"A Death in the Desert"Everett Hilgarde was conscious that the man in the seatacross the aisle was looking at him intently. He was a large,florid man, wore a conspicuous diamond solitaire upon his thirdfinger, and Everett judged him to be a traveling salesman of somesort. He had the air of an adaptable fellow who had been aboutthe world and who could keep cool and clean under almost anycircumstances.The "High Line Flyer," as this train was derisively calledamong railroad men, was jerking along through the hot afternoon...　

The Chouansby Honore de BalzacTranslated by Katharine Prescott WormeleyDEDICATIONTo Monsieur Theodore Dablin, Merchant.To my first friend, my first work.De Balzac.THE CHOUANSIAN AMBUSCADEEarly in the year VIII., at the beginning of Vendemiaire, or, to conform to our own calendar, towards the close of September, 1799, a hundred or so of peasants and a large number of citizens, who had left Fougeres in the morning on their way to Mayenne, were going up the little mountain of La Pelerine, half-way between Fougeres and Ernee, a small town where travellers along that road are in the habit of resti　

Selected Writingsby Guy De MaupassantA SELECTION from the WRITINGS of GUY DE MAUPASSANTSHORT STORIES of the TRAGEDY AND COMEDY OF LIFEWITH A CRITICAL PREFACE BY PAUL BOURGET of the French AcademyAND AN INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT ARNOT, M.A.TABLE OF CONTENTS.VOLUME I.1. MADEMOISELLE FIFI2. AN AFFAIR OF STATE3. THE ARTIST4. THE HORLA5. MISS HARRIET6. THE HOLE7. LOVE8. THE INN9. A FAMILY10. BELLFLOWER11. WHO KNOWS?12. THE DEVIL...　

Life of Marion.Life of Marion.DOBEIN JAMES.1- Page 2-Life of Marion.Preface.During the siege of Charleston, in May, 1780, the grammar school atSalem, on Black river, where I had been placed by my father, Major JOHNJAMES, broke up; and I was compelled to abandon my school boy studies,and become a militia man, at the age of fifteen. At that time of life it was a...　

THE SKETCH BOOKENGLISH WRITERS ON AMERICAby Washington Irving"Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation, rousingherself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invinciblelocks: methinks I see her as an eagle, mewing her mighty youth, andkindling her endazzled eyes at the full mid-day beam."MILTON ON THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.IT IS with feelings of deep regret that I observe the literaryanimosity daily growing up between England and America. Great...　

The Ancien Regimeby Charles KingsleyPREFACEThe rules of the Royal Institution forbid (and wisely) religious orpolitical controversy. It was therefore impossible for me in theseLectures, to say much which had to be said, in drawing a just andcomplete picture of the Ancien Regime in France. The passagesinserted between brackets, which bear on religious matters, wereaccordingly not spoken at the Royal Institution.But more. It was impossible for me in these Lectures, to bringforward as fully as I could have wished, the contrast between the...　

Salammboby Gustave FlaubertCHAPTER ITHE FEASTIt was at Megara, a suburb of Carthage, in the gardens of Hamilcar.The soldiers whom he had commanded in Sicily were having a great feastto celebrate the anniversary of the battle of Eryx, and as the masterwas away, and they were numerous, they ate and drank with perfectfreedom.The captains, who wore bronze cothurni, had placed themselves in thecentral path, beneath a gold-fringed purple awning, which reached fromthe wall of the stables to the first terrace of the palace; the common...　

430 BCALCESTISby Euripidestranslated by Richard AldingtonCHARACTERS IN THE PLAYAPOLLODEATHCHORUS OF OLD MENA WOMAN SERVANTALCESTIS, the Queen, wife of ADMETUSADMETUS, King of ThessalyEUMELUS, their childHERACLESPHERES, father of ADMETUSA MAN SERVANT(SCENE:-At Pherae, outside the Palace of ADMETUS, King ofThessaly. The centre of the scene represents a portico with columns...　

GRACIOSA AND PERCINETONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who had onecharming daughter. She was so graceful and pretty andclever that she was called Graciosa, and the Queen was so fond ofher that she could think of nothing else.Everyday she gave the Princess a lovely new frock of gold brocade,or satin, or velvet, and when she was hungry she had bowls full ofsugar-plums, and at least twenty pots of jam. Everybody said shewas the happiest Princess in the world. Now there lived at thissame court a very rich old duchess whose name was Grumbly....　

SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE ADVENTURE OF THE BERYL CORONETby Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThe Adventure of the Beryl Coronet."Holmes," said I as I stood one morning in our bow-window lookingdown the street, "here is a madman coming along. It seems rather sadthat his relatives should allow him to come out alone."My friend rose lazily from his armchair and stood with his handsin the pockets of his dressing-gown, looking over my shoulder. Itwas a bright, crisp February morning, and the snow of the day before...　

The Adventures of Pinocchioby C. Collodi[Pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini]CHAPTER 1How it happened that Mastro Cherry, carpenter,found a piece of wood that wept and laughed like a childCenturies ago there lived"A king!" my little readers will say immediately.No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a timethere was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive pieceof wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood,one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire inwinter to make cold rooms cozy and warm....　

STAGE-LAND.STAGE-LAND.By Jerome K. Jerome1- Page 2-STAGE-LAND.THE HERO.His name is George, generally speaking. "Call me George!" he saysto the heroine. She calls him George (in a very low voice, because she isso young and timid). Then he is happy.The stage hero never has any work to do. He is always hangingabout and getting into trouble. His chief aim in life is to be accused of...　

Modern Customs and Ancient Laws of Russiaby Maxime KovalevskyLecture 6The Origin, Growth, and Abolition of Personal Servitude in RussiaAn account of the origin, growth, and abolition of serfdom inRussia might easily be made to fill volumes, so vast and sovarious are the materials on which the study of it is based. Butfor the purpose now in view, that of bringing before your noticethe general conclusion to which Russian historians and legistshave come as to the social development of their country, perhapsa single lecture will suffice. In it I cannot pretend to do more...　

A SIMPLIFIED ALPHABET(This article, written during the autumn of 1899, was aboutthe last writing done by Mark Twain on any impersonal subject.)I have had a kindly feeling, a friendly feeling, a cousinlyfeeling toward Simplified Spelling, from the beginning of themovement three years ago, but nothing more inflamed than that.It seemed to me to merely propose to substitute one inadequacyfor another; a sort of patching and plugging poor old dentalrelics with cement and gold and porcelain paste; what was reallyneeded was a new set of teeth. That is to say, a new ALPHABET....　

The Lost HouseThe Lost Houseby Richard Harding Davis1- Page 2-The Lost HouseIIt was a dull day at the chancellery. His Excellency the AmericanAmbassador was absent in Scotland, unveiling a bust to Bobby Burns,paid for by the numerous lovers of that poet in Pittsburg; the FirstSecretary was absent at Aldershot, observing a sham battle; the Military...　

1872FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE WILD SWANSby Hans Christian AndersenFAR away in the land to which the swallows fly when it iswinter, dwelt a king who had eleven sons, and one daughter, namedEliza. The eleven brothers were princes, and each went to schoolwith a star on his breast, and a sword by his side. They wrote withdiamond pencils on gold slates, and learnt their lessons so quicklyand read so easily that every one might know they were princes.Their sister Eliza sat on a little stool of plate-glass, and had abook full of pictures, which had cost as much as half a kingdom. Oh,