davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

Ittakes nearly four years TO make one
instrument; three years and somc months
to season the wood, and three months to
form the partss No less than sixteen
different kinds Of wood enter into the
formation, embracing the softest, tough
est, hardest, heaviest, lightest and most
compact grain. In the "action" alone
there are eleven different kinds .of-wood.
Tho piano, moreover, is cosmopolitan,
from the fact that the vegetable, animal
and mineral kingdoms OF the world con-
tributetothe composition. While spruce
pine from Northern New York, maple
from Massachusetts,, pineand ash from
Michigan, cherry from Pennsylvania,
walnut from Indiana, and poplar from
West Virginia, after passing through
choppers, .sawyers, raftinen md inspec.
tors, rs well as buckslsin of four kinds,
first from the wild deer and then from
the manufacturers, are necessary, this
country tloos not furnish all the material
required. Sixkinds Of felt, four kinds
Of cloth, besi,lds silver for the plates, sil-
yergilded strings, cast-iron, many kinds
ofpaper, as also ivory, ebony and var
nish, are all imported from other coun-
tries. In m ordinary piano there are
FIVE hundred screws, one hundred and
seventy strings, eighty.fye keys and five
hundred and twenty key and tuning
pins. In o seven octave square about
ninety square feet Of veneering is used,
and in the faction alone there arc noless
than 8, ,072 pieces. From the foregoing
some conception Of the requisites Of o
square, upright or grand piano may be
formed. =,
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
Proverbs.

Home Ia home be 1t ever SO homely.
Hope is.a good breakfast, but a bad
supper.
Have your cloak madebeiore It begins
TO rain.
Idle folks have the least leisure.
/ Live not to eat, but eat 10 live.
Let not your tongue cut your throat.
Liars are not to be believed whenthey
tell the truth ia H5
Make hay while the sun shines.
2 Never split woodngainst the grain.
Never light your candle Of both
ends. iav 10.
Never mike mountain out Of n mole
hill.
Mona are so deaf as those who will
not hear. M
One is not solsoon healed rs hurt.
One eyewitness Is better than ten
hearsay.
Ione'bad example spoils many good
prccepts.
ono hours ploep before midnight is
worth two after.
YlRraise o fair day at night h,
Patience and time run through the
longest day. 5a a.lra az
Qiicln Of meat quick at work.
Reckless youth makes rueful age.
Strike while the iron Is hot.
. Temperance ~ the best physic.
Short reckonihgs make long friends.
Ills the second blow that makes the
fray.
The best physicians arc DIR. Dict, DIR.
Quiet and DIR. Merryman.
|TiWelcome Is the best cheer.
hSwhere there is will there is q way.
When the will is ready the foot is
light, iiatIitB
fwhat may Be done at any timc is
meyer done. ~ 4-lf
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
blessings on Tho Boys.

Blessings on the boys. Not the
young, healthy, rosy.cheeked male say-
ages OF thirteen or sixteen years. They
cannot help being boys, and deserve no
special credit or condemnation for 1t.
But blessings on those hale old boys Of
forty or forty.five or even sixty, who
bend their broad shoulders to the bur-
aens OF life, but who do not let those
burdens crush their hearts; whose eyes
are quick 10 catch the light Of merri-
ment Overt droll story, aud quicker to
fill with tears Of sympathy for friends
distress; who retains o boyish love and
reverence for all that is womanly; whose
boyisl confidence in humanity, Us o
whole, though often shocked, never
dies; who watch eagerly for the bright
spots Of sunshine on lies carpet, and
seat Themselves where II falls brightest
and warmest. They rarely grow very
rich, for their boyish generosity is too
cafeless forthat; they may not command
the awe Of adiniring crowds; they are
net always systematic enough to be safe
ly trusted with important Offices; but
the nimble feet Of childhood springs to
them, manhood trustingly extends to
them o wide open hand, women greet
them with coniidtng smile, and oil
thtohglflife they live aud receive great
treasures OF pure love. God himself
is very tender to these boys.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
4 Father Playing Indian.

