davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
The Birth of an Iceberg.

IT would be impossible, with mere
words alone, to convey any adequate idea
of the action of this new born child of
the Arctic frosts. Think of solid lump
of ice, third of mile deep, and more
than half mile in lateral diameter,
hurled, like mere toy, away into the
water, and set to rolling to and fro by
the impetus of the act, as if it were ma
lures merest football; now down one
side, until the huge bulk was nearly cap
sized; then back again; then down the
other side once more, with the same I'M
resisting force; and SO on, up and down,
and down and up, smashing to and fro
for hours before it comes finally to rest.
Picture this, and you will have an image
of power not to be seen by the action of
any other force upon the earth. The dis
turbance OF the water was incOnceivably
fine. Waves of enormous magnitude
were rolled up with great violence against
the glacier, covering it with spray; bill
lows came tearing down the ford, their
progress marked by the cracking and
crumbling ice, which was everywhere in
state of widest agitation for the space
of several miles. Over the smaller ice
bergs the water broke completely, as if a
tempest was piling up the seas, and heav-
ing them against the shore. Then, to
add still further to the commOtion thus
occasioned, the great, wallowing iceberg,
which was the cause of it all, was drop
ping fragments from its sides with
each oscillation, the reports of the
rupture reaching the ear above the gen.
eral din and clamor. Other bergs were
set in motion by the waves; and these
also dropped pieces from their sides; and
at last, as if it were the grand finale of
the piece-the clash of cymbals and the
big bass drum of Natures grand orches-
tra-a monstrous berg near the middle of
the ford split in two; and, above the
sound of breaking waters and falling ice,
this last disruption filled the air with a
peal that rang among the bergs and crags,
and, echoing from hill to HILL died away
only in the void beyond the mountain
tops; while, to the noisy tune, the ice
bergs of the ford danced their wild, I'M
calmly dance upon the waters. it was
many hours before this state of wild I'M
rest was succeeded by the calm which had
preceded the commencement of it; and
when, at length, the iceberg that had been
born came quietly to rest, and the other
icebergs had ceased their dance upon the
troubled sea, and the waves had ceased
their flashing, it seemed to me that, in
beholding this birth of an iceberg, | had
beheld one of tie most sublime exhibit
tons of the great forces of nature. It
was, in truth a convulsion.-D Hans
Land of DeSOLgtzOn
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
The Oldest Inhabitant.

THE Oldest Inhabitant came out during
the late severe storms. He stood under
the edge of wooden awning in Dock
square while some of the boys shoveled
snow on his head. He appeared to be
oppressed by yearning'to meet some
body who would call this snow storm ,
The Oldest 1nhabitant remembers dis
tinctly when there were eleven feet Of
snow on the Common, and the boys used
to coast from the top OF Bunker Hill
Monument clear away down to Charles
river. eve don't have no such weather
now" said the Oldest Inhabitant, with a
regretful sigh. 'Folks call this cold
weather! why, it's dog-days and yeller
fever to what 1t used to be when l was
young" The reference to his Boreal boy
hood brought a frozen tear to the aged
veterans eye. He rubbed his right ear
ref1ectiVely, breaking off small frozen
fragment, and pocketing it with the H.
difference of one who despised such
degenerate frost eyes, them was cold
snaps, when me and Paul Revere used to
skate down to Minot's Ledge to play
hockey with the Provincetown BOYS
You'd say it was chilly if you saw my
brother Lies iron teeth 1--WE didn't have
no fancy dentists in those days, and when
Lie broke his front teeth on a bet that
he could chaw a stick of frozen mercury
out Of Captain Jones' thermometer, my
Uncle Eph, the blacksmith, cast him a
new set)-if you'd a-seen Lies teeth
glued together by the frost so we couldn't
open them without a cold chisel and
blasting powder, you'd have said so too I"
The Oldest Inhabitant admits that the
Boston tire was considerable Of a SINCE
for our times, but then he knows, with
whitening pity, that we can't be expected
to remember the great confagration of
Sorghum Center, in 1864.
1t is good and holy thing to be an
Oldest lnhabitant. 1t argues some occult
virtue, on his part, to make him worthy
special prolongation by Providence.
Nothing but an inscrutable decree, or
preternatural toughness, could make him
survive his extensive and continued as
saults on veracity. Therefore we admire,
and respect, and avoid the venerable
bore.-BostOn Commercial Bulletin.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

