davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
Wonderful Egypt

The Egyptians, writes Frank G. Gar.
penter, should be the richest instead OF
the poorest people in the world. What q
wonderful country they have2 1t is a
valley of guano in the midst of a desert.
The land Is as black as your hat and it
now teens with crops as green as Kansas
in June. It produces from two to three
crops every year, and its soil gives out
through the ages bounteous crops with
no other fertilizer than this water of the
Nile. Egypt is the gift of the Nile and
a wonderful gift it is. The country
under the Khedive to-day is the narrowest
kingdom of the world. Extending be-
tween eight and nine hundred miles above
Cairo its cultivable soil is nowhere more
than nine miles wide, and below here it
spreads out in a great, green fan, the
ribs OF which are each a lit
tie more than 100 miles long and
the top of which does not measure much
more than the ribs. This fan is the
famed Delta of the Nile, and with this
long narrow valley above 1t it makes the
Egypt of to-day. On the sides Of this
valley are great tracts of desert of sand
of a glazing yellow silver, more sterile
than the plains of Colorado or the alkai
plains of the Rockies. The Egyptian
desert is absolutely bare. The rich fields
of Egyptc come to its edge on either side and
and you can step from the greenest of grass
on to the driest of sand and standing or the
green with your face toward the desert,
as far as the eye can reach, see nothing
but the bleak, bare sand.
The whole of the soil of Egypt has
been brought down from the mountains
| Of Abyssinia by the Nile. 1t is nowhere
more than fifty feet deep and its average
depth is about thirty-fve feet. Under
this soil 10 found the sand. The Nile
waters it as well as fertilizes it, for there
is no rain to speak of in Egypt. The
country is fat. Here at Cairo you
can see for miles in every direction, and
standing on the great Pyramid, the
valley of the Nile is spread out below
you in . great patchwork of different
shades of green. There are no fences and
few trees, here and there a grove Of tall
palm raise their fanlike heads high UP in
the clear blue atmosphere, and near them
you see a village of mud huts made of
the same sun-dried sticks that Pharaoh
ground out Of the children Of Israel.
This great plain is cut up by canals, roads
run here and there through it, and along
these move caravans of camels, of
Egyptians in gowns upon donkeys and
of droves Of donkeys laden with grass
or grain. There are cattle and sheep by
the thousand upon the field and their
fat sides glisten under the tropical sun as
they MUNICH the sweetest and %juciest of
/ clover. The air just POW is az pure as
that of Denver. All nature seems to smile
and the only poor thing upon the scene
Is man.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

{ The New York World that
on the South Deyonshire coast of Eng
Sand hotel In to be erected for the ex-
elusive use of bridalparties. It will fill
. long-felt want. heretofore the bride
groom and his bride have been obliged
10 spend thsir honeymoon in the presence
IoS unsympathetic and perhaps hooking
spaople. It will be o great relief for
newly-married persons to realize that
somewhere there is a snug harbor for
3ksm IN which they will be surrounded
by hearts throbbing with the same en-
fhnsiasm which agitates their w organs
of affection.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

In New York there are several ex-
changes, each exchange having its hun
dreds of subscribers. Twas elevated to
the top floor of an enormous building on
Broadway. This top floor is represented
by a single room, a room which the
gushing novelist could not say was
sumptuously furnished. On the con.
trary it is monastic in simplicity, and
almost as bare as a ball alley.
When John Smith subscribes John re-
ceives a number, and this number repre-
sents him on a great blackboard, called
the switchboard" A metal flap at
tached to the "switch' agitates itself
when John Smith wants to speak with
Ed. Brown, or anybody with whom ne
may be DESTROYS Of conversing.
Around this loft are desks, opposite
the desks a high screen, and at the desks
a number of young women, each armed
with a writing pad and pencil.
The murmur of subdued talking by
many tongues greeted me OIL entrance
this murmur being created by the young
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

