Americanliterature. By Guy de Maupassant Old Baron des Ravots had for forty years been the champion sportsman of his province. But a stroke of paralysis had kept him in his chair for the last five or six years. He could now only shoot pigeons from the window of his drawing-room or from the top of his high doorsteps. He spent his time in reading. He was a good-natured business man, who had much of the literary spirit of a former century.
He worshipped anecdotes, those little risque anecdotes, and also true stories of events that happened in his neighborhood. "Well, anything new? " And he knew how to worm out information like an examining lawyer. On sunny days he had his large reclining chair, similar to a bed, wheeled to the hall door. And from morning till night he fired at the birds, much annoyed if he were taken by surprise and laughing till he cried when the animal fell straight to the earth or, turned over in some comical and unexpected manner. "Did that get him, Joseph? "I heard 'birr! "One-two-three. " The Cask of Amontillado. By Edgar Allan Poe The Cask of Amontillado and the accompanying illustration by Harry Clarke were published in 1919 in Edgar Allan Poe'sTales of Mystery and Imagination.
THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled --but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. He had a weak point --this Fortunato --although in other regards he was a man to be respected and even feared. "How? " "Amontillado! " Americanliterature. By Aesop A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain.
The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank to the hub in a rut. The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid. "Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned. Self help is the best help. Heaven helps those who help themselves. Recommend Hercules And The Wagoner to others!
New Feature! Add Hercules And The Wagoner to your own personal library. Add Hercules And The Wagoner to your own personal library. Regret. By Kate Chopin MAMZELLE AURLIE possessed a good strong figure, ruddy cheeks, hair that was changing from brown to gray, and a determined eye. She wore a man's hat about the farm, and an old blue army overcoat when it was cold, and sometimes top-boots.
Mamzelle Aurlie had never thought of marrying. She had never been in love. So she was quite alone in the world, except for her dog Ponto, and the negroes who lived in her cabins and worked her crops, and the fowls, a few cows, a couple of mules, her gun (with which she shot chicken-hawks), and her religion. One morning Mamzelle Aurlie stood upon her gallery, contemplating, with arms akimbo, a small band of very small children who, to all intents and purposes, might have fallen from the clouds, so unexpected and bewildering was their coming, and so unwelcome.
The young woman had appeared but five minutes before, accompanied by these four children. Her face was red and disfigured from tears and excitement. She turned into the house. Stephen Crane's short story: A Dark-Brown Dog. ________________________________________________Title: A Dark-Brown DogAuthor: Stephen Crane [More Titles by Crane] A child was standing on a street-corner. He leaned with one shoulder against a high board fence and swayed the other to and fro, the while kicking carelessly at the gravel. Sunshine beat upon the cobbles, and a lazy summer wind raised yellow dust which trailed in clouds down the avenue. Clattering trucks moved with indistinctness through it. The child stood dreamily gazing. After a time, a little dark-brown dog came trotting with an intent air down the sidewalk. He stopped opposite the child, and the two regarded each other. This thing seemed to overpower and astonish the little dark-brown dog, and wounded him to the heart.
He looked so comical on his back, and holding his paws peculiarly, that the child was greatly amused and gave him little taps repeatedly, to keep him so. At last the child grew weary of this amusement and turned toward home. No one was in.