davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Late Whims in JeweIry.

A torch of silver from which issue
flames of gold is an oddly in scarf
pins.
A wild duck with widespread wings
of enamel on silver is a unique idea in
brooches.
A pretty idea in scarf-pins is a crab
in green enamel, with claws and an
edging of gold.
A Roman ak of gold, in the center
of which is set an ancient Roman coin,
is an odd brooch recently seen.
A pretty matchbox recently seen
represented half-burnt cigar in gold.
The ashes were of oXidized silver.
a unique idea in scarf-pinS is fish
ing-rod of gold with suspended line.
On the end of the line is a small dia-
mond.
In watches style recently seen was
silver case shaped as a horseshoe
and topped with a large bit of the
same material.
Two fishing-rods of gold, crossed
and supporting in the center fish and
fish-bag of the same material, is an
attractive brooch.
An owls head of Roman gold, con-
nected by means of two links to tree
bough of the same material, does SER
vice as a cuff-button.
A large huntsman's horn of gold, in
the center of which is the head of Il
fox held in place by a large hunting
whip, is neat idea in in brooch de-
signs.
A desk-weight recently seen was Il
four-inch boar's tusk set against a
large oak leaf of oxidized copper and
topped by a boar's head in gilt bronze.
A beautiful brooch recently seen
was large golden arrow, the barb of
which was a mass of small diamonds,
while the feather tips were set with
rubies and sapphires.
Two horseshoes of platinum held to-
gether at the center with a golden rid
ing-whip, over which lies a Jockey
cap of opals and diamonds, is pref
ty brooch recently seen.
The figure of female of silver-gilt
bronze. dressed in the old German
style, with long, wide, bottomed skirts,
is the shape of a drinking-cup which
is being introduced as a revival of a
medieval fashion.
An extravaganza idea in drinking
horns or wassail cups is a fish of
bronze, the whole body of which is
covered with Il series of enameled pic
lures representing various tOasts. The
fish is held aloft by mermaid of
bronze, who supports herself on the
back of large turtle by her tail of
vari-colored green enamel.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
a New Game.

Cobwebs was the title of a novel
entertainment given by the ladies of
the Central w. G. Z. u. recently in
Vandeventer Hall. A cobweb party
is new fad to the people of st. Louis,
and curiosity was the incentive which
moved large crowd of young ladies
and gentlemen to visit Vandeventer
Hail.
Contrary to the majority of new
fads, cobwebs did not originate in the
classic city of Boston. But was con-
ceived in the cactus precincts of Tex
as, where the game is known by the
dignified title of ''Going to Jerusalem"
At first the young ladies were slow to
join in the game last night, but they
finally became deeply interested, and
before the entertainment had conclud-
ed score of them had been induced
tc enter the web by the cunning spid-
ers. The game IS p.ayed in this way:
All join in a ring with blindfoldcd
gentleman in the center. He selects
young lady, who enters the ring, and
he tries to catch her, saying: ely, fly,
where art thouP" The lady replies:
Here am /" and at the same time
she endeavors to keep out of his way.
The lady, in her efforts to elude the
spider, as the gentleman is called,
must not leave the ring. An artificial
spider is suspended from the ceiling
by means of a string and pulley, and
it is the duty of the gentleman, still
blindfoIded, to drop the spider on the
lady's head. When the lady is caught
by the spider being dropped on her
head, both parties are out of the game.
They can look on, but are forbidden
from entering the game again during
the evening. Next a lady enters the
ring and calls in a gentleman, both
blindfolded as before, and the same
rules applies to the lady when she
plays spider as to the gentleman. The
gentleman who catches the lady in the
shortest time IS the winner of the
evening, and is called the chief spider.
He is presented with a crown of small
spiders. The lady longest being
caught is called the queen fly, and is
presented with wreath Of butterflies.
st. Louis ReDubLicn1.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
The Yellow Films.

