davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
The BicYcIes.

As a mere machine for transportation,
the bicycle is entitled to a high consid-
Grafton. In England, and more especially
in the large cities like London, the
bicycle has taken an Acknowledged
place with the cab, the omnibus, the
tramway, and the steam-car. In London
thousands of them are IN use by men
who employ them for the same purpose
that they would a saddle-horse. They go
to their business ON them in the morning
and return at night, with the same regu-
larity that other men traverse the same
routes by means of the regular lines of
transportation. This is the case often
with men who live as many as from six
to ten miles from their places of bust
ness. They escape the fetid air of the
omnibus, they have no fare to pay, and
rs rule they make the journey in less
time than they could were they to travel
by the usual vehicles of transportation.
In this direc ton the matter of economy
is of no small account The person
who uses bicycle to go to and from
his place of business IN London, or in
any of the larger cities of the country,
save not less than ten cents day--a not
very large sum, it is true, but one which
pays him from forty to fifty per cent.
per annum on his purchase of machine,
and gives him the advantage of a most
inspiriting and delightful method of
locOmOtlon.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
Art Thoughts.

The arts are dependent upon the Gus
toms and manners Of the people.
In countries where caste prejudice
I predonlinates, we may look for stu
| pendous ediices, the work Of the servile
/ class under the direction of the reIgnlDg
/ caste.
The mighty pyramids attest this truth.
/ Time was of no value and human serYi-
/ tude and sacrifice OF little moment, IN
view Of the grand monumental result.
The Egyptians took no delight in
commerce or in industrial progress !;
they were self-contained, self-immured
solitary, and it Is small wonder that the
I Kings workmen should devote life
time only 10 the excavating and the dec
Grating of the tomb of the King.
The Greeks conducted the arts into
new channels. Tie extent of their coast
aud their republican sgoyernInent aided
and Stimulated commerce, progress, and
the spirit of research, common to this
people.
With the Greeks nothing was value
less which showed intrinsic beauty.
They had a rare passion for form, for
perfection everything useful must also
Ice ideal With practice came skill, the
appreciation of time, aud the rewards of
litlttotlN- IN u Siipii > il3tOC " tiiii' tiiSg
monopolized commerce, and industry,
and perfected all tine arts.
The Egyptians and Hindoos, 10y caste
prejudice and isolation. never rose higher
than their own barren Intelligence
in matters of art. The Greeks had
Progress for u watCh-word. Thought
was necessary to progress, aud all their
works are incarnations of the best and
ripest thought OF the age III which they
were produced.
With the Greeks a colossus is not
carven like a life size figure. and a bas
relief which receives direct light differs
from one which receives reflected light
This Is the result of their delicacy of
perception, their minute study of nature,
and the perfection of their technique.
Greek sculpture and architecture owe
their beauty and significance to their
impfessiveness, and this is due TO fidelity
to nature. There they found harmony,
unity, strength, grace, beauty, perfec-
ton; they knew how to translate all
these sentiments of the Creator into
the language of art, and the result was
ideal perfection.
Ideal style may be defined as the cor
rect translation into art of those phe-
nomena and attributes of nature which
are significant of action, and perpetuity.
The task of translating and embodying
the eternal creative canons Is the prov
ince of genius And genius is but con-
formity to natural laws IN applying
them to artistic symbolism Far
rand Felc7t IN Indianapolis Herald.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
..euilty. but Drunk,

