319 - Was this the autobiography of the author with a tragic childhood? "The thing was above all a secret, something to be preciously concealed from Mother and Father; and to that very fact it owed an enormous part of its deliciousness." Tuck in for this dazzling, dreamlike short story from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Laureate, Conrad Aiken.…

318 - ". . . he opened his eyes and Mrs. Baines was there, her gray untidy hair in threads over his face . . . 'Where are they?' she whispered. 'Where are they?' " Tuck in for the acclaimed Graham Greene's dramatic thriller.

317 - It is December 24 and . . . "This is one day I'd like to cut out of the calendar permanently." Tuck in to discover why from the Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America.

316 - Madison Lane and Rosita McMullen were joyously married on Christmas Day, but not everyone was happy about it. Tuck in for this festive O. Henry story complete with (what else?) a surprising twist!

315 - "You can have no idea, if you've never been HIT ON THE HEAD WITH A GOOSE, how it hurts," said "The Man Who Did Not Believe in Luck." Tuck in for this lighthearted holiday tale from the quirky author, Jerome K. Jerome.

314 - Perhaps their long marriage wasn't perfect . . . "She noticed with a kind of horror that he was staring intently at . . . the corner of her left eye where she could feel the muscle twitching." Tuck in and learn why that eye twitches.

313 - "The summer folks go, but I stay here . . . and listen for the cries from the wrecks. I'm as busy in the winter as in the summer and terribly lonely, little mates." Tuck in to learn what happens to this heroic captain on Thanksgiving.

312 - There's a Spanish galleon wrecked off the coast of Cornwall, but was it ever brimming with gold bullion? Thanks to the most widely published author of all time, we once again solve the mystery with Miss Marple.

311 - Light and scrumptious and from Philip K. Dick! Tuck into not one -- but TWO -- tales from this gripping author of speculative and science fiction. Second story: “Roog” by Philip K. Dick :)

310 - Author Saki (H. H. Munro) loved to taunt the upper class with his short stories and his readers with his twisted endings. Tuck in and enjoy how he does it.

309 - What's scarier than something safe and familiar turning into dread and doom? Now add a dash of absurdity and that's the way we complete the spooky season: with our very first story from Stephen King!

308- She had "The Demon Lover" and wondered "After twenty-five years . . . What did he do to make me promise like that?" Tuck in for this Irish-British author's classic horror story.

307 - "That shadow on the wall . . . It's been there every night since he died." Tuck in for this ghoulish ghost story from the prim New England author who heartily embraced the "weird."

306 - Completely isolated on a tiny island, loneliness is not his only concern . . . Tuck in for "A Haunted Island" from the master of the ghost story.

305 - "It is well known that the old Manton house is haunted." (Without a doubt!) Tuck in to navigate the abrupt twists of this disquieting ghost story from this week's author, who must still be smirking from his afterlife over this one.

304 - Alcohol and cherished pets do not always mix: "One night, returning home, much intoxicated from one of my haunts . . ." Tuck in for the man of the macabre and his supernatural masterpiece.

303 - " . . . one wanted, sometimes, to be alone." But she will NOT be alone on this day! She will be plagued by a strange young man full of (good?) intentions. Tuck in for another baffling tale from the distinguished author who suffered his own woes.

302 - A Sunday afternoon in a most idyllic place, idyllic save for the loneliness of Miss Brill . . . Tuck in for this poignant (autobiographical?) story from the New Zealand author loved 'round the world despite her early passing.

301 - Tuck in for a fascinating convo between these two . . . Mrs. Rittenhouse: ". . . he fell an enormous distance from over the bridge railing to the river . . ." Mrs. Green: "Had it been I - well, he might have had a little help getting over the rail."

300 - Everything would have been different if he would have just made it . . . "Across the Bridge." Tuck in for this slightly twisted, classic tale.

299 - Who -- or WHAT -- killed Sir Richard Haydon? Tuck in for the conclusion of this Miss Marple mystery.

298 - Step into the forest and prepare yourself to solve another tantalizing mystery from the Queen of Crime! Can YOU unlock it before Miss Marple?

296 - "There was a soldier -- a mere boy --lying with his face to the sky. Around his neck hung a gold chain and locket." Tuck in for the tender, rediscovered work of the most frequently read author of Louisiana Creole.

295 - He can teach animals to speak perfect English! Tuck in for the excitement that ensues from the Master of the Mischievous Short Story.

294 - From the world's most published author, tuck in for the first of the original Miss Marple mysteries.

