davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
DWarfS,

Old writer's were fond of relating in
stances of court dwarfs, when taken into
the kings council, cutting out all the
kings advisers by their shrewd obserya-
tions and ingenious suggestions. AS an
example Of their combativeness, we
recollect hearing how some dwarfs in a
showman's caravan asserted their
mental superiority over the good-natured
simple giants in such manner tl.at the
poor bullied monsters actually stood in
awe Of their fiery little travelling COM
panions. Il have seen some men of
very small stature" says an old writer.
"Ofthis number was John de Estrix, of
Mechlen, who was thirty-fve years of
age, had a long beard, and was no more
than three feet high. He could not go
up stairs or climb up form, but had to
be assisted bya servant. He was skilled
in three tongues, and proved himself
ingenious and Industrious" Almost as
interesting manikin was Jeffery Hud-
son. who, at a feast given by the Duke
of Buckingham, started up in complete
armor from a cold pie on its being cut
open. How also, ut a court masque,
Evans, the kings gigantic porter, pulled
out Of one pocket long loaf, and little
Jeffery, instead of piece of cheese, out
of the other, is we'll known, and will re-
call somewhat similar incidents men,
toned by Ainsworth in one of his his
torical novels. 1t was this pigmy's cap
ture by Flemish pirate that was cele-
brated in poem by Sir William Dave
nant. Gibson, page to Charles l., was
another curious specimen of diminutive
humanity. That must have been an
interesting wedding for the spectators,
when, at the dwarf marriage the queen
gave away Anne Shepherd, a bride, as
small as Gibson himself. The five of
their nine children who arrived at ma
turity were of the usual stature.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Three CuriOsities.

Not long ago the papers gave m &C
count of the bursting asunder OF a
mountain near the Tallulah Falls,
Georgia. Since that interesting occur
renee passengers on the Air Line rail
road in Upper Georgia have observed a
jet of water which shoots up near the
track to a height OF fifty feet. This
wonder is about midway between Toe
Goa and Mount Airy's stations. and a
few miles from the sink in the noun
tain. The water is cool and sparkling.
The stream rises as from large foun-
tain and falls in drops and mist. 1t is
claimed that when the mountain burst
and a half of it had settled there must
have been pressure on some subter-
ranean lake, which is seeking relief
through the spout.
This is the season for miracles in the
matter of hens and their eggs. The
Barnesville (Ga.) Gnzete has found the
most wonderful of wonderful eggs. 1t
is shaped like the head of man: Little
black feathers, which look like hair,
form the crown, and these feathers are
parted in the middle. just as a young
man of the dandy order would part his
fascinating locks. The white combine
is clearly marked. The forehead is
plain, the arched black brow. the eyes,
the ear, the nose and chin, with little
goatee, can readily be chased. The
editor of the Gazette declares that the
description is true one.
While H. L. Schlorf, of New Orleans,
was fishing with a hook and line at
til cold Lake End he felt fearful
Jerk upon his rod, He began to pull:
he had caught an alligator four feet long
and very active. Schlorf' called for
help, and, three men fastening to him,
the alligator was hauled ashore, having
done no further damage than to masti-
cate the foot of one CT the men. This is
one of the few recorded instances where
an alligator has been caught with the
hook and line.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Advertising for q Lost Umbrella.

A man was denouncing newspaper
advertising to crowd oflisteners. Last
week." said he, Il had an umbrella
stolen from the vestibule of the -
church. 1t was q gift; and, valuing it
very highly, l spent double its worth in
advertising, but have not recovered it. !"
How did you word your advertise
ment?n asked merchant.
"Here it is," said the man, producing
q slip cut from q newspaper.
The merchant took it and read: Lost
in the vestibule of the - church, last
Sabbath evening, black silk umbrella.
The gentlemen who took it will be hand
somely rewarded by leaving it No. -
San Fernando street,"
"No," said the merchant, 81 am q
liberal advertiser, and have always
found that it paid me well A great
deal depends upon the manner in which
IN advertisement is put. Let us try for
your umbrella again, and if you do not
acknowledge then that advertising pays,
l will purchase you i new one"
The merchant then took Il slip of paper
from his pocket, and wrote: eff the
man who was seen to take an.umbrella
from the vestibule of the - church last
Sabbath evening does not wish to get
into trouble, and have stain cast upon
the Christian character which he values
so highly, he will return it to No. -
San Fernando street. He is we'll
known"
This duly appeared in the paper. and
on the following morning the man was
astonished when he opened the front
door of his residence. On the porch lay
at least a dozen umbrellas of all shades
and sizes that had been thrown in from
the sidewalk, while the front yard was
literally paved with umbrellas. Many
of them had notes attached to them,
saying that they had been taken by mis-
take, and begging the loser to keep the
little affair quiet
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Large Farming a Precarious Business.

