davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
A Peculiar AMictiOn,

Mr.. Edwin Cowles, the editor of the
Cleveland Leader, has peculiar afflic-.
ton, From boyhood he has been
troubled with deafness somewhat of the
nature of color blindness. He has never
heard the sound Of the birds, and until he
grew to manhood he had always thought
o!o uuSlc VI bt1uo Woo PUUtfU nCtiUn.
''You may fill the room with canary
birds" says Mr.. Cowles, "and they may
oil sing at once and L never would hear
o note, but would hear the flutterings
OF their wings. never heard the hiss
ing sound OF the human voice, conse-
quently, not knowing the existence of
that sound, grew up to manhood with
out ever making it in speech. A por-
ton Of the consonants never hear, yet I
can hear all the vowels. About q quar-
ter of the sounds in the human voice I
never hear, and L have to watch the
motion of the lips and be governed by
the sense Of the remarks in order to un-
derstand what is said to me. | have
walked by the side Of q policeman going
home at night, and seen him blow his
whistle, and l never would hear it, al
though it could be heard by others half
mile away. L never heard the upper
notes of piano, violin, OF other musical
instrument, although would hear all
the lower notes." Mr.. Cowles has con-
suited some of the most eminent sur
geons, physicians, and aurists in the coun-
try, and they are unanimous in declaring
his peculiar at1liction to be without O
precedent.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
A NOVEL DEFENSE,


SECURING HIS Safety by AEeariy Laughter.
t1ood Woods
On the fifth day of our march from
dendwe, was, as usual, considerably in
1rohC OF my men, who, with their loads
were not able to walk rs fast as myself
LIE SKY threatened storm, which made
me hasten to reach Pamlio. On an
preaching the village nobody was to be
seen, the natives being either out in the
llelds, or In their houses out of the rain
Inc stockade presented rather min
VlGing appearance, being ornnmentod
with few hundred human skulls in ali
dlreot1ons, from the freshly gtuck-un
mead to the bleached Uranium, and nil
apparently swapping their laws at the
thought OF new companion as the wind
wheeled them backward and forward
However, the rain was falling fast and
there was no use of being squeamish. So
into the village I marched unnoticed
ana finding out q hut with o. broad
oVerhang!ng cave, I took refuge out Of
sight, waiting till my men came forward
IN order that might appear with appro,
pirate pomp. had been thus ensconced
ueurly 1?1y ten minutes, when suddenly the
sCniness 1 OF the village was broken by q
!ouo' Pecullaf shout. This was almost
HALnnec1iately ~ taken up from every quar-
1er OF the village, until every stone
seemed TO yell out the strange cry.
drums added to the uproar, while wo-
men screamed, and the men we're seer ~
hurry toward the gates, shouting md
brandishing their spears. T was verv
much astonished at this; but sunnosin%
1t was simply the fashionable mode Of
receiving caravan, I remained still ex-
Dectln9 IllSr
ever, the uproar continued without
aDetement, and my men did not appear.
thinking there must be somethinp
wrong, emerged from my cover.
10 my surprise ] found the gates
closed, and the stockades and crows
nests manned by an excited multitude
brandishing their spears at some ap-
parent enemy outside. 1t instantly
mashed upon me that was prisoner
and cut off from my men. My presence
IN the village was evidently unknown.
For, on my, appearance among them.
every voice was silent, and the once OK
cited multitude seemed paralyzed with
Tear. was supposed to be O ghost.
seeing this, recovered my presence of
mind, and striking an attitude like Ham
teGS ghosG, moved forward with slow.
deliberate steps, and severe expression
of face. At each step the warriors "a.
colled' Struck with awe, they looked
at me with staring eyes and open
mouths, In breathless silence. This was
100 much for me, and unable to keep up
the character, L burst out with an ire
presslole roar OF laughter The effect
OF that laugh was tremendous. The
amazed savages recoiled still further.
leaving the gate free With a bound T
reached It, and before they could recover
SneT senses 1t was open, and was out
side, to the unbounded iov of NV man
who were trembling for my safety.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Perils of the Single Man.

