davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
A LATE TRICK.
The Woman In Black and Her Profuse
Apologies. y.

Apologies. y.
There was quite a throng of ladies
standing on the corner of Clark and
Madison streets yesterday afternoon
waiting for west side cars. Into the
center of the group a slender little
woman in black thrust herself so yieor-
ously that one of the ladies in the front
was pushed from the curb into the
street. The momentum of the woman
in black apparently carried her for
ward with the lady she had pushed.
whom she grabbed quickly around the
waist as if to ave her from falling. As
the two recovered their equilibrium a
reporter, who was passing, Thought he
saw one of the slender little females
hands emerge from q pocket in the
hustle of her whom she had jostled.
There was, however, nothing in her
hand, and after an effusivc apology she
crossed the street and walked Quickly
to State Street, up which she turned.
The reporter followed her. At the
corner of Washington and State streets
several ladies were standing on the
curb line as usual and blocking the cor
ner. Again the little woman In black
darted into the crowd, and again She
pushed M of the party into the street.
a second time she went through the
form OF saving her victim from a fall.
n this time there was no doubt about
her hand leaving the recesses of the
others just as both came up standing,
ohe was unsuccessful again, however,;
as the lady that had been projected
into the street carried her purse in her
hand. The little woman in black apol-
oglzed gracefully, and tripped into a
passing car without leaving a shadow
of suspicion after her.
What the reporter saw is probably
inc ia5est trlcS OF the female pickpocket
most favorable circumstances. and #
shows that hustle pockets are not tho
investment for ladies who will stand on
street corners.-CAicago News.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
.Fire-Proof Writing Paper.

A paper which will withstand an i'm
mense heat without rendering the writ
ing illegible, may be made Of an ashes
tos body coated on one or both sides in
combination with q thin writing paper
coated or impregnated with salt. The
heat has the effect of forming a thin
glaze which will combine with the as.
bestos body. The thin coating of salt
may be applied to the paper with a
brush or by means of a bath, and com
bined with the asbestos body by the use
OF a cement composed of or contain
ing silicate Of soda, to which should be
added a small portion of carbonate of
lime, to set the mixture. The asbestos
or coaline paper may be united by being
subjected to a powerful pressure. The
ink used for printing or writing on the
hIe.proof combination may be an or
binary ink containing nitrate of silver:
or, it desired, other solutions Of metal
may be used. When paper so prepared
ana written and printed upon is SUBJ
!ected to an extreme heat, the thin sur
face is consumed or DESTROYED. leaving
the metallic or incombustible part Of
the INK, which has penetrated or
touched the thin paper, plainly legible
on the asbestos body.-Papey TRADE
Journal.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
A CHRISTMAS LAMENT.
Aunt Mahaly's and Uncle Pete's
Old-Time Wedding.

1t was a very inclement Christmas
week, and L wondered how Aunt Ma
haly and Uncle Pete were getting along.
Picking up a few cold remains from u
W %delicacies, it did not take very long
to reach their shanty in the suburbs Of
Richmond. Quite arespectable volume
OF smoke was issuing from their Chin
ney, and on entering, it was indicated
to my %olfactory nerve that they would
feast on cabbage if nothing more. Two
fresh tallow dips, trimmed with fancy
papers, adorned the mantel-piece, and
a bunch OF scraggy evergreens and
holly berries in a broken china vase
suggested the festive season. Uncle
Pete was smoking a comfortable pipe
ove the fire, and his wife, with a CAV
yellow handkerchief on her head, was
busting about the kitchen, brandishing
a huge pewter spoon in her hand.
"God bless you, honey, for thinkil'
bout your oil aunty!" she exclaimed,
gratefully, when she saw the basket de-
posted on her table. Then, after tell
ing me about the ''misery in Pete's
chlst'' and the misery in her side, she
struck a pensive attitude, and broke
out in a feeling tribute t othe Long Ago.
"Chris'mas nowadays amt like it
was in days agone, when l had nv OF
mistiss. Mighty po' times now. But
you don't know how it used to be TO
de wah on de plantation whar | was
raised. Dere amt no scch times no
mo-. Dc hirelin's what lived out in de
cities went home to der own masters,
and had eight days HOLIDAY. More'n
gcttin de Chris mas dinner for de white
family, dey didn't have muffin to do
'cept Joy deirself. We had de parties
den: the white folks have 'em after
Christmas was all over. De culled gals
alters got married in Chris mas week eff
edey could. l got married den myself"
Here she glanced over at hor hus-
band, as though he must remember the
occasion; and he laid down his pipe,
and nodding his head approvingly, said:
"lDatyou was, Mahaly, for l was dar,"
laughing huskily.
"You know my ole mistiss she lived
down on James River. She was one O.
uem nlghtOned famblys down dar what
owned lots O. slaves, an money in de
bank: an mo- land dan you eber seen.
Twas hired out in Richmond, an she
done promise to take me home an
femme glib up my service place Chris
mas, an git married. Pete an me was
keepin' comp'ny TO l gone down dar.
You jist ought to seen de letter he
wrote to mistiss when he ak for me. 0.
it certainly was a beautiful letter!
Young master he taught Pete to write
some, rainy spells in de winter, when
deere wasn't much goin' on-"
Young master sci a powerful sto' by
me-" said Uncle Pete, proudly. 81 was
his body-sarvant."
81 seen dat letter. Pete he wrste it
on q pink sheet O. paper, wild two real
sweet SLIDER dubs [doves] on de top O.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
THE STAR IN The A S

