davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23

The wealth of the Vanderbilt family
has been variouslv estimated, and the
rctinence of the Commodore himself
has admitted of little else than mere
conjecture on this point. There is Il
general opinion, however, among those
who are in position to Judge most cor
rcctly that the wealth vested in Com
modore Vanderbilt exceeds one hun
dred millions of dollars, and Il promi-
nent member of the family recently
said that the "old man was worth
more than that sum. This vast fortune
was acquired by Cornelius Vanderbilt
through his own efforts, starting early
i'll life without capital or influence.
His parents were poor, and his first
money was earned i'll conveying people
to and fro in a row-bOat between New
York and Staten Island. He made n
large amount OF moneyin steambOatinG,
but the great bulk of his wealth has
been acquired i'll railroad combine
tions and in the manipulation Of raul
road stocks. He is and has been all
his life a very remarkable man. HIS
self-reliance and pluck are rs natural
with him as drawing breath, and his
will and purpose indomitable. A man
of such tremendous mental force has
he been that he has moved forward to
the accomplishment of his objects with
a power as irresistible rs one of his
steamboats,. His one purpose i'll life
has been the acquisition of money. To
this end he has trained his mental and
physical resources with the greatest
care. He has made OF himself Il
machine that has always obeyed the
requirements of his intellect, and
wherever he has struck it has been
with telling force aud effect. He has
had very few vices. He has always
drank moderately and lived regularly,
taking just the requisite amount of
exercise always. Smoking and whist
playing are the only indulgencies which
he has permitted himself TO any con-
siderable degree. Every day he is to
be seen driving on the road, with the
stump of cigar between his teeth.
and until within Il year past he has lad
every evening some of his cronies III FOR
rubber at whist and to talk horse, Il
subject at which he never tires. Lat
terly, however, his evenings have been
passed very quietly. He has always
been strict man OF business, kept his
own counsel, and admitted or known no
partners. He never allows the plea OF
affection or charity to interfere with
his business matters. Appeals TO his
sympathy have about as much effect as
straw forced under the wheels OF a
locomotive. He has been well, active,
and in the harness all his life, and has
never tired or weakened. He will be
so years of age in May, and his GO odd
years of constant hard work show that
he has had one of the strongest physic-
al constitutions ever given to a man. -
NeV York Graphic.
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
AILEGANY COUNTY, MARYLAND SATURDAY, MAY


| suppose you are the last person -at
any rate from the United States-whc
will hear the history of the first steel pen
on the very spot where the pen was man,l-
factured. Myuncle was manufacturer OF
slit key rings by hand, such as you have
just seen us manufacture so rapidly by
machinery. 1t was in the old stage
coach days, and so soon as he had made
his carpetbag full, he went up to Lon
don to sell them. On one of these Wis
side steel pen of very uncouth
shape, and as be described it, I" bad
cut. Knowing how to make good
quill pen, he argued, 81 can make out
of my steel wire better pen than that
is. He bought one, took it to Bir-
mingham, and with hammer and file
made two better pens. One of them he
retained and the other he sent to Mr..
Perry, the patentee in London. My
uncle was and still remains man of
remarkable simplicity of character and
J very scrupulous integrity. AS soon as
/ the letter was mailed he became uneasy
in mind under the apprehension that he
had transgrcsscd the patent laws. SO
mucl. did the fear of trouble from this
cause affect him that he was quite una
| Bile to attend to business, and, Mt the
end of the third day after mailing his
letter. some such sollloquyas the follow
ing took place while my uncle occupied
the seli-same seat you sit upon.
" ! would not wonder if Mr.. Perry
were to come down with sheriff to ar
rest me. 1t is just about time for them
to arrive here. | will tell them the
plain simple truth, that | have made
two pens only, and sent one to Mr..
Perry and retained the other; that |
had no intention to defraud Mr.. Perry,
and | will throw myself on his mercy"
At that moment a post chaise drove
rapidly up to the door; there were a
few hasty raps at the door, and on
opening it II small, sharp-looking man
of marked Hebrew features and voice
with slightly foreign accent, said:
Is your name Mason?"
"Yes."
"You made this steel pen?"
eyes"
"Can you make more steel pens like
this? 2"
"Ycs."
"Then your fortunes made and my
fortunes made"
They sat down ut this table, drew up
the only agreement that was made be
tween them, and we continue under the
original contract, to be the sole manu-
facturers of Perrys pen.
| asked him how elliott came to get
so early into the business, and was told
that two of Mason sisters used to keep
house for him, and when their work
was done in the house, would take
hand i'll the factory, SO John Gillott's
wife tanght him the business.
Josiah Mason has gone to his rest,
after II long life Of unostentatious be-
ncvolence, and left behind him well es-
tablished and well indorsed charities, an
honor to himself and his native city
His nephew, Fred. Smith, died some
time before him.
One of our most pleasant recollcctions
of IL visit to England in 1859 is the story
of the first good and practical steel pen.
-(H0S r. BdiQbyiGuC
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
4 Hairless Horse.

