davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
How Tenpin Balls are Made.

All the world is now either rolling or
talking about tenpns. The balls arc
made OF liguum vita, which grows in
South America. The trees grow to be
fifteen inches in diameter, but the out
side of the wood is not hard enough to
make good ball, and only the heart of
the tree is used. The largest balls usually
made are eight inches in diameter, while
the smallest ones are four inches. Twelve
balls constitute a set for one alley, and
they are worth from ~ 80 to 50. so each.
They are turned in a lathe bya tool which
moves in q true circle, and will make Il
bail from an inch to foot in size. The
block Of wood is set in chuck, and one
end is turned into hemisphere. IL is
thea changed around, and the other end
presented to the tool and the ball is
nearly finished, needing only to be fin
ishcd with sand paper and polished, all
the work being done in the lathe. The
balls get out "out of true" from use, and
they have to be turned occasionally. The
pins are usually made Of maple, and are
turned in lathe. - Rochester Post ELprGsS
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
COuntcrfeitcrs.

Counterfciters, unlike most other classc,
Of "crooks, are drawn from all ranks
of society. Many persons of worthy
antecedents drift into crime almost by
accident. A fine engraver, for instance,
in a moment Of thoughtlessness, tries his
hand at an imitation of Government
note as mere test of skill. Success in
dcceiving his friends, perhaps by way of
jest, gives him a dangerous impulse on
ward, and in an hour of weakness the
temptation to use his powers for bad ,
and finds him ready victim. The same
may be true of die-cutter or metal
worker who makes matriX for coin
even for the adornment of a bit of
jewelry or as an advertising device. The
policy of the Secret Service has been
uniformly to discourage everything Of
the sort. The statutes of the United
States on the subject are very sweeping,
and their Interpretation by the courts
correspondingly broad Where there is
plainly no fraudulent intent person dis
covered making anything which could
possibly be mistaken for u Government
coin, or note, or bond, or stamp, or, in
deed, for any part of one, is quietly
warned from headquarters to cease. Ii
the work is finished it is ordered de-
stroyed, and on noncompliance declared
contraband, and contscated. This often
seems like II serious hardship to innocent
makers of fancy goods, but the majority
of them yield gracefully enough when
the principle underlying the rule is ex.
planned to them. PittSburg D,spatch.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
Why 1900 Is Not u Leap Year

The following explanation. vii. ~
you why the year 1900 will not be cluaa
among leap years: The year is 3di hu
3 hours and 40 minutes long; eleven l,.
utes are taken every year TO make \
year 1861 days long, and every iolA|
year we have an extra day. This u|
Julius CAESARS arrangement. You 7g|
ask: "Where do these eleven milas
come FRONT" They come from the =
ture, and are paid by omiuing lcap7s
every 100 years. But if leap y@ =
omitted regularly every 100 ycaIs' .nA
course of 400 years it is found that %
eleven minutes taken each year will q
only have been paid back, but ia
whole day will have been given up "
Pope Gregory Kill, who improved
Cesar's calendar in 1882, decTcd ..
cvery centurial year diyisible by n
should be leap year after all. N"|
borrow eleven minutes each year Il
than paying our borrowings m'A
emitting three leap years in three
turial years, and square matters D!
ing leap year in the fourth cea'-s
year. Pope Gregory's aransyla
so exact and the borrowing and P'tI
back balanced so nicely, that We o'1
more than we pay back to the ei'e4
only one day in 1856 years.-M ~
Repnbiic.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
Electrical Frauds.

Those electrical machines at which You
test your strength on the sidewalk are
frauds. The moving of the hand on the
dial has no connectinn at all with the
measurement of the amount of electricity
which is sent into the system of the pa
irons by the withdrawal of the core from
the soil, The hand on the dial IS moved
by spring inside the core which the
iakir works ms he draws out the core,
so that all bets paid on the relative
amount of electricity people can stand
from these machine are Off. This is a
piece of news contributed confdentially
by an electrical cxpert.--St. Louis Star
Sayings.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

