davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Enccres.

The problem whether manager can
or cannot compel vocal artist to &C
cept an encore has probably not been
seriously considered hitherto. Per-
formers are, as rule, only too ready
to respond to demands made upon
them by all audience or portions of it,
and it can hardly have occurred to any
one to conceive that an occasion would
arise in which a vocalist would be
censured by his employer for not con-
cedlng an encore. Such an occasion,
however, would seem to have arisen in
connection with an English opera
theatre, and the case, it is said, is GER
tain to come into court The singer
has been fined one nights salary for
his alleged irregularity, and, accord
ing to his statement, the fine has been
justified by the management on the
basis of private regulation, to the
effect that any artist in it's employment
refusing to take ''call" shall be liable
to fine in question.
We shall not attempt to anticipate
the decision which may hereafter be
given, but, apparently, much will de-
pend upon the meaning attached by
judge and jury to the expression TAX
ing a call" In ordinary theatrical
parlance ''call" is simply summons
to the footlights, not request for the
repetition of song or verse 1t would,
however, be almost pity if the prob
lem named above escaped legal pro-
nouncement because of the nicely of
meaning here involved 1t would be
interesting to have it formally declared
whether an artist has any choice in the
matter of encores, or whether he or she
must concede them willy-nilly, Should
the latter conclusion be arrived at,
some vocalists will feel that new
hardship has been thrust upon them,
and salaries may rise accordingly. The
general public also would be more than
ever at the mercy of those whose
passion for encores is undiscrimin-
ating. Globe.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Testing Telecraph Poles.

A young man with a gimlet two
feet long stopped in front of a tele-
graph pole in an uptown street the
other day and began to bore into it.
Another young man, a reporter on
The Sun, stopped also and asked the
first what he was about II am going
to find out how long this stick will
stand up" he said, twisting the handle
rapidly. II am employed by the COM
pany that owns the pole, and it is my
business to go about the streets making
inspections like this. Every pole is
numbered, and when l make nv re-
port the company takes action accord
ing to the condition of the wood
This is the only way we can tell how
strong a pole is, for decay begins be-
meath the surface and works toward
the center 1t shows on the outside
last. So you can't tell from the looks
whether pole may not come down in
the first high wind, or light one
either, for that matter. This one. "
and he withdrew his gimlet and looked
at the fine shaving clinging to it.
will last at least a year without dan,
ger. There is one on the Bowerv. near
Fourth street, that looks perfectly
sound, much better than this one. in
fact, and yet it is decayed almost from
surface to surface, and is liable to fall
any day." The young man did not
know when the company would re-
place the dangerous pole, and. after
making a memorandum in a book. he
proceeded up the street to probe the
next stick.-New York Sun.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11

In Olden times when pilgrims came
from the Holy Land they wore as an
emblem of their VOWS pretty brown
and white shell, called st. James shell.
now better. known as a scallop shell
Large shells of this kind were early
utilized as baking dishes, and have
given their name to a great number of
excellent scalloped or "escalloped''
preparations of fish and meat. Of late
years luxurious taste has demanded
something more costly, and silver shells
in the shape of the old sea shell, at $50
dozen, have taken the place of
scallop shells at sixty cents a dozen.
The smaller scallop shells are exceed
ingly pretty for many decorative pur
poses. Their wavy shape and delicate
hues of brown and cream are so beau
tiful that they have been used for fancy
work by many people who would have
beenshocked if they had known the
shell was as common as an oyster, and
was thrown away from our market
stalls by the bulk.
The natural scallop shell is covered
with rough coating, which is easily re
moved by soaking it in weak solution
of chlorate of lime and water, in pro
portion of half pound of lime to a gal
lon of water. The shells must each be
pierced four times on each side of the
base and once higher up on each side if
they are to be sown on velvet or silk to
border a cushion or form a wreath
around the base of a pretty circular
work bag. This is done with single
drop Of caustic. Onlya tiny drop must
be used, and hole must be instantly
drilled through with a strong needle.
AS soon as a hole is pierced the shell
must be dropped in cold water to stop
the action of the acid, which might
otherwise spread. AS soon as the shells
are pierced varnish them with the finest
white varnish used by artists. 1t will
hardly show, but will bring out the col
ors as holding shell in water does -
New York Tribune.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
WHERE HIS THOUGHTS WERE.

