The Mysterious Dr. Oliver by John Breckenridge Ellis

As far as possible, she shall speak out herself, out of her old diaries and the abundance of her letters.

It will not be sufficient to consider her work, and the opinions of those who knew her, in order to reach the desired result. In endeavoring to divine, and clearly reveal, the motives that prompt action, we shall try to hold ourselves detached from the subject, finding no fault, and indulging in no encomium, defining beliefs and ambitions, not because they are ours, but because they were those of Mattie Myers, and, to understand her, one must understand them. But something deeper than an interest in connected links of a story is here to be found it shall be our endeavor to discover the causes that lead to wider activities. All these realities will be presented in the colors of truth. In the story of this life will be found stirring scenes and distant travels romance will not be lacking here and there the faces of famous men and women will, for a moment, appear across the bloom of youth and hope will fall the shadows of war. It is the purpose of this book to trace such a life, from the little bed in the nursery, a bed of weakness and tears, to the huge pile of brick and stone which stands as a monument to that life as if to show what may be accomplished in spite of tears and weakness. But how much more strikingly true it is found, when the life selected is one that leads from the twilight dawn of infancy to the twilight close of life, in one straight line of definite desire and inspiring achievement. This is true of any life, if we could know it in its entirety. Therefore, since, in a measure, our experience and his are in common, his life, inasmuch as it touches us at so many points, should lead us into new fields of interest and instruction, as it goes on its way alone. In hearing of one who really lived, there is with us the feeling that the sunshine which greets our eyes, the rain which dashes against our window, in brief, the joys and sorrows which like flowers and thistles grow everywhere, were all known to that real character in the world's drama.

The story of any life, if fully portrayed, should be more interesting than the story of a dream-phantom of fiction. Garcilaso, In the Days of Jehu, King Saul, 'Stork's Wolves, Shem, Adnah, Arkinsaw Cousins, Twin Starrs,' The Soul of a Serf, The Dread and Fear of Kings, 'Holland Produced by David Garcia, Julia Neufeld and the Onlineįile was produced from images generously made availableīy The Kentuckiana Digital Library) THE STORY OF A LIFE *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF A LIFE *** With this eBook or online at Title: The Story of a Life Re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and withĪlmost no restrictions whatsoever. The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of a Life, by J.

The Mysterious Dr. Oliver by John Breckenridge Ellis