The following figures are given by a
San Francisco correspondent of q Phila-
dclphia paper, rs evidence that farming
on y gigantic scale is profitable neither to
the country nor the farmer. He says:
The largest wheat producer in Califor-
mia. or in the world, is DR.. H. j. Glenn.
He was formerly from Monroe county,
Missouri. He is a man Of great enter
prise and energy. His rancho lies in
Colusa county, and comprises 10000
acres, nearly all arabic land. He
has this year $4,000 acres in wheat,
which, at low calculation, will pro-
duce 100000 bushels. His wheat will
sell for eighty-five cents per bushel, or
S765, 900. DR.. Glenn has been farming
ten years, and one would suppose he
ought to have n handsome sum to his
credit in bank; but what with failure
Of crops-which occurs two years in
every five-and the enormous interest he
pays on his loans, he is said to owe a
round million of dollars. Last year his
credit was bad, as he had no crop. Now,
with his splendid crop in .prospect: he
will probably get out. The Dalrimples,
of St. Paul, who, ten years ago, were the
largest farmers of wheat in Minnesota,
raising as much as 10000 bushels in a
single year, went to the wall. Another
large wheat raiser is D. NJ. Reavis,
whose land lies on the borders of Colusa
and Butte counties. He is also from
Monroe county, Missouri, and has an
unpretending little estate of $1,000
acres, $4,000 of which are in wheat,
which he thinks will average this year
thirty bushels, or 100000 bushels. He
also is hard pressed, and I am told is
paying.nine per cent. on acouple of hun
dred Thousand dollars of borrowed
money. If farmers, raising half a million
to million bushels of wheat, cannot get
out of debt, it mi ght be well to inquire
what is the use of having so much land?
The truth is that from the frequent fail
ure of crops in California and the waste
that attends on large operations of that
kind, farming on a gigantic scale in this
portion of the Pacific coast must be con-
sidered failure. North this, in Oregon
and Washington Territories, there is no
failure of the harvest; farming opera
tions are carried on on smaller scale,
and consequently the farmers, while not
rolling in wealth, are all well-to-do.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
TerrOrS of the Tornado.

Whirlwind, tornado or cyclone; aerial
or electricity, such visitation as that
which has worked such devastation in
Missouri, and was experienced in Con-
necticut last summer, is equally mex
plicable and unayoidable. 1t comes and
goes "where it listeth," and man is
powerless in its path. One feature of
these exhibitions is the sharpness of the
line between death o.ld safety. Whether
the width of the track be more or less,
it is as sharply defined as the curbing in
city street. An inch within the line,
and nothing can withstand the force of
the elements; an inch without, and a
baby's cradle would hardly be rocked.
Crude rs have been the theories as to the
cause or causes of these cyclones, they
are not as far proved as they have been
suggested; and if we knew all about
them, there would be no possible mode
of either preventing or escaping from
them. Whittier would we fly? Ordi-
narily the approach of a cyclone is indi-
Gated by deadly stiffness in and op-
preston Of the air. There is MO guide us
to the direction it will take, and the
first impulse to get out of doors may
only expose one 10 ueatn lrOW Cnc un-
impeded wind. The destruction of life
and property in this latest case has been
considerable; in that new country what
ever pecuniary loss has been sustained
by those unable to bear it will be made
up wholly or in good part by the neigh
bors, but the less of relations, so sudden,
so complete, as in many cases. for this
there is no relief save in time and resig-
nation. Nothing, perhaps, more irresis-
tiblY and deeply inpresses one than the
appreciation Of the power and physical
malevolence of the tornado. In the in
land districts it seems an unnatural eX-
hibition; prairie fire ora spring inun-
dation seems to be in the nature Of
things, but tornado in the woods is as
incomprehensible as it is destructive and
awe-inspiring.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Nervousness.

