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Worth the Whisk (Donut Disturb #2) 1st Edition Melissa Williams
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, please address: alishawilliamsauthor@gmail.com
Book cover design: Alisha Williams
Book Editor: Lærke Gade Villemoes
AUTHORS NOTE
Please be advised. This is a reverse harem/why choose romance, meaning the heroine of this story does not have to pick between her love interests.
This book contains explicitly described sexual content and the excessive use of swear words. Some parts may have darker themes. Even though this is a prep school based book, this story is focused heavily on the characters' relationships with each other, as well as other exciting events.
This is a fast burn romance, but you already know that if you got this far... So, hold onto your panties or you might end up feeling the breeze a little more intimately than expected - cuz these pages are on fire!
hy is a body so much heavier when it's dead than when it’s alive?” Oliver grunts, tossing the body bag in the back of the trunk.
“How the fuck should I know?” I say, giving him a look and cocking a brow. “I'm not a scientist.”
“You would think with the lack of organs and blood, it would be lighter,” he says, slamming the trunk shut.
I think about what he’s saying. “You do have a point, but does it really matter?”
“No, I guess not. All that matters is that the fucker is dead and can’t hurt Emmy or any other woman again,” Oliver spits, staring at the trunk like it offended him personally. I guess in a way it did because the person in the trunk is Todd.
He was released from the hospital a week ago, and it didn't take long for him to go right back to his old ways. His probation was up just before the end of the year, and with Emmy not pressing charges against him, he just got sent home. Luckyforus.
Although he was out of the hospital, he wasn’t fully healed. After all, I gave him one hell of a beating. I wanted to do a lot more, but that had to wait until now, until today.
He became addicted to his pain meds almost immediately, and he started hanging around his old crowd, in some abandoned house.
Last night we followed him there, waited until he and his buddies were passed the fuck out from whatever drug of choice they took, and we grabbed him easily. He was too high and out of it to put up any real fight, and a blow to the head with my fist stopped the struggling altogether.
We tossed him into the trunk of one of the MC’s old junk cars, that I’d rebuilt, and brought him back to one of our warehouses on the compound.
Oliver and I took turns taking our anger out on him for what he did to Emmy, as well as what he did to all those other women. Scum
like him doesn't deserve to live. Nothing but a fucking waste of space if you ask me.
After Oliver had broken his face, arms, and legs, I took a little bit of a darker turn, channeling my best friend Harlow and her psychotic tendencies. Putting on some gloves, I grabbed his limp, nasty dick and sliced it clean off, before shoving it into his mouth. He screamed in pain and gagged on it for a while until his whining became so annoying that I just shot the fucker in the head.
After slicing him open and gutting him like a fish, we zipped him up into a body bag, and now we're taking it to a funeral home owned by the MC. My father bought it off the owner, who had a gambling debt, but allowed him to keep his job. We may be an MC, but we don’t set out to kill people, not unless we have to. So, having access to a place like that, where we can dispose of bodies without having anyone ask questions, is handy for when we do kill. The guy always asks us to remove the organs and shit before dropping off a body. Something about decomposing the body in two different ways and an easier cleanup. I don't ask questions as long as the job gets done. But I'd be lying if I said I didn’t think it was fucking nasty.
I slide into the driver’s seat, slamming the door, just wanting to get this sack of shit dealt with, so we can move on. Oliver is right behind me, sliding into the passenger seat.
As we head to the funeral home, Oliver lets out a deep, exhausted sigh.
“As much as I enjoyed seeing that fucker cry like a little bitch and watching the light fade from his eyes as he slowly bled out, I’m glad it’s over with. I just wanna go back home, wash up, get something to eat, and head back to Emmy. I don't like being away from her this long. I know she has Amy with her, but I’d feel better being there myself. I wanna spend as much time with her as I can before I leave for school next week,” he says, rubbing his dirty hands over his face and through his hair before remembering his hands are still stained with blood. He looks at them with a lip curling in disgust and lets out a curse. Opening the glove box, he takes out some disinfectant wipes to clean his hands the best he can, then grabs a fresh one for his face.
“I know. I wish I could be there too. After everything that’s happened, the idea of being away from her for too long makes me uneasy,” I say, never taking my eyes off the road.
Walking into that warehouse and finding Emmy tied to a chair, gagged, and bleeding out, sent me into a blackout rage. I beat the ever-living shit out of Ed before putting a bullet right between his eyes. He may not have done most of the damage, but he was still the reason she was taken in the first place.
No, her injuries were caused by his crazy cunt of a daughter, Mariah. I don't know what it is about my brother, but he has this magnetic draw to him that just attracts all the crazies right to him.
In the few years Oliver has been in my and the MC’s lives, he never really got to know Mariah. He was too hung up and invested in Emmy to give her the time of day.
But that didn't stop her from building this fantasy life in her head. She thought she had an easy life because her dad was the enforcer. In her head, she was worth more than a Sweet Butt, and she felt she had the right to have her choice from the members. When Oliver came into the picture, she saw her chance to be at the top. She didn't bother trying anything with me, but the son of the president who just so happened to be her age, yeah, she jumped right on that.
I know for a fact that Oliver never thought twice about shooting her, and he didn't feel bad after it was done. He was planning to have Todd be his first kill, but I guess life had other plans.
Emmy is one strong woman, and I'm in awe at her strength and determination. Even after everything that life has thrown at her, she never stops fighting. It fucking pisses me off that she never gets a damn break. She attracts danger, apparently like Oliver attracts mentally unstable women.