The Atlanta Constitution thinks Pri.
vatc Secretary Ilalforl a very sensible re-.
former. At a meeting recently held in
the Washington Mount Vernon Place
Methodist Church, NIr. IIaliord asked
aid for the street waits. lie said that he
had been ncwsboy himself, and wanted
TO do something to help and elevate the
boys. Hcdid not bclievein the theory that
God permitted poverty and crime as a
sort Of griudstonc for men, and so long
as the poorer classes remained with us he
thought it was our duty 30 aid them.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

\ great outcry has been raised in tn,
Swiss Canton Tcs,in against the prevail.
cncc there Of bribery at elections. The
political worker, are constantly raci>ing
their brains to devise new means Of buy
ing votes. The Mayor of small city
near Locarno recently, while running for
reelection, Invited every man who would
promise to vote for him to eat and drink
az his expense for three months at certain
specified tavcrns. The success Of his
plan is shown by the fact that he was re-
elected and that his bills at the taycrns in
question amounted to $500. Votes
bought in the old-fashioncd way cost
from twenty cents to s. each. Even the
clergy are said to bribc electors right
and lctt.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
A Remarkable War History

II cost Thomas $. Townsend is.H
eight years of labor and sow
money to compile from newsp'P'n.
periodicals, and from national
and biographical records, a hl''o!
the late Civil War. 1t covers the I'-
from 1860 to 1858; comprises na.'
100 volumes, and contains GO,OVVrs|
Mr.. Townsend paid $4,000 solely 70
newspapers and periodicals from ".
he made his clippings. The colf 1 4
places the value of the colleGu'.
S45, 900, and among the men wnS
testified to its worth were General C,S ~ a
General Beauregard, William
Bryant and the Comte de Paris
last Congress Senator Hawley n
duced a bill for the purchase
library.--Nep York Post.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
Barnum Opposed to Baby Shows.

Barnum has been successful in every,
thing he undertook, except baby shows.
He ingeniously confesses that "baby
shows" were the least satisfactory. When
he announced that committee of ladies
had decided upon the baby of so-and-so,
he was invariably received with storm
of indignation from ninety-ninc disap-
pointed mothers, who (making common
cause) pronounced the successful little
one the meanest, ugliest baby of the lot,
and he and the committee got roundly
abused for their stupidity and partiality.
Barnum could stand great deal, but not
the tears and reproaches of ninety mine
disappointed mothers-and so he will no.
have baby show in London. London
Court JaurRai.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

ink. The chair was sitting before the
table rs il some one had Just been writ
ing, and upon the hearth wero fresh en-
| bers.
"My ghost is certainly sensible crea i.
ture--humanly so," said Polly, as she
seated herself in the chair and began to
look over the papers on the table.
There were many notes and scraps.
meaningless and disiointed, but finally
she came to packet containing quite n
lengthy manuscript, closely written,
much folded and fingered.
"Thc ghost is an author" said Polly.
''and his manuscript has been rejected.
Proved unavailable to our columns. =
Poor fellow Well, shall read his
story if it be one. The plot thickens.
Think of being able TO read a ghosts
story! One that the eye Of mortal has
never beheld!"
She began to read, turning the leaves
over slowly at first, but gradually her
eyes flew over the closely written pages,
the words and thoughts were filling her
with nn interest that she had seldom felt
in printed pages. The mystery of it all,
the strangeness of her position impressed
themselves upon her, wrapped themselves
about the story she was reading and in
tcnsiticd her interest in it.
The rain beat upon the roof that was
Just above, the light shown but dimly
through the one small window that
opened upon long array Of housetops.
Hour after hour passed, and still Polly
sat reading. She finished ut last with
u sigh OF relief
"lf only the woman had not been
such a stick, she said. "if she had not
said such stiiT, silly things, one could
feel that the story was perfect"
She sat moment in deep thought.
II will do it, she said, at last. al be-
licve | can do it; at all events I shall
try; but nos now" She got up, ar
ranged the papers and chair just as she
had found them, and crept down through
the little door into her own room.
The next day Miss Paschall surprised
tn" fashionable stationer on the corner by
ordering a whole rcam Of 'foolscap."
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

4 wcll-known London journalist, real.
i2ing the fact that the ordinary professions
in England are greatly oycrcrowdcd, is
having hi, eldest son educated to be a
cook. The boy has been trained by Ia
nous chef OF the Grand Hotel, Paris, and
later served for three years to VI. Char
pcntcr, chef Of the Savoy Hotel, Lon
don
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

Tho experiment OF amalgamating the
Indians with the surrounding population
in Canada and inducing them to adopt
settled life has bccn most successful in
Ontario. and in all eases the tribes show
an increase in numbers. There are l2i,
5S9 Indians in the Dominion.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

1; is believed in India. China, and Indo.
China that a cobra ;hat escapes an attack
from a man will eventually revenge itself
upon its assalan., whatever he may do o.
wherever he may go.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
WHEN THE SUN GOES pows.

