davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
A Royalty Paid Substitute.

In the year 1914, when the Emperor
Napoleon made his last levy of troops to
resist the invasion of France by the pow
ers of Europe, one Peter Julian Laurent,
poor knife grinder, was employed by a
rich citizen named Ulysses Gaudin, whose
name was more war-like than was his dis
position, to go to the war in his place.
Substitutes were somewhat hard to find
in those days, and before Laurent would
consent to serve in Gaudin's place, he
exacted a payment of eight hundred
francs down, and an agreement that, In
case he, Laurent, should lose his life in
battle, three hundred and fifty francs q
year should be paid to his widow as long
as she should live, and after her death,
three hundred francs II year during his
life to his son, then four years old. Peter
Julian Laurent was killed under the walls
of Paris within four months after his en-
listment. His widow received her three
hundred and fifty francs year regularly
from Gaudin and his family until 1882,
when she died. The Gaudin family then
sought to evade the payment OF the an
nual amount of three hundred francs
agreed upon for Laureuts son, but the
matter was carried into court, Laurent
won his case. The Gaudins were ordered
to pay him the amount each year as long
as he lived. Laurent is still living, in
the best of health, and promises to live
ten years longer. The Gaudin family re-
main solvent, and have paid him regularly,
since 1882, the amount which his father
/ stipulated to give him. Those who arc
curious in arithmetical matters can easily
compute how much money Ulysses Gau-
din's substitute has cost, all told; also,
if they like, what the amount, capitalized
in 1914, would have been, and also what
the capital, at compound interest, since
1914, would have amounted to by this
tlme.-A1y0nant.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
NO.. H..
UNCLE SIDNEY'S VIEWS.


I hold that the true age Of wisdom is when
We are toys and girls, and not women and
men:
When, as credulous children, we know things
because ..
We believe however averss to the
laws.
1t is faith, then, not science and reason, I
say,
That is genuine wlsdom-and would that,
to-day.
We as then, were as wise, and inefablJ
blest,
As to live, love, and die, and trust God for
the rest!
So I simply deny the old notion, you know,
That the wiser we get as the older we grow,
For in youth, all we know we are certain Of;
now
The greater our knowledge the more we
allow
For skeptical margin; and hence regret
That the world isn't fiat, and the sun doesn't
set,
And we may not 60 creeping up home, when
we die,
Through the moon, like round, yellow hole
in the sky.
james Whitcomb Riley.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
A covEY OF OF YOUNG osTR1cHEs.

eff you will walk this way" said the
Superintendent, II will show you the,
youngest ostriches ever exhibited inI
America, here or anywhere else. I have!
number in q little inclosure down here!
which were hatched only day before yesi:I
terday, and they are we'll worth SEEING"
We walked toward little brook on
the bank of which stood framework Of
boards which looked something like
hot-bed in vegetable garden. 1t had
roof partly of boards and partly of glass,
and underneath the pares were several
birds about the size of half-grown gos-
lings. They were as lively as sparrows,
jumping hither and thithcr. pecking at
the gravel in one corner of their cage or
nibbling ut the tender shoots of alfalfa
clover growing in another. The sash
was lifted of and tho Superintendent
went into their cage to catch one of the
covcy. He had a PRETTY lively chase of
it around the narrow limits of the in
closure, but finally succeeded in catching
one of the largest. The young ostrich
was covered with down soft rs satin and
as glossy as if it had been oiled. There
was slight moulting Of white-tipped,
fluffy feathers all over its body, and down
the back of its neck was broad stripe
of jet t-black color, merging into shaded
brown and very pretty. There were ten
III nj, ranging in age from three days 10
three weeks. The Superintendent
dropped the one he had caught and
picked up another and smaller one Il
moment later. The rapid growth of the
ostrich can he imagined from the Super
intendcnt's assertion that iu sixteen
months the bird will have reached 4
stature of eight or nine feet when stand
ing erect.
'What is the value ofa young ostrich?"
| asked.
"Wc value them at $100 each when
they are Matched, and their value ip-
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
nick and continued at the same not rapid

