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A woman is visiting a friend who travels widely, and he offers her a package of Egyptian cigarettes he received as a gift while in Cairo. The package has never been opened and has no print of any kind to indicate a brand, its origin, or its ingredients. The woman decides to try one of the cigarettes in the man's private smoking room. Her experience when she smokes one of the cigarettes shakes her to her core.

A young Confederate soldier is given a solid gold locket before he heads to war. He and the woman who gave it to him are passionately in love and long for the time when they can be together. The locket is noticed by some of the other soldiers and plays an important part in what transpires as battle looms over their camp.

Peter Rabbit lives with his mother and three sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton - tail down in a sand bank under a big fir tree. One day when Peter is outside exploring, he hears the bells of a beautiful red sleigh. A pretty little girl riding in the sleigh scoops Peter up and takes him for a ride which includes a visit to Santa's workshop. The mischief Peter gets into at Santa's workshop and how he gets home is a true Christmas adventure for the little rabbit.

War has always changed men physically and mentally. They go away as healthy physically fit young men; when they come back, if they do they are not the same young man who went away. They may have suffered disabling physical injury in addition to a mental injury that may or may not manifest itself physically, but typically it is there. In World War I they called it shell-shocked, today we call it PTSD. This is a short story by Edna Ferber of a healthy, husky, and slightly arrogant in a nice way young man, and the beautiful girl awaiting his return home.

This charming book for young children and those beginning to read introduces the letters of the alphabet written in rhyme. Each letter introduces a different animal along with a simple fact or humor to describe it. First published in 1919, this book was produced by the Henry Altemus Company as part of their ‘Wee Books for Wee Folks’ series. A good book for listening along with a child since some of the vocabulary used might not be familiar yet to the very young listener or beginning reader.

Nathalie, a lovely and determined young lady, plans to marry Mr. Brantain, an unattractive but extremely wealthy man. When an unexpected event occurs involving her brother’s friend, Mr. Harvy, the consequences illustrate the finality of the choice Nathalie makes.

A woman nearing the end of her life knows that she must destroy intimate love letters between herself and another man so that no one, particularly her husband, can ever read them. Unable to part with them while still alive, the provision she makes for their disposal upon her death leads to devastating consequences.

Are you a grunty grunt or a smiley smile? This classic children’s story, written in rhyme, asks that question of the listener and gives examples of both types of behavior. Though originally published in 1920, this book is still relevant for today’s small children. What child has not wanted to share his or her toys, behave at the table, or refuse to go to bed at night? This is a great story to listen to along with your child.

A blind man shuffles along a busy neighborhood street attempting to sell pencils to residents and people passing by. The blazing sun and too many layers of clothing don't appear to hamper his persistence. What occurs in this story illustrates American writer Kate Chopin's use of irony and the element of luck in all our lives.

This story is told from the perspective of Peggy, a teenager in the tiny town of Riverbank. Peggy is good friends with a girl named Nelly Deane. Nelly is considered by many to be the prettiest and most fun-loving girl in town. What happens to Nelly in the ensuing years after Peggy leaves Riverbank for college and then abroad is related through Peggy's infrequent visits back home and the letters she receives from one of the older women of Riverbank.

Randall and Dorothea are young and passionately in love and plan to marry. When Randall has to leave Dorothea for a short period, the two spend their time exchanging a flurry of letters and can hardly bear being separated. Randall's scheduled returned is delayed when he becomes severely ill. What happens when the now sickly Randall is finally able to see Dorothea again says much about the differences between love, lust and passion, and the vagaries of youth.

A young woman, Helen Leicester, becomes concerned about her brother Francis when he begins spending all of his time locked in his room studying. At first Francis insists that he is fine, but eventually admits that he is not feeling well and agrees to see the family physician. The doctor prescribes a medication - a white powder which is mixed with water - and Francis begins to feel better. However, this "cure" doesn't last very long and Francis begins exhibiting peculiar and disturbing behavior.

Blanche Devine is a middle aged woman who has lived in the same small Midwestern town most of her life. She decides she wants to purchase a 'real' home in a pleasant neighborhood in the town. Because Blanche has a past as the town's 'scarlet' woman, many of the self-described good and respectable people do not want her as a neighbor. Edna Ferber wrote mostly about women and their place in society along with their plight when they did not follow society's norms.

A woman tells her story of an encounter with a ghost in a deserted old lodging house in the middle of London years ago. She was told that a woman had been murdered there before she agreed as a "psychical researcher" to spend a night in the old building. Her expectations are challenged in this psychological ghost story. Algernon Blackwood wrote over 200 ghost stories as well as being a novelist, playwright, and a writer of nonfiction and children’s stories. His ghost stories fall into what is usually called weird fiction.

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery around 1820. This biography by Elizabeth Ross Haynes was published just eight years after Harriet's death (1913) as a part of her book Unsung Heroes. Over the years Ms. Tubman's legacy as a former slave, an abolitionist, a humanitarian, a suffragette, and a spy and agent for the US Army has grown. Beginning in 2020 her face will grace the US 20 dollar bill.

In this story, by American writer Dorothy Parker, a woman gives a laundry list of men she's not married to. She also convincingly states the reasons why she is not and would not want to be married to the various men. Parker's wit and humor shine through as the eccentricities and foibles of the men are described.

Not long after the beginning of the 20th century, a woman has a dream about what she imagines the 21st century will bring. This utopian fiction piece was written by Winnifred Harper Cooley in 1902. Cooley is best known for her book The New Womanhood. Cooley's mother, Ida Husted Harper, was an author, a journalist, and a prominent figure in the United States' women's suffrage movement.