"The Disabled Soldier." Oliver Goldsmith.

One-minute review: A disabled soldier, a beggar, whose life has been one misery after another, one leg shot off, and four fingers of his left hand, unrelieved by any good fortune, but he takes great satisfaction in the little comforts of life, especially that he still lives, can eat and sleep, even if he has to beg for both. And he loves England. “Thus saying, he limped off, leaving me in admiration at his intrepidity and content.”

75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World’s Literature. Ed. Roger B. Goodman. New York: Bantam Books. 1961. These summaries do not do justice to the vividness of the stories. RayS.