davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
Naming Her Baby.

From the b'irbu ittt iT'fI.l
On the Bay City train the other day
was IL woman with II baby about eight
months old, and i'll the next seat was an
old man who couldn't sit still until he
had said
chats IL baby You have there. isn't
?"
Yes sir.
About IL year old. isut hc?'
Mercy, no! Hes hardly eigit
months old yet 7
'lsn't eh? Well. I'm the father OF
nine children. hut it's been 50 long since
I've seen II baby that I've forgotten how
they ought to look. Is hc II girl
NO sir he + IL boy.
Just me. agin never can tell one
from 'tothrr Is he purity health,
"Oh, Yea.
'.Squull much nights
Never squall ut nll. ~
"pnnt. ch That's tha kud Of young
'un like to see around. My Sanur did
nothing but howl for the first two wears,
Sarah was allus sick, Moses fell ont 81
th, cradle and broke his arm AMI snn,-
thing or other allus allied every one "i the
lot. Have YOU named tins baby yet
NO, SIR.
Haven't ch? Say?
'les. sir.
''Sposcn You call 1t arlrr me- My lust
name liz jefferson, aud they ,Icll me Ion
sh"rt I've got two SO gold pieces here
for him il you want to call htm '''iirr-
son"
I'm do it, promptly replied the
woman.
That's business. Here's the cash and
the boy IL named jefferson, nrirr me.
Icmmc kiss him about inur tunes.
The baby WIS duly kissed AMI r"n"r;t
ulatc,l. ard ut the next station Lit I'll"
train with lts mother TIL" old mrm Wa-
tickleL hall t" death over the matter, I'M
til she conductor came along and asked
"Did you pay her anything I" nam'
that baby after you
"Ycs SO llc'sa clipper mnd don
You forget IT.
And s,n Is his mother ,nr's down II
the Detroit house of correction and the
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
spelI;rr School Harmony.
LpetroLt Fee Pfes..I

lptlIfN ftft itH--l
A Detreiter, who had occasion tins
winter to visit Gratiot county, was invited
to a spelling school in n district school
house. and lie reached the place to find
it crowded, and deep interest apparent
among the audience. The spelling soon
began, and in little time only SIX or
eight contestants were left. One OF these
was giant named William Jones, and 1t
WAS evident he had come there to con-
quor. When he spelled jealousy with
"A ..g" they tried to make him sit down,
but he raped on his desk with his big
fist aud replied:
Il don't know nuthin' bout Webster or
any other foreigner, and | don't care.
I've allus' been used to spelln it geal-
ousv, and | amt goin' to knock off to
please few woodchucks."
As he would not sit down lac WAS al
lowed To 60 on. At last only the De-
troiter and blg William lad the floor.
and while the latter was struggling with
the word sympathy, window near the
former opened softly and man whis-
pered:
'.Say, stranger, can you spell chro-
MOI"
"Of course ] can.
well. it's goin' to floor Bill, and don t
YOU forgit it, and the teacher sent Inc
around to tell You that you'd better
climb out aud skip before the climax
comes
What climax q
why. the one we had a month ago.
That ere Bill went down ON 'euphony,
and the chap from Iowa who was left
standing had to he carried home IN a
blanket When Bill gets through with
sympathy the word will be chrome .
and you'd better start it with 'kr-o' or
be ready to jump through this winder
and run for the woods, for that ere Bill
is bound to outspell this deestrick if he
has to lick every human being in 1t y
The Detroiter had a good eye for har-
mony in chromos, and he wisely permit
ted big Bill to be the last one left stand
ing.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
tDIsTS.

