davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

UuJ spend most or their Ulme hunting.
Their revenue is almost wholly derived
from the sale Of hides, slhgators, deer
and bear. The quantities Of these that
they destroy and many Of their stories
of hunting adventures are almost in
credible.
Think Of q hunter shooting down four
deer with rife, one after another, and
without moving from one spot. In sev-
eral Of the lakes that are thickly inter
spersed throughout this prairie the ALI
gators are 50 numerous and fierce that
they will attack man in q boat as soon
as he appears among them, and shooting
them by night, which Is the way they
are commonly killed, Is sometimes at
tended with no little danger.
The entire armament Of the Cheshire
family consists OF one ten-gauge, ten
pound. double barreled Remington shot
gun and two Winchester rifles. one IS
caliber and one 3. Also small yellow
pine bow and few cane Arrows The
latter are used in shooting fish, and
feel safe in affirming that the dexterIty
with which these men use Their rude
bow and arrows would put to shame the
average Atlanta maTksTnzn with his 1fis
In passing oveE the prairie che Of the
Cheshires viii suddenly step, poiss his
little bow and send his little arrow ey-
ing into the extraordinarily into =
spot where you or would see nothing,
but the way in which that arrow viii
dance about for the next minute or two
VIII convince ven not onlY that there Is
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01
mere Is something grand and even

Incre Is something grand and even
sublime to the visitor in the silent vast
ness of this prairie formation. 1t
stretches away before the eve in every
direction until only limited by the hori-
zon, its perfect stiffness only broken by
the occasional below of some huge ALI
gator or the far distant scream of some
unknown bird. Here and there can be
seen the track left behind by some hunt
er, where possibly years ago he had
laboriously poled his canoe along in pur-
suit of game, the path as distinct and
fresh now as IL only made yesterday.
All around fish of endless species and
sizes can be seen swimming and darling
about, while not infreQuently the eve
may fall upon some immense alligator
or snake summing himself upon the sur
face of the muck and water. or slowly
sinking ont of sight as soon as he is dis
covered. This description conveys a
slight, but at best a very imperfect, idea
of the prairie land OF this swamp.
Upon the island where we are at pres
ent encamped are living two families,
with the aged father, named Cheshire.
The old gentleman Is nearly 50 years
Of age, and has spent thirty-odd years
Of his life here in this spot. he is a
wondesful fisherman and indeed calls
himself the king Of the swsmps, to
which position he says he was duly sp-
pointed and commissioned by Dr.. Little,
the state geologist The two sons Of Mr..
Cheshire have their families here. The
men attempt to cultivate small crops,
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

INDECENT people sometimes include
strange things under the head Of "neos-zi-
ties when receiving help" from kindly
disposed persons
The agent Of q private relief association
once received the following note from a
woman in 8 state 81 actual destitufiOn-
She was the mother q SIX small children,
and was one Of these unfortunate parsons
who bad sen better days" and wished
her benefactOs 10, % lose sight % thai
fact.
Although now sadly reduced "A fnsn-
eiEl circumstances. she wrote. the tine
hss ben wnen had An Abundance, and j
feel keealy TIE deprivation - many things
that would Dot b- missed BY persons NJ
accustomed % then Therefore, IN add
ton 20 fuel aui provisions q al kinds, J
desire sons:hing IN the way q dressing
Jacket. IN SHADE. a cardinal, ard fs< IN
visible hair meta % match the hair !ncloss,f
Also. II yoB viii - 20 kiHd, something n
The way o. fancy sEoss for NY three little
urls. aud suitable ties for two bays vita
ol1s eyes and far c,E pisxions. and ous
with DARK hair and syss. 4 n.st and suit
able nolssses pi.sSsr would also D 4o0ep;-
able. and a few skrizs q sEsd@c cardinal
I'D creeu embroidery six toT al unsa-
=
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01
BIG SWAMP ADVENTURES.
life on the Great Marsh with Deer,
Bears, AlIigators and Desolation.

