davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
Royalty at Dinner.

In Italy the court dimes around q
table covered with magnificent SER
vice in gold; it is the only luxury;
there are no flowers. and the dishes Of
the country and invariably served
above all the fritto, composed of a
foundation of artichokes, liver. brains
and cocks'-combs. At the German
court the finest table is that of the
grand duchess of Baden; she has an
excellent French cuisine and Pari-
sian chief. The queen of Sweden has
a very tempting table and bill of fare
soups, almost always milk, and
beefsteak; one of her favorite dishes is
composed of balls of mincemeat cook
ed with oil and surrounded with a gar.
nishing of poached eggs; then there
is almost at each repast the national
plate, salmon preserved in earth.
Queen Victoria's favorite wine is
pale sherry, which she drinks from a
beautifully carved silver cup inherited
from Queen Anne. The royal dinner
is very complete. The table is lighted
with gold candelabra furnished with
candles; orchids placed in epergnes
rise up to the ceiling. The queen eats
a special bread, square, well cooked
and of mastic color.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
INCOMES OF RULERS,
The Shah OF Persia Leads, with q SALARY
of $4,000, 900 a Year.

The sole income of the President of
the United States from the public
treasury is his salary of $4,000 a year.
He draws it at rate of $4.166 rs q
month. This is a fraction more than
$3.50 week and $3.50 each for six
working days. Until Grants time the
presidents lived on half this salary,
says the Boston Globe. Experience
has shown that the present sum is
large enough TO cover the expenses of
the most extravaganza households and
to leave a comfortable balance in the
purse of the presidential family of
moderate ideas. Yet there is not
another magistrate at the head of any
people exceeding the number of ten
million who does not receive larger
salary than the august, potent and
toiling President of the United States.
The Shah of Persia, who has moth
ing to do except to boss several hum
dred wives, is in the enjoyment of an
income of S30,000,000 a year. Then
there is the Gar of Russia, whose
chief duty is to keep from being blown
up. He is paid something like $10,-
100000 yearly. The dignitied King of
Siam gets along on like sum. The
royal family of poor, miserable Spain
receives $3,900,oG0 every year and
Italians sleep out of doors and eat
nothing but maccaroni to make up a
purse of $4,000 and more for their
royalties. Such figures as these con-
sole the British people somewhat for
their annual outlay under specific laws
of $2.915, 900 on Victoria and her FAM
lily, to say nothing of indirect extor-
tions and perquisites.
That reformed pirate of the seas,
the Sultan of Morocco, is slightly COM
pensated for his self-denial by an an
nual allowance of $2,500.00O and the
Mikado of Japan receives $4,000, 600.
The Khedive of Egypt draws $1,575,-
600 from the substance of that tax rid
den land, while the Hohenzollerns
content themselves with yearly tri-
butte of 81, 125, 900 from the Prussian
empire. Even the sultan of cotton
clouted Zanzibar pockets 100000
year and 100000 are wrung from the
Saxons and Saxony, no more consider
able community than Illinois in popu-
lation or Massachusetts in geographic
cal area, by the reigning monarch.
Portugal, Sweden and Brazil each
spend about 100000 on their king.
The republic of France allows her
chief ma istrate only 5000, but lit
tie Hayti gives her president $4,000
ayear. Switzerland's president comes
the lowest of all the rulers of the
earth. Her salary is $4,000 year.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
He Was Vastly Superior.

