The Project Gutenberg eBook of My friend Doggie; or, An only child
    
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.

Title: My friend Doggie; or, An only child

Author: G. R. Glasgow

Release date: February 25, 2025 [eBook #75465]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Ernest Nister, 1890

Credits: Bob Taylor, Mairi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY FRIEND DOGGIE; OR, AN ONLY CHILD ***





  Transcriber’s Note
  Italic text displayed as: _italic_




_MY FRIEND DOGGIE_

_or_

AN ONLY CHILD.


_Up_ at the Hall there was only one little girl. She was, however, such
a very pretty little girl, and so very gentle and sweet-tempered, that
she could hardly have been improved upon, and all the eight children at
the Lodge loved her.

[Illustration: Girl and dog]

The eight children at the Lodge were not particularly pretty, neither
were they particularly good, but they had warm, affectionate little
hearts, and I suppose that, as each baby brings love into the world
with it, there was eight times the amount of love in the cottage that
there was at the Hall.

[Illustration: Girl with two dogs]

When the children at the cottage looked curiously at the little lady in
her velvet and fur, their mother used to be ashamed of them, and tell
them that beauty was only skin-deep, and it was better to be good than
pretty—and they all believed her except Bet, and on that dreadful day
when Francey told the little lady to her face that she did not see she
(the little lady) was a bit better than she was, except for her clothes,
poor Mrs. Smith had wept tears of sorrow and mortification, and Francey
had dined on dry bread for a week—and they had all again implicitly
believed, as their mother had told them, that they were only common
children and Miss Dolly was a very superior being indeed—except Bet.

[Illustration: Man with boy and girl]

Bet was the youngest but one, so it was the seventh time the Angel of
Love had come to the cottage when he was born. He was particularly
plain—bless his heart, just like his dear father, Mrs. Smith used to
say to the servants at the Hall—and although he brought plenty of love
into the poor home, unfortunately he did not bring any extra bread and
butter with him.

Bet was a dreadful boy—what his mother called a limb. He used to plant
his sturdy legs apart, and gape at Miss Dolly and the Squire, without
a touch of his cap or a pull at his rough curls, for all the world as
if they were common cottage people like himself—for sometimes when a
little common child is born the fairies forget to tell him that he is
not quite like the upper classes, and then he is very apt to go through
life never learning the difference at all, and having the impertinence
sometimes to grow up into something quite original.

[Illustration: Girl with two younger kids]

But the funny thing was that, for all his impudent ways, it was Bet
that Miss Dolly chose to love out of all the children at the Lodge. If
she ran away from the nurse or her governess in the garden, they were
sure to find her sitting behind a bush with Bet, sharing strawberries
on a leaf, or making cups and saucers out of acorns.

Her mother used to laugh, and say that an only child must have someone
to play with, and that Bet was a dear impudent boy, with his brown
curls and his twinkling eyes and his ugly face.

Now Bet was very fond of animals, and the gamekeeper had given him a
spaniel puppy, and the gardener’s boy had given him a kitty, and one
winter’s morning he had raced them down the avenue together and into
the road.

Just as he got through the gate of the avenue he saw a whole lot of
rough boys bounding and leaping towards him, and before he knew what
they were going to do they had seized the poor little kitty, and were
tossing it from one to the other as if it were a ball.

Bet was terrified and he was furious—and, above all, he heard the
mewing of the frightened kitty as she clung with teeth and claws to the
cruel hand—but Bet was only six years old, and though he kicked and
struck and fought, the boys just laughed and shook him off as if he had
been a cross puppy, and not a very brave, angry, ugly little boy.

[Illustration: Boy and girl sitting]

But at that moment there came to his ears the sweetest sound he had
ever heard—the sound of flying feet upon the gravel, and a furious
screaming voice, much more like an infuriated cockatoo than a very
superior little girl.

“You leave that boy’s kitten alone!” she was shouting, as she came
flying down the drive in her fur cloak and scarlet hat. “You—you
cowards—I’ll call the gardeners. I’ll call the coachman. You leave that
cat alone!”

[Illustration: Group of boys playing with a cat]

She had plunged into the midst of them, kicking and hitting much
harder than Bet had done, and attracting so much attention that Smith
rushed out of the cottage with his stick and Mrs. Smith’s red face
appeared at an upper window. But Dolly had won the victory before the
reinforcements arrived. The boys had dispersed in a great hurry at the
sight of the stick and Smith’s powerful arm, and Dolly and Bet were
huddled on the bank by the roadside together, with the poor frightened
pussy clasped in their arms. Dolly was crying, now that the need for
courage was over, and Bet was very white and very still, for a great
resolve was forming itself in his mind, and it took all his strength to
be capable of the sacrifice. The whole family came out to comfort Dolly
and dry her tears, and Smith himself prepared to escort her back to the
house. Her own spaniels, Dash and Dandy, had found her out, and were
leaping joyfully upon her, partly from affection no doubt, but partly
because she still held the long-suffering pussy out of the way of their
frantic leaps.

“I’m ever so much obliged to you, Miss Dolly,” said Mrs. Smith, wiping
the mud and snow off her fur cloak, and she looked round furtively at
Bet to see if he had it in his mind to be polite or not.