LitG on the Great Marsh with OeeFp
Bears. Alligators and Desolation.
The prairie land which covers a con-
siderable portion of the Okefenokee
swamp is a very remarkable formation
and is, am told, peculiar to this swamp,
1t is open land, entirely free from tim
Der, and stretching away as far as the
eye can reach in every direction. 1t has
most Of the characteristics of q huge in
land sea except the waves. Interspersed
here and there in this huge prairie are
small patches 81 high, dry ground of
variable size and heavily timbered, called
cow houses. / am unable 10 ascertain
the propriety Of this name, unless 1t be
that the cattle, deer and other animals
seek these places for shelter and 70 get
out of the water.
The surface Of these prairies is COW
cred with a deposit of decayed vege-
tation that has been accommodating for
centuries, and is called muck. This
varies in thickness from four TO ten
feet, with water beneath, and below the
water sand. This singular formation
gives TO the swamp its name Of Trem-
bling Earth. 1t viii support the weight
of the average man if he keeps moving
onward, but if he psuses an instant he
commences TO sink, and may go through
to his waist or over his head. At every
step the water oozes up around the feet,
while the muck viii tremble and culver
Tor >SSds around
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01
A Chinese Lover.

A Chinese prince, nominally attache TO
che legation, fell in love with an American
damsel residing near Dupont circle. He
gave her enormously valuable presents, all
of which she accepted with complscency,
but when he proposed matrimony she
laughed at him. "Why," said she, do you
suppose that l would marry man with q
pigtsil"
Whereupon the enamored prince delib-
erately went and cut of his pigtail. Per-
haps you do not know what such an act
meant IL signifed the abandonment Of
his princely perogatives-nay, more, his
Punishment from the empire Of China
And after he had made the sacrifice tho
young woman again refused him with
sCOrn.
Early next morning a body was seen
hanging out of a window at the legation.
1t is supposed that it was that Of the
prince but the mystery was never solved.
The Chinese embassy's ground il Chineas
territory, and an invasion Of 10 by tbs
police would be a casus belli with China
Washington Letter.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

Cobwi zger-WEy does . woman have
her pocket where ne ~ hard 20 get a; ~
Merritt -- So thrt shs can STICK Der
friend f1r the car fare -Eg5cL
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01
Tha YoInhI. Arsnt.

The silver polish man is an artist. Hs
is numerous and always theories. One
Of the latest of the kind was In a Lewis
ton drug store the other day and be was
a. usual theorlZinE, and his theory wa
fearfully and wonderfully made. Said
be: "Silver Is porous You can tel tina,
IL is because IL swests IN hot weather.
FIJI silver pitcher with water and the
water comes through On tie OUTSIDE.
So on ad hbitum, while the Gruggis.
smiled and said. II your knOwisdgs Of
other subjects IL a. accurate - that upon
the pores a silver u Is valrabls. -
Lewiston journal
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

II don't see hos y0a live
"WhyY'
You sag yen cant I've within your
tncoms, and certainly you cant live
without it.--Tiarpers Eazzr
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

In The British Magazine for l7+6 there is
an account Of Reeves Williams, native Of
Cardigan, calling himself THE Man o.
trich." lie performed various gastronomic
feats before the public, who paid sixpence
each to witness the edRying spectacle he
hrst swallowed four pieces Of iron, each an
inch and quarter lou and three-qusrters
Of an inch thick. Theu he swallowed, by
way Of dessert and with apparent relish.
stones, coach nails, haltpence and ether
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01
The Divine sarah and Her Trunks.

Lady readers may be interested in
knowing something Of the trunks Of
Sarah Bernhardt, which the other day,
to the number Of forty-eight, interfered
with the traffic at Anglers station and
paralyzed nearly the whole Of the rail-
way staff there. Madame admits that
she had forty-eight trunks with her, eI-
elusive Of packages great and small
Twenty Of her trucks are made Of wood,
about four feet high. each divided into
three compartments and filed with her
most valuable dresses. Fourteen were
made Of wicker work, also in three CON-
partments, some Of the heavier being
subdivided into two, three. or four
spaces, filed with petticoats, linen, boots
and robes Of small value. Three special
trunks are set apart for hats, arranged
on pegs IN such q way IS 10 prevent
them from being shaken or crushed.
The tragediennes Kit" in all weighed
between two and three tons-Pal Mall
Gazette
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

al UUj-cJ On the OLa-r end OF II, but
that there Is an object q some size, too.
When your hunter pulls up MS arrow,
behold! A four or SIX pound trout or
black bass, centrally trsnsfIed, shot
that very few OF our marksmen could
make with a gun Atlanta Journal
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-01