Watching her lying there in that bed changed something in me. I was so determined to deny my attraction towards her from the moment it developed, but after almost losing her like that, I gave up and gave in. Well, at least to myself, because, like hell, if I'd admit it to her. Now is not the right time in our lives for that. Life is too complicated as it is. I'll watch over her from afar for now. She has
her people to give her what she needs. Unfortunately, I don't think that I’ll ever be one of them. I’m pretty sure the girl doesn't even like me. Sure, I have an effect on her, that much is obvious by the way she looks at me when no one is watching, but that could very well just be physical.
When we pull around to the back of the funeral home, our guy, Ken, is waiting there. “So, boys, what do you have for me today?”
Ken asks, rubbing his hands together like a hungry man getting a big juicy steak. My face morphs into annoyance, and I cringe at how excited he is for a dead body. The guy is fucking weird.
“Teenage rapist. Fucked with the wrong people, tried to hurt the wrong girl, so we did the world a favor,” I say, opening the trunk as Ken and Oliver come to stand next to me.
Digging the bag of organs out, I shove it into Ken’s chest. “Here, I did what you asked. You're lucky we need you because that was so bad that I almost puked, and it takes a lot to gross me out. Mostly had to do with the smell, though.” I grab onto one end of the body bag and Oliver grabs the other. “We’ll take him in for you; just tell us where you want him.”
“Down to the basement, just put him on one of the tables down there, and I'll handle the rest,” Ken says before turning around and heading into the building.
With both Oliver and I carrying him, the job is pretty easy. Following Ken into the building and down to the basement, I can't help the uneasy chill that runs down my spine, causing my skin to prickle. I fucking hate this place. Every time I come here, it always feels like someone or something is watching me.
We toss Todd’s body on one of the tables, and it lands with a hard thud. I shudder as a cold breeze envelops my body. “Everything good? Because we need to get out of here. People to see, showers to take,” I say, looking down at the blood that has splattered onto my clothes. Oliver and I really need to get cleaned up before the wrong people start asking questions.
“Yeah, you're good to go. I'll take it from here,” Ken says, opening a big steel door and walking into a room that looks like a big freezer, putting the bag of guts into a bin. I don't wanna know
what he does with them. I really don't. With this guy, anything seems possible.
Oliver and I head back to the car and start heading home. “Can we stop at a McDonald’s or something on the way to the hospital? It won't take long to shower; then we can head back. Plus, Emmy has been begging for a caramel sundae. Go to the one on Milton Drive; it's the only place with a working ice cream machine.”
“Yeah, I could go for a Big Mac or something,” I grin, looking at him for a brief moment before returning my eyes to the road.
“I hope that's not one of those cravings she gets, because the only time she would be able to get any ice cream from McDonald’s is when we go to town, and I don't think that's gonna be too often this year, after everything that happened last year. No doubt Mr. Tucker will lock the whole place down. Wouldn't be surprised if it really does turn into a real reform school,” Oliver grumbles.
His words cause my grin to fall. Cravings? Oh, that's right... how could I forget about the baby.
Chapter 1
Emmy
“Is everything packed and ready to go?” Amy asks as she leans against the door frame of my bedroom.
Turning around, I look at her with a small smile. “Yup, everything’s ready to go,” I say, patting my duffle bag.
My second year of Emerald Lake Prep started a month ago, but I've been recovering from the events of this summer up until now, and I am finally cleared by the doctors to go back.
“Everything is gonna be okay, Sweetie,” Amy says, walking into the room and wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
“I know, I’m just nervous. I miss them all so much, but they still don’t know about the baby,” I say, putting my hand over my belly. “Oliver says it's getting harder and harder not to say anything to them. He hates lying to his friends, and I hate lying to the ones I love, but with everything that's happened, this would have just added to all the stress. I don’t know how they will react, and I didn’t wanna risk getting overwhelmed,” I say, my voice cracking a little.
When I first woke up in the hospital, everything came rushing back all at once. I started to freak out because I didn't know where I was. Oliver quickly wrapped me in his arms, careful not to mess with the IV or my wounds. When I started hyperventilating, he urged me to calm down and, when that didn't work, he told me stressing wasn't good for the baby. When I heard the word babycome out of his mouth, I immediately forced myself to calm down and allowed my mind to play catch up.
I remembered feeling a little sick one morning, a few days before the kidnapping, but I just thought it was the summer heat getting to me.
After talking to the doctor and having him show me proof, I asked how this was possible because I was on birth control. He said that the type of antibiotics I had been taking, when I was sick at the start of summer break, could have counteracted my birth control. I hadnoideathatwasevenpossible.
Shock was my first reaction, but then I was flooded with a feeling of love, which quickly turned to worry. Unfortunately, that last feeling is what has stuck with me most. I'm consumed by the fear of losing this baby like I lost my son. A part of me wants to block out all my feelings regarding this pregnancy, to put it at the back of my mind and not focus on it because everything I fear could very well happen, especially when a woman has miscarried before. But I couldn't do that; I can't. Knowing that there is a life growing inside me, that my son or daughter, who is half one of my guys and me, brings me so much joy and happiness that I could burst. And with the added excitement also comes overprotectiveness. I feel like a mama bear protecting her cub whenever I think about the tiny life inside me.
Oliver was hovering over me the entire time I was in the hospital. When I got home, he was right there at my bedside, waiting on me hand and foot. As much as I enjoyed being pampered, his alpha male side was stronger than normal, and I have a feeling that it's not going to go away anytime soon. Lucky for him, I just find his bossy ass sexy. And the growl he gives me whenever I sass back is a definite turn on.
The only ones who know about the baby are Oliver, Tyson, and my parents. When Charlie, Ben, and Talon came to the hospital, they were so worked up over what happened to me; I didn’t feel like it was the right time to tell them. I, myself, needed more time to come to terms with the situation. So, after they had to leave, Oliver agreed to keep it quiet until I knew for sure how I felt and what I was gonna do.
