The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mrs. Mayo's second husband
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Mrs. Mayo's second husband
Author: Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller
Release date: September 13, 2026 [eBook #79570]
Language: English
Original publication: New York: Street & Smith, 1892
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/79570
Credits: Demian Katz (Images courtesy of the Digital Library at Villanova University)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MRS. MAYO'S SECOND HUSBAND ***
MRS. MAYO’S SECOND HUSBAND.
BY MRS. ALEX. M’VEIGH MILLER.
Mrs. Mayo’s first husband was stretched upon his dying bed.
The doctor had told him so kindly but frankly, and advised him to make
his will.
He lay thinking how he should divide his small fortune, between his
wife and their two pretty children, when suddenly it occurred to him
that his young wife might marry again, might have a second husband.
He gasped, and looked at her sitting close by the bed, her fair face
worn with watching and grief, the tender tears in her dark blue eyes.
The blood that had been coursing so sluggishly through his veins
suddenly bounded forward in a burning tide.
He had realized more forcibly than ever before the noble beauty of his
wife. He had carried her off seven years before from a score of lovers,
and she was still young, still charming. History might repeat itself.
You would not have thought that a dying man could feel jealous, and yet
a pang of cruel envy tore Hunter Mayo’s heart.
Elinor’s small white hand--the one that wore his wedding ring--was
nestled in his own. He pressed it feebly.
“Darling, you have been a good wife to me,” he murmured, and her soft
eyes beamed through her tears.
“Oh, Hunter, I’ve tried to be. I’m glad you realize it at last,” she
sighed, in a plaintive tone.
He continued, tenderly:
“You have been so faithful--you have never refused any wish of mine.
And now, Elinor, I have one dying request to make.”
His glance was so eager, his tone so pleading that she gazed into his
thin, worn face in surprise.
“I know you will grant me your promise, dear heart, for it is only
this--when I am dead, that you will always be true to my memory--that
you will never marry again!”
A little startled cry came from Elinor’s lips, the color rushed into
her cheeks, her eyes turned on him with a gentle reproach that touched
his heart.
“Have I grieved you, my dear, by even hinting at a second marriage?
Forgive me. I know you can never forget me, but I can die easier with
your promise. Oh, my Elinor, I cannot bear that any other man should
possess you, ever have the chance to ill-treat my darling, whom I have
so fondly cherished!”
His voice was quite strong and impassioned for a dying man, and his
large gray eyes searched her fair face eagerly. Was it fancy, or did
her lip curl, ever so slightly, at his last words.
He repeated, anxiously:
“I cannot die in peace without your promise never to marry again!”
Why did those burning tears sparkle out upon her pale cheeks beneath
the drooping lashes? She murmured, plaintively:
“Oh, Hunter, you are cruel!”
“Cruel, Elinor! Do you mean that--that--you will refuse?”
And the most cruel blow his egotism had ever received came with her
faltering answer:
“Forgive me, dear, but I cannot promise.”
The shock was so great that he closed his eyes and gasped feebly,
believing that his last hour was at hand. In a moment Elinor was on her
knees by his side, bathing his face with her warm tears.
“Oh, Hunter, do not die! I love you, I love you!”
The blood leaped quickly through his veins again. His eyes unclosed
languidly.
“Then you will promise me?” he pleaded.
“Oh, Hunter, I cannot, must not! How can you wish me to blight my whole
future?”
“And you really wish, then, to have a second husband?”
The dying man’s voice was strong with scorn of her inconstancy.
“I--I--perhaps so, Hunter--but only after a long, long time,” and
Elinor kissed him and clung to him lovingly; a strange proceeding when
she had just wrung his heart by her declaration that she would not live
out her days a widow.
He pushed her away in a sudden gust of jealous anger.
“You have never loved me, Elinor?”
“I loved you always, love you still,” she sobbed. “But,
Hunter--it--is--just the other way! _You_ have never loved me!”
He was speechless with surprise at this strange charge. “Never loved
her!” Why, then, had he made her his wife and the mother of his
beautiful children?
Elinor went on speaking, low, but clearly, like one under the stress of
some overmastering emotion:
“God knows I do not wish to pain you, Hunter, but yet I would like to
justify myself. They say that dying eyes see clearly, because the
dying are already beyond the reach of earthly prejudice and passion.
So, dear, will you let me speak out plainly now what has been in my
heart for years.”
