davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-25
The Good King Alphons0.

5 King AlphOnsO, of Arragon who was
a good and piOus man, heard with pain
that the pages of his court had quite
given up the habit of saying grace,
either before OF after meals, or even
of saying their prayers so he thought
he would give them lesson. One day
these boys were invited by the king to
dine at his table. Dressed in their
best attire, and delighted at the idea
of the honor they were about to re-
ceive, the pages came into the royal
dining-room. They we're shown their
seats at the royal dining table, and the
king and guests sat down to dinner, no
blessing being asked as was usual be-
fore they began the meal. This was,
indeed, arranged beforehand by the
king.
During dinner, to the surprise of all,
there appeared beggar, who, in spite
of his rags and his dirt, went up to
the royal table, sat down, and, with:
out making any apology or asking leave.
content.
The pages, exceedingly surprised,
kept looking at the king as if to ask
his leave to turn out this unlimited
visitor. The king himself had planned
beforehand that the man should come
in this bold way, without being asked,
and Che, quietly and patiently, sat
watching him eat and drink without
saying anything or appearing to take
any notice. At last, after having made
a hearty meal, the beggar got up and
vert away, without, however. having
by word or look, thanked the king and
his courtiers for the feast.
Turning to the pages King AlphonsQ
then ,! said; well, e gentlemen how do
s'Not at all, your majesty they all
replied. s'Never did we see man so
rude, so ungrateful, so shameless as
that beggar -
Upon hearing this reply, the king
rose up and said, in a loud, solemn
voice, which could be heard by all
present:
"You yourselves have been as rude
and ungrateful as that beggar. Every
day you have been richly fed by King
far greater than I am-even by OUT
Heavenly Father, who giveth us richly
all things to enjoy; but you have sat
down and risen up again, day after
day, without thinking for momentof
the Giver Of all these good things.''
The boys blushed and slipped away
from the royal table without a single
word, but never again did they pass a
single day without asking Gods bless.
ing, and thanking Him for His Gifts.
The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-25
A MaterialiZed Hole.

From the Scientific American
Take sheet of stiff writing paper
and fold it into tube an inch in di.
ameter. Apply it to the right eye, and
look steadfastly through it, focusing
the eye on any convenient object keep
the left eye open. Now place the left
hand, held palm upward, edgeways
against the side of the paper tube, and
about an inch or two above it's lower
end. The astonishing effect will be
produced Of hole, apparently of the
size of the cross section of the tube,
made through the left hand. This is
the hole in which we propose to mate
rialiZe another and smaller hole. AS
we need a genuine aperature, and it
would be inconvenient to make one in
the left hand, let q sheet of white pa
per be substituted therefor and simil.
arly held. just at the part of the pa
per where the hole equaling in dame
ter the orifice of the tube appears,
make an opening one-fourth inch in
diameter. Now stare intently into the
tube; and the second hole, defined by
it's difference of illumination will be
seen floating in the first hole, and yet
both will be transparent. The illusion,
for of course it is one of those old
pranks our binocular vision plays upon
us, is certainly one of the most curious
ever devised. Besides, here is the &C.
tual hole clearly visible, and yet there
is no solid body to be seen to define it's
edges. 1t is not a mere spot of light,
because, if page of print be regard
ed, the lines within the boundaries of
the little hole will not coincide at all
with those surrounding it and extend
ing to the edges Of the large apparent
aperture. Each eye obviously trans
mits an entirely different impression
to the brain, and that organ, unable to
disentangle them, lands us in the pal
pable absurdity of materialized hole
The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-25

Eddie, chap of IL years, was sent
to the corner store to get two wicks,
but he got into the store minus
knowledge of what his mother wanted.
The kind keeper, to help out the little
fellow, who began to cry, began num-
bering several articles, and at last men
toned the herb thyme. ssThat it -
exclaimed he, something about time.
l fink she told me to buy fortnight. -
.sThat's it - calculated the little mes
senger, IN high glee, mamma told me
to get two wicks-two lamp wicks''
The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-25

ssHold fast to that which is good,''
said the preacher. "Never you mind.
parson," said an old man in a far.off
free pew, who appeared to be clutch
ing a bottle of old rye concealed in
the breast-pocket of his seedy coat,
''No bogus deacon kin get this here
from me, not if know it, -
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12
Curiosities of the English Post
office Report.

