davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
Stories About Blind Men.

Three men, two of them blind, were
drinking together one night, in the room
of public house, and as is too often the
result of such convivial meetings, one OF
the blind men quarreled ana came 10
blows with the man that could see. Here
was likely to be battle not by any
means on equal terms. But the other
blind man was equal to the occasion.
That the man who could see should have
no undue advantage over his less fortu-
nate opponent, up jumped the blind
friend and turned off the gas, and so
they pommeled each other in a harmless
way for a time. We have given an IL
lustration of the warlike passion. As
an offset we could give many illustra-
trations of the gentler passion, love, for
the blind are eminent disciples of Cupid
and Hymen. As a rule a respectable
blind man has no difficulty in getting
seeing wife, and very often with good
looks to boot. And when we consider
the delicacy of touch IN the finger-tips
of the blind, the latter is not to be
wondered at. Blind men, however, do
not always marry wives who see. We
know of many instances in which both
husband and wife are blind, and have
managed to rear families without the
occurrence of any serious mishap either
to themselves or the children. And the
cases are rare in which the latter are de-
fective in sight. Only lately the marriage
took place of a blind couple somewhat
advanced in years, she being his second
wife, and he her third blind husband.
The marriage was not wanting in the
elements of romance, for in their young
days they had courted, and parted, blind
in a double sense. We will conclude
with courtship, but in this case will
not vouch for its truth. A blind man on
several occasions met widow, who was
not, however, ike himself, blind, and
latterly concluded that she would make
him good wife. He resolved that he
would "pop the question" without loss
of time. Accordingly, one evening found
hime in the widows house for that pur-
pose, when his suit was entirely success
full. But so elated was he with his sue
cess that, on leaving her door, he forgot
he was up flight of stairs. The stair
case window being very low, and hap
pening to be open, he felt the air on his
heated brow, and at once stepped out
without thinking where he was, and sc
fell into the court below. The widow,
hearing the noise. ran down, greatly
alarmed, but was fully reassured that nc
bones were broken by his remark
maggie, We hae a big step to YOU
door I'-ChaBl6erS' Journal.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
JessO."

We want more industry and more OPP
portunities for our boys and our girls,
and we want our cotton worked up at
home and that will give US cheaper
goods, for we won't have to pay freight
both ways. They talk great deal about
a tariff for revenue only out have never
seen one yet that didn't prove to be a
tariff for protection, and | never will. 1t
is all a complicated piece of machinery
fixed up by politicians to get to Con
gress, and they stay there and the poor
consumers don't know anything about
1t. Jesse. In the good old honest days
when the masses of the people made
nearly everything at home It didn't mat
ter so much, but it does now. l was
a-thlnklng of the days when we used to
wear country jeans and homemade
Jhoes and wool hats and drank water
out of a clean gourd instead of a silver
upper, and sat IN split-bottom chairs
the best chair in the world-and lived III
houses we were not afraid of. do hate
to be afraid of a house when 1 go in it.
| was thinking of the times when the
boys went to mill and chopped the fire.
wood and wore homemade galluses and
made balls out of old rubber shoes and
played marbles without Judging, and
called up doodle-bugs out of their sand
holes. The boys are now too smart for
the hike OF that. They know more than
we know, and by the time they are
grown they Will know it all and quit.
Jesse. But still I am hopeful. There
is always some good seed In the basket,
and maybe the old stock won't run out
entlrely.-BiU Arp.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
PULLMAN.
The Van who Ruus the Perambulafina
Lodging Houses.
tohicsgo Letter to New York EIPrss'.l