A quarter of a million dollars was the
profit made by DAIRY nple, the Dakota
farmer, Last year.
John Putnam, Of CrnyloL. y. H., OWNS
a jersey COW whose yearly flow "f milk
makes 300 pounds of butter
4 man i'll Florida has been receiving,
daring the last two weeks. >s;!o dozen
for cucumbels skipped t. the n"rih.
The Maine Sugar Beet company is Ia
distribute S2OOD worth of sugar beet seed
among the New England farmers and in
some other sections.
Edward Atkinson SAYS that casilI"c Is
one Of three things, the others being rail
roads and electricity, that will work rapid
and beneficial results u nur national fu-
turc.
Sickness is prevalent among stuck in
New Hampshire this year, especially
among sheep and lnmhs One man lost
Il Of the latter from Il very small flock.
and another lost nine cattle 10y pnIsnn-
ing.
4 French naturalist saws: The Al
mighty created birds to protect the grain.
vegetables, trees and fruits s-;'in~t the
ravages Of the insect tribe. For every
bird that dies. millions of insects are
spared from death, and millions "a. III
srcts mean famine.
The Lewiston .EU,udi recommends
straw, damaged hay, chip dirt. spent tan
bark or saw-dust as excellent material fnr
mulch for raspberry, blackberry and
goo, cherry bushes. Grass cat hy the
lawn mower makes good mulch for
Strawberries. 1t should he applied after
the blossoms appear.
Raising cabba@es for fam stock IL lie
Sc. ing Of more attention than 1t L.
hitherto received Mr. James j. IL.
Gregory, the experienced market garden
er AMI sce,lsman of Marblrhrad, Mass.
saws: NO vrgrtihir raised in the tenn
peratr zone " III produr" rs much t"oi l."
| the acre. hotn for mah AMI beast. aS the
cabbage" He adds that he ha| seven
acres of the Marhlrhcad Mammoth Drum
| head which would Weld forty tons per
acre. The saline manure and cultivation
| which would produce forty TONS at eat
| bage wn.Ild urt produce more than twelve
| tons of Potatoes or thirty or thrtN-iiN'
/ tons Of Iuta haSas rr manScld Wnri@'l~.
/ and vet the clhha-rS, weight for w'I"h'.
/ for feeding purposes an, superior L. any
Of thcs, roots Heavy mautrlu@ Is r'-
| 1uircd tn give large crops, of cabbage.
/ and the strongest mauUrcs, CNrcpith" that
/ of the hog. may h. used for the purprs''.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

ADULTERArED COFFEE E-lIow TO DE-
TEcT Ir.-Ground coffee affords field for
adulteration, and for this purpose chico
ry, carrots, caramel, date-seeds, etc, are
the substances most commonly used.
The beans have Of late years been skill
fully initiated, but As coffee IL mostly
purchased i'll the ground condition, the
chief point for the consumer Is to bc able
to form some idea as 10 the character of
the latter article, and the following are a
a few simple and reliable tests
Take a little Of the coffee and press 1t
between the fingers. or give 1t II squeeze
j., the paper in which 1t is brought II
.....iiii,', II will not form coherent mass,
ny coffee grams are hard and do not rendi
ly adhere to each other but if the grains
stick to each other, and form a sort of
"cakr, we may Ice pretty sure of adnl-
teration IN the shape Of chicory, for the
grains of chicory are softer and more
open, and adhere without difficulty when
squeezed. Again, If We place few grains
III a saucer and moisten them with little
cold water, chicory will very quickly he
come soft like bread crumbs, while coffee
will take long time to soften. A third
test lake wIne-glass ora tumbler full
of water and gently drop II pinch OF the
ground coffee on the surface of the watsl
without stirring or agitating; genuine
coffee will float for some time, whilst chic
ory or any other soft root will soon sink
and chicory or caramel will cause a yel
lowish or brewnish color to diiluse rapid
ly through the water, while pure coffee
will give no sensible tint under such cir
crrastances for IA considerable length o
time Coffee mixtures" or coffee in
provers" should be avoided. They gel
dom consist of anything but chicory an'
caramel
French coffee, SO widely used at pre-
sent, is generally ground eofiee, TIN
beans Of which have been roasted with ;
certain amount of sugar, which coatini
over the bean, has retained more OF TN
original aroma than in ordinary coffee
but this, of course, at the expense of tn
reduced percentage Of coffee due to TIN
presence Of the caramel. The Sandt
rim FOR 4prH.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
PERSONAL AND POLITICAL.

