"balsa" hidden in books

been a little startled all

I might have been a little startled: all this happened in such a quiet way and so very suddenly.
— from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

by a lofty stature and

The powerful succor of Flanders, Frise, and Denmark, filled near a hundred vessels: and the Northern warriors were distinguished in the field by a lofty stature and a ponderous battle-axe.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) by Edward Gibbon

born a light shone around

" It is told of Budha Sakia of India that, "as soon as he was born, a light shone around his cradle, when he stood up and proclaimed his mission, and that the River Ganges daring this time rose in a miraculous manner, which was stilled by his divine power, as Christ stilled the tempest on the sea."
— from The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors; Or, Christianity Before Christ by Kersey Graves

back and look scared as

Tom saw Arthur shrink back and look scared as all the group turned to him, but thought it best to let him answer, just standing by his side to support in case of need.
— from Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes

boarder and lodger sir and

A noo boarder and lodger, sir, and looking fit and taut as a fiddle; slep' like a supercargo, he did, right alongside of John—stem to stem we was, all night.”
— from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

but a luxurious State and

I see; you want not only a State, but a luxurious State; and possibly in the more complex frame we may sooner find justice and injustice.
— from The Republic by Plato

but a little service and

He has seen a little, and but a little, service, and yet, if you will take his word to it, there has not been a great action performed in the field since the Revolution, in which he was not principally concerned.
— from The Adventures of Roderick Random by T. (Tobias) Smollett

be a Latin scholar Addison

To him, in 1697, as it was part of his public fame to be a Latin scholar, Addison, also a skilful Latinist, addressed, in Latin, a paper of verses on the Peace of Ryswick.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Steele, Richard, Sir

Bobby a little startled as

“And there are over seventy of you to feed and take care of for, say, three days, and then to pay railroad fares for,” mused Bobby, a little startled as the magnitude of the demand began to dawn upon him.
— from The Making of Bobby Burnit Being a Record of the Adventures of a Live American Young Man by George Randolph Chester

bows and long spears and

They were miserably mounted on wild horses from the Arkansas plains, and had no other weapons than bows and long spears; and had they been discovered by the Pawnees, could not, by any possibility, have escaped.
— from The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California To which is Added a Description of the Physical Geography of California, with Recent Notices of the Gold Region from the Latest and Most Authentic Sources by John Charles Frémont

But a little sarcastic at

"But a little sarcastic at times.
— from Enter Bridget by Thomas Cobb

banks after leaving Sorel are

The former stream flows through a cultivated country, and upon its banks, after leaving Sorel, are situate the little towns of St. Ours, St. Rock, St. Denis, St. Antoine, St. Marks, Beloeil, Chambly, and St. Johns.
— from Voyage of the Paper Canoe A Geographical Journey of 2500 Miles, from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico, During the Years 1874-5 by Nathaniel H. (Nathaniel Holmes) Bishop

butter a little salt a

When boiling, add an ounce of butter, a little salt, a pinch of sugar, and serve with small squares of bread fried in butter.
— from French Dishes for American Tables by Caron, Pierre, active 1886-1899

become a little stouter and

This was the more unlucky, because the season had arrived when they were soon to go off to a southern climate to pass the winter, and they were only waiting to become a little stouter and more expert for the journey.
— from The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral Legends, Mythologic and Allegoric, of the North American Indians by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

by a little sunshine and

"Dear Alice," she said, "white grapes are only water sweetened by a little sunshine, and flowers she is too ill to enjoy.
— from The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 98, December, 1865 A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics by Various

be a little surprised at

The queen Gulnare fancying that his majesty might be a little surprised at it, and finding her relations desirous of the honour of seeing him, rose from her seat, and told them she would be back in a moment.
— from The Arabian Nights, Volume 3 (of 4) by Anonymous

Bolduc and La Serre apothecaries

It was an Alkermes or Aurifique de Glaubec , prepared by Bolduc and La Serre, apothecaries to the king: it could cure the fevers, dropsy, vertigo, apoplexy, dysentery, gravel, smallpox, etc.
— from Montreal, 1535-1914. Vol. 1. Under the French Régime, 1535-1760 by William H. (William Henry) Atherton

blossom and life seemed an

The air was laden with the subtle perfume of the magnolia and orange blossom, and life seemed an existence of pleasure and joy.
— from Our Little Brazilian Cousin by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

This tab, called Hiding in Plain Sight, shows you passages from notable books where your word is accidentally (or perhaps deliberately?) spelled out by the first letters of consecutive words. Why would you care to know such a thing? It's not entirely clear to us, either, but it's fun to explore! What's the longest hidden word you can find? Where is your name hiding?

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