davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
A Sword from a Meteor.

San Antonio contains two things, or
objects, the like of which cannot prob
ably be found elsewhere in the world.
One is the child, Jessie Lum1ey, that
chews up her food and feeds herself
through hole in the stomach, the re-
suit Of wonderful surgical operation.
She lives on the outskirts of the town,
and, although at the time the operation
was performed she was at deaths door,
yet few days ago she walked to town
with her father and back home, dis
lance of nearly four miles, and expert
enced no evil effects, unless a good ap-
petite is one, which was satisfied in the
mode described, as no food can pass
down her throat. The papers, which
have ridiculed this case, must feel like
the boy who fooled himself so badly.
The second curiosity, the like of which
is not likely to be found elsewhere, is
the sword made of an aerolite or me-
teor that fell in the State of Durango,
Mexico, which is now in a museum in
the City of Mexico. A gentleman in
Mexico sent General Ord a small slab
or tablet, about an inch thick and six
inches square, which was sawed out of
the meteor. It resembled iron, and, in
fact, was what is known as meteoric
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

iron. The piece weighed two pounds.
Gen. Ord sent it on to the national
armory at Springfield, to be worked mp
into sword for Gen. Trevino, of the
Mexican army, who has done so much
to rid our border of the Kickapoo In
dams that infested it. Considerable
trouble was experienced in anneaiing
the meteoric iron, but at last they sue
ceeded, and, with the scabbard, it forms
very creditable specimen of American
skill. The sword is small. straight
blade, and is fancy dress sword, the
mounting representing an eagle with
the olive branch and arrows, such as
rich people see on quarter of dollar
now and then. The grip is of silver
wire, and the whole thing is very pretty.
On the blade is the Spanish sentence,
"Hecho de fera caido del cielo de
Merico. Presentado O. G. T7revino,
General de Division, por su amigo
Gen. Ord, .. s. f." or, in English,
!" Made of iron that fell from the skies
of Mexico. Presented to G.. Trevino,
General of Division, by his friend, Gen.
Ord, Q. S. A."-Galueston Tee. J
Mems
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
Autographs.

A genuine sale Of autographs is al
ways interesting to others beside those
who are crazy on the subject of auto
graph hunting. The prices given tend
in way to show how hitherto promi-
nent men are keeping their hold on
public estimation. A sale of over 1900
autographs took place recently in New
York. OF course all of these were not
very noted parties, still there was quite
a sprinkling Of very reputable persons
in the lot. 1t is curious fact that the
name Of that genial old humorist, Arte-
mus Ward, sold for 81, which was more
than was given for any other autograph
that day Although John Hancock
signed the Declaration of independence
in billboard style of letters, yet his
name only brought So at auction. Two
drafts of Ben Franklin's that, no doubt
were duly honored in 1880, could only
draw go cents in 1879. Lafayette's
brought $500; Israel Putnam's, S.;
John Stark's, So; and thus the names
of great men were handed down to pos
terity.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
Mark TWain's Plagiarism.

Even Mark Twain, whose individual
ity was supposed to be decidedly marked,
is plagiarist. He admits it. He even
boasts it. At the breakfast given to DR..
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Twain made an
open confession: " When my first book
was new friend of mine said: The
dedication is very neat Yes, said, I
thought it was. My friend said: I al
WAYS admired it, even before saw it in
the "Innocents Abroad I naturally
said, What do you mean? Where did
you ever see it before?' Well, I saw it
first some years ago, as Mr.. Holmes
dedication to his :Songs in Many
Keys.'' OF course my first impulse
was to prepare this mans remains for
burial, but uron reflection I said
would reprieve him for moment or
two, and give him chance to prove his
assertion if he could. We stepped in
to bookstore, and he did prove it.
had really stolen that dedication
almost word for word. I could not
imagine how this curious thing had hap
pened. For knew one thing for dead
LEU % CC1 UdlA III
pride always goes along with teaspoon
full of brains, and that this pride pro-
tects man from deliberately stealing
other peoples ideas. That is what a
teaspoonful of brains will do for man !;
and admirers had often told me I had
nearly basketful, though they were
rather reserved as to the size of the
basket" Twain gave an explanation,
the usual one. He had read Holmes
poems until he was entirely saturated
with their flavor, and he unconsciously
stole the dedication. Perhaps" adds
Twain, st unconsciously stole the rest
of the volume, too, for many people
have told me that my book was pretty
poetical, in one way or another" The
offender wrote to DR.. Holmes explain
ing his feat of grand larceny, and re-
ceived a much kinder reply than DR..
Parker gave DR.. Lorimer. IT afterward
called on him." Mark adds, land told
him to make perfectly free with any
ideas of mine that struck him as being
good protoplasm for poetry. He could
see from that that there wasn't anything
mean about me; SO we got along right
from the spot. "-Chicago Times.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
A Mysterious Craft,a~.

