From the beginning, Askatoon had had more character and idiosyncrasythan any other town in the West. Perhaps that was because many of itscitizens had marked personality, while some were distinctly original--afew so original as to be almost bizarre. The general intelligence washigh, and this made the place alert for the new observer. It slept withone eye open; it waked with both eyes wide--as wide as the windows ofthe world. The virtue of being bright and clever was a doctrine whichhad never been taught in Askatoon; it was as natural as eating anddrinking. Nothing ever really shook the place out of a wholesome controland composure. Now and then, however, the flag of distress was hoisted,and everybody in the place--from Patsy Kernaghan, the casual, at oneend of the scale, and the Young Doctor, so called because he wasyoung-looking when he first came to the place, who represented Askatoonin the meridian of its intellect, at the other--had sudden paralysis.That was the outstanding feature of Askatoon. Some places made a noiseand flung things about in times of distress; but Askatoon always stoodstill and fumbled with its collar-buttons, as though to get more air.When it was poignantly moved, it leaned against the wall of its commonsense, abashed, but vigilant and careful. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.