She lay within her chamber, pale and i'll,
Bound to her bed by cruel bonds of pain.
Outside the leaves were falliEg-all was still
Save for the dripping of the dull, sad rain.
The elms that year were yellow all the way
From tops to those low boughs that fringe
and grace
Their tall, straight trunks, like little curls
that stray
And cling, caressing, DER woman's face
And through the leaves, as through yellow
pane,
The light shone in, all golden, on her bed,
And every morn, unwilling Of the rain,
Another sunny day, !" she, smiling, said.
She never knew how gloomy, dark and gray
Those long days were. In time we came TO
bless
The elms. that gave her sunshine every day,
And robbed the rain of all its dreariness.
Is the world grown as sunny as weeni
I cannot sec it clearly as of old,
For, like the elms, your love has come
between
My life and me and turned it all to gold.
Bessie Chandler.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Four Sons of Eminent SFres.

Two distinguished young couples
passed down Broadway one day this
week within five minutes of each other,
says a New York letter to The Pbtt0-
delphia Press. One was young John
a. Logan and his wife. Logan is
swarthy and not unlike his famous
father. His wife is a pretty blonde
faced woman. She might have sat for
one of the cherubs in tire Sistine Ma
donna. She is easy and graceful, and
her soft, sweet, musical voice easily
controls the bluff young husband.
who at one time was the terror of West
Point. His bonny bride brought him
5000, 200, and by close application to
business, and through the help OF his
father-in-law, he has doubled that sum,
so that now he is a millionaire, and as
happy as a cereus flower.
The other couple were Mr.. and Mrs.
James Gillespie Blaine, Jr. They
swung along as joyously as school.
children. Young Blaine is in COM
mercial life here. He is making money
and friends He goes around a good
deal and is found of manly sports
Billy Edwards has been giving him
lessons in boxing and he is quite an
adept with his fists. Mrs. Blaine, Jr.,
is happy mother. She, too, like Mrs.
Logan, is remarkably handsome
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Winter Blossoms i'm California.

The orange, lemon. and lime, in the
genus CITRUS, are all examples of
plants that may have flowers and ripe
fruit at the same time. This is most
frequently true of the lime, next of
the lemon, and least of the orange.
However, it was not difficult to find
orange-trees as early as December
bearing ripening crop OF fruit in
termingled with sprays of the famous
fragrant flowers. The most impress
sive floral display was in the almond
orchards, where, rising from the dry,
cleanly-kept sod, there were thou
sands of peach-like trees in straight
rows, still without leaves, but in full
bloom. The whole area was one vast
sea of pink or peach-color, and the
January air was full of the humming
bees and lazy butterflies which were
here finding so much to eat that life
seemed almost burden to them. As
with some other species then in bloom,
the almond-trees had been encour-
aged by the dry, warm winter, and
had blossOmed earlier than usual.
This is dangerous event, for, should
the subsequent weather be cold an d
wet, the fruits blight, and the crop is
much injured
The leading winter-fowering orna-
mental shrubs are the roses, of which
enough in praise can not be said. The
heliotropes have a wealth of bloom,
and fragrance that scents the whole
air. Geraniums (Pelarq0nianns) cover
the sides of houses, and display blaze
of scarlet flowers. When water is
supplied, the whole list of garden
flowers may be obtained in midminter.
A circle of callas around fountain or
water-tank, with spathes a foot across
and as white as newly fallen snow,
was no uncommon sight.
We remained long enough after the
first rains fell to see the foothills begin
to grow green, and were confidently
informed that in short time the warm
days would quicken all vegetation into
new life, and, in place of few stray
Cling plants. the whole face of the
country would be covered with a
variety of flowers more to be asso-
ciated with fairy-land than anything
on earth. However this may be, there
are enough species which do not give
up the struggle upon the approach of
drought, so that, If a person is really
bent upon finding blossoms. he may
succeed, even though he wade through
dust to get them. Prof Byron d. Hal
Sted, IN Popular Science Monthly.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10