The historian was in a country vii
lage near to Boston not long ago
when a certain couple attracted his at
tention. The wife, was trim, rather
attractive little body, with an erect
ness of carriage that showed above the
generally slouchy figures of her neigh
bors. 1t was learned that this was
due to her riding horseback, for which
she was locally famed as girl and
won two prizes at the village fair.
Her father had INDUCED her in few
of the privileges of an only daughter,
among which was alsoa season or two
at private school.
But her husband was a character.
He, too, was somewhat more intelli-
gent than his neighbors. He never
took prize, but was quite eligible
for one for laziness. As his neigh
bors expressed it, che was too lazy to
live"
They were poor, the wife long ago
having sold not only her horse but her
saddle. Yet the husband would not
work. The most he would do was to
help till the little garden that went far
toward supporting them. But the
OudcSb LuluS dDOuO Lhc man was lhdb
through the length and breadth of the
village he was known as Vastly SUI
perior."
This sobriquet was employed not in
jest but in practical earnest. sis
Vastly Superior at homer" Vastly
Superior went here or there" etc.
Asking the meaning of this singular
cognomen the historian learned that
the little woman had been somewhat of
belle; several village suitors had as
pred to her hand. One good fellow on
whom she seemed to smile called one
evening, and was met by her father
and told that he could not see her and
his visits had better be discontinued.
"Is she engaged with any one nowP"
asked the young man.
Eyes, sir; engaged for life to one
vastly superior to any resident of this
village"
The sutton went sadly away; the
praise of the accepted man was repeat
ed; the marriage in due time took
place, and as the young husbands
traits developed the villagers bethoug mt
them of the appellation by which the
father rated him above themselves. 1t
touched the bucolic sense of humor
and the nickname stuck.-Bost0n Rec-
r..
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
A Plague Of Tigers in Java.


According to the administration report
of Java, recently laid before the Dutch
chambers, portions of that island are
being depopulated through tigers. In
1882 the population of a village in the
southwest of the Bantam Province was
removed and transferred to an island off
the coast in consequence of the trouble
caused to the people by tigers. These
ANIMALS have become an intoierable pest
in parts of the same province. The total
population is about six hundred thousand,
and in 1857 sixty-one were killed by
tigers, and in consequence of the dread
existing among the people it has been
proposed to deport the inhabitants of the
inhabitants of village most threatened
to Other parts of the country where tigers
are not SO common, and where they can
pursue their agricultural occupations
With a greater degree of security. At
present they fear to go anywhere near
the borders of the forest. The people at
present seem disinclined, or they lack
the means aud courage, to attack and de-
stroy their enemy, although considerable
rewards are offered by the government
for the destruction of beasts of prey. In
1888 the reward for killing a royal tiger
was raised to 200 forms. 1t appears also
that the immunity of the tiger is in part
due to superstitions, for it is considered
wrong TO kill one unless he attacks first
or otherwise does injury. Moreover, guns
were always very rare in this particular
district, and since rising a few years
ago have been taken away by the author
tiles altogether.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
A Considerable Loss.

So far as possible, all the manure
ABOUND the stables, pens and sheds should
be hauled out before the spring work
fairly com mences. After the soil is ready
for the pillow, there is generally very little
opportunity for this kind of work, at
least until the seeding and planting are
all through; and this we usually delay
until after we have had considerable hard
spring rains, that will rob the manure
that is exposed of a considerable per
cent. of the soluble portions. If all the
manure is kept under shelter, this could,
of course, be avoided, but with the ma
jOrity of farmers, and during the winter
especially, considerable part of the
manure is made in the stable and feeding
lots, and is consequently more or less ex-
posed. While the ground is frozen there
is but little loss compared to that when
it is thawed out and subjeote to the hard,
soaking rains that usually come in the
spring. It is the soluble parts that the
first crop derives the benefit from.
With nearly all what is considered as
farm manure, there is a considerable per
cent. that is not soluble and Will remain
in the soil some time before it will be in
an available condition for plant food.
So if left exposed to the rains too long
before hauling out and applying, the
amount of available liant food will be
lessened considerably. Manure should be
too valuable to lose when it can be avoid
ed. In many cases, leaving until after
the seeding or planting in the spring,
would imply deferring until after harvest
as the work of cultivating the various
crops Will require all the time. In fact
ordinarily there is very little opportunity
for any outside work from the time we
can commence sowing oats in the spring
until the wheat, hay and oats are harvest
ed; and, in addition, the crops will, if
the manure is hauled out In time, be able
to derive a considerable amount of bene-
fit, and the loss, at least a consider able
part of it, by teaching during the spiing,
is avoided.
If the ground is well plowed, and the
manure hauled direct from the yards and
stables to the fields and scattered out, it
can be made of considerable benefit to
the first crop; while, if deferred, the time
for deriving benefit will also be
delayed. By little planning, as rule,
the. greater part of the work at least can
be done before the time for commenc-
ing the regular spring work.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06

