davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
Her Grammar.

II ia a natbetic sjvht to watch the
meanderinas of the childish mind
through the intricacies of English
grammar. Little Jane had repeatedlv
been reproved for doing violence to
the moods and lenses of the verb .to
be-" She would saw II be- instead of
81 am," and for time it seemed as il
no one could prevent it. Finally Aunt
Kate made a rule not to answer an in.
correct question. but to wait until it
was corrected.
One day the two sat together. Aunt
Kate busy with embroidery and little
Jane over her dolls Presently dnII
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
Rut. A II diasatisf,ed with Natures

But, a. II dissatisfied with Natures
attempt to beautify II, the motmot es-
says an improvement. II selects tho
two middle feathers Of Its tail. those
two usually being the longest aud most
conspicuous. as the object OF Its deco
rative design. About an inch from the
tin OF each feather 1t cuts away with
its serated bill about an inch Of tho
web on each side Of the shaft, thus Civ
ing each feather the appearance Of a
lawn tennis bat Nor Is this done in q
mechanical or instructive way. for
sometimes q too anxious motmot will
begin too soon and before its tail has
reached its full growth. and will clip
away on the wrong feathers. thus dis
figuring itself even in motmot ostima-
ton, in this respect being not unlike
the young males Of the human family
who, rather than not shave at all, will
sometimes use the razor on that much
Of the hair Of the head as wanders
down In front Of the ears.
1t was formerly supposed that the
motmot wore away the web from its
tail feathers by constantly turning
around while sitting on its nest, and
when Waterton explained the real rea-
son for the condition of the feathers he
was laughed at. Recently, however.
captive birds have been seen to per.
form the cutting operation. j. q.
Beard, in Harper's Magazine TOR
Au0usL
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
ted Nest Of the Baya.

The nest Is in itself a beautiful and
ingenious piece of work. The upper
portion is divided into two chambers,
one for Mother Bsya while she IL sit
ting, and one for Father Baya when he
has earned the right to rest by having
provided his wife with food The
lower portion Of the nest is gen.
eral living-room for the whole family
Is soon as the little ones have grown
strong enough to leave the upper
chamber.
Here is home that might we'll be
all that the most exacting could re-
quire. but having provided for creature
comfort the baya has yet to crafty its
sense Of the beautiful The little
mother is hardly settled down when
the male bird. having put the finishing
touches to the nest, darts forth and re-
turns with fresh lump of clay. which
he atfixes to the inner wall of the nest.
Then quickly away again to capture
one OF the living sparks OF which there
are myriads IN the tropics The fire.
fly is secured to the lump OF clay, and
lights up the little home with its phos-
phorescent glow. Another and an
SshSs osV eoeoes uush shO PostCut iittiC
mother has light enough to cheer her
during the long dark night. After that
one or more of the animated diamonds
are fastened to tho exterior. there to
glitter and flash for the delectatiou of
the outside world, for the baya is no
selfish lover Of art He does not lock
his treasures up In his gallery, but is
willing to share his enjoyment with all.
And what pleasure he does give can
be easily comprshendsd by slight Of
fort Of the Imagination, which has on
ly to picture . quaint little hut with
overhanging ssves nesting In the
gloom Of : tangled tropical forest.
From the caves gently wave the gayly
illuminated birt-nest lanterns, she'd
ding . soft. happy home light on the
poor little cottage, which loses its
wretchedness for the time being and is
transformed into fairy palace. ~. G.
Beard. in Ha,per's Magazine for
August.
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02

a leader, responded to by the most
touching devotion, on the part Of the
soldiery, as can be found in recent his
tory. Their cavalry was not efficient,
failing even in the duty Of keeping q
touch of the enemy, due probably to
want of vigor in the conduct of that
arm. So competent an observer as
Lieut.. Greene bears strong testimony
to tho excellent fighting Of the Cossaoks
on foot, and to their relentless aud un-
tiring energy in the pursuit and rout Of
n broken foe. The artillery although
superior in strength to the Turkish,
played a very inferior part, and had
little or no effect upon the result Of the
battles. The most serious defect was
the one apparently Inherent to their
nation in its present social and political
condition, an utter want Of individu-
ality among the troops of the line.
making them entirely dependent upon
the presence and commands OF their
officers, but this same quality, in the
hands Of genius like Skobeleff, can
be wrought up to an insensibility to
danger and death which makes them
at such times the most formidable in
fantry on the continent. Ihe United
SerVIce MAGAZINE,
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
Two Lonesome Rrothera.

