davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
Sleeping on the House Top in
New York.

The climate of New York during
the hot, dry summer closely resembles
that of the holy land, and some at least
of our devices for mitigating our suf-
ferings under the heat are not unlike
the ways of the generations that lived
when the mummies were fresh. The
ancient Hebrews cooled themselves on
the housetops, and at certain seasons
lived there in temporary booths. The
Arabians from the Euphrates to Jeru-
salem sought the refreshing coolness
of the evening breezes on their roofs,
and the Egyptians habitually assembled
there; the Moors worshiped there,
with heads turned toward the setting
sun, and with them the custom of
using the housetop as favorite place
of family resort Travelled along the
African coast, into Spain, thence to
Mexico and South America. Perhaps
it even ante-dates, ON this continent,
the Spanish invasion, and the extinct
race of Yucatan may have aired them
selves on their lofty roofs when Ux-
NAL was in its prime.
During the last heated term in this
city the roof became the place of ref
uge from the close foul air of the mar
row tenement-rooms, and many were
the roofs on which slept the entire
population of one of these houses,
whose numbers rival those of a small
village, and on Sunday evening when
the sudden heat again beat down or
the city the roof was again the place OF
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
How a Woman Stopped a Loco
motive.

THE Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany, in the construction of their
branch line between Oakland and
Berkeley, have met with a show OF
opposition on the part of one or two
property-owners living in the vicinity
of the latter place. The objection
raised by the landholders has not been
to the formation of the line, but to the
compensation they have been offered
for the right of way. An elderly lady
is one of the ObstructiOniStS. The line
was laid as far as her property last
week, when it was brought to an
abrupt termination. On Sunday the
tracklayers stole a march on the oppo-
sition. They went to work early, and
by the afternoon the iron road was laid
in approved style over the unpurchasa-
BILE property. The lady was taken at a
disadvantage, and her opinion of the
encroachment was not modified by the
reflection that the day was not one on
which to obtain legal assistance. She
had the right on her side, however,
whatever the day might be, and had
mother-wit enough to offset the trick
that had been played her. In due time
the locomotive came putting along the
new line. The old lady went putting
out to meet it. She took up a position
on the track and faced the monster.
Several men who had come up on the
engine went to her and tried to per
suade her to leave. The woman re.
fused, and the engine backed down,
leaving her mistress of the situation.-
| San Francisco Bulletin.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
kissing i'm Austrian Theaters,

KISSING in Austria is perhaps justly
regarded as too serious a matter to be
trifed with on the stage. An Aus
trian manager would be as much sur
prised at seeing the lover in a play
kiss his beloved in earnest as at seeing
the villain in play stab his victim in
earnest. Hence a scandal the other
night at the Imperial Opera. A hand
some tenor, Bastiano Widmann, hav-
ing to kiss the soprano, Signorina Clio
vanni, in Lortzing's opera of the Ar
morer," that lady at the rehear-
sal requested him to "make be-
lieve' in the correct Viennese man.
ner. Instead of which, when the
proper moment came at the first per-
formance, the handsome tenor plump
Iy and resonantly kissed the aston
ished soprano upon her rosy lips. Sig
norma Giovanni, after the curtain
fell, went in pretty rage to the man.
ager and complained. The manager
sent for the handsome tenor and re,
quested him to restrain his ardor fol
the future on pain of worse thing
When the second representation took
place, Signorina Giovanni, distrusting
him, exclaimed, loud enough for the
house to hear: will excuse you from
the kiss" The handsome tenor, in
censed at the insult, responded in {
stage whisper: "Thank God for that
Who wants to kiss such an old thingp
The house sat appalled,. Signorins
Giovanni flounced off the stage, ant
the handsome tenor has been bidder
to apologize or abscond. Albany Jo,tr
nal.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
Collecting a Debt.