The Albany Press says: "When
Fulton built the Clermont, and Erics-
son the Monitor, people expressed their
wonder, and men were free in their ex-
pressions that Fulton was crazy. But
q strengthening craft has just made it's
appearance on the Erie canal which
ELECTS the wonder and curiosity of the
oldest navigators. There arrived at this
port from Buffalo, last week, novel
craft, which, during its passage along
the Erie canal, seriously disturbed reg
ular traffic, very much hindering the
canal boats proper, which at this sea-
son are hurrying to get around so as to
terminate the season to the best ad-
vantage, and lay up where they desire.
The craft in question was built in Ton
owanda, and is, we understand, one of
a series of eight or ten which are both
ering the boatmen by coming East be-
fore the canal closes. 1t is simply a
huge, unwieldy box, with not even the
dignity Of scow build, and which just
sqeezes through the locks and that's ali.
This pioneer craft brought East 300
bushels of grain the largest quantity
ever foated on the canal, the biggest
and newest boats averaging about
5000 bushels of wheat. This craft and
it's mates are to serve as sugar lighters
in New York. They draw when loaded
to canal regulation mark, six feet of
water, and are then six feet out of
water. They steer as clumslly as raft,
and as they managed to hit every boat
between Buffalo and Troy the canal
boatn ems mouths issued blue flame and
the air was rent with oaths."
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
THE OLD YEAR WAVES,

The waning year looks gently down
On these bright days that come and so:
Dead. faded. buried is the crown
That summer wore with face aglow
When june slept lightly Ger the hills,
And through the wales sent Fastening rills
The biistful days come back to chase
The gloom from chill December skies:
Their fragrance fingers yet to grace
Paths where all tender blooming dies,
Where the brown earth, with tranquil breast.
Prepares to take long, deep rest.
Through naked boughs the sunlight sits,
And give them beauty all their own;
Nor yet the feathery snowflake drifts
Through silent woods on moss and stone
The hallowed hush the sottened hue.
Weave their own nameless charm anew.
The old year wanes. The birds of spring
Now gladden. other skies than oars;
No bud unfolds, no insect wing
Sends tribute to these Fastening hours;
But plaintive voices stir below
Their Swallowed and unceasing flew.
Thought wanders back and grasps anew
All that earth gave of good and fair
The loves, the hopes that upward grew
And spread In faiths diviner air,
But persisted as the days went by,
Zen as the flowers that round us lie.
We know that spring will come and bring
Again earth's need fsong and bloom;
We know, too, that another spring
Hath somewhere in Gods garden room,
Where love shall find its own, nor miss
One drop from its pure draught of bliss.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
Men Who Require Presence of Mind.

Many railroad accidents are prevent
ed by presence of mind on the part of
engineers. A passenger train on the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road
was rounding sharp curve, just under
piece OF tall timber. The watchful
engineer saw tree lying across the
track sixty feet ahead of the locomotive.
The train was running att rate of thirty
five miles an hour, and to check its
momentum before reaching the obstruc-
ton was out Of the question. The en-
gineer took in the situation at glance.
He threw the throttle wide open, and
the engine shot ahead with the velocity
of an arrow and with souch tremendous
force that the tree was picked up by
the COW catcher and flung from the track
az. If it had been only willow withe. A
man with not so cool a head would have
made the best possible use of those
sixty feet in the way of checking the
speed of the train. That would have
caused disaster, Bradford, an engineer,
was bringing an express train over the
Kankakee line from Indianapolis. AS
the engine shot out from the deep cut
and struck short piece of stright track
leading to bridge herd of colts were
discovered running down the road.
The distance to the river was only 100
feet. Bradford knew he could not
stop the train, and also knew that
if the colts beat the locomotive to the
bridge they would fall between the tim
bers, and the obstruction would throw
the train off and probably result in a
frightful loss of lite. It took him only
half second to think of all this. The
other half of the second was utilized in
giving his engine such a quantity of
steam that it covered that 100 feet of
track in about the same time that q
bolt OF would travel from the top
of lightning-rod to the ground.
The colts were struck and hurled down
the embankment just as they were en-
tering the bridge.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
Mixed Those Items Up.