rohicago Letter to New York EIpress.l
The history of Mr.. Pullman is that of
q busy man-sagacious, ambitious and
useful. He is now about forty-seven
years of age, in perfect health, sym
pathetic in his habits, and good for
twenty years, at least, of work. He has
a home in Chicago that cost nearly
S400, 900, where he lives mostly while in
America. He has elegant summer places
on the St. Lawrence and at Long Branch,
at which one of his four brothers, two of
whom are preachers, or some of his i'm
mediate family or friends may be found
during the summer. He spends much
.,of his time ia Europe. The secret of
his being able to accomplish so much
business is his marvellous power of dis
elimination in selecting his lieutenants.
He simply has to order, and the work is
done. Mr.. Pullman got his start in
mining in Colorado. He made some
money there, and Mr. II. 1. Kimball
was, l believe, associated with him. 1t
is said that he was worth less than
500, 900 when he began with the sleep
ing cars He bought out the patents of
Wagner and Woodruff and organized
the Palace Car Company on a small
scale. The same company now has over
l 200 palace, hotel and sleeping cars
running in this country. These cars
cost more than $4,000, ,000 The Pull
man Southern Company, of which he is
President, has about eighty-five cars
running, and is building new ones as
rapidly as possible. This company is
managed by Major Thomas Hayes, of
Louisville, and he has handled it, as he
does every thing else, successfully. 2
hear that il had nearly S40O, 600 debt
five years ago, when he took it. 1t has
about paid this debt in five years and
added $500, 600 worth of cars-a pretty
good record. Pullman cars have been
put on the roads in England, but none
are yet running on the continent. In
England they are very successful, In
this country the railroad company pay
Mr.. Pullman three cents a mile for
every mile the car is pulled over the
road. 1t furnishes lights and gas The
Pullmans maintain the car and equipe
it. Some of the roads have abolished
the Pullman cars and put on a line of
sleepers of their own. This custom is
not growing. however, some of the roads
having abolished their own sleepers and
recontracted with the Pullmans. The
hotel cars do not pay on any line, but
are kept on as convenience and in the
hope that they viii finally. The chief
enterprise with which Mr.. Pullman has
been connected since he organized the
system of cars that bears his name was
the elevated railway system of New York.
The cars were and are made at his
works. His next enterprise was the City
of Pullman. This is now occupying his
time, and will keep him busy for a wear
or two. He will, doubtless, enlarge it
even beyond its present scheme, and add
new industries to the vast ones already
collected there, and thus. may be, the /
need for more workmen and more hands.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
THE HINDOO'S SEARCH FOR
TRUTH.

the world over wander, IN lands that neysr
re- the psopie sternaly seeking for the signs and
restward across the ocean, and northward ayOni
The snow,
wisest knowg
Here in this mystical India the deities hover and
like the Wild bees heard in the tree tops, or he
gusts OF 4 gathering storm;
In the air hear their voices, their feet on be
Yet we al say, whence is the message, and what
may the wonders mean T."
A million shrincs stand open, and ever the eeuser
As they bow to mythical symbols or the agur of
And the incense rises over, and rises the endless
OF those who arc heavy laden and Of towards 10Th %
~ die !.
Above US is the sky, and around us tas sound Of
shot that kills;
We pray to the trees for shelter, and pres lips
70 stone
Here are the tomLs Of my knfolk the hrs'of an an.
Chiefs who were slain on the war field, aaa women
They are gods, these Kings Of tn. foreaae, they
are spirits who guide our race
Ever watch and worship; they sit win aro-e
face.
And the myrid idols around me, and the ssion OF
mutiering priests, ,-,,-
feasts-
What have they wrung from the silence hAth even
whisper come
OF the secret-whence or whittier? Alas! The gods
dumb.
shall list the words Of the English, who come from
the uppermost seal
The secret, hath u been told you and VIA s YOUR
message TO me2H
1t is naugh but the worldwide story, how the earth
and the heasens began.
How the gods are glad and hungry, and ne bel'y
once was a man.
I had thought. sperchance in the cities wherc tss
rulers Of india dwell,
Whose orders flash from the FAR land, who efile the
earth with spell,
They have fathomed the depth doat on, OF meas
ured the unknown MAN.
Sadly they turn from the venture and say that they
quest ia vain
Is life then dream and delusion, and where shsA
the dreamer awakef
Is the world seen like shadows on water, and what y
the mirror break
Shall it pass camp that is struck, as tent that
fs gathered and gone
From the sands that were lSmpLt at eve, and al
morning are level and lones
Is there naI.ght in the heavens above, whence the
hail and levin hurled,
But the wind that is swept round Us by the rush ot
the rolling word2
The wind that shall scatter ashes and bear x
silence and sleep,
With the dirge and the sounds Of layueuung, and
voices Of women who weep2
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
Are Mems Heads GroNAg SmaIIerl