Mr.. SPICES, a fat man, of Summer
street, owed Mr.. Shrimp, the grocer
and provision dealer, bill, which the
latter gentleman was anxious to
collect, but which, for some trivial
reason, the fat man had declared he
would settle when he got ready and
not minute before. This saucy indie
pendence on the part of Spiggs irritat-
ed the grocer's nature to such an eX-
tent that, finally, he made the bold
statement to his book-keeper that if
he didn't mortify Spiggs into paying
that bill within the next thirty days he
would sell out his business to him for
so cents on the dollar.
The next afternoon Spiggs was pass
ing the store on the opposite side OF
the street when Shrimp ran to the
door and yelled:
"Come in here and pay that bill OF
yours, and don't go sneaking down the
street with your head hung down like
a sheepW
Spiggs took no notice of this demand,
which seemed only to heighten the
creditors Indignation.
The following day he saw Spiggs
down town in company with friend.
when he approached him and said:
YOU'RE pretty man to be wearing
a beaver hat, and here you are owing
me for the victuals you and YOU
family stuffed yourselves with las
Thanksgiving!
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
Doing an Errand.

THERE are two ways of doing an er-
rand. One is to go willingly and re-
turn quickly, and the other is to go
unwillingly and be as long as you can
about getting back. Some children
never want to do anything for any
body but themselves. If you call
them to drop a note for you in the
postbox, or run to neighbor's with q
message, they invariably scowl, and
say, Cant somebody else go? I'm
busy now" And then little sister or
brother, whose feet are always ready
to run on errands, steps up and says:
"Fllego; | can do it. What Il beau
tiful spirit the willing spirit is! And
is so lovely in little child.
'Let me do it, is the keynote of q
loving character-longing to be of use
to somebody. If you are wanted to do
an important errand, drop everything
and go. You need just such kind of
exercise. If you are not a volunteer,
you must be driven into the service; !;
but how much pleasanter it is to have
the heart enlisted in these friendly Of
fees, than to be sent off because it is
your dutyl Do you ever offer to do an
errand for anybody? Or do You wait
until you are asked, and then pOut and
shake your shoulders, and make your
self so disagreeable that it is seldom
one feels like soliciting faVor?-
DhSeTrPr
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
Little Strings.

You may have amused yourself with
a face made of gutta-percha; pinching
it one way, and pulling it another,
and remarking what different express
sions it will assume. When you left
off pulling it, it returned to the same
face it was before.
Now, your faces are softer than
gutta-percha, and they are full OF little
strings called muscles; and these
muscles pull them one way or another,
Just according to your feelings. You
feel sad; the little muscles pull your
face into a doleful expression. We
can tell by looking at you how you
feel. Or, you feel merry; then the
muscles pull your face into smiles and
dimples.
But often there are. wicked passions
at work at the strings. Anger pulls.
and, oh, what a disagreeable look the
face puts on in minute! Pride pulls
the strings, or vanity, or discomfort,
or deceit, and each brings its own ex-
preston over the face.
The worst of it is that when these
passions pull very often, the face does
not return to what it was before, but
the muscles harden and retain that
ugly expression. By indulging in evil
passions people may work their faces
into such awful faces, that sometimes
when YOU meet man in the street you
can tell, just by looking at his face,
what his character is. A face that was
very lovely when it was that of child,
has had the passion of anger pulling
at it so often that it always wears
sullen, cross, dissatisfied look.
Now, dear readers, do you want tc
have pleasant faces that every one vii
love to look at? Then don't let tht
ugly passions get hold of the strings
Put them into the hands Of love, ant
charity, and goodwill, and truth, ant
honesty, and then they will be beautl
full faces.
I have seen faces, without singh
handsome feature, that were sweete
to look at than the most perfect feat
| ures that were ever formed. And why
It is the expression. And what make
the expression? o, it all depends upol
| whether the bad passions or the lovel.
graces get hold of the little strings
Christian at Work.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24

