davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
A Quaint Old House,

The most remarkable and interesting
private residence in America, says a letter
to the Chicago Inter- Orean, is that Of
Major Ben: Pcrlcy Poore, the veteran au-
thor. %racontcur and correspondent, at
Indian Hill, four miles from this place.
There are few ancestral or historic houses
in the new world, and scarcely any, be-
side Mount Vernon and the Hermitage Of
Andrew Jackson, that are familiar to the
people, where an attempt has been made
to preserve the frame in which the do
mestic picture was once embraced, or re-
tain the relics of past customs and man.
acrs, which often change, and are soon
forgotten.
Around Major Poore's country home
cluster not only the family traditions,
which are rs precious to him as they are
romantic to others, but he has pre-
served in permanent and vivid form
q picture of homc-lifc as it was in the
colonies more than two hundred years
ago.
The family mansion itself, in quaint.
ness and antiquity, has no rival in the
United States. II had commenced to
crumbic before the declaration Of indie
| pcndcncc. was framed, and four genera
tons had been born, lived and died
under its roof before the gallant DR..
Poorc strapped his medicine bags and
case of surgical instruments upon the
Old mares saddle and rode down to
Bosto On to dress the wounds of the heroic
rebels who fell at Bunker Hill.
1t was away back in 1000 and some
thing carly, that a certain man by the
name of Foorc, a recent refugee from
political persecution, came over to New
, England and engaged in driving a team,
half stage and half express wagon, be-
tween the colonies below Boston and
those on the Piscataqua river, where
Portsmouth now stands. The Indians
were frequent and troublesome then, and
they attacked Mr.. Teamster Poorc, killed
his oxen and burned up his cart.
AS an indemnity for the violation Of
the rights Of ommon carriers, even in
those early days the Indians were COM
pellcd to grant Mr.. PoOrc Il ccrtant tract
of land OH the Mcrrimac river, and with
in sight Of the sea, known as Indian
hill. 1t was the highest point of land
along the coast, and was famous as the
rendezvous for Massachusetts tribes,
whose signal fires, when blazing there,
lit up the whole sky from the White
mountains to that tip end of the Yankee
land known as Cape Cod. The docu-
ment, written in quaint style and signed
by several of the Indian chiefs, is Ma jor
Poore's title to his home, and it has never
been questioned.
1t was in 1860 that the residence of
Mr.. Poorc was completed on Indian hill,
and he took his family there to dwell,
and they have dwclt there continuously
eight generations of them, the property
improved By each successive possessor,
until it is now a great mansion of sixty
rooms, covered with clematis and honey
suckles which have fed upon the frost
and sunshine Of more than two cen
tur;cS.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
Working Dogs.

I once heard a gentleman say, that
during a long stay in Holland ne never
saw a single dog idle, that was old
enough and big enough to do any work.
All sorts OF barrows and carts arc built
on purpose for them, and they gallon
along ut Il great pace. They are used to
carry the fish, wood, vegetables, and any.
thing else which their owner wishes, and
when it is all sold, and you think the
poor dogs might reasonably expect to go
home with an empty cart behind them,
the master jumps III, and rides back IN
state.
But this is not the worst part of the
story, for a certain amount Of work never
hurts any animal, but, rs a rule, the
poor dogsarc miscrably fed, and are often
driven until they drop down of exhaus-
ton. Still they are wonderfully patient
and Dcrscvcrins, and will lick their mas
tcr's hands gratefully if he treats them
kindly.
In Kamtschatka the dogs are the only
animals that can be used to draw slcdges.
They arc strong and active and run over
the snow at a wonderful pace. \ cour-
icr oncc drove two hundred and seventy
miles in less than four days in Il slcdgc
drawn by dogs. There are generally five
to each slcdgc and they are harncsscd
four abreast, with one for a leader. But,
in spite of all the work they do. they
are badly treated and ill-lcd; they hate
the work they have to do, and give Il
melancholy howl when they arc first har-
messed. In Newfoundland the dogs are
used for all sorts of hard work. but they
arc treated very kindly. and are so gen
tie and good that they will actually draw
a load of wood from the forest to the
seaside, wait for the cart to be UNI
loaded, and then go back to get it filled
entirely alone.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
Tar.

