davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

The following refreshing specimint''
Of an introduction to thrilling love tale,
was handed us for publication. The
author declines giving his name at pres
ent, as the state of his health is such,
that he would be unable to meet the de-
monstrations Of public enthusiasm which
would be showered on him, (boquets, pub
lie dinners and sichlike'0. Dedicated
to Miss =:
Embosomed in this lovely vale of dewy
freshness, enameled bloom and gold-be-
spangled sheen and purling streams, grot-
t0ed dells and sylvan shade, whose carol
ing birds fill the air with the minstrelsy
of song, and mingle sweet music with
the melodious chime of the trickling cas-
cade that gurglcs at my feet, beneath
yon cloud-cleaving battlement Of heaven
and beside this sequestered waste of lone
liness and beauty, where all around is
festooned with loveliness and luxuriance
of shrubbery, which bend in graceful
windings of amaranthine folds, through
the mazy partierre of fthis enchanting oasis,
! sit down filed with romance and all
the enthusiastic sensibilities of genius,
and gush forth in the soothing accents of
an inpassioned adulation the tender emo
tions Of my bosom and the sublime SEN
timents Of my heart. While now my
vow / breathe, my head sweetly reclines
upon the moss-clad fringes Of velvet
couch, all fettered with the flowers and
vines that twine their blushing petals,
trellised into one beautiful overhanging
arch, as if to invite the angels from their
beauti6ed abode to- mingle for a time
with SO charming drapery, and then
back to Heaven to convey faint conceE-
tion Of its picturesque beauty and sublim-
ity. Then from these peace fulshades of
elysian wilds, where Favonian breezes
fan the verdant wood and gales ambro-
sial curl the ripping stream, to thee my
voice proclaims passion fixed and Inn
mutable as the granite of enduring ages,
pure as the love of the Houri in paridi-
sian bowers of odoriferous perfume, and
warm as the sunset dyes that
begem the outspread curtains of fair
Italia's skies. Then turn those gentle
eyes to mine, breathe those aromy sighs
to this bounding heart of mine, extend
the kind pressure of those lily hands to
my own fond clasp, and whisper in my
listening ears, "Will you be mine :" and
I'll answer II will" and all the beauti-
full of the fair world shall be ours. |
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13


|. TIE Fight Betweem Gen. Jackson and
tie Bentoms.-The st. Louis Leader, CIV
ing sketch of the life of Col. Benton,
gives the following account of the fight
between Gen. Jackson and party of his
friends, and Thomas Hart and Jose Ben
tom:
Attended by, We believe, FIVE friends,
all armed to the Teeth, as best beseemed
a man in those days--that is to say, with
pistols and dirks-he (Jackson) fell upon
the two Bentons, who, standing upon the
defensive, and the vantage ground of,a
doorway, shot him down, and would have
slain him but for the interposition Of a
fresh conner, who seized Col Benton's
hand at the moment when he was about
to strike to the heart, with his poignard,
the General, whom he was holding down,
and had already shot with pistol ball,
which he carried in his body almost to
the end of his life. 1t is scarcely to be
supposed that this conflict could serve to
restore the former understanding between
two men of tempers far from being very
Christian. The feud never again came
to blows; but, in vindictive efforts to in
jnre each other, it never slackened until,
wearicd with the contest, Col. Benton
abandoned the field to his formidable ad-
versary, and migrated afresh to Missouri,
where higher fortunes, but not calmer
ones, awaited him.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

