davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01
The Ring Finger.

Much ingenuity has been expended IN
the endeavor 10 discover on which hand
and on which finger the w~eddlng-rine
was placed. The Jews have a tradition
that Mary. when she eSpoused Joseph,
received the ring on her middle finger;
hence no Jewish woman receives her
wedding ring there, but always on the
forefinger.
st. Ambrose, in one of his sermons,
calls the third finger the finger OF the
ring. Macrobius gives the nursery
names Of the fingers in the time Of the
Romans: the third finger Is called unu-
laris: the low Norman name for the
same finger is John of the Seals.
I'm the ancient ritual of marriage
among the English Baptists, the ring
was placed on the end ofthe left thumb,
with the words, In the name OF the
Father then on the forefnger, with
the words. ''and the Son: then Oh the
middle finger, and the Holy Ghost;
finally, on the third, the ring finger,
with the closing word, Amen. The
ancient Greeks used this finger also, be
cause they believed d nerve to run di-
rectly from this finger to the heart.
ILtlIIdl1lt says II ID IlOO III dltCIN, Jul a
vein, and modern science shows that
there is nothing of the kind III exist
cnce
The right hand is the hand of power.
hence the wife wears the ring on the
left hand. The third finger is the only
recognized ring finger; all who wear
rings officially wear them on that finger,
though it is true that the statute ofthe
gods had their slgnets on the forefineer,
both in Greece and Italy. This wa on
the right hand: but, from convenience.
and long established custom, the left
hand is now generally considered the
proper hand. and the least-used finger
Of that hand holds the ring.
Demnius says that the same finger is
called Medlcus, for, ION account Of the
virtue it derives from the heart. the old
physicians would mingle their medi-
cines and potions with this finger. be-
cause no enom can stick upon the ut
most part of it but it will offend a man.
and communicate itself to his heart
Some married women are SO rigid in
their notion respecting the wedding
ring, that they will never, ever for a
moment, take it off their finger. extend
ing, it would seem, the expression, till
death do us part, even to this pledge
of matrimony.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

GLRL OF THE PERIoD.-Sbe has
nothIns else to do, poor girl, but dress.
II takes two-thirds of her time. The
rest Is devoted to shopping, sIeep. and
company. There's not a trace If w a.,r
or neglect about her from the t;ns 81
her heels to the end of that last new
ostrich feather. It's all spick and sn.n
new; glossy, bright and Just out Of tba
band-boxes. 1t costs pa a good ro, uaJ
sum yearly. There ism AN bour ofrha
uay put some portion Of that dress DO
Iilahis her attention. MonIav She wss
looking at spring materials Tnesdar
lhe same Wednesday was the Jau
nnal selections; THURSDAY she bnotad
l3r the trimmings; Friday she bonebt
day was with the dressmaker, The
are two days more Of trying on and fir
ting. at least. Recollect this Is bit
article Of that fearful. wonderful one o,G
admirable makeup. There arc sbaa ~
corsets, bonnets, hats and gloves All the
time on the stocks or being looIeJ aans
as If built by contract. Jennie lime -
y. Y. Graphic. ~
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01
The Mystery Of a Beautiful
Woman who Died Among
StrangerS-the TrySt she
Never Kept.

