davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-02-08
FLOWERS AT NIGHT.
The Nature of the Nocturnal Movement.
and Attitudes of Plants.

The Nature OF the nocturnal movements
and Attitudes of Plants.
The clovers are indeed a drowsy
family; they keep regular hours and
make a thorough business of their
slumbers-red clover with their heads
tucked under their wings, as it were,
the young blossom clusters completely
hooded beneath ene overlapping upper
pair of leaves, and every individual
leaf below bowed with folded palms.
The white clovers were similarly well
brought up, and continued their yes
pers through the lirelong night, their
little praying bands to be seen every
where along the path. The yellow
hop-clover played all sorts of antics
with its leaves without seeming rhyme
or reason. The tall bush clover, rising
here and their among the s~lumberous
beds, presented a complete surprise,
being entirsy changed from its diurnal
aspect, the ordinary generous leafy
spread of foliage now assuming the
shape of an upright wand, each three
foliate leaf being raised upon its stem,
IVA tAC AtdAtES 1OlOC0 INV dIQf Clasp
ing the material stalk. 1t had its
arms full indeed, and seemed conscious
of its heavy responsibility. The
trailing ground-nut vine and the deli
cate wild bean were hardly recogniza-
BILE in their odd night-dress; and the
d%esmodiums at the border of the
woods presented a singular contrast
of dropping listlessness, with each
leafet hanging as vertically as a plum
met. / sought the familiar plumy beds
of the little partridge-pea. wondering
what sort of a reception | would meet
1rom that quarter, but | found these
plants ven more fast asleep and trans
formed than their drowsy neighbors.
and had trodden on a number of the
plants ere | discerned them, for, like
the sensitive mimosa, which they 50
much resemble, and which
opened its fanlke leaves to the light,
And closed them beneath the kisses of night
these tiny leaflets were now folded in
a long fiat ribbon for each leaf, pre-
senting thin edges to the sky, hardly
distinguishable from the thin seed
pods among them.
The nature of the nocturnal move
ments and attitudes of plants. both in
leaves and flowers, has long been a
theme OF speculation among botanists.
In the case of many flowers the night
attitudes have been conclusively
shown to have relation solely to their
fertilization by insects.
The dropping attitude of leaves at
night was commonly supposed to indi-
cate an aversion to moisture, many
plants assuming the same position
during rain as in the dew, thus SEEM
ing to verify the conjecture; but when
the same pranks were played in a
cloudy day or a dewless night, the ex-
PLANTATION had to be abandoned. In the
clover tribe the nocturnal positions al
ready described seem to be assumed
only in the darkness. and this invar-
iably, dew or nc dew, while the leaves
seem to revel in the rain, remaining
freely open.-W. Hamilton Gibson, in
H0yHpy1e NnGnzig7p
The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-02-08
: PRAIRIE STORM.
vivid Picture of a Terrible But Entranc-
ingiy-Grand Scene.

vivid Picture of a Terrible But Entranc-
i~ngiy-Grand Scene.
There is one thing beyond mans
control, and the grandeur of a prairie
storm can only be imagined by those
who have seer it or witnessed a storm
at sea. Such a storm swept over the
prairies in August last. The morning
was warm and bright, but shortly after
noon there came an i~ndefinable change.
The sun still shone. but its rays threw
an altered light, and brought the prai-
RE flowers into brighter relief, while
it cast a darker shadow where shadows
fell.
Away toward the horizon the waver.
ing glimmer that curtained the meet
ing place Of sky and plain became
more tangible, and a thin black hue
framed the landscape. Gradually it
grew broader and higher, and as it
overlapped the bright blue sky the
birds flew hurriedly from before it,
and such cattle as were in sight drew
closer together for protection. Gusts
of wind that shook the train followed
each other at intervals that grew short
err and shorter. and the frame OF black
was once in awhile i1lumined with
flashes of summer lightning. which,
as they came nearer, threw heavy
banks of sulphurous-looking clouds in
to bold relief. Still there was no rain,
and the thunder of the train was all
that broke the stiffness.
For nearly two hours the clouds
maintained the same slow approach,
and left the spectator to run fancy-free
and imagine the outstretched fingers of
some great ghoul to be slowly closing
in to crush him. So strong did the
feeling Secome that the more ervou
passengers drew back and shuddered
at each succeeding gust, while others
clustered round windows and gazeG,
fascinated, at the coming storm. At
last it came. One huge cloud shot out
from the approaching bank, and for a
moment poised in mid-air.
Fleecy clouds, that looked CHASTITY
by contrast, hung round it like fringes
on a funeral pail, till with a crash that
outweighed the roar of the train it
seemed to be rent in two with
one streak of fire that turned
the entire cloud into gold. From
that on and for nearly an
hour it was one continuous rumble,
broken occasionally with a sharper
crash, and accompanied by the patter
of the rain that fell in torrents. Both
sheet and forked lightning played con
tinuously. and, while the former turned
the clouds from blackness into light
the latter seemed to rend them in frag-
ments and stand out in lines of fire for
seconds at a time.
At last it passed away and the flick
ering flames that illumined the south
ern horizon seemed like the volley fir
ing of a retreating army; but so great
was the expanse of prairie that they
were never entirely lost sight of, but
again grew more and more vivid until
eighty miles further west the storm
again crossed the track, moving
northward with diminishing force.
Slowly as it appeared to move, it had
in five short hours traversed the half
of a circle not less than one hundred
miles in diameter, which would give it
a rate of upward Of thirty miles an
hour.-Cor. Omaha Bee.
The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-02-08