but giggle, cover up her face with her
fan, and exclaim once in four minutes,
Don't, now! you are real mean"
How can man propose life-partner-
ship to such q silly goose? My dear
decent ones, dress in plain, neat, becom-
ing garments, and talk like sensible,
earnest sisters.
You say that the most sensible men are
crazy after these butterflies of fashion. l
beg your pardon, it is not so. Occasion
ally man of brilliant success may marry
silly, weak woman; but, as have heard
women say u hundred times, that the
most sensible men choose women without
sense, is simply absurd. Nineteen times
in twenty sensible men choose sensible
women. l grant you that in company
they are very likely to chat and toy with
these overdressed and forward creatures,
but they don't ask them to go to the altar
with them.
Fourthly, among young men in the
matrimonial market, onlya small number
are independently rich, and in America
such very rarely make good husbands.
But the number of those who are Just be-
ginning in life, who are filed with no.
BILE ambition, who have future, is very
large. These are worth having But
such will not, they dare not, ask you to
join them while they see you so idle,
silly, and SO gorgeously attired. Let
them see that you are Industrious,
economical, with habits that secure your
health and strength, that your life is
earnest and real, that you would be will
ing to begin at the beginning in life with
the man you would consent to marry,
then marriage will become the rule, and
not, as now, the exceptien.-Boston Con.
gTegatio1aal
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
Advice to Young Ladies.

FIRST, you are perfect idiots to 90 on in
this way. Your bodies are the most
beautiful of Gods creation In the con-
tlnental galleries always saw groups of
people gathered about the pictures of
women. 1t was not a passion; the gazers
We're just as likely to be women as men;
1t was because of the wonderful beauty
OF woman's body.
Now, stand with me at my office win
dow, and see lady pass, There goes
one! NOW, isn't that pretty looking OBJ,
ject? A big hump, three big Jumps, a
wilderness of crimps and frills, hauling
up of the dress here and there, an enor,
nous, hideOus mass of hair or bark piled
on the top of her head, surmounted by a
little fiat, ornamented with bits of lace.
birds tails, etc The shop-windows tell
you all day long of the paddings, whale
bones, and steel springs which occupy
most OF the space within the outside RIG.
In the name of all the simple, sweet
sentiments which cluster about home, I
would ask, how is man to fall in love
with such piece of compound, double
twisted, touch-me-not artifciality as YOU
see IN that wriggling cusiosity.
Secondly, with the wasp waste soueez-
ing your lungs, stomach, liver, and other
vital organs into one half their natural
size, how can any man of sense, who
knows that life is mace up of use. of
sense, of service, Of work, take to such a
partner? He must be desperate, indeed,
to unite himself for life to such a fet,
tered, half-breathing ornament.
saIhirdly, your bad dress and lack of ex
erclse lead to bad health, and men wisely
tear that instead of helpmate they
would get an invalid to take care of. This
bad health in you, just as in men, makes
the mind as well as the body faddled and
eiteminate. You have no power, and use
big adiectives, such as Splendid" No
magnetism! l know you giggle freely
awful, but then this don't deceive MS.
we can see through it all. You are super,
flcial, affected, silly; you have none of
that womanly strength and warmth which
are so assuring and attractive to man.
Why, you become so childish and weak.
minded that you refuse to wear decent
names even, and insist upon baby names
Instead of Helen, Margaret and Eliza beth
you affect Nellie, Maggie and Lizzie
When your brothers were babies Won call.
ed them Bobby, Dickey and JOHNNY: but
when they grow up to manhood, no more
of that silly trash, if you please. But
know woman of twenty-five wears and
she is as big as both my grandmothers
put together, who insists upon being call
ed Kitty, and her real name is Catharine.
and although her brain is big enough tn
conduct affairs of State, she does nothing
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

