The Project Gutenberg EBook of Drolls From Shadowland, by J. H. Pearce

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Title: Drolls From Shadowland

Author: J. H. Pearce

Release Date: May 2, 2008 [EBook #25307]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DROLLS FROM SHADOWLAND ***

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[Illustration: _The Man who could talk with the Birds_]

DROLLS

FROM SHADOWLAND

BY

J. H. PEARCE

_Author of "Esther Pentreath," "Inconsequent Lives," "Jaco Treloar,"
&c._

NEW YORK
MACMILLAN AND CO.
1893.

_All rights reserved._

CONTENTS.

PAGE

THE MAN WHO COINED HIS BLOOD INTO GOLD 1

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY 15

THE MAN WHO COULD TALK WITH THE BIRDS 27

THE PURSUIT 39

A PLEASANT ENTERTAINMENT 49

THE MAN WHO DESIRED TO BE A TREE 61

THE MAN WHO HAD SEEN 73

THE UNCHRISTENED CHILD 85

THE MAN WHO MET HATE 95

THE HAUNTED HOUSE 109

GIFTS AND AWARDS 119

FRIEND OR FOE? 133

THE FIELDS OF AMARANTH 145

THE COMEDY OF A SOUL 155

THE MAN WHO COINED HIS BLOOD INTO GOLD.

THE yoke of Poverty galled him exceedingly, and he hated his
taskmistress with a most rancorous hatred.

As he climbed up or down the dripping ladders, descending from sollar to
sollar towards the level where he worked, he would set his teeth grimly
that he might not curse aloud--an oath underground being an invitation
to the Evil One--but in his heart the muffled curses were audible
enough. And when he was at work in the dreary level, with the darkness
lying on his shoulder like a hand, and the candles shining unsteadily
through the gloom, like little evil winking eyes, he brooded so moodily
over his bondage to Poverty, that he desired to break from it at any
cost.

"I'd risk a lem for