Returning home he encountered one
of Sliggs' daughters on her way with
an associate to take music lesson.
when he said:
81 should think, young lady, that
you would rather go without knowing
how to play and sing till your father
gets so that he can pay for what you
eat"
a day or two later he saw, through
the window, one of Spiggs' SONS get.
ting measured at the tailor's for a suit
of clothes, when he opened the dool
and said:
"DOn't you trust him a day fol
those clothes. His father has owed
me $500 for sirloin steak and sucf
things for over six months, and / cant
get one dollar of it,"
Soon after this he saw Mrs. Spiggs
and her daughter chatting with some
ladies in the horse-car station, when he
| entered and said:
"This woman's husband owes me
for the soap that was used in washing
that collar she's got on her neck, and
l want my pay for IT.
About a week later he saw Spiggs
riding out with clergyman, when,
after beckoning to him to stop, he
said:
"You ought to be ashamed of your
self! Here you are passing yourself
off to this minister of the Gospel as an
honest man, when you are owing me
for the starch used in doing up your
shirt-boSom.
The next evening Shrimp called at
the house of Spiggs to see if he was
ready to settle his bill, but Spiggs was
away. Mrs. Spiggs was at home, how
ever, entertaining some of her lady
friends at the tea-table. Shrimp pushed
his way into the dining-room, and
said:
Ladies', the family whose hospitali-
ty you are now enjoying owes me for
the flour that those hot biscuits there
on the center of the table, are made
from, and I should like to get my
money for it most confoundedly well. )"
Passing out of the gate he met Mr..
Spiggs' oldest daughter in company
with a young man who he suspected
was her atfianced, when he said:
THAT girls cheek wouldn't look so
plump and fat if it hadn' been for me.
/ have been letting her have all the
fresh doughnuts and bologna sausage
she wanted for the past six months,
and the bill hasn't been paid yet"
rhe young man looked as though he
felt little ashamed to be found in
such company, and was commencing
to move down the street, when the
young lady gave wild shrek and fell
senSeless to the sidewalk. He came
back and assisted her into the house,
and that night Spiggs came in and
paid his bill in full, with liberal in
terest heretO.-Danb1Lry Ne1cs.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
s. N.Y.

JASPER had no brother, and Lucy
no sister; so they had to be playmates
to each other. They played great
deal together. Lucy loved Jasper, and
Jasper loved Lucy. But there was
one thing which l am sorry to speak
of; they often had a quarrel. Jasper
was too fond of the little word my.
One day Lucy was trundling hoop
in the yard, when Jasper opened the
gate and came in from school.
THAT is my hoop" cried Jasper
rudely snatching it from her hands.
You shan't use my things son'
At an another time Lucy stood in
the garden door reading paper.
when Jasper came along and looked
over her shoulder. "That's my pa
per-" cried he, seizing it at once.
"Mother said 1 might have IT,
cried Lucy, holding it tightly.
"Give it up" cried Jasper, "Let
go my paper, Lucyr' said he in
tthiSl y NttNilliiS WIZ
Mother let me have itr' persisted
Lucy. Jasper pulled it out Of her
hands; and in the pull the beautiful
paper was soiled and torn.
You see what the difficulty was.
Jasper laid too much stress on my,
and it made him selfish and cross.
Suppose God should say, "lt is my
sun; it shall not shine on you: what
should we do? Suppose God should
say, "It is my rain; it shall not water
your field" what would grow? Sup
pose mother should say, 1t is my
bread; you can't have it, would not
children go hungry? Suppose your
father should say, "It is my money;
I have earned it; you can't have it to
buy clothes with" would not the
children be ragged?
You see Gods principle is to let lis
share together his blessings. Parents
90 not t1 n9aEn Ep Iat }hHSt tney nave FW HM
their children enjoy it with them; and
the moment anyone in the family lays
too much stress on his things or her
things, as Jasper did, it makes trouble.
How many brothers and sisters would
be very, very happy, if it were not for
selfshness coming in, snatching and
keeping things,
After a while their Aunt Jane paid
visit. and tried very hard to mend
Jasper's ways. She could not bear to
see such q fine little fellow spoiled by
SeltishneSS.
"What do you think Mr.. Jones gave
Jasper out of his shop?" a football.
Jasper took it in his arms and ran
home. "Lucy, Lucyn, he called, as
soon as he got into the house. Lucy
heard his pleasant voice and ran joyful
to meet him.
"Lucy, DEAR" he said, "see my
football! no, not my football, but our
football, Lucy. You shall play with
it when you please"
"Foot-balls are boys playthings,"
said Lucy, looking much pleased.
"That's no matter" said Jasper.
"My playthings shall be yours, Lucy;
and your playthings shall be mine.
We will not say My but Our won't
we Lucy?" And what answer do
you suppose Lucy made? She put
her arms around Jasper's neck and
hugged and kissed him. .--Lo'1oton child
re3l's PaDer
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
The BObOlink's Song.