A naval officer, talking of the
Samoan affair the other day, told me
that even in this trouble the shadow
of a woman could possibly be seen.
The deposed king, Maliatoa Laupepe,
was blessed with tall and graceful
daughter. She was the beauty of the
island aristocracy, and was specially
admired by the officers of the German
man-of-war. About the time the Ger
mans were beginning to provoke her
father, Miss Laupepe was invited to
attend ball on board the German
ship. but she sent a regret, although
heretofore dear lover of the dancers
of the German navy. A few days
after she accepted the invitation of the
officers of the American man-of-war
Adams to grace their ball with her
royal presence, and the German
officers were deeply incensed at the
slight put upon their country. The
capture and deportation of the King,
her father, followed quickly, and as
the boat which conveyed him from the
shore to the ship reached the anchor
age of the Adams the German sailors
rowed completely around the Yankee
vessel with haunting cheers in order
to remind the Americans that the
slight to Germany was avenged.-Ec.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06

His man having lit the lamp. be seated
himself at his table to write some letters.
After having written at the top of the
page, "This is my will' he got up again
with shudder and stretched himself
impotently, feeling incapable of putting
one idsa with another, of taking any
resolution, deciding anything.
So he was to fight! He could no long
er avoid it. What was happening to
him? He wished TO fight, he meant to
fight, his mind was fully made up to if,
and it really seemed, in spite of all his
mental effort and the strain on his pow
er and will, that he could not keep hold
of sufficient strength t. take him to the
meeting place. He tried to picture the
duel to himself, his own attitude, his ad-
versary's bearing.
"Has my opponent frequented shoot
ing N atches? Is he well known? Does
he belong to any special class? How can
find out"
He remembered Baron de Vaux's book
on marksmen, and looked it over from
one end to the other. George Lamii's
name was not there, but yet if this man
were not good shot, he would not SO
readily have accepted SO dangerous
weapon aud such deadly conditions.
Whilst pacing up and down he opened
box of CASTOR Kenneth, placed it on
stand and took from it one Of the pistols.
Then he put himself in position to fire
and raised his arm. But he trembled
from head to foot, the pistol waved In his
grasp; then he said:
"It is impossible. cannot fight like
this" He looked into the end of the pis
tol, the little, deep, black hole that split
forth death. He thought of dishonor,
the gossip of the clubs, the laughter of
society, the scorn of women, the inuen-
does of newspapers, of the insults
towards would fling at him. All this time
he was staring at the weapon, and raising
the cock, he saw suddenly the printing
glistening underneath like tiny red
flame. Through chance or forgetfulness
the pistol had been left loaded. It gave
him feeling of confused explioable
joy.
If before the other he did not hold him
self as dignifed and calm as he should, he
would be lost forever. He would be spot
Ted, branded with infamy, driven out of
sooiety-and that calm, brave bearing,
he would not have it, he felt it. And yet
he was brave, since he wished to fight!
he was brave, since The
thought Just touched did not finish itself,
even in his mind; for opening his mouth
wide he rammed the nose of the pistol
down his throat and pulled the trigger.
When his man rushed in, startled by
the report, he found hin lying on his
back-dead. A squirt of blood had spat-
tered the white paper on the table and
made large red spot under these four
words:
"This is my will"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
THE MELANGE.
Agricultural Nuggets Tor Farmers,