293- Is poor, young Mrs. Hart being blackmailed? Tuck in as this hypnotic author takes us through the transformation of her idyllic life.

292 - Tuck in to see how cruel girls can be. “A game developed: 'Let's be nice to Myra! What do you wash your hair in, Myra? . . . she washes it in cod - liver oil, can't you smell it?' "

291 - "Judge Hilliker had once told him . . . 'Guns? . . . Knives? Blunt instruments? . . . there is just one perfect weapon -- an automobile.'" Tuck in for a most gratifying tale from the master craftsman of the mystery thriller.

290 - Miss Marple knows: "There is a great deal of wickedness in village life." Tuck in for another captivating Marple mystery!

289 - "All I did was to pull him out by the seat of his trousers . . . (and) he called me a hero! . . . I departed in a blaze of glory." Tuck in for the fun of this lighthearted tale from the stepson of Robert Louis Stevenson.

288 - "Perhaps he was drowned, or picked up by some passing ship; no one could say, for he never came back. No one who left the island returned." Tuck in for this mesmerizing romantic thriller from the author of Rebecca and The Birds.

287 - "The war was over. The Germans occupied France. The whole country was pulsating like a conquered wrestler beneath the knee of his victorious opponent." But WHAT led to this duel? Tuck in and experience it.

286 - The Queen of Crime and Mystery has graced one of her best upon us. Tuck in and find out "whodunnit."

285 - Spoken to a bewildered little boy, "You wouldn't ever be safe in your own house. I know ways to get into houses when people are asleep." Tuck in for the resolve to his dilemma.

284 - ". . . on my 48th birthday, lying in bed that night beside my wife, with my children sleeping through all the other quiet moonlit rooms of my house, I thought: I will arise and go now and kill Ralph Underhill." Tuck in for Bradbury's mind-boggling story. (Warning: you will be disappointed if you're looking for sci-fi.)…

283 - “He had been sent to the bank with Denny & Carson's deposit. There was nearly a thousand (dollars) which he had . . . quietly transferred to his pocket." Tuck in for the very dramatic conclusion.

282 - "His teachers . . . fell upon him without mercy, his English teacher leading the pack. Older boys than Paul had broken down . . . but his set smile did not once desert him." Tuck in for the blood-fest from the fearless, Pulitzer prize-winning author.

281 - "How do we know what the family is keeping secret? Or if she was kidnapped by a homicidal maniac, why should he send a ransom note?" Tuck in for the conclusion from this cherished author.

280 - Her family is begging her to come home, but . . .what if she can't? Tuck in for another gem from the most requested author. (Conclusion next week!)

279 - "When she brought her glance back to the door . . . it had been opened and someone, obscured by the darkness, was looking at her intently." Tuck in for this very British, very ghostly, winter tale.

278 - "A warm, creeping movement over his flesh betrayed the unwelcome and highly resented presence of . . ." Tuck in for the --anything but -- ticklish tale from the World War I hero.

277 - Have you, too, suffered for love? Take heart and tuck into not one, but TWO tender love stories from the "young upstart" author.

276 - ". . . she was wishing heart and soul she was a man. And all of a sudden she was!" Tuck in for this mind-bending story.

275 - For his employer, Mr. Crabtree was the definition of a cat's-paw: a person used for the purposes of another; a tool. Tuck in for another perfectly-honed story from the skillful Mr. Ellin.

274 - "Then it happened. I stopped short . . . I had the whole brilliant magnificent plan worked out." Tuck in for Vengeance Is Mine, Inc., a powerhouse of a story.

273 - "It seemed to him as if the silence, the cold, the solitude, the winter death of these mountains were taking possession of him . . ." Tuck in for what is said to be the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining.

272 - The sweet little boy in this week's story will grow up to write an infamously terrifying non-fiction novel that will change his life forever, but not before he will write its polar opposite. Tuck in for his gentle holiday tale, a loving tribute to the woman who raised him.

271 - A mother's love on Christmas . . . "To-night you have come back to me, just as you always did after you ran away . . . I never asked you where you had been then, nor will I now." Tuck in for Pulitzer Prize-winning Willa Cather's poignant story.

270 - It's a Wonderful Life . . . Frank Capra's magical movie is based on this heartening short story. Enjoy the story-behind-the-story as you tuck in for this talented author's gem.

269 - " 'But the law requires you to tell what you're going to use it for.' Miss Emily just stared at him . . . until he looked away and went and got the arsenic." Tuck in and along with the British rock group, The Zombies, you may fall victim to Emily, too.