Christmas was at hand; Christmas with its holidays, its greetings, its festive meetings, its gifts, its bells, and its rejoicings.
— from Emilie the Peacemaker by Geldart, Thomas, Mrs.

The few real facts of [Pg 87] Aesculapius's coming grew into a romantic account of how, to the great surprise and terror of the sailors, the snake went of its own accord into the Roman ship; and how it stayed aboard until they reached Antium, and then suddenly swam ashore and coiled itself up in a sacred palm tree in the enclosure of the temple of Apollo there; and how, when they were in despair of ever getting it back again, it returned peaceably to them at the end of three days, and all went well on the journey to Ostia and up the Tiber until they were passing the island, when the snake went ashore to make its permanent home there.
— from The Religion of Numa And Other Essays on the Religion of Ancient Rome by Jesse Benedict Carter

"Mr. Gray is going to go into business again," it read; "with one office here and another in New York.
— from Out for Business; or, Robert Frost's Strange Career by Alger, Horatio, Jr.

Between these two races hostility was constantly displayed: restrained at one point, it broke out afresh at another, and the evil genii, invariably beaten, as invariably refused to accept their defeat.
— from History of Egypt, Chaldæa, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 3 (of 12) by G. (Gaston) Maspero

"My Lords, [G] I believe, and I rejoice to believe, that the feelings of the community at large—that the convictions of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, have now come to this conclusion, that the greater the amount of education which you are able to give, and the more widely it is spread among all classes of the community, the greater prospect there is of the tranquillity, the happiness, and well-being of the community.
— from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 71, No. 438, April 1852 by Various

The surface of the ground is broken and irregular, rising at times into vast piles of shapeless rocks, and enclosing at others small vallies, in which the wood grows in endless beauty, unblighted by the chilling blasts of northern climates.
— from Travels in France during the years 1814-15 Comprising a residence at Paris, during the stay of the allied armies, and at Aix, at the period of the landing of Bonaparte, in two volumes. by Patrick Fraser Tytler

Thus was seen, at one and the same time, the army of Tallard beaten and thrown into the utmost disorder; that of the Elector sustaining itself with great intrepidity, but already in retreat; and that of Marsin charging and gaining ground upon Prince Eugene.
— from Court Memoirs of France Series — Complete by Various

She had cards printed in gold, in blue, and in red.
— from The Von Toodleburgs Or, The History of a Very Distinguished Family by F. Colburn (Francis Colburn) Adams

That splendid, noble old man, who has been so good to every one--who had only one fault, and that love of his son--must he be let go in blinded and insane rage at the failure of his life, the ruin of his son--must he be allowed to kill his own flesh and blood?...
— from The Mysterious Rider by Zane Grey