The body of what had been a hand
a west side tenement to the Morgue
yesterday, and there placed in a rude
pine coffin to await the action of the
Coroners' office. Nothing is known of
the family or ~antecedents of deceased.
That she vas "a woman who had been
tenderly nurtured and well educated
there could be little doubt from her APP
pearance and behavior. She kept her
secret, however. through weeks of sick
ness, and her dying request was that no
efforts should be made to discover who
she was or what was the particular ma
ture Of her sad history.
Five weeks ago Il young woman who
SAID her name was Catharlne Kelly en-
gagged board with a Mrs. Catherine
Leith, at No. 442 West Twenty-fourth
street. She was an invalid and required
more than ordinary attention, but was
willing to pay for any additional services
she should receive. She wa about
t~wenty-tour years of age. lady-like in
manner and spoke like a woman of re-
fnement. Her features were regular
and handsome, and were lighted up By
a par OF soft, dark, luStrous eyes. She
was also possessed OF a tall. command
ing figure and a wealth of glossy black
halr. She va an entire stranger to
Mrs. Lelth and the n~eighbors. and was
regarded by them as a woman with \
history. They all treated her kindly.
and she frequently expressed her graft
tude III many ways. She was. however.
a mystery which the most curious other
sex who resided unler the same roof
could not solve. No visitors came 10
see her, she never left the house and
received no letters. Finding that the
hand OF death was upon her She sent for
a Catholic priest and received the sacra-
ments of the Church. 4 short time
before her death she called the women
OF the house who had waited on her
during her sickness to her bedside and
eXacted a promise from them that they
would not try TO find out anything about
her family or antecedents. She said
they would find "a sufficient sum Of
money IN her trunk to defray her funeral
expenses. and having laid her away in
Calvary she enjoined them to make no
further inquiries into her life. She ex-
pred at o'clock Wednesday
morning. Late in the afternoon Can
tam Ryan, Of the Sixteenth precinct.
was notified of her death. Upon the
arrival OF an officer at the house. the
body, which was wasted By suffering
was fast decomposing. The Coroners
once was next informed of the case. but
too late in the day to take official action
! esterday Deputy Coroner Miller had
the remains conveyed to Bellevue
Hospital.
y MYSTERIOUS LETTER.
Llfe was scarcely extinct when a post
called with a letter addressed 10 the
lead woman. Mr.. Leith opened the
communication, thinking it might lead
a discovery of her relatives. and there
by have the body placed in their keen
ING. The letter corresponied with the
woman $ strange desire for mystery. 1t
bore no name or address, AMI was wri,-
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

To REMOVE GREASE SPOTS.-To ex-
tract grease spots from books or paper.
gently warm the creased or spotted part
of the book or paper, and then press
upon it pieces Of blotting paper, one at
ter another, - as 70 absorb as much of
the grease as possible. Have ready
some fine, clear essential oil of turpen-
tine, heated almost To a boiling state
warm the creased leaf a little, and then
with a soft, clean brush wet with the
heated %turpentine both sides Of the
spotted part. By repeating this appli-
cation the grease will be extracted.
Lastly, with another brush dipped in
rec.iiel spirits of wine, 90 over the
place, and the grease will no longer ap-
pear, nor will the paper be discolored.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

HoUsEKEEPING Hints. Soaking salt
fish IN sour milk will freshen them
speedily. Salt curdles new milk hence.
III preparing milk porridge, gravies.
etc, the salt should not be added until
the dish Is prepared. Gear, boiling
water Will remove tea stains and many
fruit stains. Pour the water through
the stain, and thus prevent it from
spreading \ e the fabric. The rine
tomato vii! remove ink and other stain,
from white cloth also from the hands
l hat a teaspoontiul Of turpentine boiled
with Your white clothes will aid the
whitening process. Thai boiled starch
Is much improved by the addition Of !
little sperm or a little salt, or both. or
a little gum arabic dissolved. That
beeswax and salt will make yonr fat
irons as clean and smooth as eias.. Tie
a lump OF wax in a rag, and keen far
that purpose. When the irons are hot
rub them first with the wax rae. then
scour with a paper or cloth sprinkled
with salS. That Kerosene wifi soffen
boots or shoes which have been harden.
ed By water. and render them AZ nIiabIe
az eW.-KOntFe0I Star.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01
gables portfolio.

eCThe LADIES OF North Carolina are IN
vited TO contribute short articles, recipes
suggestions. household hints, SC, Tor these
columns. Name Of the author Will be seen
by no one except the EDITOR. whether Inc
communication be accepted or reJectel.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

CHAMOMILE.-A decoctioI %
leaves of common chamom..e |.
troy every species OF insect, and a.
contributes 80 much to the hts..-
garden as a number OF chamoull-e
dispersed through it. NJ green
or dollhouse should ever be Win.
IN a green or dried state: e.-r.
stalks or flowers will answer, ],
singular fact that if a plant Is u''
and apparently dying in nlHe case
OF ten it will recover ii you p-lHl'.
mile near II.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

NICE GLOSSY STARCH.-To three
cups watertake three rounded teaspoon
tuls Of starch, a pinch of salt and one
teasl o,nful of powdered borax. Dis
solve your borax in part of the water
then add starch and salt dip your col
lars, cuffs and bosoms into the starch.
Ioor irons must be good; rub them with
beeswax, and | promise you IA stiff,
glossy surface with never a failure.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

RELIEF From INDIGESTION H..
long illness, when the appetlte H
turns, solid food Is apt to brln- ''
digestion, accompanied by y.o.eA.
The only relief | have found for '+
to use half tablespoonful 81 carp.
OF soda, dissolved in half 4 -''.'
water, and a teaspoontiII Of e-,'.,.
peppermint, taking a winegla-~i-
ten minutes till relieved.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

CAREoF HANGING BAsKET~.-
ing plants, whether IN baskets "T 'D
pended pots, are more apt /" '1
oyerdry than others, and need ~ f..
care. Baskets are best water .
plunging them in a bucket OF ~
water, and allowing them to gel
Oughly soaked through; of couf-t VI
ping must cease before they are Ie'""'
to place.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

\ GAY DECEIyER. morn
ing, while a group of passengers
were waiting in the Office at the
W. & W. Railroad depot, for the
train to leave, a young white man, well
dressed and with a pleasing face entered
carrying a baby in his arms. He walk
ed up to a colored woman and request
ed her to hold it for him. while he could
90 back to the telegraph office and send
off a despatch. The colored woman at
once refused, and a young white lady,
from Magnolia. who was sitting near,
offered to hold the baby and it was given
her. while the yong man went off to
send his telegram. He seemed to stay
a longer time than was necessary. and
the young lady began TO grow uneasy.
When at last the time arrived for the
train to leave, her burden was still with
her and the man was still absent. She
waited an hour ortwO at the depot. and
the young man not putting III ali APP
pearance, she returned to her friends
house IN the city. with her young
charge. During the day, efforts were
made unsucce>sfully to find the rascal
of a young man and ut night the Young
lady boarded the train for her home IN
Magnolia, carrying the baby with her.
The baby Is about six months old. and
has light blue eyes 1t Is no doubt bet
ter of for the change Of proprietorShip,
as the young lady has mentioned her
intention OF adopting it Wtimington
SIN.
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

80 long.
Thev took her in, and gave her some
stimulants. and very soon she was quite
herself. III all things but but that
was never To be any mOre-never.
He remained but the great dinner
went begging. \ doctor came and eN-
amined-.\o use-sight quite gone
smitten and efaced BY that fiery shaft.
Poor Miss Dinah cried. Her 10Y
Was it a judgement
Richard Clifford fingered there many
weeks. and she became more resigned.
One day they went quietly 10 the WI
laee church and were married.
Il am 50 changed. Richard.
Not to me-" he said.
But there was a di>enchantment for
him. although he thus denied it, which
the o thing never knew. Perhaps
that was some compensation for her
great los. To her mind Richard Cliff
ford was not a To others-@rav headed
wrinkled and bowed but the proud
and splendid lover Of her youth-the
brilliant apparition she had looked on
for the last. last time thirty long years
before.
FEMALE NANEs.-If we look back to
the time Of our grand-mothers and
e~reat-aunts. wefind that, besides Eliza
beth. Mary and Anna, there were Mar
earet. Emma. Caroline, Sarah, Jane,
Martha. Sophia, susan, Maria, Matilda,
Louisa. Rebecca. Phoebe, Bri, get,
Dorothea. Chloe, Cicely, Tabitha, be
long. perhaps 10 even an earlier genera
ton. But some thirty years ago such
names were voted to be common and
Constance. Florence. Beatrice, Blanche,
Alice. Adeline, Maude. Mabel, Siby',
Nuricl. Grace, Isabel, Niificeiy. and
Gertrude became the fashion.
1t was not the custom for English
people to hove more than one Christian
name before the time of George III.
Two or more names We're first used by
the court. and it was considered presum
ptuous for a person of low degree TO
confer more than one name on his child.
The conjunction Of Anna with Maria
was once considered aristocratlc, but II IS
no longer 50. Mary Ann also was novelty
but is now common III the extreme
and ladies who have been SO chrlStenod
prefer to write Marian or Marianne.
Some ladies even affect the French
form of Mary, md insist on being called
Marie. There is IA tendency to turn Y
into lie in all names. The combination
Of Annie with other names was very
common at one time, there being FraL.-
ces Anne. Sarah Anne, Margaret Anne
and Julia Anne, this last having often,
in the pronunciation, an L inserted as
also did Jemima Anne, a name by no
means uncommon.
History and literature supply us with
the names that have been in use in
England in all ages. When Chaucer
wrote, Up rose the sun and up rose
Emily" he made for us a picture that
we forever connect with the name Of
Emily. We can only think of Roselind
as Shakespeare saucy, witty, courage
Gus, true hearted girl, in doublet and
hose; OF Miranda, as the innocent,
modest creature who was not ashamed
to show her love: Of Portia az the
rather s~trong-minded young lady who
wanted to prove her husband love; Of
Juliet a, the sentimental, love-sick girl.
~
~ tlrGI-Iy-I-n S,,l,,- ,,,,
The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-01

She used to sing that song To- ~.
when he would a wo0in2 -. y"
her closely, You will see her -.an"
the mirror, III passing to see IT d."
Is smooth and her collar -tla.-',
she has a fondness for foWer-. a 2
mum leaf and its scarlet flower, .
rose bud or two. will peep from 81.
the soft braids of her still beautIil
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-08
Starved to Death.

A death, which the attending physi-
clan states was caused by starvation. md
which theory the surroundings fully up
hold, has occurred at tenement house
in Lawrence, Mass. The facts, given by
the wife of the deceased, are as follows:
Peter Igo, aged thirty-two, came to
Lawrence with his wife and child one
year and eight months old in November
last. Igo was out Of work, and how the
family lived was a mystery. The woman
states that she applied to the clerk of
the oyerseers of the poor for assistance,
but he told her he could not give her aid
because she had no settlement. He,
however, offered to secure the family ad-
mission to the almshouse. but both re-
fused the offer. On a recent Tuesday
Igo obtained work in the dye-house of
the Central Pacific mills, and worked
that day. His wife states that all the
dinner she could give him was bread and
water, of which he partook sparingly.
On w Wednesday he went to work as
usual, without breakfast. After work
ing about an hour he was obliged to
leave the mill. At noon he went to work
again, after a dinner of bread and water.
He worked until halfpast six p NJ, and
on returning home brought with him
small quantity of beefsteak, which, it is
said, was given him by a second hand at
the works. Mrs. 1go states that she
cooked the steak, that Peter partook
sparingly, and, after leaving the table,
he complained of pains in his head He
then laid on the bed, and, when his wife
attempted to rouse him, he was unable
to speak. Rev. j. Devir was summoned,
and, shortly after his arrival, the man
died. The priest sent for DR.. Magee,
who deemed an inquest unnecessary.
The physician stated that the man died
of stal walton, and his wife's appearance
bears out this belief Her cheeks are
hollow ed and her eyes sunken. Although
the house in which they live has com
Portable appearance without, within it
is perfectly barren, a bed and two chars
constituting the whole furnishing. The
neighbors state that the family never
made knOwn their wants, evidently be-
ing too proud to beg.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-08
Man a Fighting Animal.

Do what we will with him, man is
naturally a fighting animal. There is
curious autobiography to be found in
Southern boOk-shops, written by nm
old hunter who was born about a cen
tury ago.
The most amusing example is where
the old man tells how he and his sons
once trained some young dogs to hunt
bears
III put on the skin Of an old bear" he
saws. ''and crawled about on all-tours.
willie Elisha and Job drove thepups on
They were scared at first, but presently
the whole six attacked me furiously, bit
nv calves, tore my hair, hung on my
III begun to shout Enoughr but
'Lisha cried, Don't, dad. don't! Its the
life Of the pups:
He adds. of course / stayed. had
consideration for the dogs.
1t takes a good deal of training to root
out this instinct from men who inherit
it. Everybody knows the history q the
4 fiphtine Ouakers 7 during the revolu-
tionary war. Many Of the stald sons q
staid sires Of the same faith, slipped out
of meeting during the last war, to
shoulder a musket.
One venerable old Friend in German
town. Pa, found that three of his sons
had gone to this conflict against which
Ills creed arrayed him. The youngest
felt that lie too must 60, but feared 70
tell his family.
He took his gun one day, and began
to clean it, placing himself in his fathers
way. The old gentleman saw him, and
paced slowly up and down, but said
nothing. Presently he approached the
young man.
sCharles,n be said, deliberately, " II
the devil has made thee feel that thee
needs one of those worldly instruments,
spare not thy money, but get the best
Alexander Campbell, most combative
of Scotch reformers and theologians,
once submitted his head to the fingers Of
4 phrenologist, who had no knowledge
Of Mr. Campbell's calling. The man
finished the examination with the
words, From your executive ability
and love of fighting. sir, you are or
ought to be a great soldier
The aged clergyman heaved sigh
"No, sir, no. Circumstances were
against me. But according to my OPP
portunity, I've done what | could've
done what could.n
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-08
Learning to Swim.

When the air is out of a body its
owner sinks; when the air is in the body
its owner floats. Let any one slowly
draw in his breath as he draws back his
legs and pushes forward his arms, retain
it whilst he is preparing for the stroke
which is to propel him. and slowly allow
it to go through his lips as his arms are
passed back from before his. head to his
sides and his legs are stretched out
The action of the stroke should not be
quite horizontal, but should be made on
slight incline downwards. The real
reason why people take weeks to learn
how to swim is because swimming pro-
fessors either do not know, or do not
choose to teach, the philosophy of
breathing, so as to render the body buoy
ant. In order to acquire confidence, the
learner should first try to float Let
him lie on his back, hold his head well
back, stretch out his arms and draw in
his breath. So long as he retains it he
will float on the water like cork. AS
he expels it from his body he will find
himself gradually sinking unless he
keeping his arms well in the water
makes a slow downward stroke. This
will bring home to him the principle on
which a swimmer, generally without
knowing it, acts.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-08
Bait for Cod.

just at this season, says recent letter
from St. John, N. F., we are favored
with the visits of another fish more i'm
portant to us by far than the salmon, as
it forms the chief bait in carrying on
our great cod fishery, on which so many
thousands here are dependent. The
caplin are now around our coast and in
our bays and harbors in countless
myriads. True to the day almost, shoals
of these beautiful little fish, about seven
or eight inches in length, appear each
season, in numbers beyond all calcula-
ton. Every bay, harbor and creek
around coast not less than 1900 miles
in extent literally swarms with them.
They come in close on the shore in
many places where there is sandy or
shingly beach, and a fisherman stands
on the beach with a casting net in his
hand, and in short time a glittering
pile of these little silvery fish is landed,
enough to fill half n dozen barrels.
They form the finest bait for the capture
OF cod, and they are used in enormous
quantities for manure by the farmers
who come for them with carts to the
beach, and mix them with bog and
earth. After standing for q year, this
becomes a rich fertilizing compost, very
stimulating to crops, but leaving little
substance in the soil beyond the ma
terials with which the calpin were
mixed.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-08

How long it took to I'll The tender !
The engine Stood hot and smoking by the
water-tank. and the water came ont n a
slender stream, while the poor mother
stood looking on. fearful and impatient.
"Good-byei I'll put up the pipe
Heaven help ye!-the up grade"
The rest was lost, for the engine shot
ahead on and on out over the open
prairie. The water-tank seemed to sink
down into the earth, and the shining
rails stretched longer and longer out be-
hind.
An! w hat was thatg A cloud OF steam
on the horizon, Tar ahead. The engineer
took out his time-book and studied it
carefully.
Freight No. 6. bound west. stoppine
on the tWo-mile siding"
How swiftly Freight No. 6 rose above
the grass and grew big along the wav i
Listen! A whistle. The engineer whis-
fled in renlv and shut off steam Their
engine quickly slowed down and they
could see men leaning out from the
other engine as if to speak to them.
It's ten minutes back. Running
slow on main ne-road-clear-"
Thank Heaven!" said the woman.
The engineer said nothing; but at that
instant the engine gave great leap and
shot ahead, at the rate of fifty miles an
hour. up the easy grade How long the
minutes seemed, ana yet each meant al
most mlie'
All! A speck-a black dot on the
horizon! The carp Yes. 1t was the
car. 1t grew bigger and bigger. Now