In early America, the French and Indian War pits English colonists against France's Indian allies. Natty Bumppo and his friends fight to protect the daughters of an English commander from the evil Magua and his Iroquois thugs.

Here are eight stories from master American writers of the 19th century. They vary from sinister tales by Ambrose Bierce - why is that window boarded up? - and a reflective moment in the life of a woman without children, to classic sh...