A Lightly Clad SOmnambulist Visits His
Sweetheart at Midnight.
The strangest somnambulistic feat
we ever heard of occurred in the woods
near Interlachen the other night.
A young man, whom we will call
Tom Jeffreys, by way of illustration
was very much infatuated with young
lady who lived on the public road
three miles from his home. Every.
body who has travelled that part of the
country knows that the neighborhood
is thickly settled, and for miles you
go without getting out of sight OF
some ones house The road is travelled
about as much as some of our back
streets.
One night, about o'clock, he re-
tired early 1t was bright moonlight.
In his sleep he got up out of bed, and,
in his night clothes, walked undis-
turbed to the house of his lady love.
AS is generally the case in this coun-
try, stairways run up to the second
floor on the outside of the buildings,
and this one in particular leads from
the ground to the young lady's room
door. Young Jetfreys walked up
those stairs and sat down unconscious
ly near the lady's door. How long he
remained there he does not know, but
when he awoke his head was resting
on his knees, and it was 10 o'clock.
Imagine his surprise. There, at his
affanced's home, in his night clothes,
three miles from home. As easily as
possible he crept down the stairway.
He could hear the old man down in
the field attending to his horses and
cattle. Everything was still. The peo-
pie in the house were quietly chatting.
An open space of about twenty feet
separated the kitchen from the main
building. The young man wentaround
to the corner of the house, and saw
the young lady and her mother going
to and fro in discharge of household
duties. He couldn't speak to them,
because he wasn't dressed that way.
His trouble was to get back home
without being discovered or noticed.
When he was quietly stealing his
way out of the yard into the road two
ferocious dogs awoke from their slum-
bers, and with grinning teeth took
after the flying night shirt which was
making its way to the thicket on the
side of the road. The animals over
took the object, and what part of the
white garment they did not tear off
the briars and brush did, and that
young man found himself in a most
unpleasant fix with half his skirts torn
off. The night was cold and he felt
it. On getting into the thicket he got
out of the way of the dogs, but for two
hours he was vending his way home,
lodging passers by in the public road
and shivering like leaf in the Arctic
regions. Fla.) Enterprise.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Goethe's Digestive Capacity.

According to the bills of fare pre-
served in the city archives at Jena,
Goethe was in the habit of dining ex-
ceedingly well. He also liked COM
pany at dinner, for during the period
covered by the bills when he had not
one guest with him, he had three. He
always had four courses, and some
times more, the dishes of his choice
being such as roast beef and roast pork
on the same day; soups with dump
hngs, and a sirloin with anchovy
sauce, with roasted pigeons and roast
mutton to follow, the dinner rather of a
glutton than of poet. For week and
more he dined in this fashion, the bill
only coming to little more than e3.
1t is satisfactory to know that this
really great man could dine well, and
was not dyspeptic wreck, though it
is not so pleasant to know that the
poet squabbled with the landlord over
the items, and even went to law with
him on the subject.-London Life.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
ADosc of Her Own Medicine.

'oTalk about woman's Inconsistent
cy! Well, l had an example of it to-
night that fairly took my breath away,
and the speaker took a puff at his CT
gar. Il was at the theatre, and OF
course my seat was directly behind
one which contained woman with a
big hat. The hat was not only high,
but it was topped off with waving
plumes, and it soon started in to spoil
the evening for me. The woman bob
bed her head from side to side in a way
that played the deuce with my nerves,
because was kept jumping from side
to side in my efforts to catch glimpses
of the actors. At first l didn't know
what was the cause of her activity, but
finally 1 discovered that the woman in
front of her had on even bigger hat
than she wore herself. Well, gave up
trying to see the stage the rest of the
first act and devoted myself to enjoy
ing the plight of my tormentor, as she
lodged on this side and then on that
to avoid the big hat in front of her.
cat the end of the act got another
seat, where | could see both the stage
and the woman who had sat before me-
She wasn't young or pretty (women
who wear big hats at the theatre sell
dom are), and I confess I took great
glee in seeing her go through the con-
tortions through which she had recently
put me. She became furious, and
dropped remarks to her husband which
l was sure were by no means compi-
mentary to the woman in front.
'After the play l managed to get
alongside the woman and walk out of
the theatre at her elbow. If she wasn't
muttering all the spiteful things imagin-
able to her husband about the poor
creature whose hat had put her in such
a temper, and bless you, it probably
never occurred to her that she had been
doing the same thing herself which she
thought so mean in her guilty sister. I
hope that her experience taught her to
look for the beam in her own eye first,
but I've no idea it did. New York
Tribune.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Changing Their Beat,

People often wonder why policemen
are suddenly transferred from one
section of the city, where they may
have walked beat for years, and know
every dark alley and hiding place
as well as every crook in that particu-
lar locality, to part of the city where
they have never been save as citizen.
At first glance it does look like an in
judicious thing to do, but it is not
Take a patrolman from the West End
or South End and put him down in
the heart of the city and he's pretty
certain to make few good captures
West End or South End crooks feel
secure when they get away from the
locality where they are well known,
and the first thing you know they will
run right into your arms with all the
evidences of guilt upon them. There
is another advantage in these changes,
which | believe should be more fire.
quent, and that is that the policemen
become familiar with all sections of
the city, and thus are rendered more
valuable in any emergency. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11