"Ycs. my brother and | feel rather
lonesome when we look back and think
over the past five years." said one Of
the famous Gallagher brothers, oil-wcll
shooters. "A gang of ten of us, said
he. "started out in the torpedoing bus
mess then, and my brother and l are
the only ones Of the party left. ldon't
suppose, taking 1t altogether. more
than three pounds OF the other eight
were ever found. They never found as
much as a vest button Of poor Lew
Gray's. He was carrying a few cans
of nitro-glycerine on his back in a bag,
to save carriage, and while he was pass
ing through the town of Red Rock he
slipped and fell. That only left five of
us. There wasn't much of Red Rock
left ten seconds after Lew fell with his
load. Rem Garthwaite was the next
one to 60. He was getting ready to
torpedo we'll at Richburg, and somc-
thing went wrong with the business.
A can of nitro-glycerine exploded.
Ren's cap was found hanging on
tree three hundred yards away, and
three fingers and foot that had be-
loDged to him were picked up in the
NSlultt, anu tliht was al My ouc StCi
saw of poor Rem. Joe Ross and four
others of our gang went to do job at
Corwin Centre. No one ever knew
what caused the explosion, because
neither Joe nor any of the other four
were ever found. 1t was impossible to
tell who the bits of scattered remains
that were found belonged to, and the
coroner's inquest was Jumped aud the
remnants were buried together. Bill
Grant was unloading wagon-load Of
nitro-glycerine soon after that at Boli-
var, and was passing the cans out to
another man in the way some reckless
handlers OF the stuff have habit of
doing; that is, throwing them out for
the other man to catch, the same as
you've seen men unload bricks. BY
and by the man who was catching the
cans let one slip through his fingers,
and it fell on a stone. Bills widow
hadn't much of him to bury. don't
know what the other mans name was,
or whether he left widow or not. So
that lett my brother and me the last of
the gang. We've shot hundreds of
wells. guess, and while we don't
have any more fear or nervousness in
handling the deadly stuff than you
would in handling SO many sticks of
wood. we know what it can do, and
we favor it all we know how. Still,
it's all matter Of time. | suppose
One Of these days some unlocked for
thing is bound to happen, and then my
brother and will be scattered around
like the rest of them were. / might
take some other kind of job, where
there was less danger and the pay just
as good but don't know. do know
that l wouldn't hire out to work on
railroad. When l see trainmen run
ming along over the tops of freight-cars
it makes me shudder. Why. they re
apt to fall and get leg or arm taken
of any minute. But maybe they get
reckless and forget what danger They're
in. They make me nervous"
The lonesome brother turned to
workman who was standing several
feet away. Hey, Johnny!' he shout
ed, "chuck me another can of glycer-
inc. guess she'll stand another. -
Cor. NeW York Sun.
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
Summer Resorts for Pets.