There recently arrived at San Fran
cisco an equine curiosity in the shape
of IL hairless horse from Australia. The
name of the remarkable animal is
Caoutchouc ;" and he was captured i'll
the neighborhood of Balloon river,
Queensland. when about two years old.
He is now about six years of age, is Il
pure black from the tip of his ears to
the hoofs, but without single hair on
any part Of his body. The color is not
unlike that Of black horse very closely
clipped, but the microscope fails to de-
tect single hair from nose to tail. He
is about fifteen hands high, well made,
and very compact, with fine, clean legs,
powerful forearms and thigh, and
clean, bloodlike, but unnaturally broad
head, from which sparkle n bright pair
of eyes beaming with good temper and
doci!ity. His owner paid II handsome
price for him, but refused El 800 in the
colonies before leaving for this country.
This freak of nature was examined by
several eminent veterinary surgeons i'll
Australia, ard they came to the same
opinion in regard to the horse-which
was, that there was no deception prac-
ticcd, and that in reality he was born
without the least particle of hair upon
him, and consequently is one Of tho
greatest curiosities in the way of horse
flesh eXtant.
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
GELCHER'S EXPERIENCE,

A man came into Mr.. Gelcher's office
few days ago and tried to sell him Il
patent-cast-iron UNIVERSAL combinations
little giant-family handy andy made up
of a stove cover litter, bed wrench, claw
hammer, fruit can opener, kettle and
pie-plate litter, screw driver and CARPET
stretcher, all in one handle, for the
small sum of fifty cents and because
Mr.. Gelcher called it a humbug and
would not buy it, the man told him
he'd regret it-and he did
AT s O'Clock that evening Mr.. Gel
cher, who had Just moved into new
house, stood III his shirt sleeves in the
middle of great, blank, front room,
and ran his hands through his hair, and
smiled grimly as he surveyed the rather
painful prospect of carpet loosely
spread out upon floor which in turn
spread out beyond the carpet on one
side to Il di5couraging extent. 1t was
terribly clear that that carpet would
have to be stretched some, and this, in
connection with the fact that it was
made up of great square, sprawling
pattern that would not put up with a
great deal of stretching, and at the
same time look we'll, was what caused
Mr.. Gelcher to run his hands through
his hair so much and think. Mrs. Gel
cher was downstairs hunting up some
carpet tacks that Mr.. Gelcer had re-
ported as being in his breast pocket ::
but as he hadn't designated the coat
nor specified as to whether the pocket
was outside or in, she didn't return i'm
mediatcly, which allowed him plentv of
time for reflection.
Mr.. Gelcher had worked himself nm
into very amiable condition Of mind
when his wife came up.sfoirs vcrv ra5
in the face, making sootbinn remarks
ON the beautifully txplicit stvle of a
mans directions. and heorino. i, bar
hand an old soucer full of corn.t yaol,s
not so full as when she had storteJ to
be sure, for she had distributed them
around rather lovisbIv ON +ho s+a;re
coming up, but enoupL as she decl,rad
when he pleasantly limited that Garnet
tacks cost money. to last tilI . o'cloclk
next morning, Which from the rather
brisk manner in which that Garnet was
then going down would be about tho
time he'd be through. Then she dartnd
the saucer at him, and told him to take
his old tacks and be carefnl NOT to dron
them all over the house for the cbiljren
to step ON for rn,Ir 10 ,i',, ,.-i,'l ,ii oii
he seemed utterly bewildered and lost
Then with kind of stunned and va.
can't expression of countenance ha
dreamny got down npon his kneas Az
placed the saucer ON the cornct loolloi
all about him for the hammer cot nm
again, looked all over the adio;nina
room, returned wearily, prostrated himo
self again to further prosrcntc tbe
search, and finally struck the funny.
bone of his knee on sometime hard
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
An Enterprising Settler in Nebraska.