Capt. Henry's misadventure recalls
story which went the rounds S&enty- five
or thirty years ago, and is old enough to
be new. 1t illustrates the embarrass-
meat which glass too much sometimes
occasions the best Of men. There lived
in Georgia, says Col. Bradbury, whom
Burton credits with the narrative, a Cir
cult Judge by the name of Brown, a
man of ability, of integrity and beloved
and respected by all the legal profession.
But he had one fault. His social quail
tiles would lead him. despite his judg-
ment. into occasional eXcesSes. In
travelling the circuit it was his habit, the
night before opening court, to get
Comfortably corned. In certain
county town, one day, a tough citizen
was arraigned ON a charge of. stealing.
After the clerk had read the Indictment
to him he put the question:
Guilty or not guilty?"
Guilty, but drunk, answered the
prisoner.
sWhat,s that plea?" exclaimed the
Judge, who was half doing on the
bench. Al
HE pleads guilty, but says he was
drunk" replied the clerk.
whats the charge against the man -
i" He is indicted for grand larceny"
s'What's the case?'
MAY it please your Honor, said the
Prosecuting Attorney the man is Q
gularly indicted for stealing large sum
from the Columbus Hotel.
!" He is, hey ? and he pleads -
"He pleads guilty, but drunk -
The Judge was now fully aroused.
Guilty, but drunk That l. most
extraordinary plea. Young man, you are
certain you were drunk?"
'sYes, sir.
ssWhere did you get your hquor?"
cat Sterritt's.'
i" Mr. Prosecutor" said the Judge.
"do the favor to enter a noUe 1roseqyti
in that mans case. That liquor of
Sterritt's is mean enough to make man
do anything dirty. The court got
drunk on it the other night and stole all
of Sterritt's spoonsl Release the prisoner,
Mrss Sheriff; i adjourn the court. -
Louisville Courier ,Ioli17lQl.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
An Old old Storv.


Come in Well declare, stranger,
you gave me quite a turn! I-I-was
kind of expectin' somebody, and for half
a minute L thought mebbe as twas her,
but she'd never stop to knock want a
bite and sup and a nights lodging !?
Why of course sit down, I-a-most
forgot to ask you, was that Illustrated.
Poor soul How tired and worn out
| you look can make you comfortable
for the night and give you n good meal
| of vlctuals and shake-down on the
! floor, but would hardly like to put you
in Lizzie's room-she was that particu-
lar, and your clothes are so wet and
drabbled. Why, woman, what makes
you shake so-ague? Never heard
tell of any in these parts. Guess you
must have brought it with you. Well, a
good nights rest Will set You up wonder
fully, and you can lie right here, by the
stove, and the fire smolderin will keep
you warm, and the light viii be burnin'
till its broad day-broad day
What do keep the light Albumin
for2 Well, now, when folks ask me
that, sometimes l tell them one thing
and sometimes~I tell them another. L
don't know rs L mind tellin' you, because
you are such poor, MISFORTUNE crea-
tur, and a stranger, and my heart kind
of goes out to such. You see, l have a
daughter. She's been away these ten
years, has Lizzie, and they do say as
she's hvin' in grandeur In some furrin'
place, and she's had her head turned
with it all, for she never lets her poor
old mother hear from her, and the fine
people she's with coaxed her off unbe-
knownst to me, and L don't mind tellin'
you as it wasa great shock to me, and
amt the same woman since Lizzie went
out one night, and when she kissed me
said. /" Leave a light in the window
mother, till | come back and that was
ten years ago, and I've never seen her
since, but I've burned n light in the
window every night all these ten years,
and shall till she comes home. Yes it's
hard to be a mother and be disappointed
so l allowed she was dead till folks, rs
seen her well and splendid, told me diff
ferent, and L was sick long time-that's
what made my hair so white-butI hope
she never heard of it, 'tvould have
made her as miserable as / was, and her
fine things would not be much comfort
TO her Folks blame her terribly, but
L N her mother, and it just seems as if
[ could see her, so pretty, with her long
brown curls, and the smile she had, and
her gentle ways, and / loving her better
than heaven above mel This is my pun
ishment- to sit alone all day and never
20 to sleep at night, but hear her cry
ing " Mother mother where are you ?"
and if | go once, go a dozen times 10
the door, and look up and down the
lonesome road and call, L-i-z-z-i-e
I.-i-z-z-i-e !" and there's never any
answer but the night wind moaning IN
the trees.
WE'LL | did't mean to make you feel
so bad don't cry, poor soul You've
had enough trouble of your own,
guess. by your looks Your hands are
ike ice-and your temples and your
face is white nd-and-and-why what
is this? You are not old and your hair
hangs in brown curls-and Your eyes
Merciful God it's Lizzie come back to
her mother-it's my child that was lost
and Is found-put out the light
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
A Model Sexton.

