Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Bierce professed to be mainly concerned with the artistry of his work, but critics find him more intent on conveying his misanthropy and pessimism. In his lifetime Bierce was famous as a California journalist dedicated to exposing the truth as he understood it, regardless of whose reputations were harmed by his attacks. For his sardonic wit and damning observations on the personalities and events of the day, he became known as "the wickedest man in San Francisco." The short story An Adventure at Brownville begins with the narrator explaining how he resides in Brownville, which is a vacation spot but one of the last resort. He teaches at the school there but regularly encounters visitors. While walking a path in the woods one day, he hears a man and woman talking and the woman saying that she believes the man will kill her. Silence ensues and the narrator looks to locate the people he has been listening to but it is night now. Finally, he sees their bodies in the dark and goes to the woman's rescue and they disappear. The next day, he discovers there are a pair of sisters that staying at the hotel, the older one who sounds exactly like the woman he had heard. They are chaperoned by a man who also sounds like the man the narrator heard. Almost a month passes and the older sister is found dead in her room with her sister… You can listen online to free English audiobook “An Adventure at Brownville” by Ambrose Bierce on our website.