“Go on,” he answered, in feeble wonder at the fire and passion of her
lovely, tear-stained face.
“I must tell you some of my inmost thoughts, and perhaps you will laugh
at them,” breathed the plaintive voice. “But, Hunter, I believe that
God creates men and women as soul-mates for each other, but they--they
do not always find each other, and then--blindly--they wed as chance or
fancy dictates, and disunion and lack of harmony result. This has been
our fate, my poor husband. We were not intended for each other, and
each has failed to realize the other’s ideal.”
“Speak for yourself,” he answered, with unnecessary curtness; “I never
had an ideal.”
“Oh, yes, you did, dear, though perhaps you did not realize it. Every
one has an unconscious ideal, I think. You had yours, Hunter, but you
did not find it in me,” she answered, in that sweet, plaintive voice
that always touched an echoing chord in the hearer’s heart. “When the
honey-moon glamour wore off you wearied of me. Do not think I did not
see it, dear, even though my eyes were full of tears when I found how
far you fell short of my ideal.”
“What was your ideal?” he asked, sneeringly.
Although he was dying, he could still sneer at a woman’s romantic
fancies, derived, he thought, from novels.
She sighed wearily, and answered:
“It was very simple. Just a loving, appreciative companion. I have
somewhere read that men and women are created the perfect complement of
each other, fulfilling in their wedded life the qualities separately
lacking in each. I expected that my husband and I would be much
together, so contented in our mutual love, so interested in the same
things, so tenderly united, that we could never feel quite happy apart.
That was my fancy, and I know I was not wrong, for I have seen a few
wedded lovers like that, and they were happy--happy as I had hoped to
be, as I might have been, only--I married the wrong man!”
“Elinor!” he cried, in angry remonstrance, but she had the courage of
her convictions; she would not pause.
“It is God’s truth!” she said. “We are not soul-mates, or we should
have found more happiness together, dear. I call you dear, for I love
you, Hunter, in spite of the mistake of our marriage.”
“It was no mistake,” he muttered, with angry resentment.
“You are good to say so, but you flatter me;” her exquisite lips curled
in spite of the dew on her long lashes. “But, Hunter, I have not been
blind, and I have seen how little you cared for my companionship, how
eagerly you sought pretexts for leaving my side and joining your male
companions, in whose company you took such keen delight. Business,
you always said, when I complained of loneliness, and yet I knew that
it was only a subterfuge, for you were well-to-do, and lived a life
of elegant leisure. My society was irksome to you, and you released
yourself from it all that you could. Why, I wondered, for other men
always seemed to find my company agreeable, and I could have played the
role of the married flirt if I had wished. But I did not choose, for I
loved you well, in spite of your neglect. But it grew worse and worse.
You ceased going out with me at all, until, in very shame, I remained
closely at home that the world might not observe and censure your
indifference. Desperate with misery, I reproached you, appealed to you,
and--you grew angry, called me unreasonable and hysterical, and grew
colder and more indifferent than ever. Then I turned for solace to my
two little ones, but I could not find the comfort that I sought. I grew
hopeless and bitterly resentful, but suffered on in silence, realizing
that I had missed my soul-mate, and could expect no joy in my life.”
He had listened in resentful silence to the passionate arraignment of a
tortured woman’s heart. Now he cried out, impatiently:
“Elinor, I was always true to you. I never had a thought of another
woman!”
“I know that, Hunter. I was jealous of men, not women. You were so fond
of your own sex, you spent all your time with them, you enjoyed their
society more than mine, and so--I was left alone, the gladness went out
of my life, I grew bitter and rebellious. I wanted to get full measure
of joy out of this life of mine, but my ill-judged marriage had wrecked
it--eternally, I thought. But now--oh, Hunter, do not think me hard and
cruel, for I am but just to myself and you. Now it seems to me that
when you are gone, and I am over my grieving, I may yet retrieve the
past, may yet find my twin-soul, the one God created for me, and be
happy. And so I cannot promise what you ask me, for it would be a wrong
to myself and to my ideal, who may yet be mine. I have a right to some
happiness in my life, Hunter, and why should I sacrifice all my future
to you, who would not give me the past years that were rightfully
mine?” and her cheeks burned and her eyes gleamed with the truth of her
words as she arraigned her selfish, egotistical husband.