"Ah, that's just the place that I've
been looking for" exclaimed . perspir-
ing citizen as his eye fell on the sign
Birds boarded while he was work
ing his way downtown a day or two
ago "Now won't have to cart that
confounded canary Of Maria's round to
half dozen summer resorts this year"
and he heaved q sigh Of relief as he dis
appeared around the corner.
The question Of the proper care of
pets during the summer is one OF the
most vexed OF all in the domestic
economy. The average summer-resort
host will not allow them on the prem.
ises, they can't be left behind shut up
in the town house, and some costly
middle course has to be adopted. Near
ly all retail bird-dealers win take birds
for the season at 25 cents q week at the
owners risk. Business Is dull with
them during the summer. and they
have plenty OF vacant space. In the
dark, musty rooms which these dealers
seem to prefer, the canaries. parrots,
and mocking- birds whistle and chatter
and sing the hot days away.
With dogs and cats the problem be-
comes a still more difficult one. Some
dealers will take few dogs for the
summer, but the candidate has to con-
firm closely to certain requirements as
to size and condition. The charge is
$3 week. In the words OF one OF the
dealers: 1--WE take our pick. II the
dog is small and sound. wen take it il
we aint full already. But we don't
want any watch-dogs or high-bred set
ters on our hands We can't take
many because then we create nuis-
ance, the neighbors complain of us,
and we have TO shut up or get out"
Cats find no welcome any here, and
the only way Is to get some ancient
dame TO take them to her heart and
home at SO much per week, and the
charge is rarely a small one. In view
OF the great demand for accommoda-
tions OF this kind, 1t would be a good
investment for some enterprising fan
cier to hire a spacious place in the sub
urbs, tit 1t up for canine summer re-
sort, and 60 into the business whole
sale. A little advertising would prob
ably bring . large trade, and the in
PRODUCTION Of Q proper system ought to
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
England Versus Russia.

As to the efficiency of the armies OF
the two countries on the brink OF war,
II is hard to judge, as their recent train
ing and experience have been so differ
ent. One has just emerged from war
wherein her opponents were nearly
equal in numbers better armed as to
the infantry, both in the matter Of
range and penetration, fairly discipln-
cd and organized, and behind earth
works, not probably much inferior to
any troops in Europe. From this test
Russia emerged with great honor and
glory. She suffered some bloody and
serious repulses, but in every case they
were bloody because her troops per-
severed, with the most obstinate cour-
age, in repeated assaults upon strong
field works, most ably defended. They
showed most commendable readiness
to profit by the lessons of history, and
proved themselves close observers of
the tactics Of other nations. The dense
and unwieldy column which had con-
tributed so much to their defeat at the
Alma and Inkerman had been replaced
by the line and company column, and
while two assaults at Plevna were
made in an injudicious formation, the
one commanded by Skobeleif not only
showed an admirable employment Of
successive lines of skirmishers, but,
was as magnificent an instance Of hero
10 courage. and the highest 0yalities Of
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02

Gen. Black recently addressed the
following letter TO Samuel Clements,
Elma, N. Y, o pension applicant:

Gen. Black recently addressed the
following letter TO Samuel Clements,
Elma, N. T.. o pension applicant:
Replying to your inquiry relative TO your
pension-claim certificate, No. 2N, SO, 1t Is
proper to state that so much therein as Is
based on rheumatism, piles, and sore eyes
was rejected May %, 1885, on the ground
that there has been no pensiOnable disabili-
ty therefrom since June -, 1884, the date
the claim therefor was filed.
Clements claim was looked after by
Senator Hawley. and Mrs. Hawley at
tends to all her husbands pension
Office business. She sent Clements the
following postal-card:
am informed that your pension is al
lowed, and congratulate you.
Very truly,
JOSEPH X. HAwLEY.
Per ii. w. HAwLEY.
Instead of going to Samuel Clements
at Elma it went to Samuel l.. Clemens,
Elmira, N. Y, and that gentleman re-
piled as follows:
John C. Black, Commissioner. Sir:
have not applied for \ pension. have
OTTER. wanted pension-Often--very often,
/ may say, but inaSmuch as the only military
service l performed during the war was in
the confederate army, have always felt
uellcdCy III dshlnR you IuT t- hoWt'eT,
since you have suggested the thing your
self, I feel strengthened. l haven't any
yer pensionable diseases myself but l can
furnish substituted man who Is Just
simply a chaos, museum of all the differ
ent kinds of aches, and pains. fractures, dis
locations, and maformations there are;
man who would regard rheumatism, piles,
and sore eyes as mere recreation and re-
freshment after the serious occupations OF
his day. II you grant me the pension, dear
sir, please hand 1t to Gen. Hawley, United
States senator--I mean hand him the certi-
ticate, not the money-and he will forward
ii TO me. You will observe by his postal
card, which inclOse: that he takes friend
ly interest In the matter. He thinks I've
already got the pension, whereas I've only
got the rheumatism, but did not want that;
had that before. | wish it was catching.
know a man that would load up with 1t
pretty early. Lord! but we all feel that
way sometimes. I've seen the day when
but never mind that; you may be busy.
Just hand it to Hawley-the certificate, you
understand, il not transferable.
Very truly. yours.
5. l.. CLEMENS,
(known to the police as Mark Twain.)
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
The Esthetic Motmot,