1t is predicted that Samuel J. rildrn Will
he the next Democratic candidate for Cover
nor Of New York Postmaster General James
has already been named in connection with
the Republican nomination
Hon. Joseph Cill,.y of New Hampshire and
Hon. David Yul,e Of Florida are the two
oldest ex-Uui.ed Senators now living both
having entered the Scniic thirty-six Years
ago.
Remember 1S.j. We mean business
was the inscription upon flags flying by the
Mississippi Democrats during the last cleo
lion in REGIONS where the colorcd vote is in
conveniently large.
It WIS just ten years ago that Roscoe
ConklinS wrote ''Shall Republicans. in the
face of the enemy. refuse to stand by their
clusr which in effect is 10 desert To the
other side, merely because loavcs have not
come To Heir baskets nr fishes 10 thar
nets ? Men stand talking about federal
patronage. anI differences among leaders
and rcrsnnll feelings hvtwCcn individuals
and the like What dn the people care
about them? Of wliai public consequence
are the personal aims. Objects and mishaps "i
individuals y
If Secretary Window continurs 10 hold the
National nackci-hook until the LIST ol July
he will have effected saving nl nearly
S1J, 600, 900 in the annual interest account
1t is coming L. hc generally understood
tha, James \. Girli,d is President "i the
United States.
Onc. m, re- the NihilistS tair The offensive,
and threaten tn reopen the bloody watiiT'-
They have answered the manifesto Of lh'
Gar I,v Il proclamation, saying that they ac-
cru the war which has h'rn forced urtn
them. and are confident "t victory. lh'
Car has anticipated the mur,ltrnuS ATTACKS
of the NihiliSiS hy putting the imperial pal.
ac,. in u condition Ia resist hlS terrible I't9-
The men who were arrested in New "rh
for forging the famous Morry letter were all
,'i>chars,l Thursday. there hcins II" evi-
jcntr again>t Them.
When in 4 recent conversation with AlrN-
lu,!er IL STEPHENS, some one i'i'ir'd L. u
,rprc>sin. cG,cl ou the Democratic PARTY
L,st ,,,fuu,n af the Indiana rlr,tirn. ami IL
...,,..t,t., !, hat ,L.r b,rn an n,tabcr
y
'''''' '''' '''''''
I'm ..n,, .L.' Ln,r All .'I,r.r IpJ,,na wnud
nol % pen.rialic. nom The time r,aI
l;irnum'~ manifesto. lie admitted iir'i ile
| crops were S"'r,' ~" i.,.i ~.
'.m ,".i'.r I.,,,,iJ,.-,, ,nl,, anal an he I,,I
,,..,rs', ,I.is ,.,.th,t G,ri;,.I .tnlr tlr,..
hrn'ir.J and tvrnry-niur dollars"
| Ex-senator PEiii > brother IS Assistant III
r,,irt,.ndrnt in the Dead Letter Dtpartmcnt
:, a.. W, vi p,s,.,,,i,,. His SON Frank
~ .'i' W
/ MIR Wnndford in New York. The cX-Sen-
/ ninr himself Is sill Quarantine commissioner
| AT New York The rlait family seem L.
ne wen ,AN'n '''', ~ '''' u Wv
tue ~ >"'!' -
In conversation one day this wcck.soa cor
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