THE annual report of the Post
master-General might seem, at first
sight, to be dry document, because
it bristles with figures. But in reality
the report for 1875, which has just
been published, is an amusing picture
of the folly, of the forgetfulness, the
ignorance and the frivOlity which
must fill large place in the life of ev-
ery Nation, as well as of the qualities
which give Nation dignity, stability
and wealth.
We might reasonably think, for ex-
ample, that mercantile men would
seldom or never neglect to address
letters containing either money or the
equivalent of it; yet, $500 in cash and
bank-notes, and nearly $4,000 in
checks, were found, in blank envelopes.
Other instances of carelessness are
only one degree less heinous: can
unregistered letter was recently re-
ceived at Liverpool in very thin
cover bearing an almost illegible ad-
dress, and was delivered to a firm to
whom it was supposed to be directed.
On being opened, the letter and its en-
closures, five e1OO notes, were found
to be intended for another firm, to
whom they were eventually delivered
Sometimes, on the other hand, let
ters 90 astray because the writer's re-
pose an absolutely sublime trust in the
sagacity of the officials: "The follow
ing is copy of the address OF letter
which also reached Liverpool, the
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12

| iiailes OF persons and places being here
olioted; This letter is for Mrs.
NJ. She lives in some part of Liy-
erpool. From her father, john. a
TAILOR from; he would be thankful
TO some postmaster in Liverpool if he
would find her out The address,
unfortunately, could not be found. and
the letter was sent to the Returned
Letter Office
Not the least interesting part of the
report is the illustration of the multi
tude of uses to which the mailbaos
would be put if a check were not
placed on eccentricity: "The Post
Office, we are told, "while fulfilling
It's first duty to the public by affording
means for the rapid transmission of
correspondence, is also made the
Vehicle OF conveyance for small articles
OF almost endless variety. Of these,
the following were observed passing
through the post during the year, viz. ::
SllkWorms and gentles flowers, fruits,
and vegetables; various kinds of game:
wearing apparel; models of metal-ft-
tmgs and toys; leeches, snails, eggs,
SIX white mice, sparrow, two snakes,
a crayfish and adog. Several of these,
being prohibited articles, were sent to
the Returned Letter Office. The dog
was posted at the Lombard street
office, and, having fallen into the bag
affixed to tie letter box, was not dis
covered until the contents were turned
out at st. Martins lie Grand. ."-LOn-
don Times
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12

loosen the earth and wash the dust
| from the leaves; and by-and-by the
| scholars and the teacher and the WIS.,
itors began to look up and say: What
beautiful green plant is growing
there And soon there We're buds
coming, and at last beautiful, fragrant
! flowers.
And all this time the child was
unconscious that others were begin
| ming to notice her faithfulness and
patience, but kept to the line of her
duty for the simple love of the
| flower.
Once there was whole pail full Of
water spilled upon the closet floor, and
the teacher, forgetting, as he is apt
to do, questioned somewhat sternly as
to the blunderer who did it, and this
little girls name was shouted so ca
gerly by the scholars in reply, that
his heart smote him, as did theirs, no
| doubt, when the tender-hearted child
| burst into tears and could not be COM
forted.
But the beautiful flowers scattered
their fragrance upon her and glad
dcned her eyes with their beauty, and
I believe she found her own reward in
the faithful fuIfllment of the duty
which others neglected.
"Can any scholar tell me the name
of this faithful little Sirl?'
Immediately there went up a great
I shout of 'Hulduh Tuttle."
All the little boys with glowing
eyes and hearty voices, and all the
eager little girls testified with one ac
cord.
"And now," added the teacher,
"that the sCh0ol-room must he closed
through vacation, ought we not to give
the lovely plant to its kind preserver?"
and with one voice the plant was voted
| IIuldah's.
But blushing IIuldah could not lift
her face from her desk until all the
kind people had passed out; when her
father, with the pot of bloom in one
hand raised her face with the other
and whispered, rogUishly, Somehow
IIuldah futile sounded rather fine to
me to-day, Chick. ."-Anl0 Boytt0n, IN
| Youths CompuHioH.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12
Female Opium-EatIng.