Every organ and every muscle in the
human body depends for its action on
nerve-forrc, elaborated by the brain, or
spinal ganglia; and so does every
thought and fecling-the more active
the thinking, or the more intense the
feeling, the greater the expenditure OF
nerve-force. The little white threads
that run in branches through the body
from the brain and spinal cord are merely
conductors of this force, just us the de-
cline wires are of the electricity. The
brain-battery, when in vigorous condi-
ton, elaborates enough nervous force,
not only for all ordinary, but for vast
deal of extraordinary use, directly from
the raw material in the bloud, for in
such case the raw material is furnished
in proportion to the expenditure. But
in nervousness of every form the
balance is disturbed; the supply is not
equal to the demand, hence there is a
state of nervous exhaustion.
By carefully guarding the outgo, the
health; but he feels, often to prostratien,
little extra demand, especially if pro-
tracted. Generally self-control is weak
ened; one is easily startled; laughter
and tears come at tritlcs; the person is
touchy, perhaps hysterical; the blood is
impoverished, and hence no organ or It's
sue in the body is Properly fed, nor can
fully do its work.
This deficiency of nerve-force may re-
suit from deficient diet; the abuse of
stimulants; too little sleep; protracted
overwork Of brain or muscle; long-con-
tinued care, anxiety or grief; sensual or
emotional excess Of any kind; lack OF
recreation.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25

To pay, or not to pay, that is the question:
Whether It's better for me to refuse
To take local paper, and deprive
NY family from reading all the news,
Or pay up promptly what the printer asks,
And, by such payment, cheer hiin7 No pay
no paper
Then no more shall I be posted On the news
And local haps throughout the town,
And divers topics-'tis consummation
That long have feared. To pay, or stop!
To stop! perchan1b to lose-ay, there's tho
rub; r smH,gF. "6i
For in that stop no interest Itake
In any OF tn affairs which move the town,
And such shutting off Of all that's good
Must make me pause. There's the respect
Which every editor maintains tor those
Who come down with the cash and nee
delay .-,, -
To settle up "that little BILL" For who would
bear ~ ''
The pointed squibs and pungent paragraph
Which far too oft reflect upon the man
Who fails to settle his subscription bill!
III haste me now unto the editor, 80
And, with my purse plethoric in my hand,
will settle up in full, one year from date,
By paying to him from my ready cash
The sum which is his due in advance
'...,., .-HackensacE Republican.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Lost Children.

Children occasionally lose themselves
in mysterious ways, as the following
little anecdotes show:
One day it was reported that little
Roland, Mrs. Ms youngest child, a
boy ofthree or four years. was lost. He
disappeared at about four in the after
noon. Search was made everywhere;
neighbors were interviewed, messengers
sent all over the town, and at last the
brook that ran at the back of the
house was dragged; but no Roland was
found. Six o'clock came, seven. and
still no Roland. But young folks must
have tea, and Mrs. M with heavy
heart went to prepare the meal. In and
out of the pantry she moved, carrying
bread, butter, milk, ETC.. and presently
she went to replenish the sugar bowl
from the barrel. There, fast asleep,
sugared over from top to toe, was
Roland! The little rogue had climbed
into the barrel, covered himself over,
eaten his fill, and peacefully gone to
sleep while the neighborhood was in Il
great commotion about him.
My mother one day lost one of her
children, child of two years, and after
4 long and anxious search found him in
the Kitchen closet, in q huge iron pot,
fast asleep. He had been left in charge
of servant, who had fulfilled her
duties by taking the child to the kitchen
and then going off to gossip. And a
Mrs. D., of Darlington, after simi,,
lar experience, found her missing child
in a bread-trough, sweetly sleeping on
the dough- The trough was q very
large one, used for mixing bread for the
shipvard men, and when full Of dough
usually stood on @ low ;at settle ,;ss near the the
GIFTS elders froh the kitchen, crept in
and made himself comfortable. But
more amusing than this was the case of
lady who lost her baby, and after dis dis
turbing the whole community and cry
inc herself nearly blind. found baby safe
in in7 the cradle, with clothes heaped in in 50 50
defied previous search !-cha,nasrs' Jo'r'
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Curi0sities Of the Day.