Dent pay large doctors bills. The
best medical book published, 100 pages,
elegant colored plates; will be sent you on
receipt of three 2-cent stamps to pay post
age. Address A. p. Ordway & Co., Bos-
ton. Mass.
The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-02-08

You can get a 3 ID. box Of best Satin
Gloss starch for Is cts, or a q Id. box for
IS cts. at Humphreys store.
The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-02-08
statesmen

Wanted tor our complete line of Nursery
stock. All choice and Fast-seiIfng
S~pecfaIties. canzfurnish Paying POSI-
TO workers. Nylarge experience In the
business enables me to offer special advanta-
ges to beginners. 1 Can MAKE a Successful
of any one who wifffollow my in
Permanent employment Wages
paid each week. Outfit free. AppAy at once,
and secure choice of territory.
EDWARD r. SMELL.
-Nurseryman. Rochester, NY
febI-13t Mention this paper.
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

One Of the most unique cemeteries In the
United States Is that At 6heepshead Bay,
Long Island, tho burial ground for noted
horses. It was established two years ago,
and by the end Of the first year three noted
racers had found n resting place within It's
quiet precincts. Tho three In question
were Lucky b., Dew Drop and Porter
Ashes Yea As heretofore, the common
brutes which live out their allotted days and
die without making . botter record than
2.20 will be given over 70 the tender NOR
cics Of The equine potter's field boss On
Barren Island, which is In tho immediate
vicinity, The racer burial ground y beauu-
fully decorated with flowers and shrub
berry, and suitable headstoucs mark the
last resting plaoss Of the kings and queens
n the turf fft..t h fffi
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06
WAYS OF SCORPIONS.
They Are Born Vicious and Have Never
Been Known to Reform.

They Are Born Vicious and Have Never
Been Known to Reform.
II ia fact that scorpions-or alcarans,
as the Mexicans call them-are at GER
tain seasons Of the year as numerous,
almost. as flies. They are within the
cracks of the walls, between the bricks
Of the tiles on the floor, hiding inside
your garments, darting everywhere with
Inconceiyable rapidity, their tails, which
hold the sting, ready TO fy up with dan
gerous effect upon the slightest provoca-
ton.
Turn a corner OF a rug or table-spread,
and YOU disturb fourishing colony OF
them. Shake your shoes In the morn
inp. and out they flop. Throw your bath
sponge into the water, and half a dozen
o{ them dart out Of It's cool depths, into
which they had lain themselves away
during the night
The average scorpion is two or three
inches in length, but they occasional
grow to five or six inches. ihere ise
smaller variety, known as the yellow
scorpion, but ten times more vicious
and dangerous than the mahogany-hued
fellows.
II at midday that the bite or sting
OF the venomous little pests Is most
feared, as the natives say 1t Is then the
most poisonous. The deserted old mills
OF Durango are simply scorpion. hives,
thew having bred and increased there
undisturbed for centuries.
A scorpion Is born vicious and never
reforms. II there Is no one else 70 hight
a scorpion will fght himself. II one
scorpion Is passing by another one and
happens 10 touch II, there's fight at
once, and two dead scorpions are the re-
suit.
Put a hundred scorpions in an in
closure, and throw little stick or piece
Of dirt among them, and the scorpion
that IL nearest TO where the stick or dirt
falls will turn and dig his spur into his
nearest neighbor, and In less than two
seconds the entire hundred Will be
mixed up in the fight. The way their
stinqers and claws and legs fly is a sight
to see. As long as there Is one scorpion
alive the fight goes on, for II one hap
mems 70 survive the other ninety-nine
he will pitch in and have IL out with
himself, and the first thing he knows he
Is dead. ,.
The effect Of scorpions bite Is rarely
fatal except TO infants or very old peo
nle.i Victims OF the yellow scorpions
bite have been known TO lie Tor days II
convulsions, foaming at the mouth ans
with stomach and limbs swollen as II
dropsy. Others suffer no worse conse
4 quences than they might from and ordi
nary bee sting.
Brandy, taken to stupefaction, is th'
general remedy, but ammonia taken In
ternally is Just as efiicacious.
Many natives carry brass tube, and
in case OF q bite from q scorpion, II !
pressed over the wound, in which 1t act
like the cupping-glass Of the surgeol
and draws the poisoned blood out.
hollow key has been used successful,
in the same way.--Golden Days.
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

