296 - "There was a soldier -- a mere boy --lying with his face to the sky. Around his neck hung a gold chain and locket." Tuck in for the tender, rediscovered work of the most frequently read author of Louisiana Creole.

295 - He can teach animals to speak perfect English! Tuck in for the excitement that ensues from the Master of the Mischievous Short Story.

294 - From the world's most published author, tuck in for the first of the original Miss Marple mysteries.

294 - Is poor, young Mrs. Hart being blackmailed? Tuck in as this hypnotic author takes us through the transformation of her idyllic life.

292 - Tuck in to see how cruel girls can be. “A game developed: 'Let's be nice to Myra! What do you wash your hair in, Myra? . . . she washes it in cod - liver oil, can't you smell it?' "

291 - "Judge Hilliker had once told him . . . 'Guns? . . . Knives? Blunt instruments? . . . there is just one perfect weapon -- an automobile.'" Tuck in for a most gratifying tale from the master craftsman of the mystery thriller.

290 - Miss Marple knows: "There is a great deal of wickedness in village life." Tuck in for another captivating Marple mystery!

289 - "All I did was to pull him out by the seat of his trousers . . . (and) he called me a hero! . . . I departed in a blaze of glory." Tuck in for the fun of this lighthearted tale from the stepson of Robert Louis Stevenson.

288 - "Perhaps he was drowned, or picked up by some passing ship; no one could say, for he never came back. No one who left the island returned." Tuck in for this mesmerizing romantic thriller from the author of Rebecca and The Birds.

287 - "The war was over. The Germans occupied France. The whole country was pulsating like a conquered wrestler beneath the knee of his victorious opponent." But WHAT led to this duel? Tuck in and experience it.

286 - The Queen of Crime and Mystery has graced one of her best upon us. Tuck in and find out "whodunnit."

285 - Spoken to a bewildered little boy, "You wouldn't ever be safe in your own house. I know ways to get into houses when people are asleep." Tuck in for the resolve to his dilemma.

284 - ". . . on my 48th birthday, lying in bed that night beside my wife, with my children sleeping through all the other quiet moonlit rooms of my house, I thought: I will arise and go now and kill Ralph Underhill." Tuck in for Bradbury's mind-boggling story. (Warning: you will be disappointed if you're looking for sci-fi.)…

283 - “He had been sent to the bank with Denny & Carson's deposit. There was nearly a thousand (dollars) which he had . . . quietly transferred to his pocket." Tuck in for the very dramatic conclusion.

282 - "His teachers . . . fell upon him without mercy, his English teacher leading the pack. Older boys than Paul had broken down . . . but his set smile did not once desert him." Tuck in for the blood-fest from the fearless, Pulitzer prize-winning author.

281 - "How do we know what the family is keeping secret? Or if she was kidnapped by a homicidal maniac, why should he send a ransom note?" Tuck in for the conclusion from this cherished author.

280 - Her family is begging her to come home, but . . .what if she can't? Tuck in for another gem from the most requested author. (Conclusion next week!)

279 - "When she brought her glance back to the door . . . it had been opened and someone, obscured by the darkness, was looking at her intently." Tuck in for this very British, very ghostly, winter tale.

278 - "A warm, creeping movement over his flesh betrayed the unwelcome and highly resented presence of . . ." Tuck in for the --anything but -- ticklish tale from the World War I hero.

277 - Have you, too, suffered for love? Take heart and tuck into not one, but TWO tender love stories from the "young upstart" author.

276 - ". . . she was wishing heart and soul she was a man. And all of a sudden she was!" Tuck in for this mind-bending story.

275 - For his employer, Mr. Crabtree was the definition of a cat's-paw: a person used for the purposes of another; a tool. Tuck in for another perfectly-honed story from the skillful Mr. Ellin.

274 - "Then it happened. I stopped short . . . I had the whole brilliant magnificent plan worked out." Tuck in for Vengeance Is Mine, Inc., a powerhouse of a story.

273 - "It seemed to him as if the silence, the cold, the solitude, the winter death of these mountains were taking possession of him . . ." Tuck in for what is said to be the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining.

272 - The sweet little boy in this week's story will grow up to write an infamously terrifying non-fiction novel that will change his life forever, but not before he will write its polar opposite. Tuck in for his gentle holiday tale, a loving tribute to the woman who raised him.

271 - A mother's love on Christmas . . . "To-night you have come back to me, just as you always did after you ran away . . . I never asked you where you had been then, nor will I now." Tuck in for Pulitzer Prize-winning Willa Cather's poignant story.

