davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
The Texas


The Texas bootblack is a study. Ac-
cording to Texas Sittings, he is not pre-
cisely a study for a painter, but he is
what might be called a sketch. He is al
soa brown study. although occasionally
he is a few shades lighter, but generally
be is as black as the ace Of spades. He
is not as black as he is painted, or rather
he could not be painted any blacker
than he is. He never fades. He doesn't
wash, either, not even his clothes.
There are physical discrepancies pecul-
lar to the Texas bootblack. He can't
walk. At least he never does, lie runs
and hops like kangaroo, TO which ami
NAL he has a grotesque resemblance.
This is owing to his habit Of running
alongside ola prospective customer, twist
ing himself so that he al look up into
the customers face Il see indications Of
his having made up his mind TO have
his boots shiRed. In this way the boot
black acquires a permanent curvature of
the spine. If you catch a Texas boot
black and pull out his spinal column
it will be found to be twisted like a cork
screw, if any of u readers know what
that is.
The greatest objection to the colored
bootblack is his energy and perseverance.
He always seems TO be going in the same
direction that you are. II your boots are
as spotless as the reputation Of the man
who never mixed in politics, the boot
black will, nevertheless, insist on shining
them up. lie believes all men are liars,
for he refuses to credit your assertion
hat you don't want your boots shined.
If you were 10 produce an affidavit
that you did not want your boots shined,
the bootblack would still tefuse to believe
it. If a man without any legs comes
along on clutches the b~ootblack will ask
him if he doesn't want his boots shined.
As a persistent unquestionable nui-
the colored bootblack that infests
the streets of Texas is without a rival.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
School ChiIdrens' Food.


\ teacher in M Of uptown schools
advised her pupils, the other morning,
not 10 hurry over their breakfast, because
said she, "a good nourishing breakfast,
eaten cheerfuily, and not too fast, is the
best preparation a student can have for a
successful mornings work in school"
She said, also, that when one of her good
scholars made a bad failure in her lesson,
she always felt inclined to ask What
did you have for breakfast, my dear, and
how was your appetizer" There is no
doubt much truth in this lady's remark.
1t was discovered years ago that poor
children in the ragged school got no mem
tai benefit from the instruction given
them unless they were first fed with
something substantial.
In many homes both in city and coun-
try, there is apt to be a Wild hurry-skurry
to get the children off to school" in the
course of which the breakfast receives
but Slight and hasty attention. Then.
about eleven o'clock, when a recess is
given, the Young scholars, faint from
hunger and exhaustion, are ready to de-
vour any indigestible thing which they
can find. Parents who wished their
children to do well at school should sec
ond the efforts Of teachers by seeing that
their children have proper food. The
best instruction in the world may be
neutralized by innutritions and hurried
meals-N y. Ledger.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
A Farmers Offset.

4 hired mar who had been employed
on a farm in this country entered suit
against his employer the other day, for
balance of wages, amounting as he claim
ell TO $50. The suit was on trial n JUS
tice alley, yesterday, and il looked at first
as if the plaintiff had a clear case. He
ave dates and figures in a straight for
ward way. When the farmer took the
stand. he said:
Il claim an offset for that $50, for /
honestly owe H."
What is your Offset" said the lawyer.
"Hc is an unbeliever.
"In what"
sWhy. the Bible"
rwhat has thai got to do with your
justly owing him $50"
1T has a heap TO do with il. I had six
hands IN my employ and we were hur-
ried when / hired this man. He had not
been with us two days when he stopped
the reaper in the middle Of the forenoon
to dispute about Daniel in the lions den,
and in three days we had a knock-down
about the whale swallowing Jonah. The
man who run the mower got TO arguing
about Samson and drove over a stump
and damaged the machine to the tune of
SIS. The next day my boy broke bis
leg while climbing the fenea to listen to
the now that was going on " the chill
dren Of Israel going through the Red
Sea- Worst of all, my wife said she
didn't believe Elijah was fed by the IA
vens, and, hang il all, / found myself
weakening over Noah and his food. This
is my offset. sir, and If he was worth any
thing ia sue him for $1,000 beside"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
MANAGEMENT OF FaII Fruits.