A 1sI.er In q coa. Il an inch; In under
wear the came; IN sock m inchi in ool-
lar bali inch; In shirt . half inch N
pants one inch; In gloves one-fourth OF an
Inch, snain ha,s oaesighth Of IN inch
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

Always say kind word II you can,
II only that II may come In, perhaps,
with singular opportuneness, entering
some mans darkened room like beau
tiful freely whose happy circumlocu-
tions be can not hut watch, forgetting
his many troubles - Friends In Council
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

Life Is much reduced In simplicity
when we resolve 70 live one day q .
time, and TO mako that dsy blessed 70
banished under the spell Of this central
purpose. Christian Register.
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

Ny carts haye already been introduced into nearly half the States
the Union giving most ceen satisfaction manufacture sx
different styles shown below:
No. passenger Cart with sat battom No. pass
anger Cart with square body place STATS No. two
enger Cart with sat bottom No Ais two passenger Cart with
square body place Of STATS No two passenger Cart with
squire body with closed back and with box four inches deep with
oapening on top. lis Pole Cart. T. DoLAND.
The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-11-06

Men are never 90 likely 70 settle .
question rightly as whom they discuss II
freely -Maoanlay.
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-25
couraged to take hold and bearnear-

couraged to take hold and bearnear-
" all the expenses of the church. l
thank Thee for the sharp judgment
which Thou hast given me, so that L
can make a great deal of money by
trading with other people. 1 confess,
o Lord, that | am sinner in Thy
sight, yet Thou art merciful and Thou
knowest that l am willing to be for
given. Wilt Thou bless thepoor and
needy and keep them from becoming
public charges. Wilt Thou bless and
prosper the temperance cause, so as
to lessen the taxes and thus Tighten
my burdens Wilt Thou keep me in
Thy love and prosper me in all my
and finally save me IN
Heaven, and Thy name shall have all
the glory, both now and forever.
Amen
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-25
WHY SHE REFUSED.

You say you went to party last
evening, and you saw Mrs. Smith, an
old friend, whom YOU had not seen
since she and your sister were at
school together. You had a very
pleasant talk until supper, when you
gave her your arm and took her to
the table When the servant came
along with glasses of wine on d
waiter, and offered it to her, YOU saw
her shudder as she said Mo- and
you wondered why Mrs. Smith, who
didn't use to be particular about such
things. not only refused, but shudder-
ed as she said SO. lean tell you why.
You went on with your talk. She
was very gay and seemed glad to
forget herself, did she? Very well; |
am glad you gave her that pleasant
hour. | can tell you where she went
after the party. She went home
the latest person from the party. She
was glad it was late, for her husband
had not come home. She sat and
read for an hour, and her husband
did not come. She wrote for an hour,
and he did not come. At length, be-
tween three and four o'clock, there
was a noise at the door. She opened
it, and found two policemen with her
husband in their arms. She knows
them both well by this time. 1t hap
pens so often that she knows every
policeman on the beat. They bade
her goodnight. She brought her
husband in She had locked the chill
dren's room that he might not abuse
them. She took the abuse, as he
flung himself on the bed She drag
ged off his neck-cloth and coat, and
sat by him until he should fall into
his stupid sleep. She was the woman
who refused the glass of wine with Il
shudder. You did not know her
story; you thought her gay and
bright | know her story because |
have been her minister. They have a
sort of skeleton In the closet, which
we are permitted to see and YOU do
not And when we see that skeleton,
do YOU wonder that we sometimes
say pretty sharp things about mod
crate drinking. and the temptations
offered at parties Fl Rev. E. E. Hale
St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-25
THE PRAYER OF THE RICH CHRIS
TAN.