back and continued at the same not rapid
pace.
did not 90 in with her, but stood
without, gazing through the window.
Edith stood before the door into the
library. She had reached behind her
with one hand to part the curtains.
"Charlie," she said, smiling family.
q could see her looking very pale.)
"Charlie, Mr.. Haskell and l have been
making a mistake for some time past.
have just been explaining myself on The
subject and (returninG his ring) l think
perhaps you are interested in knowing
about it."
Charlie burst out laughing and cry
ing at the same moment:
"Oh, you dear Edith! I am so glad
YOU don't care for him. y and rushed to
her arms.
Edith moved slowly backward. lhave
seen just such motion in plays-the slow
motion of one suffering yet conceallng
anguish.
The lovers looked in each others
eyes, but I-out in the night-looked
only at Edith, moving slowly, with pale
face and piteous smile, backward through
the parting draperies, back iato the dim
ness of the library, whence she might
pass unobserved. .--New York Mercury.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11

crcases with their age. They yield their
first crop of feathers when they are six
teen mouths old. After that we get at
least two crops Of feathers every year
from them"
"And for how many years vii! bird
continue to yield paying amount OF
plumes?"
"Ob, they live to good age, and so
long as they live yield frst-class feathers.
The male birds---all those big black fcl-
lows You see up there OH the hillside are
males-of course pay the best, for it is
from them that we get the finest plumes.
From the female birds we get the brown
and gray feathers. These have to be
dyed before they can be marketed, and
.hen they are shorter and lighheriu body
than the plumes from the males. TheI
feathers from the female birds are made
Into tips and short plumes, and bring
much less, comparatively, than the long,
heavy plumes of the males"
Chow do you pluck the feathers2" I
asked, desirous of seeing the operation,
II possible.
II cannot pluck bird for you now,
because we are through with that work
for this month, but if you will walk up
into the main corrals I'll show you how
it is DONE"
Up on the side of the sloping bill are
sixteen small squares within the main in
closure. These little squares are about
forty feet each way and accommodate a
male and female bird. In them the
young are raised, and into them it is very
dangerous for the keepers to 60 during
the breeding season. In one corner Of
the inclosure was triangular pen of
boards, just large enough to admit the
body of an ostrich. A stout bar stand
ing by the fence could be used to drop
into place as soon as the bird had been
driven into the pen. Then stocking
slipped over his head shut off his sight
and he was as effectually prisoner as if
he had been thrown upon the ground
and tied. When an ostrich is thus i'm
prisoned one of the keepers reaches
through the bars of the pen, lifts up his
wings, and with a pair of keen-edged
nippers clips off the plume quilts just
above the skin, allowing the stumps to
remain in the flesh. These are subse-
quently shed by the bird, and imme-
diately thereafter new plume continues
to grow. From six tu ten plumes of the
finest quality are obtained from each side
of the bird twice year, to say nothing
of the smaller plumes and tips from the
back and tail.
The devotion of the male bird to the
female amounts almost to alteration. He
guards her nest day and night and will
fight furiously to protect her from on
imaginary danger lie relieves her on
tne nest at 4 clock in the afternoon and
remains there until o'clsSk the next
- :. '.E>-E'rF - % ~. Z.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
Throwing or the Scent.