AT .a Louisville masquerade the pro-
cession was witnessed by q large crowd,
Among the motley host who peramhula-
ted the streets, in the procession, was o
long, cadayetons,looking fellow repre-
Senting ComRnche Indian. His face
was painted red, his suit was
we'll made up. Upon his pom
derous feet were a. pair Of new
moccasins, and hanging from the beaded
girth that encircled his body were half q
dozen hoss pistols" and as many
scalps. Inside this belt stuck q cheese
knife and scythe blade. His long
black hair was banded with a brass hook,
from which. stuck about dozen Of tur-
key and goose feathers, and in his right
hand lie held with on iron grasp toma-
hawk, rcd with some victims blood.
Everybody saw the wild Indian, but mo-
body knew it was Skinner. g
While the procession moved through
the various streets, Skinner wonld get
dry, and break ranks by dodging into
barrooms and taking his usual dose Of
.sfire-water.p As the procession passed
his house new idea struck Skinner. He
would go home and scare Mrs. Skinner
and oil tho little Skinners. He cut loose
from the procession, took another dose
Of fire.water,' and by the time he
reached his front gate, he was the most
reckless looking Comanche tho world
ever beheld. Picking up new courage
he rushed into the front room where the
little SINNERS were "playing circus.
His appearance was accompanied by
wild yolls and fancy dancing, while he
made TINT tomahawk fly around the
room over the children's heads as II he
meant business, tho little Sllinnera
shouting, "oh, Mr.. Injin, don'ti',
mother' "murdorl" "tirol" and
there were such screams as would have
made any "sure enough" Indian run. (
Skinner wns Just in the middle Of his
fun, when the screams OF the children
aud the war.whoops Of the Comancfe
brought Mrs. Skinner 10 the scene, arm
cd with nm iron skillet. She slipped up
behind the "playful Indian" drew .
bead on his nose, and landed that skillet
with tho force Of o slcdge-hammer and
the rapidity Of lightning against 1t. The
hand lot go the tomahawk, the feathers
flew, the belt bursted, and the scalps,
pistols and knives fell to theaoor. There
was a flesh.and blood spot in the middle
OF his face where that nose was mo-
ment before the skillet mashed it. There
was groan, q fall, q somersault or two,
aud oil was quiet. Tint ComanChe had
found tho ahappy hunting grounds. |"
Skinner has an Indian masquerade suit
for sale.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
The Coal Area.

The total coal areaof the United States
Is sectioned off in square miles about as
follows: Illinois largest Of ally, $4,000;
Missouri Basin, 26,ss7; 1owa, $4,000;
Kansas, 1900; West Virginia section,
10000; Ohio section, 1000; East Ken.
tucky section, s,9s3; Pennsylvania sec
ton, 12,502; Pennsylvania anthracite,
472; New England Basin, 900; Maryland
section, $50; Tennessee, 5,100; Alabama,
$3.50; Indiana, 6,440; West Kentucky,
3,SsS; Texas, 1900; Michigan Basin.
6,7O0; Nebraska, 5000; Arkansas, a,0i3;
Virginia, 1856, and North Carolina, $40.
Tho great bulk Of the general coal de.
post is the common soft or bituminous
coal, tho exception being the semi-bitu.
minous, the anthracite and tile camel
coal found largely in the KAnlwha coal
fields OF West Virginia.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
Rolled Flat.

James Reese, aged fourteen, was rolled
ont fat in Hairisburgh rolling mill.
His foot slipped aud the body fell for
ward, and while striking out with his
arms one Of them was caught, which
carried him into and through tho roll,
through a space only three and one.half
inches in width. A cry Of terror from
the unfortunate lad attracted the htten.
tion Of the worimen, who, upon looking
around, saw the body Of Reese on the
other side Of the rolls and one Of the
arms disappearing. The engine was
speedily stopped, and upon examination
Il was found that tile lad had been fear.
fully mangled-his arms, head, shoul.
ders and body giving evidence Of his
fearful end. He was rolled out fat II
was found necessary to raise the rolls be.
fore the body could be extricated.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

Talking Of spelling and writing, tho
Now York Herald says: Bad writing y
productive Of cursing, and who can tell
how much Horace Greeley, Rufus
Choate and Colonel FornCy, public men
with extensive correspondence, have
done 10 make swearing a national vice. !
Every letter these great statesmen wrote
went forth as an evil one to promote
profanity. Colonel Forney, on the oc-
casion of one Of Mr.. ohoate's great
speeches, wrote him complimentary
letter, Ia which he said, In his poetieal
way: fh You sum an heather heaven in
yourself, and top high crowned olym-
puS.n Aif. Choate read the sentence
thus; "You seem an heatlien in heaven,
you wretch, at topa ily blown pumbus, "
aud in o tit Of anger wrote most abu..
siyc ieply, which Colonel Forney still
keeps II his album as o cordial invitation
to dinner. tt f. L
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