verb when used i'll reference to dinner,
tea or general refreshments in fact, any
request which has for its object the for
tifying of the inner nan, if prefaced by
"Will you take, " is not considered to be
cOnD,e II faHi, the verb in favor for the
offering of the ciyilities being the verb
"to have" Why the ons verb should be
in fashion and the other ont of favor is
not difficult of comprehension. and socie
ty may be congratulated upon its insis-
tance on having the right verb in the
right place, providing that the verb ''to
take be taken to mean ''to seize what is
not given, to ''catch by surprise or az
tiiice," to {" lay hold on, to snatch, to
seize, or TO get hold Of a thing in almost
any way, leaving out of the question any
other application of this verb: while the
verb ito have" when used in this sense,
must be taken to mean ''to obtain, to en-
Joy, to possess" Thus all enjoyment
would appear to be derived through the
verb ''to have" do mt You know,
'You KNOW" 'Do MT you see, 81 say,
are blemishes of speech whenever they
are used: but some few people contract
the ugly habit of making use of these cx-
pressions uncOnsciously and continuous
ly, perpetually interlarding their conver-
sation with them.
The word fellow" however much i'll
use it may be between men, sounds very
objectionable from the lips of women :;
and some women are given to the foolish
conceit of speaking of every man they
may happen TO know as n clear fellow, )"
charming fellow" a ''handsomo fell
low, or ''clever fellow"
Bean and ''beiie" are terms now no
longer i'll use and for beau no equivalent
has as yet been discovered, although the
"beauty" has replaced the ''belle.
Out Of the nursery it is not customary
for children to style their parents other
than by the good old-fashioncd reveren-
tial names of father and mother. y
"Papa" and mamma are now nursery
names only, but pa and ma" those
unpleasant abbreviations, are now quite
out of date
The courteous Thank you' has in n
measure replaced the uncourteons
"thanks," and it is no longer considered
very fine to make this curt curtailment.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

the beautiful memorial to Sir John
Franklin, or in the navo the unpTetend-
ing slab that marks the grave of Living
| ston.
Here by way of these clumsy wooden
steps to the chapel of the confessor and
past the recumbont eifigy of Henry ",
mntilated by the church despOiler, who
| stole the silver head, and would have
made away with the Agincourt saddle and
shield had they not been Oh rafters hung
too high.
Here is the looming shrine of Edward
the Confessor, but no longer radiant with
precious stones, robbed of its golden
image of kings and angels, of its crowns,
its garnets, rubies, sapphires, emeralds /;
Of its oxyn and pearls, of its golden Peter
trampling on the sapphire breasted Nero,
shorn Of all these and its rich mosaic, it
is only noble ruin. Note here as well
the clustered tombs of still moro kings
and queens; note also the very CORONA
ton chairs upon the oldest of which all
the sovereigns Of England from Edward
|. to her present majesty have been
cr,u ned Here they stand rs it wero su-
pieme, attracting from the sightseer more
attention than all else in the abbey.
Concerning these the imaginative brain
Of the stranger has doubtless conjured
up two imposing thrones SO elegantly
constructed, so elaborately ornamented,
as well nigh to battle description. But
alas He sees guarded rs it were by the
rusty state sword and broken shield Of
| the third Edward, two high-backed wocd-
en- chairs. so very uncomfortable in ap-
paarancc, SO very stiff and so very COM
4 .lN.l g
| ing so much as the furniture of his
grandfather's days, and pictures to him
self the newly crowned monarch wrlS-
Cling thereon wonderfully ill at ease.
However, at the coronation they are
richly covered and placed before the
reredos Of the abbey, where. amidst the
mobiles of the state, the bishops Of the
church, the iuttcrings of banners, the
blare Of trllmpets and burst of music,
another sovereign is added to The list of
English monarchs. and II new page is
turned in English history.
Under our antique chair is a rough
stone, dark and uninteresting i'll appear
aucr Now certain stories run rs how it
Is the fatal marble chair" carried into
Spain 10y some Athenian ruler of the old
en- time how it found its way into Ire
land during Spanish invasion under
the son of King Milo; or again that it
was certainly taken from the Emerald isle
by n colony Of Scythians, and when
there became sort of blarney; stone that
it is the self-same pillar upon which
Jacob laid his head ON the memorable night
Of his dream that it was certainly taken
from Ireland by Fergus, first of Scottish
kings, and thenceforward used as the
coronation seat of Scottish sovereigns.
Edward l.. in 1897, after pouring his ar
mics over Scotland, removed the famous
stone and offered it at the shrine of the
confessor, and now its journeys done,
and safe from all invading hordes, it lies
snugly under the historic chair to be ad-
mired as a curious selic, as verltlble
Rock of Ages.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
Curious Cats.
SpTlous saLs.
ABNORMAL HABITS OF CERTAIN REMAEkA-
ELE FELINES.
lCor. Public opini"n.l

