Willis Boyd Allen was born at Kittery Point, Me., July 9, 1855; graduated at Harvard, class of 1878, and at Boston University Law School, 1881. After practicing law for a short period he retired in 1888 to devote his time to writing. His work appeared in many magazines, including Atlantic Monthly, Century, Scribner's, Harper's, Lippincott's, Munsey's and North American Review. Allen died September 11, 1938, at Crawford Notch, N.H., at the age of 83.