The old-fashioned notion that men
look with o totally different eye on wo-
man when they want wife from what
they look on women generally can not
be sustained. Albeit there are men ever
In quest of q connubial partner without
searching for her. They are very apt to
be surprised into matrimony, or, at least,
into matrimonial intents-provided, how
ever, that the matter be not taken ont of
their hands by the woman herself. No
man is so likely 10 become engaged as
he who is persuaded that he will never
be. He is so prepared on one side for
circumstances of q certain kind that he
is wholly ungarded on the other side for
circumstances of an opposite kind. At
the very moment that he is confident Of
everlasting ceibacy, that he is rejoicing
over his freedom, O sudden shift in the
sentimental environment, q word, O.
tear, q caress, decides his doom. .-NetO
York Matt.
THE obscure poison which produces
hydrOphobia has been known to lie la
tent in the human system for years be.
fore developing its fatal results. M
Pasteur declares the supposition to bt
we'll supported that the virus does de
velop in certain organs, and not rs il
other similar maladies, in the blood; ant
that when-after period variable &C
cording to circumstances-the organized
poison passes into the blood, sever,
symptoms come on rapidly, and the vic
tim soon dies. An explanation substan
TALLY the same as this had long beel
advanced as q mere theory, but now M
Pasteur advances it as an ascertaine
J Psychological fact.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Zoo Near and 400 HOmely.

The New York Times has pleasant
satire about the life of street car drivers
who work seventeen hours O. day and
gnsn complain that they have only seven
lett In which to eat, sleep and play with
their babies. The trouble with the
street car driver is, it says, that he does
not Live In o distant State and is not
picturesque and romantic like O. sailor.
Ii he We're, he would get sympathy
enough. They ought to be driving cars
in South Carolina. Continues the
TINES:
1--WE could then disclaim eloquently
concerning the separation of families
caEaed by the hellish system which for
bids the father to see his children except
when ahey are asleep. We could de-
nounce the barbarism which compels
men to work for seventeen hours daily.
exposed to rain and snow, and frozen 6y
the bitter cold of mid-winter nights. We
should find it easy to induce religious
lDodles to pass resolutions condemnino
the wickedness of the Charleston car
companies, which forbid their slaves to
attend any religious services on Sun
day or any other day. It would be in
vain for the Charlestonians to reply that
their car drivers are not slaves. and that
they are tree to leave the service of the
companies and starve to death at any
moment We should reply that such
was the freedom Of choice given to the
slaves of Virginia, who could at any time
run away and hide themselves in the
Dismal Swamp, where they could either
starye or permit themselves to be shot
by slave-hunters. No shallow sophistries
as to the right of car companies to buy
labor at the lowest market rates could
impose upon us. We would form our
"Anti-car Company" societies, and
eloquent professional orators would 90
about the country stirring up the people
toa proper state Of indignation against
the oppressors of the Charleston car
drivers. But how can we feel any indig-
nation concerning the treatment of q
class of men who live among us and
suffer under our very eyes? Clearly the
thing is impossible, and the sooner our
car drivers recognize their great mistake
In not being South Carolinians or Louis
ianians the better"
There is lots of philosophy as we'll as
wit in this view which the Times takes
OF the situation. Men are prone to look
at the evils which are at distance
through telescope. But when they
inspect those under their feet they turn
Alsa &nIl ,,aas,A +lo oA,al. ~,,1
the objects near them appear small and
insignificant indeed.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Why He Changed His Mind.