cor. Public Oplniun.l
As one of the few men who like cats |
never lose an opportunity of trying to
make these social and Intelligent little
animals better known and understood,
and so beg Il small portion Of your space
for the purpose of adding to the cores
pondence OH this subject few facts that
have come under my own observation,
and for the authenticity Of which | can
vonch With regard to their palates,
once had cat that was extremely fond Of
bread and JAM Whenever she saw me
eating it-i was n youngstcr at that time,
and fond of it myself she would come
for her share. and as much more as she
could get. She must have had Il sweet
tooth generally, for she also liked any
kind cf cake. although she disagreed with
the principle uf having currants Ill 1t, and
to humor this whim of hers used to pick
them ont, if there were any III it, before
giving 1t to her The worst that can be
said about these tastes IL that they were
peculiar What | have to tell about tins
cats eldest sou, however, makes me
blush with shame for the whole feline
race.
This latter disrepuiuble and degraded
pussy displayed at an early age strong
taste for bitter beer, AMI have seen him
ut times so incbriated as Ia he unable to
stand, even ON the four legs nature had
blessed him with. II began in tins wise.
The tap Of our beer barrel leaked, 80 Il
saucer WIS placed underneath to catch
the drippings One day Pussy by chance
got shut up in the beer cellar. Perhaps
III inc ""rhi'eSS ne h'is'o"1 .'l' p''i io'
miih uhNho", "'on '.e u''o' ,I Mns In
4" 'iie saurrr was e'hp'!, a"u 'i', ''' ""'
ihihiS'"h"'ii ''sh'' r'"i' '''' '' ''
he was ever hanging about the n'er Gel
lar door, Watching ms oPPoi'unii' 10
SNEAK III, llueh 's mon lounge i"''n" 'n'
pusllc-nonse un"'fs III i'' i'iinsuS ~ oho
ON sundays. We cured MN "i HIS urihh-
ing habits nj last ny very simple pro,
cess. We got peer "arrei 'lint "f""
leak, AMI after 'ii'' ne eiianS'u MS "nSh'
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