As for Tyson, he stayed in the background but never strayed too far from me, always keeping an eye on me and our surroundings. It’s like he was afraid that the threat was still there. The way he’s started looking at me is completely different, though. Before, it was a mixture of annoyance and lust. Now, it’s like the idea of something bad happening to me again would hurt him more than he cares to admit, that almost losing me has made him rethink his view on me. His thoughts on me may have changed, but I have no idea what feelings have replaced the old ones. Right now, I can't think about
that; I have way too much going on to overthink that particular situation.
He has offered a bit of friendship, though, and that I appreciate. He’s still an overbearing asshole, but he's become a little more tolerable.
Now, it's time for me to head back to school and finish my probation. I'm not exactly jumping for joy to go back to a place that has caused me so much pain, but it beats the other option, and there’s no way in hell I’d risk my baby by going to jail.
A lot has changed this year. When Charlie and the guys went back to school, I didn't hear from anyone for a week. All my texts and voicemails went unanswered. I was freaking out quite a bit about the silent treatment. Turns out, Mr. Tucker has added a ton of rules and restrictions. No cell phones are allowed, computers are only to be used for schoolwork, and you can only call people from the office phone on weekends.
Oliver was the first to call me, explaining all the changes. As much as I hate that we no longer have as much freedom as before, I agree that something needed to change. It’s a school meant to provide teenagers with a second chance at life, and most of what that place offered me was bullying and assault. On top of that, there were the perverted teachers spending time alone with students and even having sex with them, which is so fucked up. Meeting my people is the only good thing that place has ever given me.
Oliver told me that Mr. Tucker said he was ashamed to have hired those men and trusted them around young people. He has also added a few more teachers and made sure to do a more thorough background check this time.
So now, even though I'm still pretty sore and have ugly, pink, puckered scars that cover my thighs, I’ve decided to go back to the school. Amy wanted to keep me out for another week or two, but I miss everyone and just want to get this year over with, so that we can finally start living our lives free from any restrictions.
Amy gives me one last little squeeze before taking a step back and placing her hands on my shoulders. “I know this is a lot to deal with, especially after everything that happened last year, but you
don't have to go through this alone. You have Rick and me. You have Charlie and the guys, and I may not know them all that well yet, but something tells me they are not the type to abandon you. When they got to the hospital after the accident, I saw how much they love you. How broken they were about what happened to you and how much it hurt them to see you like that. They love you; you just have to trust that. Tell them the truth, have faith in your people, and just believe in your love.”
She smiles while she talks about them. She’s right. I know they love me. But this situation is gonna stir things up. A baby is gonna be a big change. We are only just graduating from high school this year and getting off a probation that some of them have been on for years. Would they all want to jump right into the lifelong commitment of being parents? Will the guys accept the baby, knowing it might not biologically be theirs? Charlie would. I know for a fact she would because we had this conversation last year.
She wants babies, and she doesn't care which of us will be the mother because, either way, they are a part of one of us. We didn't get into it very much because that would be a conversation to have with the guys later in life. But little did we know that that conversation was coming a hell of a lot sooner than we planned.
Amy grabs my bags, and I grab my big Marie stuffie, purse, and my favorite red hoodie that I stole from Oliver years ago.
Since the others went back to the school, I've slept with something of theirs or something that was given to me by them every night. I’ve had snuggles with Marie while sleeping in Talon's band tees, Ben's sweatpants, and Oliver's hoodies.
With my wounds still tender, as well as adjusting to being pregnant, comfy clothes have been my new best friends. A big change from my usual skinny jeans and crop tops.
My new style is baggy clothes and messy buns.
When we get downstairs, Rick is there waiting with a sad smile. He's been so amazing through everything. He is the father every little girl wants.
“I'm gonna miss having you around every day, eating all my ice cream right from the tub,” he jokes, coming over and giving me a
tight but careful hug. I wrap my arms around him, squeezing him back.
“Don't worry; I'll make sure to eat all of it when I come back for the holidays. Unfortunately for you, it seems to be a craving that the baby demands,” I joke back. He huffs out a laugh.
Taking my bag from Amy, we all head out to the car. Once Amy and I are in, I roll down my window to say one last goodbye to Rick.
“You be good, you hear? Make them boys keep you and my grandbaby safe and happy, or I'll come down there and kick their asses,” he says in a stern voice. It sounds like he means it too.
Huffing out a laugh, I give him a watery smile. “I think I'm in good hands. Tyson is back, and they’ve added security. Also, Charlie said that Brittany is locked up somewhere, so there’s no chance of her coming back this year. All the people who posed a threat to me last year are gone now. So, I have a bit more confidence that this year will be better... hopefully,” I say, not sounding entirely convinced myself.
With one last wave goodbye, Amy and I head to Emerald Lake Prep.
PULLING UP IN FRONT of the big, vine-covered stone wall that surrounds the front of the school grounds, I get excited jitters along with a case of nerves. My tummy is in knots. I'm so excited to see everyone, but the reality is also hitting me hard. The conversation I’ve avoided having with them is now imminent. I'm gonna have to tell them, and it needs to be sooner rather than later.
After parking the car, we get everything out and head to the security gate. Looking around, I see that they have updated a few things. More men are stationed at the guard post, there's barbed wire on top of the fence, and the place seems oddly quiet.
I'm not sure if they are trying to keep people out... or keep people in. Normally, you’d see a few kids wandering around the school grounds at this time of day, but the place is like a ghost town.
My nerves amp up, and I'm seconds away from telling Amy that I might just take her up on that idea of staying home for another few weeks. After all, the judge gave me the approval to stay with them for three more weeks.