Josiah II. Haywood, sexton of the
Church of the Unity, Boston, has re-
Gently celebrated his silver wedding
Among the Incidents of the festive oc-
casion was the reading of letter from
Rev. NJ. J. Savage, his pastor, in which
he said:
'Ipropose therefore-entirely for your
own good TO suggest few faults. If
YOU can only manage to cure THESE you
will have become the ideal sexton, and
Won can command salary of $40, 900 a
year, or perhaps more than that by
travelling with Barnum as the greatest
curiosity of the age. The faults l allude
to are such as these:
.sFirst-You have not yet learned how
to make the church hot and cold at the
same time You must learn how to
make one pew mark 4seventy-ive degrees
Fahrenheit, while the next one to it Is
down to point where 1t would be I'M
comfortable for an esquimaux.
sSecond-You do net seem to know
how to have a free circulation, a plenty
of fresh air, and yetnot have any draught
anywhere. You must invent some way
to make all the draughts skip the pews
where rheumatic and bald-headed people
sit.
'lQlTu-IOu nave uOb yet acQulISu
the art of having the church flooded
with light while the blinds are shut at
the same time. This should be attended
to at once, and you should not offer any
such poor excuse as that it is impossi-
ble.
3 s'Fourth-You must find out some
way of giving everybody the best seat,
right in the center of the church, no
matter whether the pews are already full
or not.
"Fifth-You must learn how to fill all
the pews with strangers without making
anybody mad about it, and, at the
same time,s have plenty of room left for
the regular pew-holders.
''Sixth-And finally you shall spend
your leisure time In inventing a patent
church that shall be just warm enough,
and not too light, but just light enough,
where all the people, whatever their
mental, moral or physical condition, will
be perfectly comfortable, and-crowning
achievement of all-that shall have all
the seats in the midd die
"What is a sexton for, anyhow. if he
can't please everybody at the same
timer" -. -e
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
Daphne McGuire.

There is no more pie"
God help us. then" said Daphne
MetuIre, looking up to her mother with
weary, wlstful, why doesn 't-somepody-
puy-me, a-seal-skin-sacque expression on
her oval face.
Mrs. Mcclure did not reply. Leaning
her bangless head on thin, white hand
The hand that Vivian O'Rourke had
called a dimpled treasure that one
might risk his soul to win, that night,
so many years ago, that she had rejected
ms protered love and caused HIM 70
wander away in wild despair and marry
Glrofie Cuirk-and thought of how, had
she Phghted her troth to him, life would
now have been a garden in which pretty
flowers waved their bright faces, instead
OF wlnd-swept waste, barren alike OF
flowers and venture. She remembered
how, Tor the first few years after their
marriage, every thing went well with
Percicles Mcclure, and how, wheIt
Daphne was a prattling infant, he had
come home full one evening and told her
III proud tones that he had reached the
summit of his ambition, and was a
policeman. All these memories OF the
past-the bitter and the fsweetTcame
surglng through her mind as she hooked
out through her tears and saw the Blue
Island avenue cars going by like ghosts.
in the twilight. -
Why do you weep, mammal said
Daphne, placing her soft West Side
arms about the neck of the mother she
loved SO dearly-the only mother she
had.
Il fear me, Bridget" said Mrs.
Mcclure, using the pet name by which
Daphne was known at home, that our
future must indeed be a cherries one;
that the coming days viii hold for us
only sorrow and misery"
do not be disheartened, mamma,
replied the girl, kicking the dog off the
front steps and kissing her mother with
a warm, lingering, I-lnve- come-to-stay-
H-winter-and- part of the spring kiss.
''Things may not be so bad as they
seem. We have still one hope. YOU.
know, one resource In case all else tails.
"What is it, child ?" asked the mother
in hodrse, anxious tones. ''What is this
hope you speak of?'
"Doughnuts, replied Daphne, speak
ing the word softly, and with infinite
Tenderness. y We have a jar of them
down stairs, you know.
.'phen let us tackle them at once. .
said the grief-strieken parent, starting
for the pantry at 800 clip Chicago
Tribune.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
A Close Call.