/ thank Thee, o Lord, for all thy
goodness to me in favoring me above
my fellows. | thank Thee for the re-
finement of taste which Thou hast
enabled me to cultivate, SO that l. can
appear superior to most of my neigh
bors- | thank Thee that can have
things so nice in my house that my
neighbors blush and feel ashamed of
themselves when they call on me. |
thank Thee that | can pay small
sum to support preaching and not
feel very bad about doing it. THANK
Thee for that portion of Scripture
which shows what nice thing it
was for that poor widow to cast into
the treasury of the Lord all that she
had, SO that poor folks can be en-
, 1889-06-21

On entering Buenos Ayres from the
pier n can hardly realize that it is the
chief city of South America and one of
the most fio%urishing places in the world.
Tho streets are narrow and badly paved,
holes several feet deep being not uncom-
mon, and the houses are mostly only
ground floor; some have one upper story,
but very few have two. However, it
improves on carer acquaintance. The
streets, though not wide, are straight
and uniform, and far better thar those
of Seville, Cadiz and a great many other
important European cities, and between
the shanties which still exist in many of
the principal streets arc edifices which
would not disgrace the best parts of Lon
don or Paris. Indeed, several well known
English and French firms nave branch
establishments here quite equal in style
to their head offices. Buenos Ayres is
the most European looking city of South
America, yet it is far from being English
in appearance; i should rather describe
it as Mediterranean" though it would
be difficult to say whether it is more
Spanish, Provencal or Italian.
The great majority Of the working
classes are Italians, and the inscriptions
on all the shops near the water are in
that language. But OF advancing into
the town, N hears quite as much Eng
lish, German and French spoken as Span
ish or Italian; and English booksellers,
German Bierhallen and French hotels
abound. The restaurants are almost all
French, from establishments equal to the
best on the Paris b~oulevards down to
estaminets, whose chief delicacies are
sauerkraut and snails. Every nations
tastes are consulted. The Marseillaise
al get ~bouillabaisse, the Neapolitan ra-
violi and macaroni, made and cooked by
his fellow countryman, and an English
man has a better chance of a good cut of
roast beef than he would nave in many
European towns.-London Globe.
, 1889-06-21

In reply TO the assertion that the world
in the future may be dependent upon
America for its supply of coal, a foreign
exchange cites the numerous undrained
coal fields of the Netherlands, Switzer-
land, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Bo-
hernia, Servia and Hanover, which are
estimated at $4,000 square miles, and
Russia with $4,000 square miles. The
island of Formosa can show 10, 200 square
miles. Near Picking coal veins of ninety
five feet thickness are to be found.
Large coal fields are also found in Aus
tria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece,
Turkey and Persia, with 80, 900 square
miles, to which India's 50, 900 and China,
with about 400, 900 square miles, are still
square miles. There still remain the
Falkland Islands, Patagonia and Peru,
which contain rich coal deposits. The
largest portion of southern Chill is IN
immense coal bed. Brazil contains coal
beds of seventeen to twenty-five feet
thickness. In the United States of Co
lombia n soft chalky coal of good quail
ity is found. Mexico, Vancouver's Isl
and and New South Wales all nave coal;
the latter country has 5000 square
miles. In addition thereto, Queensland,
Victoria and West Australia add upward
of $4,000 square miles of coal. New
Zealand furnishes 10, 900, besides Tas-
mania, New Caledonia, Natal, Alaska
and other partially developed portions
of the world, which should represent at
least 100, 900 square miles, in addition to
former figures. The coal fields are in
the main but partially explored, and
known only to the biologists. The coal
fields of North America excepting Alas
ka and Mexico) are as little considered
in the foregoing statement as are those
of Africa.-Oil City Derrick.
, 1889-06-21

