davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
A Famous Pistol Shot.

Personally, Captain Gronow was IA
remarkably handsome man, always
faultlessly dressed, and generally popu
lar in society. But, as we have already
remarked, he says little about himself in
his "Reminiscences" and, beyond the
fact of casual allusion to his marvellous
skill as pistOl-shOt, we learn nothing
of his accomplishments from his books.
He and Captain Ross were, by the way,
unquestionably the two. best pistol shots
in the world. Captain Ross was in
timately acquainted with Gronow, and
has given the following authentic ac-
count of a celebrated duel, in the Bois
de Boulogne, in which the latter was
engaged. Gronow's antagonist was a
notorious French bully, famed for his
deadly skill with the pistol. "GronOw,"
says Captain Ross, 'told us the story,
He said that the Frenchman stuck his
glove on a tree, and, in a staggering
tone asked Gronow which finger he
should hit and, after hitting the glove,
he said to Gronow: Il will serve you
in the same way Captain IIesse
| (Gronow's second, afterward killed in a
duel) said to him "Y ou must do some.
thing to try and shake that fellows
nerve so he threw up his hat in the
air, and Gronow put his bullet through
it, and then, bowling to the Frenchman
said 'lionsie,T, coila cotre destine ? A
few minutes and the destiny was full
filed. GrOnow was anything but /
quarrelsome or bullying person. At
tempts were made several times to ge
up a match between him and myself
but he would not go into it. lie toll
me that since his duels in Paris (h
fought two) he could not bear the sigh
Of a pistol. II would have been IA raT
match, as neither of us had ever bee
beaten and, as we never tried our ski
together, it is impossible to say vii
would have won. At very long range
from fifty to a hundred yards) 1 probi
bly, would have had the best of it, as
II practiced good deal at those ranges.
l. Captain Gronow's later years we
% passed in Paris, where he died on Il
II Goth of November, 1865, in the I'D yei
e of his age.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Home Economies.

BRUNSWICK BLACK, thinned down
with turpentine until it has attained
the right tone and color, will, if little
varnish is added-about one-twentieth
of the bulk of the black and turpentine
prove stain for initiating walnut or
teak wood. There is no difficulty in
getting the mixture to dry hard, and it
will take a coat of varnish lirst-class.
PINCUsHIoN. - An English pin
cushion will be found very pretty ad-
dition to toilet table. The cushion
should be round, with an open space in
the centre for the reception of flower
vase or glass, and can be either of sim
pie cOlored paper muslin, covered with
lace or muslin, or it can be provided
more deliberately with an embroidered
or painted silk cover and deep fringe oI
bordering to match The glass supplied
with a few fresh flowers isa great inn
provement to the toilet table.
WASTE PAPER BASKETS. - The
fashionable color for oriamenting
waste paper baskets is deep rich
orange. Scarfs of silk of this hue are
drawn carelessly about two sides Of
square baskets, OF draped from the tol
Of those which are round or oval
Orange ribbons are embroidered witt
iasies or cornllowers, and drawn slant
wise. over one side Of basket or run il
and out of the meshes of the wicker
work in such a way that all the EN-
broidery is fully shown.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11

feed, annually, dtiring the past six |
years, and has not met with a single,
failure. lie says 81 plant any time
between May 90 and June 20, using a
corn lanter, and planting one quart Of
seed pei acre. Cultivate exactly as you
would corn, and make thorough work.
The plant will be ready to cut and put
In shock by September /, at which time
cut and shock the same rs corn, letting
it remain in the field until it is wanted
for feed in the winter. 1t makes excel
lent feed at any time, and especially
when the ground is covered with snow.
l only feed sorghum during bad
weather, unless have an unusual sup
| ply, when / feed it at all times. 1t
makes very rich food, and all kinds of
stock will eat it with relish, eating it
clean, stalks and leaves.
"Another method of growing sorghum
for feed is to prepare your ground by
blowing fine and deep Immediately after
harvest. Plant with a corn-planter as
fast as you plow until you have the
number of acres you intend to put to this
use. About the 1st of August the sorg-
hum is nicely up, then harrow it thor
oughly legthwise of rows. By the
: 18th of August the sorghum will proba,
, bly, be from six to eight inches high, al
which time proceed to seed the lielt
with rye, Drill one and one-half bush
els per acre; then, when the colo
weather comes, turn your stock in upol
it, and you have an excellent pasture
consider this latter mode one of tn
best and most profitable ways of cult
n waiting sorghum for winter feed.
a does away with the expensive item O
# harvesting. Whenplanted on or befor
II July 20th the sorghum will mature befor
n frost sets in and field thus planted wi
Il secure you great amount of valuabl
fodder for all kinds of stock in winter,
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Are All Birds Flesh-Eatersf

