The Argonauts of North Libertyby Bret HartePART ICHAPTER IThe bell of the North Liberty Second Presbyterian Church had justceased ringing. North Liberty, Connecticut, never on any day acheerful town, was always bleaker and more cheerless on theseventh, when the Sabbath sun, after vainly trying to coax a smileof reciprocal kindliness from the drawn curtains and half-closedshutters of the austere dwellings and the equally sealed and hard-set churchgoing faces of the people, at last settled down into ablank stare of stony astonishment. On this chilly March evening of...　

400 BCON FRACTURESby HippocratesTranslated by Francis AdamsIN TREATING fractures and dislocations, the physician must makethe extension as straight as possible, for this is the most naturaldirection. But if it incline to either side, it should rather turnto that of pronation, for there is thus less harm than if it be towardsupination. Those, then, who act in such cases without deliberation,for the most part do not fall into any great mistake, for the person...　

The Coming Raceby Edward Bulwer LyttonChapter I.I am a native of _____, in the United States of America. My ancestors migrated from England in the reign of Charles II.; and my grandfather was not undistinguished in the War of Independence. My family, therefore, enjoyed a somewhat high social position in right of birth; and being also opulent, they were considered disqualified for the public service. My father once ran for Congress, but was signally defeated by his tailor. After that event he interfered little in politics, and lived much in his library. I was the eldest of three sons, and 　

The Man Who Could Not Loseby Richard Harding DavisThe Carters had married in haste and refused to repent at leisure.So blindly were they in love, that they considered their marriagetheir greatest asset. The rest of the world, as represented bymutual friends, considered it the only thing that could be urgedagainst either of them. While single, each had been popular. As abachelor, young "Champ" Carter had filled his modest placeacceptably. Hostesses sought him for dinners and week-end parties,men of his own years, for golf and tennis, and young girls likedhim because when he talked to one of th　

The Essays of Montaigne, V19by Michel de MontaigneTranslated by Charles CottonEdited by William Carew Hazilitt1877CONTENTS OF VOLUME 19.XIII. Of Experience.CHAPTER XIIIOF EXPERIENCEThere is no desire more natural than that of knowledge. We try all waysthat can lead us to it; where reason is wanting, we therein employexperience,"Per varios usus artem experientia fecit,Exemplo monstrante viam,"["By various trials experience created art, example shewing theway."Manilius, i. 59.]which is a means much more weak and cheap; but truth is so great a thing...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE LITTLE MERMAIDby Hans Christian AndersenFAR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as theprettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, verydeep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many churchsteeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the groundbeneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea Kingand his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at thebottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most...　

The Land of Footprintsby Stewart Edward WhiteI. ON BOOKS OF ADVENTUREBooks of sporting, travel, and adventure in countries little known to the average reader naturally fall in two classes-neither, with a very few exceptions, of great value. One class is perhaps the logical result of the other.Of the first type is the book that is written to make the most of far travels, to extract from adventure the last thrill, to impress the awestricken reader with a full sense of the danger and hardship the writer has undergone. Thus, if the latter takes out quite an ordinary routine permit to go into cert　

The Village Rectorby Honore de BalzacKatharine Prescott WormeleyDEDICATIONTo Helene.The tiniest boat is not launched upon the sea without theprotection of some living emblem or revered name, placed upon itby the mariners. In accordance with this time-honored custom,Madame, I pray you to be the protectress of this book now launchedupon our literary ocean; and may the Imperial name which theChurch has canonized and your devotion has doubly sanctified forme guard it from perils.De Balzac.THE VILLAGE RECTORITHE SAUVIATS...　