Thou swayesi my life, as moons the sea !
Natures inevitable laws
Less plainly blend eject With cause
Than thau doat rule my destiny.
Thou art my faiei undEeamcd.oi Bliss
Ifstorea for mo in. one sweet word.
Ietbut 10 OpPsslie 10 heard,
And then thou art my Nemesis.
E-N 10 .t-n9ll.lN
o, pause, and solemn counsel take
Think wl,Atit Is to own control
o'or mans whole being, Life and soul
To bid Ahsart beat hlsh-Or break!
All other hope, ambition, love,
a cOp,enin ltAl BY tIiee inspired;
Less arientiy my soul Is fred
With aims that point 10 worlds above.
30, like . yotary at the shrino,
Ifeel the aiilatus o'or me steal
Bllndly before thy feet kneol
And render homage quite divine.
Then speak be This appeal my llSli
Only fcmember that talIio
Before thee lies, for peace or strife
Afptme thou canst bless or blast,
Speak Twill bend me 70 thy will,
In silent Joy, II thousay Yes
II "No," I'll hide my bitterness
And be Thy mute adOrcr stu.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
A Spelling Frolic.

The Baltimore American says: Out
West they are turning the spelling
matches into fun. Ahuge affair Of the
kind in Cincinnati tho other night was
nothing more than o lot Of grown folks
playing school. Some Of the solid mon
IN business and politics first came out
as the infants class, aud were put
through their PAGES on monosyllabic
words. One Of the "boys" brought o
monstrous kite to school along with him,
and was duly reprimanded. Between
attacks on the elementary speller tho
class refreshed itself, and startled the
audience with n fearful rendering Of the
antique ballad concerning tho adventures
Of Mary's lamb. Ono naughty boy was
detected in tho possession Of m unlaw-
ful apple, and when the pedagog,ie
pocketed it tho houseful Of people
seemed by their perceptible laughter
TO recognize the action rs rather neat
hit at tho habit Of the average Gin
cinnati schoolmaster in the conhscation
OF contraband property. Some Of the
big boys and girls took liberties with
Webster that would have made josh
Billings open his eyes with wonder.
One Of the most amusing incidents Of the
evening occurred after the Intentional
fun was over and the spelling had begun
in earnest. The school Ind opened with
same forty.oddpupils one after another
had been thrown In tho orthogaphical
wrestlc until the best dozen remained,
and tile word "cassinette" was given.
Now, there Is nothing extraordinary in
the spelling OF tho word, but every one
Of the twelve was yanquished by it.
They spelled all around II, but failed to
lit the right letters, and another victory
for tho dictionary wns scored.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
lIls Conscience.

Ono Of tho most CONSCIENTIOUS shcriiIs
on record hal turned up in Iowa. A
railroad was to obe sold az sheriff's sale,
and a friendly agreement was made by
which this model official wns to receive
three hundred and tiity dollars in pay.
mont for his part In the transaction,
which required two hour, perhaps, oflris
valuable time. But after tile sale he
hanpened to look at the statute which
ssea his fees, when he found to his
horror That ho had been transgressing
the laws Of the State, which declared
lint he should receive no other fees than
those legally assigned him. So lie re-
insed the liberal sum offered him, and
sSid he would take nothing but his law
hi iees which In this instance, itseons,
Amounted M to sll, 900. The railroad men
endeayored 10 hold him to his original
barraiti, but ha was too considerations
IA Violate The laws he was appointed %
uwphoid, II and, tile case going 70 the court,
M integrity WA rewarded by q verdict
in hia favor. fIf
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

ASKING HIM, 10 Halo, stranger you
appear to be trayelingi" Eyes, / al.
ways travel when I'm on a journey. |"
af thirk / have seen you somewhere. |"
nvory likely. I've often been there. y
u Mightn't your name be Smith,"
nweil, 1t might II II wasn't something
else I Have you been long IN these
partslp nNeyer longer than al present
Ave feet nine "Do you calculate TO
remain here some timef uwell, /
guess III stay till I'n ready 10 lsaye.p
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19
l,ecsheps Domestic Circle.