dIscerned. Others had been further
corrCded into holes and notches. Many
others had been wholly dissolved, but
had engendered, at the expense of their
bronze, new and solidly agglutinated
combinations. The species thus orig
mated were identical in their crystal
line forms and general characters with
similar natural lphuret of
copper, copper pyrites, and variegated
copper ore. The most numerous erys-
tails are regular tetrahedrons, like
those of the mineral called gray anti
monial copper, of which they have also
the composition, the luster, and other
properties. In some of the coins the
tin of the bronze has passed into the
state of an oxide, and has formed a
white superficial crust. A real separ-
alton has therefore been produced be-
tween the metals of the alloy by the
different workings of their chemical
affinities. 1t seems as if in all of these
transformations Nature, claiming her
rights upon what human industry had
taken out of her domain, had been
pleased, with the aid of the mineral
water, to recover her property, and
reconstitute exactly the ores of copper
and tin which the miners operations
had taken from her, and from which
the furnaces of the metallurgists had
laboriously extracted the two metals
of bronze.-Pr0f G. 4. Daubree, an
Popular Science Monthly.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Are Americans Dyspeptic?

A prominent English physician has
recently proved, to his own satisfac-
ton at least, that the dweliers in
American cities are generally nel-
rotics and dyspeptics. F.rst Of all, he
says, the Puritans who emi@rated to
New England were characterized by a
neurotic temperament, for Puritanism
was largely a disease of the hillary
duct. And SO ever since it has been
the neurotic member of the English
family who has grown dissatisfied with
the conditions of life in the old coun-
try, and has emigrated either to Aus
tralia or America. On the other
nand, the beef-eating squire type of
England, being content with things as
they are, has stayed at home.
But this is not all. The climate and
the peculiar conditions of life that
exist in this country have developed
and intensified this original neurotic
type, until it may now be fairly called
the American type, and is indeed so
recognized throughout Europe. This
type exists in its most perfect form in
the larger American cities. For it is
the neurotic member of the family who
is most inclined to '"kick" against
the monotonous life in the country.
All such men drift into cities, where
they can find an outlet for their ener-
getic. and often splenetic unrest. In
their case also the neurotic tendency
is increased by their environment.
They become small in physique, and
as a rule are chronic dyspeptics. Their
children are apt to succumb to the
maladies of childhood. The men are
kind and indulgent to their families,
but irritable. The women are bright,
quick-witted, spirituelle, but restless.
They are fond of living gregarious
lives, and spend a large portion of
their time in relating to each other
the evidences of their physical weak
ness. And so in three generations at
most these highly developed but
diseased men and women die out,
literally consumed by the fire of their
own abnormal vitality.
Doubtless the congratulations of this
English physician are too sweeping.
1t is not true that only the men of
neurotic or nervous temperament come
from the country into American cities.
Indeed, it is quite the other way. The
vitality of our cities is steadily replen-
ished by the thousands of strong-limbed
and clear-headed country boys who are
constantly pouring into them, and
whose nerves of steel enable them to
withstand the terrible strain of city
life for years. But it is undoubtedly
true that our cities do tend to produce
Il highly nervous type of man and
woman, with no stomach to speak
of and much impaired liver. But
with the increase of wealth and luxury
this type will doubtless disappear.
Even now the lean, dyspeptc Ameri-
can, with a hungry look of conquest in
his eyes, is rapidly giving place to the
Jolly, well-fed, easy-going American,
who, having conquered fate and des-
tiny, can afford to take life as it comes
with all the good-natured calmness of
an epicurean philosopher.-NeW York
ITIbuue.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Nine Remedies i'm Nine Sentences.

For a sore throat cut slices of fat,
homeless bacon, pepper thickly, and
tie around the throat with q flannel
cloth. When stung by bee or wasp,
make Il paste of common earth and
water, and put on the place at once
and cover with a cloth. For a cold on
the chest, flannel rag wrung out in
boiling water and sprinkled with tur-
pentine, laid on the chest, gives the
greatest relief When q felon first
begins to make its appearance, take a
lemon, cut off one end, put the finger
in, and tive longer it is kept there the
better. For cough, boil one ounce
of faxseed in pint of water, strain
and add little honey, one ounce of
rock candy and the juice of three
lemons; mix and boil well, drink as
hot as possible. Often after cooking
a meal person will feel tired and have
no appetite; for this beat raw egg
until light, stir in little milk and
sugar and season with nutmeg;
drink half an hour before eating. For
a burn or scald, make paste of COM
mon baking soda and water, apply at
once and cover with a linen cloth.
When the skin is broken apply the
white of an egg with feather; this
gives instant relief, as it keeps the air
from the flesh. At the first signs Of a
run-around, take cup of wood ashes,
put in d pan with quart of cold
water. put the pan on the stove, put
your finger in the pan. keep it there
until the water begins to boil, or as
long as it can be borne; repeat once
or twice if necessary.-Go0G House
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
The Original State of Man.