The following is an actual occurrence:
A "broth of a boy" died on the Hill,
and Mr.. Moriarty dressed himself in his
best and went to view the "corroupse." I"
He had a new shiny black beaver hat last
st. Patriok's Day. Entering the abode
of sorrow, he held the glossy tile care
fully before him, crossed the floor and
deposited it with great care upon chair
at the head of the coffin. Then wiring
ing his hands mournfully, he turned to
the weeping mother saying:
"Shure, Mrs. Mallory, ids great loss
ye hev been til. I'm full Of dhe sorrow
fur yez, but dhe Lords will be dune. :"
Then turning to the corpse, Mr.. Mori-
arty delivered himself thus: "Och, purity
bye, Tommy. Why did yez die And
aint he purity in his new shirt ond shute
ov clothes. An won't we miss him from
dhe corner fwhere he used to shtand
waitin' fur dhe girruls. Luke OF him,
layin' there SO swate, purity. Shure, ole
niVer saw purifier corrupse. But the
Lords will be dune an must co.
Turning away he found that O huge
woman was sitting rocking and weeping
in the chair where he had deposited his
precious plug hat. Speaking in sweet,
low voice, he inquired:
Shave yez seen me hat" No one re-
piled. A little louder, ''HaVe any iv
yez seen mo new hats" Noreply. With
still greater voice: "Fhere is me new
high hatp" The big woman reached
around under her and pulled out a con
certina-looking concern made of blacl
beaver, and tearfully remarked: "Il
dhis yer hat, Mr.. Moriarty?" He reared
himself up. He jammed his fist into the
wrecked beaver in o vain attempt tx
straighten it out; he gazed upon tn
corpse and shouted: "Yis, dhats m
hat, and id be dhe day iver KEN il
till see sich an ugly corrupse as this wan
It's dhe uggliest iver saw, an o goot
riddance." Then he walked out.-Jey
8ey city Journal.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Expensive Drugs.

There are two mad men in Milwaukee.
One is bald-headad man and the other
is O druggist The bald man told doc
tor that his hair was falling out, and
asked him If he didn't know OF some
thing that would stop it. The doctor
said he would fix him, so he wrote O pre-
scription, which was as follows:
Chloride Of sodium 1oz.
Aqua pura 8oZ,
Shake well and rub on the scalp overy morn
ing
The bald man went to druggist and
had the prescription put up, paying
dollar and seventeen cents for it. He
asked the druggist if it wasn't little
high, but felt ashamed when the drug
g1st asked him if he knew how much
aqua pura cost q gallon. He said ho
didn't, but supposed it come high. The
druggist told him aqua pura was one of
Ehe most penetrating drugs in the store,
and as for chloride of sodium, there was
nothing like it, and the war in Peru had
sent 1t up kiting. He said if the trouble
how high it would be- The bald man
used the medicine, and felt as though it
was doing him good. His wife noticed
~NO'~S 'AO" 'tINlho SOul1hSS OIlU, tIllI llC lelU
good, SO when the stuff was gone he
took the bottle to the store and had it
filled again. The chap who filled it this
time was another chap, and when the
bald headed man threw down o dollar
the drugger said, so, never mind. We
won't charge you anything for that "
The bald man asked how that was, when
the drugger said, "Why, it is only salt
and water ANYWAY Tho colt io only, two
cents a pound, and the water is pretty
cheap this year." The bald man gave
one gasp, and said, "Well, by the great
bald-headod Elijah, paid a dollar for
filling that bottle before, and want my
money back. 1t is bald-headed swim
die. l thought that Peruvian story
didn't look plausible" The druggist
gave the man a box Of cigars to keep
still about it, h'lt he won't speak to the
other drugger who charged him dollar.
--PeckS Sun.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
How VOItaire Cured the Decay OF His
"I Stomach

In the "Memoirs of Count Segllr"
there is the following anecdote: "My
mother, the Countess de Segur, being
asked by Voltaire respecting her health
told him that the most painful feeling
she had arose from the decay in her
stomach and the difficulty of finding any
kind OF aliment that it could bear. Vol
Salre, by way of consolation, assured her
that he was once for nearly O. year in
the same state, and believed to be in
curable, but that nevertheless q verv
simple remedy had restored him. It
consisted In taking no other nourishment
than yolks of eggs heated up with the
flour Of potatoes and water" Though
this circumstance concerned so extraor-
dinary person as Voltaire, it is aston
ishing how little it is known and how
rarely the remedy has been practiced. It's
efficacy, however, in cases of debility.
can not be questioned, and the follow
ing is the mode Of preparing this valu-
able article Of food as recommended by
Sir John Sinclair: Beat up an egg in a
bowl and then add six tablespoonfuls of
cold water, mixing the whole we'll to-
gether; then add two tablespoonful of
farina of potatoes; let it be mixed thor
oughly with the liquid in the bowl,
Then pour In as much boiling water as
will convert the whole into Jelly. and
mix it we'll. It may be taken alone or
with the addition of little milk in case
of stomachic debility or consumptive
disorders. The dish is light and easily
digested, extremely wholesome and
nourishing. Bread or biscuit may be
taken with it as the stomach gets
stronger.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Providing for Daughters.