Allow me to draw the attention of your
readers to a statement which IS certainly
strange, If true. An opinion Is preya-
lent in the hat trade that the size OF
mems heads has undergone decrease
within the last thirty or forty years.
The following statement has been
given to me by halter whose name has
attained n pre-emlnence Of duration Of
more than one generation. Five and
thirty years ago, ne SAYS. "when wa, a
young man. we used to purchase hats for
retail trade in the following ratio
Sizes I-21ta-22- PA -23-23jI ins.
number. o. -2-4 al
cat the present time" he adds, Il
am selling hats IN this ratio:
Sizes. ... 1-2I}l- l-22- -221 z-23-2S]5 ins.
Relative
number st 81 10
A manufacture writes u should
say that heads generally are two sizes
less than at the time you refer to. A
head of more than twenty-four inches in
circumference Is now quite rarity, while
we make thousands Of hats for heads
with a circumference of twenty-one
inches" l have received similar state
ments from other members of the trade,
both wholesale and retail, and therefore
=
bringing them under your notice. Ac-
| cepting the statement qgtantttDl Uaiect,
have endeavored to ascertain whether l
could find any explanation or confrma-
tion thereof. 1 have not succeeded, and,
therefore, venture to ask information or
| opinions through your columns. The
statement comes to me not only from
men of intelligence and observation ex-
ercised beyond the limits of the shop or
factory it is, 1 am informed, extensively
| believed among hatterB it may, never
theless, be merely general impression,
The diminution, it is said, is observed
mostly among grooms and men of that
| class in the social scale. If this is really
the case the change should also be
noticeable also among soldiers. The
diminution is possibly more apparent
than real, and may be traceable to the
alteration in the style of hair-cutting, or
| of wearing the hat.-Letter to Nature.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
A Beggar Woman With a History.

An old beggar woman, long known at
Courbevole and the envirOns of Paris on
that side, died recently IN a state of COM
plete penury. On her arms were found
several tattoo marks, and among them
were the names Of Marie Birou and Of
Petit, lovingly interwined together.
These names soon suggested the recol-
lection Of a strange episode long passed
almost into oblivion, and threw an un-
expected light upon the real name and
character OF the old woman. 1t is re-
corded In the annals Of the French
Newgate that in 1S47 a man named
Brou died under suspicious circGm-
stances, and the wife, together with a
man named Petit, were tried for having
poisoned him, and convicted of murder.
The male convict was executed IN due
course, but the woman was sentenced to
imprisonnaeIlt FOR life. and was IN the
Jail of St. Lazare when, in the month Of
February, 1SiS, the revolution broke
out. On the oath OF that month the
mob broke into the prison and let ont
the prisoners, and among them the
woman Bmou. From then she has led
checkered life, being at one time en-
plOyed as a servant IN a house Of busl-
ness at Montmatre Here, however, the
atmosphere of crime continued still TO sur
round her, for the man by whom she
was employed had brother who was
also condemned to capital punishment,
and suffered death by the guillotine at
Versailles This incident caused the
brother to break up his establishment
and turn Marie BirOu out upon the
world again. She managed, however,
still to elude the pursuit of the detec-
tives, and obtained an appointment at
Courdevole, where, after she was too
old to work, she continued to exist prin-
cipally upon the charity of her neighbors,
until death at last revealed the secret OF
her identity by discovering the tattoo
marks on her arms.-PdriSian.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
A Conundrum FxnIained

Chow do you come to ask six dollars
for this load of ,firewood, when John
Smith your neigihbor, offers the same
kind of wood for four dollars ?" was the
question Gilhooly asked of the man in
charge of a load of fuel In Austin.
q" Well, you see | am going to be in
dicted for stealing this wood, and 1 viii
cence. That's why [ have to charge two
dollars load extra.
doesn't John Smith steal his wood,
too %
Certainly he does. He cuts it off
the same tract of land where I got this. y
"Wen. doesn't he have to hire law
yer. too. to prove his innocence"
"Of course not. He is never indicted
by the Grand Jury.
why don't the Grand Jury indict
him ?"
Because he's always appointed fore
man. He has got more influence than L
have. .''-Te1as Siftin9s.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03