From hoary kingdoms of all an%cientness,
Led by a Star they came
A star that dimmed the lustre of the heav-
Shaking their fleece of flannel
A splendid caravan. from desert depths
They flashed their royal way: i.
Gold wrought, in all strange charactery and
gems
{ Their housings caught the ray.
The shining stations arched their necks and
Their jewcled bride .reins:
The stately camels stretched like monoliths
Their SHADOWS on the plains.
Treasure of perfumes and of precious stones
Weighed them, and wondrous web
OF scarlet cloths, woven ut the wane OF moon
And at the great seas ebb;
AND oils and gums the ooze of sacred trees
In sun-imprisoning hccks,
And in their lamps the fire not occe relit
Since priest MelchiZedek's
There little Melchior, King Of Nubia, came
With gold to signify
Possession of the empire of the earth
And kingship's prophecy.
And Chaldea's monarch, the old Balthuzar,
Brought incense, for a sign
That prayer and praise should find divinity
In mlnger or in shrine.
But Jasper black, and of a mighty make,
And of rich Tarshish King.
Brought neither gold nor incense, but
brought myrrh,
For human Suffering.
And with them, and before:them, the great
That up the eastern coasts.
Outstripping comets and white-bearded orbs,
Came leading heavens hosts.
While all black art of dark astrolocy,
With lamentations gray
That signs and zodiacs trembled to regard,
Showed where the young child lay
The young child, who not yeti fortnight old,
Among the oxen slept.
Where angels hung upon a dropping wing
Ant all the sweet watch kept.
Chiefs of old heathenry,. how long, how far,
They journeyed on their quest!
What tribute and h treasure did they
To greet the holy guest!
What costly travel and what toilsome march
Which followed on the way the Magi led
Up from the wilderness!
But we, on whom for twice a thousand years
What hard road do we tread with tender feet
To make the truth our Own?
Up from what deserts do We hotly spur
To consecrate our King?
To God, in Christ. or in Humanity,
What tribute do we bring?
We look on the immensely of space
And count all creeds a song;
we let the dungeoned prisoner write in
The story Of his wrong.
So we but lose no bubble OF the wine,
In the rose crush no sting,
We care not for the PIERCED Divinity
We crown the senses King!
Brief empery, that the bubble breaks,
With the rose falls! whose slaves
Shall revel then but with the loathly worm
And the dark fruit of gravesl
Dart forth your white and awful light, O
Star!
Wither this King to dross!
Lead us a path like that once trod the feet
We nailed upon a cross!
-Harriet Prescott Spoford, in Atlantic
Monthly.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
A LOST
The Terrible Injustice Dope to the Memo
ry Of an Old Maid.