In the cycle ofphenomena presented
by the life of man, the animal, no
more moral end is discernable than
in that presented by the lives Of the
wolf and of the deer. However i'm
perfect the relics of prehistoric men
may be, the evidence which they afford
clearly tends to the conclusion that,
for thousands of years. before the
origin of the oldest known civilizations,
men were savages of a very low type.
They strove with their enemies and
their competitors; they prayed upon
things weaker or less cunning than
themselves; they were born, multiplied
without stint, and died, for thousands
of generations, alongside the man.
moth, the urus, the lion, and the
hyena, whose lives we're spent in the
same way; and they were no more to
be praised or blamed, on moral
grounds, than their less erect and more
hairy compatriots.
AS among these, so among primitive
men, the weakest and stupidest went
to the wall, while the toughest
and shrewdest, those who were best
fitted to cope with their circumstances,
but not the best in any other sense,
survived. Life was continual free
fight, and beyond the limited and tenn
pOrary relations of the family, the
Hobbesan war of each against all was
the normal state of existence. The
human species, like others, FLASHED
and foundered amid the general
stream of evolution, keeping its head
above water as it best might, thinking
neither of hence nor WHITTIER Prot.
T. II. HuGZey, IN Popular Science
HOuthZu
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10

woman. Size IL a Iover of the stage
and is frequent attendant at the
theater.
While these four happy people were
taking exercise and being amused Col.
Fred Grant and Robert Lincoln were
conversing in low tones in the Fifth
Avenue hotel corridor. Col. Grant
pulled cigar out of his pocket and
stuck it in his mouth. From his
trousers-pocket he drew forth solid
gold matchbox studded with dia-
monds He touched the biggest stone
with his thumb and the lid of the box
flew open.
''Quite matchbox" said Lincoln.
Yes," said Col. Grant. lit was
given to me by the sultan of Turkey.
| would not part with it for all the
world. 1t is very valuable. Father
carried it for years. Do you carry
anything that was precious to your
father?"
Yes, was the reply, and the speak
er pulled out of his pocket an open
faced solid gold watch.
1T was given to father by mother,
said the speaker. The inscription
read: ITO Abraham Lincoln from
His Loving Wife"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Story of a Headless Man.

We have observed several wonderful
stories of the Chinese executioners,
who, it is said, can strike off the heads
of their victims so skillfully that the
poor fellows themselves never discover
they are dead. We recall to mind,
however, the story of German exc
cutioner who far surpassed the
Chinese in professional dexterity.
Upon one occasion it happened that a
criminal had singular itching to play
at nine-pins, and he implored per-
mission to play once more at his
favorite game before he died. Then,
he said, he would submit to his fate
without murmur. The Judge, think
ing there could be no harm in humor-
ing him, granted his last prayer. and
upon arriving at the place of eXecu-
ton he found everything prepared for
the game, the pins being set up and
the bowls all ready. He commenced
his favorite sport with enthusiasm.
After awhile the sheriff observing that
he showed no inclination to desist,
made sign to the executioner to
strike the fatal blow while he stopped
lOE Il DOWl. IHo eAeCuGlOnGl ulu 50,
but with such exquisite dexterity that
the culprit did not notice or feel it.
He thought, indeed, that a cold breath
of air was blowing on his neck, and
drawing himself back with a shrug,
his head dropped forward into his
hands. He naturally supposed that it
was a bowl which he had grasped,
and, Selling it firmly, rolled it at the
pins. All of them fell, and the head
was heard to exclaim, as it rebound
ed from the farther wall: ''Hurrah!
I've won the game. "-Chanabers'
Journal.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
Story of a Diamond.