AMONG the many faults which are
constantly being found in my sex is
that of opium-eating. The New York
papers, while reSolutely keeping silence
on the ever-eXisting score of mans
drunkenness, are at present raising a
hue and cry about Opium-eating by
women. Such habit can hardly have
acquired enough devotees to make it
matter of alarm. AS regards women,
men never seem to hit the right nail
on the head. If now the papers were
to say that arsenic-eating is fearfully
prevalent in this city, it would be
nearer the mark than opium-eating
The majority of fashionable ladies and
| scores of actresses eat arsenic for their
complexion. a few years ago cos
metics containing bismuth were in
general use, but were found not only
to yellow the skin until it became
tawny, but created sores and pimples,
and were in short highly dangerous
preparations. What was to be done?
The family doctor on being consulted
about the unsightly and irritating
pimples prescribed arsenical blood
purifiers. The patient was told to stop
using the moment the eyelids be-
came puffy and she felt bloated:
but use doth breed a habit in
,rDp,op II uroC DIoocoDt 70 +ba tnC+a II
rounded out of the form, and beauti-
fed the complexion, therefore the
doses were increased instead of di-
minished; and so prevalent now is
arsenic-eating that anyone able to rec
ognize the peculiar look it gives can
pick out its victims as they pass, and
they are not few. 1t is said to create
dropsy, and eventually causes death.
A very celebrated actress, well known
at Wallack'S, is i'll terrible dilemma.
A few years ago she was a creature
with no flesh on her bones, and an
ugly muddy complexion, both Of which
facts caused her serious anxiety, as an
actress stock in trade is her personal
appearance. She applied to a doctor,
who prescribed arsenic in small guam
titles. For long time she ate it with
out the desired result; at length, how
ever her skin cleared, and she grew
plump; delighted, she continued, her
skin finally became brilliant white,
and she-oh, horrors, fat, fatter, fat
test, Now this is her dilemma: She
cannot give up the habit of years, nor
can she afford to become unwieldy with
flesh, for lachrymose sentiment and the
obesity suggestive of lager beer are an
tagonistic.-N. Y. Cor. San Francisco
call.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12
A Maryland Mammoth Cave.

SEVERAL days ago there was no.
ticed in the Gazette the discovery Of a
mammoth cave near Cumberland, Md,
on the place of Mr.. Snyder. A CORE
spondent of the Aleganian and Times
gives some additional particulars of
this remarkable discovery. He states
that on last Saturday Mr.. Albert
Dowde penetrated the outer cave and
secured some very fine specimens of
stalactite and stalagmite, with a few
| fossils. In the afternoon, however,
two young gentlemen of this city deep
ly interested in science, made every
preparation to give the cave a thorough
investigation. EnscOnced in rubber
coat and high-topped boots, each with
dark lantern, they bade adieu to sun
light and penetrated the mountain
depths. Entering the first cavern they
threw their bull's-eye upon the per-
pendicular sides, the roof and the bot
tom. and all reflected back in brilliant
colors the rays of light falling upon
them. Then commenced the research.
Here and there upon the floor were
soft clay and sand spots, and delVing
among these they brought to light
some very fine specimens of the pre-
historic age. We have not seen them,
nor do we believe they have exhibited
them to anyone. Penetrating still
further, to the rear of the first cavern,
they came upon huge rock
which had fallen or been rolled to the
mouth of the entrance. TO get beyond
this was impossible, without greater
force than their muscular efforts
could put forth. But placing their
lanterns to a crevice they threw the
light bevond into the deep recesses OF
the mountain. Far in the darkness
could be seen room after room, appar-
emily divided up regularly, and the
rays of the lamp were radiated until the
interior looked as it might be the gild-
ed palace of the genii of old. The
young gentlemen were awe-lnsplred
with the solemn grandeur OF the dark
caverns. The rising pyramids, the
apparently carved inches, the glitter
ing doorways, as if studded with dla-
monds-all tended to stir up WITHIN
them feeling never before expe-
rienced. While thus medltatlng, a
rumbling sound from the depths with
in suddenly restored them to con-
seriousness, and being afraid that the
mountain would fall in on them they
beat hasty retreat, wondering what
occasioned the noise away back in the
depths of the earth. These young
gentlemen are not to be deferred from
their purpose of seeing what lies md
den within this deep cavern. MI
Snyder, the proprietor, has promised
to have this obstacle at the mouth OF
the inner cavern removed, and ON next
Saturday the cave will be open to in
spection from it's mouth to its subter-
ranean depths, and all parties inter-
ested in bringing to light what may De
hidden in the depths of the earth are
invited to enter without money and
without price. baltimore Gazette.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12
A Boys Opinion Of Parents

PARENTS are born to be great
trouble to their offspring. When |
was ever 50 little | remember | tried
to hang up the kitten by my whip
lash, and mother took the kitten away,
boxed my ears, and went and drowned
it herself the next day. SO she had
all the fun herself. And father S
worse than mother. He told me to
take care of the pennies and the dol
lars would take care of themselves, 50
| and Ben Smith formed an anti
swearing club. We had a rule that
for every profane word we used we
would pay cent into the treasury.
We had seventy-ive cents in the first
day, but when we divided it and l
fetched thirty-seven and a half cents
home, father said it was a bad buSl-
ness, whipped me, and broke up the
club. How is a fellow to know when
he is doing right? If had no parents
to hound me round I'd beat George
Washington all holler, for I'd cut
down every cherry tree in the garden,
and own it, too. If l was an orphan
l know what I'd do. Ben Smith and
me would go to desolate South Sea
island and stir up the goats and mon
keys and things, fry toadstools, eat or
anges spell, then We d make aship and
sail around the world. What's the
use of drying up in one place. | told
mother one day, when she wouldn't
give me ten cents, that l meant to go
a whaling, and hoped a whale would
swallow me as one did Jonah, and
then she wouldn't never see me again,
for can't swim. She said l wouldn't
be likely to make such visit, for |
would turn the whales stomach
mighty quick after l got there. Wasn't t
she cute? If | were parent | know
what I'd do-Pd keep still and mind
my own business, and let my children
have some fun. There's Tom Cults
lives with his aunt, and has bully
time. He goes woodworking Oh Sun
days, has no best clothes, crawls under
the canvas of every circus tent, earns
money at every theater, sleeps in the
stable when he likes, and always has
his pockets full of peanuts. He says
he wouldn't be bothered with parents
if he could have 'em for nothing, and
he thinks if l hadn't any it would be
money in my pockets. Them's my
sentiments. -Elmira Gazette.
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12
OUR CHILDHOOD HOME.

OUR childhood home, our dearest home!
How Joyous were the days,
When brothers, sisters, all would come
And join in youthful plays.
The pleasant scenes from hill SO fair,
From which we loved to look
Then chase the floating butterfly,
Or prattle in the brook.
Our childhood home, our happy homei
We never shall forget
The peaceful hours we then enjoyed
Ere time and vain regret
Had stole the flush from off our cheek,
And dimmed our cheerful eye,
Or cast shadow o'er the years
That passed SO quickly by.
But now no more We'll see the brook,
Or listen to the breeze
That gently whistled through the boughs,
Or sported 'mongst its leaves.
The birds that sweetly sang amid
The old trees shady bowers,
Will sing no more the songs to us,
As in those happy hours.
And when in future time our hearts
Shall be oppressed by care.
Well close our eyes to all around
And think again we're there,
Sitting beneath the lovely trees
Upon the bright hillside,
Where oft we sat ald ate the fruit
In all oua ssiiIdlsh pride
And when in death they lay us low
Upon the earth s cold breast,
We hope in that dear fairy land
Our forms may safely rest
Amid the quiet, pleasant scenes
Where once wG-loved to roam,
Beneath the trees so Gear to us,
Around our childhood home.
w h. Burr, in Christian STANDARD
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12

THE following StoryiS told in COM
munication to the Boston Traceiler:
"Gpn. Peabody, who was by profess
sion Il physician, was n hcrO.Of the
revolution, and after the war resided
in Exeter, y. II. During the summer
days he was wont to pasture his horses
back in the country, bringing them
home in the fall. On one occasionsas
the cold weather drew near, he went
to the town where his horses were,
and asked the owner Of the pasture,
who was both farmer and tavern
Keeper, to send his black horse home
on certain forenoon. Yes was the
reply. Il will Scndmy boy down with
your black horse on that morning,
sure On the appointed day the Cen
eral stood at his gate, and saw it ap-
preaching along the road, while Oh its
| back, using for a saddle only his own
coarse jacket, rode along in his shirt
sleeves, large, heavy, rough boy, his
face very dark, its natural color hay
ing been decpcncd by the sun. On ar
irving at the gate the boy remarked:
L have brought your horse home, sir
Yes, 50 ! see, replied the General,
and | am glad to see him here safe
| and sound NOu must have started
early. Walk in. Our dinner is al
most ready, and after ride in this
keen air you must be hungry The
boy, of course, accepted the invita-
ton, and when seated at the table
proved that, like most boys when
growing, he possessed a good appetite.
lie appeared awkward enough, for he
grasped the knife and fork in his
cIasped hands, with the tops of the
handles at the thumbs, and the blade
protruding downward from beneath
the closed little finger. Still he piled
the implements of the table service
vigorously and skillfully, and did full
Justice to the noon meal. During the
dinner the General inquired of the boy
what his name was, to which the
prompt response was given, Daniel
Webster 'Oh, yes remarked the
General, you are the SON of Eb.
Webster, who pastures my horses.
Yes said the boy. SO it was that
that big, dark-skinned boy was the
germ of the great statesman whose
name in after years was deStlped to
elicit the admiration of the world for
his wonderful power and learning.
How little he OWNED, as he looked
upon the Phillips Exeter Academy,
then a great building in his eyes, that
the dav would come when the Illus
trious Alumni of that now ancient IN
stitutiOn should hail his name with
pride as that of the greatest of their
number? Time brings wOndrous
changes, but none more remarkable
than that which transformed the
country boy, awkwardly handling his
knife and fork at Gen. PeaDodyS
table. to the renowned and influential
LAWYER, orator and statesman"
The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-10-12

ACCORDING to London dispatch of tb,
5th, Prince Milan had written to the Em
peror OF Russia, expressing sorrow fo,
having incurred his displeasure in con
nection with the army's proclamation q,
himself as King
AT Berlin, on the 5th, Count Won A rnin,
was tried before the Stats Gericbtscbaf
upon the charge of high treason found
guilty, and sentenced to one year,s 3 nano1
servinde.
AS THE express train, bound east, on
the Great Western Railroad, was going al
the rate of thirty-fve miles an hour on
the night of the 4th, one of the drivino
wheels of the engine broke, and the cars
were precipitated into ditch, about two
miles west of Princeton, Can. Five ner.
sons-thc engineer, fireman, two express
messengers and baggageman-were
killed.
IHE British Government sent Instruc-
| tlons to its Minister at Constantinople. on
| the 9th, to notify the Porte that unless the
English proposals for the settlement of its
difficulties with Servia were anreservedlv
! accepted, the British Government would
withdraw all support from Turkey, and
merely guarantee Constantinople against
Russian occupation. The demands
of England were reparation and
justice for Turkeys Christian sub
jects, the immediate rebuilding of
the houses and churches DESTROYED, and
the taking of steps to restore their wasted
industries, and to give assistance to per.
sons reduced to poverty. A Belgrade tel
egram of the 9th says Turkey had de-
clined to continue the armistice for a
month longer, and that hostilities had re-
commenced.
A CABLE telegram of the 9th reported
the failure of George Schieselman and
kinnear Il Fithie, spinners, of Dundee,
Scotland, with liabilities amounting to
1910 900. The Industrial Bank of New
castle-on-Tyne has also suspended. Liza
bilities $500,000.
ATHENS dispatches of the 7th state that
demonstrations were daily taking place
throughout Greece against Turkey. These
were considered so serious that the King
had left Copenhagen for home.
JovELLAR has resigned the Captain
Generalship of Cuba, and has been sue
ceeded by Gen. Campos
A CoNsTANTINOPLE dispatch on the Sth
announces that ex-Sultan Murad was
dying.
SIR JOHN You've, formerly Governor
General of Canada, died in London on the
Sth.
ACCORDING to Ragusa dispatches of a
late date the Montenegrins, having re-
ceived a reinforcement of $500 men, had
suddenly attacked the Turkish forces
under MOukhtar Pasha, and driven them
across the frontier, with a loss of $50
killed. The Montenegrin loss was 115
killed.
A PANIC prevailed on the st. Petersburg
Stock Exchange on the 9th.
ACCORDING to a Bucharest telegram of
the 9th, Prince Charles had ordered out
the entire Roumanian standing army,
together with the reserves.
THE New Wharf, with -four and rice
mills, at Rotherhithe, district of Lon
don, were burned on the 7th, involving
loss of S450,000