Today, we are cracking open a specific piece of literary history. We’re looking at two tales that were hand-picked over a century ago for the classroom in the 1921 collection, Modern Short Stories: A Book for High Schools.

This influential volume was edited by Frederick Houk Law, Ph.D., a scholar who believed that short fiction should not just entertain, but challenge the reader to think deeply about human nature. The two stories selected from his collection today do exactly that, placing characters in situations where there are no easy answers.

We’re exploring the high-stakes world of impossible choices, featuring two stories where a single decision can mean the difference between life and death.

First, we head to the front lines of the American Civil War in Jack London’s "War".

Next, we turn to a very different kind of tension in S. Weir Mitchell’s “A Dilemma”.

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Today, in this bonus episode we’re exploring the work of C.A. Mercer.

In this story, we follow a man returning to his childhood home after twenty years away. He expects to find the sprawling, majestic domain of his youth; instead, he finds a garden that has grown "dreary and desolate," past its prime and its paths narrowed by neglect.

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Thanks for listening! Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com or www.narratedarchives.com

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Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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Today, we unseal a file from Perceval Gibbon, a man who saw the world from the deck of a merchant ship and the frontlines of war. Gibbon was a master of the 'ironic twist,' and today’s story is a masterclass in the high cost of human desperation. It’s a tale where the currency isn't just gold, but morality and survival.

In 'A Deal in Exchange,' we see that exact mastery on display—a farcical, tense journey of an accidental thief who finds that, sometimes, the universe has a very peculiar sense of justice."

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Narrated Archives Bonus Episodes are now free.

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Thanks for listening! Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast provider. SUBSCRIBE for at least 2 Bonus Episodes each month.

Send requests for authors or short stories to: sbnarration@sallybarronvoiceovers.com or www.narratedarchives.com

All music courtesy of Ende.app.

Audiobooks narrated by Sally Barron can be found at:

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• Nook
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• Libro.fm
• storytel
• ...