A guard comes out of the little booth and approaches us. It’s Joe. He gives me a smile, and I relax a little, giving him one back. “Hey there, Emmy. You're looking better. Sorry about what happened to you over the summer, but you’re a strong girl, so I knew you would be okay.”
“Thanks, Joe. It’s...” I look behind him at the school, then back to him. “Good to be back... I think,” I say, letting out a nervous laugh.
“Has anyone filled you in on the new rules and restrictions?” he asks me.
I nod my head. “Oliver filled me in on a few things. I'm not sure if it’s everything, but he told me no cell phones, computers are only used for school, and we can call home on the weekends.”
“Well, you came just in time. There's an assembly introducing the new teachers and rules. A few of the teachers have taken on extra classes until Mr. Tucker made sure the new ones were good choices,” Joe says, then looks at Amy. “I'm afraid I can't allow you to go any further. With all the new changes, we are not allowing anyone but teachers, students, and guards past this point until the new changes have settled.”
Amy nods her head in understanding and turns to me. “Alright, Kiddo, guess this is goodbye,” she says with tears forming in her eyes. Mine start to water too, as I drop everything in my arms and hug her close.
“Call me anytime. Mr. Tucker is aware of your situation and, if you need me, just let him know. I'm sure he will allow you to use the phone if it's an emergency, even if it's not the weekend,” Amy says, not letting me go.
“I promise. I'm gonna be okay. I love you,” I say softly.
“I love you too, Sweetie.” She gives me a weak smile.
Amy turns and heads back to her car, and I gather everything I dropped and look up at Joe. “Do you mind taking my bags?”
“Not at all.” He grabs my bags, and the other guard opens the gate, allowing us through. We make our way past the little courtyard with a garden and some bench seating and down the stone path to the main doors. As we get closer, I can see people standing at the bottom of the steps. I start to slow, my nerves spiking sky-high as excitement battles to be on top. Oliver, Charlie, Ben, and Talon all stand there, waiting for me.
They show a range of different emotions. Olly has a half-grin, but when our eyes meet, I see the tension in his shoulders drop a bit. Like seeing me here, safe, makes him able to breathe freely at last. Ben has a sweet smile on his face, but I can see that he's nervous like me. He has a tight grip on Talon’s hand, holding him back from rushing over to me. The antsy, impatient look on Talon’s face tells me that he's seconds away from just dragging Ben over here with him. Then, there's Charlie. She's bouncing on her toes, vibrating with excitement and with a huge smile splitting her face. She looks ready to take off and tackle me. Oliver notices and makes his way over first. When he reaches me, he stops when we are chest to chest, our toes barely touching.
“Hi, Firefly,” he smiles.
“Hey,” I breathe with butterflies taking over my belly. It’s been a whole month since I’ve seen him—longer since I’ve seen the others. I feel like I'm seeing my new crushes for the first time again.
Oliver reaches up, his big hand enveloping my cheek. I close my eyes and sigh, savoring his touch. Warm, soft lips cover mine as Oliver kisses me sweetly. I melt into the kiss, whimpering at the contact I've been desperately missing for so long. Breaking away, he rests his forehead against mine. “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Sweetheart. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to have Ty break me out of here and bring me to you. Asshole wouldn’t go for it,” he grumbles, causing me to laugh.
“I missed you too, Olly. It hurt being away from you all, after... you know...”
He sighs, moving his face back so that we are nose to nose. He lightly rubs his against mine. “We need to tell them,” he whispers,
his eyes filled with concern. His words pop the little, loving welcome home bubble I had. Right.There'sthat.
“Soon,” I whisper back. He stares at me for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, you’ve had your turn, now move over, you big oaf,” Charlie demands, trying to push the wall of solid, tattooed muscle out of the way and getting nowhere. Oliver smirks and finally moves over so that he is no longer the one in front of me.
With a smile finding its way back to her beautiful face, she tugs me into her body, locking her arms around me and holding me tight enough to get a little “oomph” out of me. “I’ve missed you so much, Baby. I’m so glad you’re back!” she squeals, jumping a little.
“Not so tight,” Oliver growls from behind Charlie. I look over at him with my eyes slightly widened in warning. Ben and Talon give him a curious look while Charlie pulls away from me, looking at him with a confused and pissed off glare.
“What the hell got up your ass?” she huffs before turning her attention back to me. Taking her hand, I grasp it tightly.
“I missed you too, Love Bug,” I smile, tugging her to me, then wrapping my arms around her shoulders and kissing her hard. She lets out a needy moan, kissing me back with a fiery passion. Before things get too heated, I hear someone clear their throat. Breaking apart, I look behind Charlie and see that Ben and Talon have finally made their way over to us.
“Hi, My Love,” Ben says softly.
“Screw this,” Talon snaps, pushing past Ben and taking me hostage.
“Thank fuck, you’re back,” Talon mumbles. “I've been going crazy without you; weall have. It's not the same without you. Nothing is right unless you're here with us.”
“I’m glad I’m back too. I missed you all so much. I was going out of my mind. Not being able to video chat or text was giving me cabin fever.”
Without another word, his tongue invades my mouth, dancing with mine. His hands wrap around my ass cheeks, squeezing them. I
can feel his hard length pressed against my belly as he groans into my mouth. A body comes up behind mine, trapping me in.
“Thank you for coming back so we can be complete again,” Ben whispers against my neck, his breath causing goosebumps to erupt over my whole body, and a flush of lust goes right to my clit. Ifyou thoughtIwasabitchinheatlastyear,thesepregnancyhormones justuppedthegame.
“Alright, enough of that. You're in public, not to mention at school. Stop that before you end up fucking here for everyone to see,” someone says. That voice snaps me out of my lustful state. I know that smooth whiskey voice.
