1918. With frontispiece. Allen was born on a farm near Lexington, Kentucky. As a young boy, he lived the life of the Southern ante-bellum gentry, but by the time he was a teenager the Civil War and Reconstruction had ushered in a new era for both himself and his family. Later, he moved to New York City to pursue writing full time. Many of his works reflect Kentucky themes. The book begins: Webster, along with thousands of other lusty forward-looking Kentucky children, went to the crowded public schools. There every morning against his will but with the connivance of his parents he was made a prisoner, as it seemed to him, and for long hours held as such while many things disagreeable or unnecessary, some by one teacher and some by another, were forced into his head. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.