When Bismarck represented Prussia III
the Diet at Frankfort, says writer in
the New Reoiew, he strongly suspected
that his letters and dispatches were tam
pered with in the interest of Austrian
diplomacy. At last he discovered a
remedy, the ingenuity and perfect detail
of which is illustrative of lis way of do
ing things.
On one occasion, after stormy meet
ing, he and an officer of the Hanoverian
embassy walked away together, and as
they walked, spoke of this grievance
from which they had suffered. T.
Presently the Hanoveriau remarked
that Bismarck led the way out et che
more fashionable quarter of the town in-
to dingy and yet more dingy by!ways.
As they entered a particular dirty steeet
Bismarck drew out his gloves, which
usually remained in his pocket, drew
them on and buttoned each carefully.
This done he entered one of the little
shops where the poor buy cheese,
pickles, dried fish, lamp oil end. other
commodities.
"E;oy," said Bismarck to q dull look
ing lad behind the counter, "do you
sell soapa"
"Yes, sir"
"IYhat soap7 What sorts have you
got7"
"This and this, and here's another,
said the boy, putting before Bismarck a
variety of strong scented cakes.
"TVell, how much is this2" the diplo'
matst asked, handling one of the cakes
"and how much this2" fumbling with
another. A piece was selected, when
Bismarck, as if suddenly recollecting
himself, plunged his hand into a breast
pocket and drew out an enclosed letter.
Apparently annoyed at his. own forget
fulness, he cried, "Do you sell cnvel-
opes, boy3 bring them out"
Envelopes-wretched things-were
produced, the letter placed in one, and
Bismarck began to address it. But with
thick glove on and tightly buttoned
up, this was not easy to do. So he
flung down the pen impatiently and said,
"Herc, boy; you can write I suppose2
and gave the address, which the boy
awkwardly scrawled upon it. Then Bis
marck took the letter and left the shop,
"Now," said he to his friend, wher
they had passed outside, as he put the
letter to his nose, "what with the soap,
the herring, the candles and tho cheese
don't think they'll smell my despatch
under thatr
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
PATHS.
The paths that lead to n16af of Bread
Jr;xl +L-..-,h +ha Srornn of Toll

The paths that lead to n16af of Bread
Winds through the Swamp of Toll,
And the path that leads to Suit of Clothe:
Goes through aowerless soil,
And the paths that lead to the Loaf OF
r.. Bread
And the Suit of Clothes are hard to tread.
And the path that leads to House of Your
q, Own
Climts over the bowldered hills,
And the path that leads to a Bank Account
Is swept by tie blast that kills;
But the men who start in the paths to-day
In the Lazy Hills may so astray,
In the Lazy Hills are trees of shade
! BY the dreamy Brooks of Sleep,
And the rollicking River of Pleasure laughs
And gamboiS down the steep;
But when the blasts of the winter come,
The brooks end the river are frozen dumb.
Then woe to those in the Lazy Hills
When the blasts of the winter moan,
Who strayel from the path to Bank Ac
count,
And the path to House of Their Own,
These paths are hard in the summer heat,
But in winter they lead to snug retreat.
IS. ". FoSS, in Yankee Blade.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11

of his spouse. She then sat down in the
nest, ruf1led her feathers, kicked and
scratched little and finally pronounced
the nest fit. Then they both went gos-
siping around by the fence, letting the
inhabitants of the ostrich village into the
secret that they had the latest-improved
and best-appointed nestin all ostrichdom
and were about to hatch q brood which
should be the envy and wonder Of all be-
holders.
In an adjoining inclosure an ostrich
hen was just going on her nest. She had
told her better half that he might take
little stroll, and he was cantering to-
ward the feed trough at the further side
of the corral as fast as horse could run.
The female in this particular instance
was a very had hen. The Superintend-
ent had taken two eggs from the nest.
and she had caught him at it. He had
the eggs outside of the fence, but he
couldn't put them back for f"'r the bird
would kick him. So, as the only alter
native, he laid them down carefully just
inside the inclosure and the hen rolled
them back one by one, using her head
as lever. Then she fuffed her feathers
little, uttered defiant hiss at,thc i'm
| pudent visitors who had caused her nest
to be disturbed, squatted down over her
eggs, tucked her head under her wing
and went to sleep.
"Come this way now," said the Super
intendent, "and I'll show you the full
grown birds, not yet mated off, over in
the big paddock. They area bad lot
just now, for they are mating and the
males like to show off. Don't get too
near the fence, for they will kick you if
they can"
AS soon as we stopped they came up to
the fence and snapped at our hats IN a
! friendly sort of way. The Superlntend.
ent took up a stick and ratified it be-
tween the boards of the fence. Instantly
there was crash as Of heavy blow, &C
companied by shrill hiss: Crash after
crash followed rs one of the ostriches
kicked at the stick held in the Superin-
tendent's hand. He thrust his great foot
forward with lightning-like rapidity and
every time his horn-shod great toe struck
the fence it left an indentation almost an
| inch deep. It was an exhibition of kick
ing such as 1 had never seen elsewhere,
and had much rather see that ostrich
practise on the plank fence than on any
part of my anatomy.
The feeding of the giant birds is in
teresting. In the evening they cat grain,
principally oats and rolled barley, butfor
their other meals they are fed finely
chopped green alfala. The fields of al,
falfa on tho ranch afford au unlimited
supply of nourishing food for the birds
nnd they thrive upon it perfectly. It's
sthe food the ostrich gets in South Africa,
yand he does as we'll on it inS California as
there. The alfalfa is brought in from
the fields by the wagon;Ioad then chopped
in ffeed-cutter yer land thfown
into the feeding.boxes in the various ln-
closures in unlimited quantities. The
birds eat little at time, but eat often.
They are not gluttons nor gourmands,
though they will eat and swallow any
thing. They drink large quantities OF
water and spend their time in chasing one
another around the paddocks.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
The Land of Ducks.