H-EsE 40 "
tells and will ever tell the rest. Poor,
Rachel, who never saw the White House
to live in it and who never cared to go.
there except to be with her illustriuus
husband, has one of the most beautiful
inscriptions ever cut in stone OF craven.
in bronze;
! Here lie the remains OF Mrs. Rachel Jacks
son, wife OF President jackson, who died the
I'D Of December, 1928, aged ~sixty-one years.
Her face was fair, her person pleasing, her
temper amiable, her heart kind. She der:
lighted In relieving the wants OF her fellowe
creatures, and cultivated that divine pleasure
by the most liberal and u~npretendinai
methods. To the poor she was q benefactor,
to the rich an example, to the wretched q.
comforter, to the prosperous an ornament.
Her piety went hand in hand with her benevo-
lence, and she thanked her Creator for being
permitted to do good. Abeing so gentle and
so virtuous SANDER might wound but could
not dishonor. Even death, when he bore her
from the arms of her husband, could but
transport hsr TO the bosom Of her God"
jackson might have had a more pre-
tentious monument, A short time before
his death Commodore Elliott brought
home from q cruise in the Mediterranean
the sarcophagus of a Roman Emperor,
minus the remains. He offered it to the
ex-President, who sent him this reply:
81 have received your kind letter with
its accompaniment, and you must pardon
me il I do not accept it, for / do not
think the sareophagus Of a Roman
Emperor a fit receptacle for the remains
of an American Democrat" The sar-
cophagus then went to the museum Of
the Smithsonian Institution at Washing,
ton,-Nep York Word.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
General JacksOn's Tomb.

: The tomb of Andrew Jackson is in the
southwest corner Of the garden, three
hundred feet or so from the Jackson
monument, near Nashville, Tenn. The
material used in the construction is solid
limestone, and the fight of years has
made but slight impression on it. The
dome is supported by eight columns OF
the Doric order and three large steps
serve as well-proportioned base. Upon
either side of the monumental piece in
the centre are two heavy slabs of stone,
lying horizontally upon the floor of the
tomb andin them are cut the inscriptions.
Nothing could be simpler than one,
general Andrew Jackson. Born March
is. 1857. Died June s, 1885, History
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
HOUSEHOLD AFFAIRS.
CARE, OF THE PIANO.

A piano tuner writes thus of the mech7
anism of that instrument and its sus-
c~eptihility to atmospheric conditions: :.
'sPianos are not affected as much by
heat or cold as they are by dryness OF
dampness. OF course, if you stick n
end Of a piano against o stove or a heater
or register and let the other come near a
cold, leaky window it'll raise Ned with
it. You know the sounding board-the
life Of a piano-is forced into the case
when it's made 80 tightly that it bulges
up in the centre, or has a belly as we
call it, ON the same principle as a violin,
The wood is supposed to be as dsy as
possible, but, of course, it contains some
moisture and gathers a lot more on damp
days and in handling. Now, when you
puta piano in an over heated, dry room
all this moisture IS dried out and the
board loses its belly and gets fabby,
ana finally cracks. Even If it doesn't
crack, the tone loses its resonance and
grows thin and tinny, and the felt cloth
and leather used in the action dry up and
the whole machine rattles and everybody
kicks. How can you prevent it2 Easl7
ly enough. Keep a growing plant in the
room, and so long as your plant thrives
your piano ought to or else there's some-
thing wrong with it. Just try 1t and see
how much more water you'll have to pour
in the flower pot in the room where your
piano is than in any other room. Some
people keep a huge vase or urn with a
sopping wet sponge in it e or under
the piano, and keep-it moistened just as
a cigar dealer keeps his stock. They
keepTthis up all the time the fires are
on"
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
Il TELEPHONE.
an HOUR WITH TEN THOUSAND
TAKERS.
Scenes In a New York Telephone
Exchange-How Subscribers are
Brought Into Communities
ton With Each Other.

We busy people who live in cities and
who cry "Hello CENTRAL" fifty, nay, enc
Aundred times a day, never give q thought
10 tho perfect machinery and admirable
svesem by which we are enabled to talk
business with our neighbors at a distance
Of many miles, and even with our better
halves If only to enquire after the baby,
OF to announce that business most unex-
pectedly detains us in town.
"yVhat is the central Office likeG"
asked myself one day last week after
had uttered the stereotyped ''good-bye"
to an invisible female with q very charm
ing voice. ssBy Jove, I'll 60 ant see."'
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

An operator requires to .be very quick
in her movements, and above all to keep
on the track Of John Smith after he has
opened a conversation with Ed Brown.
John cries, "Hello Central" Central
seeing the flap fall, pegs and replies to
John.
"Give me sixty-ive Warren, pleasal"
says John.
CAN right" cries Central, and she
pegs sixty-fve Warren, leaving John to
his gossip.
should mention that right opposite
the mouth of each operator swings tele-
phone receiver.
The operator must follow up John
Smith so that when the conversation is
ended the pegs may be Withdrawn and
the flaps fly back.
It now amuses me to know what takes
place when 7 call "Hello Central!"-
Once-a- Week.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
A Merchants Big Mistake.