He about 70 take his DEPARTURE
Where did leave my hat? Why, your
Ping is playing with it in the corner.
what-no-yes-by Jove! he's torn the
lining outl
She-Oh, isn't he cunning? Stay a
little while longer and We'll watch him
nlav with it. Isn't he amusinC3--Epoch.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
ROping with the Lariat.

In the matter of authentic records
for roping with the lariat, none probably
exist, says the Spirit of the Times.
One hundred and sixteen teet has been
claimed for a California nan now tray
cling with Buffalo Bill's show, while
ninety-four fee has been published for
a Billings (Mo1 } man. but both of these
records are pre2osteroas. The average
cow-puncher from Texas to Montana
uses q rope which rarely reaches fifty
feet, and from twelve to twenty feet
must be deducted from this measure for
circumference Of moose. Sometimes a
s~o-called California loop" exceeds this
by nearly five feet.
In catching a wild horse or steer,
after the noose is over the animals neck
or legs, the end of the rope is swiftly
tied around the horn of the saddle, the
horse being braced back to resist the
shock, which in most cases either snaps
the rope or sends the captured animal
all in a heap. What the possibilities of
roping to catch are is hard to say. No
doubt with a horse at full gallon down
the hill, the wind favorable and a good
long o an expert may reach 100 feet,
but such cases are few aud far between,
and most good ropers feel extremely
pleased when they can reach out the
full length Of their 45-foot rope and
oorob ""
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
Razor Sore.

"Yes,' said a Pearl street barber as
he was shaving me the other day, I've
often have amateur shavers bring us
their razors to be fixed up. Almost any
man with a steady hand a shave him
self, but not one in fifty can keep his
razor in a decent condition. The first
reason is that amateurs wear all the
temper out Of their razors by excessive
strapping, and the better the steel the
easier it is affected in this way. The
only remedy is to let it alone. Put
away the razor that scrapes aud cuts
the skin and give it a good rest. Then
use it again, and i'll all probability it
will be in good shape. Some Of the
modern shaving sets have as many Ia
zors as there are days in a week, and
on the handle Of each is engraved the
name OF a day. II the rotation is kept
up very little sharpening is needed. I
have heard men talk of le: uzors
which they used every day for ever so
many wears; if they would let those lie
by for a while they would find a well
come improvement. The second cause
of the trouble is bearing on the
while sharpening it. You never want
to attempt to put on an edge before
shaving. Wien you are through rub
the blade few times lightly on q plain
leather strap, which need not cost above
q quarter, and her put it away. The
old boiling water craze is exploded now.
and professionals do just as good work
with cold water as hot. "-Albany dr.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
TRY HIM ONCE MORE.
ss pRAScls s. SMITH.

,, IN alcohol. blear-eyed and lily clad,
To'7olien ~, ! ii Il : tate as he shuffles along,
CUTIE II and bereft of the once earnest will he
1mu homeless. and ierred by the ,hron..
letnuie noyn assisted him, pastors have prayed
W. haen rescued and lost DER and DER,
He h"' eve him up-pull from his lips the
enP =, him kindly and try him once more.
l. ,t;s disleartening never to thrive with
nis relapse from virtue to shame;
saa AZ. ~ not hopelessly up-if you strive Will
IN. snark Of good may be aimed to a fame.
SOM ,,tent m~emory-haply a mothers voice,
some l", No him virtue and wisdom OF yore,
leas o. ,,nee,lled 10 his ear by another's voice,
Nay III 4 10 him kindly and try him once more.
j., in His charity taught those VIII came to
NJ leeds should be %pardoned seventy times
the least here and you do the same to
r,osn are His precepts in earth and in
.han when laboring hard for humanity,
VI: ~, rar belieye that you labor i'll uain,
, ;niness will conquer the drunkards insanity,
c ~, TO him gently and try him again
yslr YORK Weekly.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
Bargaining in AIgiers.