Professor Henry says, in the Farmers
Review, that the best way to treat sor-
ghum is to plant or 10 seeds in hills two
feet apsrt, with the rows three or three
and one-half feet wide. Plant about the
same time as corn, but not until the
ground has become warm, upon well-pre-
pared, freshly stirred soil. He had been
able TO grow cane with very little hand
cultivation, by having the ground care
fully prepared and using five slant tooth
drag to stir the soil before the seeds have
sprouted, and while the plants are small.
If the hills are slightly below the general
surface the drag will not tear much of
the cane. Usually cane must be hoed
once or twice, since the young plants
are quite small when they first spring up
and easily smothered by weeds. The
after cultivation can be carried on with
the cultivator.
1t will pay to give extra care to clean
ing seed oats or barley. These grains
rapidly run out IN our oiimsse, as they
are very apt to head and the grain to fill
during hot, dry weather. Like produces
like. If light grain is sown the crop
harvest will be lighter than it otherwise
would be. 1t ia a good plan to get seed
grain from more northern climates every
few years. Though it costs extra for
such seed, the larger crop will more than
pay the expense. Much barley is export
ed every year from Canada, paying a
considerable duty, because SO much of
that growth this side the line is too light
for profitable mailing.
Farmers who have drilled in phos-
pilates with winter or spring grain know
that they make it easy to get good
catch of grass. Though the grain grows
more rank, the tiny seed deposited on the
surface strikes its roots down and finds
some of the fertilizer. All our grains be-
long TO the grass family, and it is no
wonder that what helps the grain crop
helps the grass also. Glover is not a grass,
but commercial phosp hate, when honestly
made, must contain large proportion of
sulphate of lime or common land plaster,
which often a,ts like magic IN promoting
the growth of the clover plant. more
of the phosphate used were applied to
clover and grass, and less to growing
grain to be sold from the land, there
would be less complaint about commercial
fertilizers exhausting the soil. Used to
grow clover and grass to be fed on the
farm, and made into manure, the pur-
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
TOLD BY THE FEATURES.
How Mans Occupation Affects the Express
sion of His COuntenance

How Mans Occupation Affects the Express
sion OF His COuntenance.
A mans occupation or condition has
expression, according to the Herald of
Health. Intellectual pursuits, like the
studies of the scholarly profession, when
coupled with temperate and moral habits
of life, brighten the face and give a
person a superior look. Magnanimity of
nature, or love of study and art, will
make bright, glad face; contrary to
this, a man may havae face that does not
please anybody, because of a love of self
to the exclusion of all others, notwith-
standing his learning and worldly shrewd-
ness. Soldiers get hard, severe look /;
overworked laborers constantly look
tired; reporters look inquisitive; mathe-
maticians look studious; judges become
grave, even when off the bench; the man
who has had domestic trouble looks ali
broken up.
An example of the ludicrous side of
this subject is to see a third class lawyer
talking around police court looking as
wise as an owl. The business makes the
face, say. There's the butchers face,
the minister's face, the lawyers face, the
DOCTORS face, the hoodlum's face, all so
distinct each from the other and singly
that | seldom fail to recognize those call
ings showing through the faces And
what city boy cannot recognize genuine
farmer the moment he sees him on the
street,
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
Emotional Productivity.

Something has been wisely said of
late about the danger of overpressure
in our schools. The time spent in
study that ought to be spent in out
door play or in exercise in gymnasia
is worse than wasted. But the over
pressure of intellectual work would
not be so bad were it not for the emo
tional p digality of many children
both at home and at school. Teachers
are spurred to strain pupils to the ut
most that they may meet the coming
tests for promotion. The healthy
spontaneous emotions that make the
delight of childhood to learn are
crushed, and fictitious emotions of
fear and dread are substituted. At
home the emotional excitement is
often greater than at school. Prizes,
the expectations of parents, piano.
practice, company, parties, dancing,
petting, and reproofs are the stimuli,
eliminating often in late hours spent
in preparing a half-dozen lessons for
the next day. The tasks at school,
hard as they are, often are less in
furious to children than the emotional
dissipation at home William II. Burn
ham iaa Scrib1aer'S Magazine.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
Inventions and Discoveries,

