Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:26:36

Excerpt #1, from Uncle Wiggily’s Travels, by Howard Roger Garis

…What it was I’ll tell you soon, when, in case the boys who go in swimming don’t duck my typewriter under water and make it catch the measles, I’ll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the toadstool. STORY XXIII UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE TOADSTOOL “Were you much frightened when you were in the bear’s den?” asked the prickly porcupine as he and Uncle Wiggily went along the road next day. They had slept that night in a hole where an old fox used to live, but just then he was away on his summer vacation at Asbury Park, and so he wasn’t home. “Was I frightened?” repeated the old gentleman rabbit, as he looked to see if there was any mud on his crutch, “why I was so scared that my heart almost stopped beating. But I’m glad you happened to come along, and that you stuck your stickery-ickery quills into the bear’s nose. It was very lucky that you chanced to come past the den.” “Oh, I did it on purpose,” said the porcupine. “After you got me out of the trap, and I scurried away, I happened to think that you might go past the bear’s house, so I hurried after you, and–well, I’m glad that I did.” [Illustration] “So am I,” said the rabbit. “Will you have a bit of my carrot sandwich?”…

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Excerpt #2, from In the Sargasso Sea, by Thomas A. Janvier

…jug on the floor at my side. For a while I was almost comfortable. Then the fever came back, and the visions with it–but no longer so painful as those which had been begotten of my thirst. I seemed to be in a region dreamy and unreal. Sometimes I would see far stretches of mountain peaks, and sometimes the crowded streets of cities; but for the most part my visions were of the sea–tall ships sailing, and little boats drifting over calm water in moonlight, and black steamers gliding quickly past me; and still more frequently, but always in a calm sea, the broken hulks of wrecked ships with shattered masts and tangled rigging and with dead men lying about their decks, and sometimes with a dead man hanging across the wheel and moving a little with the hulk’s motion so that in a horrible sort of way he seemed to be half alive. Night came again, bringing me more pain and the burning of a stronger fever; and then another day, in which the fever rose still higher and the visions became almost intolerable–because of their intense reality, and of my conviction all the while that they were unreal and that I must be well on the way toward a raving madness in which I would die. It was at the end of this day–or it may have been at the end of still another day, for I have no clear reckoning of how the time…

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Excerpt #3, from The Subterranean World, by G. Hartwig

…grottoes, which form but an inconsiderable part of the extensive cavernous regions of Carniola, seven exclusively subterranean insects, one spider, two scorpionides, one millepede, two crustaceans, one snail, and one reptile—in all fifteen different species of animals, belonging to no less than six different classes—have been found. [Illustration: LEPTODIRUS HOCHENWARTII.] Among these dwellers of the dark, warfare is as rife as in the regions of light. Thus, in the recesses of the Grotto of Adelsberg, the cavern beetle (Leptodirus Hochenwartii) is persecuted and devoured by the scorpioniform Blothrus spelæus, and by the eyeless spider (Stalita tænaria). The black and brown Leptodirus discovered in the Grotto of Adelsberg in 1831, by Count Hochenwart, is distinguished by long and delicate antennæ and legs, and comparatively small translucent and smooth elytra. The unique specimen found at the time was unfortunately lost, and although twenty-five florins were offered to the cavern guides for one of these beetles, fourteen years passed before it was re- discovered in the same cave. Since then other collectors have been more fortunate, particularly Prince Robert Khevenhüller, who, during his repeated visits to the Cave of Adelsberg, captured no less than twenty specimens of the Leptodirus. Cautiously feeling its way with its long antennæ, the beetle slowly…

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Excerpt #4, from The Last Stroke: A Detective Story, by Lawrence L. Lynch

…and took quarters at the Glenville House, where Hilda Grant soon sought her friend, and promised herself much comfort in her society. At first, Miss Glidden did not seem to desire acquaintances, and Mrs. Jamieson complained that she found herself almost deserted, Hilda was so preoccupied with her newly-arrived friend. But this was soon changed. Miss Glidden and her party had at first been placed in quarters which the young lady did not find to her taste. There must be a pleasanter chamber for her friend, Mrs. Myers, and a reception room for their joint use, and it ended in her securing the little parlour suite adjoining that of Mrs. Jamieson. For a time even this close proximity did not seem to break the ice, and while having been introduced by Hilda, the two ladies were for some days strangers still. For reasons which Ferrars might have explained if he would, Hilda Grant had not visited Robert Brierly while he lay under the care of doctor and nurse, and now that they were together, the two girls, having first exchanged fullest personal confidences, had much to say about Robert and his dead brother. At the end of their first confidential talk Ruth had said: "Apropos of this, Hilda, my dear, let me remind you that I have not outgrown my dislike of being quizzed or questioned by the simply curious, for the…

