A few years ago, while I was writing Flood Tide, I realized that Dirk Pitt needed some help on a particular assignment, and so I dreamed up Juan Cabrillo.　Cabrillo ran a ship called the Oregon, on the outside pletely nondescript, but on the inside packed with state-of-the-art intelligence-gathering equipment. It was a pletely private enterprise, available for any government agency that could afford it. It went where no warship could go, transported secret cargo without suspicion, plucked data out of the airit was the perfect plement to NUMA.　In fact, I had so much fun writing about the Orego　

　　　　This story takes place in an America whose history is often similar to, but often quite different from our own. You should not assume that the portrayal in this book of a person who shares a name with a figure from American history is an accurate portrayal of that historical figure. In particular, you should be aware that William Henry Harrison, famed in our own history for having the briefest presidency and for his unforgettable election slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," was a somewhat nicer person than his counterpart in this book.　　My thanks to Carol Breakstone for American Indian lor　

　"Now thou art e unto a feast of death."　William Shakespeare Henry VI, Part I, Act 4, Scene 5.　　　　PART ONE　January 1812　　CHAPTER 1　　A pale horse seen a mile away at sunrise means the night is over. Sentries can relax, battalions stand down, because the moment for a surprise dawn attack has passed.　　But not on this day. A grey horse would hardly have been visible at a hundred paces, let alone a mile, and the dawn was shredded with dirty cannon smoke that melded with the snow-clouds. Only one living thing moved in the grey space between the British and French lines; a small, dark bird that hopp　

Autobiography of a Pocket-Handkerchiefby James Fenimore CoopoerCHAPTER I.Certain moral philosophers, with a due disdain of the flimsy foundationsof human pride, have shown that every man is equally descended from amillion of ancestors, within a given number of generations; therebydemonstrating that no prince exists who does not participate in theblood of some beggar, or any beggar who does not share in the bloodof princes. Although favored by a strictly vegetable descent myself, thelaws of nature have not permitted me to escape from the influence ofthis common rule. The earliest accounts I po　

Castle RackrentCastle RackrentBy Maria Edgeworth1- Page 2-Castle RackrentINTRODUCTIONIThe story of the Edgeworth Family, if it were properly told, should beas long as the ARABIAN NIGHTS themselves; the thousand and onecheerful intelligent members of the circle, the amusing friends and...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENUNDER THE WILLOW-TREEby Hans Christian AndersenTHE region round the little town of Kjoge is very bleak andcold. The town lies on the sea shore, which is always beautiful; buthere it might be more beautiful than it is, for on every side thefields are flat, and it is a long way to the forest. But whenpersons reside in a place and get used to it, they can always findsomething beautiful in it,- something for which they long, even in themost charming spot in the world which is not home. It must be owned...　

TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER or The Quickest Flight on RecordTOM SWIFT AND HISSKY RACER or TheQuickest Flight on RecordVICTOR APPLETON1- Page 2-TOM SWIFT AND HIS SKY RACER or The Quickest Flight on RecordCHAPTER OneThe Prize Offer"Is this Tom Swift, the inventor of several airships?"The man who had rung the bell glanced at the youth who answered his...　

The Adventure of the Cardboard BoxThe Adventure of theCardboard BoxBy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle1- Page 2-The Adventure of the Cardboard BoxIn choosing a few typical cases which illustrate the remarkable mentalqualities of my friend, Sherlock Holmes, I have endeavoured, as far aspossible, to select those which presented the minimum of sensationalism,while offering a fair field for his talents. It is, however, unfortunately...　

KING HENRY THE EIGHTHKING HENRY THEEIGHTHWilliam Shakespeare16111- Page 2-KING HENRY THE EIGHTHDRAMATIS PERSONAEKING HENRY THE EIGHTH CARDINAL WOLSEY CARDINALCAMPEIUS CAPUCIUS, Ambassador from the Emperor Charles VCRANMER, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY DUKE OF NORFOLKDUKE OF BUCKINGHAM DUKE OF SUFFOLK EARL OF SURREYLORD CHAMBERLAIN LORD CHANCELLOR GARDINER, BISHOP...　

