Barnes & Noble Digital Library

In the title story—adapted by the author into a successful play—a mysterious, Christ-like stranger visits a run-down boarding home and transforms the lives of its residents. Other selections in this 1904 collection are “The Philosopher’s Joke,” “The Soul of Nicholas Snyders,” “Mrs. Korner Sins Her Mercies,” “The Cost of Kindness,” and “The Love of Ulrich Nebendahl.”