The most striking example OF abor-
tive effort or at least bizarre form Of
decoration is found in the case of the
motmot, Il South American bird, which
succeeds in paralleling some of the
most absurd of humanity's decorative
freaks, notably that one Of some savage
tribes which consists of filing the teeth
to points.
The mo,mot is by Nature endowed
with more than an ordinary degree Of
beauty. The prevailing color OF its
plumage is green, the wings and tail
being tinged with beautiful shade of
blue; a sable tuft, edged with blue,
adorns its breast, and q blue-edged
black triangle surrounds the eye and
extends to the ear. In addition to this
and 10 long and graceful tail, it has
upon its head crest which 1t can erect
vt will.
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02

! owned siXty-tive acres OF bottom
land, writes Frank Wilkeson to the
Pr0CtdGnce Star. where the coarse blue
joint grass grew in canebrake-liks
rankness. My Texas cows chose this
dense cover in which to bring forth
their young. One spring / knew that
ally hidden in the grass on this bottom.
Every morning COW after COW would
slip out Of the herd and disappear in
the tall grass. After an absence of an
hour or two they would return to the
herd. In the late afternoon they would
again disappear, to rejoin the herd just
about corraling time. When the calves
were three or four days old their
mothers would bring them out into the
herd. and their places in the grass
would be occupied by younger calves
Once ! desired to see the young calves,
and ! rode into the grass to hunt for
them. After an assiduous search l
found one calf lying prone on the
earth, with its head and neck extended
and pressed into the thick mat Of old
grass that lay on the ground. The
little creature lay perfectly quiet,
watching my horse. 1t did not so much
as wink its dark eyes when dismount-
ed and extended my hand toward it.
l leaned over it. 1t watched me in
tently, but did not stir. dropped my
hand on its head. Instantly It was on
its feet and calling loudly for protec-
tion. calling that the wolf its mother
had told of had come. heard twenty
mother cows below in answer to the
calfs call that they were coming. The
dry grass snapped and cracked in all
directions as the maddened COWS
rushed wildly to their young. noun
ted my horse. and rode quickly away
from that spot. Each COW ran in q
direct line TO the place where its calf
was hidden. The entire herd rushed
into the cover to do battle for the calf.
What an uproar there was! Cows,
steers, bulls, all calling loudly to one
another in angry, excited tones. Ihad
foolish setter dog with me, and no
had to mix himself into the trouble.
The first cow that saw him beloved to
the others that she saw the wolf. They
all pursued him, and he. doglike, fed
to me for protection, and my own cows
gave me brisk chase as ! galloped
over the prairie. The herd was excited
and angry for hours. do not believe
that young calf has a particle OF
scent, and also believe that the COWS
know this to be so. At any rate, they
are willing to leave their offspring out
OF the corrals over night in a wOlf-in-
Tested country, once they have hidden
them and bade them be still.
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
Plant Young Trees.

We are asked II time Is not saved BY
planting larger and older fruit trees.
We answer no. Tho desire to get large
trees Is = mistake that many people
make. Among the reasons that can bo
given for selecting small trees is that
they cost less and can DO shipped
cheaper. More important than that,
they will be surer to grow. for small
tree is not so much disturbed by trans
planting and the proportion OF roots to
Is better. They will sooner become ao-
customed TO their new location, and,
Of course. will become established
sooner. They eau be more easily
trained Is may be desired, and they
will como into bearing as soon or SOON
er than older trees. II any one will
just take the trouble to experiment in
this matter, he will see the truth OF
what we have said. Waldo Brown
once planted row Of cherry trees that
were six feet high. and paid 40 cents
apiece for them. At the same time hc
planted large number Of trees which
were about two feet high and cost him
6 cents apiece. He cut the small trees
back to within foot OF the ground. In
four years they had caught up to tops
the largo trees and came into bearing
just as soon. He Gays he would plant
small trees IL they cost five times more
than large ones cost Impatienco never
pays more poorly than 1t does in this
very matter. Some people are SO i'm
patient that they seem to desire to get
an orchard already In bearing. 1t can
not be done. and It IL better not to at
tempt even 10 approach that impossi-
bility. Begin with an orchard where
nature indicates that We should begin.
We can not got ahead Of nature. All
that we can do Is to help nature do her
best; and that Is all there Is to what
we call improvements. - Western Rural.
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
MEXICAN WOMEN.
The Man who MArries WEEDS all the Female
Relatives.