years slip by. You might be King, EN-
peror, Duke, a great rich farmer with
loads of money, but no--you can't make
up your mind what to choose"
Pray do cease continually worrying
and teasing me, !" cried the farmer; 1--WE
are both Of US young, and life is long.
The ring contains but one wish, and that
must not be squandered. Who knows
what may happen to us, when we might
really need the ring? Do we want for
anything now? Since the ring has been
ours, have we not so risen in the world
that all men marvel at us? So do be SEN
sible, and amuse yourself, if you like, by
thinking what We shall wish for.
And so the matter was allowed to rest
for the present. 1t really seemed as If
the ring brought blessings on the house,
for barns and granaries grew fuller and
fuller, from year to year; and, in the
course of time, the poor farmer became
rich and prosperous one. He worked
all day with his men as if the whole
world depended upon it; but in the even
ing, when the vesper bell sounded, he
was always to be seen sitting, conteIted
and well-to- do, at his threshold, to be
wished Good evening" by the passers-by.
Now and then, when they were quite
alone and no one near TO hear, the woman
still reminded him Of the ring, and
made all sorts of propositions to
him. He always answered there
was time enough to think about
it, an that the best ideas always oc-
Cured to one last. So she gradually fell
into the way of mentioning it less often,
and at last it rarely happened that the
ring was ever alluded to at all. The farm
er, it is true, turned the ring on his finger
twenty times day, and examined it close
ly, but he took good care never to express
the slightest wish at the time.
And so thirty and forty years went by,
and the farmer and his wife grew old and
their hair snow white, and still the wish
remained unspoken. At last it pleased
God to show them a great mercy, and
He took them to Himself both in one
night. Children and grandchildren stood
weeping round the collins, and, as one
of them tried to withdraw the ring from
the dead mans fingers, the eldest son
said:
''Let our father take his ring to the
grave. There was some mystery about it..
Probably it was some love token, for our
mother often looked at the ring too; per
haps she gave it to him when they both
were young"
So the old farmer was buried with the
ring which should have been wishing
ring, but was not one, and yet had brought
as much good luck to the house as a man
could desire. For it is strange, as regards
the true and the false, but a bad thing
can be turned to better account in good
hands, than good thing in bad-Good
Things.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
Where the Leak Is.

DURING the latter part Of 1871, as l sat
by the evening fire, modify bordering
over the hard times, my wife said Club,
wish you would buy Dolly and / new
dress for Christmas present."
L felt as though this little request
which my wife wished to construe as an
act of liberality and kindness, was moth
ing more than duty on my part, and,
under this feeling l could not possibly
refuse, though the want of money made
it almost impossible to comply with this
very reasonable and modest demand upon
my purse. My salary was good, and in
years agone had furnished my little fam
lily with all the necessaries and many of
the luxuries of life. / was, in the gen
eral acceptation of the term, temperate
man; my morning call, MONDAY lunch
and evening social took only the pit
lance of fifteen cents each, while nv
fragrant Havana drew upon my purse for
only ten cents after breakfast, dinner
and supper. These were small outlaws,
and seemed necessary to my health, com
fort and social standing; they were mere
tribes, and could not possibly amount to
much, one way or the other It is true.
l was out of debt, and what was worse,
out OF money, and the modest request of
my wife seemed to harrass me to degree
hardly Imaginable to one not in exactly
the same fix. The old adage, ''the mick
les make the muckles." came to nv
mind very forcibly, and, under the pc
cullar circumstances surrounding me,
made firm resolve to act upon it for the
next twelve months. could remember
very well that it was considered, in nv
younger days, rather disgraceful for bows
to be caught smoking, or chewin, to-
bacco, or drinking whisky, consequently
these little habits must contribute their
mites to the money-box which procured
Tor the purpose of catching the stray
mlckles spent for unnecessary articles.
In few weeks imagined I felt better
without the toddy and cigar, and thought
OF them only as discarded vices, as each
day l deposited the little amounts in NV
savings bank.
just twelve months after the time I re-
solved to do away with the unnecessarv
expenses, | opened my money-box. and.
to my surprise, found Just too hundred
and serenty-htree dollars and seuent,- fire
ce'"sf 1t may be well to state that the
new dresses, with many luxuries for the
laole' and ornaments for my little home,
were now procured without any difficulty
whatever. Old Santa Claus was also more
lavlsh with his toys and good things when
Doily hung up her little stocking on
Onlstmas eve. | felt happy-not moody
unoer the good influences that were
brought about by the price of bad habits:
ana what is better, / have found out the
cause OF hard times and "where the leak
H. -1oouthe'n Temperance Organ,
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
4 PHILdNTEROPIST.