The way of happiness and comfort for
single middle-aged women would be
much easier if q different method was
pursued by parents toward their daugh-
ters while they are still young. Moth
ing, OF course, can recompense o woman
for the loss in her life of the love of hus-
band and children, but there is no rea-
son why, added to this bitterness, she
should always have the humiliation Of
dependence. Half the terrors or O sin
gle life of q woman lie in the fact that
she will never have home Of her OWL,
but must remain a dependent on father
and brothers; the one too many III the
household the beneficiary ON sufferance
in the family, though she work twice as
much as the actual members. A father
naturally sets his boy on his own feet at
coming OF age, but as naturally keeps
his daughter dependent on himself. It
is pleasure, perhaps, to him to give
her gowns and pin money at 80 as when
she was 8. He does not reflect that she
has the longing, equally natural to
every man and woman, to take her own
place in the world, to be rooted plant,
not O parasite. The difficulty is easily
solved. IF the father is wealthy, let him
settle absolutely upon his daughter
when she is Of marrying age, the amount
he would have given her as dover, in
stead of doling out the interest as con-
stant gifts if he is poor man, let him
give her some trade or occupation by
which she can earn her own money.
This course would obviate the mercena-
ry necessity of marriage which rises
night and day before the penniless, de-
pendent woman. The HONsekeeDer.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
Origin Of the Word Roorback.

Nathan Guilford, once q well-known
citizen of Cincinnati, was an active Whig
politician, and editor of an energetic
Whig paper. On April /, of a certain
year, he published q circumstantial ac-
count of experiments by a German
chemist named Roorback. ROorback
had been examining the chemical con-
stituents Of eggs of different birds, sup
posing it might be possible at last to
compound q hatchable egg. According
to the story, after putting many of his
manufac tured eggs to the animal heat Of
different patient mothers, he at last
happily succeeded in Matching one egg
and produced q living bird. The story
then goes on to describe very minutely
the strange creature, anatomically,
physiologically and every other way,
initiating the scientific style used in
similar cases. The story read very well, ,
and was copied into many other papers,
and, after going the rounds Of the press
in all parts Of the United States, it was
at last CATER three or four months) dis
covered to have been first published on
the 1st of April.
The Cincinnati Enquirer Democrat
icy Immediately fixed upon Nh. Guilford
the name of Roorback, which was there
after held to mean political liar,
although the story had nothing to do
with politics. Being we'll stuck to, the
name at lasG became pretty we'll fixed,
and Mr.. G. was for many years vel
Known in the political field as Ole
Roorback.
npo,v,,.I l,o!,.,o;,,a I,,.;., =, 90, 900 .,. -.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
The Girl Opposite.