But there was so need to tell Bet to pull his curly locks to-day. Even
if one is an independent young Briton, with very crude ideas of social
distinctions, one is often blessed with very strong feelings of love or
gratitude, and Bet’s blue eyes were shining.

“I’ll never forget,” he said; “I’ll give you my best—always—I won’t
never forget.”

He choked and ran away into the house, and Mrs. Smith excused him. “You
see, he’s but young, Miss,” she said, “and he’s not free of his words,
but he’s very much your debtor for the cat, that he is.”

[Illustration: Mother and daughter]

So Smith and the big stick, and Dash and Dolly, strolled away to the
house together.

Half way along the avenue they came upon three of the eight children
scattering salt upon the snow, hoping it might lodge upon the tail of
a fat robin that was hopping from twig to twig. They shrank away out
of their father’s sight, but Dolly could not resist stopping to see if
they succeeded. However, Dash and Dandy made such a rush at the fat
robin, both at once, that he flew away with a frightened chirp, and
Dolly nodded to the children, and ran on home.

[Illustration: Boy sleeping with dog]

But all that day Bet sat moodily in his little corner by the grate,
with the great resolve taking root in his slow mind. To-morrow was
Christmas Day and he wanted to make Miss Dolly a present, and in all
the world he had only one thing of his very own of any value and that
was his puppy. He wanted to give it to her, and in his heart he meant
to give it to her, but it was like tearing a very precious flower up by
the roots to take this great love out of his life; for he _did_ love
it. It ate out of his saucer at meals and slept in his crib at night,
and, however little there might be to eat, Bet’s share was equally
divided with the puppy.

He did not tell his mother what he was thinking about, or why his tears
fell that night into the puppy’s saucer, because she used to say to Bet
sometimes that they were too poor to be generous, and Bet did not want
to hear her say that to-night; so he crept silently to bed and laid his
cheek upon the puppy’s coat, and in two minutes they were fast asleep.

[Illustration: Young boy with puppy]

And that was how it happened that on Christmas morning there was an
empty chair at the crowded table, and a neglected basin of bread and
milk standing on the hob. There were no Christmas stockings for the
Lodge children and no parcels on their plates, but Mrs. Smith loved
all her children very much, and especially Bet, so she kept going
uneasily between the window and the fire, saying anxiously, first to
one and then to another: “Wherever is the boy?”

Now the Lodge children were well brought up, and under no circumstances
were they allowed to talk at meals, but when Mrs. Smith had repeated
her question for about the twentieth time, one fat child, bolder than
the rest, said, stolidly:

“He’s up to the Hall, mother; he’s going to make a present of the pup
to Miss Dolly.”

“Dear, dear,” said the mother, doubtfully, “to think of that;
whatever’ll the Squire think—dear, dear, now—the impudence of Bet.”

Seeing her conversational effort was so well received the bold little
girl made another venture:

“He’s just _wropt_ up in Miss Dolly,” she said.

“Tut, tut,” said her mother, hastily, “that’s very unbecoming,
Susan—dear, dear, what a saying; well, put his bowl on one side,
Francey, and clean up the children for church.”

[Illustration: Boy with puppy in hand walking up stairs]

Bet had started in the early morning over the crisp hard ground, with
the doomed puppy at his heels. He had quite fought out the matter with
himself, and he felt he was _glad_ to give up the puppy—all the more
glad, perhaps, because the fight had been a hard one. Every two or
three steps he turned to look at the soft little creature, tumbling
over itself and making frantic efforts to keep up with his bold
strides. Once it crept on to a bit of ice, and his blood ran cold
with fear, but at last he reached the great front steps, and sat down
exhausted with the puppy in his arms. Its tongue was out and its head
hanging, and they were both nearly asleep when the door was opened
suddenly behind them and a soft voice said: “Why, Bet! and the puppy!”

[Illustration: Girl holding dolls with puppies and a cat on the floor]

Bet was on his feet in a minute. “It’s for Miss Dolly—I brought it
up—it’s the only thing that’s mine.”

“My dear little boy, Dolly will be so pleased.” Dolly’s mother thought,
with a pang, of Dolly as she had seen her an hour ago, with arms full
of toys, and her room littered with presents, and then of that other
home, so full of children, so bare of presents, out of which another
generous gift had come for Dolly. There were eight sealed parcels lying
in the housekeeper’s room, but a generous impulse prevented her from
speaking of them to Bet just now. She could hear Dolly on the stairs,
and Bet’s solemn little voice, and the puppy’s squeals—and she was
glad to think that she _had_ remembered, and that Dolly would have the
joy of coming too when she took the eight parcels to the Lodge. Far
better than rank or distinction or money is the love that levels all—an
everlasting bond between the Hall and the Lodge.

  _Geraldine Glasgow._

[Illustration: Wrapped packages]





*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY FRIEND DOGGIE; OR, AN ONLY CHILD ***


    

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.


START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
    at www.gutenberg.org. If you
    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
  
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
provided that:

    • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
        the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
        Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
        Literary Archive Foundation.”
    
    • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
        works.
    
    • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
        receipt of the work.
    
    • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
        distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
    

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.