Moving back from my guys, I look over towards the main doors. Tyson stands there with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, and looking at us with an unreadable expression. He’s dressed in his casual clothes. A black T-shirt fits snugly around his toned body. The way his arms are crossed makes his muscles bulge. He lifts one of his hands and runs it through his wavy, black hair. It's grown a bit since the last time I saw him. It stops just below his ears now. It looks good on him. A little too good because when a rush of arousal sweeps through me, I have to rip my gaze away from him.
The guys all grab my things, and Charlie takes hold of my hand. “Come on. We were able to get out of class a little early to come greet you, but Felicity should just be getting out of class now. She said she would meet us in our new room.” Charlie leads me into the school, past Tyson, who gives me a smoldering look when our eyes meet again. The guys follow behind, and we all head towards the staircase to the girls’ dorm.
Wait!Didshejustsaynewroom?
Chapter 2
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Seth Low, The Trend of the Century (Atlantic Monthly, August, 1898).
NINETEENTH CENTURY:
Dominant lines in the intellectual development of the Century.
"The future historian of thought will no doubt regard the promulgation and the rapid triumph of evolutionist doctrines as the most remarkable phenomenon in the intellectual development of the nineteenth century."
Leslie Stephen, Evolution and Religious Conceptions
(Review of the Nineteenth Century, in New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
"In the briefest sketch of what the nineteenth century has done in literature, it is absolutely imperative to mention the publication of 'The Origin of Species' [Darwin, 1859] and 'Principles of Psychology' [Spencer, 1855], because, although neither work is written with an attractive elegance, each is the starting point of an intellectual and moral revolution so vast that every branch of life is affected by it, and literature itself in its lightest forms can no longer ignore the germinal forces with which evolution has quickened all our emotions."
Edmund Gosse, A Century of English Literature
(Review of the Nineteenth Century, in New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
"To an earlier age knowledge was power, merely that and nothing more; to us it is life and the 'summum bonum.' Emancipation from the bonds of self, of one's own
prepossessions, importunately sought at the hands of that rational power before which all must ultimately bow this is the characteristic that distinguishes all the great figures of nineteenth century science from those of former periods."
Professor Charles S. Peirce,
The Century's Great Men in Science
(Review of the Nineteenth Century, in New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
"The mark of the century has been a continuous attempt at a comprehensive understanding of nature, after the manner of Newton, but not limited or governed solely by his dynamical ideas. … The Newtonian laws of dynamics as applied to matter still hold, and will always hold, but they may no longer be fundamental or ultimate, they may be derivatives from a still deeper scheme; and it is towards this deeper scheme that physicists at present are groping. The realization of a need for some such scheme constitutes the chief philosophic feature of the latter part of the century."
Oliver J. Lodge.
The Scope and Tendencies of Physics (Review of the Nineteenth Century, in New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
The failures of the Century. Its sinful mismanagement of the powers which Science has given it.
"The Nineteenth Century … has been characterised by a marvellous and altogether unprecedented progress in knowledge of the universe and of its complex forces; and also in the application of that knowledge to an infinite variety of purposes, calculated, if properly utilized, to supply all the wants of every human being, and to add greatly to the
comforts, the enjoyments, and the refinements of life. The bounds of human knowledge have been so far extended that new vistas have opened to us in directions where it had been thought that we could never penetrate, and the more we learn the more we seem capable of learning in the ever-widening expanse of the universe. …
"But the more we realize the vast possibilities of human welfare which science has given us, the more we must recognise our total failure to make any adequate rational use of them. With ample power to supply to the fullest extent necessaries, comforts, and even luxuries for all, and at the same time allow ample leisure for intellectual pleasures and æsthetic enjoyments, we have yet so sinfully mismanaged our social economy as to give unprecedented and injurious luxury to the few, while millions are compelled to suffer a lifelong deficiency of the barest necessaries for a healthy existence. Instead of devoting the highest powers of our greatest men to remedy these evils, we see the governments of the most advanced nations arming their people to the teeth, and expending much of their wealth and all the resources of their science, in preparation for the destruction of life, of property, and of happiness.
"With ample knowledge of the sources of health, we allow, and even compel, the bulk of our population to live and work under conditions which greatly shorten life; while every year we see from 50,000 to 100,000 infants done to death by our criminal neglect. In our mad race for wealth, we have made gold more sacred than human life; we have made life so hard for the many, that suicide and insanity and crime are alike increasing. With all our labour-saving machinery and all our command over the forces of nature, the struggle for existence has become more fierce than ever before; and year by year an ever-increasing proportion of our people sink into paupers' graves.
"Even more degrading, and more terrible in its consequences, is the unblushing selfishness of the greatest civilized nations. While boasting of their military power, and loudly proclaiming their Christianity, not one of them has raised a finger to save a Christian people, the remnant of an ancient civilization, from the most barbarous persecution, torture, and wholesale massacre. A hundred thousand Armenians murdered or starved to death while the representatives of the great powers coldly looked on and prided themselves on their unanimity in all making the same useless protests will surely be referred to by the historian of the future, as the most detestable combination of hypocrisy and inhumanity that the world has yet produced, and as the crowning proof of the utter rottenness of the boasted civilization of the Nineteenth Century.
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When the brightness of future ages shall have dimmed the glamour of our material progress, the judgment of history will surely be, that the ethical standard of our rulers was a deplorably low one, and that we were unworthy to possess the great and beneficent powers that science had placed in our hands.
"But although this century has given us so many examples of failure, it has also given us hope for the future. True humanity, the determination that the crying social evils of our time shall not continue; the certainty that they can be abolished; an unwavering faith in human nature, have never been so strong, so vigorous, so rapidly growing as they are to-day."