You select your goods with slow de-
liberation, pile them up together casu-
ally in a little heap, eye them askance
with an inquiring glance, and take a
commemorative pull o. two at the inspir-
ing weed in solemn silence. Mahomet
Ali responds with a puff from his
cigarette in grave concert. Then you
walk nee o. twice up and down the
piazza slowly, and jerking your head
with careless ease in the direction of
your selected pile, you inquire as if for
abstract reasons merely, in an off-hand
tone, your Moslem friends lowest cash
quotation for the lot as it stands.
Two hundred francs is the smallest
price. Mahomet Ali paid far more than
that himself for them. He sells simply
for occupation, it would seen. Look at
the work, monsieur. All craven brass,
not mere repousse metal, or real old
chain stick, alike on both sides-none
of your wretched, commonplace, mod
ern, machine-made embroidery.
You smile increduouslv, and remark
with a wise nod that your Moslem friend
must surely be in error. A mistake of
the press. For two hundred francs,
read fifty FRANCS.
Mahomet Ali assumes an expressive
attitude Of virtuous Indignation and re-
sumes his tobacco. Fifty francs for all
that lot! Monsieur jests. He shows
himself a very poor Judge indeed of val
ues.
Half an hours debate and ten success
sive attachments reduce the lot at last
to a fair average price of seventy francs.
:Mahomet Ali declares you have robbed
him of his profit, and pockets his cash
with inarticulate grumblings in the
Arab tongue. Next day you see in the
Rue Bab-Azzoun that you have paid
at least twenty francs too much for your
supposed bargain .--Foreign Letter.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
Some Forgotten Anecdotes.

On his first visit to Lapland, Peter
the Great. who observed and thought
about everything, WIS much struck BY
the scarcity OF inhabitants, and re.
marked the fact to an aid-de-camp.
That gentleman replied that the Laps
were a scanty race, and had but few in.
habitants to the square mile. "Ah," re.
piled the car, evidently ~endeavoring to
introduce puns along with other pro-
ducts of civilization into his dominions.
"a sort Of race with four laps to the
mile, eh?" The aid-de-camp said moth
ing, but meditated dark schemes OF re.
bellion and assassination. Southey one
evening read to Coleridge his poem
the water comes down at Lodore. y
Coleridge was much pleased with it,
and during the evening repeated sew
eral lines from memory. On retiring,
he remarked, "Southey, I have still got
the waterfall in my head" mo mat
ter. replied Southey; ut is better to
have a waterfall in the head than a cat
aract in the eye." Henry L once COM
planned to an eminent bishop OF reports
that had reached him to the effect that
a great deal Of gambling prevailed
among the clergy Of the bishops do
cese. The bishop promised that he
would do all in his power to stop it, but
remarked, by way Of excuse, that
pitching and tossing were always more
or less connected with every see.
Dean Swift, dining at Gays house a
few nights after the first production of
the "Beggar's OPERA" met st table a
very pompous fellow who made many
mendacious statements as to the wealth
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
Went Out to Drop Smith.