There was q quick trampling of feet
and the sound Of crushing shrubbery, rs
if the men were breaking through it.
Then another mans voice spoke:
"He has disappeared, your Excel
lence.''
Very well, we shall find him yet. He
cannot escape me. This is fine piece
of business, surely-the daughter of
Count VILLAIN holding secret meetings
with some common vagabond. LenOre
shall take the veil. ="
YES" I cried, ct the bridal veil,
Count. l shall pay my respects IN per-
son to-day"
Then, leaving them to get over their
astOnishment as best they might, | re-
turned to the house in high spirits The
name, Count VILLAIN, had given me the
clew to the whereabouts of Lepore. The
dwelling of which l have spoken as sit
uated across the plain and opposite the
rock was the residence of Count VILLAIN.
l had met the old gentleman IN the city
and formed n speaking acquaintance
with him. As neither of Us had men
toned our private affairs, / had no
means of connecting his daughter with
my invisible girl.
That afternoon presented myself to
the Count. and, after amazing hmm with
my story, which a few tests convinced
him was true, formally proposed for his
daughters hand As my wealth and
social position were well known, he
offered no objections and his daughter
was sent for.
AS she entered the room, l saw that
my idea of her had been less than true.
I had never seen so lovely a woman, nor
one who so perfectly embodied my nigh
est conception Of grace and beauty. Her
dark eyes, still wet with tears, met mine
inquiringly.
"Lenore," said 1, 81 have come as I
promised"
George, " she cried, with radiant
smile, els it you?
Are you disappointed p l asked,
am l what you expected p
You could not be more" she an
swered naiv,.y, "you are no less.
"Now that we meet as solid and ma.
terial beings" [ continued, "are you
willing 10 ratify the contract we made
when we were only voices, LenOre? Your
father gives us permission.
1t may be supposed that | received
satisfactory answer, when the good
natured Count found it discreet 10 turn
away his eyes during my reception of it.
As to the strange circumstance which
was the means of uniting MS, a series 1l
tests revealed a remarkable acoustic
property III the rock, by which persons
standing IN certain positions with refer
ence 10 it were able 10 hear each other
with ease, more than & quarter of a mile
apart. 1t Is a very matter-of-fact solu-
ton of the mystery, but Lenore and I
are n\Ae the less grateful for the good
offices % tde rock.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03

The relations between women and the
dumb animals whom they keep and
adore form very interesting and com
plex question. The lady whO Is given
to horses and to dogs regards them with
"a feeling altogether different from those
entertained 10y men, who are, III a sense,
equally devoted TO both Love, there is
poeucal authority for saying, makes up
the whole SUN of the existence of wom-
ep, and Is a thing apart to the life of a
man; and the woman who has passion
for her stable and her kennel seldom
finds time for anything else. The dog
which shs pets and the horse which she
rides have a mere vivid personality than
they could possess for the sluggish SCI
of any of the lords Of creation. The
most enthusiastic panegyrist5 of animals
have been women. Kingciey and White
Melville both Of them loved dogs and
horses. and described what may be
called their inner life and emotions with
pathos and power. KaterfelUo Is a mon
ument reared by a loving, as well as by
knowing, hand to an immortal steed.
But one must 60 70 the novels OF Oulda
TO find what dunn mb-animal worship really
Is. No doubt the animals themselves
are perfectly aware of the intensity of
the affection which they awake IN the
breasts of their misiresses. They do
their best to reciprocate 1t, and thus
shere springs up between the dog or the
morse and the lady a sentiment which is
one OF NOR shan intelligent friendship,
and almost approaches to the verge or
romantic attachment.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
The Magnetic Needle.

A condensed explanation in regard tc
the needle pointing TO the northward and
southwark is as follows The magnetic
poles of the earth do not coincide with
the geographical poles. The axis OF
rotation makes an angle of about 230
with line joining the former. The
northern magnetic pole is at present
near the Arctic circle, on the meridian of
Omaha. Hence the needle does not
everywhere point to the astronomical
north, and is constantly variable within
certain limits At San Francisco it
points about seventeen degrees to the
east of north, and at Calais, Me, as
much to the west. At the northern
magnetic pole, balanced needle points
with its north end downward in a plumb
line. At San Francisco 1t dips about
sixty-three degrees, and at the southern
magnetic pole the south end points
directly down. The attraction of the
earth upon magnetic needle at Its sur
face is of about the same force as that of
hard steel magnet, forty inches long,
'trongly magnetized, at distance of one
foot The foregoing is the accepted ex-
planation of the fact that the needle
points to the northward and southwark.
Of course, no ultimate reason can be
given for this Latural fact, any more than
for any other observed fact in nature"
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
Philosophers and Poets.

