Preface [n. pag.]
In the annals of bravery there are few records of heroic girls, yet from time to time, brave little women perform deeds of heroism which are unknown and remain unrecognised. This collection of stories, each one of which is founded on fact, has been gathered from various sources. […] Courage and self-sacrifice are more likely to be fostered in the characters of girls by means of stories from real life, in which heroism plays a prominent part, than by sentimental fiction relating to commonplace events. Boys are stimulated in their efforts by records of thrilling adventures, and it would be satisfactory if similar circumstances awakened the latent heroism of our little women.
The stories describe girls’ behaviour in perilous situations (fire, storms, war, shipwreck etc.). Some of the stories are set in America and Russia.
Contents
Fearless and Faithful 7Only a Handful of Gooseberries 21
At the Peril of Her Life 38
Californian Dessie 45
Clodagh’s Reward 70
She Was the Miller’s Darling 79
Frozen-Up 90
The Queer Girl of the Val d’Arno 103
The Stranger at the Door 111
A Wild Ride 120
The Heroine of Apple Creek 137
The Sailing of the ‘Gillyflower’ 142
The Heroine of Gravel Lane 155
A Perilous Errand 159
The Heroine of ’86 166
In the Teeth of the Storm 184
In the Old Dutch Clock 197
On Lake Erie 201
A Struggle for Life 203
The Cost of Signalling 211
Through Russia 232