Though the morning may be dreary,
And tho day be long and weary,
p Though the clouds may darkly lower
And the tempest fiercely frown
We shall quite forget the shadows
That have fingered in the meadows
II there be a golden hour
When the sun goes down.
What though fate our hope opposes.
What though thorns shut out the roses,
And the cross bo borne in sorrow
That we carry 20 the crown.
BY and by wen cease 10 wander
And we'll rest forever yonder
lfthere dawns a bright tomorrow
When life's sun goes down
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

A Spanish steamer brought to New
York recently eighteen Portuguese who
were on their way to California,
where they intend to make wine after
Spanish methods. They were well sun
piled with money.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

Totals. .........l42,I ,IG7 9S,322 20, 6G;, $40
The increase, as shown hy these figures,
is $40, ,995. The noteworty gains were
as follows Baptsts, LOG, ,90I; Congrc-
.'ationalists, 1904; Mcthodists, "a, 352;
Presbyterians, 3,i2S; Episcopalans,
12,S57; Roman Catholic population,
G55, Pa. TIE Society OF Friends is the
only one reporting decrersc in meme
bership, but in several others there was
little change.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

My pretty Poly will have gloomcy
day of it, ! fear, said her father when
he kissed her good bye. 1t IS raiuing
in torrents
80, that is delightful, said Polly: II
shall have good, quiet, lazy, dreamy
day Of it, Just such - day as one should
have after an episode with ghost"
"lours was very tame episode, said
her mother. III should want something
really exciting
"Ncycr YOU fear said Polly; "last
nights experience was only the beginning
Just the prelude, as it We're; the excite
meat is yet to come"
Though the rain pattcscd soothingly
upon the windows, aud the warmth and
glow within were conducive to day
dreaming, Polly soon found the hours
Of idlcnc~s growing long and tedious.
~ shall try for the hundrcth time,
she said at last, "to see if can open the
little door, which am sure leads to my
ghost.
Polly was light and graceful and agile,
SO TO scramble from the back OF the big
chair to the top of the bookcase was but
the work Of q moment.
The little door which was sunkca in
the wall above was of black OAK, richly
covered. Polly searched it closely to see
il she could find any possible way to open
it. Suddenly, almost by chance, her
fingers touched little spot in the eye Of
one OF the carved gufiius, a spring clicked
the door flew open in her face.
Polly gave scream aud sank down
upon the top of the bool, case. She
waited a moment; no sigh, no sound re-
suited from her successful effort and she
stood up and pccrol through the door
way.
Gradually, rs her eyes become accus.
toned to the mi-darkness, she began to
distinguish the objects in the little room
beyond. There was little case OF books,
large square table and one chair, big
and cosy and comfortable looking.
Poily's father had always called her a
"piucky' girl, and now she hesitatcd
only moment, then stepped up through
the opening into the room beyond.
1t was u very small room she found
when she had gotten in, and the only
door that led from it was locked. The
books on the shelves were old and rusty
looking.
They bslonS to il dead generation, "
said Polly.
On the table were papers, sheet after
shce: of manuscript, pencils, pens and
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