The following hits by two clergymen
|. and editors, both of whom are clever
men, are too good to be lost. We copy
from the st. Louis Christian Adrocate
METHODIST MUSIC"
The Presbyterian Witness, a paper
published in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the
issue of the 23d ult., contains an article
laudatory of Methodist sacred music ;
tells how stirring and soul-inspiring it is,
and all that sort of thing: all of which
might have been we'll enough, but that
the writer evidently uses it as mere
softening prelude to very hard blow he
intended to deal in the shape of the fol-
lowing, which he calls "new chorus
fresh from the altars of the (Methodist)
brethren:
"If you want to see the Devil run,
Shoot him with gospel gun:
If you want to sec the Devil trot,
Shoot him with gospel shot"
Now we certainly will not undertake
to say that Methodists never sang the
above ridiculous lines :. we do not know
but certainly never heard them sung by
Methodists or any others, and hope we
never will. Some Methodistssometimes
do very silly things, and this may have
been one of them: we cannot tell hope,
however, the writer was misinformed;
but if it were otherwise, and some fanat-
ical foolish persons did really sing the
above, why then, in that case we owe
the Witness one, and proceed to pay with
the following, which years and years.ago
was copied from an old, regular-built,
deeply dyed Calvinistic psalm and
Hymn Book "-one used in those good
old times when the deacon had box
just in front of the pulpit which he occu-
pied with due sdlemnity, and at the prop
er time stood up, lined the hymn, and
led the singing" Now, dear brother !
Witness, just imagine one of the old u
fashioned church houses, with its gall. 4
ries; its high pulpit, looking like hogs.
head set on stills; its box-pews, so high
that only the heads of the people could
be seen; the deacon in his place-see
him rise with the gravity wont to char
acterise him, adjust his spectacles, and
proceed to al line and sing in "shoft
measure" the hymn of which the follow
ng made part:
"Jeshurun wax-ed fat,
And down his belly hung;
He kicked against the Lord,
And up his buttocks flung"
There is no mistake, brother Witness,
n the above having been as we say
Have you any other "new chorus to
,ffer /?
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

0r An English writer says that the
American ladies of the present day feel
or affect spirit of independence. We
certainly have seen, at fashionable par
ties, many lady, who, we thought,
might very appropriately recite Smol-
lett's fine lines to independence:
"Thy spirit, Independence, let me share,
Lord Of the lon-heart and eagle-eye,
Thy steps follow with my bosom bare
Prentice.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

Beantysl-Can anything be moro
beautiful than the following record Of
childhood's faithl 7.
"What do you do without mother
to tell all your troubles to r. asked q
child who had mother of one who had
not; her mother was dead.
Mother told me who to 90 to before
she died." answered the little orphan :
i 60 to the Lord Jesus; he was moth
er's friend, and he's mine."
"Jesns Christ is up in the sky; he is
away off, and has great many things to
attend to in Heaven. 1t is not likely he
can stop to mind you."
Il do not know anything about that
said the orphan, call know he says he
riH, AID that's enough far me-"
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
GT" Will you have a Daily Sun ?"
aaid newsboy to Mrs. Partington.

"Will you have daily Son? Why,
you little scapgrace! How dare you in
sinuate against lone woman from home |!
No, indeed, guess won't have daily
son ], My poor, dear man used to COM
plain awfully when ! presented him a
Yearly son! A daily SON, indeed Be-
gone, you little upstart imp p And the
old woman called for the turkey-tailed
fan to keep from swooning.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

number of Bridgets and Katys,< and Ma.
rys and Ellens. Instead of a help-mate,
a wife to cheer him on in the arduous
pathway Of life, and take charge of the
household affairs, he dreams of delicate
nerves, tender stomachs, falling hair, de-
caying teeth, and spinal irritation He
anticipates, as we'll he may, a constant
monologue about pains, aches, bad feel
ings, morbid sensations, as the prevailing
music of the fireside. He thinks of ever
recurring bills to pay. He knows the
chances are against him of marrying a
patient to take care of, instead of a wife
to enjoy.
Now men are just as selfish as women
are. On the whole, we think they are
more So The young lady who supposes
that any young man on the face of the
earth wishes to marry her for sake of
nursing her through life, makes very
great mistake. There have been, indeed,
marriages of sympathy" But Heaven
sanctions not, and nature abhors such
alliances.
If young ladies advertise themselves
as pretty playthings, young gentlemen
will take them at their word. If in their
actions, and by their manners and accom-
plishments they declare themselves flirta-
BILE and courtable, but unmarriageable,
young men will so understand the mat
ter, and act accordingly. They will be
ready enough to dance and frolic with
those they do not respect. They will
make themselves agreeable to those they
cannot love. They will play court where
they cannot think of marrying. When
ever they find their attentions are begin
ming to be taken in earnest, they will
seek other society. They will not, of
course, give the reason for this, and the
young ladies will of course wonder" why
don't the man propose ?"
Young men, we repeat, will sport and
amuse themselves with young ladies
whom they neither love nor respect
But If they do respect them and could
love them, they are frightened from pro-
posal to marry by the sad evidences of
which cosmetics, false hair,
artificial teeth, and expensive skirts are
unable to conceal. Hence they rather
avoid all approaches to intimacy, and
often abandon the company of those who
could be healthy, and who would make
good wives, and seek amusements in less
society amid more debasing
associations.
The young ladies of America have it
entirely in their power to arrest the grow
ing evil. Let them make themselves
healthy, and prove their capacity to be
useful as well as ornamental, and they
will not be long in the matrimonial mar
ket. Let them snap their fingers at the
fashions of London and the folies of Par
IS, and act like sensible human beings
Otherwise, they are neither fit for wives
nor mothers.--Lte Illustrated.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
OKOLONA, MISS, MAY l3, 1858.


