The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 1

# The Target of Fate

This complete story, set in the small town of Newcomb, introduces John Hartfield, a thirty-three-year-old minister who has just arrived to take his first regular pulpit. After preaching his inaugural sermon, Hartfield is taken to dinner at the home of Thomas Colgate, the town's leading merchant, where he meets the merchant's wife and son, Peyton. The narrative establishes the town's social dynamics through interactions with Mrs. Kingsbury and her devoted daughter Grace, who nurse an invalid war-injured husband, and Miss Caroline Tagford, an aging gossip whose unmarried state has soured her disposition. An unguarded reference by Hartfield to actresses unsettles the provincial townspeople. Tensions emerge as Colgate's patronizing manner rankles the capable young minister, while Peyton attempts unsuccessfully to draw him out regarding his past. Hartfield's responses suggest hidden aspects of his history before entering the ministry.