Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:26:26

Excerpt #1, from A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

…even Woola’s life to threaten the success of my venture, much less his momentary happiness, for I doubted not he soon would forget me. And so I bade the poor beast an affectionate farewell, promising him, however, that if I came through my adventure in safety that in some way I should find the means to search him out. He seemed to understand me fully, and when I pointed back in the direction of Thark he turned sorrowfully away, nor could I bear to watch him go; but resolutely set my face toward Zodanga and with a touch of heartsickness approached her frowning walls. The letter I bore from them gained me immediate entrance to the vast, walled city. It was still very early in the morning and the streets were practically deserted. The residences, raised high upon their metal columns, resembled huge rookeries, while the uprights themselves presented the appearance of steel tree trunks. The shops as a rule were not raised from the ground nor were their doors bolted or barred, since thievery is practically unknown upon Barsoom. Assassination is the ever-present fear of all Barsoomians, and for this reason alone their homes are raised high above the ground at night, or in times of danger. The Ptor brothers had given me explicit directions for reaching the point of the city where I could find living accommodations and be near the offices of the government agents to whom they had given me letters….

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Excerpt #2, from Greenmantle, by John Buchan

…his chest a lot of amazing stuff. I wasn’t there, but a man who was told me that he never heard such clotted nonsense. He said that Germany was right in wanting the freedom of the seas, and that America would back her up, and that the British Navy was a bigger menace to the peace of the world than the Kaiser’s army. He admitted that he had once thought differently, but he was an honest man and not afraid to face facts. The oration closed suddenly, when he got a brussels-sprout in the eye, at which my friend said he swore in a very unpacifist style. After that he wrote other letters to the Press, saying that there was no more liberty of speech in England, and a lot of scallywags backed him up. Some Americans wanted to tar and feather him, and he got kicked out of the Savoy. There was an agitation to get him deported, and questions were asked in Parliament, and the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs said his department had the matter in hand. I was beginning to think that Blenkiron was carrying his tomfoolery too far, so I went to see Sir Walter, but he told me to keep my mind easy. “Our friend’s motto is ‘Thorough’,” he said, “and he knows very well what he is about. We have officially requested him to leave, and he sails from Newcastle on Monday. He will be shadowed wherever he goes, and we hope to provoke more outbreaks. He is a very capable fellow.” The last I saw of him was on the Saturday afternoon when I met him in…

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Excerpt #3, from The Early History of the Airplane, by Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright

…gasoline motors had been in the construction of an air-cooled motor, 5-inch bore and 7-inch stroke, which was used to run the machinery of our small workshop. To be certain that four cylinders of the size we had adopted (4" x 4") would develop the necessary 8 horse-power, we first fitted them in a temporary frame of simple and cheap construction. In just six weeks from the time the design was started, we had the motor on the block testing its power. The ability to do this so quickly was largely due to the enthusiastic and efficient services of Mr. C. E. Taylor, who did all the machine work in our shop for the first as well as the succeeding experimental machines. There was no provision for lubricating either cylinders or bearings while this motor was running. For that reason it was not possible to run it more than a minute or two at a time. In these short tests the motor developed about nine horse-power. We were then satisfied that, with proper lubrication and better adjustments, a little more power could be expected. The completion of the motor according to drawing was, therefore, proceeded with at once. [Illustration] While Mr. Taylor was engaged with this work, Wilbur and I were busy in completing the design of the machine itself. The preliminary tests of the motor having convinced us that more than 8 horse-power would be…

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Excerpt #4, from The Invasion of India, by Alexander the Great as described, by Arrian, Q. Curtius

…boasted to have certain memorials of Dionysos. So he went, it is said, to Mount Mêros with the companion cavalry and the body of foot-guards, and found that the mountain abounded with ivy and laurel and umbrageous groves of all manner of trees, and that it had also chases supplied with game of every description. The Macedonians, to whom the sight of the ivy was particularly welcome, as it was the first they had seen for a long time (there being no ivy in the land of the Indians, even where they have the vine), are said to have set themselves at once to weave ivy chaplets, and, accoutred as they were, to have crowned themselves with these, chanting the while hymns to Dionysos and invoking the god by his different names.[72] Alexander, they say, offered while there sacrifice to Dionysos and feasted with his friends. Some even go so far as to allege, if any one cares to believe such things, that many of his courtiers, Macedonians of no mean rank, while invoking Dionysos, and wreathed with ivy crowns, were seized with the inspiration of the god, raised in his honour shouts of Evoi, and revelled like Bacchanals celebrating the orgies. Chapter III—How Eratosthenes views the legends concerning Heraklês and Dionysos—Alexander crosses the Indus Any one who hears these stories is free to believe them or disbelieve them as he chooses. For my own part, I do not altogether agree with…

