Book of the Week #31

The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet. (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1937)

This tale of what happened when the Devil came to collect the soul of Jabez Stone of Cross Corners, New Hampshire and had to argue his case with Daniel Webster appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and won an O. Henry Award in 1938.

"For you'll sit right down at the at table and draw up a document, promising never to bother Jabez Stone nor his heirs or assigns nor any other New Hamshireman till doomsday! For any hades we want to raise in this state, we can raise ourselves, without assistance from strangers!"
(p. 56)