Mr. Jones had joined a French class,
and was telling his wife how well he
was getting along. II am afraid"
she said, that it is nothing but a
'spasm.' I've known people before
who would tackle foreign language
expecting to know all about it in a
month, and by the time they could
translate, The son of the baker has
the loaf of bread of the daughter of
the gardener, or some such rank non
sense as that, and had bought a few
dollars worth of foreign books, their
enthusiasm would die away like the
morning mist" ''But that's not the
case with me-" replied Mr.. Jones, con-
fidently; Il am progressing splen-
didly. Professor Crapaud says that
in short time | ought to begin to
think in French, and when one can
accomplish that progress is always
rapid" WELL" said Mrs. Jones, with
sigh, II don't want to interpose any
objection, of course, and if you can
learn to think in French l shall be
glad of it. It's something you have
never been able to do in English. ~
Chicago Journal.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Tho Dangers of Good Samaritanism.

1t would appearthat some little time
ago a man was driving a spring cart
in the neighborhood of Hexham. On
the road he met poor creature evil
IDENTIFY very i'll and too enfeebled to
walk. His appearance did not appeal
in vain to the sympathy of the kind
hearted driver, who generously under
took to convey the dying wayfarer to
comfortable quarters. He assisted the
man into his cart, and was proceeding
along the road, when whom should he
meet but an officer of the inland rev.
enue. And a very lynx eyed officer
he was, too. The law was not to be
broken under his nose with impunity.
Here was a clear case without doubt.
A passenger was being carried in an
unlicensed conveyance, and so our
jealous officer hurries off and lodges a
charge. For the offense the owner of
the spring cart had to appear at Hex
ham petty sessions this week.
1t was not denied that he had given
a man lift on the road, but in ex-
tenuation of this breach of the law it
was stated that the passenger was in
such sore emergency that he died on
the very next day after the incident
referred to. The magistrates very
properly refused to become mere auto
matte registers of the law and dis
missed the case. Nobody ever sus-
pected that the heart of an inland
revenue officer was susceptible to SEN
timent. The one who prosecuted in
this case is man of authority, who
will have no straining of mercy. Like
Shylock, he claims that the claw al
lows it" and he is not going to be sat
isfied with anything less than the full
pound of flesh. He gave notice of an
appeal to the next quarter session. The
owner of the spring cart, between
trouble and expense, is being made to
pay pretty penalty for his compass
sion. 1t should be an awful warning
of the danger of playing the good Sa-
marian with an untaxed cart.-Dun-
dee (Scotland) News.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
He Paid for 1t.

ri would like to see some diamoni
rings, said foppish young man witt
dainty manner of speech, entering
three ball emporium on Halsted street
near Taylor
"You would, ehG" said Marx, the
proprietor, to himself, as he Travelled
along his counter toward the threaten
ing to be customer; ''but bet me dot
Teller ish no good" and aloud, in the
most genial manner, "Anyding you
want, sir, you shall haf."
The young man quickly chose ring
with a three carat single stone OF
prime light and requested that it be
kept apart for him, as he had no money
at that moment. Marx cleared away
the rings, when the young man, sud
denly leaning over the counter, indi-
Gated spot upon the shelf where the
chosen ring should be left until his
return. In the movement his elbow
went through the glass top of the
showcase.
upon my word" cried he, "that
was most awkward trick. do not
know what to say. You may add the
damage to the price of the ring"
Der glass cost only tree dollar, u
said Marx with some i'll grace. 'Vhy
don you pay it now9"
"Why, sir, am out of funds" was
the distressful protest.
"You will egscuse me if correct
you," blandly replied the broker, and
bending over the case he seized the
prOtruding end of a 500 bill and
plucked it from the young mans vest
pocket.
The purchaser was covered with
confusion and averred that he knew
not that he had the money. He was
ready, however. to have the cost of the
glass deducted.
When Marx deposited that evening
the bank clerk returned to him a 500
bill on which he had deity imprinted
in large violet letters the condemning
word, "Counterfeit. - Chicago Tri-
bune.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Faithful.

The negro in the English West India
regiments is remarkable for his ODE
dience to orders, especially when
sentry. Lord Wolseley tells an anus
ing story of governor of Cape Coast
Castle, who was prevented from going
out OF his own house by negro SEN
try.
The governor had discovered that
his servants were daily robbing him
by carrying away bundles of things
from his kitchen. He therefore had
orders given to the sentry before his
door that no one was to be allowed to
go out carrying any parcel with him.
Shortly afterward the governor, in
a hurry to consult the chief justice,
put some papers into a dispatch box to
take with him to the judges house.
On attempting to 60 out, he was
stopped by the sentry, who, with
bayonet at the charge, refused to let
him pass with the box.
The governor demonstrated. He
urged that he himself had given the
order. But the negro instead Of heed
ing him, replied that his 'corpral"
had told him not to allow any one
with bundle to pass, and the ''cor-
pral's'' order was his law.-Youths
Communion.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
Telling Trees hv EIectricitv.

