Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

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Excerpt #1, from Life And Letters Of John Gay (1685

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Excerpt #2, from Astounding Stories of Super

…surroundings. That light that had so distressed him–though the effects were now beginning to pass off–was a pillar of smoke and flame, shooting out of the crater of a volcano about a mile away, across a valley. He was lying in the entrance to a cave, pegged out on his back, and bound by the tough creepers to the stakes driven into the ground. Up to the mouth of the cave grew huge tree-ferns, cattails, cycads, and such growths as existed in earlier ages in the warm, moist regions of the world. Beneath the level of the cave a heavy white fog completely shrouded the valley, extending up to within a short distance of the volcano opposite. But on the upper slopes of the volcano the sunlight played, making its crater a sheen of glassy lava, intolerably bright. Beyond the volcano Jim could see what looked like an expanse of ocean. * * * * * He groaned, and at the sound a creature came shambling forward, carrying what looked like a huge melon in either hand. Jim recognized the Drilgo, Cain. Chattering and mumbling, Cain placed one of the fruits to Jim’s mouth. It was a sort of bread-fruit, but he was too nauseated to eat, and rejected it with disgust. Cain offered him the second fruit….

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Excerpt #3, from Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases, by Grenville Kleiser

…idle jesting idolatrous fervor idyllic nonsense ignoble domination ignominious retreat ill-concealed impatience illiberal superstition illimitable progression illiterate denizens illogical interruption illuminating insight illusive touch illustrative anecdote illustrious era imaginative warmth imbittered controversy immaterial connection immature dissent immeasurable scorn immediate abjuration [abjuration = renounce under oath] immemorial bulwark…

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Excerpt #4, from Emma, by Jane Austen

…abstained. She was quite determined not to utter a word that should hurt Jane Fairfax’s feelings; and they followed the other ladies out of the room, arm in arm, with an appearance of good-will highly becoming to the beauty and grace of each. CHAPTER XVII When the ladies returned to the drawing-room after dinner, Emma found it hardly possible to prevent their making two distinct parties;—with so much perseverance in judging and behaving ill did Mrs. Elton engross Jane Fairfax and slight herself. She and Mrs. Weston were obliged to be almost always either talking together or silent together. Mrs. Elton left them no choice. If Jane repressed her for a little time, she soon began again; and though much that passed between them was in a half-whisper, especially on Mrs. Elton’s side, there was no avoiding a knowledge of their principal subjects: The post-office—catching cold—fetching letters—and friendship, were long under discussion; and to them succeeded one, which must be at least equally unpleasant to Jane—inquiries whether she had yet heard of any situation likely to suit her, and professions of Mrs. Elton’s meditated activity. “Here is April come!” said she, “I get quite anxious about you. June will soon be here.” “But I have never fixed on June or any other month—merely looked…

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Excerpt #5, from War and Peace, by graf Leo Tolstoy

…fastened to the cording of his uniform and, indicating a bandaged arm, glanced at Berg with a smile. “As you see,” he said. “Indeed? Yes, yes!” said Borís, with a smile. “And we too have had a splendid march. You know, of course, that His Imperial Highness rode with our regiment all the time, so that we had every comfort and every advantage. What receptions we had in Poland! What dinners and balls! I can’t tell you. And the Tsarévich was very gracious to all our officers.” And the two friends told each other of their doings, the one of his hussar revels and life in the fighting line, the other of the pleasures and advantages of service under members of the Imperial family. “Oh, you Guards!” said Rostóv. “I say, send for some wine.” Borís made a grimace. “If you really want it,” said he. He went to his bed, drew a purse from under the clean pillow, and sent for wine. “Yes, and I have some money and a letter to give you,” he added. Rostóv took the letter and, throwing the money on the sofa, put both arms on the table and began to read. After reading a few lines, he glanced angrily at Berg, then, meeting his eyes, hid his face behind the…

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Excerpt #6, from The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

…close to little Pearl. The shadow of the curtain fell on Hester Prynne, and partially concealed her. “What have we here?” said Governor Bellingham, looking with surprise at the scarlet little figure before him. “I profess, I have never seen the like, since my days of vanity, in old King James’s time, when I was wont to esteem it a high favor to be admitted to a court mask! There used to be a swarm of these small apparitions, in holiday time; and we called them children of the Lord of Misrule. But how gat such a guest into my hall?” “Ay, indeed!” cried good old Mr. Wilson. “What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be? Methinks I have seen just such figures, when the sun has been shining through a richly painted window, and tracing out the golden and crimson images across the floor. But that was in the old land. Prithee, young one, who art thou, and what has ailed thy mother to bedizen thee in this strange fashion? Art thou a Christian child,—ha? Dost know thy catechism? Or art thou one of those naughty elfs or fairies, whom we thought to have left behind us, with other relics of Papistry, in merry old England?” “I am mother’s child,” answered the scarlet vision, “and my name is Pearl!” “Pearl?—Ruby, rather!—or Coral!—or Red Rose, at the very least,…

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Excerpt #7, from The Heroes; Or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children, by Charles Kingsley

…of mine that I cannot. The old songs end it sadly, and I believe that they are right and wise; for though the heroes were purified at Malea, yet sacrifices cannot make bad hearts good, and Jason had taken a wicked wife, and he had to bear his burden to the last. And first she laid a cunning plot to punish that poor old Pelias, instead of letting him die in peace. For she told his daughters, ‘I can make old things young again; I will show you how easy it is to do.’ So she took an old ram and killed him, and put him in a cauldron with magic herbs; and whispered her spells over him, and he leapt out again a young lamb. So that ‘Medeia’s cauldron’ is a proverb still, by which we mean times of war and change, when the world has become old and feeble, and grows young again through bitter pains. Then she said to Pelias’ daughters, ‘Do to your father as I did to this ram, and he will grow young and strong again.’ But she only told them half the spell; so they failed, while Medeia mocked them; and poor old Pelias died, and his daughters came to misery. But the songs say she cured Æson, Jason’s father, and he became young, and strong again. But Jason could not love her, after all her cruel deeds. So he was ungrateful to her, and wronged her; and she revenged herself on him. And a terrible revenge she took—too terrible to speak of here. But you will hear of it yourselves when you grow up, for it has been sung in noble…

