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A Day At Niagara– Mark Twain

Mark Twain once said of Niagara Falls: “Although it was wonderful to see all that water tumbling down, it would be even more wonderful to see all that water tumbling up.”
The Niagara River forms the U.S.-Canadian Border and allows Lake Erie to drain northwest into Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is about 100 m lower than Lake Erie; the Falls and the rapids account for most of the elevation difference. The energy derived from water falling over the falls, with average total flows of 750,000 U.S. gallons (2.8 million liters) per second, fuel multiple power plants on the river. Power Plants downstream from the plant generate 4.4 million kilowatts of power for both Ontario and New York.

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A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain

The book is told from the standpoint of a loyal household pet, a dog self-described by the first sentence of the story; “My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian.” The story begins with a description of the dog’s life as a puppy and her separation from her mother, which to her was inexplicable. Her puppy and her owner’s new child were soon added to her new home. When a fire breaks out in the nursery, the dog risks her life to drag the baby to safety. In the process, her motives are misunderstood and she is cruelly beaten by the father of the family with a cane, resulting in her leg getting broken. Soon, however, the truth of the situation is discovered and she receives no end of praise. Later in the story, her puppy dies, killed by the father of the family to prove his opinion on optics to his scientist peers. Only a servant seems to realize the irony of this, exclaiming, “Poor little doggie, you saved HIS child!” In the end, the dog (who does not realize her puppy is dead until her own hour is upon her) pines inconsolable over the grave of the puppy with the clear implication that she will do so until death.

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