Henry Ward Beecher testified in court
that he was married in 1887, the first
year Tint he was settled as q preacher in
Lawrenceburg, Ind. He was engaged,
he said. half as long as the patriarch and
his wife, seven years, and he was twenty
three years old when married. His wife
wasabout the same age. He says: l
think Ghe was twenty-thrco also; part
ofithe year she Is twenty.four when l am
twehtyltliree, aud the rest Of the year wo
are pftho same age. He has four chill
drenliying, and five, as he says, "wait.
ing for me-" From a very early period
Iremitted TO my wife, ho says, almost
entirely my secular affairs, so much so
that until within two years, since my son
cameto live with mo, who was in bust.
ness, 1 never even drew my own salary.
The checks were made out to her, and
all treasurer's accounts wero Mrs,
Beecher, DR., and I knew Mother what
money came in nor what money came
out, so faras my salary was concerned.
In tho earlier period Of my lifc ! had o
ssasaisedacss sss q Il letters /; / would never
openlmy clildren's, nor snffer anybody
else 10 doit I would never open my
wife's letters, neither did / wish her to
open mine but within the last fifteen
years correspondents have so multiplied
! grew careless through hoyer-occnpa
and they little by little passed into her
charge, and for the last fifteen years, il /
was gone, or II There was my reason why
perhaps somebody might suffer, she Inns
alwhSs opened my letters, and, to q very
considerable degree, answered them (; II
therr wcro any Of which she had doubt
aha ,,aiihd i,,,t;llT cnna home.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

One thousand laths will cover seventy
yards Of surface, and eleven pounds Of
nails will put them on.
A cord Of stone, three bushels Of limo,
and cubic yard OF sand will lay one
hundred cubic feet Of wall.
Eight bushels Of good lime, sixteen
bushels of sand, and ono bushel Of hair,
will make enough good mortar to plaster
one hundred squire yards.
One thousand shingles, laid four
inches to tho weather, will cover one
hundred square feet Of surface, and Ave
pounds Of shingle ntils will fasten them
one.fith more siding and flooring Is
needed than the number Of square feet
Of surface to be covered, because Of the
lap in the siding and matching Of tho
floor. fl
Five courses Of brick will lay ono foot
in height on o chimney; six bricks In .
course will make q fue four inchea wide
and twelve inches long, aud eight bricks
IN course will lmake q fne eight inches
wide and sixteen inches long.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

The project Of putting an organ In q
Scotch Presbyterian church Of Sheffield,
ENGLAND, recently, excited such pioul
horror that II was carried by majority
Of only four, and OH 0 Saturday night u
was found that hole had been cut In
the bellows BY some Of the faithful.
The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-19

AS A. Il. stewart grows older, the
question Of what he will do with bis
S40,000,000 becomes more and more
interesting. 4!
The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE.

dent, in case the Governor of New Brunswick
proceeded to fulfill his threat of maintaining
exclusive Jurisdiction to raise $4,000 troops to
support Maine, and appropriating 100000 900
to defray the expense. Volunteering began,
and on the 9th of March, Gen. Scott with his
staff arrived at Augusta, announcing that he
was specially charged with maintaining the
peace and safety OF the entire northern and
eastern frontiers" Taking quarters at the
Augusta House, he opened negotiations with
Fairfield of Maine. The result of the negotia.
tions was, that in a few weeks, our forces came
back from the AroOstook, an high spirits
each soldier weighing several pounds more than
when he went away. They did not represent
that the foe had retreated at their approach. for
departure, to find any considerable body of men
to oppose them. The artillery companies re-
turned chuck fnll of valOr, and their guns
which had been dangerous to fire in Aroos
took-were touched off for the first time, in the
streets of Bangor, to the great indignation OF
the people who had glass in their windowsl
Gen. Fairfield accepted blanket from the cti-
zens of Buffalo, N. Y :, and big cheese from
the town of Greene, in token of their approval
of his course.
Still the boundary question remained unde-
cided; and, though soon after the furry at
AroostoOk, Great Britain moved a settlement
on the basis of the award, the matter being in
suspense three years longer, when by the ASH
burton treaty" the question was amicably
settled.
The lecture closed with the idea that the
time cannot be remote when the United States
and the Dominion of Canada will be associated
in close alliance or more intimate union-when
Our country will no longer have the geographic
cal limitation expressed in the term United
States of Amrrica, but shall comprehend, for
good or for evil, in a vast and noble republic,
all the territory and races of UNITED AMERIcAI
The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19
Current Notes,