The LomcU (Nebraska) Register
prints the record of an entcrprising set
tier. Mr.. NJ. S. Budlong settled on the
edge OF Franklin county, Nebraska,
bordering on Kearney county, in March,
1872 When he arrived on his home
stead, with his two sons, he had two
spans of horses, but only eleven dollars
in money. At the beginning of 1874 he
had 100 acres of land under cultivation ;
an orchard containing 500 young apple
trees, 100 pear-trees, and 100 cherry
trees, and vineyard of 500 8rapevines.
Mr.. Budlong is now about to plant 300
appie-trees, 200 peach-trees, and 800
additional grapevines.
The homestead is in Southern Ne
braska, and on the level prairie ;and no
man who has the spirit of Mr.. Budlong
need fear to settle where there are no
trees to shade his roof tree from the sun.
If he plants as NIr. Budlong has done,
i'll five years his orchard will be coming
into bearing and, if he has made a
wind-Drcak of cottonwood, he will have
ample fuel for his stoves.
Certainly, eleven dollars in cash is not
adequate for the needs of the ordinary
settler, though there are numerous in
stances in Nebraska of men starting in
this way upon nothing, rs it were, and
in Il few ycais working themselves into
positions of comfort. Such men are
brave and enterprising but capital OF
500, at least, is Il good thing upon
which to start The larger the capital
given skill, enterprise, courage and
industry, without which money is of lit
tie moment-and the quicker and the
greater the gain. There is abundant
room and ample scope in Nebraska for
men like Mr.. Budlong.
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23

How to get rich-has been a question
beyond the conception of the finite
mind. If air castles We're visible to the
seeing cye, we apprehend the space be-
tween us ard the sky would be so thick
with them that the glaring orb of day
could not be seen. Those Of us who
do not build such castles, are glad they
are not real, but only imaginary
for We're they true, we would be de-
prived of that which is most beneficial
to man-namely, light. We can count
over in our mind, many who are
contemplating doing wonders before
life ends. They are ever talking of
What they are going to do, and howthcy
are going to do yet they seem to be
making no more advancement toward
the object of their imagination than II
turtle does in climbing a sycamore tree
Whenever you see Il man who delights
to tell what he is intending to do, you
may raise your sail and let your vessel
drive, for these persons will never gain
enough of your riches to raise ripple
on the sea OF your prosperity. We Of
ten see persons who would be called by
the name Of gentlemen, strutting up
and down III the world, as if they knew
more than any Professor, and owned Il
fam in the gold region when at the
same time, they have to borrow money
TO buy the tobacco that makes the fumes
from their nasty, sinking pipes. If II
man l0Ouid become rich, and at the
same time a gentleman. he must act
equal to his abilities, and keep himsel Ii
so that he will be agreeable to all whom
he may meet.
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
Popular Weather Signs.

Would it not serve a useful purpose
if some scientific mcteorologlst We're to
gather into mass the various weather
signs-whether valuable or not-treas-
ured by the farmers and other common
sense people of the country, and then
sift them, so that those of real value
may have their proper influence, and
those which are merely fancIful may
cease to mislead?
That there are weather signs Of abund-
auce, everybody knows. That the greater
part of these signsare utterly yaluelcss,
every person of intelligence can testify.
Yet that they do practically influence
the time and mode of the planting of
crops, and of their after culture, viii
be acknowledged by many who would
not be suspected of the folly, and who
can give no other reason for it than the
force of habit.
eve are going to have dry month, "
said farmer the other day
&" How do you know" he was asked.
g BY the Indian sign of the new
moon" he replied. cts horns hung so
sloping that they could hold no water. p"
His companion laughed. Why,
that my lniin sign for wet moon. The
horns slope SO that they loose all the
water"
The sign in the one case was no doubt
as prophetic as in the other.
Always plant your potatoes in the
dark of the moon, if you wish to have
full crop" L heard my neighbor say.
Bnt never kill your pork, nor boil
your soap at such time, unless you
,o 1,-iIlincr tp hnrn tho, ul,ri,,l- II, ,,,t n
ing"
"What is your authority for this ?"
81 have always so heard, he an
swered with some hesitation, "and al
ways 50 practiccd. Potatoes, you know,
being roots, naturally love darkness.
And soap and bacon-I suppose they
take their cue from the state of the
moon. The fact is, only know that
this is the old-timc rule.
"We are to have frost on the 18Th of
May" said farmer to me on the 5th of
April.
was shocked, for he looked wise and
lugubrious, and a frost at that time in
our latitude would have cost millions of
dollars. L asked: GLOW do you
know"
Because we had fog on the 10th
of March"
He saw me smiling and added, 81
have heard this rule even since | was a
boy, and it has never failed yet.
1.-The surest rule [ know for fortcll
ing the weather throughout the year"
said planter possessed of at least Il
semi collegiate education, sis to note
the twelve days between new Christmas
Cfrom Dee. % to Jan. G). The months
Of the ensuing year are apt to be wet or
dry, cool or warm, according to the days
corresponding" He seriously declared
that for many years he had "pitchcd
his crop" and ordered his plantation
work under the guidance OF this rule,
and found that it served well. No
doubt, for that amount Of time in ad
vance, it was quite, as good as any
other rule in ordinary use.-E Il. G.,
IN Xcufth and UOnle.
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
NUMBER 35.


