The Devils & Demons MEGAPACK ®: 25 Modern and Classic Tales Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  The MEGAPACK® Ebook Series

  THE CONTRACT OF CARSON CARRUTHERS, by William P. McGivern

  BURNT TOAST, by Mack Reynolds

  CRIME CLEAN-UP IN CENTER CITY, by Robert Moore Williams

  THE CRACKS OF TIME, by Dorothy Quick

  THE DEVIL AND TOM WALKER, by Washington Irving

  HIDEAWAY, by Everil Worrell

  THE STRANGER FROM KURDISTAN, by E. Hoffmann Price

  HEREAFTER, INC., by Lester del Rey

  NIGHTMARE ON THE NOSE, by Evelyn E. Smith

  THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, by Mark Twain

  AUT DIABOLUS AUT NIHIL: THE TRUE STORY OF A HALLUCINATION, by X.L. (Julian Osgood Field)

  CAN SUCH BEAUTY BE? by Jerome Bixby

  MARKHEIM, by Robert Louis Stevenson

  MONSIEUR BLUEBEARD, by Emil Petaja

  YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

  ROOM WITHOUT WINDOWS, by Manly Banister

  THE BARGAIN OF RUPERT ORANGE, by Vincent O’Sullivan

  THE BOTTLE IMP, by Dwight V. Swain

  THE CASE OF MR. LUCRAFT, Walter Besant and James Rice

  WHO SUPS WITH THE DEVIL, by S.M. Tenneshaw

  THE SHOEMAKER AND THE DEVIL, by Anton Chekhov

  SPAWN OF HELL, by William P. McGivern

  YOUR SOUL COMES C.O.D., by Mack Reynolds

  ST. JOHN’S EVE, by Nikolai Gogol

  WOLFIE, by Theodore R. Cogwell

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Devils & Demons MEGAPACK® is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  The MEGAPACK® ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  “The Contract of Carson Carruthers,” by William P. McGivern, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, Jan. 1942.

  “Burnt Toast,” by Mack Reynolds, was originally published in Playboy, November 1955. Copyright © 1955 by Playboy Enterprises, Inc. Copyright renewed 1983. Reprinted by permission of the Mack Reynolds estate, which is owned by Wildside Press LLC.

  “The Cracks of Time,” by Dorothy Quick, was originally published in Weird Tales, Sept. 1948.

  “The Devil and Tom Walker,” by Washington Irving, originally appeared in 1824.

  “Hideaway,” by Everil Worrell, was originally published in Weird Tales, Nov. 1951.

  “The Stranger from Kurdistan,” by E. Hoffmann Price, was originally published in Weird Tales, July 1925. Copyright © 1925, renewed 1953. Reprinted by permission of Wildside Press LLC, which manages the estate of E. Hoffmann Price.

  “Hereafter, Inc.,” by Lester del Rey, was originally published in Unknown Worlds, Dec. 1941. Copyright © 1941 by Street & Smith, renewed 1969. Reprinted by permission of the Lester del Rey estate, which is owned by Wildside Press LLC.

  “Nightmare on the Nose,” by Evelyn E. Smith, was originally published in Fantastic Universe, Oct.-Nov. 1953.

  “Aut Diabolus Aut Nihil: The True Story of a Hallucination,” by X.L. (Julian Osgood Field), was originally published in Aut Diabolus Aut Nihil and Other Tales, 1894.

  “Can Such Beauty Be?” by Jerome Bixby, was originally published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction, September 1953.

  “Markheim,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, was originally published in Unwin’s Christmas Annual, 1885.

  “Monsieur Bluebeard,” by Emil Petaja, was originally published in Weird Tales, September 1944.

  “Room Without Windows,” by Manly Banister, was originally published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction, September 1954.

  “The Bottle Imp,” by Dwight V. Swain, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, Sept. 1942.

  “Who Sups with the Devil,” by S.M. Tenneshaw, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, April 1948.

  “Spawn of Hell, by William P. McGivern, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, Feb. 1943.

  “Your Soul Comes C.O.D.,” by Mack Reynolds, was originally published in Fantastic Adventures, Mar. 1952.

  “Wolfie,” by Theodore R. Cogwell, was originally published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction, Jan. 1954. Copyright © 1954, renewed 1981 by Theodore R. Cogswell. Reprinted by permission of the Theodore R. Cogswell estate, which is managed by Wildside Press LLC.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Stories about devils and demons were literary staples long before the modern horror field came into existence. Our earliest story in this volume, by Washington Irving, was published in 1824…and the fact that these tales span almost 200 years shows how enduring the theme remains. Here, then, are 25 great modern and classic tales of devils, demons, and the macabre. Enjoy!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE SERIES

  Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK® ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The MEGAPACK® ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Sam Cooper, Helen McGee and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK® ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

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