In this section fruit growers are not
compelled to mulch some fruits as a WIN
Ter pro,ection. while the bulk Of sneh
crops are grown on warm soils. As a
rule but little work is bestowed on the
vines and canes after the crop has been
taken of. II the land grow up in weeds
the latter are supposed to assist IN pro
teetinc against winter killing. In many
sections il Is not until spring arrives that
the work OF cleaning the fields begins
and then hurry ; While the de-
caved weeds and grass covering the roos
Of the plants may serve as mulch ana
partially protect against the severity %
the winter, the question comes up as a
matter Of cost apparently It IS cheaper
70 allow the weeds to grow and remain
II they are valued as ~mulching material
as no labor is required in their use, but
weeds are very expensive and are really
costly. If the matter be viewed from an
economical standpoint The storing OF
the material for the prodectien OF Eext
wears cropof fruit goes on in the vines
nov, and the greater portion Of the ef-
fort Of reproduction is when the c9ndi-
tons Of heat and moisture are most IA
Vonble. Some plants bear fruit before
the summer comes on, but it is during
the sumner that the growth Of new
canes and vines is greatest. All the ele-
ments Of growth come from the soil, and
as no plant will thrive as well under COM
petition as without il, IL is plain that the
weeds simply rob the plants not only of
nourishment but also Of moisture. When
they die in the fall they do not return TO
the soil that which is derived from i, as
during the process Of decomposition
mpeh of the n~ltrogenous matter is dissi-
pated in the atmosphere. Instead Of as
sisting to protect the fruit plants in the
winter. it Is more frequently the reverse,
for the strong. vigorous weeds retard the
fruit plants and cause them 10 be weak
and sickly, thereby ~subiecting them TO
the chances Of more easily succumbing
to the cold. At this season the first du-
~ should be to cultivate between the
rows Of strawberries, raspberries n
blackberries, thinning out the surplus
plants and either hoeing or hand-puling
the weeds Ifsome kind Of winter COW
ering be needed il is more economical to
use salt-hay or some cheap material that
can be easily applied. 1t is also best to
cut back the tors Of tail canes. II growth
is To be made let it be Of l~aterals. 1t is
much better 10 cut back early than to
wait until the plant has wasted energy
in producing vines that must be removed
in the spring. An the energy saved now
will be brought into use next spring in
the effort to produce fruit, which will be
Of better quality.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Blsmarck,s Brandy and Setter.

On the occassioE Of Prince Bismarck's
last speech in the reichstag Count Her
bert, his eldest son, now secretary of state
in the foreign office, kept the cognac bot
tie in his own hands. while a group Of
high functionaries divided the rest Of the
work between them. Nothing could ex-
coed for downright eomicality the busy
scene that was enacted behind the chan
celloi's back during the whole of the
speech. The difficulty with which the
glass mixers had continually 10 contend
was that of securing the requisite degree
OF dillution. First one would taste and
find the compound too weak, 5 that
more eognac had to be added. Then an
other would pronounce il too strong, and
the addition of seItzer water was the con-
sequence.
More than once the chancellor, hard to
please, refused to drink the draught so
carefully prepared, and one ofthe solemn
group had to drain the glass, 81 that the
blending operation might begin again.
Probably a dozen and a half small glasses
were handed TO Prince Bismarck full and
removed from his bench empty before all
had been said that was in the great
statesman's mind. That was a high re-
cord to reach, but then the occasion was
momentous and the chancellor's throat
was unusually troublesome.-Tsmpk Bar.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Points For Ladies.