Professor Peckham, in an interesting
article on tar, has this to say in regard to
its manufacture: 1t was known to the
ancient Greeks, and DR.. Clarke, who de-
scribcs the method OF manufacturing it
in the forests of Bothnia, says there is not
the smallest differences between the pro-
ccsscs then practised and those of ancient
Greece. Along the whole coast Of. the
Gulf OF Bothnia the inhabitants are very
generally engaged in this occupation.
They make Use of the roots Of fir trees,
with logs and billots of the same, which
they arrange in a conical stack, fitted to
Il cavity in the ground, generally i'll the
side of {; bank. In the bottom OF this
cavity is placed 4 cast-iron pan, from
which Il spout leads out through the
bank. The heap is covered over with
turf and is then fired, as in making
charcoal. Tar collects in the latter
part of the process Of charming, and
runs off through the spout into barrels.
In Sweden, where the business is also
important, some peculiar methods are
adopted to increase the yield OF tar.
Trees of no value for the saw-mill are
partially peeled of their bark Il lalhom
or two up from tn" ground, not enough
to kill them, but only to check the
growth. After five or six years, when
cut down, the wood j. found to dc much
richer in rcsinorls matter, which pro-
duccs tar. Along the coast of the South
crn States, especially of North Carolina,
Virginia and Georgia., the business is car
ricd on upon Il large scale in connection
with the manufacture Of turpcntinc,
rosin and pitch. Old trees which have
ceased to produce turpcntinc, and dead
wood which is rich in rcsinou> matter,
arc selected for the coal-pits. The process
there does not differ materially from
that already describcd.- Wicayo Inter
Il,,f,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
Tho Cable and the Whale.

The steamer Retriever, saysa late NUM-
Der of the Panama star ahd MTmM, was
engaged in repairing Il break i'll the West
Coast Of America Telegraph company's
submarine cable, when whale, measure.
ing from seventy to sevcnty-iivc feet in
length. foulcd itself in the wire. In its
struggle to get free the cable cut into its
right side, the ~cntrails and large quanti-
ties of blooG issuing from the wound and
floating round the ship. In the last
dying struggle of the captive it parted
the cable and iloated away to windward
of the steamer. Some days aftcrward.
the Retriever returned to pick up the
piece of cable in which the whale had
been cntanglcd. 1t was then found that
the fish had driftcd away, and the cable
WAS twisted up in amost curious fashion
In no fewer than six different places it
had been bitten through sufficiently to
stop all communication.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
HEALTH HINTS.

Capsicum in thrce-grain doses is recon-
mcndtd forpiles. In twenty grain doses
Capsule or bolus) it is a favoritc army
remedy for alcoholism.
DO not work when you are hungry, MOI
Immediately after eating. Use a little
discretion and you will not fail very much
from doing as nature would direct.
1mprcgnation OF the atmosphere of q
sick chamber when the patient is i'll of
diphthcria, meascls, scarlet fever, or ofany
allied disease. with the odor of q mixture
of equal parts of tulpcntinc and carbolic
acid, is recommended by DR.. Filandt.
Half a %teaspoonful of the mixture will be
enough at a time, if it is put into a Kettle
of water kept near the boiling point.
The odor generally gives ono relief tc
the sufferer. and tends to prevent the
spread Of the malady.
One Of the best and most pleasant
things that can be used to relieve this
painful state of the dental nerves Oooth.
ache), is chewing common cinnamon
bark. 1t destroys the scnsibility of the
nerves and suspcnds the pain immediate.
~, if the bark is of good quality. 1t is
generally as etficacious as any of the 9th,
or remedies, and not attended with tho
unpleasant consequences of crcosotc, car
bolic acid, etc, which relieve the pain,
but leave the mouth as sore and painful
as the tooth was previously, though these
results arc usually due to carclcssncss in
usinr.-ILaM and Home.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
SELECT SIFTINGS.