What becomes Of the cditurs'
That's what we'd like to know;
They do u heap of good ON earth,
Aud to heaven ought to so.
But something seems to tell us
They are peculiar set,
And in the great hereafter
VIII be ".loft out i'll the wet"
We've been thinking the question over
And It troubles us a heap;
IT comes to us in the daytime,
And with dreams disturbs our sleep.
And the more we con the question
The deeper IT seems to get,
And brings us to this conclusion:
They'll be "lcft out i'll the wet"
Now, reason to yourself a moment:
Would it do to let them in?
Wouldn't they 90 to interviewing
And discussing everything?
Wouldn't they baVc two parties,
And hobby, too, to pct?
That thing would never do up there
They'll be :" left out i'll the wct.'
It's very well to smile, sir,
And say, "Your head amt level"
But did YOU ever know an editor
That didn't keep a " "dcyil?'
You don't suppose for moment
Thai he in there could get,
Aud he yelling " Copy -
They'll be "left out i'll the wet"
There's one more point well mention
We hope you won't get offended
But It's "currently reported"
That the "frce list is suspended"
New, did You ever know an editor
That has pulled his weasel" yet?
They're not going to do it there
They'll "stay out in the wet
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
Sheridan.

The greatest triumph of Richard
Brinsley Sheridan was his speech at the
impeachment of Warren Hastings. Fox
said that "all he had ever read, when
compared with it dwindled into moth
ing, and vanished like vapor before the
suu." Pitt, who was ever slow to ac-
knowledge the triumph of his rivals,
declared it surpassed all the 'eloqucnce
of ancient and modern times, and pos
sessed everything that genius or art
could furnish to agitate and control the
human mind" Logan was Hastings
council ana defender After Sheridan
had spoken for an hour, he said, "This
is declamatory assertion without proof. "
At the end of another hour he said,
"This is most wonderful Grafton. "
In another hour, " Mr. Hastings has
acted very unjustifiably." In one hour
more he exclaimed, "Mr. Hastings is a
most atrocious criminal" And before
Sheridan had finished his speech Logan
became boisterous, and exclaimed aloud,
"Of all the monsters of iniquty, the
most enormous is Warren Hastings"
COLORADO is getting its irrigation
system worked mp to nicely, and can
have a dry or wet day at will, without
consulting the probabilities,
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23

MILWAUKEE made 100000 cigars
last year.
A NEBRASKA farmer has a wholctown
ship for Il plantation.
SoUTH CAROLINA has twcnty-onc de
| faulting county treasurcrs.
HMRrER's MAGAzINE is offered 100 ar
ticlcs a week. Less than ten are ac
cepted.
DAKOTA has been doing sums
and finds that sine has only three,
eighths Of a white man to an acre OF
land
DURING last year SO 173 worth
of POTATOES were imported into Great
Britain; the year before $S,27l, ,3OC
worth.
The poor boy living in Ohio, who
looked up so honestly IN his grandma S
face just rs her snul1,boX spilled, says
he hates everything now since his eyes
have been opened to things.
THE lady who has been married eight
times, has eight living husbands, and
resides with none of them, and whose
daughter, aged % years, has had three
nf ~. G,,'t'' 80 ','' oi4'''ii'' II !
- i)'''5'''' 0o''"'J' oregon
PHYSICIANS tell us that the habit of
running upstairs is apt to produce
heart disease. TO avoid this therefore
you should never 60 up stairs in the
ordinary way. Lie down on your atom-
"''' '''''' ''''"i up l'e' INST
THE most thoroughly hurned-out.or-
housc-and-homo man in tLe United
States is Charles Williams. of Portland
Me. Seven times during the past year
mas his residence been consumed. He
now proposes to build raft and hive ON
II poAd.
Tnr anvil for the thirtv-ton steam
hammer. to be erected N t61e Woolvich
Arsenal EnrIand will wcioh 60 tons
thc onyil-hlock wrioLs 1O3 TONS and
took six months to cool AItonethnr
6t;O toms of iron will he usnd IN the
Foundation work.
Kentucky bred mule that has within
the last thirty days kicked in seven
teen barn doors, unroofed Il dozen
chiclcn-coops, and trampled the life
out of four fayorite pigs. "Ben But
lcr is his name.
r , . ooo coo coo a,
,r. 5 ~ v" "l i'Iopie oil ,,I'
''"', I,iy Spr'n 9o2 A;io"n az az
s'.,5IS ,,i nc "seiaSe '''LaILon ol ii.e
die before they are at the age of seven
teen. Out of one hundred persons only
six reach the age of sixty. Out of five
hundred persons only one attains the
age of eighty.
r. .,r,I,, ,,. lam. =.
ilf tl,'lU HIa'I. TA5, WI WIN CL1 pG"i1 1n vne
INV VI -,i'.i N "!till 'iil oi''i io9
"ili;l 10 oo'i:l,,1i''iS "9Sot .e'. " 1
~ .iltiG .I;p pi''r"t toat Ipn' oi,it ~ !? ,'lu
.i'''' "i2Han 10 'tay tne oie'''',l1y oi
book prepared by several obscure news
paper local reporters. The covenant
was soItmny made that the Joke was to
be kept profound secret till 10000
copies OF the work were sold.
r,,.,, Now va,,- ,,-..,, a.,,,,,
6. .I,au = iia ->o" vi a - 'I,0 St'llis up
III tiI 'ii Gl''ilh"iu, ciIc'i'iy loi '',u
Gio'neo, i; TI'n m on,y e''tt",lon t Il, enough 10
~ - " Io27 anu coS1 ~ t1'e society
WIZ MinelI ~, it"Ia' Go'ttIseS' "Iu ueS'[DyS
hai1 iII'! may pe tol(. a.. as 95o loilowS 3l ine
iii '!i:oiV' oDo tlo iooS oi
-,
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23
ilIIIl,Oi'.
EVERYBODY companion is nobody's

