Lucretia by Grant Allen

Now, those were the days, just after the great American civil war, when gold was almost unknown either in the States or Canada, and everybody used greasy dollar notes of uncertain and purely local value. Hence I was compelled to take the money for expenses on my projected tour in the only form of specie…

The Plymouth Express Affair by Agatha Christie

The Plymouth Express is a short story by Agatha Christie which was first published in The Sketch in April 1923 in the U.K. The story was published in the U.S. in The Blue Book Magazine in January 1924. In 1951, the story appeared as part of the anthology The Under Dog and Other Stories published…

The Weaving Shadows by W. H. Holmes

Chet Burke was lazily reclining in his favorite easy chair, absorbed in a rare book on alchemy and black magic, when his sister answered a summons at the door. In addition to managing the household affairs of the apartment in which she and Burke lived alone, her duties also consisted in scrutinizing the many visitors….

Beside the golden door by Henry Slesar

Earth was dead, but Liberty still held her torch aloft. Yet only Deez, the alien, could know whether it was raised in welcome or in mockery. When the baby was brought into the room, cooing softly and trying her new tooth against a thumbnail, Deez took the infant into his lap and studied its small,…

A dog’s tale by Mark Twain

“A Dog’s Tale” is a short story written by Mark Twain. It first appeared in the December 1903 issue of Harper’s Magazine. In January of the following year it was extracted into a stand-alone pamphlet published for the National Anti-Vivisection Society. The book is told from the standpoint of a poor household pet, a dog…

Father Brown: The actor and the alibi by G. K. Chesterton

The Actor and the Alibi – Father Brown discovers that the cast of a famous stage comedy might include a killer, but how can that be when everyone has a perfect alibi? The Worst Crime in the World – Something is amiss at Musgrave Castle! Father Brown investigates. Father Brown on his 14th adventure. Father…

And miles to go before I sleep by William F. Nolan

“And miles to go before I sleep” generally it refers to the speaker’s temptation to avoid his obligations. Though the speaker would rather remain in the “lovely” woods, he is aware of his duties elsewhere and knows that he must go farther, physically and metaphorically, before he can finally rest. He knew, to the exact…

Burden the hand by Randall Garrett

When the wealthy heiress Nikki is held captive in her own home by the villainous lawyer Van Ostrand and his henchmen, things look dire. But unbeknownst to them, Nikki’s long-lost father, a brilliant scientist, has a plan. By taking over the body of the housecat, he spies on the criminals to uncover their plot. Will…

Old Harmless by Roy Norton

It was a long distance from the beaten roads to where “Old Harmless” had his cabin; quite over the top of ridges, down across intervening valleys, around mountain shelves where a pack burro might not slip with impunity, and with now and then a gurgling little stream to ford that became a dangerous place when…

The Sequel by Walter Scott

It was the night of the carnival. He had found me in the streets, dazed with wine, and, pretending that he wanted my judgment on a cask of sherry, had lured my staggering feet into the gloomy passages under his palazzo. And he had brought me into this narrow niche in the castle walls to…