Some folks are born with the devil In
'em, and you can't drive it out, either ;
you might as well try to make pair Of
patent leather boots out of a piece of
corn beef, or crowd soda fountain
through the touch hole of a cannon
Billy Dobbs was one of this kind, he was
as big devil as ever ate string beans.
When he graduated from school, he left
through the window, pursued by the
teacher and three assistants. One thing
Billy would do, he would tell the truth.
He told me confidentially that when he
was taking trip up the canal, for bis
health, storm came up one night and
in the morning they found the tow line
had shrunk 50 that it had drawn both
horses on board the boat. 1t proved to
be providential thing for them, for the
captain hadn't taken an observation or
gin cock tail in three days, and they were
three latitudes and most longitude out
of their course, and in fifteen minutes
more they would have run a-foul of the
front door of farmhouse and foundered
in an Oat bin. i sincerely hope that
when they take Bill out to be hung by
his neck, till he is dead thyee times, and
God have mercy on his soul, the rope
Will shrink so they can't. tie knot in it.
| went over to Billy's house one night
and his old man had prayer-meeting.-|
Billy, says Jack, let's 60 up and peep in,
so We went up. The good brothers and
sisters were kneeling upon the floor, and
we stood looking on; and the first knew,
Billy darted into the room shouting leap
frog, by thunder, and straddling his legs,
he bounded over one after another of the
good people, and got halfway around the
room, when he was stopped by pitching
head first into the arms of his grand
mother. There was kinder "laying on
of hands" just then, and Billy was taken
to the wood-house, laid across backlog,
and his "sit down" was pounded, till |
they broke up kindling wood enough to
last all winters When the row CON-
menced | ran up stairs, knocked a poo
die dog endwise, dashed into Sally Dobb's
chamber, ran around a hoOped skirt,
knocked an old hat out of the window,
took an observation and saw Billy licked.
jumped out of the window upon shed,
rolled of, hung upon the caves a minute,
and dropped-where Echo answers in
the swill4barrel. ] touched bottom, came
up and crawled out. was troubled with
l sour stomach. BY gravy, that was the
worst vegetable soup l ever swallowed.
shook the coffee grounds and egg shells
,ut of my hair, and made tracks for home
scattering turnip-tops, fish-bones, potato
,arings, apple skins and grease as went.
My old man thrashed me for spelling my
clothes, and Billy's old man sued my old
nan for spelling his swill. The hogs
we're taken sick, and they had to be killed
o be cured. ! haven't used any hair oil
ince
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

U A Virginia paper records the marriage Of
Miss Jane Lemon and Mrs. Ebenezer Sweet !;
whereupon our dera moralizes as follows:
How happy in extremes do meet
In Jane and Ebenezer;
She's no longer sour, but Seecf,
And he's 4 Lemer agaeszer
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

The Tender Passion.-Thackeray says
that "when a man is in love with one
woman in family, it is astonishing how
fond he becomes Of every person connec-
ted with it. He ingratiates himself with
the maids; he is bland with the butler /;
he interests himself with the footman |;
he runs on errands for the daughters; he
gives advice and lends money to the
young son at College; he pats little dogs,
which he would kick otherwise; he smiles
at old stories, which would make him
break out in yarns were they uttered by
any one but papa; he drinks sweet Port
Wine, for which he would curse the stew
ard and the whole committee of Club;
he bears even with the cantankerous old
maiden aunt; he beats time when dar-
ling little Fanny performs her piece on
the piano; and smiles when wicked, live
ly little Bobby upsets the coffee over his
shirt"
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

u A country girl writing to her
friends says of polka, "that the dan
cling does not amount to much. but tho
hugging is heavenly
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
Written for the News.]
THE DAISY...An Acrostic.