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Excerpt #5, from The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, by G. K. Chesterton

…“I know,” he said solemnly, “I know I am not worthy.” “But why did you join the police?” asked Syme with rude curiosity. “For much the same reason that you abused the police,” replied the other. “I found that there was a special opening in the service for those whose fears for humanity were concerned rather with the aberrations of the scientific intellect than with the normal and excusable, though excessive, outbreaks of the human will. I trust I make myself clear.” “If you mean that you make your opinion clear,” said Syme, “I suppose you do. But as for making yourself clear, it is the last thing you do. How comes a man like you to be talking philosophy in a blue helmet on the Thames embankment?” “You have evidently not heard of the latest development in our police system,” replied the other. “I am not surprised at it. We are keeping it rather dark from the educated class, because that class contains most of our enemies. But you seem to be exactly in the right frame of mind. I think you might almost join us.” “Join you in what?” asked Syme. “I will tell you,” said the policeman slowly. “This is the situation: The head of one of our departments, one of the most celebrated detectives in Europe, has long been of opinion that a purely…

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Excerpt #6, from The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair

…pie, as the least convenient thing to carry. In a few minutes he came to a stream, and he climbed a fence and walked down the bank, along a woodland path. By and by he found a comfortable spot, and there he devoured his meal, slaking his thirst at the stream. Then he lay for hours, just gazing and drinking in joy; until at last he felt sleepy, and lay down in the shade of a bush. When he awoke the sun was shining hot in his face. He sat up and stretched his arms, and then gazed at the water sliding by. There was a deep pool, sheltered and silent, below him, and a sudden wonderful idea rushed upon him. He might have a bath! The water was free, and he might get into it—all the way into it! It would be the first time that he had been all the way into the water since he left Lithuania! When Jurgis had first come to the stockyards he had been as clean as any workingman could well be. But later on, what with sickness and cold and hunger and discouragement, and the filthiness of his work, and the vermin in his home, he had given up washing in winter, and in summer only as much of him as would go into a basin. He had had a shower bath in jail, but nothing since—and now he would have a swim! The water was warm, and he splashed about like a very boy in his glee. Afterward he sat down in the water near the bank, and proceeded to scrub himself—soberly and methodically, scouring every inch of him with…

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Excerpt #7, from The King James Version of the Bible

…2:12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 2:14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 2:15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD. 2:16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 2:17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. 2:18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. 2:19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 2:20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee,…

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Excerpt #8, from The Principles of Biology, Volume 2 (of 2), by Herbert Spencer

…of capillary tension must result–a tendency of the liquid to pass into the leaves resisted below by liquid cohesion. Now, had the vessels impermeable coats, only their upper extremities would under these conditions be slowly emptied. But their coats, in common with all the surrounding tissues, are permeable by air. Hence, under this state of capillary tension, air will enter; and as the upper ends of the tubes, being both smaller in diameter and less porous than the lower, will retain the liquids with greater tenacity, the air will enter the wider and more porous tubes below–the ducts of the stem and branches. Thus the entrance of air no more proves that these ducts are not sap-carriers, than does the emptiness of tropical river-beds in the dry season prove that they are not channels for water. There is, however, a difficulty which seems more serious. It is said that air, when present in these minute canals, must be a great obstacle to the movement of sap through them. The investigations of Jamin have shown that bubbles in a capillary tube resist the passage of liquid, and that their resistance becomes very great when the bubbles are numerous–reaching, in some experiments, as much as three atmospheres. Nevertheless the inference that any such resistance is offered by the air-bubbles in the vessels of a plant, is, I think, an erroneous one. What happens in a capillary tube having impervious sides, with which these experiments were made,…

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Excerpt #9, from The Grand Babylon Hôtel, by Arnold Bennett

