davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Seen in the Enlbars.

Do you know that nowhere else does
the wind whistle so melodiously as up
the rafting fues of an old, rusty stove
pipe in this self-same shop, where the
air is sweet-scented with the odor of
the oak shavings from the draw
shave? Do you know that here you
can sit down and think and watch
other men think? Do you know that
everybody is not jabbering at the
same time, and that now and then the
soft cadences of the wind die down to
music that, with many diminuendo,
lapses into the soft, warm splitter of
the fire at the mouth of the draught?
Thomas Jefferson. the cat, sleeps
curled up. Tue draw shave has drawn
long final sweep and Clipped off a
shaving that twists up like a baby's
curl and rolls off on the dusty floor.
Now everybody dozes. Now the
shadows have grown long, and the
man at the bench takes off his glasses
and sits down by the fire and rakes
the embers into the little receptacle at
the hearth.
1T will storm in twenty-four hours, !"
said ne. This was days ago, ''How
SOP" ''Oh! the embers are white. Do
you see?" he adds quietly. Watch
that red one. See! He grows paler
and paler, and now pearly ashy white,
and there! he dies. He is telling q
story, and it begins with snow and
ends with snow, and there is snow in
the interval. 1t is my barometer,
these embers, and l like to watch
them. Sometimes they turn black
when pulled out into the air. That
means rain, and if | was haying l
would accept the word and make ready
for it. Sometimes they would turn
white and then black. That is snow
followed by rain. Sometimes it is
black followed by white. That is rain
followed by snow. The more solid
and perfect the white, the heavier the
fall of snow. The same of the black
and the rain it presages. Why, sir,
those embers, would tell the whole
story if you would only harken to
them. Sometimes they don't just hit
it, but | have foretold some of the big
gest storms of the season in years gone
BY"
How do they tell fair weather."
How? Why, simply the ember
uuIuS ouG, glowing we'll uoNH W LHc
last. Why shouldn't it? Less moist
ure in the air and more air to free
"nr1bustion. The embers are all right
say. L am inclined to play with
them, and yet I have lots of fellows
who come here for my latest weather
bureau reports, just as though they
were based on the eternal things of
mathematics. Probably they are
There certainly must be much of
mathematical eXactness even in the
dying embers. God didn't make any
thing to die away more than to be
borne away" Just here the cat yawns
and the wind whistles. Every body
else tells us that the embers predicted
the recent big snow storm fcrty-eight
hours in advance, and said that it
would be of unexampled severity
LeGCiStOn Journal.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Plant a Few Shrubs
Prairie Farmer.

Planting time will soon be here, and
shrubs should not be forgotten.
garden or yard without its shrub is like
wood without underbrush. They are
tbs midway decorations between the
large trees On the one hand, and the
small herbacious or Towering plants on
the other. Very few of our parks pay
enough attention to the shruhbery.
They are delightful relief to the eye,
and such good old things as the lilac and
the snow ball will grow and flourish al
most anywhere. Then, again, these COM
mon kinds can almost always be obtained
fer a mere song-often for the asking,
of those who have them growing. One
reason We always see shrubs in their worst
form is that they are given no chance to
show what they can do. They are, when
young, just stuck in the grass, which
chokes the life out of them. Plant in a
group, and keep the soil free of grass
and weeds for few years, until they get
we'll established, and they will afterwards
stand the close mpanionship of the
grass without injury, and themselves do
the choking. If a single specimen is
grown, the soil around the ball should be
kept free for few years, when it may be
sodded up.
Here is list which are hardy, easily OBJ
tanned, and flower at different seasons of
the summer: FIoweripg Almond, leaves
similar to the peach, flowers in masses be-
fore the leaves in early spring, to feet
high. Berberry, several kinds, including
the purple-leaved, which is an ornament
in itself; the common native makes very
pretty shrub. Clethra, or white alder,
handsome white flowers from August to
October. Dogwoods, several very fine
shrubs. all worth growing. Deutziss, the
double white and double pink, of the d.
crenata, D. scabra and Z. gracilis, are all
handsome. The upright honeysuckles,
really charming, early summer Howerers.
The Forsythia, golden stream of flowers
before the leaves put out at all. The
H5draBgea paniculai, gorgeous mass Of
white in the late summer months. The
mock oranges-who does not like their
fragrance? The golden lowered currant
| IS another OF those hardy. sweet-scented
spring shrubs, different from almost any
others; the Towering is not quite so hardy,
nor is the charming japan ounce, with It's
brilliant scarlet flowers. Several of the
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
THOUSANDS CFKANGARoOS.
African Farmers Drive Them Into Corrals