To keep down flesh these salt water
bath mornings, a handful Of rock salt to
a basin Of water, is sale and strengthen
ing to the system, says the Chicago Her
aid. Sassafras tea, without milk, may be
taken and cream Of tartar, making a
drink by pouring a pint Of fresh boiling
water on a tablespoonful Of tartar, letting
il cool and favoring with a little lemon
and a little sugar. A draught of this
half an hour before meals is a notable
purifier Of the blood, and an occasional
dose Of epson salts, jalop, ~seltzer, aperi-
cnt or congress water may be taken, al
ways with the advice of a physician. To
check abnormal craving for food DR..
Napheys recommends chewing a grain or
two Of rnasted coffee. Jellies Of Iceland
moss without milk are excellent TO sup
ply appetite without making flesh 50
are watercresses and tender radishes, and
all these are among the best purifiers Of
the blood and %preventives Of consump-
ton, Scrofulous and delicate girls should
be brought up on these but potent rel
ishes. together with carrots and parsnips,
which last are the best food for quick
and healthy plumpness- The richness Of
the milk Of Attorney cows is due TO long
feeding or parsnips on the Channel Is
lands, and the finest, fairest children IN
some parts of Scotland use 1t as daily
food. A carrot p%ouliice is admirable for
s~oftening the face, acting as a purifier by
absorption, and mechanically as a moist
application.
Thin dyspeptic girls, or those with poor
appetites, should be given twelve drops
Of acid phosphate in a small glass Of wa
ter, three times a day, half an hour before
meals, till they feel hungry, and then
feed them on crusty brown bread and
mullins, with change Of the sweet, sue
culent roots daily, beside fruit and meats,
and you will be surprised how they will
tone up. The dose Of phosphate is not to
he exceeded, as a very little is better
borne than sharp doses which are apt to
produce a rush Of blood to the head.
such are the cardinal rules for the
training Of a Young daughter by her
American mother. Common sense of
this sort makes u delicate American
girls" possess an ideal beauty.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Strange EdibIes.


Little you know of European de-
lights" said a bon vivant to a Galveston
Neus reporter, " if you have never tasted
the flesh of a shark or reveled in deyel-
fish stew"
"All fish" continued the speaker, " are
edible, but n are, by popular prejudice
adjudged to be unfit for the table. Who
would ever dream of eating a toad-fish?
The appearance of the creature, with its
hideous head and brown spotted sides, is
sufficient to take away any mans appe-
tite; vet the flesh istender and palatable.
When fried it tastes very much like
founder. Sharks are also excellent eat
ing. They are plentiful in these waters,
and, if people would be made to believe
that their flesh is wholesome and agreea-
BILE to the palate, an excellent fish would
be SOLD in the market at remarkably low
price.
SHARK flesh is firm. and in taste hardly
distinguishsbie from reddish. A delic-
ious soup can be made from the fms. The
meat is best when boiled OF fried in oil.
The devil-fish, or giant sluid, sometimes
seen on the coast, is the same creature of
which Victor Hugo wrote in his novel,
The Toilers of the Sea- 1t is known to
scientists as the octopus. In appearance
il is a horrible monster, with a huge head
and body furnished with snake-like feel
ers, which sometimes gov TO be thirty
feet in length, and are as powerful in
their grasp..as the grip of a ward politician
on election Doodle"
you do not mean to tell me, queried
the reporter, that the flesh of such a
creature is edible ?"
1t is simply delicious when properly
prepared. It should be cut into small
pieces and stewed with herbs. 1t be-
comes then a jelly-like substance of deli
cate flavor hat melts in the mouth. l
regard the flesh of a deyil-fsh as a deli
cacy. There is another species of devil
fish which resembles a skate or ray-fsh.
The largest of them weigh from 100 to 80
pounds. II is excellent eating"
The reporter intimated that his inform
ant might possibly be filling him with
stories originally intended for the mar
ines, which the bon vivant bitterly re-
sented, and the two parted, the last words
coming from the latter, who continued to
assert
Sharks is good eatin', and if You don't
believe me go and try for yourself. The
bay is full Of en-"
The reporter having seen the varied
contents of more than one sharks stom-
ach, was compelled to confess a prejudice
and though the flesh, while too rich for
reportorial blood, might be utilized on
the country poor-farm during a reform
administration.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Save Your Teeth.