The people of little town in Warrick
county were on the brink of a fragrant
church scandal. Just before the close
of the services, Il good brother walked
forward to the pulpit, handed the minis
ter an announcement, as he thought
and asked him to read it to the congre-
cation before ne dismissed them. just
before time was called on the doxology
the minister said
Brother Bramley has handed in the
following - and IN a clear voice he read
the note which ran as follows
M OUH Pet Brdm.-Are you never
coming to see me again / am dying to
see my darling once more and gaze into
his beloved eyes. The old mummy that
calls herself your wife viii never find 1t
ont. How can you endure her Come,
darling, to one who truly loves you.
Your own and only MARY
The good brother had handed in the
wrong announcement. At the close of
the reading the minister looked horror
struck, the congregation stared at Bran
ley with cold, hard stares and his wife
rose up in her seat and glared at him
like tigress. He was equal to the oc-
casion, however, and rising calmly and
with n look of perfect resignation on his
face he said:
" Brothers and Sisters-It may APP
pear strange to you that l should ask
our beloved pastor to read such terri
bic thing as that from the pulpit, but
the best way to fight the devil is to fight
him boldly face to face. The writer of
that vile note is unknown TO me, but it
is evidently some depraved child of sin
who is endeayoring to besmirch my
christian reputation. L shall use every
endeavor to ferret ont the writer and if
discovered viii fearlessly proclaim her
name and hold her up to the contempt
of all good christian people"
He sat down amid the murmur of APP
probation and sympathy, and his wife
wanted to hug him right before the con-
gregation. That evening he told the
writer of the note what had occurred
and remarked with a grin that it was the
closest call he ever had in his life
Evansville ArQuS.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
POPULAR SCIENCE.

o Fzg- ANsoBsErvAT has Just been conn
4 80 plsted on Mount Etna, 9,671 feet above
the sea level.
PERFUMES exert healthful influence
on the atmosphere, converting it's oxygen
into ozone. -
THE. gastric juice is more acid while
digestion is going on than in the intervals
IT Is claimed that railway ties saturated
in creosote will last for twenty years or
more in good condition.
SUGAR, according to a prominent
= physician, promotes digestion, and may
80 Ibef prescribed in certain cases of
dyspepsia.
TIE locomotives on some Russian rail
roads are heated with. crude naphtha,
~ wlhch is introduced into the tender as ii
"a comes from the wells.
I'LL ETHE eggs Of o gnat are placed side
- Inv side to formthe figure of boat, so
that the gnat-boat, like the life-boat,
has the property of righting itself when
cspsized.
- tricts are very injurious to trees in the
Nsa Deighborhood. The sulphuric acid con-
tanned in the gases is absorbed by the
leaves. ~ t1tt sAeftE As4A4A stRF
The CLEAN of falling water attracts
certain Insects as powerfully as does
artificial light. In Iceland moth after
mOtu nave Deeh seen IFllfy uellDcfatelN
into waterfall, where they disappear.
ToDEoDoRIze rubber, cover the articles
with charcoal dust. place them in closed
vessel, and raise the temperature to
94f T.. Let them remain for several
hours and they will be found free from
all odor.
by BREATHING for some moments on a
glass goblet previously moistened with
water, and next rinsing the glass in pure
distilled water, this liquid will be found,
by the usual tests, to contain ammonia
and nitric acid. tff
The tsetse fly of Africa whose bite
proves fatal TO domestic animals laws its
eggs within the flesh at every bite and
the animal which dies from the effect
proves to contain myriads Of white
worms in its stomach
The Chinese pharmacopoeia contains
~ obstruction for making various kinds of
vine known as mutton, deer, dog or
snake wine. The ingredients of mutton
wine a6 a sheep. milk, brown sugar.
honey, raisins and various drugs.
fsa PLAcINa one or two bits of roast meat
on the leaves of the drosera rot,ndefoiia
shows that the leaves fed were of a
brighter green than those starved The
supply of nitrogren had evidently
assisted in the production of chlorophyl
NEW use of the telephone is
that OF finding underground water
courses. The micro phones are buried
in the soil ON hillside, and each con-
%nected with separate battery and
telephone. BY listening at the telephone
Mt night, the faintest murmur or gurgling
.Sfs. OF water can be detected. f.F
H
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
An Event IN Ole BuIps Career.