Charles Schumeck has been for several
years a grain speculator ut Tell City, Ind
At first his ventures were unfortunate,
but some months ago his luck changed
and his investments realized big bo-
nanza for him. His good luck, however,
preyed upon his mind. He went to
Louisville and began to buy everything he
saw, from thousand-dollar horses to
baby carriages. His brother caught up
with him and he has been sent to the
Indianapolis insane asylum.
The Savannah Mews reports the death
of Il Mrs. Susan Fibash from starvation.
The deceased had lived with her daugh-
ter in q wretched shanty on the canal ,
but was driven thence, it was supposed,
by her daughter, and found on the banks
of the canal in Il state of exhaustion ana
taken to the hospital. DR.. Shettall, as
sisted by DR.. r. S. Sanders, physician at
the hospital, held post-mortem examin-
alton of the body, and found the stomach
entirely empty of food, and from its ap-
pearance were of the opinion that death
resulted from starvation.
Between Lecsbury and Sumterville
Florida. is a rich strip of hummock land,
about four miles long and a half mile
wide. Inthis strip is large basin which
suddenly went dry few days ago, leav-
ing myriads of fish in the bottom. Many
loads of tish were hauled away, but the
remainder being exposed to the sun, there
arose q stencil which was offensive for
miles around. 1t is supposed that sub
terranean river flows under the strip or
hummock and that the lack of rain caused
the basin to loose it contents.
Hugh D. McNlullen, of Aurora, OHIO,
owns Il matronly old game hen which
lust now struts about with Il brood OF
chickens. One day large gray rat
seized one of the peepes and started Tor
his hole. The hen cut off the rats retreat
and tiercely attacked him. The strange
pugilists fought for five minutes, ut the
end of which time the rat gave up the
ghost. Next day another rat made his
appearance in the yard. He, too, was
but fought more gamely than
the first of the rodents. He put out one
of the fowls eyes and was himself finally
laid low.
According to the Virginia City (Nev.)
Il freight train was stopped
between Reno and Wadsworth recently
by IN army of crickets which covered
the track for three or four miles. When
the engine struck them it slid along q
few feet and stopped, the dead bodies of
the insects having the same effect UPON
the track as though it had been creased.
These crickets are jet black, two inches
1,v, l., f,,{ n harm
the crops. 1t is the opinion of the rail
road men that the crickets took to the
track because the rails kept their heat
long after sundown, when the ground
elsewhere was cold.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Indian Horse Races.

A correspondent who dates his letter
from the Southern Ute agency, Pine
River Postoffice, La Plata county, Col,
says: Learning from Charlie and Iagler,
chiefs of the Menache and Capote bands
fUte Indians, that they were going to run
their horses against the Weimanuches
of the same tribe, accepted their invi-
tation and rode out to their track one
pleasant afternoon about three weeks
ago and became spectator Of some OF the
fairest and most quietly conducted horse
racing I ever witnessed. No grand
stand, no Judges stand, no fence to keep
intruders from the course, no police force
to drive enthusiastic hackers from the
quarter stretch, and yet everything was
conducted with order and decorum.
The track is straight stretch of per-
haps mile in length. On opposite
sides fthe come-out the head men ofthe
opposing bands seat themselves upon
the ground in circle, pass from hand to
hand the pipe, from which each in sue
cession pufs q blue wreath of smoke.
And while this is going on horse is rid
den from one side by a nearly naked In
dian boy and slowly guided down the
track, and as he leaves the stand one OF
his hackers rises from the group in coun-
Gil and brings forward close to the track
such articles as he desires to wager on
his horse-blankets, skins, furs, fancy
clothing and ornaments, guns, saddles
and silver dollars-throwing all together
on the ground in plain view of the other
side, who at once advances a like number
of articles in pile on their side of the
track. Another bare-legged Indian boy
is mounted and started at point desig-
mated by the owners at the head of the
track. and without any one to give the
word the start is made, and if both are
satisfied the race is run, otherwise both
20 back, and when both are satisfied the
first out is the winner. No claim of
foul; no words of dispute; the man of
the winning side walks across the track,
gathers the stakes and returns unques-
toned. Four times I saw the Weimanu-
che man walk to the side of the Mena-
ches and Capotes and bear off their most
valued prizes, while no word of COM
plant arose from the losers. and but few
signs of exultation were exhibited by
the winners. These contests have been
renewed every week since, until the
Menacles and Capotes have lost nearly
all their valuables, and they are now
looking for horse with which to win
back their goods and chattels.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Two Fishers.

One morning, when spring was in her teens
A nom to poets wishing,
All tinted in delicate pinks and green's
Miss Bessie and went fishing.
in my rough and easy clothes,
With my face at the sun tan's mercy;
She WITH her hat tipped down to her nose,
And ner nose tipped-rice rersa.
with my rod my reel and my hooks,
And a hammer for lunching rccesses;
She with the bait of her comely looks,
And the seine OF her golden tresses.
So we sat us down on the sunny dixie,
Where the white pond-lilies teeter,
And I went to fishing like quaint old Ike,
And she like Simon Peter.
All the noon lay in the,light of her eyes,
And dreami]y watched and waited;
But the fish were cunning, and would not rise
And the batter alone was baited.
And when the time Tor departure came,
My bag hung fiat as founder;
But Bessie had neatly hooked her game
A hundred-and-ffty- FOUNDER.
-Harper's Weekly.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
Words of Wisdom.
No legacy so rich as honesty.

No legacy so rich as honesty.
The greatest prayer is patience.
One has only to die to be praised.
It is easier to blame than to do better.
Would you be strong, conquer your
self.
The less men think the more they
talk.
Better cut the tongue out entirely than
not to govern it.
Live gives insight, and insight often
gives foreboding.
The more we praise virtue the dearer
it becomes to us.
Of air noble qualities, loving compass
sion is the noblest.
There is no vice so covers a man with
shame us falsehood.
Life is comedy to him who thinks
and tragedy to him who feels.
All things are admired, either because
they are new or because they are great.
When man has forfeited his integrity,
nothing else will serve his turn.
There can be no peace in human life
without the contempt of all evil.
Despair gives the shocking ease to the
mind that modification gives to the
body.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-25
crisp any great length of time, especially
if the tips are allowed to become moist.

crisp any great length of time, especially
if the tips are allowed to become moist.
Asparagus with solid heads when cut
green, !. e., above, not below the ground,
commands the highest market price;
that which shows much white is looked
upon as tough, whether it be or not, and
therefore fails to gain as favorable sale.
Considerable skill is required to cut and
bunch asparagus neatly. When one is
not supplied with a patent buncher a
measure should be employed to insure
uniformity of length. After tying, the
butts of the punches are trimmed over
with long sharp knife. About three
dozen punches to bushel-box is the
rule.
Many asparagus beds are injured by
late cutting. Is is not advisable the first
year to extend the cutting beyond the
lst of June, and old beds should not be
cut long after the middle of the same
month.
Budding Roses.
This is a simple process by which
amateur cultivators often increase their
stock. A sharp penknifa can do duty
for budding-knife, and the handle of q
toothbrush, if ground down smooth,
will aid in lifting the bark. From the
last of June to the last of August is the
best time for this process, as the bark can
then be more easily raised from the
wood. Take smooth stalk and make
horizontal cut across the bark through
to the wood, but not into it. From the
center of this cross-cut make another
cut straight down the stem an inch or
more in length, These two cuts should
resemble a T. Slice off the bud you de-
sire to propagate with one cut of the
penknife, cutting it close to the main
stalk. Now, with the edge of the spud
turHsback the bark on each side Of the
straight cut, and insert the bud on the
wood of the branch to be budded, fitting
it tightly to the crossed cut; with bit
of soft yarn bind down the bark, leaving
point of the bud exposed. A handful
Of dampened moss must then be bound
round the stem, taking care to leave
the tiny point of the bud exposed to the
air. In six weeks the wrappings can be
removed, but all other shoots must be
kept from growing on the budded branch.
By this means rosebush can be made to
bear half dozen different colored roses.