One Of the prominent figures in West
erly, R. l., is "Steeple Jack" by which
name William Wallace, the chimney re-
pairer, is known. "Steeple Jacks"
method of working on a chimney is novel
and interesting and he always has large
audiences. He is eve out of work. He
sets up his own peculiar device for a
staging, which is a feature of his profess
sion and which enables him to complete
n job in about the time that it takes to
erect an ordinary staging. 'Steeple Jack"
first places a long, light ladder against
the chimney that is to be operated on.
Then, mounting it, he drives a peculiarly
shaped iron pin into the brick work and
binds the top of the ladder fast to this
pin. Standing on the top round of this
ladder, he drives another pin into the
chimney as high above his head as he
can reach. A rope is hen passed over
this pin and made fast to q round in n
second ladder about three feet from its
bottom round. This ladder is then hoisted
up until it rests on the top of the first
ladder. 1t is then made fast to the lower
pin, and then ''Steeple Jack" mounts to
the top of it and, driving in another pin,
secures the top round to that. From this
ladder a third is hoisted, as before, and
Jack and the ladders, as many of them
as be necessary, continue to rise as far as
may be desired. 1t is estimated that he
has clambered about fifteen miles up into
the air in this way.-Philadelphia Times.
, 1889-06-21
Highest

The highest mountain on the globe is
not, rs is generally supposed, Mount Ev-
crest, that honor belonging to q lofty
peak on the Isle of Papua, or New
Guinea. This monster, which lifts its
snow capped summit far into the clouds,
was discovered by Capt. A. J. Lawson,
of London, in 1881. According to Law
son this new claimant for the champion
ship is 80, 763 feet in height, being 8,7S1
feet higher than Mount Everest, which
is only 29,0o2 feet above the level of tho
Indian ocean. This New Guinea giant
has peer named Mount Hercules.
OF oceans the Pacific is the largest,
being 1000 miles long and 5000 miles
wide. 1t also claims the honor of being
the deepest. The deepest place yet meas
ured was near the Leadrone Islands,
where a depth of 4,475 fathoms was
found. This great depth may be better
understood when we consider that 4,475
fathoms is 90, $50 feet, or something over
five miles.-St. Louis Republic.
, 1889-06-21
Flapplng of a Fly.. Wing.

The slow Tapping of a butter1y's wing
produces 40 sound, writes Sir John Lub-
book in his book, but when the move
ments are rapid n noise Is produced
which increases in shrillness with the
number of vibrations. Thus the house
fly which produces the sound +, vihratcs
its wings 81, 100 times a minute, or 1856
times n second; and the bee, which makes
the sound of A, us many as 20, 400 times,
or 4i0 times in a second. On tho con-
trary, q tired bee huns on E, and there
fore, according to theory, vibrates its
wings only $50 times in n second. Marcy
has succeeded IN confirming these num-
bers graphically. He fixed q fly SO that
the tip of the wing just touched a cylin-
der which was moved by clockwork.
Each stroke of the wing caused n mark,
of course very slight, but still quite per-
ceptible, and he thu showed hat there
were actually $50 strokes in a second,
agreeing almost exactly with the num-
her inferred from the note produced
Boston Herald.
, 1889-06-21

Il. A. Andrews, of this city, has in his
possession a box turtle, commonly called
hand turtle, which was marked with his
initials in 1866. His turtleship was
marked in 1900 by Ellis B. Hall, of
Raynham, who died over twenty years
ago. This turtle is over 80 years old,
and probably 100, - they have been
known to exist that long. He was found
in Raynham and journeyed to BrocLton
by express. -Brockton Enterprise.
, 1889-06-21
A Change of Weapon.

Last winter / climbed Lookout Noun
tain in company with a veteran of the
late war. 1t was his first visit since the
day of the memorable assault, and as we
climbed he fought the battle owe again
for my benefit. As the conflict waxed
hotter he grew excited, and on our arri-
val at the hotel near the summit was at
fever heat. We then passed on through
the narrow defile which leads to the pin
nacle, where we were confronted by
q diminutive specimen of the genus
Cracker with these words: eff you gem
tlemen wish to go to the top you must
pay twenty-five cents" This was too
much for the pent up feelings of my war;
like companion who, tragically waving
his strong right arm, shouted: 81 won't
pay it. Twenty-Five years ago 1 came up
here with n sword in my hand" But the
modern Leonidas, moving not otherwise
than to display a deputy sheriff's badge,
quietly remarked: "Well, sab, you must
como up with a quarter today" The
money was paid.-C. C.. Teale in Harper's
Magazine.