African Farmers Drive Them Into Corrals and
Slaughter Them by Wholesale.
hangaroos are such rarity, even in
the N enegaries of this country. that it
seems strange to read of their being so
thick elsewhere as to become nuisance.
That such thing is possible, however,
appears from the following, by con-
tributer to Biackwood's Magazine:
In 1851 had occasion to visit a station
in Riverena, which was stocked with
cattle. ] had couple of Kangaroo dogs
with me. As l YVES leaving my friend
asked me to chain them under my buggy
as had TO cross the red plain, on which
there was generally two or three couple
or kangaroos to be seen, and he did not
Wish to have them killed. he had often
TO cross that plain with his wife, and she
took great delight in seeing the creatur
hopping about. RESPECTED his wish and
1 duly saw the kangaroos. That station
was afterwards sold by my friend, who
stocked 1t up with sheep. The kangaroos
by 1875 had become dreadful nuisence
not only there, bus on every place in the
neighborhood. 1t became necessary that
they should be destroyed, and in order
that the remedy should be eficecious.
action was taken simultaneously at the
various stations in the vicinity. Drives
were organized, and the poor creatures
were driven into strong yards and there
in shot. On the station above indicated
more than 10000 were thus dis posed of
within few months. Again, on O ute
moderate sized station with about $4,000
sheep, about fifty miles from the one
above referred to, saw by the station
books that 5000 kapgaroOs had been
killed and paid for within six months.
Dogs and rifles were used in this case,
the hunter retaining the skins. The
hunters were still in full employment.
On my journey up the river l, missing
the river road, got out into the sheep
paddocks, and 1t seemed to me that there
were still as many kangaroos as sheep
within them. After this kangarooiug
had gone on for time, squatters began
to hope that peace aud plenty would
reign on their holdings.
Man never is, but always to be blest.
Then rabbits entered on this Gene.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03

You his Companion.

Grotius and Pascal forgot nothing they
had ever read or thought. Cardinal
Me zzofanti, the linguist who is said to
have known a hundred languages, declar-
ed he never forgot word he had once
learned.
While DR.. John Leyden, the Orientalist,
was in Calcutta, there arose a case which
turned on the exact wording of an act of
Parliament. A copy of the act could
not be found, but Leyden, having read il
before leaving England, made copT
from memory.
Nearly year after printed copy
the act arrived from London, and it was
found to be identical with the transcri pit
Leyden mad made.
To friend who congratulated Leyden
on his remarkable memory, he replied
that he often found it a source of great
inconvenience. On the friend expressing
surprise, he explained that he often
wished to recollect a particular express
sion in something he had read, but could
not do it until he had repeated the whole
passage from the beginning to the ex
preston he desired to recall.
Valuable as this faculty Is when as
ISOLATED with sound understanding and
clear discernmeut, it is comparatively
useless if it merely retains words and for
gets ideas, processes of reasoning, and
| creations of the imagination.
Idiots have been known whose memory
for names and words was so retentive
that they could repeat sermon verbatim,
and indicate where the preacher blew
his nose and coughed while delivering it
An English clergyman mentions man
who could remember the day of the burial
of every person who had died in the par
ism during thirty five years, and could al
so repeat the names and age of each
deceased person and names OF the mourn
ers at the funeral. But so weak was he
il teliectually that he could not be trusted
to feed himself.
DR.. Moffat, the distinguished Am erican
missionary, and the father-in-law of DR..
Livingstone, once preached long sermon
to crowd of negroes. Shortly after he
had finished he saw a number of negroes
gathered about ple-looking young
savage. He went to them and discovered
that the savage was preaching mis- sern on
over again. Not only YVES he reproducing
the precise words, but initiating the man
ner and gestures of the white preacher.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03