A ludicrous transportation occurred in
the makeup of a couple of Geographic
items in the New Haven Journal and
Courier the other day which produced
the following effect: "a large cast
iron wheel, revolving 900 times per
minute, exploded in that city yesterday
after long and painful illness. De
ceased was prominent thirty second
degree Mason" This was followed by
the second item, which read: John
Fadden, the well-known florist and real
estate broker of Newport, r. L, died
in Wardner & Russell's sugar mill, at
Crystal Lake, ILL.,, on Saturday, doing
$4,000 damage to the building and in
iuring several workmen, and Lorenzo
Wilcox fatally"
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

F God and sinners reconci d.
Then she stopped, conscious that the
door had opened, and that the intruder
did not advance.
"Come in she said, % and shut the
door, please; there is drau-o
She stopped with low cry, but he
took her at her word, shut the door.
and came forward.
have come back, Katie" he said.
will you forgive me and shake hands? ?"
He took both hers without waiting
for leave, and held them fast. E
Il only reached America yesterday"
he went on. "All these years have
been in Europe, trying to forget you
and be happy, and I have neither for
gotten you nor been happy. You were
right, and was wrong. [ have come
back to tell you so, and to ask you if
you have forgotten me-"
Forgotten your" she repeats, al
most with a sob. "Oh, my Harry my
Harry!"
Il am no longer RICH" he says.
"Rosie and the little ones are at the old
homestead, and the drunken husband
has drunk himself to death. I tried to
palter with my duty, Katie, before
went away--I sought out Rose and prof
fered her portion of her fathers fort
une. She was proud, as you told me
she would be, and refused it with
scorn. l am poor she said, almost
starving, but [ will not take as a favor
uo%+ ~ -
my right. Keep all or give all!'
kept all, Kate, and, if 7 could have for
gotten you, might have kept all to the
end. But love you so vel, my Katie,
that ask nothing but you for the rest
of my life. We will be poor, but We
will be together. Say you forgive me,
Katie; you have not said it yet"
She said it then, holding him close,
her happy tears moistening his already
damp coat-collar.
"You and I are to spend Christmas
day with Rose" he says, presently, that
first transport over. She's jolly little
soul as ever lived, in spite of all her
troubles, and right glad to have done
with matrimony forever. Who knows
but that, after eight years of it, you
may echo her sentimentw
81 think will risk it, though" says
Miss Englehart, looking at him, hand
some, and big, and brown, with adoring
eyes. sob, Harry! to think { did not
know you, striding through the snow
up to the gate. I was just thinking,
with ever SO little of pang, that no
gift would be mine this year, while all
the time the best and dearest of all
Christmas boxes was coming to me
over the snow"
"Christmas has brought you your
lover, and New Year shall bring you
your husband" said Harry. s#Os
And New Year did. 49, ., =
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

IT will require at least 100000 to
comply with recent act of the Georgia
Legislature, appropriating $50 to $50 to
every soldier of that State who lost an
arm or leg during the late war. The
total amount paid out thus far is over
$4,000, to 800 ex-soldiers, and they are
applying at the rate of thirty day.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
THE TRUE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS.