What should a man use TO clean his
teeth - asked a reporter ofa well-known
dentist recently.
Nothing but water. There are more
good teeth ruined by 50 called dentifrices
than by all other causes in the world put
together. The object of the makers Of
these dentifrices is, Of course, to produce
a preparation that will, with very little
rubbing of the brush, make the teeth
look perfectly clean and white. To &C
complish this they put pumie stone, and
sometimes strong alkalies in their prepar-
lions.
Pumic stone will u~nquestionably take
all the enamel with it. An alkali will
make a yellow tooth look white in a few
seconds, but before a week has passed it
will have eaten away nearly all the
enamel and utterly destroy the tooth.
ain walking along the street you often
see a 'fakir' by way of advertising his pat
ent dentifrices, call a small boy from the
crowd nearby, and opening the boys
mouth, rub the dentifrice on his dirty
teeth, and in a minute almost takes of
all the tartar and makes the teeth look
perfectly clear and white. Now a man
like that fakir ought to be arrested, for he
has forever destroyed the boys teeth.
His preparation, composed Of a powerful
alkali, is eating away the enamel of the
bows teeth. in a few months the boy will
not have a sound tooth in his head. The
dentifrices, composed chiefly Of pumice
stone, are not as bad as those containing
an alkali, becasse they viii not destroy
the teeth so quickly but, if used habitu-
ally, they will certainly destroy them in
the end. | should advise any man by all
means to use no dentifrice Of any descrip-
ton, unless it be prepared chalk. If
this is used not oftener than once a week
it will not injnre the teeth, and may help
TO cleanse them, but it should on no
account be used daily. 0rris root does the
teeth no harm and gives a pleasant odor
II the breath, and if all our dentifrices
were composed simply of orris root and
prepared chalk they would be harmless
enough, if not beneficial.
MY own plan is to use a moderately
hard brush and plenty of cold water, and
nothing else, and my teeth are in excel
lent condition. If people would only
pick their teeth carefully after each meal
making sure that not the slightest particle
of food remains nearthe gumsor between
the teeth, and would, also, before retiring
at night run a piece ofsoft threadthrough
their teeth, they would not have any ne
cessiiy for a dentifrice. OF course sweet
meats and candies are bad for the teeth
so is smoking, or taking very hot or cold
drinks but bad as all those undoubted-
~ are, l really think the worst enemy the
tooth has is the so called dentifrice.
Take the advice of a dentist and never
use anything for your teeth but a brush
and good cold water.'-M. Y. Mad and
EryreSs.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
The Playground and the School

Two generations Of iabby muscles will
obliterate intellectual superiority and
courage. One generation will impair It.
OF course, the influence of either parent
may be peculiarly adverse, and this may
account for the more remarkable cases OF
degeneracy. Take the case, then, of an
exceptional intellect in a weak body. 1t
is the fruit of phyicisal energy in parents
and it is the end unless the weak youth
is strengthened by regular physical exer-
else. The application of these truths is
first Of all to the public schools, and it
has been shown by positive experiment
that children playing four hours and stu
dying four hours make more progress
than children studying eight hours. Mr..
Chadwick, in England, has even taken
factory children and taught them four
hours, and has shown hat they excelled
scholars kept at Study eight hours. -Gal-
uesf0n NeUs.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
The Two Apprentices.

Two boys were in a carpenter shop.
One determined to make himself a
thorough workman, the other didn't
care.'s One read and studied, and got
books that would help him to under
stand the principles Of his trade. He
spent his evenings at home, reading.
The other liked fun best. He went of
with other boys to have fun.
Come" he often said to his shopmate,
"leaye your books; 60 with US. What is
the use of all this reading %
"If / waste the golden moments ! shall
lose what / can never make up" was the
reply.
While the two boys were still appren-
tees an offer Of two thousand dollars APP
peaned in the newspaper for the best
plan for a State-house, to be built in the
Eastern States. The studious boy saw
the advertisement, and determined to
try FIR it. After a careful study he drew
the plans, and sent them to the commit
tee. I supposed he did not really expect
to win a prize; but there is nothing like
trying.
1t was not long before a committee Of
gentlemen arrived at the carpenter-shop
and asked if an architect by the name
of-mentioning the boys's name-lived
there.
NO" said the carpenter, mo archi-
tect; ! have an apprentice by that name
"Let US see him." said the committee.
The young man was called, and, sure
enough, his plan had been accepted, and
the two thousand dollars were his.
The committee then said he must put
up the building; and the employer was
so proud Of his success that he willingly
gave him his time and let him 90.
This studious carpenters boy became
one Of the best architects of our country.
lie made a fortune, and stands high in
the esteem of everybody; while his fell
low apprentice can scarcely carr by his
daily labor, bread for himself and fami-
~.
Who loses a moment Of improvement
loses the best beginning which a boy
can make in it-Suadqv Mdgq-n4s.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
chauncey n. pepew q oratory