the other had received the name
of Bheem, because the natives said he
was Hindoo, and would not eat beef.
So Bheem lived chiefly on goats flesh,
whilst Vizeer had no scruples as to
what he would eat. The real diff
ference between them was this: Vizeer
was caught when he was full grown,
and had for 4 long time been obliged
to hunt for and kill whatever he
wanted TO eat. Bheem was captured
when very young, and had been
brought up by hand, on milk and rice
diet, which had been changed to cook
ed goats flesh when he grew up.
Bheem had never tasted blood or taken
life. He was accustomed to be petted
and patted by the keepers, and was.
in fact, beautiful big cat. Vizeer
was very different character. He
was very large and handsome ami
NAL. 1t was the custom to give him
o occasionally pig or a goat to kill, as
it is almost essential to the health of
tiger which has fed on wild animals of
its own killing that he should at times
taste fresh blood and eat some of the
flesh with the hair on it. Vizeer used
to be shut up in the inner compart-
ment of his den, while the pig was let
down through a grating in the roof in
the outer compartment. Before the
pig had time to understand the situa-
ton, the door of the inner den opened.
and Vizeer sprang out With his
fore paws he seized the pig, and the
next moment the huge jaws closed
over its neck, so that death was in
Simultaneous. Vizeer never relaxed
his hold until he had drained the blood
from his victims body. He would
sometimes at once proceed to eat a
hind leg. carving the ham with his
sharp teeth and brstly tongue as
neat " as a cook could have cut it with
a knife. Vizeer would then compose
himself to sleep, and in the course of
the following night he would gradual
ly consume the rest of the carcass,
after which he would not care to be
fed again for two or three days. Cas-
SETS Magazjne.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
The Boy Who Wins.

Who wins in any undertaking? He
who starts in with a resolute determine
ton to sacceed and sticks to it. In every
thing there are discouragementsa and OBJ
stacles to be overcome. A pretty ilustra-
ton of this is found in the following
anecdote: At one OF the mills in the city
of Boston boy was wanted, and q piece
of paper was tackled on one of the posts:
"Boy wanted. Call at the Office to-moT-
row morning.
At the time named there was a host of
boys at the gate. All were admitted, but
the overseer was little perplexed as to
the best way Of choosing one from SO
many, and he said, Now, boys, when
only want one of you how can 1 choose
from so many?"
After thinking moment, he called
them into the yard, drove nail into a
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
THE SHOE WAS LACED WRONG.
Why a Sporting Man Did Not Bet-SOme
Queer SuperstitiOns of Gamblers
NeN York Mail and Exnress

/ why IL Squirting Mill Dlu MOI bcJ-SOIno
Queer SuperstitiOns of Gamblers.
New York Mail and Express.
No; I'm not betting today" said a
turfman in down town pool room re-
Gently to friend who had a sure thing
on the new Orleans races.
'Busted?'' was the laconic reply.
''No; but laced one of my shoes up
wrong this morning. It's bad sign.
Til let 'em alone to day"
care you superstitious!"
are," he replied as he lit his cigar; 'tand
what is more, I don't believe there is a
human being who is not superstitious.
Some are more than others, but take
gamblers and horsemen as class and
| you will find each has his own peculiar
quilp. Now, this morning [ laced my
shod up wrong. If had left it that way
il would have been lucky day for me,
but did not. l unlaced it, and I'll bet
two to one if I bought pool on horse
he would break his neck before he came
under the string"
That's quite interesting. Would you
mind giving me some of your expert
ences? What Go you consider a lucky
omen?"
you want to know what consider a
| lucky omen, Ell? That's just as the idea
strikes me. I used to count white horses.
Surprising I was standing at the corner
Of Broadway and Wall street. I'd take
out my watch and time myself and count
the number of white horses that turn into
Wall stredt in five minutes. | would
sometimes go on the odd numbers and
sometimes on the even. Like this: If
made up my mind on even horses and an
even number went by during the five
minutes, then I would be lucky, and vice
versa"
'You gamble on cards, do your"
ooh, yes; 1 make my living as a sport
ing man."
"Does your superstition affect you in
playing cards?"
Eyes indeed. If 1 am going to play
cards for money, always hunt up a
beggar and give him some money for
luck. I have walked sometimes two
miles to find beggar. I know gambler
who goes daily to an Italian on Greene
street who has three little canaries that
tell fortunes by pulling an envelope out
of pack. He always follow the advice
of the birds, and l have actually seen him
shed tears over some slips he got, not
from grief, but from vexation, If they
went againsr his grain. [ have had
gamblers to tell me they had acquired
the habit of trying their luck in diff erent
ways, but l claim it's not habit, it's
nature born in man, and it never comes
out. Why know dozens of people who
laugh at superstition who will kaze a
regular case of the dumps if they don't
see the new moon over their right shout
der for the first time. They think if
they see it over the right shoulder and
make wish they will get their wish
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03