Among tha golden tales of youth, &A
Tnre'es none so vague and yet so dear
AS that of good old Santa Claus n
Who brings the children Christmas cheer,
He SKINS the clear and frosty air,
He fills the stockings long and white,
He b inks within the "reminiscences gloW.
'Lau. hs and is off into the night.
Il ain no child Yet still love Aa
Above all saints old Santa Claus.
For he has simmered down to one
The co antless ages many laws
g Do go ,d - is all his testament,
- Be good - is all tpat he commands;
He fills the stockings with the seeds,
And leaves the fruit to human hands.
Oh dear, oh kind old Santa Claus!
W. know his moods and methods well,
But where was born or where doth live
No man of many minds can tell
But once year we hear his sleigh,
But once year his chirrup clear,
The good old boy, I've found him out;
He's born near Christmas once a year.
peeped one day, moi DER a roof q, AZ ass
Nor in chilnney's yawning mouth,
Where blasts OF Arctic currents melt
Before warm wind from the south;
peeped with eye alert and keen
Into far-otf secret room
Where gathered silent, quaint dressed men
Within strange AMI twilight gloom.
There was table, long ard broad,
Bearing pot OF shape antique.
Over whose brown and rugged side
Dropped long dark shreds of cid Perique
Before each quaint man lay pipe
A yard perhaps in length more
rooster crowed and each man tapped
His long-stemmed pipe upon the floor.
The long shreds faded into smoke,
A tp hp SCARED
A subtle essence tickled all
The full-ripe noses round the board
1t seemed as if pair OF eyes,
Lack-luster, dim and without gaze,
Pecrad from their overhanging brows
Out Of the shifting, dreamy haze.
And then before each quaint-dressed man
AS if by magic there appeared
4 glass of Hollands, sweet and white,
That dewed each long and streaming beard.
Two rows of eyes turned to the sky,
Two rows of gurgles stirred the smoke
And with the spirit thus endowed
st. Nicholas through the ceiling broke.
And thus st. Nicholas was born
OF fragrant Hollands and the weed; Nh.
He sped away and from each man
There came softly sighed God speed!
Then they too, left the dun, low room. d..
Aud each one slowly went his way;
But if they knew what they had done
There's no man living that can say.
For when at Christma "a time the child
Clasps arms about his fathers knee, S..
. Santa Claus disciple avs,
BE sure my dear, it was not me.n
And ttis disciple is not dressed i' ."H &:
In old quaint clothes. with nose red-ripe.
n r does he bear in ei her hand
glass of Hollands aud pipe.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

The hickory tree at Madison, N. j.,
which, as a sapling, was transplanted on
the Inauguration of James Madison as
President of the United States for the
second time, in 1881, is now hand
some and thrifty tree over 100 feet
high.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

Il was che last of the rehearsal The
choristers threw down their books, only
too glad to get away The organist
alone remained, to play over once more
a new voluntary.
Good night, Miss Englehart. :"
~Good night, Miss Katherine!" "Good
night, Katie, and merry Christmas
eve" were the cries, as, one by one, men
and maids left the choir, and went down
the stairs and out into the bright, white
Christmas night.
Miss Engleharts smiling lips and
gentle brown eyes answered them ALL
A moIuent and she was alone, only the
white, piercing moonlight streaming
through the painted oriel over the
altar, and the one dim light below. A
flare Of gas lit the organ loft, but this
she lowered, and with rapt face and
dreamy. eyes she played over and over
again 6le jubilant new voluntary. She
might have gone on for hours she
was quite capable of it-but piteous
yawn from the boy at the bellows re-
called her from heaven to earth.
"Oh!" she said, stopping suddenly,
with half laugh, Il had forgotten you,
Jimmy. Well, won't play any more !;
and here, take this for your Christmas
Tbox."
Jimmy jumped up and seized the
protfered greenb4ck with glistening
eyes
"Thanky, Miss Katie-merry Christ
mas, please ma'am," cried the boy. seiz-
ing hls cap. "Ah! she's a brick, she is"
said jimmy to himself, as he clattered
down the steep stairway. Nobody
among all the singers ever thinks of the
boy what blows the bellowses, 'cept her
Don't just hope she won't marry that
long legged rooster that 'scorts ner
there sometimes, and leave the choir
4for good"
Still a few minutes longer fingered
Miss Englehart on her knees; then she,
too, hurried down the stairway and out
into che shining GOODNESS of the starry
December night. High and white and
cold lay the Christmas snow. No
green yule" this to make fat the kirk
yard. Cloudless and blue spread the
sky, filed with sparkling Christmas
stars, Gould that other night, so long
ago, when the shepherd watched his
flock in the green Galilee hills, "and the
glory of the Lord shone around them"
have been one whit fairer than this?
Katie"
With great start the girl came
back over eighteen centuries, from
Bethlehem to the town of Southport
A tall man had started up in her path
land spoke her name.
You--papa!'' the girl said, in doubt
and surprise, the color that had arisen
TO her face fading out.
Katie" He drew her hand un-
der his arm with laugh. did you
think it was Harry Hatton9 Well, it is
almost as good, for I have come to talk
TO you of him."
Miss Englehart looked up-a sudden
trouble in her brown, tender eyes.
az thought you had done talking of
him, papa," she said, tremble in her
voice. thought yesterday had fin
ished the subject forever"
Let me see. What was it I did say !,
>yesterday?" says Mr.. Englehart, bland
;ly. "Ahl remember! that my stiff
necked, doting old client, John Hatton,
had made up his senile mind to forgive
his runaway daughter and disinherit
Harry. Under these circumstances,
very naturally told You that you were
to meet Harry no more. You're good
girl, Katie--a very good girll"- Mr..
Englenart pats paternally the little
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
WIT AND HUMOR.

