These short stories, perhaps we might call them modern parables, are not the usual fare of warm and fuzzy Christmas stories (pleasing as those are) but rather life events and crises triggered by Christmas, present or imminent. Brady was a journalist, historian, adventure writer, and Episcopal priest.

Brave, adventurous and loyal, recently-orphaned Ruth Fielding is sent to live with her estranged Uncle Jabez at the Red Mill in Cheslow, New York. A new town means making new friends, and the teenage Ruth quickly befriends the children of a wealthy merchant. But as the relationship between her and her uncle becomes strained and she attempts to become friends with a very disagreeable girl, will Ruth's cheery disposition be enough to get her through?This is the first of the Ruth Fielding series, with follows Ruth and her friends from adolescence into early adulthood.

In this, the second book of the Ruth Fielding series, Ruth goes to boarding school with her best friend Helen. When they get there, Ruth starts her own sorority called the SweetBriars for the new girls. Her sweet group of girls conflicts with the two other sororities the Upedes and the Fussy Curls. In the midst of settling in to the new place, there is a campus rumor about a legend of the marble harp playing ominously at night. But when the French teacher is in a fright, will Ruth be able to solve this mystery?The Ruth Fielding series has influenced several other major series that came later, including Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, and Beverly Gray.

This delightful children's story can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike! A mischievous goat, Billy Whiskers, gets into trouble so often that the book could be named, "Billy Trouble Whiskers"! This humorous story will bring you many chuckles and give you a chance to get lost in Billy's adventures with childlike enthusiasm. From riding in a police car, to being a firehouse mascot, getting married, and finding himself a circus goat, Billy's adventures will certainly keep you entertained! (Introduction by Allyson Hester)

From the comfort of the hills of Kentucky traveled Celia and her husband Seth to the desolate prairies of Kansas, where cyclones, tornadoes, and endless wind were to greet them. Always, there was the wind cutting across the plains as the young couple builds their home while working the soil, while Seth awaits the wise men of the east to begin building the magic city where he has staked his territory on the plains. But sometimes life plays cruel tricks upon us. Sometimes our hopes are dashed by happenstance...

Charlotte Temple, a cautionary tale for young women, follows the unfortunate adventures of the eponymous heroine as she is seduced by a dashing soldier, Montraville. Influenced by both her lover and an unruly teacher at her boarding school, she is persuaded to run away to America, where she is eventually abandoned by Montraville after he becomes bored, leaving her alone and pregnant. First published in England in 1791, it went on to become America's bestselling novel, only being ousted by Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Bud Sloan was an orphan who had been 'sold out' of the orphanage to work on a farm once he'd been old enough to labor. The farm where he was to work was owned by an aging farmer and his wife who had raised a large family and were now left alone. One day, after his chores were done, Bud wandered into the woods nearby and with mouth agape, he noticed a newborn jet black fawn all alone and apparently confused in his new surroundings. Bud resolved that day that this baby fawn was just like himself, an orphan, and would be bound to him in spirit...