DescriptionTwo stories from the master of the surprise ending. In "Elsie in New York", Elsie is an innocent young woman who, upon the death of her father, must look for work to make a living. Her father expected her to trust to the good-heartedness of his previous employer, but Elsie prefers to make her own way in life. Although she visits an employment agency and applies for several positions, do-gooders interfere. Thinking they are saving her soul, in actuality they point her toward destruction. In "The Purple Dress", two young women clerks have been saving money all year to buy new dresses for an annual gala, the Thanksgiving dinner given by their employer. Both are hoping to catch the eye of a certain attractive bachelor at the party. But interactions with a landlady and a dressmaker intervene, and things turn out much differently than either girl could have imagined.
DescriptionGerman short stories began in the late 18th century as brief, beautifully written moral fables. In the following century, style evolved toward realism in parallel with that of other European literature. From the lofty idealism of Goethe to the searing ver…
DescriptionJ.B. Hammock played by his own rules, and rule number one was never settle down. He treated his women well, but with a no-strings detachment they all accepted. But sweet Tellie Maddox hovered about like a gossamer butterfly, always trying to take care of him, always caring about him. It was enough to make a confirmed bachelor take drastic measures. Then Tellie lost part of her memory. She believed she was J.B.'s faithful sidekick. Even he couldn't be so heartless as to push Tellie aside, and so he played the role of friend...until friendship turned to something else, something so much deeper than a heartbreaker like J.B. ever intended. He was hooked. Then Tellie's memory returned.
DescriptionThey were the best of friends and the most daunting of bachelors. Charlie Harrington, a handsome philanthropist, has such high expectations for his perfect bride that no mortal need apply. Adam Weiss, a 40-something celebrity lawyer, prefers his women ver…