The peel of the first belle was a fig
leaf.
RUMoR beats electricity 40 per cent.
PRESENTS of mind-Bits of advice,
A GAME law-Follow suit.
SPIRIT of the press-Cider.
PENsToCK-Hogs.
THOSE who put their money into tele-
phone stock made sound investment.
The writer whose pen is his shears
the pride of the compositor's heart.
A MICHIGAN chiropodist offers tc
chirop with any man for 5000 side,
WHEN man goes into stock specu-
lation he aims at a better life.
To AVOID the first wrong step, let
your first step be right one.
SOME men pay attention who never
pay anything else.
The swell young man wears two
watches when his time is not very
valuable.
WANTED to know-If Havana CT
gar makes a man Ill, will two make a
manila?
SOLITAIRE earrings are set so that no
gold is visible, and the diamond appears
as if suspended in air.
TRYING to do business without a0ver-
Using is like winking at girl in the
dark. You may know what you are
doing. but nobody else does.
BALDHEADED persons are recon-
mended, by one who knows how it is
himself, to have spider painted on the
top of their heads in fytime.
IT is a happy provision of nature that
people do not know when they lose
their senses, and fools do not miss the
absence OF brains.
Al ONCE had dog VINO could always
tell rascals from honest men" B.---"Weu
what became of him?" A.--"Had to give
him away; he bit me-"
The two important events in the life
Of man are when he examines his upper
lip and sees the hair coming, and when
he examines the top of his head and
sees the hair going.
WHY tell man that he lies like sixty?
Isn't it just as easy to say, " Excuse me,
brother, but some of your statements
produce tendency to en,bo1pojnt on
the part of truth"
LIKE cures like. The Irish tenantry
complain that England's treatment of
them has been revolving, and now they
have been revolving themselves.
THERE is nothing SO charming as the
innocence of children. Mamma"
said a 5-year- the other day, {"
wish you wouldn't leave me to take
care of baby again. He was SO bad I
had to eat all the sponge cake and
two jars of raspberry jam to amuse
him"
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18

HNuLISd PARRY dt CdIu tdUAc- hoA-
low, we are two to two!" English
party at opposite table" We are
two to two, tool" German spectator,
who "sbeaks English" to compatriot,
who is acquiring the language" Veil
now, you see how dis is. Off you want
to gife expression to yourself in En-
glish. all you hate to do is to blay NIT
der French horn!"
AT a shoemakers' ball in PhiIa-
delpnia a reporter says that " feet OF
every size, from fine taper in white
kid to pudding-shaped pedals in full
skin, welted the wax on the floor IN
harmony with the music. They waxed
warm with pegging away until late the
next morning. It was whole-soled
affair throughout"
FLORENCE, the actor, tells this story
of the elder Booth: "He was playing
Hamlet in Virginia one night, and had
no skull. A little darby volunteered to
get one. When Booth was leaving the
theater he felt some one Juggling at his
coat-tail. He looked around and saw
the little brunette. What will you
have, sonny?' Please, sab, I want
daddy's skull, sah,s Daddy's skull p
3 Yes, sab. Dat used to be de old mans
headpiece afore de mewel kicked him,
an mammy'l lick me ter rags if I
lose II"
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
practice, and half unconsciously, she
began softly to sing the old anthem:

Hark the herald! angels sing
Glory to the newborn King.
Peace on earth-and mercy mild.
God and sinners reconcil d.
The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-18
OVER THE CHRISTMAS SNOW.
BY MRS. MAY AGNES FLEMING.
Hank the herald! angels sing,
Glory to the neW-b IN King!

Glory 70 the neW-b m King!
rang out from the choir, and the organ
list, slender, pale-faced girl, with grave,
beautiful brown eyes, joined in the an
thems, all her soul in the triumphal
words:
Joyful all your voices rise,
Sing the anthem of the skies;
With the celestial hosts proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem.