davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
Hew Trees are Struck by Lightning,

M. Colladon says The lightning al
ways, or most always, strikes the upper
branches, especially those that are most
elevated and most exposed TO the rain
storm. From thence it descends through
almost the the entire mass Of branches
TO the main branches, and from these 10
the trunk. These large branches, and
especially the trunk, being in general
much poorer conductors than the young
branches, the passage of the electricity
produces therein heat and repellent
effects which lacerate the sap wood or
the bark, and sometimes scatter the
debris to some distance (l50 feet and
beyond.) This is law that have as
certained by very numerous obserya-
tions. The tree recently struck in Rue
des Glacis de Rive presents an interest
ing case, in that it confirms this law.
1t is not veryun common thing in
France 10 see trees struck by lightning
in May, when their as yet young leaves
'"ve little consistency. The tree under
consideration was struck essentially on
its chief branch, the highest one by some
inches. and situated on the southwest
side. The young leaves Of this summit
and those of the branches imm ediately
bEneath were neither dried nor withered.
but they were gashed in part and
broken into small fragments and strewn
over the surrounding earth. In fact,
they had suffered from the effect OF n
violent conclusion Of the air, like the
window panes which had been broken
in two neighboring houses, and were
reduced TO fragments Just as they would
have been had a dynamite cartridge
been exploded near them. Even before
seeing the tree had made up my mind
that there must have been a well or
stream of water near there in contact
with the roots of the poplar; for he
vicinity of a spring or subterranean
stratum of water Is very often the de-
termining cause to attract the lightning
to the summit of tree standing near
1t. Here, again. this influence is rem
oered evident by two interesting facts.
A. about eighteen feet from the tree, on
the north side, there is a lead conduit
which leads water TO a laundry. and n
drain which carries the waste water OF
under the street. At the base Of
the trunk the wounds swerved to-
ward the north, and. midway between
the tree and the lead conduit, board
placed as n border on the earth was
pierced with round hole about four
inches In diameter, showing that the
electric fluid. concentrated in power
full jet (if that expression is allowable),
shot directly from the foot of the tree
toward the lead conduit by the shortest
route.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

Out OF one dollar bill "A" he clips n
piece through the head of Washington
three-eighths of an inch wide, and cut
with artistic irregularity. The two eads
of the bill are brought little closer to-
gether than they were before the piece
was taken out, and rough continuation
of the lines of the head is made with ink
upon the white surface of the gummed
paper beneath. The bill is then ar
tistically dirtied, and is ready for shov-
ing. Bill "B" is then taken up, and a
section three-quarters of an inch, or
twice as large as that taken out of "a y
is then removed; the piece taken out of
"a" is then inserted between the two
ends of B." the pasting. linking and
dirtying repeated, and this bill is also
ready for the market. 4 section m inch
and half wide is then removed from
&C." and the three-quarters cut from
"B" lie. in, and so the process is con-
tinued, each bill, instead of its true
length Of seven and three-auarter inches,
being only seven inches. The first one
is the most dangerous, because 1t is hard
to doctor up the head of the father of his
country in way that the children of
the same will not recognize the old gen.
tleman. and hence this bill is left the
longest of the lot.
tbs easy to see that out of every nine
bills there is an extra bill left over,
making ten dollars for nine. Working
as hard as he could, Mr.. Hill could not
have made more than from three to five
dollars per day-rather n small sum for
the risk he ran, as 1t was necessary to
shove fifty OF the mutilated dollars to
make five.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
Some Severe Dreughts.

An interesting record Is that of severe
droughts. as far back as the landing of
the Pilgrims. How many thousand times
are observations made like the follow
ing: Such a cold seasonF' "Such n
hot season" "Such dry weatheri" or
"Such wet weather." "Such high
winds or calmsr' etc. Read the follow
ing list showing number of days with
ont rain: In the summer of Ie2I.
twenty. four days; in 1880. forty-one
days; in 1857. seventy-five days; in
1872, eighty days; in 1914. forty-fve
days; in 1858, eighty-one days; In 1894,
sixty-iwo days; in I705, forty days; in
l7l5, forty-six days; in l72s sixty-on
days; in 1870. ninety.two days; in I74I,
seventy-two days; in I74s, los days;
in l755. forty-two days; In i7e0, I23
days; in I773, eighty days; in I7el.
eighty-two days; in 1919. twenty EIGHT
days; in 1855, twenty-four days; in
1871, forty-two days; in 1875, twenty
six days; in 1875, twenty-six days.
1t will be seen that the longest
drought that ever occurred in America
was in the summer of I76o. No rain fell
from the first OF May TO the first ofSep-
tember. Many of the inhabitants sent
TO England for hay and grain.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
The Royal Family Of China.

The present royal family OF China
embraces the trifiing number of some
forty thousand souls. OF course this IL
easily accounted for. IL it be recollected
that most Chinese emperors have wives
by the score, and consequ emily the mum
Der OF aunts, uncles, cousins, and
cousins ever 80 many times removed
owned by each emperor, make up a
rather startling figure. But of course
nobody could be expected TO love forty
thousand cousins; 80 by Chinese law
(or custom) all claim on the emperor's
attention closes somewhere about the
existing generation of first cousins.
Still. as the odd thirty-nine thousand
seven hundred and sixty are undoubt-
edly of royal blood, a large proportion
OF them receive about a dollar a month
from the public treasury, andi within
certain gree of relationship, are
entitled 10 wear a yellow girdle. This,
however. does not in the least interfere
with their honestly earning their bread,
and the mess cody in the British lega-
tion at Pekin in 1863 was a yellow.
girdled cousin" entitled, moreover, to
wear don't know what button on the
top of his very dilapidated old hat. All
members of this imperial clan, however
If they get very little in the way of pen,
sion. have enc great advantage-thcy
cannot be tried before an ordinary court =.
A special tribunal exists TO try them,
and it was stated in a recent Pekin
Gazette that It's members got a terrible
wigging for letting off some of the en-
peror's relations for SO ..-,Lse they
had committed. So much for royal
cousins in China. But the ladies of the
alace afford the most curious paradox
TO foreigners, who forget that the Chi
nese are not the only people who make
a great distinction between profession
and practice. An ordinary Chinaman,
in China proper, will tell you that
women are decidedly inferior beings
and as TO their having souls. pooh
poohs the idea outright. But IL you re-
mark that the whole government of the
country has for the last eighteen years
with short intervaD been carried on
by two ladies-the emperor's mother
and the empress dowager, two OF the
cleverest women now alive in China or
any other country-he calmly remarks
that perhaps they are different from
other folk, and he will not at all admit
that the average Chinawoman can posi-
bly, possess brains or sense. 1t Is of no
use pointing out TO him that Chinese
history abounds with heroines. and that
cases of female pluck, ability and virtue
are constantly recorded in imperial
documents even at the present day. He
incontinently changes the subject.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
To GET Rfd ef Eats.

Rats are pest in every city and
town, and, indeed, everywhere In this
country. IL seems nearly impossible 70
get rid OF them, and any method that
promises TO secure this most desirable
end Is worth trying. Somebody recon-
mends covering stones. rafters. and
every part OF a cellar with ordinary
whitewash, made yellow with copperas.
putting copperas in every crevice or
Granny where rat may get, and scatter
ing 1t in corners ON the floor. He has
tried 1t repeatedly, and the result has
been n general retreat of both mice and
rats, not one of which had at last ac-
counts returned. 1t is said that q coat
OF this yellow wash, given each spring to
cellar, will not only Danish these YER
min, but viii prevent fever, dysentery
or typhoid. Everything eatable should
be carefully secured against the ravages
OF rats, which are 30 intelligent that
they will soon abandon premises where
they can get next to nothing to eat.
The rat we are most troubled with L.
the brown rat, much larger, stronger,
fiercer and more ravenous than the
black rat, which las almost entirely dis
appeared, having been driven of or ex-
terminated by the more formidable
species. The brown rat il frequently
called the Norway rat, from the erron-
eous impression that It came from Nor
way, which country it did not reach
until 1t had become abundant in Britain
and Amer 1t appeared first at As
trakhan IN the beginning of the eigh-
teenth century, and gradually spread
over Western Europe. whence we have
derived 1t. II was once known as the
Hanoverian rat, because the British Ja-
cobites were pleased TO believe that it
came in with the House of Hanover.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

A surgeon in the German army calls
the attention of all who have to do with
horses to the danger of using the pocket
handkerchief to wipe away any foam
from the mouth or nose of horse which
may have been thrown upon their
clothes. Some months ago, the writer
states, an officer came TO him suffering
from an obstinate cold and cough. The
usual remedies were prescribed, but in
vain; visit TO the baths at Reichen-
hall also did the patient no good. Re-
turning to duty, the officer became
worse; fever. attended with great pain
In and swelling Of The head. set in. and
ultimately, after much suffering. he
died with every symptom of glanders.
Inquiries were set on loot. and IL was
found that some time before he was
taken III he had ordered horse which
he believed was suffering from glanders
TO be shot. Neither the groom or any
of theother soldiers who had been near
the horse have been attacked by gland
ers. and consequently II l. suspected
that the officer who died may have con-
veyed the disease into his system by
perhaps using hls handkerchief TO wipe
some Of the foam from the mouth o.
nose Of the horse from be uniform.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

Shadows are substantial things in
Gold Hill, New. The local editor. whose
reputation for veracity Is not questioned
by his own journal, relates that in the
earlier days of July John Abbott was
taken from the steaming depths of the
Union" with his head crushed by a
falling wall-plate. He was laid on the
floor of the Office. and medical aid was
summoned TO minister to his wants. al
though 1t was plain that he must die.
The next morning Superintendent
Rooney noticed that where the dying
man had been placed his outline lay
like a shadow on the floor. He ordered
the janitor TO clean the boards. Before
Rooney went to dinner the shadow re-
appeared. He ordered the floor to be
thoroughly scrubbed and went to his
family. The next morning the floor
showed that vigorous application of
soap and brush had been made. for 1t
was white and clean. But during the
day that shadow returned. and at night
there 1t lay as though the man was still
waiting for death on that floor. The
next day Rooney ordered .he floor to be
painted. With the coming of the paint
pot the shadow vanished. but after n
day or two returned, and once more
limned itself on that Office floor.
Rooney again sent for the painter and
had second coat of paint put on, not
only where the shadow lay, but over
the entire floor. In few days there 1t
was again. and each day It grew more
and more distinct. Even strangers at
length began TO notice It and comment
on its resemblance to a human form.
Its presence at length became intolera-
BILE, and Rooney had all the boards of
the floor on which this heavy and
terrible shadow rested taken out and
replaced with new. The paint brush
then followed, and now that outlined
figure from the floor has disappeared
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
The Har 70 Preserrs Ice.

During illness ice Ii generally needed
in the sick room. The following method
OF preserving 1t Is highly recommended,
and 1t is certainly worth trying: Cut n
piece Of flannel about nine inches
square and secure 1t by ligature round
the mouth of an ordinary tumbler, 50 as
to leave n cup-shaped depression of
flannel within the tumbler to about
half its depth. In the flannel cup 30
constructed pieces Of ice may be pre-
served many hours; all the longer If a
piece of flannel four to five inches square
be used as loose cover to the Ice cup.
Cheap flannel with comparatively open
meshes Ia preferable, as water easily
drains through IL, and the Ice l. thus
kept quite dry. When good flannel
with close texture Is employed, small
hole must be made in the bottom of the
flannel cup, otherwise 1t holds The water
and facilitates the melting OF the Ice.
Placed in q cup Of this kind, two ounces
Office has been known to Last nine o. tsu
hours.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

grating continued without ceasing, the
healthy skin being taken from the arms
OF the surgeons and doctors of the hospi-
tal, and n great quantity from the pa
tient herself. Several prominent clergy
men OF the city contributed CRAFTS, and
portions of the skin of many fashionable
ladies furnished nucleus for the scalp
which Lucy Osborn now wears. The
new scalp which has been built no for
her Is hard, white and glossy. There
are no pores in the tissue, and it can
never bear hair. Lucy is in the best of
health and spirits, and expects to have
completely reconstructed scalp soon.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
Painting Fits and their Causes.

A fainting fit arises from sudden
failure ofthe hearts action. 1t is met
with most frequently in young adults,
especially in young females. It's occur
renee Is favored by general debility or
Ill health, and more particularly by
anGmia, or poorness of the blood. II
is very common in young ladies who
take very little outdoor exercise and
spend most of their time on the sofa
reading novels. Want OF active occu-
patton powerfully predisposes 10 faint
ing. Persons who are not very strong
are most likely to faint after some un-
usual fatigue, or after long abstinence
from food. A liability 10 fainting seems
almost to be hereditary, so common is
1t in some families. Sometimes it is as
sociated with eart-disease, but in the
vast majority of cases IL Is purely func-
tional, and there Is nothing wrong with
that organ. The determining causes OF
a faint are variable in character. In sus-
ceptible subjects 1t may be brought on
by any sudden impression on the
nervous system. This need not of ne
essity be painful or unpleasant, for
people may faint from excitement or ex-
cess of Joy. For instance, the sudden
announcement of the return of some
long-lost relative, or of the favorable
termination of pTotracted lawsuit,
may be the exciting cause. The sight
Of certain animals, such rs a frog, or n
black beetle, or even n mouse. is quite
enough TO send some people off. while
Others faint Immediately at the sight of
blood. and even feel sick and faint IL
they read of IN accident In the papers.
We have all heard the story of the
young preacher who tainted on having
to read the account of one of the san
culinary battles in the Old Testament.
Medical students sometimes faint at
their first operation. Such n trivial &C
cident as pricking the finger will make
some people feel sick and faint.-Rhiid-
delphia Times.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
A Beef.Packing Establishment.

An exchange tells of a packing
establishment at Rockport, Texas,
owned and managed by Northern max,
which kills an average of 81 500 beeves
every year. Every part of the beef Is
utilized, even TO the TUFTS Of the tail,
which are used to make ladies' friEzes
The blood flows into tanks and Is
dressed and sold for two cents n pound
for the manufacture Of fertilizers. The
Jean beef Is boiled and canned in two
pound tins. The hides are salted and
sold green. The fatty matter Is ex-
tracted and goes into tallow. The bones
are boiled to pulp to extract the fatty
matter which goes to tallow, and the
dry bones, mainly phosphate of lime,
are sold for fertiliEing at one cent per
pound. The feet are cut OF Mt the knee,
and from the feet neat's-foot oil Il ex-
tracted. The horny part Of the foot,
the shin bone and knuckle bones are
extracted and sold for the manufacture
Of domestic ivory. The horns are piled
Up until The pith becomes loose, and
thls Il added 70 the lertilisers and the
bones cold for the manufacture of um-
hrella handles. etc. Every atom OF 3he
snlmal 4 proEltably useds
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
The Thin Partition Between Life and
Death.

When we walk near the powerful
machinery we know that one single
misstep and those mighty engines would
tear Us to pieces with their flying
wheels. or grind US to powder in their
ponderous jaws. So when we are thun-
dering across the land in n rail car, and
there l. nothing but bali an inch nanRe
TO hold Us upon the track. So, when
we are in ship at sea, and there
is nothing but the thickness of plank
between us and eternity. We imagine
then that we see how close we are to
the edge of the precipice. But we do
not see It. Whether on sea or land the
partition that divides us from eternity
Is something thinner than an oak plank
or half an inch of iron hange. The
machinery of life and death are within
Us. The tissues that hold these beating
powers in their place are often no.
thicker than a piece OF paper, and, II
that thin partition were ruptured. 1t
would be Just the same TO US as II can
non ball bad struck Us. Death is in
separately bound up with life in the
very structure of our bodies. Struggle
rs we win to widen this space, no man
can at any time 20 farther from death
than the thickness of n sheet OF paper.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

A gilded frame makes lgood picture
in the eyes of nearly al the world.
The only disadvantage Of IN honest
heart Is credulity.
The smaller the caliber of mind the
greater the bore of = perpetually open
mouth.
Advice is like snow, the softer 1t falls
the longer IL dwells upon and the deeper
II sinks into the minds.
Friendship which flows from the
heart cannot be frozen By sdversity. IS
the water that flows from the spring
does not CONCEAL in winter.
The sun which ripens the corn and
fills the succulent herb with nourish-
ment also pencils with beauty the violst
and the rose.
A quart of milk for every six inhahi-
tants, Is the rule By which they cal-
culate the amount of milk required TO
supply the population OF any city.
Never work with dull tools. for thew
require too greataan outlay Of strength.
both of man and beast
IL is stated that an English grana
grower stopped the proFuse bleeding q
a thrifty grapevine b forming : sort Of
hard cement over the cut ends b. re-
peated dustings n short Intervals with
Portland cement.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

There is verdure al along one track
4 Of the Pennsylvania railroad, between
.Pittsburg and Philadelphia. and none
'along the other. This Il caused By drop
pings of grain from the eastward-bound
Freight cars, while those going the other
way deposit no seed.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26
One Way OF Making Ten Dollars Out
or Nine.

Charles A. Hill, st. Louis lawyer
who was arrested for clipping one and
two-dollar greenbacks in such a way
that out of each nine he made ten, pro-
ceeded about his nefarious work In an
ingenious manner. The process Is rather
a complicated one, and needs diagrams
for thorough comprehension.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-26

An Hungarian exhibited In a phreno-
Illogical museum two skulls Of different
proportions. "Whose Is the large
|skullp" asked n spectator. 1t belonged
Ito the celebrated Attilla. king OF the
Huns" "And the small oneF" "Also
10 Attilla, but when he was : child"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-19

other in the mouth but IN harmony with the iea
lures and character the Individual The taste OF the
artist IL necessary for the reproduction OF TINS erect
Tie making of artificial teeth Is also purely the per
Torrance OF the sculptor. To produce the originai
model, when the market is TO be supplied WIN
duplicates calls into exercise the same talents
But TO copy the various forms is only ART ID d
limited sense. A cory admits Of no ideal embeh'Sn-
ment but In making imitation the mind works Win
freedom all restraint The true artist inereiore
rises above copyist, and brings forth an ooee
which is literal duplicate. but in fact ne" cree"
ton DIR. Kingsley develops this train OF thought az
considerable length, and With not little variety anu
power or original illustration. His devotion 10 'ne
ideal however does not diminish his fidelity 10 pracuca
details He presents a thorough analysis OF the prnci
pies OF that branch OF TO which his WORK Is ue
voted with copous description of the Inventions ana
processes which have been introduced into It's pracee
The volume wilk form standard manual for PROBES
siona students, and in many portions VIII prove at
tractiyc to general readers.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-19
Nem publications.
TTARPER g. BROTHERS, New-York,
Publish THE day:
u11nppTHs United STATES.


THE history OF THE UNITED STATES First
ser,es-FRoM THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE
COUNTRY TO THE ADOPTION OF THE FEDERAL CON
sTITUrIoN Second series-FRoM THE ADOPTION
OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION TO THE END of
THE SIXTEENTH CONGRESS. BY Richard Hidre'''
vols. svo CLOTH with paper labels uncut edges ana s'
tops sl2 co. I'm a box)
Uniform with the Cheap and Popular Library Editions OF
Hume Macaulay and Motley, which have been recently
published.
IT occupies space which has not yet been hien
bibs design and OF composition "hcn
ene # IN distinguished place the most important
rroduetons OF American genius and scholarship "e"o
come Il as simple, faithful lucid ana elegant w
creot events OF American history 1t i not written III Nus
raon Of any avorte theory it is not the expression vi III"
ideal system honest endeavor 10 present 'e "o "
question IN the pure, uncolorod hght OF uu'' an" ie
The mpmtiaity good Judgment penetration ana usen'
research of the author conspicuous i'll It's comIoso"
IN Y. Tribune