A. R. Wallace, The Wonderful Century, chapter 21
(copyright, Dodd, Mead &; Company, New York, quoted with permission).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
Expansion of the European races during the Century. Changes in the distribution of political power. Dominance of the Anglo-American peoples.
Rise of the United States of America to the highest rank.
At a dinner given by the Manchester Statistical Society, October 17, 1900, Sir Robert Giffen, the eminent statistician, made a notable speech on the political ideas which the statistics of the Nineteenth Century suggest. "The first of these was the prodigious rate at which the civilized world the community of European nations and nations of European origin was growing. The population of Europe and of nations of European origin like the United States might now be put at something over 500,000,000. The United States themselves might be put at nearly 80 millions; Russia in its recent census showed a population which must already have grown to about 135 millions; Germany about 55 millions; the United Kingdom, with the self-governing colonies of Canada and Australasia and the white population of South Africa, 55 millions; Austria-Hungary, 45 millions; France, 40 millions; Italy, 32 millions; Spain and Portugal, 25 millions; Scandinavian countries, ten millions; Holland and Belgium, ten millions; and other European countries, 20 millions. A century ago the corresponding figure to this 500,000,000 would not have been more than about 170,000,000. The economic development of the people had been even more marvellous. The wealth of the people all told, which would probably not have been reckoned at more than £5,000,000,000 at the beginning of the century, must be reckoned now by tens of thousands of millions.
"Again the development was for the most part not uniform among the European populations. It was most marked in the Anglo-American section. The increase here was from a population of not more than about 20 millions, which was the population of the United States and the United Kingdom together 100 years ago, to a population of not less than 130
millions at the present time. Russia and Germany also showed remarkable increases, but nothing like this. This astonishing growth of population meant a great change in the relative position of the European nations in the world their relative weight in international politics. Practically the non-European races of the world had all the time been stationary, except in India, where the 'pax Britannica' had permitted the native population to expand. The result was that the forces of civilization, as against those of the black and yellow races, had become practically irresistible. The numbers were relatively far greater than ever they were before, and the economic force was indefinitely greater. A great change in the distribution of political power among European nations themselves was also indicated. The existence alone of the United States implied an immense change. If we considered that an empire like that of Britain had its strength rather diminished than increased by the possession of territories like India, then the United States having a larger European population than that of the British Empire might be considered the most powerful State in the world as far as population and resources were concerned. No doubt Russia had a much larger population, but the inferiority of the units was so great that the preeminence of the United States was not in question. Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom had all grown, while France and Austria had by comparison remained stationary, so that now the great world Powers were four only the United States, Britain, Russia, and Germany, with France a doubtful fifth. The extent of the revolution that had taken place in a century was evident, and obviously accounted for much that was going on in international politics.
"If the forces now in existence continue to operate as they had done in the past century for only a few more generations, the close of the coming century must witness a further transformation, whose beginnings would be apparent in the lifetime of some amongst us. It was a reasonable probability that unless some great internal change should take place in
the ideas and conduct of the European races themselves, the population of 500 millions would in another century become one of 1,500 to 2,000 millions. The black and yellow races still remaining, as far as one could see, comparatively stationary, this would make a greatly changed world. The yellow peril, for instance, of which we heard so much, would have vanished, because the yellow races themselves would be so much outnumbered. What would be the 400 millions of China compared with 1,500 to 2,000 millions of European race? Further progress must also be made in the redistribution of power among European nations. International politics would be more and more limited to the affairs of what were already the four great Powers the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia. The most serious problem would of course be whether the dilemma stated by Malthus and hitherto put aside by the occupation of new lands, would at length become an urgently practical question. It was impossible not to wonder which of the two forces the growth of population and the increase of the needs of the growing population on the one side, and the growth of invention and mechanical power in supplying human wants on the other side would gain as time went on. Referring to the desire to secure new markets abroad, Sir Robert Giffen said that the figures with which he had been dealing pointed to quite another source of new markets. Surely there could be no lack of new customers if the 500 millions of the advanced races themselves were to be doubled in from 30 to 50 years and trebled or quadrupled in a century."
London Times, October 18, 1900.
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THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
The lengthened average of human life.
"What has been the chief characteristic of the nineteenth century? No two critics agree, nor can they, because each
prefers a different quality. One singles out science, another, invention, as the dominant trait. A third, who looks mainly at the political aspect of life, says democracy. Others, again, say pessimism, philanthropy, doubt, or toleration. So many features, so much diversity, argue at least for many-sidedness.
"There is one characteristic, however, which distinguishes the nineteenth century from all previous centuries a characteristic which has become too common to attract the attention it deserves, although it really measures all the rest: this is longevity. During the past one hundred years the length of life of the average man in the United States and in the more civilized parts of Europe has increased from a little over 30 to about 40 years. A multitude of causes, mostly physical, have contributed to this result. Foremost among these should be placed (1) whatever may be included under the general term sanitation; (2) improved methods in medicine; and (3) the more regular habits of living which are the direct outcome of industrial life on a large scale.
"These are some of the evident means by which life has been lengthened. Inventions, which have made production cheap and the transportation of all products both cheap and easy, have had an influence too great to be computed. And no doubt much has been due to a general improvement in methods of government; although, in the main, there has been much less progress in practical government than is commonly supposed. No great railroad company or banking house or manufacturing corporation could prosper if its officers and employees were chosen and kept in office according to the system by which political offices, almost everywhere, are filled. 'None hut experts wanted,' is the sign written over the entrance to every profession, trade, and occupation except government.
"But, whatever governments have done or left undone, the fact
to be insisted on here is, that the average man to-day lives almost ten years longer than his grandfather lived."
W. R. Thayer, Longevity and Degeneration (Forum, February, 1900).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
The Musical Century.