ry Of an Old Maid.
1t was a dreamy, sad afternoon, near
the close of September. The thin, al
most impalpable haze of autumn hung
over the landscape like a veil of ethereal
lace, and the stiffness was almost de-
pressing in its intensity.
Suddenly the bell of the village church
began to toll. The solemn reverbefa-
tions seemed almost out Of tune, break
ing upon the slumberous stiffness of
that perfect afternoon.
Tabitha Jones was dead-poor Tgbi-
tina, the village spinster. Generations
had come and gone-shc had gone op,
not forever, but for a long, long time.
Now she was dead.
81 wonder how old she really WASP"
queried one and another, as the tones
Of the bell floated m%ournfully over the
village, and over the farms, and far
down the valley, where the river lay
%shimmering like a sword in the grass:
ssBut wait, and we shall see. Pretty
soon the sexton will toll off her age"
II.
The old gray-haired sexton was bow
ing with the twelfth stroke of the mys-
FERROUS age of Tabitha Jones, when
the doors of the church vestibule,
slightly ajar, were pushed open, and a
stranger looked in. He was a young
fellow, covered with the dust of travel,
and carried a long stick, freshly cut
from the woods, in his hand.
"Who's dcad9" he asked, irrever-
entity"
The old man raised one hand warn
ingly, and then bowed to the rafting
rope again, as he muttered: "Thirteen."
''Who is it?" persisted the young
nan Haven't 1 q right to know?"
Fourteen" mumbled the old sex
ton, in rhythmic tone.
"Come, now, old fellow, who's dead?
Can't you answer a civil question:"
"Tabitha Jones-iftcen.
"Who was Tabitha Jones?"
Gan old maid living here in town
sixteen. Can't you leave me alone, I'm
tolling her-seventeen-was that seven
teen OF sixteen, now, consafn it! Go
'way-sixteen."
A mischievous look crept into the
young scamp's eyes as he watched the
sexton.
How old was she, reallyP"h he asked:
''twenty-four?'
"Twenty-four!!" spluttered the SEX
ton: ''Didn't l tell you she was an old
maid? Therc-which was that, four
teen Oh eleven? Darned if I can keep
count and talk to you, too. Go 'way!''
''Most old maids will never admit
that they are over twenty-three at the
outmost," continued the ihterloper;
''they generally fix on sixteen, seven
teen, eighteen, nineteen"
keep stillr' yelled the old sexton,
thoroughly exasperatcd and alarmed:
'.In be g%osh-darned if you hain't
thrown me out of my reckoning alto
gether. l don't know whether I've
struck seventeen times or a hundfed.
Say, young feller-you got me in this
scrape-what'n l do?'
"Stop a minute, and then beqin over
again. People will understand there
has been some Interruption or some
thing. There, it's been JUST a minute
and a half now-go ahead. I won't
bother you any longer. Gobd.day."
III.
"Well, now, who would have thought
it! And only last year they said she
was going to marry Deacon Pinney,"
''How many did you say it was,
Jane?:"
ga hundred and twenty-five. We'll,
l declare! Who'd have thought it?'-
Puck.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

According to the United Servioe
gazette, a new use has beeu discovered
for the musical instrument of torture
called the bagpipes. Last year, it
seems, a Spanish soldier was brought
to the military hospital at Havana in a
state OF catalcpsy, and for fifteen
months he showed no signs of improv-
ing health. At last the doctors ordered
the bagpipes to be played near his bed,
whereupon the man promptly recovered
consciousness, and is now able to artic-
ulate.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

"A hundred couple of deaf mutes
danced to the music of the Fourternth
Regiment Band in Brooklyn the other
night and are said to have kept per-
rect time to the music. -E1ooklyn Eaqle.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

Three a loads of tinwarc and
stove-pipe, made by the Indian children
at the Carlisle (Pa.) school, were re-
Gently shipped to different Indian
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

a merchant OF Augusta, Ca, en-
ployed a lawyer to collect a debt of
$4,000, The lawyer sent the merchant
S9oo and kept the balance, $1,000.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

a very loquacious lady, calling n
day to consult iler physician, talked on
and on with such volubility that the
latter could not get in a word edge
ways. Growing impatient he at length
told her to put out her tongue, which
she did. He then said: .sNow please
keep it there till you have heard what
l nave got to say to you."-N. T. Tele-
QrUn1.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

