The Trumpet-Majorby Thomas Hardybeing a tale of the Trumpet-Major, John Loveday, a soldier in thewar with Buonaparte, and Robert, his brother, first mate in theMerchant Service.PREFACEThe present tale is founded more largely on testimonyoral andwrittenthan any other in this series. The external incidentswhich direct its course are mostly an unexaggerated reproduction ofthe recollections of old persons well known to the author inchildhood, but now long dead, who were eye-witnesses of thosescenes. If wholly transcribed their recollections would have filled...
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skatesby Mary Mapes DodgeTo my father James J. Mapes this book is dedicated in gratitude and lovePrefaceThis little work aims to combine the instructive features of a book of travels with the interest of a domestic tale. Throughout its pages the descriptions of Dutch localities, customs, and general characteristics have been given with scrupulous care. Many of its incidents are drawn from life, and the story of Raff Brinker is founded strictly upon fact.While acknowledging my obligations to many well-known writers on Dutch history, literature, and art, I turn wi
Masterman Readyby Captain Marryat( Frederick Marryat )Chapter IIt was in the month of October, 18, that the Pacific, a large ship, was running before a heavy gale of wind in the middle of the vast Atlantic Ocean. She had but little sail, for the wind was so strong, that the canvas would have been split into pieces by the furious blasts before which she was driven through the waves, which were very high, and following her almost as fast as she darted through their boiling waters; sometimes heaving up her stern and sinking her bows down so deep into the hollow of the sea, that it appeared as if
Adventure XThe Naval TreatyThe July which immediately succeeded my marriage wasmade memorable by three cases of interest, in which Ihad the privilege of being associated with SherlockHolmes and of studying his methods. I find themrecorded in my notes under the headings of "TheAdventure of the Second Stain," "The Adventure of theNaval Treaty," and "The Adventure of the TiredCaptain." The first of these, however, deals withinterest of such importance and implicates so many ofthe first families in the kingdom that for many years...
Of Commerceby David HumeThe greater part of mankind may be divided into two classes;that of shallow thinkers, who fall short of the truth; and thatof abstruse thinkers, who go beyond it. The latter class are byfar the most rare: and I may add, by far the most useful andvaluable. They suggest hints, at least, and start difficulties,which they want, perhaps, skill to pursue; but which may producefine discoveries, when handled by men who have a more just way ofthinking. At worst, what they say is uncommon; and if it shouldcost some pains to comprehend it, one has, however, the pleasure...
Once upon a time in the middle of winter, when the flakes ofsnow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat ata window sewing, and the frame of the window was made of blackebony. And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the windowat the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and threedrops of blood fell upon the snow. And the red looked prettyupon the white snow, and she thought to herself, would that I hada child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as thewood of the window-frame.Soon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white assnow, and as red
The Acts of the Apostlesby ELLEN G.WHITE(v)PREFACETHE FIFTH BOOK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT HAS BEEN KNOWN FROM ANCIENT TIMES AS THEACTS OF THE APOSTLES; BUT THIS TITLE CANNOT BE FOUND IN THE BOOK ITSELF. ONEOF THE EARLIEST MANUSCRIPTS, THE CODEX SINAITICUS, GIVES AS THE TITLE THESIMPLE WORD ACTS, WITH NO MENTION OF THE APOSTLES. THERE IS A REASON FORTHIS. ACTS WAS INTENDED TO BE MORE THAN A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SERVICERENDERED BY THE TWELVE DISCIPLES, MUCH MORE THAN THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN THE...
SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLISTby Sir Arthur Conan DoyleFrom the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive, Mr. Sherlock Holmes was avery busy man. It is safe to say that there was no public case ofany difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years,and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the mostintricate and extraordinary character, in which he played aprominent part. Many startling successes and a few unavoidablefailures were the outcome of this long period of continuous work. As I...
Songs of Travel and Other Versesby Robert Louis StevensonCONTENTSI. THE VAGABOND - Give to me the life I loveII. YOUTH AND LOVE: I. - Once only by the garden gateIII. YOUTH AND LOVE: II. - To the heart of youth the world isa highwaysideIV. In dreams, unhappy, I behold you standV. She rested by the Broken BrookVI. The infinite shining heavensVII. Plain as the glistering planets shineVIII. To you, let snows and rosesIX. Let Beauty awake in the morn from beautiful dreams...
The Old Bachelorby William CongreveQuem tulit ad scenam ventoso Gloria curru, Exanimat lentus spectator; sedulus inflat: Sic leve, sic parvum est, animum quod laudis avarum Subruit, and reficit.HORAT. Epist. I. lib. ii.To the Right Honourable Charles, Lord Clifford of Lanesborough, etc.My Lord,It is with a great deal of pleasure that I lay hold on this first occasion which the accidents of my life have given me of writing to your lordship: for since at the same time I write to all the world, it will be a means of publishing (what I would have everybody know) the respect and duty which I owe
Dusk was beginning to creep down from the mountains when the Witchfinder rode into Craiglowrie. His hunched position in the saddle of the black mare disguised his true height, yet all the same he was tall and terrible, the features beneath the dark broad-brimmed hat seemed like those of a sun-bleached skull from a distance. The grimace that revealed black and broken teeth; the eyes that glowed with the fire of a personal hatred, and seemed to search out each and every one of the peasants who trembled and watched behind the windows of their tumbledown bothies. They remembered the last t
Chapter 1The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin - as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep, save for the movement dictated by countless
Little Peggy was very careful with the eggs. She rooted her hand through the straw till her fingers bumped something hard and heavy. She gave no never mind to the chicken drips. After all, when folk with babies stayed at the roadhouse, Mama never even crinkled her face at their most spetackler diapers. Even when the chicken drips were wet and stringy and made her fingers stick together, little Peggy gave no never mind. She just pushed the straw apart, wrapped her hand around the egg, and lifted it out of the brood box. All this while standing tiptoe on a wobbly stool, reaching high above
BOOK II: OF THEIR SLAVES, AND OF THEIR MARRIAGESTHEY do not make slaves of prisoners of war, except those that aretaken in battle; nor of the sons of their slaves, nor of those ofother nations: the slaves among them are only such as arecondemned to that state of life for the commission of some crime,or, which is more common, such as their merchants find condemnedto die in those parts to which they trade, whom they sometimesredeem at low rates; and in other places have them for nothing.They are kept at perpetual labor, and are always chained, but with...
A LONELY RIDEAs I stepped into the Slumgullion stage I saw that it was a darknight, a lonely road, and that I was the only passenger. Let meassure the reader that I have no ulterior design in making thisassertion. A long course of light reading has forewarned me whatevery experienced intelligence must confidently look for from sucha statement. The storyteller who willfully tempts Fate by suchobvious beginnings; who is to the expectant reader in danger ofbeing robbed or half-murdered, or frightened by an escaped lunatic,or introduced to his ladylove for the first time, deserves to be...
CHAPTER IIIA Caucus-Race and a Long TaleThey were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on thebankthe birds with draggled feathers, the animals with theirfur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, anduncomfortable.The first question of course was, how to get dry again: theyhad a consultation about this, and after a few minutes it seemedquite natural to Alice to find herself talking familiarly withthem, as if she had known them all her life. Indeed, she hadquite a long argument with the Lory, who at last turned sulky,...