| HAVE noticed that the bobolink
does not sing the same in different To-
calities. In New Jersey it has one
song; on the Hudson slight variation
of the same, and on the high grass
lands of the interior of the State, quite
a different strain-clearer, more dis
tinctly articulated, and running off
with more sparkle and spirit. 1t
reminds one of the clearer mountain
air and the translucent spring-water
of those localities. | never could make
out what the bobolink says in New
Jersey. but in certain districts in this
State his enlmciation is quite distinct.
Sometimes he begins with the word
"gegue, gegue." Then again, more
fully, "be true to me, Clarsy, be true
to me, Clarsy, Clarsy,' thence full tilt
into his inimitable song, interspersed
in which the words "kick your slipper,
kick your slipper" and temperance,
temperance (the last with a peculiar
nasal resonance), are plainly heard. At
| it's best it is a remarkable performance.
unique performance, as it contains
not the slightest hint OF suggestion,
either in tone, manner, or effect, OF any
other bird-song to be heard. The bob
olink has no mate or parallel i'll any
part of the world: He stands alone.
There is no closely-allied species. He
is not a lark, nor finch, nor War-
bier, nor thrush, nor starting. lie
is an exception to many well-knoWn
rules. He is the only ground-blrd
known to me of marked and conspicu-
Gus plumage. He is the only black
and-white bird we have, and, what is
still more odd, he is black beneath and
white above-the reverse of the fact
in all other cases. Pre-eminently a
bird of the meadow during the breed
ing season, and associated with clover,
and daisies, and buttercups, as no other
bird is, he yet has the look of an inter-
loper OF a newcomer, and not OF one
to the manor born.
The bobolink has an unusually full
throat, which may help account for
his great power of song. No bird has
vet been found that could initiate him
or even repeat or suggest single note,
as if his song were the product OF a
new set of organs There is vibra,
ton about it and a rapid running over
the keys that is the despair OF otheI
songsters. 1t is said that the mocking-
bird is dumb in the presence OF the
bobolink. My neighbor has an Eng
lish sky-lark that was Matched and
reared in captivity. The bird is
most persistent and vociferous song
ster, and fully as successful a mimic as
the mocking-bird. 1t pours out
strain that is a regular mosaic OF near
" all the bird-notes to be heard, III
own proper lark song forming kline
of bordering for the whole. The notes
of the phpbe-bird, the purple finch
the swallow, the yellow-5ird, the king
bird, the robin and others, are render
ed with perfect distinctness ant
accuracy, but not a word of the bobo
links, though the lark must hav'
heard its song every day for four sue
cessive summers. 1t was the one con
spicuous note in the fields around tina
the lark made no attempt toplagiarlze
He could not steal the bobolink
thunder.-John Burroughs IN Scrat
) ner's Monthly.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
A "Blamed Old Mule

THE first prisoner out had almond
coiored whiskers, trouble with MS
ewes. and his garments We're proof that
he had rolled in the mud. When his
Honor asked him if he had even the
shadow of an excuse for his conduct
he stood back and said:
lone time there was a blamed Old
mule, and that was me. He came to
Detroit to sell some oats, and that was
me again. When he had his cash Ill
his pocket he felt good-blast his eyes
and he asked the boys to go over and
take drink. This old mule took
whisky for his, and that was me. Ihen
he took beer on top of it, and pretty
soon he felt so good that he 'he-hawed,
and .ee-hawed' and pranced around
like a circus horse. The first thing
the old fool knew he didn't know a
load of hay from bottle of hair-oll,
and that was me, and now you can
whale away.
MI. YAK ttfii, w you looi iot''i'''
inquired the Court.
"As repentant as dog, and I've got
the stiffest neck and the worst head
ache YOU ever heard tell of.
'Do you think you will do those
things again -
81 never will. Why, just look at
me once! See the mud and grass on
me-see the clay on my ears and the
paving-stones in my hair! Do look
as if I'd ever make a fool of myself
again? p
81 hope not, Mr.. Oakum. Strong
drink is snake in the grass. Lager
beer is
"Purty good, but don't want any
more" said the prisoner as the Cour'
hesitated. The police gave him hi
knife and tobacco-box and he edgee
out and hired a boy to scrape off thu
mud. Detroit Free Press.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
What IL Woman Can Do.

