Before, during, and after the war, Shady Dale presented always the same aspect of serene¹ repose². It was, as you may say, a town with a history. Then, as now, there were towns all about that had no such fortunate appendage³ behind them to explain their origin. No one could tell what they were begun for; no one could say whether they had for their nucleus⁴ an old field or a cross-roads grocery, or whether a party of immigrants pitched their tents there because the grass was fine and the water abundant. There is one city in Georgia, and it is the most prosperous of all, that was built on the idea that the cattle-paths and the old government roads afford the most convenient and picturesque⁵ contours for the streets; and to this day, the thoroughfares of that city afford a most interesting study to those who are interested in either topography or human nature; for it is possible to go to that city, and, with half an eye, discover the places where the waggons⁶ and other vehicles turned aside nearly a hundred years ago to avoid the mudholes, the fallen trees, and other temporary obstructions⁷. They have been preserved in the conformation of the streets.