In the early days of the direct tea trade
with China importers were anxious to
secure the earliest eargoes Of a new crop.
The fastest clipper ships were engagedin
the trade. Great haste in loading them
was followed by a hot race to reach New
York first. The first cargo brought the
best price and largest profits. The sue
cessful captain was always rewarded, so
every known aid to navigation was
adopted.
The young captain Of one of MFR. Astor's
clippers bought, ON one of his trips, a
new c~hronometer, and with its aid made
a quick passage, and arrived first. He
put the price of it into the expense ac-
count of the trip, but Mr. Astor threw
It out, insisting that such items OF
expense for new tangled notions
could not be allowed. The cap
tain thereupon resigned and took service
with q rival line. The next year he
reached port long before any competitor,
TO the great delight and profits of his en-
ployers and the chagrin Of MIR. Astor.
Not long after they CHANGED to meet, and
MF. Aston inquired
ttBy the way, captain, how much did
that chronometer cost YOUR
ssSix hundred dollars; and may I in
quire, MI. Astor, how much it has cost
Jaaia
asixty thousand dolIars.n
The moral is plain.-Ocean,
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

: The Chicago Herald observes: The
human being, although an appetizing
cannibals, appears to be arather
indigsstible article offood. An agentof
the Canadian Dominion Government, who
las been exploring in the northern part
,of Hfitiah Columbia, reports the dis
,cOvsry Of q tribe Of cannibals, who, after
timing on a fellow being, drink hot water
and abstain from food for several days.
iHot water is an excellent remedy for
EdyApepsis, and the conclusion is that
missionary, however palatable, is likely
!te lie uneasily on the cannibal stomach
and set up dyspeptic symptoms unless
some grch precaution is taken.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
A LONG REACH.

ladies at the desks, who were engaged in
the busy feminine occupation of asking
questions and returning replies.
These young ladies are adorned with a
not unbeeoming headdress, composed OF
two bands OF steel somewhat like a pair
of silver combs. These combs are con-
nected with atelephone transmitter, which
is pressed by them tight to the left ear,
pad fashion. This transmitteH is attached
to the wires, so that when John Smith
wants to talk with Ed Brown, the opera
tor in charge Of him can listen, reply, jot
down the number he wants, and adjust
his peg on the particular ssswitch.n
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
RECIPES.

Picked Plums-One peck Of plums,
seven pounds Of sugar, one pint Of good
vinegar and spices to taste. Boil till
well cooked.
Boiled Rice Pudding-Pick and wash.
the rice, put into a saucepan with plenty,
Of water; let bell till soft; strain off the
water and set on the back of the fire till
the rice becomes dry; put into g buttered
mold to set, then turn it out and pour 8
sweet sauce over it.
CrahvApple Preserve-Pick large crab
apples, and to every pound of fruit allow
a pound and g halt Of sugar and one pint
of water, Boil and skim till clear, then
to each pound of fruit add the juice and
Clipped rind of one lemon. Pat in the
%crab-apples and boil slowly till tender.
Fill the jars half full of fruit and cover
with the juice.
Caulifower-Cut off the outside leaves
and let stand in salt and water for an hour
or more. Put the head into a piece of
net and boil until tender. Put a pint Of
milk into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add
a lump of butter, a little ~thickening, a
half cup of grated cheese and salt to sea.
SON., Arrange she caulif1ower on a flat
"a an2e sauce over il
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

The suggestion that the Postofice De-
p~astunent ahonld issue twenty-five cent,
2fsy cent and 81 postage stamps is one,
observes the Baltimore San, which will
douhtlssa meet witksyeneral favor among
business men. Many foreign letters and
packages, It ID stated, are mailed requir-
ins stamps TO the amount Of ~ and up
ward, aud considerable time is wasted
ii calculating the number Of thirty cent
end ninety cent stamps that are needed.
with stamps Of the denomination pro-
posed the calculation would be much
simpler, and the convenience, especially
q the business community, would be
sufficient % amply justify the new de-
parkure.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
brek.