~ have brought you the magazine
containing the new story that is creating
such furor now said Polly's father to
her one day.
"Nobody knows the author, but am
told he has made the hit of the season,
said Mr.. Paschall,
"Oh, said Polly, significantly, when
she had cut the leaves That was all.
She wca, up to her room, taking the
magazine,
II believe shall pay another visit to
my ghosts apartment" she said, when
she had finished reading the story.
SO saying she scrambled up on the
book. case, opened the door and went
into the room beyond. Her dress caught
on the door rs she passed through and
pulled it to with a click Before she
had time to try to eXtricatc herself she
heard II key inserted into the lock on the
other side of the room, the door opened
and a man walked in. Polly leaned
back against the wall startled, fright
cuCd.
The young man stood holding the
door in his hand and startled ex-
preston in his big gray eyes.
"llow-how did YOU get here3" he
asked abruptly.
Through the little door here" said
Polly, breathlessly. "lt has shut to be-
hind me. Oh, dear, thought you were
- ghost"
mo, | think it is you who are the
ghost" said the young man, with a
smile.
won't YOU open the door for me?"
said Polly, recovering herself.
The young man came up to her.
"You are Miss Paschali, he said. ~
have heard my grandmother speak OF you.
My name is Richard Blount.'
Polly turned her beautiful eyes mo-
m,nt up to his good, ugly face and held
out her hand to him. He blushed as he
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02
POLLY'S GHOST.

Pretty Polly Paschall sat bolt upright,
her rcd.brown curls falling in rich con
fusion about her bare white throat, her
brown eyes as wide ~ if she had not
been in bed and asleep for hours. The
lamp was turned low, as she had left it,,
and shonc with dim, soft radiance over
all the richly furnished room.
Polly stared about her. The chairs
the tables, the little quantity carved stand
by the window, and which held her
precious pilgrim bottle, were all Just rs
she had lett them. What could the noise
have bccn' suddenly her eyes fell upon
the little square door in the wall high
above the bookcase.
"Nly ghost a, last,' said Polly, clasp.
ing her pretty little palms together. She
waited a moment in brcathlcss silence,
but, hearing no repetition of the noise
which had awakened her, she spraug out
Of bed, put on her slippers and dressing
gown, threw some bits Of wood upon the
still glowing cmbcrs, aud turning out the
lamp She sat down before the fire to await
the ghost, whose coming she had been
expecting for 10! these many days.
The Paschalis, father, mother and
daughter, had moved into their present
abode TO await tho erection of their own
house, and upon the very first day of
their coming Polly had apicd the little
"sccrct door, as she called it, and Sc.
lcctcd this Tor her room
"Ju,t think of the possibilities for
romance, she said to ncr father, and he
had cotton upon the huuscclcancr's ,tcp-
ladder and found the door fastened hard
and fast.
at is all safe, he said.
90, ] want it to be safe from mortal
hands, W Polly said, "but ghost, stand
not back for bolts and bars
"If it is ghost YOU want" said her
fatner. ''you may get it, This house be-
long, TO one of the oldest. and at one
time the wcalthicst, families in the State.
1t has stood here for years, and has
known many changes, and, | presume,
could tell many storic, and perhaps give
up u good many ghosts rented it
from swcct-laccd grand looking old
lady, who lives somehow and somewhere
in those dark apartments next door to us
j think She is the only surviving member
of the noble family whose glory and
wealth have departed. No. | believe
She told me that there was a boy, her
grandson. who is working at-shc told
me what hc loes, but don't remember" "
GLOW intcrcsting" exclaimed Polly.
'I am sure | shall find ghost
5u. SO many uucycutlul months had
passed since she cnsconccd herself in the
room, that she had almost forgotten to
expect q ghost until tonight, when
noise rs Of slippcrod feet walking over
hard, bare floor hld awakened her.
She sat for a long time, her eyes fixed
upon the little door, expecting every
momcut tho, "a ghostIy hand would undo
the hidden lock, and gho,tly form
would emerge from the darkness beyond. .
But ut-hcr maid found her still sitting and
ia,; asleep the next morning when she
came 90 awaken her.
The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-02