The editor of the Philadelphia Times
has been flirting with "the girl opposite"
and gives his readers the benefit of his
experience in O lengthy article:
''It is wise and merciful dispensation
OF nature that there nearly always is q
girl opposite. Possibly dwelIer in the
proverbial vast wilderness might hit
upon On exception to this far-reaching
rule; but the chances are just as he was
thinking how dismal it was that he had
come at last to region where no girl
opposite was to be found he would see
the savage woman out Of Locksley Hall
peeping at him from among the bushes
on the other side of the stream-and
then the usual Irritation with the look
glass would begin. For the flirta-
tlon always does begin with looking
glass, and SO, after all, the self-alleged
inventor Of photography is only base
copyist. Millions is but thin shallow
sort OF word to express the number of
men who have at one time or another in
their lives been subject to the will of the
girl opposite, and who have regulated
their personal affairs-their comings and
golngs-not by the requirements of their
professions, but by the eccentric stand
ard OF her disappearance and visibility.
Why, did governments impose upon men
one-tenths part of the burdens and in
conyeniences which they willingly bear
for the girl opposite, the world would be
more or less swimming in the sea of rev.
olutionary blood pretty much all the
time! These assertions are not made
rashly nor carelessly. Have you ever
stopped to calculate how much time you
have fooled away in making love to the
girl opposite; that is to say, to all the
girls opposite to whom you have mado
love in your life longP And have you
over stopped to think how few things
there ore in this world that you would
sacrifice 80 much time to for 30 small
result2 We say ''fooling" away time
advisedly. If flirting with the girl op-
poslte ever led to the inevitable marry
ing that in the long run every fellow
must attend to, then it would be reas-
enable thing to do. But it never does,
never. You marry some other girl, and
he girl marries some other fellow, and
the whole performance is just sheer
waste of time, And yet, after all, worse
ways than this is have been invented.
Even If you do marry and go to live in
Dan, and the girl marries and goes to
live in Beersheba and you never lay eyes
on each other again or hear word about
essP SEasr e s9s VERY s3d OF X9aT seX az
ways little soft spot in your heart as
you remember her standing there framed
in the window, like the pretty picture
that she was-'reproof on her lips, but
smile in her eye, and simply irresistible,
and you cannot help believing that down
Beersheba-way there is somebody who
remembers all about it, and feels o good
deal the same way you do. Truly, the
girl opposite is good deal of bother;
but the time for legislating her out of
office has not yet come. No indeed"
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
4 LITTLE 0RUT0H:


2 A"idoW7TIshe had only one,
a puny and deorepit son; .'''..
But day and night, .''
Though fretful oft, and weak and small.
Allowing child, he was her all
Tho widows mite.
The Widows mite--ay, 80 sustained
she battled onward, dor complained,
y.u Though friends were fewer;
And, whilo she toiled for daily fare,
A little orutch upon the stair
Was music to her.
saw her then--and now gee
That though resigned and cheerful, ahe
Has sorrowed much.
She has-He gave 1t tender1y-
Much faith; and carefully laid by
Alittle crutob.
The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-08-04
SCRAPS OF SCIENCE.

HERR TRoMHonT thinks he can trace q
connection between the frequency Of
displays of aurora and the phases of the
moon.
DIR. RICOUX maintains that while
Spaniards, Italians and French can be
accllmatlzed III Algeria, people from the
North OF Europe cannot. This result, it
well established, may have q very inn
portant bearing upon the colonization OF
Africa in the near future.
MIR. WIGNER, in the AnoLyst states
that American corned-beef is twice as
valuable, as an article of diet, as fresh
boneless beef, and that the cooked OK
tongues contain less salt and moro nutri-
tive matter than the dried tongues usual
ly sold in European markets.
nj. GREHAUT proved in recent expert
ments that the quantity of carbonic acid
eXhaled by any one individual of an
animal species varies but little. Irrita-
tions and inhammations of the respiratory
mucous membrane decrease the exhalG-
tion of carbonic acid, which then tends
to accumulate i'll the blood.
MIR. w. H. PREEcE, the English cleo
trlclan, has determined with much ac-
curacy the aren protected by n properly
adjusted lightning rod. His conclusion
ID IlaI Gne prOtoctlOn extends TO q COMO
space whose height is the length Of the
rod, the base being o circle having it's
radius equal to the height Of the rod
an opinion which has been held by scien-
tific men for long time.
CoNsDERADLE changes in the water
level of several lakes in California and
Oregon are reported. 1t is stated that
Goose Lake, thirty miles long, was
nearly dry in 1853 and 1854, but con-
tanned ten feet of water in 1870, and its
depth has since been increasing. Clear
Lake is also ten feet deeper than in 1854,
while Tulie Lake, in the same region, is
now ten or fifteen feet higher than then.
THoUGH the invention of the barometer
is due to the mathematician Torriceli,
yet in England Sir Christopher Wren
was the first to suggest that the varying
weight of the atmosphere was the true
cause of the variation in the height of
the mercury. This was theory op-
posed to that of the disciples of Des-
! cartes, who ascmbed the variation to the
! influence of the moon.
NEARLY every year there falls in some
part of the world greater or less
quantity of fine yellow powder, which
! Sail is popularly believed to be O shower
Oh Oh e1llphur. Investigation, however,
SHOWS 81 " tho powder to be the fine pollen
ol oro;na a species of pine tree. The pollen