Mr. Grant Allen, In an article In
knowledge ON the English black-cap,
answers this question in the affirmative.
Although the old blaek-caps eat largely
of fruits, the young black-eaps will eat
nothing but insects. Breeders of the
canary-a seed-eating bird-are also
well aware of the fact that the young
must at first be fed on animal food,
usually given in the shape of boiled egg.
Mr.. Allen says that this trait of the
black-cap, common 10 many if not to
most fruit eaters, may be put side by
side with the one noted by Mr.. A. r.
Wallace, that the young humming-
birds, which are developed llower-haunt-
ing swifts, will eat nothing but spiders
and small flies. In both cases the facts
point back curiously to the original
habits of the whole race. There can
be very little doubt, adds Mr.. Allen,
| that all birds were at first carnivorous
piscivorous, or insectivorous, and the
greater part of them probably remain
so to the present day. The practice OF
eating grains and seeds came later
while that of living upon fruits, or tht
nectar of flowers, must have been thu
latest of all. Indeed, the development
of succulent fruits or berries seems t,
be very recent acquisition on the par
of plants generally and it must hav
proceeded side by side with the evolu
tion Of fruit-eating habits in the CORE
lated birds. Hence we find the youn
still require to be fed upon animal food
) and indeed the adult black-caps, lik
many other similar mainly frugivorou
species, cannot get along for any lengt
of time without a liberal admixtuTe {
slugs and caterpillars in their food. o
8 the other hand, the most advanced frui
eaters, such as the parrots, readily n
vert to carnivorous practices in col
linement and one New Zealand sp
cies, since the introduction of shet
into the colony, has become a perfe
IA pest to the breeders by its partiality f
-s animal dainties.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
A Dude in the Wild, Wild West.

The car was full, and pre-empted
seat on the rear platform. Inside were
miners bound for Carbonate, drum
mer, one lady and a something that we
all decided was dude. Once ina while
the train would be lost amid coney
pines, and then through a gap in the
trees would be caught an Eden-like
glimpse of the disappearing park.
There were innumerable shades of
green beside the track the brilliancy
/ OF grass, and the almost black of the
/ forest. Even the dude showed an in
terest. No paintah, aw, could do
this thing, ye know, aw." The lar
guage of the dude was not particularly
flop, but his head was level. Howeve =,
he got knocked completely out of time
further on. The train stopped at a neat
co tage painted brown. In the door
was rosy-cheeked maiden, leaning. in
unconscious grace upon her broom
Aw, me gurhl, don't ye get lonesome,
ye know, aw, way up heah ?" he ven
turea, with smile that trespassed on
the back of his neck. The girl seemed
astonished for moment, and then.
looking over her shoulder, called
Pap pap the dime museum monkey
loose! Kill it, and get its clothes. -
The dude seemed to shrink, and moth
ing could induce him to open his mouth
from that point to the journeys end.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
T A relegraphIc Blundof.

Telegraphic anecdotes being in order
reminds us of dispatch which some
years ago business man in Boston sent
10 his correspondent in New York, re-
,uestng him to have room reserved
for him at the hotel, as he should come
on that afternoon.
Arrived late at night he stood serene
" behind the crowd at the old Aslor
House who ereregistering their names,
even till the clerk began to turn appn-
cants away for laek of room, assured tllat
his dispatch in advance must have Sc
cured accommodation, but was sur
prised and indignant to find that no
order for a room had been received,
and was obliged to hunt up lodgings
for the night elsewhere.
Early next morning, in response to
the demand if his dispatch had been
received, his correspondent replied in
the affirmative, and said that Il store
house had been hired for him in Beaver
street as ordered.
"a store-hOuse | never ordered a
store-house,"
The dispatch was produced. 1t read
"Shall be on tonight; have room in a
store-house secured at once"
| Application at the telegraph office
revealed the fact that the young woman
who received the message as it came
slowly from the wire supposed the oper
ator had been abbreviating ~ thu
spelling of the message, which origin
ally read "IIave room in Astor HOus
secured at once" The division o
A-stor and addition of an "en produce,
qui'e different result than was de
sired.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
The Cholera.