Lady Of the house-O, my gracious!
0 are going to sit down in my pie
dauggh. Gaest-O, that don't make any
difference; never eat pies, Anyhow
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01

The short-hair craze among woman
Is subslding a great deal faster than tho
halr VIII grow out.-LoWeW Citizen.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-01-01
FOUR CENTS A DOZEN.
what Is Paid for Making Pocket Handker.
chiefs and Shirts.

l.. chiefs and Shirts.
Among the thousands of toilers in
this busy city there is a class of female
workers who earn the most miserable
pittances, and while organized trades
and labor unions are moving for re-
form and seeking to better their
condition, these poor women have
no prospect of increasing their paw.
one young woman, in charge of the
Workroom in an uptown dry goods
store, said that four cents a dozen was
paid for cutting and hemming pocket
hahdkerchiefs, and two cents per dozen
for smoothing and folding them. One
good worker can do twelve dozen a day
-forty-eight cents. Equally low prices
are paid for shirts and ladies' UNDER
garments.
Most OF the labor is done at home bv
young women who live with poor par
ents, but they work long hours and
exc out a rather miserable existence.
The competition is carried on in under.
garments to such an extent that en-
ployers endeavor to obtain work at The
very lowest wages and dictate such
terms as they see fit. As low as four
cents is paid for the sewing on a shirt,
n these garments are sold unlauh-
dried at the low figure of eighty cents
each, while the actual cost, including
labor, material and cutting, is twenty.
live cents. Such garments are sold in
dry goods stores at much lower prices
than in the fashionable furnishing
goods houses, where the prices are
doubled, but as long as work is carried
to the homes of the sewers there is no
prospect that better prices will be paid.
The same trouble has been experi-
enced in the cloakmaking and dress
making trade, where garments are car
iled home after shop hours, and the
the w%orkingmen and women sew into
the morning hours to earn a few cents
additional to the wages earned by the
man IN the downtown shop.-N. 7.
Telegram.
Few people are aware how much
brlstles arc worth. II is stated that a
common flour barrel is capable of hold
ing $1,000 worth of this common arti-
Gle. The long Russian bristles arc per-
maps the most valuable, being used in
1he manufacture of horse-brushes.
which are perhaps the most costly
brushes made. 1t may be a matter Of
surprise to many people to know that
massachusetts take a better quality of
nflstles than even hair-brushes. Manv
1aetorles for manufacturing brushes are
are located in and around Boston. bnt
mere are only two or three importers
o. oristles, and they are in New York
Clty.-N Y. Ty4June.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17
STORIES OF Governor Seymour.

The Utica Observer says: Though
possessed of a grave turn Of mind,
the late Gov. Horato Seymour had
at times a keen sense of humor.and
said many droll things
Some years ago an incident occurred
which at once illustrated SeymOur's
goodness oi heart and his sense Of
humorous. Driving along the Deer
field road one day he came across a
farmer In distress. The latters
wagon had broken down under a
heavy pile of wood, his harness was
out of keller and MS position was
one OF abject misery. He bad in
vain appealed to passers-oy to help
him. Bat Seymour was friend IL
need He helped the farmer to re-
pair his wagon and reload the wood
thereupOn and loaned the farmer a
part Of MS own harness. The Gov
ernor then went his way. After
wards. when the farmer was telling
his story, he started his hearers by
saving. L never felt 80 mean IL my
lie. The wood was stolen from the
Governors wood pie. The joke OF
1t all was that during tae whole
transaction Governor Seymour knew
that the wood was his own, but after
giving his side OF the story, with q
merry twinkle in MS eve, be was
wont to add The poor fellow
needed the wood more than did. -"
1t IS unnecessary to add that Gov
erhor Seymour's wood-pile was never
again disturbed by Iha. particular
ueighoOr.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17
How the Boys had their Letters
Franked