tree, and taking short stick, told them
that theb boy who could hit the nail with
stick little distance from the tree
should have the place.
The boys each tried three times and
failed to his the nail. They were told TO
come again the next morning. When the
gate was opened there was but one bow.
who, after being admitted, picked up
the stick, and throwing it at the nail, hit
1t every time.
"How is this?" said the overseer.
What have you been doing?"
And the boy said: "YOu see, I have
mother, aud we are very poor. have
no father and thought would like to
get the place, and so help all I can: and
after going home yesterday, l drove g
nail into the barn, aud have been trying
ever since, and have come down this
morning to try again"
The boy was admitted to the place.
Many years have passed, and this boy is
now prosperous man. His success has
come by perseverance.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Elements of Success.

Among the leading qualities essential
to sccess in business life would enumer-
ate the following:
Close aud continual application. There
is nothing more difficult for the begin
ner than this one thing. Fifty per cent.
fall out before the race is fairly begun
for the want of puck TO trudge on. OF
course, it is very hard for young man
just beginning serious life to spend long
hours IN store; but there can be no sue
cess without stern work.
Selling opportunities and making the
best of them. Good fortune consists in
little more than seeing and grasping op-
portunities.
Tact is essential and tells wonderfully
in the struggle.
An even temperament. Do not be I'm.
duly elated or depressed by either success
or failure, or irritated by daily friction OF
business.
good address will often command
success. Its absence, even where there
are many sterling qualities, will cause a
failure to succeed.
To be good judge of human nature
is almost fortune in itself.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
THE FARM AND FIRESIDE
THE BEAUTIFUL LAND.

There's a beautiful land that lies to the west
OF the far-famed valley of tears,
Where the grefs that are born are jea oUsly
prest
To the hearts of sorrowful years,
And are borne with noiselesS. meaSureleSs trs ad
Down the valley, across the strand,
Stfaig DC on to the sea, where the barks of the
dead
Float by the Beautiful Land.
Inc dip OF the waters heard in the night
And the or efs that be on the sasds
In their naked woe, through the shimmering
light
Reach out their weird. shadowy hands,
And beckon the vessels TO come to them there
And call to the mystical band
That drifts o er sea to welcoming air
Blown soft from the Beautiful Land.
They glide in the wonderful silence of death,
With faces. snow white, TO the west,
And lily hands kissed by the spi e laden breath
That strays from the SWEET land of rest
They heed not a moan from the gray. misty
vale;
They see not reckoning hand,
But sweetly they sleep in the barges a-sail
For the beautiful, rest-filed laEd.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Miss 0lcOtt'S Pet Lizard.

Miss Lillian Olcott the young actress
who died recently in New York, had pet
lizard. When the actress was dying the
little animal, which is about three inches
in length, was no where to be seen, but
shortly after ali was over it was found as
motionless as a stone close to her hand
Since then it has persistently refueed to
accept It's usual diet of warm milk, an6
has taken no food at all. Whenever Miss
Olcott appeared in "Theodora" she wore
the lizard with her other ornamente. The
little animal had two bands of gold pass
ed around his body, to one of which was
attached thin gold chain, one end OF
which was fastened to Miss OIcott's neck
The bright, scintiIlating eyes of the
lizard sparkled like diamonds, and the eff
feet was very beautjful
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Cats of a Larger Growth.