WHAT does he do when the sidewalks glare,
And every brick seems but snare
70 catch the passer unaware
He spreads his ashes.
And when down town we creeping go,
And trembling tread, a tottering row,
With honest features all aglow,
He spreads his ashes.
Long may he live, that man of soull
Filled be his bin with red-ash coal,
Til halos crown his sanity poll
Who spreads his ashes
And when he leaves this world of slides
And with grim death serenely giides,
May this be heard, and naught BESIDES
''Itdne 10 has ashes.
-HafJosd Times.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06


ing the meal, I deterr.;
as to where it was In5 %.
conjecturing that it ffS aiIs5d
gestion from not 'bpl a!d
the rumen where it '' t15.,<
tior With this intent tI , Gu sgu
slaughter house a na a, | fol- ent,
bullocks sold to the VIM Of 4 Urn
just before killing, fed lag tf
corn meal. 'Aea it'll
AS soon as the stomach .e
they were examined, ana S1c "a.
| found deposited in the : d. obi
Not a particle could he iOar 2
the first, second, or third ' y iii iii,
then | have several TIM Nv lin
tests with cattle slauebtsss,j 3; y y
with like results. Wba0 nd
took this direction by the , d.s. eel
NAL, or whether the na,; r .pI
the rumen and lower part ~
were too large to grasp A., u al
into the rumen such fine fao, J ia IA
supposed to do with the =, ID
cannot say. 1t must sufFoo - "
ent to know where it Wen, "a ,er
say on this point that fine, :, 1er
the Tumen or paunch Of yor IVY .
into that Of old ones. VS.
in the ear to cattle, one, :. tn
three years old, just befor.S, u,
found nearly all of it in I. &c
when | fed fuil-grown CT, ate
way, especially old cows. ! RI 3
all the corn in the fourth St.. ur
ing but the whole kernels o.
went into the first stomach s1 >s,
all Of it there when the g.,
with a Wisp of green hay W.T.. er
them. In this way cy,, er
fed with very little loss fr9r er
pass the cattle whole. T5s 5 $
corn mingles with and a1i.1
hay, and goes along with +
stomach, the natural reserve,
food, when it passes thropg
gestive apparatus and recelg. /
thorough digestion. n
So when straw or hay, CUT /
well wetted, and the fine grmoe
sprinkled on and mixed viii IL
goes in like manner, to the e.,
and the action Of every par C
ach is made available for CON- Ia
ton. Not only can the dairy, &c
better results from meal whe5 10
way, but more of it Can bt CO
given time, because more Of :
fed without producing seo.,u "
produces securing when mo-. ! !,
than can be digested. 1t i u
digested meal, more than an,
that disturbs the bowels in al y
meal Will produce securing -1 A
fed alone than when mixed T a
cause, when mixed, by hsy1.i
of the first three stomach: =
work is well along by the tin. 4
the last division, and hence !
not only more thoroughly, b. r.
easily and rapidly. a
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
AFTER WARDS.

=" LIGHT after darkness,
Gain after loss,
Strength after suffering,
Crown after cross.
Sweet after bitter,
Song after sigh,
Home after wandering,
Praise after cry.
" Sheaves after sowing.
Sun after rain,
Sight after mystery,
Peace after pain.
10y after sorrow,
Calm after blast,
Rest after wearlne-s,
Sweet rest at last.
"a Near after distant,
Clean after gloom,
Love after loneliness
Life after tomb.
After long agony
Rapture of blissl
Right was the pathway
Leading to this!"
-SGandag Magazine
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

49, AN old colored minis ter, in sermon
on hell, pictured it as a region of ice
al anu snow, where the damned froze
throughout eternity. When privately
askeu MS purpose in representing Gehan-
t na ~ TINS way, he said: Il don't dare to
.eai oem people muffin else. Why, if I
we're 70 say dat hell was warm, some q,
;a old rheumatic niggas would be want
IL " start down dar de very fust frostw
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