He lay gasping and soul-stricken before the fire of those vivid
home-truths. His self-love had received a cruel wound.
Despite his selfishness, he had loved Elinor well, after his own
fashion, and he was not willing to admit that she had any cause of
complaint.
In a way, it enraged him that his fair, gentle young wife had dared to
think out a problem of life for herself, had so individualized herself
as to claim for herself a future of bliss in which he could have no
part.
And just then she murmured, pathetically:
“All this would have been different, Hunter, had you but loved me
truly, and sought my happiness instead of your own. It was my right
and your duty. And you can see, now that you have been ill for so many
weeks, how little you were cared for by the men in whose society you
took your chief delight. Have they been near you to comfort or console?
No, they scarcely give you a thought. It is I, your neglected wife, who
have been your devoted nurse! And, Hunter, had you been as devoted to
me these past years, I would have remained your inconsolable widow to
my life’s end; but, as I have said, it--is--different.”
Anger flashed from his eyes as he cried out:
“I am glad you have been so frank before I made my will. I shall not
leave you one penny more than you can claim under the law. The rest
shall all go to my children. I will not leave my money to be squandered
by your second husband.”
She smiled patiently, but she answered, firmly:
“Nor would I sacrifice my hopes of the future for so poor a price as
your gold!”
Then, as if realizing suddenly that she had wounded him in his
helplessness, she threw her arms about him, sobbing, tenderly:
“Oh, forgive my wild words, for I am starving for a love as warm and
tender as my own. My days have been so lonely while you staid away from
me by day, and pored over your papers by night. I have been so jealous
of everybody and everything that could interest you more than I could!
Perhaps I was selfish. Do you think so, dear?”
He only answered, bitterly:
“I hope your second husband may realize all your ambitions.”
“But I have no ambitions. I do not want my husband to be great, only
good and loving, and always loth to leave my side. Yes, and to tell me
sometimes that he loves me. You have forgotten for so long to tell me
that, dear; but perhaps you did not guess how a woman’s heart hungers
for affection. I have often wished you were quite poor, Hunter. Then
you would not be so popular, and you would appreciate the true hearts
at home more. We would work hard for our little children, and have a
simple love-life, finding our greatest joy in each other’s company.”
He put out his weak hand entreatingly.
“No more. I cannot bear it,” he said, in a subdued voice. “It is time
for my lawyer now. Do not mind my jealous ravings, dearest. You shall
have a fair share of the money, even if you give it to my rival, your
second husband.”
The lawyer thought that Mr. Mayo’s voice was quite strong for that
of a dying man, but the doctor, who happened in soon after the will
was made, and the patient seemed asleep, ascribed it to the effect of
excitement.
They talked a few minutes softly, and Dr. Gray whispered, undreaming
that he was overheard by the patient:
“I’m glad that he provided so well for that noble little wife. He has
had a hard struggle with fever these six weeks, and if anything could
have saved him, it would have been her devoted nursing. I’m certain
he did not deserve it, either, for he was one of those namby-pamby
husbands who don’t know how to appreciate a good wife, and only go home
to eat and sleep, and this fellow, they say, more often than not took
dinner and supper at his club in town, leaving poor Elinor alone in
their country home.”
But life lingered on strangely in that wasted frame, and at last the
doctor said the invalid was improving, and must go off very soon to the
mountains.
“It will do you and the children good, too, my darling,” he said,
tenderly, to his wife.
And she looked at him in honest surprise.
“You do not mean that you wish to take us? You know you would enjoy it
better alone, or with some gentleman friend.”
The shamed crimson flushed into his cheek as he kissed her little hand.
“Elinor, forgive me all the past, and let me try to make it up to you,”
he cried. “I never knew how well I loved you until I began to grow
jealous of your probable second husband. It was that awful jealousy, I
think, that snatched me back from the very grave. I am going to live,
dear, but I’ve done a lot of thinking, and become a changed man. I
want to realize your ideal, to be my own successor in your heart, to
fulfill all the promise of your second husband. Will you let me try,
my darling? Come with me, you and the babies, and let us begin our new
sweet love-life now!”
“Gladly,” smiled the tender, forgiving wife.
Transcriber’s Notes:
This story was published in _Street & Smith’s New York Weekly_, v. 47,
no. 49, October 1, 1892.
Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MRS. MAYO'S SECOND HUSBAND ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza #516,
Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
