The Story of an African Farmby Olive Schreiner (Ralph Iron)Preface.I have to thank cordially the public and my critics for the reception theyhave given this little book.Dealing with a subject that is far removed from the round of English dailylife, it of necessity lacks the charm that hangs about the idealrepresentation of familiar things, and its reception has therefore been themore kindly.A word of explanation is necessary. Two strangers appear on the scene, andsome have fancied that in the second they have again the first, who returns...　

The Burning Spearby John GalsworthyBeing the Experiences of Mr. John Lavender in the Time of WarRecorded by: A. R. PM [John Galsworthy][NOTE: John Galsworthy said of this work: "The Burning Spear" was revengeof the nerves. Was it bad enough to have to bear the dreads and strainsand griefs of war." Several years after its first publication headmitted authorship and it was included in the collected edition of hisworks D.W.]"With a heart of furious fancies,Whereof I am commander,With a burning spear and a horse of air...　

The Itinerary of Archibishop Baldwin through Walesby Giraldus CambrensisINTRODUCTIONGerald the Welshman - Giraldus Cambrensis - was born, probably in 1147, at Manorbier Castle in the county of Pembroke. His father was a Norman noble, William de Barri, who took his name from the little island of Barry off the coast of Glamorgan. His mother, Angharad, was the daughter of Gerald de Windsor {1} by his wife, the famous Princess Nesta, the "Helen of Wales," and the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr Mawr, the last independent Prince of South Wales.Gerald was therefore born to romance and adventure. He w　

HERLANDHERLANDby Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman 1860-19351- Page 2-HERLANDCHAPTER 1A Not Unnatural EnterpriseThis is written from memory, unfortunately. If I could have broughtwith me the material I so carefully prepared, this would be a very differentstory. Whole books full of notes, carefully copied records, firsthand...　

MOTHER HOLLEONCE upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters;one of them was pretty and clever, and the other ugly andlazy. But as the ugly one was her own daughter, she liked her farthe best of the two, and the pretty one had to do all the work of thehouse, and was in fact the regular maid of all work. Every day shehad to sit by a well on the high road, and spin till her fingers wereso sore that they often bled. One day some drops of blood fell onher spindle, so she dipped it into the well meaning to wash it, but, asluck would have it, it dropped from her hand and fell right in. She.　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENHOLGER DANSKEby Hans Christian AndersenIN Denmark there stands an old castle named Kronenburg, close bythe Sound of Elsinore, where large ships, both English, Russian, andPrussian, pass by hundreds every day. And they salute the old castlewith cannons, "Boom, boom," which is as if they said, "Good-day."And the cannons of the old castle answer "Boom," which means "Manythanks." In winter no ships sail by, for the whole Sound is coveredwith ice as far as the Swedish coast, and has quite the appearance...　

FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE ICE MAIDENby Hans Christian AndersenI. LITTLE RUDYWE will pay a visit to Switzerland, and wander through thatcountry of mountains, whose steep and rocky sides are overgrown withforest trees. Let us climb to the dazzling snow-fields at theirsummits, and descend again to the green meadows beneath, through whichrivers and brooks rush along as if they could not quickly enough reachthe sea and vanish. Fiercely shines the sun over those deep valleys,...　

JACK AND THE BEANSTALKJACK SELLS THE COWONCE upon a time there was a poor widow who lived in a littlecottage with her only son Jack.Jack was a giddy, thoughtless boy, but very kind-hearted andaffectionate. There had been a hard winter, and after it the poorwoman had suffered from fever and ague. Jack did no work as yet,and by degrees they grew dreadfully poor. The widow saw thatthere was no means of keeping Jack and herself from starvationbut by selling her cow; so one morning she said to her son, `I amtoo weak to go myself, Jack, so you must take the cow to market...　

"POLIKUSHKA;"OR,The Lot of a Wicked Court Servant.CHAPTER I.Polikey was a court manone of the staff of servants belongingto the court household of a boyarinia (lady of the nobility).He held a very insignificant position on the estate, and lived ina rather poor, small house with his wife and children.The house was built by the deceased nobleman whose widow he stillcontinued to serve, and may be described as follows: The fourwalls surrounding the one izba (room) were built of stone, andthe interior was ten yards square. A Russian stove stood in the...　

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...　

The Witch and other Storiesby Anton ChekhovTHE WITCHPEASANT WIVESTHE POSTTHE NEW VILLADREAMSTHE PIPEAGAFYAAT CHRISTMAS TIMEGUSEVTHE STUDENTIN THE RAVINETHE HUNTSMANHAPPINESSA MALEFACTORPEASANTSTHE WITCHIT was approaching nightfall. The sexton, Savely Gykin, was lyingin his huge bed in the hut adjoining the church. He was notasleep, though it was his habit to go to sleep at the same timeas the hens. His coarse red hair peeped from under one end of thegreasy patchwork quilt, made up of coloured rags, while his bigunwashed feet stuck out from the other. He was listening. His hut...　

The Black Tulipby Alexandre Dumas, PereChapter 1A Grateful PeopleOn the 20th of August, 1672, the city of the Hague, alwaysso lively, so neat, and so trim that one might believe everyday to be Sunday, with its shady park, with its tall trees,spreading over its Gothic houses, with its canals like largemirrors, in which its steeples and its almost Easterncupolas are reflected, the city of the Hague, the capitalof the Seven United Provinces, was swelling in all itsarteries with a black and red stream of hurried, panting,...　

On the Frontierby Bret HarteCONTENTSAT THE MISSION OF SAN CARMELA BLUE GRASS PENELOPELEFT OUT ON LONE STAR MOUNTAINAT THE MISSION OF SAN CARMELPROLOGUEIt was noon of the 10th of August, 1838. The monotonous coast linebetween Monterey and San Diego had set its hard outlines againstthe steady glare of the Californian sky and the metallic glitter ofthe Pacific Ocean. The weary succession of rounded, dome-likehills obliterated all sense of distance; the rare whaling vessel or...　

A Journey in Other Worldsby J. J. AstorA ROMANCE OF THE FUTUREBY JOHN JACOB ASTORPREFACE.The protracted struggle between science and the classics appearsto be drawing to a close, with victory about to perch on thebanner of science, as a perusal of almost any university orcollege catalogue shows. While a limited knowledge of both Greekand Latin is important for the correct use of our own language,the amount till recently required, in my judgment, has beenabsurdly out of proportion to the intrinsic value of thesebranches, or perhaps more correctly roots, of study. The...　

410 BCHELENby Euripidestranslated by E. P. ColeridgeCHARACTERS IN THE PLAYHELEN, wife Of MENELAUSTEUCER, a Greek warrior, who fought at TroyCHORUS OF CAPTIVE GREEK WOMEN, attending HELENMENELAUS, King of SpartaPORTRESS of THEOCLYMENUSFIRST MESSENGERSECOND MESSENGERTHEONOE, sister of THEOCLYMENUSTHEOCLYMENUS, King of EgyptSERVANT of THEOCLYMENUSTHE DIOSCURIGuards, attendants, etc....　

William Ewart Gladstoneby James BryceCHAPTER I: INTRODUCTIONNo man has lived in our times of whom it is so hard to speak in aconcise and summary fashion as Mr. Gladstone. For forty years hewas so closely associated with the public affairs of his countrythat the record of his parliamentary life comes near to being anoutline of English politics. His activity spread itself out overmany fields. He was the author of several learned and thoughtfulbooks, and of a multitude of articles upon all sorts of subjects.He showed himself as eagerly interested in matters of classical...