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Excerpt #5, from Nick Carter Stories No. 143, June 5, 1915: The sultan’s pearls; or, Nick

…table, hiding his victim completely. “With the wires on him, and the dose of dope he has in his system, he will be safe enough for a while,” he reflected. “Now I come to the real risk of the job. I’m glad I’m not deficient in nerve.” He looked around him, felt in all the pockets of the clothing he had taken off to make sure he had everything out–including the bags of jewelry–patted his chest to assure himself that the flat bag was in its place under his shirt, and pushed his discarded garments under the table with the senseless Portersham. “Now for it!” he breathed softly. He opened the door without any noise and stepped into the hallway. His heart beat a little faster than usual, but he never faltered in what he had set himself to do. Neither did he show in his demeanor what a strain there was upon even his steely nerves. Briggs was sitting inside a small room off the hall that was his particular domain. The door was open, so that the butler could see everybody who might pass up and down. His orders were to make sure no one loafed about the palace unless he had business there. As a public building, many strangers were in the palace during the day. But in the late afternoon and evening, when official business was…

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Excerpt #6, from Word Portraits of Famous Writers, by Mabel E. Wotton

…has an opportunity of observing them expanded in their natural proportions. The face is far from being in any respect a classical one. The forehead is chiefly remarkable for its prominence from the ear, and not so much for its height. This gives him a lowering sort of look forwards, expressive of great inquisitiveness into matters of fact and the consequences to be deduced from them. His eyes are singularly prominent, which, according to the Gallic system, would indicate an extraordinary development of the organ of language behind them. His nose is too low between the eyes, and not well or boldly formed in any other respect. The lips, although not handsome, have in their fleshy and massy outlines abundant marks of habitual reflection and intellectual occupation. The whole had a fine expression of intellectual dignity, candour, and serenity. The want of elevation, however, which I have already noticed, injures very much the effect even of the structure of the lower part of the head…. It is to be regretted that he wore powder, for this prevents us from having the advantage of seeing what was the natural style of his hair–or, indeed, of ascertaining the form of any part of his head beyond the forehead.” [Sidenote: David Hume’s Life.] “To conclude historically with my own character. I am, or rather was (for that is the style which I must now use in speaking of myself,…

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Excerpt #7, from A Few Practical Suggestions, by Logan Pearsall Smith and Society for Pure English

…members might usefully contribute facts and opinions. The committee, who have added a few notes to the paper, offer some remarks on the topics suggested. 1. Whether it is advisable to Anglicize the spelling of certain French words, like timbre, in order to promote their assimilation. A paper dealing with this question, giving as full a list as possible of the words that are at present in a precarious condition, and proposing in each case the curative spelling, is invited; and any single practical contribution to the subject will be welcome. 2. A full list of foreign nouns that are uncertain of their Englished plurals is required. The unreadiness to come to a decided opinion in doubtful cases is due to the absence of any overruling principle; and the lack of a general principle is due to ignorance of all the particulars which it would affect. Inconsistent practice is no doubt in many cases established irrevocably, and yet if all the words about which there is at present any uncomfortable feeling were collected and exhibited, it would then probably appear that the majority of instances indicated a general rule of propriety and convenience, and this would immediately decide all doubtful cases, and these, when once recognized and established in educated practice, would win over many other words that are refractory in the absence of rule. What exceptions remained would be tabulated as…

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Excerpt #8, from Mr. Punch’s Golf Stories, by J. A. Hammerton

…Mister Glenwistle fell into a sort of dream upon the seventh green and ’ad to be rarsed by Chawley. It may ’ave been Eskimo that ’e spoke to the boy when ’e’d touched ’im jently on the arm, but it sounded wuss–much wuss. ’Owever, we comes back at one to the club-’ouse, red umbereller and all, like Robbinson Crewso, and they goes into lunch. Whilst they’re still laying into the grub like winking, I and Chawley Martin, ’aving eaten our own frugil meal, sit down near the ’club-’ouse and begin to polish up their clubs. We fell a-talking about the great science of golf, getting quite ’eated in a little while, and at last Chawley, to illerstrate ’is own mistakin theery, gets upon ’is ’ind legs. ’E takes Mister Glenwistle’s best driver from ’is bag and shows me what ’e calls “a full swing, wif every ounce of weight and rist and mussel crammed into it.” I was afeard ’ow it would be. The length of the club mastered ’im. ’E ’it the onoffending turf a crewel blow, and there was a narsty crack. ’E sits down beside me wif a garsp, and we looks at Mister Glenwistle’s pet driver wif the ’ead ’arf off. “What’s to be done, ’Enery?” ’e ses, after a sort of sickly pawse. Fer my part I’d been thinking ’ard, me brain being better than most. “There’s three courses open to you, Chawley, me lad,” I ses quietly….

