Showing titles in Linguistics

The old phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished" may well be the premise of this delightful holiday poem from beloved writer James Whitcomb Riley. A father's surprise may seem to backfire in a very literal way. Written in a fun dialect this story poem is for all ages.

A comic short story told in the first person by the first woman in the biblical creation story, Eve. Written in diary-entry style from creation to burial, the story was first published in the 1905 Christmas edition of Harper's Bazaar. Many believe it may have been written as a posthumous love-letter to Mark Twain's wife, Olivia Langdon Clemens, or Livy, who died in June 1904, just before the story was written.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most intriguing novella. Austin Gilroy is a scientist and is by nature sceptical of anything to do with the occult. So when his colleague, Professor Wilson, introduces him to the mysterious and sinister hypnotist, Miss Penclosa, he is inclined to view her as a fraud. But when Gilroy's fiancée is hypnotised and Miss Penclosa makes her do the unthinkable, Gilroy is forced to change his views.

True Christians have been persecuted throughout the Church Age, and in some parts of the world continue in great trials. But the Savior is always there providing comfort and strength. No marvel, for Christ warned his followers that this would happen. Here, in Martyr of the Catacombs, we get a glimpse of the heinous persecutions in Ancient Rome and look inside the lives of those Christians whose very lives depended upon the place of refuge beneath the city of Rome.

Since logic derives from postulates, it never has, and never will, change a postulate. And a religious belief is a system of postulates...so how can a man fight a native superstition with logic in order to save the inhabitants of an entire planet? A classic science fiction novelette by H. Beam Piper, first published in Analog Science Fact-Science Fiction, in 1960.

Barbara, the granddaughter of an earl, is busy saving souls in the Salvation Army while her father, maintaining that poverty is the worst of crimes, runs a munitions factory.

People do bad things. They misspeak, mislead, and misbehave. They lie, cheat, steal, and kill. Often, afterward, they apologize. But what makes a successful apology? Why does Joe Biden's 2007 apology for referring to Barack Obama as "articulate and bright" succeed, whereas Mel Gibson's 2006 apology for his anti-Semitic tirade fails? Naturally, the effectiveness of an apology depends on the language used, as well as the conditions under which we offer our regrets.

Lady Windermere's Fan is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde. Like many of Wilde's comedies, it bitingly satirizes the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who discovers that her husband may be having an affair with another woman. She confronts her husband but he instead invites the other woman, Mrs. Erlynne, to his wife's birthday ball. Angered by her husband's unfaithfulness, Lady Windermere leaves her husband for another lover. Or does she?

Zane Grey's tale shines like the gold in this story. He deftly combines the contemporary history of the border uprising between the United States and Mexico with a fast-moving adventure tale. The prologue describes the finding of gold and the sad plight of the prospectors who discovered it. They will the treasure to the story's heroine. Dick Gale, an eastern college football star, and not much else, teams up with an old friend to rescue the girl and make a man of himself.

All of us want to leave a mark on our world. We want to be remembered for the good we did. This is the dilemma for author Ellis Parker Butler, a contemporary of Mark Twain. In the case of Butler, he found that the more he followed rabbit trails and gathered 'goat-feathers' without actually doing much to finish the work he thought was more important, the less fulfilled he became. Filled with humor and wit, this author's lamentation is both understood and smiled at.

This short story takes you back to the start of radio in America. Filled with just the right amount of humor this story takes a millionaire's final wish and makes it possible for him to broadcast an approved message through a loud speaker in his headstone. This captured the attention of the nation, but no one expected the worst case scenario, but it is just this scenario that empties a cemetery. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

This novel tells the story of impoverished, embarrassment-prone Archibald "Archie" Moffam and his difficult relationship with his art-collecting, hotel-owning, millionaire father-in-law, Daniel Brewster, the father of Archie's new bride, Lucille. Archie's attempts to ingratiate himself with Brewster only get him further into trouble. The story takes place in New York City.

This classic thriller, set in England prior to World War II, involves murder, mystery, a country-wide chase, espionage and international intrigue.

Urged on by the lovely Hilda, Solness, a successful builder, takes their relationship a step too far.

Allan Quatermain, or Hunter Quatermain as his friends call him, recounts his South African adventure of hunting four lions.

The Border Legion is the adventure of a daring frontierswoman and the men she inspires. Joan Randle is a strong, capable woman living with her uncle in the wilds of Idaho. She likes Jim Cleve but is impatient with his laziness. After a quarrel, Jim heads to the lawless Montana border to prove himself, and a remorseful Joan tries to track him and bring him back.

Nome, where gold glitters in the sand and armies of men come to scoop it out. For the lucky ones, fortunes are made overnight. But fortunes can be lost just as fast. Claim jumpers are as thick as fleas. With the backing of a greedy judge, big-city interests are moving in and seizing small claims through smart, corrupt, legal manipulations. Tricked by the city slickers and frustrated by the corrupt court, the hardy miners take matters into their own hands.

The Lady, or The Tiger, written by Frank R. Stockton and narrated by Rebecca Thomas, invites the listener into a semi-barbaric world where justice is decided by fate. The right choice rewards the innocent with marriage; the wrong choice punishes the guilty by serving him to a starving tiger. When the princess' lover is sent to the arena, she discovers the secret of the choice. But what choice does she herself make?

This time Tom Swift is off to Alaska to hunt for the valley of gold. His friend Abe Abercrombie, an old miner, claims to know approximately where it lies: "up where the icebergs and caves of ice are." But he needs Tom and his airplane to help him locate the exact spot. Unknown to Tom, his chief rival, Andy Foger, gets wind of the project and vows to beat Tom to the prize. Unknown to both are the Alaskan natives who will kill to protect their gold...

Convinced of the worthiness of a giant, earth-boring machine, David Innes becomes a willing participant in an experiment. On the machine's maiden attempt at boring through the Earth, David and inventor Perry are trapped in the control room as the machine turns into a runaway. It bores steadily down toward the center of the Earth until finally it penetrates into a strange, subterranean world. The two travelers are immediately welcomed by a huge bear-like creature interested solely in having them for breakfast.