The Ivory Childby H. Rider HaggardCHAPTER IALLAN GIVES A SHOOTING LESSONNow I, Allan Quatermain, come to the story of what was, perhaps, oneof the strangest of all the adventures which have befallen me in thecourse of a life that so far can scarcely be called tame or humdrum.Amongst many other things it tells of the war against the Black Kendahpeople and the dead of Jana, their elephant god. Often since then Ihave wondered if this creature was or was not anything more than amere gigantic beast of the forest. It seems improbable, even...　

　　THEY WERE WAITING as I stepped through the door into the taverno: three of them, preadult Yavanni, roughly the size of Brahma bulls, looming over me from both sides of the entryway. Big, eager-eyed, and territorial, they were on the prowl and looking for an excuse to squash something soft.　From all indications, it looked like that something was going to be me.　I stopped short just inside the door, and as it swung closed against my back I caught a faint whiff of turpentine from the direction of my would-be assailants. Which meant that along with being young and brash, they were also tanked t　

　　　　SUDDENLY THE child began to scream, piercing shrieks of terror that died down to shaking sobs, clutching at his mother so that his tiny ringers pinched her skin agonisingly through her flimsy summer dress.　　　　Veronica Jones grimaced in the deep green gloom of the reptile house, had to check herself from giving her five-year-old son one of her habitual cuffs across his head. She held him to her, closed her eyes momentarily, a human ostrich trying to hide her embarrassment from the ghostly white faces that turned in her direction. Trust the little sod to start playing up. You squandered a s　

　　　　In the spring, families in the suburbs of New Orleans-Metairie, Jefferson, Lafayette-hang wreaths on their front doors. Gay straw wreaths of gold and purple and green, wreaths with bells and froths of ribbons trailing down, blowing, tangling in the warm wind. The children have king cake parties. Each slice of cake is iced with a different sweet, sticky topping-candied cherries and colored sugar are favorites-and the child who finds a pink plastic baby in his slice will enjoy a year of good luck. The baby represents the infant Christ, and children seldom choke on it. Jesus loves little chi　

History Of The Mackenziesby Alexander MackenziePREFACETHE ORIGINAL EDITION of this work appeared in 1879, fifteen years ago. It was well received by the press, by the clan, and by all interested in the history of the Highlands. The best proof of this is the fact that the book has for several years been out of print, occasional second-hand copies of it coming into the market selling at a high premium on the original subscription price.Personally, however, I was never satisfied with it. It was my first clan history, and to say nothing of inevitable defects of style by a comparatively　

Rowdy of the Cross Lby B. M. Bower (B.M. Sinclair)CONTENTS1. Lost in a Blizzard2. Miss Conroy Refuses Shelter3. Rowdy Hires a New Boss4. Pink as "Chappyrone"5. At Home at Cross L6. A Shot From the Dark7. Rowdy in a Tough Place8. Pink in a Threatening Mood9. Moving the Herd10. Harry Conroy at Home11. Rowdy Promoted12. "You Can Tell Jessie"13. Rowdy Finds HappinessCHAPTER 1Lost in a Blizzard."Rowdy" Vaughanhe had been christened Rowland by his mother, andrechristened Rowdy by his cowboy friends, who are prone to treat with much...　

　But not for us.　The winter nights are too. The nights of fall, the nights of spring. Not for us, not for us.　The house we live in is so pleasant in Caulfield. The blue-green tint of its lawn, that always seems so freshly watered no matter what the time of day. The sparkling, aerated pinwheels of the sprinklers always turning, steadily turning; if you look at them closely enough they form rainbows before your eyes. The clean, sharp curve of the driveway. The dazzling whiteness of the porch-supports in the sun. Indoors, the curving white symmetry of the banister, as gracious as the dark and gl