Think oratory Is something that cannot
be taught. Undoubtedly a man cal learn
to be 8 fair talker. He can, by practice
learn 10 present his ideas co~nsecutiveiy,
clearly and in what YOU may call form.
but there is as much difference between
this and az Grafton as there Is between a
skeleton and a living human being clad
in sensitive, throbbing flesh. There are
millions of skeleton makers, millions Of
people who can express what may be
called "the bones" Of q discourse, but
not one in a million who & elothe these
bones.
You can no more teach a man to be an
orator than YOU can teach him to be an
artist, o. a poet Of the irst class. When
YOU teach him there is the same differ
ence between the mar who is taught
and the man who is what he is by virtue
of a natural aptitude that there is be-
tween a pump and a spring between a
canal and a river-beiween April rain
and water works. IL is a question Of ca
pacity and feeling-not Of education.
There are some things that You can tell
an orator not 10 do. For instance, he
should never drink water while talking,
because the interest is broken and for the
moment he loses control of his audi, oe.
He should never look at his watch, for
the same reason. He should never talk
about himself. He should never deal in
personalities. He shoul | never tell long
stories and if he tells any story he
should never say that it is a true story
and that be knew the parties. This
makes it a question Of veracity instead
Of a question Of art. He should never
clog his discourse with details He
should never dwell upon partieulars-he
should touch uniyersals, because the
great truths are for all time.-N. ]. Nal
and Express.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Established 1880.
JOS. HORNE & co.,
PITTsBUGH, Pa.

We are now opening spring importations ofdrcss
goods, black silks, colored silks, India silks. vel
vets, black dress goods, shawis, hdies' wraps,
french satines and scotch ~ginghams, hosiery,
gloves. embroiheres, laces. table linens. house
keeping goods, lace curtains. and dnperies. rib
bons. millinery, ladies merino underwear, mus
lin underwear, dress trimmings, buttons, dc. Se.
Also mems underwear. ~neckwear. fine white
shirts, half hose, handkerchief, umbrellas &c.
our foreign goods are imported directly from
the manufacturers in Europe, and all American
goods are purchased rom the manufactures
direct. We are thu enabled 10 compete with
any house in the country in the matter of prices.
We carry the largest assortment OF goods in all
departments 10 be found in any establishment in
Western Pennsylvania.
When you come to the city, take a Look through
our stores. whether You want 10 buy or not.
All departments are now well stocked for the
spring mae.
Orders by. mail receive careful and prompt at
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
The Banana as Food.

According to n authority, n pound
of bananas contains more nutriment than
three pounds of potatoes, while as food it
is in every superior to the wheaton
bread Although it grows spontaneously
throughout the tropics, when cultivated
its yield is p~rodigious, for an acre of
ground planted with bananas will return
as much food material as SO acres of
wheat or over 100 acres of potatoes. 1t
is not generally understood that bananas
fried, baked or roasted-are very APP
petizing. and that sliced and placed in a
dish with alternate slices of orange they
make a most delicious desert-Erchange
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILRO4D-
PITTSBURGH DIVISION.

= Daily. I Daily except sunday.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Hay Fever.

] have been a great sufferer from hay
fever for Is years. read Of the many
wondrous cures Of Ely's Cream Balm,
and thought I would try IT, In fifteen
minutes afer one application / was Won
derfully helped. Two weeks ago I COM
menced using il, and now ! feel entirely
cured 1t Is the greatest medical discov-
cry ever known or heard of.--Duhamel
Clark. Lynn. Mas.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Answer This Question.

Why do so many people we see around
US seem to prefer to suffer and be made
miserable by Indigestion, Constipation,
Dizziness, Loss of appetite, Coming up
Of the Food, Yellow Skin, when for 70
cents we viii sell them Shiloh's System
Nitalizer, guaranteed to cure them. Sold
by Geo. w. Benford < Son.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-08-29
Nearly Buried Alive.

CHICAGO, August IA dispatch from
New Philadelphia. Ohio. says Emma Trax-
el, the ten-year-old daughter of Jacob Traxel,
of Crooked Run, near here, narrowly eseap-
ed being buried alive Monday. Saturday
morning she was taken sick and TO all APP
pearauces died. She was prepared for burial
and placed in a coffin. The funeral was set
for Monday. Sunday evening Miss Traxel,
TO the establishment Of all, suddenly came
to and arose, as i, were, from the dead. She
had been in a trance thirty hours and was
conscious Of all her surroundings.