The Rose The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didnt already know．I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder．I turned around to find a wrinkled，little old lady...
The Shepherds Daughter It is the opinion of my grandmother，God bless her，that all men should labour，and at the table，a moment ago，she said to me ：You must learn to do some good work，the ma king of some item useful to man，something out...
The Glove James Dunne hung from the window and，after a moment，dropped to the ground．He had made no noise．He looked about him．The house was on the edge of the town and it was not too near the road．It was almost two oclock and the night was...
The day my father gave me a BB gun was my twelfth birthday，and I almost couldnt help jumping up and down when I saw what it was． With a smile，he led me outside and showed me how to shoot――first loading the gun，pumping it a few times，aim...
My Stepfather，My Friend Nine years ago，after Leo had died，people said to me，I never knew he was your stepfather．You see，I never called him that．At first，he was no one special in my life．Then he became my friend．In time，I felt he...
The Doll and a White Rose I hurried into the local department s tore to grab some last minute Christmas gifts．I looked at all the people and grumbled1) to myself．I would be in here forever and I just had so much to do．Christmas was beginning to...
Double Cross Janet pulled the page from her typewriter and looked nervously at her wrist－watch．It was almost time．From the inner－office came sounds of her boss preparing to leave．The sounds of doors opening and closing．These sounds were w...
Rude Awakening I was driving late one night，alone．This was not easy，as two feet of snow lay on the road．The heck with what lane I was in；I was just trying to keep my car pointed forward．A guy behind me in a four－wheel－drive vehicle be...
Angel on a Doorstep When Ben delivered milk to my home that morning，he wasnt his usual sunny self．Instead，he was the epitome1) of gloom as he dropped off his wares from his wire carrier．It took slow，careful questioning to extract the story...
Deck the Halls With Fibs amp; Folly So anyway，is Santa real or fake？the smallest person in the house demanded of me last week．Why？What have you been told？I answered suspiciously． That hes just a man dressed up． Well．．． And thats h...
A Farewell Letter From the Count of Monte Cristo My Dear Maximilian， There is a felucca1） for you at anchor2)．Jacopo will conduct you to Leghorn，where M．Noirtier waits his granddaughter，whom he wished to bless before you lead her to the a...
Remember when eating out was a relaxing experience？Someone else cooked for you, served you and cleaned up after you. All you had to do was chew, swallow and pay. No longer, though. Today you feel like a laboratory rat who has to struggle through a...
My Fathers Hands His hands were rough and exceedingly1) strong. He could gently prune2) a fruit tree or firmly ease a stubborn horse into a harness. What I remember most is the special warmth from those hands as he would take me by the shoulder and p...
Fourteen Steps They say a cat has nine lives, and I am inclined1) to think that possible since I am now living my third life and Im not even a cat. My first life began on a clear, cold day in November 1904, when I arrived as the sixth of eight childr...
Hungry for Your Love It is cold, so bitter cold on this dark winter day in1942. But it is no different from any other day in this Nazi concentration camp. I am almost dead, surviving from day to day, from hour to hour, ever since I was taken from my...
