davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
A Stllt Race.

remember particularly certain stilt
race, one of the oldest races l ever saw.
Six men and four women were f'entered"
as the horsey men would say. AT Arcac-
hon the women share the exercise of the
men. There were then on the beach of
Eyrac ten tchankas. In the patois of the
Landes, which might be tempted to con-
found with the Japanese or Chinese
idioms, tehanka is person mounted
on stilts, and Sc tchanker, means to
mount upon stills These ten tchankas
had all the same traditional costume,
without distinction of SEX that is to say,
q beret on the head, q mantle of wool
over the shoulders, a buttoned doublet,
and legs enveloped in n camano or fleece,
fixed by red garters. These stills raised
them five or six feet from the ground. A
pole served them as third point of sup
port. Seen from distance they looked
like gigantic grasshoppers. The tchanka,
however, is seen to perfection on bare
lands, motionless and fixed like soli-
tary triangle, at sunset, or else when he
leans against q pine tree, silently knit
ting stockings and guarding black and
lean flock. Stern and mute in the midst
of the crowd, which was examining them
with curiosity, their thoughts were con-
eentrated solely ON the gain that they
were about to dispute. The prize was
not too much. The victor won twenty
francs. But twenty francs in the eyes of
the tchanka represent a fortune. Soon
at signal given by the President of the
fete, they all ten spread over the beach,
howllng and yelling. II it had not been
for their immense strides, which pass
imagination, you might have thought
that you were present at an Arabian
fantasia Their evolutipns were the
same. accomplished with the same
rapidity, in conditions which touched
upon the impossible and on the ground
where the silt sunk in b foot at each
step. Their mantles streaming in the
wind, like those of Arabian cavaliers,
they ran and pivoted round as deftly as
If they had been on foot. The women
were by no means inferior to the men;
one of them, in fact, came in second, and
they were only to be distinguished by
their more piercing cries. The race
was followed by some private ex-
ercises performed by the tchankas, in
order to provoke the generosity of the
spectators. They jumped, they sat down
and rose up again, and they picked up
as they ran pieces of money that were
thrown to them. This spectacle was not
the least extraordinary Bouncing for
ward at full speed, the man was suddenly
seen to stop, the stills bent, fell, as it
were, to pieces, then something was
seen moving between three pieces of
wood, like the body of spider in the
middle of its long legs. The whole per-
formance was done with lightning
rapidity, the stills rose again, and the
man reappeared on the top of them and
resumed his course From the French
of Charles 4HoRselet.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
An IDdiau's St0ieism.

From London (Canada) paper we
copy the following account of the fog
ging of an Indian with the cat-o'-nine-
tails; Doxtater was brought ont. He is
q muscular, heavy-set Indian, and had a
laugh on his face. His back was barred,
his wrists were strapped to the upper
parts of the arm of the triangle, and his
knees and ankles to the lower part,
throwing his back out The only sign
of nervousness manifested was q quick
look at the cat-o'-nine-tails which was in
the hand of stout expert, who had been
a drummer in the Twenty third British
regulars. The cat had short handle
and nine thongs of hard, heavy cord a
yard long, with nine knots in each. At
the command of the Sheriff the cat was
fourished around the whipper's head with
quick jerk, whistled through the air and
fell with sharp thud over the left shoul-
der-blade, making large blue marks. At
the third the flesh was cut open, but
the prisoners muscles never quivered,
though, of sixty spectators, fully half of
them sickened and turned away. Twen-
ty-fve lashes given with all the power Of
a strong man in one place, caused the
flesh to creep mp in purple welts, which
were cut transversely into small squares,
out of which the blood trickled. But
few of the crowd could look at it
throughout. The Indian never flinched,
and after the last blow, which was given
with extra vigor, the Sheriff cried out
"enough," and Doxtater laughed and
said:
Bully for Iniun"
When he was released, the porter ask
ed him how he felt. He answered, Feel
him back very much" The Indian ask
ed the whipper for .schaw baccer, and
grabbed a pipe out of the turkeys
mouth and went to smoke, but it was
taken from him. The wounds were
washed with salt and water to prevent
inflammation, and that made Josiah vince
worse than the aogging.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
DOMESTIC RECIPES.

SPIcED CURRANrs.-Five pounds of
currants, three pounds of sugar, one
pint of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of
cloves, two of cinnamon. Simmer five
CT six hours.
To REMOVE GREASE SPoTs.-To re-
move grease from carpets and restore
bark to pail of water. Scrub the spots
and sponge the carpet all over.
WHITE Cur CAKE.-One and half
cups of sugar, half cup of butter, half
a cup of sweet milk, whites of four eggs,
one cup of corn starch, one cup of -four,
half a teaspoonful of soda, one of cream
tartar, one teaspoonful of extract of
lemon,
WHITEwAsH THAT WILL Nor RUB Orr.
To every pail of whitewash prepared in
the ordinary way, add pint of -four
made into starch or paste. To the white
wash for the hen house, add gas tar, one
gill to the pailful. This will prevent or
disperse lice.
YORKSHIRE PUDDING. = Take eight
tablespoonfu1s of -four, one quart of
milk, a little salt and four eggs; half an
hour before the meat is done put the
batter in the dish; after the meat is taken
up brown O little more. Serve as side
dish with meat.
TOMATO PIE.-Stew green tomatoes
with very little water until tender, and
for each pie allow one tablespoonful of
butter, three of sugar and little nut
meg. Bake between two crusts. The
quantity of butter and sugar given is for
medium-sized pie.
FRIED ToMAToEs.-Taket tomatoes cold
stewed and well seasoned, add to them
sufficient fine bread crumbs to enable
you to form into cake, fry in butter to
light brown. Fresh tomatoes, sliced and
roll in fine crumbs, after sailing them,
fried in the same manner, are very
nice.
Roof BEER.-Take a quantity of
sarsaparilla root and sassafras bark and
some hops and boil till the strength is
extracted. To three gallons of the
liquor, after it is strained, add one quart
of molasses and quart of yeast. After
standing in q warm place eight or ten
hours, strain again and bottle. It will
be fit for use the next day.
Mock LEMON PIE.-To teacupful of
pieplant stewed to pulp, take cup
two-thirds full of sugar, two tablespoon
fuls of lemon extract and the yolk of
one egg; mix altogether and to bake in q
plate lined with crust; omit the top
crust; beat the white of an egg to stiff
froth, stir in little sugar, and when the
pie Is done spread on the frosting and
return to the oven to brown slightly.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
Tsxan soslsty.


A journey of several weeks dura.
ton in the Lone Star State, revealed
the fact that in the eyes of every
true Texan, the particular location
IN which he has taken root is the fo-
cal attraction, the garden center of
the earth, while the next town is the
antipodes of all that is good, great
and prosperous. The native, and the
man who came down in '46 us SOL
dler, remaining in the State through
It's short.iived era as a Republic, and
ever since, hold themselves as q sa-
cred aristocracy, and however kindly
their sentiments toward later occu-
pants OF the soil, they cannot refrain
from frequent allusion to the peculiar.
ly constructed. laws, such as the
Homestead Act" which makes
Texas a desirable refuge for those
who cannot afford to live in a State
where creditors can squeeze hapless
debtors between the jaws ofthe legal
wise. 1t is true that on account of
such laws, the modern population
contains a large percentage of men
who have tasted of the bitterness of
debt, of seizure and distraint, and.
not liking the flavor, have sought
the friendly shadow of Texan stat
utes, and builded anew.
The significant initials sc. Il. T."
Ozone to Texas), inscribed on the
bolted door of an involved merchant,
are accepted as prima facie evidence
that he, too, has bolted. 1t must be
inferred from this that all who have
located within the domain of the
Lone Star, are to be suspected of
financial shortcomings. Through the
northern and central portions of the
State, many well-to do farmers and
merchants are found to have migrat.
ed from the frost lands of Minnesota
and Wisconsin to a region which, at
the worst, knows but few days of
cold and snow in twelvemonth.
Such men have built up condition
of society of which they are justly
proud, and jealous lest the sins of the
frontier, which have too often made
the name of Texas a synonym of
lawlessness, be brought to their door
In the cottage homes of Dallas, Aus
tin, Houstin and the Metropolis of
the Western Gulf, Galveston, the
chance guest will find scattered
about the current literature of the
two words. Libraries will be replete
with the more erudite forms of publi-
cation, and the daughters of the fam
lily may treat friend TO selections
from the newest operate compost
tions of the season. In point of fash
ion, the ladies costumes conform
quite as closely to the edicts of the
modistes as do those of their metro
politah sisters. The richly stocked
shelves of the merchants in wearing
apparel prove that the finest produc.
tions of the loom are in quite as ac-
tive demand here as in the East
Harlcer's Magazine.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
Family Troubles.

John Donohue was angry when
the policeman brought him to the bar OF
the Police Court for assaulting his wife,
and he was loud in his denuneiatian OF
the laws that "interfare wud the prof.
vate roights and diversions of every mar
ried man."
What did you strike your wife for?"
asked Justice Morgan,
Because she wanted ehastisin'. and
as I'm her suparior, I'd loike to know
who has better roight."
"But you have no right to lay your
hands upon her in anger.
Haven't though? An who's to be
boss I'd loike to know?"
'sYou are. If she is doing wrong you
must reason with her"
''Rasun wud her! Musha, but that's
purity talk now Rasonl Begorra, she'd
give You rason over the COB wud the
poker"
II never shtruck him IN my loife, Yer
Wurchup," said Mrs. Donohue, shading
her black eye with her hand.
CAV coorse ye didn't, because hot ye
such welt in the face that ye cudn't."
s'Mr. Donohue, I'll send you to the
island for six months"
Now, that's reasonable enough; but
there's one requesht / want to make.
.sWhat is that?'
II don't want You to be aisohargin, me
in couple Of weeks, because she gets
sorry an comes croyin' to beg me off.
''AIl right. You'll stay there"
THANK ye, sor," said he, moving off
to the prison. Sure, whin she sint me
up before six months I was put in the
bakery, an on'y for the ould fool hasgin'
for me discharge I'd be . foine Frineh
baker be this tonne, maxim lots O. money
at mixin' fancy dough-
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
--------------------
Temperature Of the Body.

Among the evidences OF disease, none
are more definite and important than
changes in the temperature. Heat is not
only force in the animal body, but it is
also condition of life; an individual has
activity through it, and has also life by 1t
The theory Of Semuel Thompson, Heat
is life, cold is DEATH" was very simp and
had much truth in it; it was just one-tiird
of the truth. No. only is cold death, but
too high a temperature and an unequal
distribution Of heat is also death. The
human body maintains its healthy func-
tions at temperature varying from 9S0
to $3.50. This is a condition absolute for
health.
If the temperature varies from this,
above or below, disease is the inevitable
result. We may state the proposition in
a different form; no disease can exist
without changing the temperature of the
body, either raising it, depressing it or
rendering it unequal. Thus change of
temperature becomes an absolute evidence
of disease. though it may not point out
its character or location.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

'.But he had caught me, and he held
me by the arm, and got my hands and
kept them, and would not let me hide
my face.
fs I have broken your heart ? he said.
in such grave and tender voice.
have not broken your spirit. Tell me
why you spurned my letter.
It'll never had your letter, sobbed.
s..Never had letter telling YOU
telling you all you knew without it, but
assuring you that, grandfather or no
grandfather, only you should be my
wife; and if not you, then no one
What, never had that letter, little one ?
1t is mislaid, then, and we have had all
this misery for nothing-we who wor-
ship each other. And and-well,
never mind about the rest. There was
nobody to see MS two young creatures
standing In the garden as the first young
lovers did. don't know that we should
have cared if there had been. And all in
a breath, as if the earth had rolled round
under new heaven, the sun seemed to
be shining as it meyer shone before, the
birds to be singing, flowers were full of
life and fragrance, the world was the
most beautiful place, and we were on
our knees, shredding roses together over
the old pot-pourri jar, and the garden
ringing with our laughter. And every
once in while Paul was lifting my chin
with his finger to make me look him in
the face with my eyes that all at once
dared not, and saying my mouth was the
sweetest rose of them allah, yes, you
did, Paul-and then he was plunging his
hand into the jar to stir the petals. And
suddenly his fingers were touching some-
thing like no heap of rose leaves, and he
was bringing up a paper, a ietter-that
very letter lie had given John just as the
old fellow was coming in from emptying
the jar of last years leaves and spices;
and lie had dropped it there and forgot
ten it. John is so forgetful-I mean, of
course, he was All mel what day that
was We trod on air, we walked in the
mid-heayens. Have you gone sound
asleep, Paul I? To be sure. And Rosa
mond, if You want that other rule for
pot-pourri- English, you know, call
Il hotch-potch what music TINT is !''
and she paused to listen.
"Gatner ye rosebuds as ye may,
Old Time Is still flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
Tomorrow will be dying"
sang Beltran, stepping through the long
window into the light of the rising moon,
the rich strain of his tenor seeming to
roll upon the dusk sweet as fragrance
from a flower.
Rosamond fingered to loosen her dress
from Miss Efingham's chair, which de-
tanned it. Miss Effingham was crying
softly to herself.
"Ah, see," she murmured, working
the knobby fingers in the lace mittens,
and forgetting whose contemporary she
was--''see how selfish age is! She re-
members all her own part in it; she for
gets mine. For also-it is so long ago
1 loved Paul. "-Hnper's Basa'.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
The farmers JOKE.

Tramp tramp! tramp! and farmer with
solid old-fashioned feet, and hands big
enough to cover Sunday School excur-
sion. came into the editorial rooms of
this paper to say:
ssHowdyl I've walked down from the
market to give ye the partickelers of a
good joke.
''All right, proceed"
"You know them lightning rod felers?"
observed the old man as he dropped into
chair.
aYes-heard of them
"Well, you know they're purity tuff
set Been after me for morn twenty
years. I've got signs out all along the
road warning EN- to keep off the place,
but t'other day one of the chaps driv
right up to the gate, big as ife.'
'sDid, eh?"
ssYes, he did, and fore could get my
tongue to going he had about thousand
feet of rod out of the wagon and was
ready to put it on the barn.
what cheekl
IT guess twas, but purity soon Iwent
for him. had my mind made up to xii
him right there. The old woman came
out and sailed in with me, and the two
hired men supported me on the TANKS. )"
s.And you jalnmed him all to pieces. of
course?"
ssThat's where the hull fun comes in, :"
answered the old man. THAT ere fell
Ter squared off, shed his coat, and licked
the whole four Of us in less'n two minutes
by wig-wag clockF'
Did, eh?"
"You bet he did, and he drunk mp a
hull pan of milk and drove off whistling
Yankee Doodle Dunn When got out
o. the cat-nip whar' he piled me and saw
one o, the men with his nose mashed fiat,
the tother with three teeth knocked out
from under the bob-sled, begun laffing
and didn't stop till midnight! I-I--P'
He slapped his leg and uttered "haw!
hawi hawf'' which echoed clear to
Canada, and in his contortions he
broke the back off his chair.
But the joke was on YOU, said the
perplexed journalist.
.sSartin-Sartin. but am such dot
rottey idiot that / cant laff at the way
we sailed in for him, celebrating to mop
him all over the barn, and laf harder yet
at the way we started in on the Lords
Prayer afore he had fairly got the rust
off his elbows! When saw Hammer
eiawing up from among the bobs -
And he went off into another fit and
ehoked and gasped till he went down
stairs with his collar hanging by single
button.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
Ranges Of Temperature In Health.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

The standard temperature of the
healthy body is 9S.50, and is subject to a
slight variation during the day of about
0.S2o0. The maximum temperature is in
the early morning; it fuctuates and
gradually decreases during the day, and
is lowest at midnight.
The observations of Drs. Edwards and
Davy have shown that the amount OF
animal heat may be considerably altered
by a number of collateral circumstances.
The great distinction between these
alterations of temperature in health, and
those which are the result of disease is,
that these variations are generally tenn
porary and within narrow limits, amount
ing to mere fractions of degree, rarely
more than l.So to &c. whereas those
which are due to disease arc persistent so
long as the disease exists
The following are the collateral circum
stances which mainly influence animal
heat in our daily life, and which require
to be remembered in order that erroneous
conclusions may not be drawn:
FIRST. Active exercise, not carried to
exhausting fatigue, raises the temperature
in proportion to the degree of muscular
exertion made.
SECOND. Exposure TO cold without
exercise lowers the temperature.
THIRD. Long continued mental exer-
tion reduces the temperature about half
degree.
FOURTH. The amount of heat is also
reduced by full meal and the use OF
alcohol, but it rises again as. digestion
advances.
FIFTH. There are diurnal fluctuations
capable of being thus determined.
SIXTH. The temperature of the body
rises with the temperature Of the air, and
sudden transitions from cold to hot
climate induces feyerish state, marked
by increase of temperature on bodily ex-
ertion.
SEVENTH. The average temperature
within the tropics is nearly 10 higher than
in the temperate regions.
EIGHTH. The temperature is more
readily and rapidly affected than either
the pulse or the respiration; this is es-
pecially the case in disease.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11
REMovrNe Opsr1NArE GLASS srorrEns.

1sEAAoN1N6 ObSIlNAIEd dLASS goIOfDEhS-
The obstinate sticking of glass stop
pers in bottles is constant source of
trouble, not to say profanity, in the lab
ratory, and many methods of loosening
them have been suggested. These are
all useful, though each of them fails in
certain cases and another has TO be tried.
The following, given in the English Ne
cltantr, will be likely to answer the pur-
pose when the shape of the stopper and
the neck CT the bottle admits of its use:
.'fTake two pieces of wood, put them be-
tween the neck of the bottle and the
lower part of the stopper. Having fixed
them securely by piece of string, soak
the whole affair In water, say ten hours;
If the wood has not swe1led enough, then
pour some hot water over the wood, and
as it swells (which it must out comes
the stopper.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

Why THE PYRAMID WAS BUILT-It was
built to supply the Egyptian public with
the means of sliding down hill in
country where snow never falls. The
Egyptian who paid the requisite entrance
fee was allowed to ascend the pyramid by
the staircase, and then to slide down the
polished granite side, ploughing pleas
antly and harmlessly into the sand at the
foot. No sleds or other apparatus were
needed The Egyptian simply sat down
en- the warm and comfortable granite,
and slid down without any unpleasant
friction. doubtless, this was fashion
able amusement for both sexes and all
ages, and the builders or lessees of the
Great Pyramid Sliding Bank must have
made good thing out of it.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

TRANSATLANTIC PASSENGER TRAVEL IN
1879.-The New York Shipping Gazette
publishes detailed returns which shaw
that fifteen Thousand Ave hundred and
fifteen cabin passengers sailed from that
port during the present season; which
number does not include those who pat
ronize the steamers of the Guyon, Wils
son and Bristol hnes-the addition of
which would increase the total to upward
of sixteen thousand persons. During
the season OF 1878, more than twenty
thousand cabin passengers sailed from
New York
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

In the course Of an argument, bar
rister recently remarked: What does
Kitty say?'' Who's Kitty said the
magistrate: .syour wife?" sSir! mean
Kitty, the celebrated lawyer. '.0h,"
said the magistrate, .Isuspeet you mean
Mr.. Chitty, the anthor of the great work
on pleading. Il do, sir; but Chitty is
an italian name and ought to be pro-
nounced Kitty.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

Instructors in German. after astonish-
ing the division by the announcement
that the German words for heaven and
shirt" have the same root Mr.. x,
can you see any resemblance between
heaven and (clean) shirt, for instance?''
Mr.. x, hesitating Well, sir, they are
both good things for man to get into. !"
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

Mr.. MooDY AT HoME.-Mr. Moody is
described as being at his very best at
Northfie}d, Mass. One of his neighbors
says of him; II have seen him at great
many large places, but I come here to
see this little town, where he knows
everybody and takes an interest in every
body, to be more thoroughly charmed
with him than ever before, People like
to laugh; Mr.. Moody knows 1t, and has
the tact TO put the audience in good
humor to commence with" .'That is
very good singing for one congregation, !"
he said at a meeting the other day at the
close of the first verse of Guide Me, o
Thou Great Jehovah" but there are
good many different congregations here,
and we ought to sing better than that,
AL sing now. Mrs. Davis, take that fan
away from your mouth! Mrs. Smith, I
didn't hear your voice! Uncle Charles,
you can sing! Here. mother, here is the
place, you singl Now try again. I'll
keep watch and see if there are any who
don't sing"
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

The joker who intimated that he had
some nuts to crack, must have meant
iest-nuts. Yonkers Statesman.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

A soldier told Cou.ieY-J Journalist the
other day that at the battle of Bull Run
he met q fellow soldier who was very
much excited. whats up?s "It's
getting hot up there. How do You
know p because a suffers just been
killed. - Louisville Courier-Jonrpal.
The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-11

A Wyoming man won SO in a wager
by eating twenty pigs feet. This was
pigs teat, indeed.