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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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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Today, we’re exploring True Crime of the early 20th Century.

In 1927, a man named Edward Henry Smith sat in a New York apartment, surrounded by the files of the world’s most baffling disappearances. He wasn't just a reporter; he was a student of the human shadow. Before his untimely death that same year, Smith would publish Mysteries of the Missing, a collection of cases that defied logic and law.

To Smith, the "Missing" weren't just gone—they were puzzles of chemistry and circumstance. But one case stood above the rest. A case that turned Fifth Avenue into a graveyard of secrets.

Today, we examine Smith’s account of Dorothy Arnold, a young woman of wealth, who walked out of her father’s upscale New York City home into a winter afternoon and never walked out.

Lets follow the trail through the eyes of a man who spent his life hunting for the truth in the dark.

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In today’s Bonus Episode “How Does It Feel To Be Free” by Manuel Komroff is in contrast to his story “The Little Master of the Sky”. Both explore the concept of liberty, however they approach it from opposite directions—one through the eyes of a free soul and the other through the eyes of a prisoner.

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In this episode you’ll hear a short story by Manuel Komroff: “The Little Master of the Sky”.

This is one of Komroff's most celebrated early works, first appearing in the prestigious literary magazine The Dial in 1921, establishing Komroff's reputation as a master of the "mystical-realistic" style. It follows his interest in characters who exist on the fringes of society or possess a unique, almost spiritual perspective on the world.

Upon its publication in 1921, it was selected for Edward J. O'Brien's influential The Best Short Stories of 1921 anthology.

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In this episode we hear "The Spider's Eye" (1884), a short story by Lucretia P. Hale that explores themes of perception and social consciousness. Originally published in the anthology Stories by American Authors, Volume 3, the narrative is set in a theater where the protagonist reflects on the nature of sound and acoustics.

As the story develops, the protagonist experiences a shift in perception that allows them to hear the inner thoughts and private desires of fellow audience members.

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Welcome to a bonus episode of Narrated Archives. Today, we look back to a stormy September night in 1838 to uncover the story of a young woman whose name would soon be carried on the wind across all of Victorian Britain: Grace Darling.

In his 1920 collection, A Treasury of Heroes and Heroines, Clayton Edwards presents the story of Grace Darling as a prime example of "quiet, unassuming bravery." Writing a century ago, Edwards focused on the contrast between her humble life and the sudden, overwhelming international fame that followed her heroic act.

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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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