THERE was at Mondovi, Italy, be-
fore the middle of the last century,
Young girl named Rosa Govona. She
had lost her parents and had no for
tune, but nOuriShPd in her heart the
domestic virtues and love for her
fellow-crcaturrs which moved her to
seek out the unfortunate for the pur-
pose of aiding them. She gained an
honest livelihood by needlcwOrk, in
which she was very skillful; desiring
neither luxury nor domestic ties, she
sought no other companions than the
miserable, no other reward than
heaven. One day, meeting with
poor girl, an orphan, who had no
means Of living honestly, the good
Rosa took her by the hand, brought
her to her house. and said to her:
You shall live with me; you shall
sleep in my bed, drink from my cup,
and eat of the labor of your own
hands" Shortly afterward she added
others to the company, and soon had
grouped around her little band Of
unfOrtunateS, for whom she managed
to secure by honest labor the neceS-
stiles of life during nine consecutive
wears. Then, considering the utility
of the cause and feeling a desire to
extend the good work in a sphere that
would he larger. she went in l735 to
Turin, where she succeeded by the aid
- ! --.4-rr
establishment of a similar kind to the
one she had left at MOndOvi. In 1856
the King, Carlo Emanuel Ill, hear
ing of her disintcrested laborS,
gave her more ample accommodation
and free quarters in the convent
of san Giovanni, where, under the
royal patronage, improvements were
introduced, certain trades were taught,
and the institution took its name from
its founder, "delle Rosine," while
over the door Of the entrance were III
scribed the words Of comfort that
Rosa had addressed to her first pro-
tege: "You shall eat of the labor of
your own hands.
Not satisfied with so much success
Rosa wished equally to benefit other
cities; she went through the various
provinces, collected the young girls
who desired an honest and quiet life
by labor, and founded asylums similar
to those of Turin and Mondovi at FoS-
sans. Chieri, SaviglianO, NOvaro,
| SalllzzO and San DamianO Il AStI,
which she provided with all that was
necessary for their Well-being and sue
cessful operation. She lived twenty
one years after leaving her native
place, and all these years were devoted
to the constant cares and mXieties III
cident to the careful management of
these eight philanthropic institutions
and the providing for the future of so
many poor but honest girls.
Feb. 2S, 1876, was the hundredth
anniversary of the death Of this noble
woman, and her native town, Mon
dovi, made preparations to honor in q
becoming manner the memory OF this
heroine of labor.-Church Union.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-24
NUMBER 35,
gar puutn1 Readers.
TWO REPLIES.

i" How DO we know il is morn
Ere the day is beginning to dawn?'
Why, we look, and the stars no longer glow;
And the wide-awake cock begins 10 crow;
And the drowsy ca tie stand up and low;
And the snowy sheep to the pastures go;
And the robins, singing, fit TO and fro;
And the dew is coaxing the flowers to blow;
And rosy hnsh is beginning TO show
All over the skies-and so we know
That beautiful summer morn
VIII soon be born.
" How do we know 1t is night
Ere the day has taken its hight?n
Why, the shadows lengthen of trees nigh
And the lilies are closing, as if with sigh;
And the red sun drops down low in the sky;
And the same little robins homeward fly,
Singing more softly as they 90 by, .-
Till, folding their wings in warm nests high,
They twitter and twitter until they lie
In cooling rapture-and that is why
We know it is almost night
Almost-not quite. d..
Mrs L. G. Whiton, in Wide Arake.