| think it was the next Saturday
after the first Bull Run battle ouI
regiment, the Fourth Michigan, was
back in its old camp near Washing
ton. One afternoon Senator Zacha-
riah Chandler rode into our camp
on horseback He passed up one
street and down another, all the
while expressing his opinion on the
way the war was being run general
ly. After he had finished his dis
course on the conduct of the war he
dismounted and proceeded to shake
hands al around. Talking about
our fairs be soon learned how hard
up for change, even enough to pay
postage, some OF Us were, having as
vet received no pay. Learning that
We had credit at the suffers for sta
tlonery, DC, be said
IN TX it, boys! you lay in for a
few packages of envelopes and | viii
frank them for you
He seated himself on a cracker
COX under i tree, took his hat OF,
and was soon deluged with yellow
envelopes, more than ne could have
signed his name upon in a day.
"Oa, - | can't stay over an
hour or so anyway. See here you.
and YOU" beckoning to several,
'can I YOU write that nearly as | do
80 it Will pass? Try il.
Soon several soldiers were INSTALL
ed as secretaries pro tenn, and you
may well believe a rushing business
was done in franking for an hour or
80.
On leaving for the city be called
back Il. us. Now. cf course none oi
you boys will put Z. Chandelier, L.
5 S on the upper corner of letter
hereafter. and laughingly) az least
after the Paymaster comes
Did we? Oh, no! Why, bless you,
D envelopes fixed up that way sold
for 81, Our cigars and pop" came
high in those DAYS. Well, the Pay
master came In time, bringing spe-
Gle and the new greebacks We
were always grateful to old Zack tor
his sermon on that Sundays
peciaIly the application thereof
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17
ONLY A song,

It was only a simple ballad,
Sung TO careless throng
There we're none that knew the singer.
And few that Needed the song;
Yet the singers voice vas tender
And sweet. as with love untold
Surely those hearts were hardened,
That il left so hard and cold
She sang of the wondrous glory
That touches the woods in spring,
OF the strange soul-siirring voices
When the hills break forth and sing :;
OF the happy birds low warbling
The requiem Of the day,
And the quiet hush of the valleys
In the dusk of the cleaning gray.
Add one IN distant corner
A woman worn with strife
Heard in thai song message
From the spring-iime of her life;
Fair forms Tose up before her,
From the midst of vanished years;
She sai in a happy blindness,
Her eyes were hlled with tears.
Then when the song Was ended,
And hushed the last sweet tone.
The listener rose up softly
Ana went on her way alone
One more to her life of labor
She passed, but her heart was ,sTuaag;
And she prayed, God bless the singer,
And, Oh. thank God for the song =
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17

The TRADE DOLLAR trade
dollar IS an infideI coin-it mas no
redeemer
Il is ike a dude because it il
lacking in cents.
Ii is like a drunkard because il
dent pass at par.
IL Is like a boy when his father Is
thrsshiug him, because it is below
par.
1t Is like laundry-it belongs to
the Chinese trade.
1t Is ike a sluggish stream-it will
not pass current
Il is ike a csnyasser-it tries to
appear honest while it bears lie in
Its face
Il is ike 4 lawyers cheek-it is
not a legal tender.
1t Is ike a corner stone deposit
it, base coin.
1t l. ike a pOliceuaau's promise
only taken az a discount.
1t Is ike julep-it needs the
mint to make it good.
Ii il ike q doctor-the less YOU
have to do with it the better YOU will
be of.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17
Honey Gathered ny Bees.

Mr.. G.. NJ Doolittle, well known
FOR his practical attainments in bee
matters, In relation % the amount of
honey bee viii gather during it's
natural life, generally less than the
season of bloom, says. with q contin-
uous and uninterrupted honey-fiow
within two miles of the hive, during
the time which a bee ives, thinks
that bee might easily gather one
ounce Of nectar. which would take
only l 500 bees to gather 100 pounds.
OF this amount it would take al
least twenty FIVE pounds to supply
the wants of the colony during the
tine tAe bee wss living, and unless
the nectar was thicker than We get
1t here, it would take three pounds
Of this nectar to make one pound of
honey 80 then We should have
twenty-five pounds Of honey as the
product OF l 800 bees during their
life, with an uninterrupted flow of
nectar. While this might be posi-
ole. yet there are two things which
make 1t improbable. the first being,
as already stated, that the honey
flow does not continue long enough.
and the second, that the Yield would
not be sufficient within two miles
OF the apiary so that the bees could
work TO the best advantage.