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Excerpt #8, from Latin for Beginners, by Benjamin L. D’Ooge

…to a difference between the English and Latin idiom we translate «ut» after a verb of fearing by that not, and «nē» by that or lest. «371.» EXAMPLES «timeō» } { «veniat» «timēbō» } «ut» { «timuerō» } { «vēnerit» I fear, shall fear, shall have feared, that he will not come, has not come «timēbam» } { «venīret» «timuī» } «ut» { «timueram» } { «vēnisset» I was fearing, feared, had feared, that he would not come, had not come The same examples with «nē» instead of «ut» would be translated I fear that or lest he will come, has come, etc. «372.» RULE. «Subjunctive after Verbs of Fearing.» Verbs of fearing are followed by a substantive clause of purpose introduced by «ut» («that not») or «nē» («that» or «lest»). «373.» EXERCISES I. 1. Caesar verēbātur ut supplicium captīvōrum Gallīs placēret. 2. Rōmānī ipsī magnopere verēbantur nē Helvētiī iter per prōvinciam…

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Excerpt #9, from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, by Edwin Abbott Abbott

…the class of the person whom we are addressing, unless indeed he belongs to the higher sections of the nobility. There the difficulty is much greater. Even a Master of Arts in our University of Wentbridge has been known to confuse a ten-sided with a twelve-sided Polygon; and there is hardly a Doctor of Science in or out of that famous University who could pretend to decide promptly and unhesitatingly between a twenty-sided and a twenty-four sided member of the Aristocracy. Those of my readers who recall the extracts I gave above from the Legislative code concerning Women, will readily perceive that the process of introduction by contact requires some care and discretion. Otherwise the angles might inflict on the unwary Feeler irreparable injury. It is essential for the safety of the Feeler that the Felt should stand perfectly still. A start, a fidgety shifting of the position, yes, even a violent sneeze, has been known before now to prove fatal to the incautious, and to nip in the bud many a promising friendship. Especially is this true among the lower classes of the Triangles. With them, the eye is situated so far from their vertex that they can scarcely take cognizance of what goes on at that extremity of their frame. They are, moreover, of a rough coarse nature, not sensitive to the delicate touch of the highly organized Polygon. What wonder then if an involuntary toss of the head has ere…

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Excerpt #10, from Dracula, by Bram Stoker

…“Go on! You are first, and we shall follow; yours is the right to begin.” The other added:– “He is young and strong; there are kisses for us all.” I lay quiet, looking out under my eyelashes in an agony of delightful anticipation. The fair girl advanced and bent over me till I could feel the movement of her breath upon me. Sweet it was in one sense, honey-sweet, and sent the same tingling through the nerves as her voice, but with a bitter underlying the sweet, a bitter offensiveness, as one smells in blood. I was afraid to raise my eyelids, but looked out and saw perfectly under the lashes. The girl went on her knees, and bent over me, simply gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth. Lower and lower went her head as the lips went below the range of my mouth and chin and seemed about to fasten on my throat. Then she paused, and I could hear the churning sound of her tongue as it licked her teeth and lips, and could feel the hot breath on my neck. Then the skin of my throat began to tingle as one’s flesh does when the hand that is to tickle it approaches nearer–nearer. I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the super-sensitive skin of my throat,…

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Excerpt #11, from Nonsense Books, by Edward Lear

…That lively old person of Blythe. [Illustration] There was a young person of Ayr, Whose head was remarkably square: On the top, in fine weather, she wore a gold feather; Which dazzled the people of Ayr. [Illustration] There was an old person of Rimini, Who said, “Gracious! Goodness! O Gimini!” When they said, “Please be still!” she ran down a hill, And was never more heard of at Rimini. [Illustration] There is a young lady, whose nose, Continually prospers and grows; When it grew out of sight, she exclaimed in a fright, “Oh! Farewell to the end of my nose!” [Illustration] There was an old person of Ealing, Who was wholly devoid of good feeling; He drove a small gig, with three Owls and a Pig, Which distressed all the people of Ealing….

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Excerpt #12, from Weather, Crops, and Markets. Vol. 2, No. 6, by Anonymous

…Monday 32¼ Tuesday 31¾ Wednesday 32¼ Thursday 33 Friday 32¾ Saturday 32¾ ————— Average 32.46 MOVEMENT AT FIVE MARKETS. [New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and San Francisco.] ────────────────────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬──────────── │Week ending │ Previous │ │ July 29. │ week. │ Last year. ────────────────────────────┼────────────┼────────────┼──────────── BUTTER. │ Pounds. │ Pounds. │ Pounds. Receipts for week │ 16,406,388│ 17,848,858│ 13,737,695 Receipts since Jan. 1 │ 406,421,998│ 390,015,610│ 333,511,550 Put into cold storage │ 5,763,120│ 6,227,574│ 4,363,777 Withdrawn from cold storage │ 1,196,527│ 1,090,911│ 2,391,506 Change during week │ +4,566,593│ +5,136,663│ +1,972,271 Total holdings │ 58,529,169│ 53,962,576│ 49,378,903…

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