The Bulletin cries out, in language un-
known to the American Constitution, "All
is lost save honorr' If this be true, the
Democracy have sustained loss so nearly
total that the rest Is not worth mentioning.
-Ne,o Orleans Republican.
The Times tells us that s'Congress is going
to adjourn and leave Arkansas to be dealt
with by the mailed grip Of the President. y
We noted that the House had assented to the
mailing of seeds and of documents without
payment, but we did not understand that the
President could send his grip by mail. How
ever, we presume the Times is right; mi allied
grp'' is good.-St. Louis Globe.
Accidents are occurring daily on railroads
from rails breaking by frost, destroying life
and limb and property by thousands of dol
lars in value. Is there remedy? 1t seems
altogether practicable to roll the rail solid
and to harden the top half by immersion in
water, as all of us have seen the blacksmith
do when he desires to obtain hardness to a
certain extent on iron he may be working. II
to preserve the bottom half or base tough,
retaining all the adhesive properties of good
iron, This suggestion is thrown out to elicit
inquiry and experiment by those parties di-
rectly interested, in order that some result
NAV be had in arresting the fearful and fire.
quent calamities of the times by broken
rails.-St. Louis Globe.
Let us be just, as well as critical. The Ad'
ministration has been doing its best to serve
the country. IN this it has been reasonably
successful. 1t could not reach and cure evils
pertaining to business activities and social
indulgences over which it had no control
The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19
News and Other items.

Hot-house strawberries in New York a1S12
per quart.
A petifed snake four feet long was recently
found in Pennsylvania coal mine.
The gifts of the late Senator Buckingham of
Connecticut to the Yale Divinity School amount
ed to $4,000.
An effort is being made to form compa-
ny in England to engage in rice planting in
South Carolina.
The Reading coal steamers remain at Della
ware breakwater and nearly all the fleet which
was swept out to sea Wednesday have returned
to that harbor. r..
The manufacture and sale of fertilizers con-
stitute an important industry of Baltimore.
The aggregate quantity manufactured in 1874
was 10000 TONS and 5000 tons in addition were
imported and distributed.
The Hon. A. S. Paddock, senator elect from
Nebraska, is in Washington ior the purpose Of
studying the situation previous to taking his
seat. H.
Col Mcclure Of Pennsylvania, has concluded
the arrangements for the purchase of the Phil
adelphia Age, and it will appear on the 18th of
March as an independent journal, under the
name of the Times.
DAYS Lne New 1OIk hall. OOulo JuutCiOuo
friends of Miss Anna e. Dickinson, recognz-
ing her total unftness for the stage, have per-
suaded her to abandon her intention of adopt
ing the theatrical profession, and she has dis
continued training therefor"
A curious anecdote respecting Sir George
Westphal and Lord Nelson is not generally
known. While lying bleeding from a wound
in the head in the cockpit of the Victory, Sir
George had his head placed upon the coat of
Nelson, who had just been brought down
stricken to death. Afterwards it was found
that three of the bullons from Nelson's epau-
lettes had got into the gaping wound in Sir
Georges head, and as they could not be got
out they had to be cut off. Some years after,
when Sir George was asked if he would be able
to recognize a coat offered to Greenwich hos
pitial as that worn by Nelson, the circum-
stances led him to indemnity it directly he
found the bullions which had stuck in his
wounded head were missing from it.
The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19

1t could not make men better than they were.
1t could not regulate their likes nor disikes.
1t could not direct the individual or assoc ated
conduct of communities. II could not stop
men from going to ruin under the influence ol
a specializing craze. 1t has encountered great
difficulties. 1t has overcome many and Sc
rious obstacles. 1t has enforced the laws
without fear or favor. 1t could not make
public opinion; if this were possible, it
would, ere now have placed the country upon
the sound basis of specie payments. 1t
could not put new and better hearts into
men; if this were practicable, it would have
prevented disorders, race antagonisms and
muderous White League raids in disaffected
sections of the South.-IrOy Times.
"We entertain," says the Chicago Inter-
Ocean, "a solemn conviction that it is the
settled purpose of this faction of ex-rebels to
nullify the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fiji
teenth amendments to the Constitution, to
blot from the statute books the whole body
of reconstruction laws, and to Level with the
ground every barrier raised by the Republic
can party for the prosection Of the black
race"
Colonel Mcclure, who just missed getting
possession of Forney's Philadelphia Press,
has now succeeded in purchasing the ancient
Age, and he proposes to transform it into al
independent newspaper on the 18th of March.
He will change its name, also, to the Times.
Alexander Delmar, of United States Stats
tics Bureau fame, is to be the editor.
The Portland daily press., 1875-02-19

SOUTH Carolina has made remarkable pro-
gress within few months. 1t has turned
rascals out Of office and put good men in, has
cut down expenditures and reduced taxes,
and is fast becoming model of good govern
ment. With order, frugality and honesty in
the administration of affairs, it cannot well go
1ur0nO