Some time since we alluded to the
ravages of this fell destroyer of the
human family, and of the possibility of
a recurrence of its visitation to our
shores. We enlarged at that time, but
now simply suggest that the possibility
of its presence in western Europe, and
if so, the strong probability of its ad-
vance towards America, justify the
National, State and municipal authori-
ties in exercising the utmost vigilance
in enforcing a rigid quarantine. Fore
warned is forearmed. Sanitary rules
enforced is one of the greatest barriers
to the march of the scourge. Each
administrative body should see to it,
that no method that tends to promote
cleanliness should be neglected other
wise, we may have visit of the disease
with its attendant calamities much
sooner than many would think. We
are no alarmists, but it is better to
realize that an ounce of prevention is
better than pound of cure" If the
cholera should come, however, we
would suggest-with the consent of
course of your family physician--the
following remedy we used in one case
with marked success in 1919:
Our physician, an eminent one he
was, DIR. Doyle, said to the writer q
month before the epidemic made III
appearance, Purchase bottle of pure
brandy, vial each of spirits of ammo
mia, laudanum, and peppermint place
this near your bedside at once, anG
don't let them be disturbed, thus form
ing Il habit of keeping them within
reach for an emergency, as there is nj
time to search for remedies when tn,
disease attacks you in the night W.
obtained the articles. The choleri
made its appearance, and a member o
the family had what is termed severa
"rice water " discharges. We at one,
gave the prescription-half tumble
of brandy, sixty drops of laudanum, tel
drops of the spirits OF ammonia, ant
twenty drops of peppermint, covering
at the same time the bowels and stom
mach with mustard. 1t was heroi
treatment, but the cure was prompt
After this, send for physician, Thor
oitghJred Stock Journal.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11

beginning on a small scale, rises III /
some cases to rs much ~ 4000f,, or
$500 year. In both establishments
the hours Of attendance are from 9 to 4
ON six days of the week aud the male
and female clerks in different rooms
the women being superintended by
officers Of their own sex, and thus ell
joying the greatest possible privacy.
A Turkish gentleman who has Just
arrived in New York, and who is the
son of N. de Castro Bey, private coun-
sci to the sultan, tells a reporter of the
Journal some interesting things about
the harem of the son of the sun. The
first question asked by the reporter was
suggested by a habit which is by no
means confined to American ladies', but
is universal throughout the feminine
world. He wanted to know if the
ladies of the harem flirted, to which
Mr.. de Castro replied mo, they can't.
g Like all other women, however, they
would like to-" 'Why can't they ?"
t "Their religion compels them to hide
their faces whenever they meet man.
n If they happen TO be met without a
veil they will gather up one of theil
skirts and throw it over their heads. u
"Where does the Sultan obtain his
wives ?'' From Circassia and certain
part of Asia. The countries are noted
. for the beauty of their women, and th'
Sultan has emissaries stationed ther
. to make selections and importations
y. The governments of these countrie
Oh often send pretty young women to tn
Sultan to obtain his good will an
favor" "Are the women blondes o
brunettes p'' 'Brunettes. !" ''Do Il z
nd ever bleach their hair ?'' ooh, yo
londes are so scarce that they are
nd great demand, and the women use
Ish paint for turning their hair yellow.
"What is the color of their eyes ?
IN ''Black as jet and as bright as di
lat monds.n ''Are they petite or large
''Small of stature, but very plum
When they are young they are real
the handsomest women in the worl
but they don't last great while
= "They fade, do they Pn Eyes. TIL,
lives are so luxurious that they decli
for want of healthful exercise. =" "Wh
csc do they do?" "Sit on low divans u
in der bright canopies and smoke Gig
the cites and drink strong coffee" HI
in do they dress 2" "Very temptingly
the loose, bright garments, in Turkish sty
in. but are adopting European fashions
ma much as possible. The Sultan has oft
ing issued DEGREES against the adoption
lim European tastes, but the women do
he care about the dress nowadays, a
ives when on the street many of them W,
lie high French heels and bustles. III
for always wear white muslin wells, hC
Il a ever, which add much to the seducti
,uld ness of their general appearance
.hey "How do the ladies wear their fling
id it nails ?' "They bleach them red, {
etty have them cut short. The nails
lone short, suppose, because they are aft
Pa. their tempers might get the better
He them, " and Mr.. de Castro stroked
and moustache and laughed heartily.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Worth's Costumes and His
Customers,