Inc Aecssdeny o. Music was reopened
on on the 18th of February, 1855, under
tne management of the very distin-
gulsheda Morse siolinist.- Ole Bull, who
leased that vast and splendid void for
! snort season. Among his artists were
NJ. ;Slo !! Patti yestyali, Brignoli, and
t pasllaIdi and he offered prize Of one
thousand dollars for the best original
grand opera an American composer
so 81 an An Amerlcpn subject the copyright
70 pe Ietaped by the author-a vain
proposes and an unwise limitation.
~ slc Is not cultiyated thus neither by
aa ...ess-eiSing, nor by efforts to elevate
am ana encourage native artists, and
;snl less IS, ny insisting upon native sub
49, sn5 - Inc whole history of literature
s ana OF ne fine arts is a rebuke to such
io,.y s, IL was in keeping with this pro-
!eo. ellat Oie Bun should go forum as
manager s with greater speed than any of
nis predecessors. He did not last two
= sonsns ana his short managerial career
Is wo T Of thissbrief warning. notice
only oeoasseAof. ms distinction as viz
tuoso, and because ia that capacity he
n., 49, SHOWN no less skill in manipulating
puuuc curiosity than in handling his in
the Century.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
A Detectives story.-

There is a story told of lady and gen.
ueman travelling together on an English
ralroad: They We're strangers to each
+ other. Suddenly the gentleman said:
Madam, / will treuhle. Won to look
oSt. OF the window for al few minutes I
am going to make. some changes in my
wearing apparel"
Certainly, sir" she replied with
great politeness, rising and turning her
back upon him. In short time be
said ~,
"Now, Madam, my change. is COM
pleted, and you may resume Your seat
When the lady turned. she beheld her
male companion transformed into dash
ing lady with a,haay5 ven over her face.
NOW, sir, or madam, whichever
yon are, said the lady, ST must
trouble you to look oat Of the window.
Tor also have some changes to make in
my apparel .
tdertainly, moaau,Ss. and the gentle
{nan IN iady's ats.re Immediately CONS
Now sir, syos. may resume YOU,
III Ms great surprise. on resumiinc his
seat, theg gentleman In female attire
found his lady cpmp ai1on transformed
dntp a man.. He Bughed and saidi: d 4
VT appears that we are both anxious
to escape reco4nif'op, What have YOU
done y fhave rol,ied a bank ?"
And i, 'Asaid tliewhilom lady. as he
dexterously fettered <his companions
wrists with a pair of handouts, 81 am
Detective J-z-.ylof Scotland Yard. and
in female apparel have shadowed Won
for two days-now," drawing revolver,
keep still"
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
A Widower.

a Western man having lost his wife.
n sympathizing friend remarked upon his
woe-begone appearance.
We'll. j guess you would look thin,
too was the melancholy rejoinder, &" if
you had to get up before daylight, make
the fires, draw water, split wood, and
feed the cattle before breakfast. | tell
you what it is, if / don't get some one to
fill poor, dear, sainted Maria's place. I
shall be resting by her side before many
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-16
East Indian Snakes and Wolves.


An East. India paper SAYS " One
thousand two hundred and siixtv-four
persons were killed by wild animals and
9,5l5s by snakes in the Presidency of
Bengal last year. In the same period
the number of cattle DESTROYED was ND
ward of $1,000. This, says a Bombay
paper, is a considerable bill of mortality
for one Presidency, but we suppose in
this, as in all other matters. as is so
/ often asserted. the sIainor Presidencies
must admit the superiority of Bengal.
3 Compared with the returns of 1873. the
figures quoted from an interesting state
ment Just issued by Mr. COUNSEL, the
Acting Registrar. show a considerable
increase, In one respect, however. there
was falling off, namely, in the number
OF persons killed by wolyes-eighty-
three, against 152 in 1873. Probably
wolves are less yoracious in Bengal than
they used TO be, but the shikars. anna
teur- and profess;GI,J, have not shown
more considerat,ou for them than for
merly. Indeed, the sportsmen have met
with greater success than ever, for
nearly 800 more were killed than in the
previous twelve months. Altogether
Dob wild animals were DESTROYED dur
ing the past year. From the statistics
sent IN to Government it appears that
II, 1O2 snakes were killed, against "a, 276
IN 1873, but the actual number was
probably very much larger. The re-
. tprn relate only to the snakes, for the
Z t,,s stfuceionsot which rewardsswere paid.
ihese rewards are only given for Co
oras, daooras, and keraits destroyed
wlthln the limits of towns, m1nicipali-
Ties, and villages in which the VILLAGE
Chowkidaree act is in force. and.jt seems
Una, many persons who destroy venomous
snakes, even within the limits for which
rewards are gwen, never ask for the
!; money none TO which they are entitled. The
so'a4 amount paid in rewards last year
was 2S. $40. IA rupees