Project Gutenberg 2006-05-18 Public domain in the USA. 155 Harte, Bret 1836 1902 Harte, Francis Bret Openings in the Old Trail A Mercury of the foot-hills -- Colonel Starbottle for the plaintiff -- The landlord of the Big Flume Hotel -- A Buckeye Hollow inheritance -- The reincarnation of Smith -- Lanty Foster's mistake -- An Ali Baba of the Sierras -- Miss Peggy's protégés -- The goddess of Excelsior. Produced by Donald Lainson; David Widger "Openings in the Old Trail" by Bret Harte is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The work captures the spirit of the American West through richly drawn characters and vivid landscapes, exploring themes of adventure, youthful innocence, and the intricacies of human relationships against the backdrop of frontier life. At the start of the volume, the tale "A Mercury of the Foot-Hills" introduces us to Leonidas Boone, a curious and adventurous young boy enduring the sweltering heat of Casket Ridge. As he embarks on an errand to the post-office, a chance encounter with a beautiful woman, Mrs. Burroughs, sparks a series of secretive and somewhat romantic interactions. She enlists Leonidas as a go-between, imparting a sense of importance to his otherwise simple life. The opening illustrates Leonidas’s boyhood charm, his playful interactions with nature, and his budding feelings for the mysterious woman, all while hinting at deeper themes of loyalty and innocence intertwined with the complexities of adult relationships. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 69.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Short stories Western stories American fiction -- 19th century California -- Social life and customs -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: American Literature 440386 2025-08-01T13:48:40.141170 text/html 454583 2021-01-27T14:44:15 text/html; charset=utf-8 157248 2021-01-27T14:44:15 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 228913 2025-08-01T13:48:46.757190 application/epub+zip 234325 2025-08-01T13:48:42.227194 application/epub+zip 234324 2025-08-01T13:48:41.003218 application/epub+zip 420687 2025-08-01T13:48:50.346145 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 398813 2025-08-01T13:48:46.033148 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 353211 2022-09-02T04:35:46.368140 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 385387 2025-08-01T13:48:39.582196 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 385313 2018-03-04T15:25:58 text/plain; charset=utf-8 149997 2018-03-19T11:02:04 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 380307 2006-05-18T12:31:40 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 149310 2006-05-18T12:31:56 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21070 2025-08-01T13:48:50.490138 application/rdf+xml 13739 2025-08-01T13:48:41.521165 image/jpeg 3958 2025-08-01T13:48:41.263189 image/jpeg 223085 2025-08-01T13:48:40.187208 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia