davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

ATLANTIS WOOD Persons who know the
ailantus only as shade tree, with its nauSeouS
blooms and uncouth growth, will be glad to
learn that it possesses invaluable qualities of
strength, durability, beauty OF finish and color
for carpentry and cabinet work, freedom from
warping and shrinkage, ease of being worked
without injury to tools and with little or no
waste. 1t Is rapid growing tree, as all know,
upon poor soils as we'll as good ones, in exposed
situations on the sea coast and in the interior.
IL seasons readily, and when dry Is free from
unpleasant odor which characterzeS the wood
when green. 1t has higher value as fuel than
most OF the wood in general use. Experiments
made in the French dockyard at Toulon showed
that the a1lantuS broke with weight of u, 1856
pounds, While the elm yielded to a weight of
"a, I0I pounds, and the oak to weight OF AZ, 434
pounds. The small second growth is said to
make very durable grape stakes to which it
seems well adapted. A set Of furniture, made
OF this wood. has been in use 10 Providence, r.
l., for about twenty years. 1t takes high pol
ish, and may be cut 50 as TO present satin
luster which Is very pleasing. 1t IS regarded
ard superior to black walnut in the matter of
shrinking. For the tread5 of stairs, for floors
OF offices, mills and other buildings, where
hard, strong wood is required it is regarded by
many as superior to most of the woods thus
employed. Its warm color makes 1T an efTec-
tive flush when used with both lighter and
darker woods and as wainscoting Is again be-
coming fashionable, the ease of producing this
wood where other woods are not readily OBJ.
tainble will recommend this style Of interior
finish. The trees grows more rapidly when
young than when 1t has attained considerable
age Scientific american.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

TESTING MACHINE FOR FABRICS.--The custom
of testing iron, wood and other building mate
rails, and testing wire, ropes, cables, etc., aud
using these tests as measure of the CONNER
cial value Of the materials, has proved to be so
advantageous that the same idea is being ap.
piled to woven fabrics OF all kinds For testing
the strength CT fabrics new machine has been
introduced, designed to report pulling strains
from half a kilo up to $50 kioS. The machine
consists OF an upright standard, supporting
horizontal hollow beam of iron, contaiing scale
levers with brass weighing scale having
sliding weight and graduated scale. Suspend
ed from the weighing apparatus is clamp line
with leather, and so arranged that when the
end Of the piece of fabric to be tested is
clamped between the jaws the strains Will be
evenly balanced and distributed. Below this on
the base OF the machine Is roller controlled by
a hand-wheel, and round this the other end OF
the fabric is wrapped, when, on turning the
wheel, the strains are applied, and by moving
the weight on the scale-beam. so as to keep il
continually balanced, point is reached where
the fabric is torn apart. This point shows the
breaking strain of the material. The percent
age OF stretching before breaking may also be
found in the same manner If all fabrics were
tested in such a machine. and on the breaking
point carefully noted and marked on the
goods when offered for sale. data would be pro-
Vtded which would place the money value Of the
goods On an exact basis.-[ Scribner's for Octo-
her
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04
THE LAND OF NOD.

last pisht ] went TO the Land of Nod;
What DO you think saw there!
Why, AL the babies in all the world
yellow haired, dark haired, frowsy, and curled;
Some black, some tawny, some fair.
what il The way theref" On aud ON
over the NClyety sod;
First you 70 up, and then you go down,
And then sou come into Shut ey town,
, Away in the Land of Nod,
The houses made of iujube-paste
And the doors Of plum-cake sliced:
And if you are hungry by day or night
You may so to the door, and Libble bite
All PlUr1L.y and iced and spiced.
The fountains, You know, run lemonade,
And their playing, it never stops;
And wherever 1t rains in that fortunate town,
Torrents Of honey and cream come down,
And lemon and chocolate drops
oh, it SHOWS white sugar and pink ice-cream.
And II freezes lemon-ice
Tall sugar loaf hills all around you see
And cookies and tarts grow on every tree,
And they taste remarkably nice
"Tell you some more?" Oh, haven't the time:
But may he, if each little elf
Will run and climb into mammals lap,
And cudde right down for a forty-wlnks' nap,
He may see the land himself.
IA ce) W. Brothertoh in the Nursery
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

A SPECULATOR IN MINEs.-Mr. Ichabod re-
sides in the wild suburbs of part of the city
where donkeys occasionally. ''roam aud how'll
Mr.. Ichabod is quite joker In his way. He has
living with him niece lately arrived from a
part of the Atlantic states where such an ami
NAL as jackass Is hardly seen in lifetime
A night or two Since this young lady had retired
to her sleeping apartments, after having duly
and dut1fully kissed her relatives good night,
but hardly had been absent three minutes be-
fore she rushed back into the parlor with ashen
cheeks and widely Gstended eyes.
"Oh, uncle!' she cried, 'did you hear him?
Some one out in the street uttering such fearful
cries? He must have been in horrible agony.
There he goes again. Why, uncle, some one is
certainly being murdered."
Uncle Icbabod now heard the long drawn,
wheeZy bray Of an asthmatic jackass, and
smiling reassur1ngly upon the startled and ex-
cited girl. said: "Calm yourself, my dear, 1t is
not SO tad as you Think. He will get over it in
few minutes''
ter of him?"
"Why, my dear child, how excited you are
1t is nothing-nothing 1t Is only poor Neigh
Dor Jones across the way. He'll soon calm
down."
"Calm down! But, uncle, why does he take
on so?n
swell, he is Of sensitive, nervous constitu-
ton, and he has probably just heard OF the S.
assessment on the Sierra Nevada."-I Virginia
(Nep0 E1teTDrise.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04
Gypsic. i'm the United states.

There are at least 2,0o0, Coz gypSes in Europe,
or these Scotland has about l09, 900, England
10000, and Ireland perhaps half the latter num-
Der. The number Of genuine gypsies In the
United States has never been officlally COM
puted. The number now In this state Is prob
ably not less than 400. OF men, women and
children living In tents, or other movable habI-
tatioLs, the number is perhaps not more than
100. The remainder live, to all intentS and pur-
poses, like other people, and are known to be
gypSeS only by persons Of their own race or
others who learn the fact accidentally. At the
present writing there are few nomadic gypsies
within the limits OF San Francisco but there
are perhaps 200 persons OF gypsy ltneagel In this
city VINO live In our very midst and practice
their various callings just like other folks and
nobody Is the wiser or any the worse therefor
Some OF our best known fortune-tellers are of
gypsy origin, and most OF them affiliate more
or less with their own race and kindred. Some
OF the many fruit peddlerS who hawk about our
streets are gypSeS; but so far as the writer has
been able 10 ascertain none OF the "tlns TO
mend" pedestrians by whom this city is az
hicted belong to this peculiar people: though,
strange 10 say, our noun tinker is derived
from the Scotch "tinker," which Is the popular
term for gypsy in the land OF cakes 'Swap-
ping" horses and telling fortunes seems to be
their Chief provincial stock in trade In various
parts OF Europe gypsieS excel as artisans: but
1t does hot appear that the same proficiency has
been imported by them into this country A
few OF the Oakland gypsies understand trades;
learned in one OF James Crabb's trade schools
makes also great many clever trinkets from
nuts, COZ eS leaves and thelike These trinkets
are sold throughout Oakland by his mother,
Britannia, who varies the mOnOtOny OF her
daily round by telling the fortunes OF her pa
trons.-T san Francisco ChronicLe.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

AN ARMENIAN WoMANs DEBUT INTO MIXED
SoCIETY.-"I went the other day with the pas
tor TO call upon leading family. The master
OF the house showed us every attention and
told him that If he would bring all his family
together to eat with us we would stay. You
must know that no husband in this country
unless he be Protestant, ever eats with his
wife; But our host saw the point in our re-
quest; and, after a little good-humored chat
upon the subject, he agreed to our proposition
The food was brought in and set upon table,
the father and mother OF our host entered
the room; in came his five fine-looking chill
dren: All gathered around the table, and
we were asked to sit up NO. we said
your wife is not here. We want to see all your
family and we reminded him, laughingly Of
his bargain. OF he went, and we heard him In
the next room coaxing her to come in, just to
please US. AT last She compiled, looking Sheep
ish and scared. Never before had thai poor
woman been asked to eat with her husband. A
blessing was asked, and all began to eat-all
but three OF us. The pastor had whispered to
me that, although the wife sat at the table, she
would not eat; and so 1t proved. SO, when we
were urged TO begin, we good-naturedly replied
that we were waiting TO see Lucia eat first.
Then there was more coaXlng. We stood firm
and carried our point. But defeat was coming.
Presenting on victories already gained, we went
a sten further, Taking up piece of sugar, the
pastor asked the wife what 1t was. But in the
presence of the mother-in-law the woman dared
not utter word. We entreated, we scolded,
we urged; but all in vain. Not one word could
we extort from Lucia. The old mother-tn-law
said, IN half-warnlng. half-apologetic tone
'sne dare not speak you are responsible fol
woman. And it is a great sim That startled
her little, and she appealed to me: is it sin
Bodvelly?' 1T is said /. THE Bible tells's
VIE to obey her husband, not her mother-in
G I not be made to open her lips. From {
MsssIonary's Letter.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

OLIVE LOGAN, in recent letter to the CIncln-
rati Enquirer, writes ~ saw George Eliot
walking in the Regents Park the other day.
How sad and Ill she does look! hear her ply
sicians say she must never produce another
ing world, and disappoints number of critical
analysts who were lying in walt to discover
how much or how little she owed to George
Henry Lewes In her productions. Exactly
what his collaboration waS-whether 1t was
frankly CO. labor or merely the keen criticism of
an admirable Judge-the world will never
know; but certainly her reverence for her
lovers memory reaches the proportions Of a
cutie. hear she has not yet recovered from
her Indignation at the Saturday Reuiew for
having In its obituary notice OF Mr.. Lewes
spoken OF him as a 'liherateur.' She claims
that he was one Of the greatest philosophers,
one OF the most original thinkers of the GEN.
fllryD
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

CHOW LONG HAVE l TO LIvE?"-It is not
every one who asks himself this question, be-
persons that their lives will be exceptionally
lengthy. However, life assurance companies
are aware OF the credulous weaknesses of those
for their own guidance, which are carefully re-
ferred to before policy is granted. The fol-
bles in use among London assurance compa-
MES, showing the average length of life at
various ages. In the first column we have the
In the second column we are enabled to peep,
as it were, behind the scenes of an assurance
Office, and gather from their table the number
of years they will give US to live. This table
has been the result OF careful calculation, and
seldom proves misleading. OF course sudden
and premature deaths, as well as lives unusu-
table OF the average expectancy Of life of an Or
binary man or woman:
Age. More Years Age. More Years Age. More Years
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04
CIearinx.Up i'm the Garden.

At this season OF the year people will b,
thinking about bout preserving various pet things
season. ana which Will suffer from serious
frost. These Will need to be lifted and put 10
pots or boxes to keep in windows or cellars
during the winter season. They must be taken
up with as much earth as possible, and after
potting receive thorough watering to settle
the earth well about the roots. The object now
is to keep item from whitening as much as pos
sib e, and this is best done by keeping them In
a shed or some place where they will be safe
from wind for a few days. If once in awhile
they ale sprinkled with water overhead 1t will
be all the better. But often the earth falls
away so badly in digging up or in some way
the roots are out of proportion to the leaves
gees on In this case the rule Is to pick off
some of the most mature leaves, and this seems
to relieve the rest. Gradually the plants are
brought to the light OF day, so that in week or
two they go on all right.
But even after all has been taken up that is
desirable, there is much left in the ground for
mignonnette, margolds, and many others which
we leave out to continue blooming as long as
frost will let them. Too often these are then
left where they bloomed till the next spring,
dry, shabby and In every way unsightly, when
at the annual spring planting time they are
cleared away. True, oIce In while some per-
son with the gift of neatness and order, clears
all away, and puts things to rights for winter,
but these are the rare folks whom 1t Is one of
the great events OF life to See
Not only is 1t due to neatness to have all
refuse promptly cleared up; but it Is due TO the
manu- heap without which it is almost tmpos-
sible 10 have good flowers any more than one
can have good corn without fertilizing the
ground. In every garden there ought 70 be
quiet corner shut off from the rest OF the grounds
by IAN arbor vitia hedge, into which weeds,
leaves. grass. and other waste matter ought to
go. This at this season can be materially added
10 by the falling leaves; and If these frost killed
leavings including dahlia tops, and refuse of
every kind be added, there need never be any
aDXieties as to what to get to make the flowers
q MI fyhtc
nice clearing up for the rest Of the year
IGefiHattOlr1L TeieQrdph.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

WHEN HIS ''best girl" leaves home for q
boarding school, she promises to write faith
fully, be true as steel, and all that sort of nom
sence. The first letter Is a nice long one,
breathing the very essence of affecJionate ten
derness, and is signed, Exclusively your own
darling" after about six weeks when the young
men from the neighboring academy have made
their opening calls, she drops him note en-
Enthusiastically describing the particular student
that she has fancied, signing 1t Exclusively
yours, ETC." He begins to feel little queer all
the time expecting that "delusively yours" VIII
soon be coming; but it never comes. The CORE
spondence Is t1nished.-[Ne,c HGuen Register.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04
Gle, why does he take

In THE NEIGHBORHOoD where / once lived
says writer In the Philadelphia Transcript, a
man and his wife were almost constantly quar-
relling. During their quarrels their only child,
boy, was generally present, and OF course had
caught many of his fathers expressions. One
wrong. the mother, intending to chastlse MIN,
called him, and said: "Come here, sir; what did
you do that for?" The boy, complacently fold
ing his arms and initiating his fathers manner,
replied: "See here, madame, I don't wish to
have any words with your
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

MgXICAN HoRsEs.-Horses are bred in great
numbers AT the different hacendas In the prov
inceS, some OF the larger estates having eighty
Or hundred thousand cattle and fifteen or
twenty thousand mules and horses. The pas
turage Is green all the year round. and the ami
mails receive no other food. Tney multiply as
the bids do, and with as little profit to their
owners. Generally speaking, they run wild
until wanted, when they are caught with a las
so, hOCdw mixed and Immediately mounted. For
the first IS or 20 minutes they exert their whole
Strength TO throw their rider, but, finding their
Efforts unayailtng, patiently submit and gener-
ally give but little trouble afterward. owing
10 their immense numbers. horses are sold very
cheap. the average price for an unbroken herd
being eight to ten dollars head with but little
demand al that. Ii sometimes occurs that the
government purchases Few hundred for the
army, but generally speaking, there are few &C.
casioDS when they can be sold. Mexican horses,
as rule, are not handsome. and are seldom
more than IA hands high still, they have moth
Ing OF the peculiar build OF the pony about
them. Fed entirely upon grass, they yet en-
dure more fatigue and are capable OF maintain
Ing rapid gait for longer time than the
granted horses OF other lands. In the towns
ana cities they receive the scantiest OF care and
Lhe meagerest allowance of food. Tied up the
Nnole day in the sitting court yard they stand
paGehtlI awaiting their evening meal Ere.
luentlS tley are turned loose together when II
Lequiies lie use OF lasso to catch them S1
isui!laf WIN this instrument do they become
that the moment the animal feels the rome about
ltS meek II stands stock still when witbont n II
Woulo hot ui1er itself to be saddled or hridled
lCorreslonGenee Netc York Erentng Posi-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

How Two FOOLISH GIRLS WERE SERvED.-We
have heard lately OF two young girls Of good
character, but thoughtlessly foolish, who came
into town one afternoon from their suburban
home. On the street they were accosted by
two young men. Instead of repelling them,
the girls entered into conversation with them,
and soon accepted their invitation to take tea
at prominent restaurant. After passing
sCme time here the young men invited the
girls to go to the theater with them, and this
Invitation, too, was accepted The young men
went out, promising to buy the theater tickets
and return at once. The girls waited until
weary and then started to go home. But the
proprietor demanded payment for the suppers
which he had furnished. They replied that
the young men had invited them to tea. He
responded that the young men had told him
that they had left the money with the girls,
and as the latter evidently had none, he re-
quired them to go down into his kitchen and
wash dishes during the whole evening" This
was bitter thing to do, but, If the story be
true, as we fear, 1t served them rightly. OF
course the young men were Wretched Sneaks,
for whom whipping would be too good. But
such indelicacy as that Of these girls deserves
to be punished as theirs was. We suspect that
there is a great deal of this s'pIckiDg up ac-
quaintances" in our streets, and it leads swiftly
to the ruin OF young men and women alike.
Parents cannot be too careful how they train
and watch over their boys and grls.-[ Boston
Transcript.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

THE SHAPE OF BELLs.-It Is very likely that
the shape Of bells was suggested at first by the
sonorous qualities Of certain metallic vessels
forth peculiar sounds. By different practical
tests, IL was found In time that the present con-
ical form was the best adapted for the convey
ance of sound to distance. In the catalogue
of one Of the bell founders Of this place, It is
stated that in the single department of church
bells, the establishment has nearly one hun
dred patterns, extending from the treble tones
the deep notes that reSound from the massive
tower Of the cathedral. The patterns which
regulate the inside and outside contour of bells
are known as 'sweep-boards." They are made
Of pine, and have that part of their edge which
comes in contact With the mixture Of clay and
sand which has been dried on the mould lined
with polished steel or sheet brass. These are
made to revolye on their pivoted ends against
the core casing and against the outside casing,
until by their scraping action they symmetri-
cally fashion the mould coatingS to their proper
curvature -TTTOU Times.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

FOREST FIRES are raging fiercely In the vicin-
ity Of Norfolk, Va, destroying farm-houses,
barns, and farm property. Many OF the roads
smoke. The loss cannot be estimated nor can
1t be known how much damage will be done, as
the wind has been blowing strong from the
west for "a hours. There is no indication OF
rain, and the loss Of the surrounding country
will be very heavy.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

A PRETTY RITUALIsT FAsHIoN-A corres-
pOndent Wrftes:-''In your last number yonr
ers remit DIS me Of a kiss called the .kiss Of re
Cancellation, with which very high Anglican
clergy man sealed his sentence OF absolution
were his rentient but young and fair. He heard
confession In private oratory established In
MS Own house and so decoyed his spiritual
pock INTO constant visits. One OF them talked
ner mother over TO adopt the modern guise
humble epftent before the rttualistic fiedg-
ing. 'D'd he kiss you mother?' inquired Her
naive daughter anSwered:-'Oh. no. OF course
MOI. She Is such saint you see, that she re-
auires 10 reconciliation n-[Ffons the Paris
eBouierarG"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-04

A NovELIsT'S POWERS OF CONsTRUCTION-In
these operations of thinking 1t is not often the
entire plot of novel-the plot of novel as
whole-that exercises the mind. That Is huge
dlflcuty; one SO arduous as to have been gen
orally found by me altogether beyond my power
OF accomplishment. Efforts are made, no
doubt-alwayS out in the open air, and within
the precincts OF wood il wood be within reach;
but to construct plot so as to know, before
the story is begun, how it is to end, has always
been to me labor of Hercules, beyond my reach.
| have to confess that my incidents are fabri-
story to fit my incidents. 1 wrote novel once
in which lady forged will; but l had not
myself decided that she had forged it till the
chapter before that In which she confeSses her
guilt. In another lady is made to steal her
own diamonds-a grand tour de force, as 1
when was writing the page in which the theft
is described / once heard an unknown critic
abuse my workmanship because certain lady
had been made to appear too frequently in my
pages. l went home and killed her Immediately.
| say this to show that the process of thinking
applied to any great effort Of construction. 1t
has expended Itself on the minute ramitications
Of tale-telling; how this young lady should be
made to behave herself with that young gen.
tleman-how this mother or father would be
affected by the tll-cOnduct or the good Of a son
or daughter-how these words or those other
would be most appropriate and true to nature
If used on.some special occasion. Such plottings
as these, with fabricator of fiction are infinite
in number as they are iDfinitesimal In import
ance-and are, therefore, as l have said, like
the sand CT the Sea-ShOre But not one of them
can be done fifty without thinking. My little
effort will miss its wished for result, unless
must think what nature would produce.-[An-
thOng ITOllODe in Good Words