There are moro ducks in the Chinese
Empire, says an authority, than in all
the world outside of it. They are kept
by the Celestials on every farm, on the
private roads, on the public roads, on
streets of cities, and on all the lakes,
ponds, rivers, streams and brooks in the
country. Every Chinese boat also con-
tains batch of them. There are innu-
mcrable Matching establishments all
through the Empire, many of which are
said to turn out about $4,000 young
ducks every year. Saltcd and smoked
ducks and ducks eggs constitute two of
the most common and important articles
OF diet in China.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11

ties rs district engineer of postal tele-
graphs, several instances of injury to
poles in the neighborhood of Shipton-on.
Stour, caused by large holes being
driven into and almost through them,
were brought under his notice. A watch
was set aud the depredator discovered
in the form of what the watchman de-
scribed rs "stock. eagle" which, when
shot, turned out to be poor little wood
peckcr.
The bird is thought to have been mis-:
led by the hummiug noise conducted
through the wood from the wires, into
the belief that store of insect dellcacles
awaited extraction from the interior, and
with energy worthy of a better result it
"slogged" away until it had arrived
within half an inch of the opposite side.
Then the fatal shot terminated the work.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
He Fights Like n Wild Cat if His
Home is lnyaded-Harmless With
a Stocking Over His Head
-Plucking the Feathers,

up, massive, iron bound gates, of the
same heavy material, and q little franc
house occupied by two sturdy and deter
mined looking men, guard. the secrets of
that odd looking inclosure ;on the side of
The little mountain. ~
To the sightseer or casual visitor who.
passes the great plank inclosed fields, an
array of moving heads, with bulging
eyes and gaping mouths of immense
size, convey very little ldea9of what sort
of stock is being reared there. These
heads, numbering dozens and even scores
at times, seem to be lifted up out of
uothingness, poked high into the air and
unged swiftly over the top of the plank
fence in the direction of the visitor. A
sharp hiss emitted just as the glaring
eyes and wide-open mouth. come into
sight might prove very effective object
lesson to hard drinker.
But the heats are not those of monster
,erpeuts. The eyes Shich glare and
never blink or move are aot the eyes Of
lntediluvian reptiles, but belong TO an
noffensive bird. The gaping mouth is
he mouth of an ostrich, and within that
3lanked inclosure are more than hun
lred of them fully grown. But the array
If heads and bare necks, twisting and
Srithing to and fro, cannot fail to con-
lure up before the; mind of a visitor a
ucst of gigantic serpents, wFfggling and
Kissing in their endeavors to- gut over the
high fence to devour him. E z.
Once within these iron bound gates the
ightseer will witness sights which can.
lot be seen elsewhere on this continent
md nowhere else on the globe save in
he vicinity of Cape Town, South Africa
The ostrich industry wasibegun in thil
country eight years ago, but the brdt
hen brought from Abyssinia did nct
thrive, and after year ortmore, this at.
empt to raise them for the; ;ApluIaes vat
lbandoned. But other persons wer.
,uick to see that if birds of suf.
iciently hardy nature could be imported
20 stand the climate of Southern Cali
tornia, there would be large revenue OF
profit in the business. The gentlemen
who own this farm determined to try the
South African ostrich and young birds
we're imported under the skillful manage-
nent of the foreman, who still has the
Earm in charge. There were twenty OF
these ostriches and they first saw the
,arm near Fullerton, little more than
,i1 years ago. OF the original birds i'm
ported, sixteen still survive and of the
four dead, only one died from sickness,
she others having injured themselves
fatally, by falling into bitches in the
hight time. From the flock Of twenty
birds, 14O have been reared, but owing
70 death from accident, only 124 OF them
we're on the farm when the World party
visited it last week.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11