The Hon1iLetic ReUieaO thinks that
those of US not yet so years of age
have probably lived in the most i'm
portant and intellectually progressive
period of human history. "Within
this half century," it says, ''the fol-
lowing inventions and discoveries have
been made: Ocean steamships, street
railways, elevated railways, telegraph
lines, ocean cables, telephones, phono-
graph, photography and score of
new methods of picture-making, ami
line colors, kerosene oil, electric
lights, steam fire engines, chemical
fire extinguishers, an@sthetics and
painless surgery, gun cotton, nitro
glycerine, dynamite, giant powder,
aluminium, magnesium. and other new
metals, electro-plating. spectrum an
alysis and spectroscope, audiphone,
pneumatic tubes, electric motor, cleo
trio bells, typewriter, cheap postal
system, steam heating, steam and
hydraulic elevators, vestibule cars,
cantilever bridges. All positive
knowledge of the physical constitution
of planetary and stellar worlds has
been attained within this period"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
Women Rulers.


The government of Europe is fast fall
ing into the hands of women. The queen
of the Netherlands is about to be form
ally appointed to the regency, and it is
not at all impossible that before long
Queen Natalie may be virtually, although
perhaps not formally, regent of Servia-
Spain, too, has queen regent, under
whose firm and prudent rule she flourish
as. Two queens-regent, with the posi-
bility of third, and one queen regnant;
that is a considerable portion of the
sovereigns of Europe. Infant monarchs
and long minorities are not good in
themselves; but they have very frequent
ly afforded openings for that female rule
which, somehow or other, seems to sue
coed SO we'll wsen applied to nations.
Perhaps the good fight which most ma
ternal animals will wage for their off
spring is the secret of success of queen
mothers.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
GOOD AND BAD CIGARS.

You Can't Tell the Difference if You Don't
Light Properly.
"Now you'll say that cigar is bad, won't
your" remarked Snamokin street to-
bacconist to Shamokin Times editor
the other evening, "and you'll never find
out whether cigar is good or bad unless
you light it better. See, that one il burn
ing down the side, and half the wrapper
isn't lighted at all. The cigar is good
and will burn evenly if you give it d
chance. Take this lighter and try again.
There, you have it now. If you want to
enjoy a smoke be sure you have the Gig ar
properly lighted before you begin"
'sWhat is the reason a cigar doesn't
taste well when it burns unevenly9" asked
the gossiper.
"Why, the tobacco, that which gives
favor to the cigar, is the outside wrapper.
The next wrapper is of a poorer grade
and the filling is the cheapest of all.
ALI should be burned together. If the
inside is consumed while. the wrapper re-
mains intact or only partially charred, e
Havana won't taste any better than a
toby. poor cigar well lighted affords
a better smoke than the very finest one
Unevenly burned"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
Primitive Cuban Farmhouses.

The farmhouse, with its palm-leaf
roof and earthen floor. is not so good
or so comfortable as the dugout which
preceded the shanty and the tent upon
the plains of Kansas, but it has been
occupied by generations past, as it
VIII be by generations to come. with
out a mufmur or suggestion that
existence could be improved. 1t is
IKE the towel at the country hotel of
winch the traveller complained. Five
hundred people had used it before him,
ana ne was the first to complain. On
plantations where 100000 have been
expended for sugar machinery SO of
the lrredeemable currency which the
CubanS call money, and which Is ac-
cepted IN exchange for merchandise at
discount of 250 per cent, would mr.
chase and replace all the provisions
Tor the comfort of the occupants or the
entertainment of the guests.
Not one of the many articles the
American farmer finds Indispensable
is to be seen on the Cuban plantation.
and for to come here and endeayor tn
run the place as he would find it would
be as absurd as blowing with cats in
New Hampshire. The country houses
are all of kind. made on the same
plan, with the same materials, at the
same era of standardization, GEN.
turtles ago. Four posts, walls of
withered brush and mud, roof of
palm leaves, and floor of earth,
shack of straw, or a goat-skin to lie
upon. hole in the ground for cook
stove, charcoal for fuel-these con-
stitute the domestic economy of a
farmhouse in Cuba-ancient, dilapi-
dated, tilth-bedaubed, vermin-infested,
and comfortless congregations of mud
shanties, baking in the pitiless sun
shine during the day and moldering in
the heavy dews of night.-Phitadelphid
Press.