It was my good fortune to see pore
of tame tigers in India than falls to
the lot of most persons. There are
many men who have shot tigers, but
nv opportunities for taking care OF
them and observing them in state OF
captivity were almost exceptional
My friend, the late raiah OF Burdwan.
had very good manAgerie in the
gardens of one of his summer places,
and we used frequently to meet there
and 90 around and inspectthe animals.
The rajah had little difficulty in pro-
curing tigers, leopards, and bears,
which are to be found in many parts
of his extensive estates. But the best
of his tigers were two which had been
procured from the province of Dude.
| One of these was called Vizeer, and
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Chicago Market

| CHICAGO, April 0.-Flour-FirE and un
| changed Wheat-ACtive and unsettled. opened
weaker and 34c lower. and closed 3sQ1ac above
Saturdays closing; 6lss for seller cash. S25S fol-
seller June; S334 for seller July. Cora-Act!ve
and unsettled, ruling comparatively weak early,
Later became frmer, and closed 2sa5sc higher
than GA Satu day; 5536 for seller cash; 55 fcI
seller June; SIS for seller July. Oats-Rather
panicky feeling prevailed early. but the market
became steady, and closed with about &c advance
over Saturdays closing; 1925 for seller cash; 323t
for selle- June. Rye-6316064. BarIey-?7178
Prime timothy-2 680270. Flax seed-1.45.
Whisky-1.15. Pork-R4ther more trading with
firmer market; 13. 6212 for seller cash; - rs fol
seller June; 1885 for seller July. Lard-Stronger
with fair trade; 79213 for seller cash; 1914 fol-
Her June; s.oO08. 041A for seller July. Shout
ders-5. 75d COG: short clear, 7.700775; short
ribs, z 1716 Butter, cheese eggs. hides and
tallow unchanged.
Flour-Receipts, 1900; shipments, 10000.
Wheat-Receipts 1900; shipments, $4,000.
Corn-Receipts, 10000; Shipments 1900.
Oats-Receipts 147OOO; shipments, 50 600.
Rye-ReceipJs, 5000. shipments 3 900.
Barley-Receipts, II 900; shipments, 1900.
CHICAGO, April 3o.-The D-overs' Journal re-
ports: Cattle-Receipts. 1900, slow and 5 110c
lower; steers, 36OQ5 90; stockers and feeders,
23513.7O; cows, bulls and mixed, 175U3.60;
Texas steers, 3. 1894 05 Hogs Receipts, 20, 900;
steady; mixed, 25 e. 5O heavy, 555 % go, gnt,
5. 25G550: skips, 3 9OG5.10. Sheep-Receipts
2, 90; steady; wooded, 500G6.75; shorn, 4O1G5.95
western, 45J06 90; Texans, 3.7505.50; lambs
525d675
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
A Queer Discovery.

On the Casa Grande River in Northern
Chihuahua, Mexico, some miners made q
queer discovery the other day. The
mine is called the San Pedro, and there
is on it an old incline going into the
mountain at angle of IS degrees and
evidently following the richest ore streak
in zigzag manner. At The end of this
incline a subterranean chamber was
found which had been fashioned into a
Catholic chapel. The chamber is some
thirty feet in diameter and about two
hundred feet high. Seats have been cut
from the solid rock running all around
the chapel, and SO has an altar and pulpit.
The whole was found neatly whitewashed,
and presents peculiar aspect. The
ancient chapel could be used at mo-
ment's notice as place of worship.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-03
Blowing the Mayors Horn.

Among some of the numerous cor
poration customs in England may be
mentioned the blowing of the s'burgh-
mote horn," by the sound of which the
members of the corporation we're, N
days gone by, summoned together.
This custom probably dates back to
Anglo-Saxon times, having been in
some places continued until our own
times. At Ripon an ancient horn is
preserved which is sounded every day.
IF a visitor should remain in the
CITY," writes Mr.. Walbran, during
the evening he may hear the sounding
of the mayors horn. 1t formerly an
nounced the setting of the watch,
y hence the chief officer of the town
derives the Saxon style of 'wakeman,
but it is now of course lapsed into a
formality. Three blasts, long dull,
and dire, are given at o'clock at
the mayors door by his official horn
blower and one afterward at the mar
ket cross lille the seventh bell of the
cathedral is ringing. 1t was ordained
IN 1853 that it should be blown at the
four corners of the cross at 8 o'clock,
after which if any house 'on the gate
sgd within the towne' was robbed the
wakeman was bound to compensate
the loss if it was proved that he and
is servants did not their dutie at the
time. "-CaSSeWs Magazine.