The st. Louis Globe Democrat has a
long article in late issue, the gist of
which is that women had better marry
philosophers than poets, as their chances
of conjugal happiness are greater.
The reason of this is that the former,
living in a world of logic and fact, allows
his ideality TO develop around his wife,
while the poet, on the contrary, dwell
ing in a region of sentiment and exalted
fancy, is Mortified to find the creature
he had married with the idea that she
was an angel, to be only flesh and blood
after all.
The consequence is that the wives of
the philosophers, though they may be
common-p place women like DIR. John
sons wife, are loved while living, and
deeply moulned when dead The wives
of the poets, on the other hand, no mat
ter how lovely or loveable, are usually
disappointments to their husbands, and
get little of their affection. Girls, marry
philosophers, if you would be happy.
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03

grin except on mirthful occasions; nor
should the lips be compressed. All
should be in repose. The lips may be
reddened, if the natural color be too
light. A practice of painting the ex
posed membrane of the upper lip broad
and bright just at the center has crept
in, but it is bad, for it gives an artificial
and sensuous look. The fashionable
belle has cut the puckering string of
her mouth, and no longer murmurs
"prmes, prunes, prunes. She can
kiss two men simultaneously and give
good satisfaction, where before 0nly one
could find room at a time. The reader
who supposes that the above is fancifuI
and not plain, straightforward fashion
news IS very much mistaken Women
can change the style of their faces, if
not at will, at least considerably. The
hair over the forehead can be so ar
ranged as to produce any desired out
line for the upper part of the face the
moulh can be made to widely vary its
expression, the eyes can be kept partly
wide open or languidly half closed tho
cheeks can be rounded by using
"plumpers, the eyebrows can be
archei or Strengthened the ~olor can
be controlled TO a high degree Thus
I Is apparent that woman can, If clever,
have to some extent the kind of face she
wants. The nose is about lhe only In
tractable feature. 1t strikes right on,
IN unslterable independence, defying all
efforts to shorten or straighten 1t. Let
mo interpolate the fact that not one
woman in ten ever laughs or smiles nat
urally. Knowing full well our defects
OF teet'' n" oppression. we try TO bide or
reform them. 1 know girl who viii
never go to the minstrels or other shows
because she isn't pretty when she laughs.
If inadvertently caught by something
comic, she buries the laugh in a hand
kerchief but, whenever possible, she
does her laughing internally. This
wrenches her terribly, and sooner or
later her vitals will get broken all to
pieces but she prefers death to a dis
Dlav Of scrarvcrv teeth
The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-03
When Women are Most AttracA ,e.

In an interesting paper entitled when
Women Grow Old" Mrs. Blake has
brought facts to show that the fascinat-
ing power of the sex is oftentimes re-
tained much longer than Is generally as
sumed.
She tells us of Aspasia, who between
the ages of thirty and fifty, was tho
strongest intellectual force in Athens; a
Cleopatra, whose golden decade for
power and beauty was between thirty
and forty Livia, who was not far from
thirty when she gained the heart of Oc-
tavius of AnnS of Russia, who, at
thirty-eight, was thought to be the most
beautiful Queen in Europe; of Cathar-
inc IL, of Russia, who, even at the
silver decade, was both beautiful and I'M
posing of Madamoiselle Mars, the act
ress, whose beauty increased with years,
and eliminated between thirty and forty
FIVE of Madame Reecamier, who, be-
tween twenty-five and forty, and even
later, was the reigning beauty in Ku-
rope of Ninon d'Enclos, whose own
son-brought up without knowledge ct
his parentage-feu passionately IN love
with her when she was at the age OF
thirty-seven, and who even at her six
tieth birthday received an adorer young
enough to be her grandson.
These facts, the representatives OF
many others, establish that the golden
decade of fascination is the same as the
golden decade of thought; that woman
is most attractive to and most Influential
over men and woman are nearest the
maximum of their cerebral force. The
voice of our great priDlG dOnnas is at it;
best between twenty-seven and thirty
FIVE; but still retain, in a degree, itr
strength and sweetness even in the silver
decade. The voice is an index of the
body in all its functions, but the decay
of other functions is not so readily
noted