BY ELYAG.
Redolent is the Daisy bloom,
Der sylvan dales it sheds perfume;
BY the poor mans home, this sweet flower
Enliv'ns the scene-adorns the bower
Remembrancer of one who's fame
Tow'rs high upon the mount Of fame.
Before the blasts of wintry day,
Unnumber'd Daisies fade away
Reviving Springs delightful reign,
New Daisies bring to deck the plain:--
So man must die--and live again.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

Pricacy-It should be rule between
all friends to accept just that much of
each others confidence as is freely and
voluntarily given. Every person has a
sacred and inalienable right to privacy
of thought and feeling--a right which
should be respected to letter, even by
the most intimate and dearest friends
1t is common saying, and very mis-
chievous one, that there should be "se-
crets between man and WIFE" A wo-
man has just as much right to withhold
full expression of innermost thoughts
after marriage as before, and man has,
of course, the same. When all is laid
bare-the holiest recesses of the heart
the very adyta of the souls temple-the
two will almost inevitably tire of each
other. There is nothing new--they have
told all they know, and nothing more can
be said between them, except mere COM
mon places, which soon become ennuy-
eux. This right to privacy is not suffi-
ciently we'll understood in the world
Near friends are too apt to assume the
power of prying into and criticising each
others hearts. They should be more
careful-more respectful--and ask fewer
questions. If friends generally would
take common sense view of the subject,
they would see that what A. chooses to
tell B. is BIS business, and he may listen
and criticise that, as much as he likes
What A. does not tell B. is sacred to A.
The simple fact that he did not see fit to
impart it, ought to satisfy B. that it is
none of his business, and the less he tries
to pry into it, the better A. will like him.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
HOOPS.

HOOPS.
Tell me, We winged winds,
That round my pathway roar,
Do We not know some quiet spot,
Where hoops are worn no more
Some lone and silent dell,
Some island or some cave,
Where women can walk three abreast,
Along the village pave!
The loud winds hissed around my face,
And, snickering, answered, "nary place.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
SPARE THAT GIRL.

SPARE THAT GIRL.
Youngster, spare that girl!
Kiss not those lips so meek
Unruffled let the fair locks curl
Upon the maiden's cheek!
Believe her quite saint;
Her looks are all divine,
Her rosy hue is paint!
Her form is crinoline.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

LADIES! we and the fellow who wrote the fol.
lowing can't agree. So don't think by inserting
it that we give our sanction to any sich a way of
d0in'.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

Omissiox AZ Me Neao Cyclopodia.-
Baby: The judge, jury and sentence Of
every well regulated family. A thing
that squawks at midnight, and will not
be comforted by any quantity Of sop
A biped called by its mother "de little
rosy posye. pinkum pink, bless its ittle
heart !" and very frequently toted" to i.
the tune Of Here we go up. up, up-e,
and here we go down, down, down-e.'.-
By bachelor called brat" and by Tap-
per, the proverbial philosopher, delicate-
ly alluded to as a well spring." &c.
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

% A few years since powerful revf-
val of religion was witnessed at Oldtown.
Maine. Among the converts was an In
dian of the Penobscot tribe, who after bis
convention, attended a prayer meeting.
and was called upon to " tell his expert
ence." Not exactly understanding the
construction of the Kings English, Peol
expressed himselfas follows: "Oh, gle-
ry, me feel pious like hell p
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13
From the Waverly Magazine.
WHY II 1T.