Mrs. Emma King, an English dress |
reformer, in a recent speech waxed in
dignant at Mr.. Worth and uttered the
wild wish that he might be drowned in
the Seine, and she summed up the
greater part of her sex as a pack of in.
durable dress maniacs. Whoa, Emma
You de not know Mr.. Worth. During
amost charming conversation with him
on the subject of feminine dress, he
gave the information that he approves
most decidedly of dress reform. lie
advocates the Persian costume for
women, and would like to invent a
sensible dress for them if they would
wear it after it was made. But they
will not. He tried the plan once and it
dismally failed. The convenient, pretty
and really graceful dress hangs "a lone
ungathered rose' on Mr.. WOrth's Pa
risian walls. DO not blame him. He
is net responsible for the follies and
tastes of the women whose demands he
undertakes to supply. He does the best
he can with his customers, and he
would not have any if he attempted to
wholly carry out his ideas on dress,
which are more sensible than any we
have heard from the lips of any man OF
woman. He is only too delighted when
he finds a woman who wishes heI
dress adapted to her style of face,
form and occupation, and he can tel
at a glance what its make and colol
should be. He takes more interest il
adapting one dress to woman whC
understands this secret of good dress
ing than he does iu dozens of the show!
kind that are ordered for inappropriate
places.
Although where costly and gorgeou
dress is not out Of place, no one ca
rival Worth in producing either bizarre
outre OF tasteful effects. He is tn
Shakespeare of dress. He can do ever!
thing with it, as Shakespeare coul
with language. And he knows
wealthy titled lady of Paris whose tast
and inspiration would be his only riva
if she were obliged to use them as HI
own pecuniary benefit. He Obtain
many of his effects from nature-mO
especially in the matter of blending Il
shades, as seen in the plumage of a bir
the petal of a flower or the tints of SUI
set clouds. Nature never brings stri
ing contrasts closely together, althous
she may appear to do so at the first sig,
of her varied hues. Each one leads I
to or recedes from the other in graduf
ly deepening tints until the climax
color is reached and Worth, who is
keen observer, invariable uses the hin
he catches in this way. 1t is a pity tn
women as rule will not support hi
to still greater extent than they d
and allow him to use his inventive {
MUS in creating ahealthful, sensible, b
pretty dress for them to wear.
would answer for its being graz
full one. If Mrs. King and other ra
cal dress reformers did but know
Worth could and would benefit won
more than any man on the face of t
earth.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
The Raising of Snails.

Snail raising might be practised in
this country, but it would scarcely be
profitable in a land in which frogs
legs are only just coming into use, while
other things regarded as tidbits in
France are left uneaten. In Burgundy,
where the business is carried on to
perfection, the following system is
in use The snails are collected from
vines toward the end of summer, and
are then placed in Enclosures dignilied
by the name of parks" TO fatten on
thyme, peppermint and other herbs
which experience has proved to be
most suitable. A damp and shady
nook is seleceed for the ''park," and
the prisoners are kept within bounds
by the simple contrivance of sawdust
and brambles. This does very well
in fine weather but when it rains the
farmers wife and children must be
constantly on the alert to tuIn bach
the runaways. The fattening process
goes on until the approach of wintel
when tufts of moss and bundles of dr.!
leavesare thrown into thep pmk. Into thes
the snails creep, and then, to increas
their comfort, proceed to seal themselye
up in tht ir shells. In the case of Burglm
dy snails, the sealing substance exudeC
forms thick calcareous crust. Whel
the creatures have completed thei
arrangements for alternating is jus
the time when they are considered il
prime condition for the table. TIL
full grown ones are then used as the
are wanted for the market, the youn
ones being lift to swell the next year.
crop.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Aew sraknak h Witl hnl