There is a cat in Ulster County, N. Y,
which violates all the feline traditions by
diving into the water after fish. She
goes down to the pond regularly every
day, and as regularly returns with q fish
for her little family.
A Catskill, N. u, man has a curiosity
in the shape of a lemon and o:ange com
bined. On one side is a perfect lemon
skin and the juice sour, while the othcl
is an orange and sweet. Thus writes al
exchange. The story is probably mere
curious than true.
A Providence antiquarian of COCO
memory says that the last criminal whose
cars were legally cropped in Rhode
Island went through the operation on tho
18th of October, 1922 The name O.
the man was Malbone Briggs, and his
offensc was the passing of counterfeit
money.
The largest room in the world, under
one roof, and uubroken by pillars, is at
St. Petersburg. 1t is GEO feet long by
$50 in breadth. By daylight it is used
for military displays, and a battalion can
completely vancouver in It. Twenty
thousand wax tapers are required tc
light it. The roof of this structure is q
single arch of iron, and it exhibits a re.
markable engineering skill in the archi'
tcct.
The Mansc Tower on the Rhine is on
an island in the river, It was erected
it is believed, in the middle ages by some
of the robber'knights of the Rhine. The
ruins have been covered with %stucco,
and converted into a watch-tower. 1t
derived its name from the legend Of the
cruel Archbishop Hatto of Mayencc.
According to the story, as told by
Southcy in lis familiar ballad, the Dish
op, having burned alive a harmful OF
starving poor in order to rid himself Of
their opportunities for food from his
well-furnished granarics, was punished
for his cruel act by being devoured by a
whole army Of rats in his tower on the
Rhine, to which he had fled for safety.
A copy of George Washington's 'sun-
dries account during his eight years as
President from 1889 to 1896 has just
been brought to light by II. NJ. thinner
man, of Washington. Among other cur.
ious items in the account, which is writ
ten in Washington's WI HIND writing,
are: two dogs, weight thirty-tive
pounds, from Farmer Bassett, to guard
the Presidents house," thirteen patent
lamps to illuminate the Presidents
PREMISES" 'Damask curtains for the
state dining-room;" "a massive desk for
the Presidents Office, e12O 10s.' Be-
side these items the account includes
various amounts loaned by President
Washington to different parties, beside
amounts paid for at least 100 looking
glasses and French mirrors. A 'Franklin
stove" for Mrs. Martha Washington's
room, cost four pounds, and Il French
painting for the ''main parlor," cost
thirteen pounds.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
HUMOR OF THE DAY.

A man with a cast in his eye-trout
fsherman.-Sittings.
The United States speech crop will be
very extensive this year Waterloo o.
serrcr.
Aman who paints the town red gener-
ally looks blue himself the following
morning.-Pttsbury Telegraph.
The most verdant young man of the
period was the one who attempted to cut
grass with q bicycle. -BOston Budget.
There is a variety of slug which has
90, 900 teeth. How devoutly thankful
we are that the slug is not a dog.-PAla-
delphia Call.
EDO cats reason2" asks q scientist.
Well, our view is that they try to settle
matters that way, but nine times out of
ten the debate seems to end in an old
fashioned rio .-Riladelphm Press.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether it's better to lose the nomination.;
Or to be a presidential candidate and have
A pirates picture passed off for your own,
-Siftings.
There are said to be 90, $40 stitches in
q plain shirt. These figures, added to
the number of half-hours annually con-
sumcd in looking for collar buttons,
would make the public open their eyes.
- Courinr-Journal.
MAN has not half the courage Of
woman" shouts q female orator. No,
indeed; no one ever saw O great big,
overgrown woman running from q little
bit Of o man with a rolling-pin in his
hand.-Phiadelphia Gail.
EPITAPH ON A TRUTHFUL MAN.
The world with mysteries is rife
That puzzle cen the wise;
This man was truthful all his life,
He's dead, and here he lies.
-SomeruilLc Journal.
Colorado has q who speaks
eight languages, but when her husband
comes in at three in the morning with
his legs hopelessly entangled she doesn't
deviatc very far from the Colorado in.
depreciation of plain English.-&. Paul
Herald.
"Thc evening shoe for little girls is
the Patti slipper" says an exchange. 1t
is used just before the little girl is put
to bed without her supper, and the cere'
mony of "trying it on is attended with
more or less ELUSIVE demonstrations on
the part of the little girls MOTHER
L0weW Citizen.
The blatant bullfrog's soggy song
Comes purplinp from each lump
The chirp of sparrows all day long,
Is heard beneath the trees. .
The screeching owls "too-whit, too whoos,'
The cackle of each barnyard goose,
Which waddles round the pump,
Now strike upon the breeze.
But not a sound of oil these crews
Is half as harsh as the hullabaloos
Of orators on the stump.
-Ne1U York Journal.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01

