Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry

By Sinclair Lewis.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dedication
4. Preface
5. Elmer Gantry
   1. Chapter I
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
      4. IV
      5. V
      6. VI
   2. Chapter II
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
   3. Chapter III
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
      4. IV
      5. V
      6. VI
      7. VII
      8. VIII
   4. Chapter IV
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
   5. Chapter V
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
   6. Chapter VI
      1. I
   7. Chapter VII
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
      4. IV
      5. V
      6. VI
      7. VII
      8. VIII
      9. IX
   8. Chapter VIII
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
      4. IV
      5. V
   9. Chapter IX
      1. I
      2. II
      3. III
      4. IV
      5. V
      6. VI
      7. VII
   10. Chapter X
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
   11. Chapter XI
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
   12. Chapter XII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
   13. Chapter XIII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
   14. Chapter XIV
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
   15. Chapter XV
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
   16. Chapter XVI
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
   17. Chapter XVII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
   18. Chapter XVIII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
   19. Chapter XIX
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
   20. Chapter XX
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
       9. IX
       10. X
       11. XI
       12. XII
   21. Chapter XXI
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
       9. IX
       10. X
       11. XI
   22. Chapter XXII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
   23. Chapter XXIII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
   24. Chapter XXIV
       1. I
       2. II
   25. Chapter XXV
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
   26. Chapter XXVI
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
       9. IX
   27. Chapter XXVII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
   28. Chapter XXVIII
       1. I
   29. Chapter XXIX
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
       9. IX
       10. X
       11. XI
       12. XII
   30. Chapter XXX
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
       9. IX
       10. X
       11. XI
       12. XII
       13. XIII
       14. XIV
       15. XV
       16. XVI
   31. Chapter XXXI
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
       7. VII
       8. VIII
   32. Chapter XXXII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
   33. Chapter XXXIII
       1. I
       2. II
       3. III
       4. IV
       5. V
       6. VI
6. Colophon
7. Uncopyright

Imprint

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To
H. L. Mencken
with profound admiration

No character in this book is the portrait of any actual person.

S. L.

Elmer Gantry

Chapter I

I

Elmer Gantry was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk. He leaned against the bar of the Old Home Sample Room, the most gilded and urbane saloon in Cato, Missouri, and requested the bartender to join him in “The Good Old Summer Time,” the waltz of the day.

Blowing on a glass, polishing it and glancing at Elmer through its flashing rotundity, the bartender remarked that he wasn’t much of a hand at this here singing business. But he smiled. No bartender could have done other than smile on Elmer, so inspired and full of gallantry and hell-raising was he, and so dominating was his beefy grin.

“All right, old socks,” agreed Elmer. “Me and my roommate’ll show you some singing as is singing! Meet roommate. Jim Lefferts. Bes’ roommate in world. Wouldn’t live with him if wasn’t! Bes’ quarterback in Milwest. Meet roommate.”

The bartender again met Mr. Lefferts, with protestations of distinguished pleasure.

Elmer and Jim Lefferts retired to a table to nourish the long, rich, chocolate strains suitable to drunken melody. Actually, they sang very well. Jim had a resolute tenor, and as to Elmer Gantry, even more than his bulk, his thick black hair, his venturesome black eyes, you remembered that arousing barytone. He was born to be a senator. He never said anything important, and he always said it sonorously. He could make “Good morning” seem profound as Kant, welcoming as