"Music is the only one of the fine arts of which it can be said that it reached its highest development in the nineteenth century. It is the modern art par excellence; and while everybody has been told that it is the youngest of the arts, few realize how much is implied in that assertion."
Henry T. Finck, The Musical Century (New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
The Woman's Century.
"Victor Hugo predicted that the nineteenth century would be known as Woman's Century. The comparison of the woman of 1800 and the woman of 1900 offers abundant proof of the correctness of the prophecy."
Mrs. Carrie C. Catt, Women in the Industries and Professions (New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
"In 1900 a third of all the college students in the United States are women. Sixty per cent. of the pupils in the secondary schools, both public and private, are girls i. e., more girls are preparing for college than boys. Women having in general more leisure than men, there is reason to expect
that there will soon be more women than men in our colleges and graduate schools. The time, too, has passed when girls went to college to prepare themselves solely for teaching or for other bread-winning occupations. In considerable numbers they now seek intellectual resources and the enrichment of their private lives. Thus far between 50 and 60 per cent. of women college graduates have at some time taught. In the country at large more than 70 per cent. of the teaching is done by women, in the North Atlantic portion over 80 per cent. Even in the secondary schools, public and private, more women than men are teaching, though in all other countries the advanced instruction of boys is exclusively in the hands of men. Never before has a nation intrusted all the school training of the vast majority of its future population, men as well as women, to women alone."
Mrs. Alice F. Palmer, The Higher Education of Women (New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
The Age of Steel succeeding the Age of Iron.
"The age of iron, which passed away during the last century, was succeeded by the age of Bessemer steel, which enjoyed a reign of only thirty-six years, beginning, as it did, in 1864, and is in turn now passing away to be succeeded by the age of Siemens open-hearth steel. Already the product of open-hearth is far beyond that of Bessemer in Britain, and such the writer ventures to predict will soon be the case in the United States."
Andrew Carnegie,
The Development of Steel Manufacture (New York Evening Post, January 12, 1901).
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
As the "Age of Steam."
See (in volume 4)
STEAM ENGINE, STEAM LOCOMOTION, etc.; and (in this volume)
SCIENCE, RECENT: MECHANICAL.
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY:
As the "Electric Age."
See (in volume 2)
ELECTRICAL, DISCOVERY; and (in this volume)
SCIENCE, RECENT: ELECTRICAL.
----------THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: End--------
NIPPUR, Explorations of the ruins of.
See (in this volume)
ARCHÆOLOGICAL RESEARCH: BABYLONIA: AMERICAN EXPLORATION.
NIUCHWANG:
"Niuchwang, while a comparatively small city of but 60,000 population, is of especial importance to the United States as a treaty port. It is located at the extreme north of the Gulf of Pechili, considerably farther north than Tientsin, and is of especial importance to the United States because of the demand for goods from this country in that section. … The proposed Russian railway line, which is projected through Manchuria and the province of Shingking to the port of Port Arthur, passes near Niuchwang and is to be connected by a short line. Another line, to be built by British capital, will connect Niuchwang with Shanhaikwan, which is already in railway connection with Peking, the capital of the Empire."
United States, Bureau of Statistics, Monthly Summary, March, 1899, page 2196.
NIUCHWANG: Russian occupation.
See (in this volume)
MANCHURIA: A. D. 1900.
NORFOLK ISLAND: Change of government.
(in this volume)
AUSTRALIA (NEW SOUTH WALES): A. D. 1896.
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NORTH CAROLINA: A. D. 1897-1899. Local Dispensary Laws.
An Act applying the South Carolina "dispensary" system of regulation for the liquor traffic (see, in this volume, SOUTH CAROLINA: A. D. 1892-1899) to Fayetteville was passed by the Legislature in 1897, and several smaller towns secured local legislation to the same effect in 1899; but attempts to carry a general dispensary law for the State were defeated.
NORTH CAROLINA: A. D. 1898. Race war in Wilmington.
Wilmington, North Carolina, was the scene, in November, of what can only be called a fierce revolution, whereby the city government, dominated by the colored population, which outnumbered the white, was violently overturned by the latter. The race conflict was precipitated by an article in a Republican newspaper, edited by a negro, which reflected on the honor of some of the white women, and caused wild excitement among the
white men. The offending newspaper office was destroyed and its editor fled. Resistance being offered, furious fighting occurred, in which a considerable number of negroes was killed, many were wounded, and hundreds were driven by terror from the town. White Republican officials were also expelled or took to flight, and their opponents secured control of city affairs.
NORTH CAROLINA: A. D. 1900.
Constitutional amendment for the qualification of the suffrage.
By a constitutional amendment, adopted in August, 1900, the following qualification of the suffrage was established:
"SECTION 4.
Every person presenting himself for registration shall be able to read and write any section of the constitution in the English language: and, before he shall be entitled to vote, he shall have paid, on or before the 1st day of May of the year in which he proposes to vote, his poll tax for the previous year as prescribed by Article V, section 1, of the constitution. But no male person who was, on January 1, 1867, or at any time prior thereto, entitled to vote under the laws of any State in the United States wherein he then resided, and no lineal descendant of any such person, shall be denied the right to register and vote at any election in this State by reason of his failure to possess the educational qualification herein prescribed, provided he shall have registered in accordance with the terms of this section prior to December, 1908. The general assembly shall provide for the registration of all persons entitled to vote without the educational qualifications herein prescribed, and shall, on or before November 1, 1908, provide for the making of a permanent record of such registration, and all persons so registered shall forever thereafter have the right to vote in all elections by the people in this State, unless disqualified under section 2 of this article: Provided, Such person shall have paid his
See (in this volume) CANADA: A. D. 1897 (OCTOBER).
NORWAY.
See (in this volume) SWEDEN AND NORWAY.