AT about = o'clock in the afternoon I
came along 30 a Kentucky squat"
which differed from a hundred others
only IN the fact that a woman and boy sat
on a log in front of the opening in the
brush fence, which might be termed the
gate and because six dogs were lying
IN the sun instead of the usual three or
four. lasked after the man of the house.
n the woman replied:
He 'un hain't home just now"
BE back soon?"
Il reckon. He 'un has gone down
the road a piece to drop that Dave
Smith,"
10 what?I asked.
drop Dave Smith"
you mean that lie has gone to
shoot Smith,"
"sartin. They 'uns has bin wantin
to pop at each other fur a long time"
Thar she clatters!" shouted the bow
as the report Of a gun reached our ears.
and he was off down the road like a
deer.
Reckon the Gle man dropped him.
calmly observed the woman as she went
on with her work of patching an old
wooden shirt.
expressed my unbounded surprise
at this sort Of man hunting, but she
said it was one of the customs, and had
to be lived up to. In about ten min
ntes the boy reappeared, and, sitting
down on the log to get his breath, he
said:
Pops a-coming."
Drop Smith," she queried, without
even looking up.
No; Smith dropped him. Pops got
buekshot in the shoulder. Better gi,
things ready"
"Reckon I had, Jim," she said, and
getting up, she folded her work and
moved into the house without the least
sign OF excitement. A few minutes
later the husband came up at a SLOW
walk, with the fresh blood dripping
from his shoulder, and halted Ions
enough in front Of me to say:
4 Evening to you, stranger. Sort O
make yourself to home. went out t,
drop Smith, and the onery varmit wa
waitin' behind q bush and dropped me
Git the blood washed off and the sho
picked out, and we'll hev q visit. You
Jim, take his knapsack and show hin
whar to wash up."-New York San.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
The Woodceck's Song.

have taken considerable pains to
watch them at sunset to learn, if pos
sible, if they did have o song or note
which l was not sure of before. [ an
now sure they have a note; and to my
surprise it is a very fine one. I hardly
know which of our song birds to COM
pare it with, but think it very much
like the catbird's or brown thrasher's.
If any one even took notice of those
birds songs about the time they end up
their song, they make a very fine war
bic or water note, something like a
canary, but not quite as fine.
\ have watched and listened to the
woodcock for a number of evenings,
n have been much pleased by their
queer actions. They begin sharp at
sunset and seem to keep it up until day
light. This, I suppose, accounts for us
never starting the cock bird through the
day, as it seems to be the cock bird that
does the flying and singing by night.
His spiral ascent is not as straight up as
it has been represented. He will leave
the ground and fly in a circle of ten or
fifteen acres, making the circle smaller
each turn, until he reaches a height of
some two hundred feet, all the time
making q very Uneven twitter with both
bill and wings. Then, when the descent
begins, he begins his warbling, which, I
must confess, is more than I ever be-
lieved Of him, although L have watched
the birds many times, and his song is
very sweet. After reaching the ground,
which is always on a smooth place clear
Of grass OF brush, he sits still for a few
seconds, then begins to cry spate or
shape, l hardly know how to describe it.
1t is very much like snipe. only much
louder, and it is not strange to hear five
or six at a time from the house through
the evening and up to midnight, in fact
until daylight. Every time he makes
the cry spate or shape, just before it he
makes a clucking sound, like a man
hiccoughing, or something like a
cuckoo, only much lower. 1 watched
one last evening, in company with Mr..
A. B. Simonds, and it lighted within
ten feet of me once, so I had a good
chance to note its actions and hear the
sound produced before it made its cry.
Forrest and Stream.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06
She was Learning to Talk English.

A lady. vino keeps a domestic, was
about to enter her kitchen one even
ing when she heard voices. She was
surprised, as the girl never had COM
pany, a fact which she had often
commented upon.
"She bring more clothes by ME every
Monday when my wash be most DONE"
complained the girl.
What for you then stay NIT herr q.
asked another voice. !
like not to go more place than so
many I hat been, answered the first
speaker. "Her have the two goot chill
dren. I init them stay"
"You tink her you like, Tina?".
"Yaw, [ t'ink, but she make me
mooch work, an l not that like"
Yhe mistress had heard enough. She
ratified the door and walked in on the
two, without further ceremony.
There stood the girl US neat as q new;
pin, her blonde pig tails hanging down
her back. She was washing and wiping
the tea dishes, and was entirely alone.
WHO were you talking to, Christine2' pa
asked her mistress. suspiciously.
Il talk with myself" answered the
girl, 80 ! the Englis' speak"
This curious phase of the girls char
acter still exists. On certain evenings
she holds long conversations with her
double" and the two voices are as dis
tinct as if they belonged to different
persons. The mistress who appreciates:
her faithful service and her love for the,
"goot children" does not object to this,
sort of company, aud is more consider
ate Of the girl on Mondays, SO in he,
talks with herself she has no longer
reason to complain.