'FRONT.' per acre ............S
In the case of the potatoes g
per acre for our manure, and :
Of wheat $22. t
We believe in making the ID
all crops; but as this is not q
ter, we should aim to manu-
wise enrich the land most iol'3
as require the greatest amour
This is the reason why nurSel:~
growers and market-gard @
to pay so much more Tor nl'-- G
binary farmers. u
Of course there are many ~
taken into consideration IN :, s
ton Of manure. 1t may no. {
apply manure directly, 10
potatoes; but at any rate W
to make the land as rich l~ l
season and variety will os',
jury to the quality OF the -, II
mangel-wurzel and corn, D" n. 3
require considerable labor, ' >,
no doubt that it is dcs:rSoIF Z:
soil as rich as clrcum0.anNce =, \ !,
These crops will admit Of . W.
manure to make the land IIs ~ 4
the following crops OF oalN ,.'.. =
clover without injury. --a'" =
tu7TSt.
THE more light admltteOo%, ..
the better for those VINO - /
Light is as necessaryto s TrD'r@
is to vegetable life. LA ~: v
plants, and the consequenrtts, &
trous. They cannot be PERI I. !.
its vivifying influence, ,;n ~
mistake to curtain and D;.n' b. p 2.
closely, for fear of inJ1ll W.. % %
by exposure to the suns suns, ts'i !, s. s.
positively gather clemens let ~ IL
which engender disease or ID n,
often, and fresh air, too, W nj 4 T.
atty of aches and pans anY no -
bills which might have O~I,
Robert Kettle, a ten iir tr,. ne )
airy in Glasgow, lett ~ On,
young lady one morhln ssfteotif
rather disconnected at ou ID II;
doing duty as curl-patp e had Ia
the damsel to whom u ne ,a an 6
"Weel, ma lassie,' ne lea lt y. o,
g Sut," 3h he added nlsi IN time ssts 'r'
into merriment, ''ye nSesi>
the wrang side O. your D'
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06
Crops that Require Bic

IT Is an important point +
to ascertain which of his al
the richest land to produce !
growth; and it is often still n
ant for him to determine to 7,
had better apply his manu- 1
-mer had all the manure he n,
able the soil to produce TIT liz
that the season was capab.e {
ing, the first question w0r-,
important than the second. i
seldom the case, and We han;
ask ourselves which crop il {
plant on the richer, and "a
poor fields. |
Mangel-wurzel, carrots, C,
rutabagas must have rich lan.t
a maximum crop. So must X
Barley requires richer land 4
wheat. But this does not tel !
story. As a rule, those croHi
quire the most labor in pla1il.s
ing, hoeing, and harV2stlas 4
sown on the richest land. II
much labor and manure in !,
field for a crop of buckwhea; i
toes is manifestly absurd. III
is capable of producing 800 :
potatoes per acre, we should Z
the soil up to this degree Of [
ness, because a potato crop !
good deal of labor, and it
much for a small crop as fol !
For instance: Take two addl
one rich enough to produce 2
per acre, and the other Only
producing 100 bushels; TIE
and receipts would be someEa
lows: 4
Ay.re N 2
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

Acre N g
100 5se Il
Grt r
Flowing, narrowing, etc. 51 !
Seed, cutting, and planting. 10 Y
Cultivating and hoeing. ... so |.
blgg1nG -.--. .......... oW =
Hauling to market. .... 5G 5
Interest on land. 10 !
y
500
Crop, q 45c. per bushel... S0 il
Profit per acre..........s 81 L
Now take two adjoiHlL7t
wheat, one Of which withoui, I
produce 10 bushels per acre, 81
with manure 30 bushels Pc
account would stand about d q
Acre Ml[t
l5jzAd@s Y
Flowing, etc. ..... ....s7g /,
SEED. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. W =
harvesting W
Thrashing and marketing. II
Interest on land. .......... 1W u
$50 /
Wheat and straw .......... ~
Profit per acre So e
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06


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Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-06

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