The Flying U Ranchby B. M. BowerCONTENTSCHAPTERI. The Coming of a Native SonII. "When Greek Meets Greek"III. Bad NewsIV. Some HopesV. SheepVI. What Happened to AndyVII. Truth Crushed to Earth, etc.VIII. The Dot OutfitIX. More SheepX. The Happy Family Herd SheepXI. Weary UnburdensXII. Two of a KindXIII. The Happy Family Learn SomethingXIV. Happy JackXV. OlesonXVI. The End of the DotsXVII. Good NewsFLYING U RANCHCHAPTER I. The Coming of a Native Son...　

Is Shakespeare Dead?by Mark TwainFROM MY AUTOBIOGRAPHYCHAPTER IScattered here and there through the stacks of unpublished manuscript which constitute this formidable Autobiography and Diary of mine, certain chapters will in some distant future be found which deal with "Claimants"claimants historically notorious: Satan, Claimant; the Golden Calf, Claimant; the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, Claimant; Louis XVII., Claimant; William Shakespeare, Claimant; Arthur Orton, Claimant; Mary Baker G. Eddy, Claimantand the rest of them. Eminent Claimants, successful Claimants, defeated Claimants, royal Cl　

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...　

Before Adamby Jack London"These are our ancestors, and their history is ourhistory. Remember that as surely as we one day swungdown out of the trees and walked upright, just assurely, on a far earlier day, did we crawl up out ofthe sea and achieve our first adventure on land."CHAPTER IPictures! Pictures! Pictures! Often, before I learned,did I wonder whence came the multitudes of picturesthat thronged my dreams; for they were pictures thelike of which I had never seen in real wake-a-day life.They tormented my childhood, making of my dreams a...　

PART VIKRONBORGIIt is a glorious winter day. Denver, standing on herhigh plateau under a thrilling green-blue sky, is maskedin snow and glittering with sunlight. The Capitol buildingis actually in armor, and throws off the shafts of the sununtil the beholder is dazzled and the outlines of the buildingare lost in a blaze of reflected light. The stone terrace is awhite field over which fiery reflections dance, and the trees...　

50 Bab Balladsby W. S. GilbertPREFACE.THE "BAB BALLADS" appeared originally in the columns of "FUN,"when that periodical was under the editorship of the late TOM HOOD.They were subsequently republished in two volumes, one called "THEBAB BALLADS," the other "MORE BAB BALLADS." The period duringwhich they were written extended over some three or four years;many, however, were composed hastily, and under the discomfortingnecessity of having to turn out a quantity of lively verse by acertain day in every week. As it seemed to me (and to others) that...　

Castle Rackrentby Maria EdgeworthWith an Introduction by Anne Thackeray RitchieINTRODUCTIONIThe story of the Edgeworth Family, if it were properly told, should be as long as the ARABIAN NIGHTS themselves; the thousand and one cheerful intelligent members of the circle, the amusing friends and relations, the charming surroundings, the cheerful hospitable home, all go to make up an almost unique history of a county family of great parts and no little character. The Edgeworths were people of good means and position, and their rental, we are told, amounted to nearly L3000 a year. At one time th　

Anabasisby XenophonTranslation by H. G. DakynsDedicated To Rev. B. Jowett, M.A. Master of Balliol College Regius Professor of Greek in the University of OxfordXenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C.The Anabasis is his story of the march to Persia to aid Cyrus, who enlisted Greek help to try and take the throne from Artaxerxes, and the ensuing return of the Gre　

Early Kings of Norwayby Thomas CarlyleThe Icelanders, in their long winter, had a great habit of writing; and were, and still are, excellent in penmanship, says Dahlmann. It is to this fact, that any little history there is of the Norse Kings and their old tragedies, crimes and heroisms, is almost all due. The Icelanders, it seems, not only made beautiful letters on their paper or parchment, but were laudably observant and desirous of accuracy; and have left us such a collection of narratives (_Sagas_, literally "Says") as, for quantity and quality, is unexampled among rude nations. Snorro　

In the Carquinez Woodsby Bret HarteCHAPTER I.The sun was going down on the Carquinez Woods. The few shafts ofsunlight that had pierced their pillared gloom were lost inunfathomable depths, or splintered their ineffectual lances onthe enormous trunks of the redwoods. For a time the dull red oftheir vast columns, and the dull red of their cast-off bark whichmatted the echoless aisles, still seemed to hold a faint glow ofthe dying day. But even this soon passed. Light and color fledupwards. The dark interlaced treetops, that had all day made animpenetrable shade, broke into fire here and th　

The Lake Gunby James Fenimore CooperThe Seneca is remarkable for its "Wandering Jew," and the"Lake Gun." The first is a tree so balanced that when itsroots are clear of the bottom it floats with its broken andpointed trunk a few feet above the surface of the water,driving before the winds, or following in the course of thecurrents. At times, the "Wandering Jew" is seen offJefferson, near the head of this beautiful sheet; and next itwill appear anchored, as it might be, in the shallow waternear the outlet.{"Wandering Jew" = The medieval legend of Ahasueras,...　

The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprenticesby Charles DickensCHAPTER IIn the autumn month of September, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven,wherein these presents bear date, two idle apprentices, exhaustedby the long, hot summer, and the long, hot work it had brought withit, ran away from their employer. They were bound to a highlymeritorious lady (named Literature), of fair credit and repute,though, it must be acknowledged, not quite so highly esteemed inthe City as she might be. This is the more remarkable, as there is...　

Greville Faneby Henry JamesComing in to dress for dinner, I found a telegram: "Mrs. Stormerdying; can you give us half a column for to-morrow evening? Let heroff easy, but not too easy." I was late; I was in a hurry; I hadvery little time to think, but at a venture I dispatched a reply:"Will do what I can." It was not till I had dressed and was rollingaway to dinner that, in the hansom, I bethought myself of thedifficulty of the condition attached. The difficulty was not ofcourse in letting her off easy but in qualifying that indulgence. "I...　

"FREE SHIPS MAKE FREE GOODS"_To the U.S. Minister to France_(ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON)_Monticello, Sep. 9, 1801_DEAR SIR, You will receive, probably by this post, from theSecretary of State, his final instructions for your mission toFrance. We have not thought it necessary to say anything in them onthe great question of the maritime law of nations, which at presentagitates Europe; that is to say, whether free ships shall make freegoods; because we do not mean to take any side in it during the war....　

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　

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...