The amount Of human blood spilled in
bringing the Paris Exposition to COM
pletion is something enormous. The
rscords chow that during the erection Of
the buildings no less than $3.50 men were
treated for injuries of one kind or an
other received while at work on them;
800 workmen were injured as to their
aees, 200 were badly injured in their
eyes, ia were scalded or badly burned,
so had fingers cut off. The death roll
from falls foots up "a, though this Is
said to be far below the actualitY.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

II II marvellous, muses. the Baltimore
gaas how the schemes Of the o~ver-cautious
szEsn defeat themselves. The official re-
part of the railway accident in Russia,
hach nearly cost the Gar and Czarina
Nair lises, carries its own moral. The
eaza occupied by the imperial party were
arnanr plated, and weighed about three
tnesmore than ordinary carr, while the
pdrilb w travel were thereby increased Ii
proportion. The signaling apparatus
Maataken out DIT the hands Of the regular
saEvants of ths road and given into those
d apeoial detectives. The engineer and
brakeman wsre under command oil i
Etaks angineer, who was ID furn directed
~ The chieEo the imperial private police.
Kha sareck WIS caused b. this police
rldss ordering the sudden increase 81
assd % the train Was nearing d curve
ovaz q Now md hastily constructed en-
bzzknsnt. Withsuch cheerful mixture
okhoiIer plate and FED taps 70 contend
st, n Il j wonder that ANYBODY on
eias nain oct % biz destination alive.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
4 so00A Watch.

stalking about Watches said q jew
eler, ssthe most expensive and compli-,
Gated time piece in the city is owned by
Mr.. Peter Gibson. It was made to his
order IN Switzerland and cost $1,000. He
sent an order to she same maker about Q
year ago for another watch to cost $4,000.
This watch shows the seconds, minutes,
hours, days Of The week and month and
the year. It registers the phases Of the
moon, the rising and setting Of the sun,
names eclipses DC the sun and moo and
b score Of other natural phenomena which
can be determined by calculation. Like
the other, the watch is his own. design
-Csac;nnats Enquirer
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

The screen opposite which the opera
tors perch il covered with metal flaps.
These flaps are p~erpstually dropping
down, as on the electric register behind
she clerks desk at q swell hotel.
Al flap fallsi a pair Of bright eyes
glance at it. a lily white hand matches
8 hanging cord ornamented with two
pegs or plugs. The lily white hand by q
rapid motion plugs the hole revealed by
the fallen flap, and disposes Of the other
peg by pushing II into another hole on
the screen, the cord connecting both.
| stood behind these operators, and be-
came fascinated BY the extraordinary
rapidity and precision with which they
worked. Flapi fapl dapi dapi Peg!
pegl pegl pegi
Flour, fifty. Joha.n eyes, dr.
ssNot yet. Wait d minute9s tsWhat did
you say2n aNo.p s4Yes.n aone mos
ment. II ssAre you through9o Seventy
eipht-whatan .No such number
seForty-four, Broad Eyes ma'am."
aSpcak lower, pleasel' # don't under
stand your
BY such sentences as these Is the buzz
aad murnur and hum kept going. Now
rising, low falling, but never for 3
second Silent. a grave, thoughtful,
concsntsted man, the superintendent,
with q awk's eye, siss ii 3 desk called
the ssmanitor.f y HE Is arguaveyed, for
nothing would seem TO escape his glance
ii neg osaE al SORTS. 4 cord entanoled. ~
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

A famous newspaper correspondent
has been studying the peculiarities Of
great men in this country and in Europe.
&c finds that all the greatest men Of the
world have big noses. Bismarck and
Pasteur have tremendous noses, but
Gladstone stands without a rival. The.
great Englishman's proboscis is big all
crer. For thickness, breadth and solid-'
ity ii cannot be matched anywhere in the!
world. Napoleon always selected big.
nbsed men for his generals. Gladstone
would have delighted him.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
JELLY MAKING.