MILAN, April u, 1881.
To the Editor of the Fee Press and Times:
Returning from Naples to Northern Italy
the traveller must feel that he is leaving a
paradise-but Il paradise Of filth and dishon-
esty and bcsrars. The nearer the Alps we
came tie frcer We brfarhcd and the more
lax became our hold on our purses, for here,
whatever NAV be said Of the Northern Ital-
iap's business integrity, the climate is not so
warm rs TO have melted his conscience
wholly away. He still believes it dishon-
orable to beg, but as regards stealing, his
scruples. like the old Spaitans, disappear 50
soon as he thinks lis theft will moi be found
out. | bring this charge against the North
crn Italians reluctantly. for in character as
in rhysiaue they are So far above the inhabi-
t,nts of Sonthern ltaly rs to belong 10 an
other roco lint . somewhat u,nlr,s,ut ac-
c;dept that occurred tonne bc,yecn Genoa and
Turir and the way il was REGARDED bv those
who knew of il bear ont the charge. |
Lcrt the courc 4 momcnt AT Noyi. a station
seventy milcs beIow Turin. 10 buy a lunch at
the r,ir1av restaurant, Unfortunately |
went ont with nv riding can on nv head
LEAVING 81 reyv b.t ne s.Ipnos,d safely. on
the rack ovcr mv sr,t In n moment the
hell run.r tLe whistle, bLr,y. | rushed back to
the co,n,e and rc were acaiu b,lrryinr on TO
AIcss,ndri, Then if WAS | noticed nv hat
,,.,s ,o, i, lie ,l.,cc il, ,he COMM | s1rrcst-
rJ,o, rood- -n,,urcd nriest and his travel
Iiu,, ccmr,niop. who had come all the way
fron, Como, th,t they mi.bt have seen nv
,.5.,o,,,, F,u IF s,.n,r,,hv they told me
u,., ro,. hod coon , ho, -,bev were not
,,r.,r.. :, u.as r,ire-vbict the gentleman
Who .,li,,,,,.,I -, tb,. last st,t;,n hal taken
with hin, os they b,l told him in answer ta
liz ir,,;r,. ,I.t !, L,I,rr.J Il, neither of
Them. Nothing could bc cooler, and vet it
seemed Ia n,e to be- arowin. warm. The
priest hrcaihcd sish Over his stupidity his
companion protested al my suggestion Of
telegram lhat tie thief could not he caught;
the conductor was rs little surprised To hear
of the theft as if it hal been Icgalized by the
bylaws Of the company In spite of the
neighl,nrhond Of the snowy Alps and the speed
with which we were hurrying on To Turin,
it was very warm, and vet was almost as
well satisfied then. while rejecting on the
typical Italian character, rs when walked
into hat store with riding cap on my head,
that nothing could b. cooler
Tie inhabitants of Piedmont aud Lom-
h:,1dv have Il National character peculiar to
themselves They have a hardy appear
ancc that resembles mote the Prus
slams than the Italians of Rome
or Naples. But in the outward
appearance the resemblance ends. They
have a Natural fnnslncss for art and refine
mcnt that is foiei.sn - the northern Euro
pcans. Their museums are not among the
best, but they are well appreciated, while
the patient, scholarly work Of the north finds
no friends here. The people are gay without
being given to frivolity, fond of display
without ever going to the extremes OF garid'-
ness which characterize the peasants OF
Southern Italy, fond as the French oi lash
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27
THE BLIND BEIDLE.

We l-row not who invented this instru
ment of horse torture, but we know he
did not understand the anatomy and
physiology Of the eye of a horse. Human
vision is binocular- that is We see the
same object with both our eyes. and so
adjust the axis of vision that the object
appears single though seen with two eyes.
But the eyes Of the horse are placed on
the sides of the head, and the axis of each
eve is nearly at right angles with the Ion
gitudinal line of the body. So that it is
impossible that the same object can be
distinctly seen by both eyes. Now. by
binding the eve i'll the direction i'll which
it was intended, in its construction, that
it should see, it is forced to use an oh
liquc vision, as If we should cover the
front of our optics and he compelled to
see only by the corners of our eyes. This
unnatural and constrained use Of the eye
must to q greater or less extent impair
vision, il not entirely destroy it. The OBJ
iect for which the bliud-bridlc is used is
not accomplished by it. \ horse is more
readily frightened when he cannot see
the object Of his dread. than ii he can
have a fair Wow of it. But 1t il Surpris
ing to observe with what tenacity men
hold on to an absurd and cruel practice
when Il momcnt's reflection should teach
them better. Nineteen out OF every
twenty horses you see in harness have
blind -britlles on, and if y"u ask the own
er to explain its benefits. ur why he uses
il. and he " i'll be utterly unable to give Il
rational answer We are not surprised
that draft horses are subject tu diseased
cyes-we rather wonder that they are not
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-27

woman who had him takes care Of him
for 81 week.
"No-o-ar =
''Fact"
The old mans Jaw fcll, his eyes re-
NAMED fixed on the ceiling for minute,
and, then he fell back i'll his seat, with
the exclamation
"Chaw me Everybody has called me
a fool for the past twenty years, and now
they are right Conductor :!
eyes"
"Pleasc mop the floor with me and
break my neck, and step on me n :hous-
and times, and then throw the mnngled
wreck into some swamp, for | won't be
no more good in this world =