Richard Biount opened the door of his
bare little "stddy." put down the arm
iul of wood he was carrying, and knelt
down upon the hearth to kindle fire.
He was what a casual observer would have
called an ugly man. but he had n good,
wcll-knit figure, a fine head aud strong
though Irregular features.
There was tired troubled look on his
face as he sat down at his writing table
and beat his i:cld upon his folded hands.
He was weary in mind and body. His
days had always been days of toll, his
life had been one long struggle. With
the heritage of good name that had
come to him from his forefathers, there
had come from his father legacy of debt
which hc had been striving for years to
pay.
MY task is almost done, he said to
himself. "If | could only get my story
accepted! If | only knew how 20 make
il 20. ] feel sure there are good things
in it, but if only knew what to make
the girl say. When fellows acquaint-
ancc with women doesn't extend beyond
a knowledge of his own grandmother he
cant have very clear idea of what n
young girls conversation would be like.
We'll, I'll try once more and see what
can do with It..
He picked up the Ms. which was
folded carefully and still in the place
whore he had left it,
Slowly he turned over the first few
pages, lis,lcssly reading them.
Suddenly he held the paper up close to
thc lamp. The handwriting had changed
There was no break in the story, but ms
be read on he found whole pages which he
had not written, and gradually it dawned
upon him that their addition were giving
his story life, a sparkle that it had not
had before.
"Who can have done it?" he said,
when he had finished. "No one knows
oi this den but myself not even grand
mother
''Pcrhaps it is ghost come back from
out our past grandeur he said with
smile "and very witty ghost she is,
too, ~ looking at the beautiful womanly
writing that wqs mingled with his own,
and | feel deeply indebted to her for
her interference"
"Well, | shall send the story of again,
and, if it is published, that will make
my assistant show up if she be not {.
ghost in very truth, " he said, by-and-by.
The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-30
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Candles containing bromine and
iodine are coming into use for disin-
fecting sick rooms.
White pine boards are now made by
reducing small trees and limbs to pulp
and pressing in molds.
Dr. Gautrelet, of Vichy, claims to
render smoking harmless by inserting
in the pipe or cigarette holder !, piece
OF cotton wool stepped in a 5 or 10 per
cent solution OF pyrogallic acid.
Settler water is used as {. local
anasthetic by DR.. Voituriez. Two or
three sipbons of the water produce in
sensibility Of the snrface to be operat-
ed on, the effect lasting about five
minutes and being due to the carbonic
acid Of the settler.
More or less successful attempts
have been made to graft nearly all the
different tissues Of The body, including
skin, bone, teeth, muscles nerves,
glands, eyes, mucous membrane, etc.
DR.. w. 6. Thompson now reports a
successful experiment in brain graft
ing, a small piece of the brain of a cat
being made to grow on the brain OF a
dog.
CURATIVE MICROBES. DR.. Fremont,
formerly chief Of the laboratory OF the
faculty Of Paris. states that the cura-
tive action OF mineral waters is not
due exclusively to the salts they con-
tain, but also to the presence of differ
ent heterogeneous. The waters Of
the Vichy springs are all clear and
very alkaline. with temperatures rang
ing from so to 100 degrees. and they
are found to contain various microbes
capable Of producing veritable di-
gestion. The beneficial effects Of the
several springs vary IN q manner that
cannot be explained by the different
empEerature -one being found espec-.
Fially desirable in the disease Of the
liver, another for those OF the stomach,
= third for urinary difficulties, and
still another for diseases Of the blad-
der and there can be little doubt that
these are largely brought aboatby the
different msc.o-org
The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-30
AMERICAN GALLANTRY,. 81
The Great Human Hog Is the Rare Exception
This Country

This Country. s
The swinish propensities of the HUI
man race are confined to no national
ity. sect or color. have met them in
England. France and Germany quite
as often as in America. Indeed, l am
not far from sure that, take him, with
all his faults, the American has not q
larger share Of the generous virtues
than the man of any other country. i
remember once returning from tour
abroad. during WEIGH I had seen wo-
men sickened with cigarette smoke in
close railway carriages; standing on
on the decks OF the Rhine stea mers
while their welded lords enjoyed the
scenery and the Baier-bier on the few
chairs in sight; and wading through
seas Of mud at street crossings, while a
gallant Gi,ul, perched on the only dry
spot, barred his head in Difference to
the sex as they passed by.
The day | landed in New York I
rode once down and up Broadway in
an omnibus to see how the city had
changed in my absence, says Kate
Field in Washington. The street was
in vile condition, as usual. Next to
me sat an elderly woman Of the middle
class, very plainly but respectfully
clad. She was evidently visitor
from out Of town; and when the stage
stopped for her to alight at her desti-