…nothing except a rather large hole at the far end–some three feet from the casing. With some difficulty he squeezed himself through the open panel, and took a half-kneeling, half-sitting posture within. There he struck a match, and it was a most unfortunate thing that in striking, the box being half open, he set fire to all the matches, and was half smothered in the atrocious stink of phosphorus which resulted. One match burned clear on the floor of the cavity, and, rubbing his eyes, Racksole picked it up, and looked down the hole which he had previously descried. It was a hole apparently bottomless, and about eighteen inches square. The curious part about the hole was that a rope-ladder hung down it. When he saw that rope-ladder Racksole smiled the smile of a happy man. The match went out. Should he make a long journey, perhaps to some distant corner of the hotel, for a fresh box of matches, or should he attempt to descend that rope-ladder in the dark? He decided on the latter course, and he was the more strongly moved thereto as he could now distinguish a faint, a very faint tinge of light at the bottom of the hole. With infinite care he compressed himself into the well-like hole, and descended the latter. At length he arrived on firm ground, perspiring, but quite safe and quite excited. He saw now that the tinge of light came through a small hole in the wood. He put his eye to the wood, and…

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Excerpt #10, from Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions to Human Knowledge, by Stephen Leacock

…the table–turns–and stands—- He sees his wife’s attitude and hears her say “Riviera, Amalfi, Orangieri, Contadini and Capello Santo.” It is enough. He drops his parliamentary papers. They fall against the fire irons with a crash. These in falling upset a small table with one leg. The ball of wool that is on it falls to the floor. The noise of this disturbs the lovers. They turn. All three look at one another. For a moment they make a motion as if to ring for tea. Then they stand petrified. “You!” gasps Lady Cicely. She does this awfully well. Everybody says afterward that it was just splendid when she said “You.” Sir John stands gazing in horror. “Him! My God! He!” Mr. Harding says nothing. He looks very weak. Lady Cicely unpetrifies first. She breaks out, speaking through her nostrils. “Yes, I love him, I love him. I’m not ashamed of it. What right have you to deny it me? You gave me nothing. You made me a chattel, a thing—-” You can feel the rustle of indignation through the house at this. To make a woman a thing is the crowning horror of a problem play. “You starved me here. You throttled me.” Lady Cicely takes herself by the neck and throttles herself a little to show how. "You smothered me. I couldn’t breathe–and now I’m going, do you hear,…

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Excerpt #11, from All the World Over: Interesting Stories of Travel, Thrilling Adventure and Home

…twelve!” proclaimed the beadle. The tree was still bare, and gave no signs of bloom. “Twelve o’clock!” And off in the distance pealed the bells, ushering in King George’s Christmas. The torches flared upon the tree; the people in the rear of the crowd stood on tiptoe and craned their necks to see the milk-white bloom. But the tree was silent and bare! King George could not be right. The next day aunt Katherine came out of the room where she was putting her bed linen away in the lavender-scented press. “The church-bells have done ringing,” she said. “Run, children, and see if any one has gone.” Off flew Phœbe with Roger after her, and when she reached the church-yard, the only person she saw was Marian Leesh, a neighbor’s child, looking over the wall at the minister and the clerk who were standing by the door. When the clergyman saw Phœbe he came toward her. “Child,” he said, “what is the meaning of this? Is it possible that the people refuse to keep the Christmas-day? Where is your family?” “We do not belong here,” said Phœbe; “we came to see the Blooming. We are at aunt Katherine’s, and she is looking over her linen press.”…

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Excerpt #12, from Helps to Latin Translation at Sight, by Edmund Luce

…159. +Lari+ = Lake Larius (= Como), N. of Milan. 160. +Benace+ = Lake Benacus (= Garda), W. of Verona. +fremitu marino+ = with roar as of the sea. 168. +adsuetum malo+ = trained in hardship. –Mackail. +Volscosque verutos+ = and the Volscian spearmen (light infantry). +verutos+ = armed with the verutum (or veru = lit. a spit), a javelin. 170. +Scipiadas+, Greek patronymic form = Lat. Scīpĭōnēs. +maxime Caesar+ = Augustus. 172-173. After Actium, 31 B.C., Augustus spent more than a year in reducing and settling the East (+imbellem Indum+) whose forces had been wielded by Antony. –Sidgwick. 173. +Saturnia tellus+, in allusion to Saturn’s reign in Latium in the age of gold. 174-175. +tibi res … fontes+ = for thee I enter on themes of ancient glory and skill (i.e. in agriculture) and dare to unseal (+recludere+) the sacred springs; +res laudis+, the theme of the Aeneid, +res artis+, of the Georgics. 176. +Ascraeum carmen+ = the song of Ascra, i.e. the Georgics, because Hesiod (author of Works and Days to which Vergil is much indebted) was born at Ascra, near Helicon, in Boeotia. –S.]…

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