Most collections of short stories that have been prepared, for school use, up to the present, are more or less alike in drawing much of their material from the past. Authors and content alike are dead. Here is a collection that is entirely modern. The authors represented are among the leading authors of the day, the stories are principally stories of present-day life, the themes are themes of present-day thought. The students who read this book will be more awake to the present, and will be better citizens of to-day. The great number of stories presented has given opportunity to illustrate different types of short story writing. What could not be done by the class study of many novels may be accomplished by the study of the different stories in this book. The student will gain a knowledge of types, of ways of construction, of style, that he could not gain otherwise except by long-continued study. Class study of the short story leads inevitably to keen appreciation of artistic effects in fiction. The introductory material, biographies, explanations, and notes, have been made purely for high school students, in order to help those who may have read comparatively little, so that,—instead of being turned aside forever by a dry-as-dust treatment,—they may wish to proceed further in their study. It is always pure delight to teach the short story to high school classes, but it is even more delightful when the material is especially fitted for high school work. This book, we hope, will aid both teachers and pupils to come upon many happy hours in the class room. The editor acknowledges, with thanks, the kindly permissions to use copyright material that have been granted by the various authors and publishers. Complete acknowledgments appear in the table of contents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE iii INTRODUCTION I Our National Reading vii II The Definition vii III The Family Tree of the Short Story ix IV A Good Story xi V What Shall I Do with This Book? xiii VI Where to Find Some Good Short xv Stories VII Some Interesting Short Stories xvi VIII What to Read about the Short Story xix THE ADVENTURES OF SIMON AND SUSANNA — 3 _Joel Chandler Harris_ From “Daddy Jake and the Runaways.” THE CROW-CHILD — _Mary Mapes Dodge_ 9 From “The Land of Pluck.” THE SOUL OF THE GREAT BELL — _Lafcadio 17 Hearn_ From “Some Chinese Ghosts.”