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Excerpt #9, from The Radio Boys Rescue the Lost Alaska Expedition, by Gerald Breckenridge

…knife and gouged it off while the others crowded around him. Inside was a fold of oilskin, which he ripped open. A folded paper was revealed, which he opened. Then he read aloud the message thereon. “It’s from Thorwaldsson all right. Listen,” he said, and read: “Please notify Mr. Otto Anderson, Ashland Block, Seattle, Wash., that I passed here July 2. Party intact with exception of crew sent as he ordered. Farrell says we are on right track. “Thorwaldsson.” “What does he mean by that reference to the crew?” asked Jack. “Well,” said Farnum, glancing at Mr. Hampton, “as your father knows, that is one of the unexplained and puzzling facts of the situation, that about the ship. You see, a skeleton crew was to be left aboard the ship and it was to winter in the MacKenzie. But of ship or crew, we have found no trace. Search for the ship was prosecuted at the first opportunity this Spring, but it had disappeared. I made a trip up the MacKenzie myself, but the only information I could gather was an occasional rumor at a trading post that a schooner had gone by, on its way out, at night. A ship that might have been the Viking, Thorwaldsson’s craft. That was last Fall. Perhaps, the skeleton crew feared to winter in the MacKenzie and started for the outside, and was caught in a storm which it was not sufficiently strong to weather. Only…

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Excerpt #10, from Tanks in the Great War, 1914 to 1918, by J. F. C. Fuller

…which could be undertaken was to send one officer of the Tank Corps General Staff to the area of operations to study the ground. On July 30 a conference was held at the 5th Tank Brigade headquarters at Vaux, at which the Fourth Army Commander explained the plan of operations. From this day on preparations were begun, the railway moves being issued the same evening. As already stated, the original proposal was a limited operation, the centre of the attack being carried out by the Canadian and Australian Corps. The right of the Canadians was to be covered by the French First Army attacking east and south-east of the Luce river. The left of the Australians was to be protected by two divisions of the IIIrd Corps operating towards Bray. On July 29 the scope of the operation was extended as follows: To disengage the Amiens-Paris railway by occupying the line Hangest–Harbonnières–Mericourt. To advance to the line Roye–Chaulnes, driving the enemy towards Ham, and so facilitate the advance of the French on the line Noyon-Montdidier. The force placed at the disposal of the Fourth Army consisted of the following Corps: (i) The Canadian Corps–4 divisions….

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Excerpt #11, from Short Story Classics (American) Vol. 2, by William Patten

…Providence, or things being ordered; but I’m darned if I don’t believe in them from this day. I was bound to stay where you put me, but I was uneasy, and wild to be in the scrimmage; and, if I had been there, I wouldn’t have taken notice of a little red light that wasn’t much behind the rear platform when we stopped. When I saw there was no danger there I ran back, and what do you think I found? There was a woman in a dead faint, and just clutching a lantern that she had tied up in a red scarf, poor little thing! And, Major, it was Sally! It was the little girl that loved me out at Barker’s, and has loved me and waited for me ever since! And when she came to, and knew me, she was so glad she ’most fainted away again; and she let on as it was her that gave away the job. And I took her into the sleeper, and the madam, God bless her!–she knew Sally before and was good to her–she took care of her and is cheering her up. And now, Major, I’m going to take her straight to Denver, and send for a parson and get her married to me, and she’ll brace up, sure pop." The whistle sounded, and the train started. From the window of the “sleeper” Sinclair and his wife took their last look at the weird scene. The lieutenant, standing at the side of the track, wrapped in his cloak, caught a glimpse of Mrs. Sinclair’s pretty face, and returned her bow. Then, as the car passed out of sight, he tugged at…

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Excerpt #12, from Under the German shells, by Emmanuel Bourcier

…“Round trip to Germany.” “Good fellows’ compartment-car.” And a hundred others, many accompanied by satirical drawings, showing occasionally real talent on the part of the caricaturist. At the hour fixed all moved forward. All these men departed, singing; starting on their journey toward battle, toward glory, and toward death, while along the way, in the gardens or at the doors of the houses, the women, the children, and the old men waved their hands and their handkerchiefs, threw kisses and flowers, endlessly applauding, in a warm sentiment of love and of recognition, those who went forth to defend them. No one, perhaps, of all those who departed, of all those who saluted, believed that the war would be long, that it would involve the world and become what it now is, the battle for human freedom, the battle to death, or to the triumph of democracy over autocracy. II THE INVASION A short time before the advent of the world catastrophe, Mr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, was in France. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Paris. He gave me the first copy, in French and English, of the report of the American commission of inquiry…

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