and staves they ran to meet it far from their dwellings, beating it with
fury. As they felt the heat of its breath in their faces, they thought
of ministers' words in past sermons. Young desires and aspirations long
dormant began to throb into being. They prayed for safety. They promised
to give up their sins. They determined to be hard on themselves in the
performance of daily duties. The Life suspended above them untwisted its
loosely gathered in strands, the strands shone with a golden light and
entwined again in soft forms.

With death-dealing blows they laid the enemy black and broken about
Grant's Mills, a mile away, and then went back to their homes telling
each other how brave they had been. Pride swelled up their hearts. They
boasted that they could take care of themselves. Old habits slipped back
upon their aspirations and crushed them again into hidden corners. Life
gather