steed, and admitted there was not a
gray like that in the whole camp. lie
| rested his arms across the back of the
saddle as if to fondlc the gentleman who
wished to kiss his queen.
But he was got rid of. Harrison bal
anccd his gun, and took the last look at
the floating village. There was no tell
ing whether morning would find it in
the same place. lie did hope to sec it
again.
The horse went slowly home, but it
was lust the sort of a dark, dcwy even
ing to hum along between fences where
elders spread their ghoStly parasols and
made themselves swcctly odorous. He
had a few birds in his gamc-bag. shot III
violation of the game laws, and he now
and then hummcd a bar from Der Frcl-
schultz, and perhaps thought of his many
f~ollies.
1t was ten o'clock by the stars when he
led his borrowed horse directly across
the lawn to his cousins stable, noticing
that the stable door was open and Il light
was moving among the stalls. James
met him with the lantern.
''VYLat's the matter. James," inquired
Harrison.
81 was Just taking alast look at things
for the night" said James, "bccause
there's a tribe of gypsics campcd two or
three miles below here. Them gypslcs
likes q good horse, Mr.. IIarrison.'
'.Wcll, here's one they wanted, SAID
Congreve, giving up the bride. Il
stoned at their camp, but they're not
very formidable. What's the matter
with the horse, old fellow he exclaimed,
rs the lantern searched from head. strap
to cruppcr, from hoof to saddle. 81
walked him all the way home. lie
hasn't laid a hair"
"No, sir" responded James solcmnly;
"and he'll never lay Il hair again till some
of the gray paint is scratched oirn him.
This amt the beast O rode away from
here. What's that" inquired James,
lifting his lantern above the young
ccntleman's suddenly stern face, "stlck-
inc to the back Of your coat?'
Harrison CROPPED behind himself, and
seized a paper.
..Thcv've played their games on you,
sir" said the old servant, grimaclng
a~nxiously at the painted horse, and try:
ing the dry coat with his nail. "And
now they'll be gone like the bird that
flies. We wouldn't took Il thousand like
this crow-bait for that gray of our'n."
81 wish you'd quit your buzzing and
give me that lantern" said Harrison, eX-
tending an impatient hand. "Don't
mind what l say, James. This is mcancr
than hazing. But it serves me right,
too"
at don't do to mcddle with them gyp-
sizes, sir"
Harrison sat against the edge of a
Manager, and held the lantern to what
was written in pencil on a piece of note
paper:
'Mr. --, l told yurc Fortune because
YOU knew Romany. But you did not
Trcct me Wright. My husband the King
says he has fixed you in a Horse Traid
for it. lie will give you this. We are
not Different from other because we live
on the road. l am just a Young Girl,
and it Hurt me. EMERETTA.
"Quecn of the the Joels, Stanleys and
Jcffrcys."-Uuper's Bazar.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
The First Mcerscllaum Pine

In 1928 there lived in Pcsth, the CAPT
tai of Hungary, Karol Kowatcs, Il shoe:
makers, whose ingenuity in cutting and
carving on wood, etc., brought him in
contact with Count .Andrassy, with whom
he became n favoritc. The count, on
his return from q mission to Turkey,
brought with him Il piece of whitish
clay, which had been presented to him
as Il curiosity on account of its cxtraor-
binary light specific gravity. 1t struck
the shoemaker that, being porous, it
must be well adapted for pipes, as it
would absorb the nicotine. The expert
mcnt Was tried, and Karol cut a pipe
for the count and one for himself. But
in the pursuit OF his trade he could not
keep his hands clean, and many a piece
of shocmakcr's wax became attached to
the pipe. The clay, however, instead
of assuming a dirty appearance VIXEN
Karol wiped it off, received wherever
the wax adhered TO it a clear brown
polish instead of the dull white it pre-
v~iously had. Attributing this change in
the tint to its proper source, he waxed
the whole surface, and, polishing the
pipe again, smoked it, and noticed how
admirably and beautifully it colorcd.
also how much more swcetly the pipe
smoked after being waxcd. Other noble
men, hearing of the wonderful proper
ties of this singular species of clay, i'm
ported it in considerable quantities for
the manufacture of pipes. The natural
scarcity of this much esteemed article
and the great cost of importation in
those days of limited facilities for trans
portation rendered its use exclusively
confined to the richest European noble
men until 1890, when it became a more
general article of trade. The first mccr-
schaum pipe made by Karol Kowatcs has
been preserved in the museum Of Pcsth.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01