The anaconda and the boa constructor
arc not poisonous and do not bite.
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11


morning, taking his "watch" with al
most clock-like regularity. He does two
thirds of the duty of setting and there
fore two-thirds of the labor of hatching
q brood of young.
1 had an opportunity, in one of the
smaller corrals, of witnessing the build
ing of q permanent nest. The female
bird trotted around the lot in peculiar
manner, now and then pecking at the
ground with her bill. Finally she found
a SPOT to her liking aud scratched up the
sandy loan little with her foot. Then
she walked away, proud and happy in
the knowledge that she had found the
proper place for digging the family nest:
She retired to further corner of the lot
aud sat down. Then the male bird, q
handsome, black -plulned fellow, strutted
over to the spot where the head of the
house had scratched away the turf. Ho
went to work with u will and soon his
big, two .toed feet, armed with their
heavy claws, had dug out quito a hole IN
the soft sand. He did not stop until he
had made an excavation fully as broad as
the body of his beloved mate and about
n foot in depth. Then he spoke to her
in ostrich language and she Immediately
came to the nest. There. were some
modern improvements which he had
overlooked, perhaps, for she WASH
pleased with it exactly. She gave him
few more instructions and sat down t.
watch the progress of the work. TIN
old fellow went to work like q dutifY
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-09-11
A Telegraph-POle Bore.

The woodpecker and portion of tele-
graph-post here represented were re-
Gently exhibited to the Cardiff Natural
lists Society by the President, John
Gavey. In the course of his official du-
Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-01-24
Virginia Legislature.

In the House, MI. Cabell of Amherst, in
troduced bill to prevent the sale of cigar
cites to minors. 1t provides that if any
person sell, barter, give OF furnish. OF
cause to he bartered OF given OF furnished
to any minor, cigarettes, having good cause
to believe him OF her to be a minor, said
person shall he fined not less than two OF
more than one hundred dollars. The act is
to be III force from it's passage.
In the Senate, MI. Peters of Henry, i'll
troduced a bill to punish wife-beaters with
stripes. The bill provides that upon the con-
viction before mayor OF magistrate of any
man who strikes his wife with his fist or
any other weapon he shall he punished by
not more than 80 nor less than stripes.
The wife is made a competent witness in
such case.
MI. Magruder of Shenandoah county, in
troduced i'll the House the following: ''That
our representatives in the national Con-
gress be requested to vote for an appropria-
ton to encourage and enable the dissatis-
fed element Of our colored population to
emigrate to the republican States of the
north, where they may enjoy their rights
and be the recipients of a most hearty SYM
oathy, and the south be relieved of pain
full strain upon our political system.''
The House passed the joint resolution
the Governor S views in regard
to the letter of the Council of Foreign
Bondholders proposing another conference
on the debt question. [The resolution says
that an attempt to settle the debt by con-
Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-01-24
a MUCH NEEDED REST,

If the newspapers and the statesmen
would give the country much needed rest
on the subject of the Negro they would 1e-
ceive its gratitude. The latest agitation
of the waters is by Senator Butler of South
Carolina, who advocates the deportation of
the Negro, at government expense, to some
other land. The material interests of the
South neither demand require the depor-
tation of the colored man. Take Virginia as
an example! Her land owners have had their
whole system of labor torn up; does any
body think they want to go through a second
similar experience iaa twenty-five years
What every man at the South wants, is for
the Negro to scatter over the Union as the
white man does, and not stay cooped up in
one corner OF it. AS he scat tiers by volun-
tary emigration to the West and North,
his place will be taken by white labor and
the two now rigidly defined conditions of
black labor and white labor will cease
to exist. The black man, out of politics,
does well enough, and he will do well enough
after while in politics, after he learns
enough to make himself necessary to both
parties, instead of to only one as he does
now.