A story is told in Brooklyn society
of the sudden appearance of former
resident with large diamond and an
ambition, equally glittering, to marry
IA former sweetheart if he could. He
had been to Australia, made a pile,
and was coming back 10 stay long
enough to get wife, give her the dia
mOnd, marry her, and take her back
there. Unfortunately. the girl of his
choice was engaged and about to mar
~. The Australian went sadly away
without having shown his diamond,
and in day or two he gave it to an
other old acquaintance. Then lie called
upon the lady of his choice to bid her
good-by, and she told him that she
had been thinking the matter over and
had found that she loved him better
than she loved the man to whom she
was engaged. Back went the young
man to the girl to whom he had made
a present Of his diamond, and per-
suaded her to give it to him and to
take its worth in money or in another
jewel. He then took the diamond to
the girl for whom it was intended, and
she became his wife and they have
sailed for Australia. -NeU York Su'1-
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
y Remarkable Spring.

What we have been able to observe
from the surface of the ground gives Il
very limited and imperfect idea of the
actions which excavations made to Sc
cure some particular thermal waters
aave revealed to us. The bottom of
the basin of the principal spring at
urbOnne-leS-B ains, where tue tenn
perature reaches 76o c., has furnish
ed some very remarkable facts relative
to the formation of minerals. The
place was a fourishiug station in the
Roman period. In draining an an
cient well blackish mud was reached
which contained fragments of wood,
acorns, thousands Of filberts which had
become black like Ignite, and numer-
Gus medals. The washing of four Gu
bic metres of the mud yielded more
than five thousand eieces of money,
mostly Of bronze or tin, but some Of
silver and gold. The four coins of the
last metal bore the images of Nero,
Hadrian, Faustina the younger, and
HOnorius. Ta enty of the silver pieces
belonged to the Gallica-Roman period,
while the other coins were consular or
imperial pieces, mostly of the first GEN.
turtles of the empire; but some were as
recent as the Lower Empire. The
bronze pieces of the medium and small
Ell sorts were likewise of different ages.
but three types of Augustan coins pre-
| dominated. Many of them had been
| cut in two. doubtless to prevent their
being taken out and used again, they
having been cast in as offerings to the
heaith-giving fountains. EE-Uoto Of
| ferings were also recovered, including
a bronze statuette of man whose leg
| had been hurt.
Some of the coins had been so cor
| roded by the action of the hot water
| that the figure on them could not be
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10

Empress Victoria of Germany and the
queen of Italy are said to be the two
cleverest and most highly educated
women in Europe. The Empress Vic
toria is brilliant cOnversationalist
but is not as witty as Queen Margher.
tia. The former, however, is possessed
of a knowledge of scientific subjects
most remarkable for woman. She i:
able to converse learnedly with such
men as Virchow and Won Helmholz
and her comprehension of her hus
bands case has awakened wonder
among his physicians.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
An Ohio Landmark.

Among the memories of early Col
umbus is ''the old Eagle Tavern, y
where, if there were such thing s in those
days-and there must have been since
the time of C@sar-many political
rings were formed. At any rate, it
was famous resort in the '20's, and
was situated on High street, opposite
the public offices. Among those who
frequented the place were Henry Stan
berry, Thomas Ewing, James NJ. Bell,
Lyme Startling, and scores of others
who became prominent in the political
history of Ohio. The proprietor of
the place was a John Young, who was
noted for the excellence of his mint
juleps, the elegance of his wardrobe,
and his being the greatest gambler in
Ohio. Perhaps it was to this latter
fact that Bell, who was at one time
Speaker of the House, owed his pas
sion for gambling. which afterward
proved his ruin. Ewing was consid-
cred the epicure of the clique, caring
little for drink; Stanbery never forgot
the delights of many coy hours at the
old Eagle, even after he became a
member of Johnsons cabinet, from
which, it will be remembered, he re-
signed to defend the impeachment.
Nothing now remains of this old
Eagle Coffee House "-Harper's Mag
dziue.