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 with especial gratitude to those kind Holland friends who, with generous zeal, have taken many a backw　

The Rivermanby Stewart Edward WhiteIThe time was the year 1872, and the place a bend in the river abovea long pond terminating in a dam. Beyond this dam, and on a flatlower than it, stood a two-story mill structure. Save for a small,stump-dotted clearing, and the road that led from it, all else wasforest. Here in the bottom-lands, following the course of thestream, the hardwoods grew dense, their uppermost branches justbeginning to spray out in the first green of spring. Farther back,where the higher lands arose from the swamp, could be discerned thegraceful frond of white pines and hemlock, and the sturdy tops of...　

Options,by O. HenryCONTENTS"The Rose of Dixie"The Third IngredientThe Hiding of Black BillSchools and SchoolsThimble, ThimbleSupply and DemandBuried TreasureTo Him Who WaitsHe Also ServesThe Moment of VictoryThe Head-HunterNo StoryThe Higher PragmatismBest-SellerRus in UrbeA Poor RuleOPTIONS"THE ROSE OF DIXIE"When The Rose of Dixie magazine was started by a stock company in Toombs City, Georgia, there was never but one candidate for its chief editorial position in the minds of its owners. Col. Aquila Telfair was the man for the place. By all the rights of learning, family, reputation, and Southern traditions, he was its foreordained, fit, and logical editor. So, a committee of the 　

TARTARIN OF TARASCONbyALPHONSE DAUDETEPISODE THE FIRSTIN TARASCONI. The Garden Round the Giant Trees.My first visit to Tartarin of Tarascon has remained a never-to-be- forgotten date in my life; although quite ten or a dozen years ago, I remember it better than yesterday.At that time the intrepid Tartarin lived in the third house on the left as the town begins, on the Avignon road. A pretty little villa in the local style, with a front garden and a balcony behind, the walls glaringly white and the venetians very green; and always about the doorsteps a brood of little Savoyard shoeblackguards playing hopscotch, or dozing in the broad sunshine with their heads pillowed on their boxes....　

THE BRONZE RINGOnce upon a time in a certain country there lived aking whose palace was surrounded by a spacious garden.But, though the gardeners were many and the soil wasgood, this garden yielded neither flowers nor fruits, noteven grass or shady trees.The King was in despair about it, when a wise old mansaid to him:"Your gardeners do not understand their business: butwhat can you expect of men whose fathers were cobblersand carpenters? How should they have learned to cultivateyour garden?""You are quite right," cried the King."Therefore," continued the old man, "you should sendfor a gardener whose father and grandfather have been...　

CYROPAEDIATHE EDUCATION OF CYRUSBYXENOPHONTranslated ByHenry Graham DakynsRevised ByF. M. StawellDEDICATIONTo Clifton CollegeINTRODUCTIONA very few words may suffice by way of introduction to thistranslation of the Cyropaedia.Professor Jowett, whose Plato represents the high-water mark ofclassical translation, has given us the following reminders: "An...　

THE SOUL OF THE INDIANTHE SOUL OF THEINDIANAn InterpretationBYCHARLES ALEXANDER EASTMAN (OHIYESA)1- Page 2-THE SOUL OF THE INDIANTO MY WIFE ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN IN GRATEFULRECOGNITION OF HER EVER-INSPIRING COMPANIONSHIP INTHOUGHT AND WORK AND IN LOVE OF HER MOST INDIAN-LIKE VIRTUES I DEDICATE THIS BOOKI speak for each no-tongued tree That, spring by spring, doth nobler be,...　

A Modest Proposalby Jonathan SwiftA Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people inIreland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and formaking them beneficial to the publick.by Dr. Jonathan Swift. 1729It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this greattown, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, theroads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex,followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, andimportuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers instead ofbeing able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced toemploy all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their...　

The Yellow Crayonby E. Phillips OppenheimCHAPTER IIt was late summer-time, and the perfume of flowers stole into thedarkened room through the half-opened window. The sunlight forcedits way through a chink in the blind, and stretched across the floorin strange zigzag fashion. From without came the pleasant murmurof bees and many lazier insects floating over the gorgeous flowerbeds, resting for a while on the clematis which had made the piazzaa blaze of purple splendour. And inside, in a high-backed chair,there sat a man, his arms folded, his eyes fixed steadily uponvacancy. As he sat then, so had he sat for a whole day and a wholenight. The faint sweet chorus of glad living things, whi　

SHERLOCK HOLMESTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SUSSEX VAMPIREby Sir Arthur Conan DoyleHolmes had read carefully a note which the last post had broughthim. Then, with the dry chuckle which was his nearest approach to alaugh, he tossed it over to me."For a mixture of the modern and the mediaeval, if the practical andof the wildly fanciful, I think this is surely the limit," said he."What do you make of it, Watson?"I read as follows:46, OLD JEWRY,Nov. 19th.Re Vampires...　

The Princess de Montpensierby Mme. de LafayetteIntroductionby Oliver C. ColtThis story was written by Madame de Lafayette and publishedanonymously in 1662. It is set in a period almost 100 yearspreviously during the sanguinary wars of the counter-reformation,when the Catholic rulers of Europe, with the encouragement of thePapacy, were bent on extirpating the followers of the creeds ofLuther and Calvin. I am not qualified to embark on a historicalanalysis, and shall do no more than say that many of the personswho are involved in the tale actually existed, and the eventsreferred to actually took place. The weak and vicious King andhis malign and unscrupulous mother are real enough, as is a Du　

American Literary Centersby William Dean HowellsOne of the facts which we Americans have a difficulty in making clear toa rather inattentive world outside is that, while we have apparently aliterature of our own, we have no literary centre. We have so muchliterature that from time to time it seems even to us we must have aliterary centre. We say to ourselves, with a good deal of logic, Wherethere is so much smoke there must be some fire, or at least a fireplace.But it is just here that, misled by tradition, and even by history, wedeceive ourselves. Really, we have no fireplace for such fire as we havekindled; or, if any one is disposed to deny this, then I say, we have a...