EvERYDoDYs companion is nobodys
friend.
TIE Danbury Ncac$ man says:
"Thcrc is nothing that will chane II
man so much as great grief, unless it
is shaving off his mustache.
DOMESTIC Young lady making pie)
-" Frank, the Kitchens no place for
boys. Has dough such an attraction
for you?' Clever Youth" isn't
the dough, it's the dear"
A DRUMMER, who was greatly ad-
dicted to whisky, was asked by re-
viewing officer what made his nose so
rcd. please, your nonor," said he,
81 always blush in the presence of n
general officer"
AN Irshman who had just landed
said "The first bit of mate | ever ate
in this country was a roasted potato,
boiled yesterday. And if you don't be-
lieve me l can show it to you, for L
have it i'll my pocket"
"IF this jury convicts my client"
said II Missouri lawyer, rolling up his
sleeves and displaying his ponderous
| fists, ." shall be compelled to meet
each one and hammer justice into his
soul through his head"
A MAN left bony steed on Main
street last Saturday, and, coming back
short time afterward, discovered
that funny youth had placed Il card
against the heshless ribs, bearing the
notice, " Oats wanted-inquire within"
TEACHER" Who was the first
man?" Head Scholar" Washington
he was first in war, first ip -" Teacher
-" No, no {; Adam was tie first man."
"Oh if you're talking of foreigners,
| s'pose he was"
A LADY of remarkable conversational
powers approached medical friend
with CDR. S., / have very sore
| tongue" "Let me look at it, " says the
doctor. The unruly member was duly
protruded. cit is sunburnt, madam,
sunburnt," remarked the doctor, who
suddenly recollccted that his profes-
sional services were wanted in another
direction.
THERE is Danbury legend to the
effect that party desiring to transact
some private business with another
was invited by the other to step with
him into neighboripg store "But
we will be disturbed there" said tho
first party. go, no." said the second
party; "they don't advertise. ''-Da~-
bury Ncacs.
THE of the coming time
Shall man to vote appoint her?
We'll, yes your bottom dime
She'll do she's mnter
We know she twill or else she "wont
Twill be the same now;
And if she does, or if she don't,
God bless, her anyhow.
A GENTLEMAN seated in the stalls of
theater, who was afflicted with re-
marknbly long ears, overheard the
jocular remarks of neighboring young
man to another, which were by far too
loudly expressed. The proprietor of
the cars turned round thcreat and
sharply said, "lt is true, my ears are
very large for a man, but yours are very
small for an ass. :"
Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-05-23

"PUNcH" IN HIS Garden. was
great stir in our garden the other day.
The potatoes We're ready to jump out of
their skins. The beet turned red to its
very roots. The celery lost their heads
and the cabbages their hearts. The
peas split their pods with excitement.
The asparagus could with difficulty be
kept in its bed. The parsley curled
itself up in a corner. The cucumber
alone maintained its habitual GOODNESS.
The cause of all this commotion was the
presence of noted vegetarian. The
potatoes never took their eyes oil him,