Styleby Walter RaleighStyle, the Latin name for an iron pen, has come to designate the art that handles, with ever fresh vitality and wary alacrity, the fluid elements of speech. By a figure, obvious enough, which yet might serve for an epitome of literary method, the most rigid and simplest of instruments has lent its name to the subtlest and most flexible of arts. Thence the application of the word has been extended to arts other than literature, to the whole range of the activities of man. The fact that we use the word "style" in speaking of architecture and sculpture, painting and musi　

Adventure VThe Musgrave RitualAn anomaly which often struck me in the character ofmy friend Sherlock Holmes was that, although in hismethods of thought he was the neatest and mostmethodical of mankind, and although also he affected acertain quiet primness of dress, he was none the lessin his personal habits one of the most untidy men thatever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction. Not that Iam in the least conventional in that respect myself.The rough-and-tumble work in Afghanistan, coming onthe top of a natural Bohemianism of disposition, has...　

Polyuecteby Pierre CorneilleTranslated by Thomas ConstableINTRODUCTORY NOTEPierre Corneille was born in Rouen in 1606, the son of an official;was educated by the Jesuits, and practised unsuccessfully as a lawyer.His dramatic career began with the comedy of "Melite," but it was byhis "Medee" that he first proved his tragic genius. "The Cid" appearedin 1636, and a series of masterpieces followed"Horace," "Cinna,""Polyeucte," "Le Menteur." After a failure in "Pertharite" he retiredfrom the stage, deeply hurt by the disapproval of his audience. Six...　

The Double-Dealerby William CongreveInterdum tamen et vocem Comoedia tollit.HOR. Ar. Po.Huic equidem consilio palmam do: hic me magnificeeffero, qui vim tantam in me et potestatem habeamtantae astutiae, vera dicendo ut eos ambos fallam.SYR. in TERENT. Heaut.TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE CHARLES MONTAGUE,ONE OF THE LORDS OF THE TREASURY.Sir,I heartily wish this play were as perfect as I intended it,that it might be more worthy your acceptance, and that my dedicationof it to you might be more becoming that honour and esteem which I,...　

BEASTS AND SUPER-BEASTS - H. H. MUNRO ("SAKI")CONTENTSTHE SHE-WOLFLAURATHE BOAR-PIGTHE BROGUETHE HENTHE OPEN WINDOWTHE TREASURE-SHIPTHE COBWEBTHE LULLTHE UNKINDEST BLOWTHE ROMANCERSTHE SCHARTZ-METTERKLUME METHODTHE SEVENTH PULLETTHE BLIND SPOTDUSKA TOUCH OF REALISMCOUSIN TERESATHE YARKAND MANNERTHE BYZANTINE OMELETTETHE FEAST OF NEMESISTHE DREAMERTHE QUINCE TREETHE FORBIDDEN BUZZARDSTHE STAKECLOVIS ON PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIESA HOLIDAY TASKTHE STALLED OX...　

The Vicar of Wakefieldby Oliver GoldsmithA TALESupposed to be written by HimselfSperate miseri, cavete faelicesADVERTISEMENTThere are an hundred faults in this Thing, and an hundred things might be said to prove them beauties. But it is needless. A book may be amusing with numerous errors, or it may be very dull without a single absurdity. The hero of this piece unites in himself the three greatest characters upon earth; he is a priest, an husbandman, and the father of a family. He is drawn as ready to teach, and ready to obey, as simple in affluence, and majestic in adversity. In this age of　

The Writings of Abraham Lincolnby Abraham LincolnVOLUME 5.TO SYDNEY SPRING, GRAYVILLE, ILL.SPRINGFIELD, June 19, 1858.SYDNEY SPRING, Esq.MY DEAR SIR:Your letter introducing Mr. Faree was duly received.There was no opening to nominate him for Superintendent of PublicInstruction, but through him Egypt made a most valuable contributionto the convention. I think it may be fairly said that he came off thelion of the dayor rather of the night. Can you not elect him to theLegislature? It seems to me he would be hard to beat. What...　

SOUTH SEA TALESSOUTH SEA TALESby Jack London1- Page 2-SOUTH SEA TALESTHE HOUSE OF MAPUHIDespite the heavy clumsiness of her lines, the Aorai handled easily inthe light breeze, and her captain ran her well in before he hove to justoutside the suck of the surf. The atoll of Hikueru lay low on the water, acircle of pounded coral sand a hundred yards wide, twenty miles in...