| Why is it that, nowadays, girls, OF
young ladies rather, cannot act out their
own natural dispositions, in company
without having wrong constructions put
upon every action by that portion de-
nominated MASCULINE p If young
lady happens to cast two or three
glances at young gentleman, 1t is
Immediately set down as fact, that
she is in love with him." If she
approaches him and sits down by his
side in friendly manner, thereby show
ing that she is inclinedto be affectionate
in her disposition, and would like to talk
in the same friendly and open manner
that she would to brother, it is said, at
once, that she is, " bold and too familiar" /"
If anything excites her risibilities," and
she INDUCES in merry peal Of laughter,
she is crude and boisterous." If she
sits quietly in one corner of the room,
preferring not to talk, why, she is "put-
ting on her dignity" or else is a simple
ton and don't know anything" If a
lady with a naturally lively disposition
happens to look little serious at times,
why, she is mourning, perhaps, for an
absent lover" just as if we could not put
on a straight face once in while and in
dulgc in our own private thoughts. If
lady affirms that she intends living life
of "single blessedness," why, she is only
limiting that she will accept the "first
good Offer" If she evinces liking or
preference for gcntlemen's society, she is
almost crazy to get married" If a
lady hints at lectures, concerts, exhibit
ions, &c, the gentlemen are dumb, and
cannot understand mhy lady can take
an interest in such things.
Why is it that gentlemen are not hon.
est enough to show out their real dispo-
sitions, while courting, but wait until af
ter the "knot is tied :" Why is it that
some men are so selfish and exacting with
their wives, and are always snarling and
swapping like dogs if things are not done
just so, instead of being just the reverse,
thereby making their lives one perpetual
honeymoon Why is it that people
scandalize their .neighbors, and yet run
after them? Why is it that some people
have such an aversion to cold maids"
just as if they were not flesh and blood"
and as good as any.person else
Why is it that men will congregate in
squads on the corners and make remarks
about evey lady that passes, and strain
their eyes almost out of their sockets to
get a peep at their feet while crossing the
streets, when they might be more profita-
bly, employed! Why is it that some
gentlemen will 60 to see the ladies, when
hey have such poor opinion of the fe-
male SEX wonder if such gentlemen
y have mothers or sisters? Why is it
hat we are not more candid with each
,ther than we arel Why--but / might
20 on from now till next year asking
Why is it ?" and then not be through,
10 | will lay aside my pen and pause for
|
The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-05-13

The following hits by two clergymen,
and editors, both of whom are clever
men, are too good to be lost. We copy
from the st. Louis Christian Adrocate !.
The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-02

YNyESTCOTT LINDSLEY, AUCTIONEERS.-OFF1CE
w sale of elegant rosewood fur
nure made Roche Goldsmith superior wood plano
valuable collection of oil paintings, splendid carved
rosewood parlor furniture SUITE bronze and marble
groups. &c.
day. Feb g. at 0a O'Clock, on the premises NO l52 Wet
Twenty first street seventh and Eighth the
magnificent furniture embracing the entire contents OF the
absve residence, which offer extraordinary induce
purchasers who may rely on the whole being abso
luely sold without All goods must be removed i'm
medsey after the SALE Full descriptive catalogues VIII be
ready at The house. - .,.
Dining furnure-which will be sold at l0s O'Clock
oak extension dining table, elegant goi
band decorated china; description of ruby and
glass sverware all manufactured by Rodgers
consisting of silver salvers, kettles pitchers cas-
baskets spoons forks, 6c marble top sdeOord
oak chairs tapestry carpets and drusget secretary book
case, &c. -
Vl be sold Mt IL O'clock furnished throughout In
OF three elegant full suits OF carved
rosewood arnue covered satin brocsde and SILK velye
slip s in perfect order; two rosewood marble
with plate doors and backs elegant carved
used but three months marble top CEN
sofa and pier tables rosewood corner etegeres win
backs Turkish and reception chairs covered in tapes
end brocade ladies french secretary two superb mas
tel with three elegant, oier mirrors to match all
richly framed rich Ere nch and India china vases
PAINTINGS AMI sTATUs RY.
Embracing painting and Music' Listening" "Musidora
"Ariadneh might and Morning" with an elegant Fruit
Piece" other works; Also large collection OF par
chamber and library furniture, consisting OF
mahogany furniture CLOTH bronze clocks carpets
marble top Wristbands and toilet t tour elegant chande
sofas cottage chairs mirrors portable heaters ranges
stair carpets &C Sale rain or shine.