= Partner SitePassages
In 1858, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem The Courtship of Miles Standish. One of his most popular romantic poems, it tells of a love triangle between three Pilgrims from Plymouth Colony. Both Miles Standish and John Alden are in love with Priscilla Mullins. Standish is a brash soldier and…
“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!” muttered Finnegan J. Burrows, looking at his pocket-watch. “I’m going to be so late this year!” He drummed his large foot repeatedly in frustration. The handsome white rabbit didn’t know what to do. Every year he worked very hard to keep Easter on schedule,…
Amanda and her best friend Robert got some rope, canteens, and flashlights. They headed to the woods behind Amanda’s house. “Hey, Amanda. What do you think we’ll find today?” Amanda scratched her head. “We’re not going to find anything. We never do. Just some old rocks and branches. I don’t…
In 1879, Scottish author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson took a train from New York City to San Francisco. He wrote about this trip in his travel memoir Across the Plains. This passage is about his arrival in San Francisco after a long and difficult trip across the Great Plains…
“C’mon, Sweetie. Time to get up.” James nudged his sleeping daughter, tangled in her floral blanket, her worn stuffed bunny still under one arm. She sighed and sat up with bleary eyes. Her hair stood out in all directions as if she’d been rubbing balloons on it. “It’s too early,…
Andrew loved cats. He liked their soft fur and pointy ears. He liked the way they walked so softly that you could barely hear them. He even liked when they licked his hand with their rough tongues. Andrew was very excited to have a kitten of his own. The kitten was…
Nan Collins shivered, wrapping her wool scarf around her neck more tightly. She adjusted the angle of her brimmed hat, tilting it to better protect her against the misty rain that seems to hover this morning in the cold mountain air. With a cluck of her tongue and a gentle…
Tachel and his brother, Shen, were stars in the heavens. They were very close and were always together. Then one day, Tachel got angry at Shen. He thought Shen took his favorite cloud and hid it on him. “Where’s my cloud?” shouted Tachel. Shen looked around then looked at Tachel.…
John Muir wrote a series of essays on the U.S. national parks. A noted naturalist, his essays were published in 1901. Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club which organized in 1892. He would come to be known as “the Father of the National Parks.” The Muir Woods near…
I walked into the room, And then I heard a boom! I turned around. There it was. No reason why. Just because. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. This was a really big surprise. An elephant was standing there In my bedroom! Was that fair? Was I going to have…