The jelly making season brings much
hard work to the busy housekeeper, yet
the wise woman will not fail to put up d
good supply, for there are times when a
jar Of nice fruit or a glass of jelly is a
ssfriend in need"
Select fruit of fine favor, free from
blemishes and decay; it should be we'll
ripened, but not too ripe, and as freshly
picked as possible, and use the best re1
fined or 'granulated sugar. To extract
the juice, place the fruit in the kettle
with just enough water to keep from
burning; stir often and let it stand on;
the fire until thoroughly scalded. .,
better but slower method is to put it in q
stone jar set within a kettle of tepid
water; boil until the fruit is softened,
stirring frequently; then strain a small
quantity at q time through a strong,'
coarse flannel or cotton bag wrung out Of
hot water; let it drain and squeeze with
the hands as it cools; empty the bag and
rinse off each time after being used.
Large fruits, as apples and ounces,
should be cut in pieces, cores removed
and water added to just cover them
boil gently till tender and pour into the
bag to drain three or four hours Or over
night.
Do not make over two or three plnts
Of jelly at a time, as larger quantities rec
quire longer boiling. Boil the juice
rapidly ten minutes from first moment OF
boiling, skim, add sugar and boil ten
minutes longer. As a general rule, allow
equal quantities of juice and sugar. An.
other way is to spread sugar in a large
pan set in the oven, stirring to prevent
burning, boil the juice twenty minutes,
add the hot sugar, let boil up once, and
pour into jelly glasses Immediately, as in
this way a thin skin forms over the sur
face, keeping out the air; owe with
branded tissue paper cut to fit the glasses
closely, let cool and set them in q dry,
cool, dark place. To test Jelly drop a
little into very cola water and Il ii Ina
mediately falls to the bottom OF vessel il
10 done. If the jelly is not firm, lei
stand in the sun with pieces Of window
glass or mosquito bar netting, for a few
days.-Dstroit Free Pssss, sasz
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

Young Hilivyr (gloomily)-'FWhat did
the old man leave me2 Nothing. Worss
than nothing. A tract of land in the
backwoods, with nothing on it but some
snriugs so bad that the cattle drinking
the water take fits"
DR.. Levellehead-t'shortsighted boyl
There's a fortune in that farm. Put up
a big hotel, advertise the water as
eHygeia's Own L~ife-giving Liquid and
Won will die a rich man. "-Buletus.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

The engineer sent to Europe by the
New York Department of Public Works
to study pavements has returned with a
report in favor Of asphalt p~avenents.
He says that the only perfect pavement
Is asphalt.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

The value Of France, estimated by NJ.
de FaviIle, a recognized authority, has
deprecated since 1875 about fifteen per
cent. Of the entire national wealth. This,
In property held at home and abroad, is
estimated at 200 milliards of francs, or
$40, 0o0, 600, 900. Such a depreciation
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
is tremendous

Even the church bells in Germany go
Int mourning for their sovereigns. The
oldEDuteh chimes in the Garrison church
al Potsdam had their airs changed to
funeral strains on the death of William
r, and they have only just resumed their
usual lively tunes at the expiration of
the-year's mourning for Emperor Fred
-
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

At the schuykill United States Ar
senal, near Philadelphia, there is manu-
featured each year 5000, 900 rounds of
ammunition and $4,000, 900 of rife
balls.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
oPELoUsAs, LOUISIANA.

It must be by far the grandest, most
attractive and most important Industrial
Exposition the world has ever seen. So
says the american Economist in reference
to the New York Exposition of 1892.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

boiled squash, ps of -

boiled squash, Ps of sa
one tablespoon of sugsA two teaspoons
of tartar, one teaspoon Of soda, one tea
spoon of butter; mix the -four and squash
well together, dissolve the soda in q
little hot water, and gil the cup with;
milk, stirring the soda well into it pour
the milk over the -four and stir IL in we'll,
adding more milk if needed, to form a
stiff batter. Have the gem pans hot,
put in the batter, nearly filing the pans,
and bake in a quick oven. Eat warm
with butter and maple syrup. ..-1s@x,
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05

Says Ehe New York San: I'VE may sea
poteGsates from Europe, Asia, Africa
South America and the isles Of the seas
III the international Exposition here ID
1899
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
TOWN DRoPERTY EoR GALE
lOWN e RoPERTY T. OROALE

A CENTRALLY 10 ated and desirable
susiness stand on Main street, O~pelousas,
consisting OF building suitable for residence
ands small store, being the property next TO
the posto1ice. This property will be sold
very cheap for cash, or half cash and balance
on terms 70 suit purchaser. Apply to Mrs.
Edmund 9. Dupre,
The Opelousas courier., 1889-10-05
TAKING CARE OF THE BATTERIES.

This kills all chances for gossip OF for
incivility.
ssThis is a much better way learning
a living than standing behind q counter
all day." exclaimed one Of the operators.
ave work ten hours, but we sit, and
are not at the beck and call of every
person calling herself a lady who comes
into the store merelyeo toss over things,
and give poor girls no end Of trouble and
worry"
"Do you ever receive rude or coarse
messages9" I asked.
"Well, yes ,",,replied the superinten"
dent. HNot so many now as at flrst.
We send 9 complaint to- the office right
away, and that ends il in that quarter"