Tourists and newspaper men who dur
ing their brief visit to Mexico have had
but limited opportunities for seeing the
domestic life OF the higher class, have
conveyed to our countrymen and to- Eu-
ropcans the idea that Mexican ladies of
even the most aristocratic families are
extremely ignorant. This is a most eyre
gious blunder. During the last twenty
five or thirty years it has been customary
here to engage accomplished foreign
governesses and able tutors for young
girls; therefore the ladies of arstocratic
families are good linguists, excellent
musicians, and are on par with the
corresponding class in Spain and
France. 1t is true they never attempt
'.classic course" or dream Of imitat-
ing our Bostonian damsels in scientific
studies; nevertheless, in all those ac-
comPishments which render social in
tercourse agreeable and home-life de-
hghtful, they are quite equal to Ameri-
can and English women. However, it
must be admitted that Mexican ladies
rarely utilize their talents, and, during
the sixty years that intestine commo-
toms and foreign wars have desolated
this Republic, they have never been ed
ucated with view to providing against
reverses Of fortune. This lack OF pre-
caution, this seeming inability, is not
their fault, but is due to the prevalence
of an old Spanish custom which virtu-
ally obliges gentlemen to provide for
their destitute female relatives and
shield them from contact with the
world. For example: If Mexican
lady is widowed and has no means, a
family council Is held, her male rela-
tives or those of her deceased husband
charge themselves with the education
OF her sons and provision is made for
her and her daughters. Even if the
widow and young ladies should be ac-
complished they are not expected to
work for their bread, and the aid ten
dered them is calmly accepted as a
hereditary right. On the contrary, il a
widowed mother is wealthy she cannot
be independent. Custom exacts that
the care of her property aud the educa-
tion Of her sons shall be delegated to
male relatives, and, unless she Is really
All old woman with adult children, she
must either reside with her kindred or
keep some staid, matronly person in
her household by the way Of protection
against criticism or scandal. Mexican
gentlemen are so thoroughly imbued
with this idea Of womanly helplessness
that they do not seem to regard the
charge Of bereaved family as an un-
natural or unjust burden, but accept
all the duties II involves as really sa-
cred obligations. One strong proof of
the chivalric nature of Mexican gentle
men is that the estates of widows and
orphans are almost invariably honestly
administered.
Matrimony is a serious affair here,
because, owing to the knightly courtesy
Of the men and the helplessness Of the
women, a man. in order to obtain the
hand OF his lady-love, virtually con-
tracts to befriend all her female
Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-02
ieave a good margin for profit. &.

ieave u good margin for profit.
The amount Of money that people
are willing to spend on their dogs is
shown in the doctors bills which many
Of them run up. Fashionable physi-
clans charging $5 visit are often en-
ployed to cure ugly little pugs Of their
attack of stomach-achc or malaria, and
there is a man in upper Broadway who
makes u business of dog doctoring. He
is graduate Of Hamilton college, and
values his services as physician and
surgeon to all dogdom at - visit
His office is crammcd with bottles OF
patent medicine of his own dccoction,
warranted to cure all the ills to which
dog flesh is heir, and he claims to num-
Der the leading mombers of canine So
cicty among his patients. including
such high-toned doggies as those of the
Astors, Lorillards, and Vanderblts.
His professional income often reaches
500 a weekly \. Tribune.