NOVA SCOTIA.
See (in this volume) CANADA.
NOVA ZEMBLA, Recent exploration of.
See (in this volume) POLAR EXPLORATION, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1900.
NUFFAR, NIFFER, Explorations at.
See (in this volume) ARCHÆOLOGICAL RESEARCH: BABYLONIA: AMERICAN EXPLORATION.
NUPÉ, British subjugation of.
See (in this volume) AFRICA: A. D. 1897 (NIGERIA).
NUREMBERG: A. D. 1900. Remarkable growth in five years.
See (in this volume)
GERMANY: A. D. 1900 (DECEMBER).
NYASSALAND.
See (in this volume)
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA PROTECTORATE.
O.
OIL RIVERS PROTECTORATE, The.
See (in this volume) NIGERIA: A. D. 1882-1899.
OLD-AGE INSURANCE: In Germany.
See (in this volume)
GERMANY: A. D. 1897-1900.
OLD-AGE PENSIONS: In New South Wales.
See (in this volume)
AUSTRALIA (NEW SOUTH WALES): A. D. 1900.
OLD-AGE PENSIONS: In New Zealand.
See (in this volume)
NEW ZEALAND: A. D. 1899; and AUSTRALIA: RECENT EXTENSIONS OF DEMOCRACY.
OLD-AGE PENSIONS: The question in England.
See (in this volume)
ENGLAND: A. D. 1896; and 1899-1900.
OLNEY, Richard: Correspondence with Lord Salisbury on the Venezuela boundary question.
See (in this volume)
VENEZUELA: A. D. 1895 (JULY), and (NOVEMBER).
OLYMPIC GAMES, Revival of.
See (in this volume)
ATHENS: A. D. 1896.
OMAHA: A. D. 1898. The Trans-Mississippi Exposition.
A highly successful Trans-Mississippi Exposition was opened on the 1st of June and closed on the last day of October, having been attended by 2,600,000 people. Buildings and grounds were prepared with beautiful effect, at a cost of $2,500,000.
OMDURMAN: Capital of the Khalifa. Capture by the Anglo-Egyptian Army.
See (in this volume)
EGYPT: A. D. 1885-1896; and 1897-1898.
ONTARIO.
See (in this volume) CANADA.
"OPEN DOOR," The commercial policy of the.
See (in this volume)
CHINA: A. D. 1899-1900 (SEPTEMBER-FEBRUARY).
OPIUM COMMISSION, Report of the.
See (in this volume)
INDIA: A. D. 1895 (APRIL).
ORANGE FREE STATE: A. D. 1895. Proposed federal union with the Transvaal.
See (in this volume)
AFRICA: A. D. 1895 (ORANGE FREE STATE).
ORANGE FREE STATE: A. D. 1897. Treaty with the South African Republic.
See (in this volume)
SOUTH AFRICA (ORANGE FREE STATE AND TRANSVAAL): A. D. 1897 (APRIL).
ORANGE FREE STATE: A. D. 1899-1900. Making common cause with the South African Republic. War with Great Britain.
See (in this volume)
SOUTH AFRICA (ORANGE FREE STATE): A. D. 1899 (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER), and after.
ORANGE FREE STATE: A. D. 1900 (May.) Proclamation of annexation to the British dominions.
See (in this volume)
SOUTH AFRICA (ORANGE FREE STATE): A. D. 1900 (MAY).
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OSMAN DIGNA.
See (in this volume)
EGYPT: A. D. 1885-1896; 1897-1898; and 1899-1900.
OTIS, General: Reports as Military Governor of the Philippines.
See (in this volume)
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: A. D. 1898 (AUGUST-DECEMBER).
OTTAWA: A. D. 1900. Great fire.
The city of Ottawa, capital of the Dominion of Canada, and the lumber manufacturing town of Hull, on the opposite side of the Ottawa River, were both devastated, on the 26th of April, by one of the most destructive fires of the century. It originated in the upsetting of a lamp in a dwelling in Hull. This was at half-past ten o'clock in the morning. A big gale blowing from the northeast made quick work of the inflammable houses in Hull, and by twelve o'clock the flames had reached the river-bank and leaped across to the Ottawa side. The fire then retraced its steps in Hull, and destroyed a group of factories. It "blazed a crescent-shaped path five miles long and a mile wide, destroying in its journey the public buildings and the residential part of Hull, the industrial area of the Chaudiere, and the suburbs of the Ottawa laboring classes at Mechanicsburg, Rochesterville, and Hintonburg. Fully 15,000 people were rendered homeless, and $15,000,000 worth of property was annihilated."
Canadian Magazine, July, 1900.
OTTOMAN BANK:
Attack of Armenian revolutionists at Constantinople.
See (in this volume)
TURKEY: A. D. 1896 (AUGUST).
P. PAARDEBERG, Battle of.
See (in this volume)
SOUTH AFRICA (THE FIELD OF WAR): A. D. 1900 (JANUARY-FEBRUARY).
PACT OF HALEPA, The.
See (in this volume)
TURKEY: A. D. 1896.
PAGO PAGO: Acquisition by the United States.
See (in this volume) SAMOAN ISLANDS.
PALESTINE: A. D. 1897-1901. The Zionist movement for Jewish colonization.
See (in this volume)
JEWS: A. D. 1897-1901.
PALESTINE: A. D. 1898. Visit of the German Emperor.
See (in this volume)
GERMANY: A. D. 1898 (OCTOBER-NOVEMBER).
PALESTINE: A. D. 1901. Turkish restriction on Jewish visits.
See (in this volume) JEWS: A. D. 1901.
PALMER, General John M.: Candidacy for the American Presidency in 1896.
See (in this volume)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A. D. 1896 (JUNE-NOVEMBER).