270 - It's a Wonderful Life . . . Frank Capra's magical movie is based on this heartening short story. Enjoy the story-behind-the-story as you tuck in for this talented author's gem.

269 - " 'But the law requires you to tell what you're going to use it for.' Miss Emily just stared at him . . . until he looked away and went and got the arsenic." Tuck in and along with the British rock group, The Zombies, you may fall victim to Emily, too.

268 - "Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years the Old Gentleman had come there to find Stuffy Pete on his seat. . . But now he looked up at the Old Gentleman's face with tears of suffering in his eyes." Tuck in for this poignant tale (and one other) from the author renowned for unexpected endings.

267 - "Met the divinest man. Danced with him six times, a divine dancer . . . and he is terribly, divinely good-looking," gushed the heiress. Tuck in for the disturbing, anonymous caller's opinion.

266 - "The good man was choking with indignation and fear. '. . . how can they tell such lies as that to slander an honest man?'" Tuck in for this heart-rending story and discover his fate.

265 - From the master of ghost stories: ". . . I saw that there was some one else in the room besides myself. A man's figure stood between me and the windows . . ." Tuck in for a very unusual tale.

264 - "In that large and busy class, the “raw material” of the anatomists kept perpetually running out . . . and it was part of his duty to supply, receive, and divide the various subjects." Tuck in for our best version of this shocking tale.

263 - Is ten years too long to wait . . . for a tour of your favorite restaurant's kitchen? Our author didn't wait long to be published. Tuck in for his first, most acclaimed, and more than a little twisted short story.

262 - Our first story of the season: "Inexpressibly terrified, I struggled to my feet . . . and may heaven in mercy spare me from another sight like that." Tuck in for the (famously missing) author's favorite genre, horror.

261 - He was more than a hitchhiker . . . soooo much more.

260 - A beautiful, "battered" little creature, not in the least like the . . . average beggar, approaches wealthy Rosemary. Rosemary's reaction? "Hungry people are easily led." Tuck in for New Zealand's own and find out what happens next.

259 - This controversial author shied away from nothing, including the unrest of the 1960s. Tuck in for her intriguing "bus ride" of a tale.

258 - Tuck in for the creator of "magical realism" . . . "At night, we heard the steady murmur of her body, heavy, moving between two darknesses. Most times, we would stay awake in our beds, hearing her stealthy walk, using our ears to follow her through the whole house."

257 - She thought he was dead. Instead he had just . . . left her . . . for another woman. Tuck in for the poignant tale from Maine's beloved author.

256 - "He took her arm and ran her into a blind unlighted alley . . . " Tuck in for the the adventure and its startling ending.Content warning: emotional distress

255 - "A Spanish Galleon . . . hopelessly aground and it's treasure buried." Tuck in for adventure, suspense, and a big helping of greed from the famed author of "The Time Machine."

254 - "Whut would yo' ma say if she knew you was out here in these spooky ol' woods lookin' for some ol' convict?" Truman Capote could do anything at any age. Tuck in for two soft-centered Southern tales from his early stories.

253 - It's 1972 and "cheating" on your spouse is not only common, it's expected. Tuck in for the conclusion of "Peace and Love," Joyce Carol Oates-style.

252 - No, this one is not by Chekhov, but like that version there is sex outside of marriage -- 1972 style along with the social movement that excused it. Content warning: suicide is brought up in this story. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the U.S Crisis Hotline: 988 (24/7).

251 - Our author's childhood was anything but easy, yet he was very accomplished. Delve into his past, then tuck in for his poignant, most autobiographical story.

250 - A flood . . . and a mother's choice . . . From the author of another engrossing tale, "The Yellow Wallpaper," tuck in for the details of Mrs. Gilman's inspiration for both of these stories.

249 - Daughter Mabel was unconcerned about her future; she clearly had unexpected plans in mind. Tuck in and decide which assessment rings true: D.H. Lawrence truly was “the greatest imaginative novelist” or “a tasteless p____grapher.”

248 - A little apartment fire . . . a dismembered leg . . . and suddenly New York City has lost its appeal forMargaret. The beloved author again gives us a glimpse into her own life in this disintegrating tale.

247 - ". . . a chill ran down my spine, but what frightened me more than . . . the eerie cry was . . . mother." Why save Algernon Blackwood for October? Tuck in now for this deliciously disturbing tale.