The knife grinder has, after all, q
story to tell, and a very dismal one it is.
He is environed by dangers as complete
ly as ne is saturated with wet "swarff"
powdered stone) which dyes him a deep
saffron color from head to toe. He sits
over his tool, which at any moment may
send him through the roof with all the
suddenness and velocity of dynamite,
and he works in IN attitude and (espe-
cially if he be a "dry" grinder) inhales
a dust which he knows will shorten his
life by ten, twenty or even thirty years,
rs constitution and fortune may serve
him. The sharp crack of q breaking
stone is an appalling sound to the occu-
pants of a grinding hull. A bang in a
trough, q crash in the roof, and a pite-
Gus moan, and all is over. If the victim
be alive he is hurried to the hospital; if
dead, his crushed body is reverently car
ried away. No vigilance in the master,
no care in the workman, seem able to
avert these periodical catastrophes. The
insidious water rot, the hidden flaw and
the unequal grain do their fatal work in
spite of all precautions. English Illus
trated Magazine.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
SELF-RELIANCE

BY thine W souls law learn to live,
And if men thwart thee take no heed,
And if men hate thee have no care;
Sing thou thy song, and do thy deed,
Hope thou thy hope, and pray thy prayer,
And claim no crown they will not give,
lTor bays they grudge thee forthy hair.
Keep thou thy soul.sworn steadfast oath,
And to thy heart be true thy heart;
What thy soul teacher learn to know, .
And play out thine appointed part;
And thou shalt reap as thou shalt sow;
Nor helped nor hindered in thy growth,
To thy full stature thou shalt grow.
Fix o. the futures goal thy face.
And let thy feet be lured to stray
Nowither, but be swift to run,
And nowhere tarry by the way,
Until ut last the end is won.
And thou mayst look back from thy place
And see thy long days journey done.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-10-01
NEWS AND NOTES FOR WOMEN.
Fans remain very large.
Crinoline is on the increase.
Draperics grow less elaborate.

rams remain very large.
Crinoline is on the increase.
Drapcrics grow less elaborate.
Small Grcuzc bonncts arc in vogue.
The newest Oriental laccs have very
light designs instead of the heavy pat
terms.
A velvet standing collar and o velvet
belt are added to drcssy white muslin
frocks.
Gathered ruflcS arc used on both silk
and wooden dresses as well rs on thinner
fabrics.
One of the Earl of Lytton's daughters
vet in her teens. has written Il story for
Temple Br.
Elegant dresses arc made of changcablc
silk combined with changcablc silk mus
lin and glacc gauzc.
Mrs. Sabin, the wife of United States
! Senator Sabin, of Minnesota, has adopted
three orphan children.
Dark marine blue suits, braided with
silver or trimmed with many rows of very
narrow silver braid, arc considered very
chic.
Ecru and tan-colorcd gloves are worn
this summer with all dresses, excepting
those of gray, with which gray gloves
arc used.
Very pretty arc the suits of white
tv;illcd flannel of simple design, made up
over white sattccn of ~silcsia, and simply
stitched.
Instead of the plain hcmmcd skirt a
few tucks may finish the bottom, OF
three tucks may form the lower half OF
the skirt.
The "crazy" bonnet is q coa~t-scuttle
poke of rough and ready white straw
trimmed carclcssly with field flowers and
white null.
White dresses arc pretty and comfort
ably made with perfectly plain waist
and skirt, with only u velvet belt to con
fine the waist.
White China silk is very pretty wher
laid over pink or yellow silk, rs it is
scmi-transparent and gives a pretty,
ohangcablc effect.
The corsage is not 0 always made
of the dress material. Many basque:
are of velvet silk and wooden broche, ano
can be worn with any skirt.
Plaids arc combined with brocadcs il
the shape of a plcatcd skirt, Molicrc cuff:
and collars of the brocaded fabric, with
a cutaway polonaisc of the plaid.
Chain bracelets with small links art
popular. These are of both silver ant
gold, the ends fastening with an invisl
bic clasp forming one of the links.
A number Of religious womcn. in Pari:
60 daily to the washing boats on tn
Seine, and sing and read and talk to thu
laundrcsscs while they are at work.
Shoes coming we'll up on the instcp
fastened with a steel buckle, the bach
and front either red Of any other colo
patent leather. are ~favorite carriage
shoes.
Another industry is now open to wo
men. In an establishment on Ccntr'
street, New York, they arc employed
as gold bcatcrs. The proprietors asscr
that, while not equal to men in physical
strength, they arc superior in c%arefulncs
and dclicacy of workmanship.
Franklin was married at twcuty-Onc
Mozart at twenty-five, Byron, Washing
ton, Wellington and B%onaparte a
twenty-sevcn, Peel at thirty-two, Wads
worth at thirty.threc, Wilberforce a
thirty.eight, Luther at ~forty-two, Addi
son at forty-four, and Parr, for the thirt
time, at 10j.