Hitherto machines for telling trees
have been driven by steam power, but
this is sometimes inconvenient, espe.
cially in thick woods, and electric
power has been adopted in the Cali
clan forests. Usually in such ma
chimes the trunk is sawn, but in this
case it is drilled. When the wood is
of soft nature the drill has a sweep
ing motion and cuts into the trunk by
means of cutting edges on it's sides.
The drill is actuated by an electric
motor mot nted on a carriage, which
is brought up close to the tree and
shackled to it. The motor is capable
of turning round its vertical axis, and
the drill is geared to it in such man
ner that it can turn through an arc of
a circle and make a sweeping cut into
the trunk. The first cut made, the
drill is advanced a few inches and an
other section of the wood removed in
the same way until the trunk is half
severed. It is then clamped to keep
the cut from closing, and the opera
ton continued until it would be un-
safe to 60 on. The remainder is fin
ished by hand saw or an ak. The
current is conveyed to the motor by
insulated leads brought through the
forest from generator placed in some
convenient site. London Times.
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
SINGULAR SOCIETIES.
Annual Dinners Where the Empty Chair,
Increase and the Diners Decrease.

Increase and the Diners Decrease.
There was an informal organization
formed about half century ago by
seven gentlemen of ST. Louis, who
agreed to have social dinner once a
year while any of the members lived
each mans chair was to be at the
table, empty, after his departure from
earth; all the survivors were to attend
the obsequies of each dead member
and the last survivor was to drink q
bottle of wine, duly preserved. after
the death OF all the rest. The idea is
not new, and the narrative of similar
agreement, some years older than This
has been more impressively told.
A larger number of hale young Bos-
tonlans, a dozen or so, were dining to-
gether, when suddenly some one be-
thought him of the incongruous won.
der what they would all be doing one
hundred years from then; and another
preached proposal that they all form
club on the spot for an animal din.
ner, which should take place on the
anniversary of that dav aslonp &C anv
member survived. Somewhat Warmed
as they were with wine. the nronoSo1
was adopted with instant acclamat;on
and the final bottle of wine. to be nm,
corked and drank on a distant occa.
sion, which seemed to them all hardly
a thing to be realized, was put awav
Immediately.
The dinner was followed by a pleas
ure party on the Charles river. and
presently the subject of their agree
ment, an hour earlier, drifted AGAIN
before their minds; one of the liveliest
joked his nearest comrade about the
infirmities of age, and playfully gave
him a thump on the back. Both were
standing in the boat. The sudden
stroke caused the person addressed to
lose his balance; he went overheard
and was beyond recall before the
stricken party could recover their
senses.
One by one the first gap in their
number widened until more chairs
were empty than occupied, and the
dinner grew more and more somber "a
the heads became fewer and winter
The last survivor, faithful to the com.
pact, sat YEARLY down to the last an
niversary dinner, surveying eleven
empty chairs, and brought out the
memorial bottle of wine from it's dusty
hiding. He broke the seal, drew the
cork, decanted the contents, and paused
in an overpowering rush of emotion.
The eleven chairs seemed occupied bv
shadowy forms; the past years rolled
back before him; he lived his life
anew; his eyes brimmed over and min
gled tears with the wine which he
tremblingly held up.
Then a faithful attendant who had
grown old in his service, and now
stood behind Mr. As chair, heard
to his amazement his master pledging
by name every one of the vanished
friends who used to. fill those chairs.
He bowed his head in token of recog-
milton to each name, and concluding
with the words, well soon meet
again, friends" drained his glass to the
dregs, and then sank back motionless
in his attendants arms. The last man
had joined his comrades. This Incl
dent q real life has formed the sub
ject Of many a narrative and became
popularized by the affecting
little drama entitled 1.-The Last Man"
-TJnI<nOwn
The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-11
A Repeating Rifle Invented in 1922

A Kingston man, while LOOKING
through file of newspapers published
in Kingston in 1922, found descrip-
ton of new invention" a repeaf-
ing frearm. The gun was manufact-
ured in New York city and was
invented by a man named Isaiah
Jennings. The description reads as
follows: 1T is a single barrel and
lock stocked in the usual style, and is
perfectly simple, safe and convenient.
The number of charges may be ex-
tended to fifteen, or even twenty. each
charge being under as complete con
troll as single charge in an ordinary
gun, and may be fired in the space Of
two seconds to a charge or at longer
intervals, at the option of the pos
SCISSOR, with the same accuracy and
force as any other gun. The princi-
pal can be applied to any musket, rifle.
fowling piece or pistol, and can be
made to fire from two to twelve times
without adding anything to the in.
cumbrance of the piece, except five or
six ounces to its weight. Kingston
Freeman.