49, a
How stfgnke II viii be, ioVe-h5w strange !
wheh We two
Shall be what all loserslbeeome
You rigid and faithless, cold apd untrue; |
You thoughuess of me, and | carpless of
Our pet-names grown rusty with nothing
10 do;
Loves bright web unravelcd, and rent and
/ worn through,
Aud life's loom left empty-ah, huml
All, mel
How strange it will bel
How strange it will be when the witchery
goes,
(which makes me seem lovely to-day;
When your thought of me loses its COLOUR
DE ROSE;
When every day serves some new fault to
disclose,
And wonder you could for moment sup
pose,
when you find cold eyes and an every
day nose
l was out of the commonplace way
All, mel
How strange it will be
How strange it will be, love-how strange
when we meet
With lust still touch Of The handi
When my pulse no longer delightfully."- beat
At the thought of your coming, the sound
of your feet;
When 1 watch not your coming far down
the long street;
When your dear, loving voice, too so thrill
ingly sweet,
Grows harsh in reprosch or command;
All, mel
How strange it will bel
How strange n will be when we're willing
to stay
Divided the whole day through
Or getting remotely apart. as we may,
Sit chilly and silent, with nothing to say;
Or coolly converse on the news of the day
In wearisome, old married folks sort O
way
shrink from the picture don't your
All, mel
How strange it will be-
Dear love. if our hearts do grow torpid an
cold,
As so many others have done;
If we let our love perish with hunger an
cold
five dim all lifes diamonds and tarni;
its goldi
If we choose to live wretched and die III
consoled,
Twill be the strangest of all things tn
ever were told
As happening under the sun
All, mel
How strange it will be
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11

The New York Railroad Commission
ers recommended that the New York
Central and Hudson River and the New
York, Lake Erie aud Western Railroad
Companies abolish the charge Of one
cent per bushel for elevating grain
from their docks into vessels.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Agricultural,

If guhr lace bed-spread and pillow
eoyeIs are soilel, wash them, and in J
stead of blpeing them, dip them in some
very weak cold"coliee, and they will re-
ceive from it a delicate shade of ecru,
which is so popular for laces just now.
Curtains and other articles of the kind
may be treated in the same way:
A writer IL the New York CONNER
ciol Gazette says: | do not dread hog
OF chicken cholera at all, for as soon as
either begins to show signs of disease l
mix some carbolic acid in the feed, and
they soon are all right again.
If the paper which is put over jelly
and jam is wet in the white Of an egg,
it will when dry be tight and firm, and
keep the fruit from molding with much
more certainty than if it is dipped in
alcohol or brandy. The paper which is
laid next the fruit is meant, not that
which is tied or pasted over the glass.
The best way to get rid of the docks
is to spade them out, and lay the roots
up to dry. If that as considered too
laborious a job, take sharp hoe and
cut them off Just below the surface OF
the ground, and in a few weeks go over
them again, cutting off all that have
sent out new leaves. Going over then
few times in this way will finish then
all.
Steamed corn-bread is particular!
wholesome when made with buttermilk
If this can not be procured, use lob
bered milk. To two cups Of Indiai
meal allow one cup Of white flour, tw
y to- lespoonfuls of white sugar, two an
: IA half cups of milk, one teaspoonful O
n soda, one of salt, one Tablespoonful
a and half of melted butter steam 70
y two hours in well-buttered tin, an
dry off in the oven.
= 1t is good plan to have few egi
plants in the kitchen garden. The fru
,. is much nicer freshly-cut than aft,
y standing several hours in the marke
|, The plants do best in moderately riC
" and very mellow soil. Select war;
II sunny spot, set the plants about thir
le inches apart, keep the ground clea
At and look out for the Colorado beet
n which is as partial to the eggplant
T. TO the potato.
W Every farmer should take some pal
In to interest his children in the fowls
e, the farm, and there is nothing that
as quickens that interest as to give tn,
en- the right to all the money they C
of make off the fowls. In return for fe,
1T ETC., the obligation can be put
nd them that they place the money in
ar savings-bank, or buy clothes with it,
ey put it to some good use, in such v
w as may be mutually agreed upon. CT
re- dren can not be too early taught
:" knack of making money, and, wha
er- of still greater purpose, the art
nd keeping it.
The Delaware ledger., 1883-08-11
Sorghum for Feed.

The following statement is from the
first quarterly report of the Kansas
State Board of Agriculture. The
writer, Mr.. G. f. Hubbard, of Pawnee
county, has been growing sorghum for