davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

evening as you ordered. but ] could not go
this evening because IL Is exceedingly busy TO-
day, so really will so down with all my things
tomorrow at any time you like, but think |
shall 90 to see you about 80 p. m and carry
them down at that time 1t has been so bad
weather in Tokyo last few days ago. but are you
quite wells Please tell my compliment TO your
family. | am, Your obedIent servant,
Mayeda had probably learned his
English from the missionaries. 1t Is
common trick for Japanese and Chinese
10 pretend to 60 through the process of
conversion until they know enough
English to get place as waiter or clerk
in . store, when they drop 1t like hot
potato. Mayeda was certainly not
Christian any longer when we knew him.
Every one in the East is familiar with
the story of the Chinaman who went to
his Sunday-school teacher to say that ne
did not mean to come any more.
.How is that?" said the missionary;
s.you seemedto be getting along so nicely"
me sayez plenty English now; me go
hotel boy; me no care for American man,
Jesus Chlist."
II il probably not true, but ii points the
moral to plenty of true tales.
Iris in commerce that the English OF
Janan shines respiendent. In one OF my
iirst letters from Japan | wrote; "one
has not TO go very far into Japanese
town 10 come across some varieties OF
English Curio dealers may possibly have
noticed vaccillation in us and ms In
their ua,ronesses' letters. The Star
House Hotel by Bumhoat Tom IS evil
IDENTIFY considered an Irresistible attraction
TO the Anglo-Saxon sailor, while 'Brant-
VEN, is added in a corner 10 include the
balance of the Gothic race. And here IS
specimen of English. as what Professor
Muller would call, an aggiutinative IAN
puace. Nipponekidemngaisey
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This lat
Ter Is all one word One dealer offers him
self TO his European patrons as:
Dealer and Manufacturer
of
Tortoies PIu Work Lacquer Wari
and
Curio.
And this 10 Q hotel sign
Moon House.
Vince and Liquors
al the
Coffee und the Restaurants
MlSaxs-
The yapanese are very great at spurious
limitations. They make up the West con-
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

friend and myself had been whipping .
stream half the afternoon and with the
most discouraging results. Still every
indication went to show that
We were passing plenty of trout and from
time to time we were aggravated beyond
measure by the sight of magnificent fell
lows breaking water ahead of us. But our
most seductive twists of the wrist, al
though causing the flies to make semi
circle before taking a straight course,
failed to induce RISE After conscienti-
ously whipping an unusually likelv-looking
pool with no better result, we sat down on
the bank to talk 1t over and smoke pipe.
Our attention was attracted by the violent
fiuttering of a large blacktiy or miller
which had fallen into the water and was
making fruitless attempts to escape, when
suddenly glistening flash of silver and
yermilion struck the air and down be went
in close company with two-pounder.
More Disguised men than. we were
would have been hard to find. For we
had faithfully fisbed that very pool
not more than five minutes before with
tee above given result. But it suggested
an idea. I selected fly that, SO far as
could Judge, was fac-simile of the victim
of this tragedy, and substituting it for the
one had been using as stretcher, and
after waiting few moments to let every
thing get quiet again, made a long cast,
dropping the flies away down near the
lower end of the pool, and drawing them
carefully up toward the place where the
trout had just .'broke" water. They
reached this spot, but passed over it with
out interference, and l was about to make
another cast, when above them in mid-air
appeared the graceful outline Of leaping
trout, followed by splash as he reached
the water. a mighty tug at my line and
that peculiar tingling of the nerves familiar
to every fisherman. 1t struck with a force
that caused my seven-ounce split bam-
boo 10 snap ominously. But it stood
the strain. 1t must have both surprised
and hurt the trout, for it raised to the sur
face again. and went straight up in the air
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

an experience had in the fall Of 1889 in
the Adirondacks. We had been fishing
for week or so in the waters OF Cranberry
lake, and with very indifferent success,
owing to the high water caused by recent
rains. 0n.complaining TO our guide of the
sport he had given Us. he replied that il We
were not afraid of some hard work in the
way of making two long mountain carries,
he would take Us to pond some eight
miles distant, that was noted for its large
trout, and whose waters would be
in right condition for successful
fishing. We answered that we
were game for anything short Of
death that would insure us one good days
sport. The following day, about two
hours before dusk. found us seated in q
canoe, wetting our lines in this pond. Our
guide informed US that a popularity of the
pond was that trout would not rise to
fiy. After casting for an hour or SO we
believed his language" and in place of
flies tried worms. The change brought us
fairly good success. as about every half
hour one of as would take quarter or .
half-pounder. But it was irksome fun,
this angle worm fishing. as our hooks
were continually being barred by sinners.
Just before dark, more out of revenge
than any hope of lettering my luck, at
tached another hook to my leader, about
twelve inches above the first, and to it
fixed Observation-Disclosures sinner that
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

thing to desire will be gathered from the
following specimen. entitled Her Glee,'
which appeared in September, 1886. in the
pages of a Japanese magazine in the Eng
lish language, Published by certain jap
anese students at Toxic. So far as we APP
prehend its obscurities through the mist
of poetic license, it would appear TO be
dithyramb in praise of woman, who is
apostrophized as the cement of society, or,
to use the youthful poets own words,
social glue:
HER GLEE.
The purees fame, the hottest heat
Is Womsn's Power over earth,
Which mighty black and pale down beat,
And made the Eden, place OF birth.
OF what. OF what, Can thou tell me!
4 birth OF Noble, High. Value
The station He designed Tor thee
OF woman, Mother, social Glue.
Let her be moved from earth to try
What dark mist overwhelms human Race.
Let Lady claim with all the cry:
s.Caa you still hold and hold your peace"
How sweet. how mirtnful, gay is Name!
What boon, thing, may exceed In kind
Would she be praised, entoiled-no. shame,
Tie Pale. OF Both. To bound, 10 bind.
This is another bonbouche from Things
Japanese" DouGLAs SLApEs.
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

but now more slowly. BY keeping taut
line brought him alongside of the boat
just as his open jaws appeared above the
surface of the water. Except for the
was motionless. Having no landing net,
/ undertook to lift him into the boat with
the line. had raised him half out of the
water, when his grip on the minnow re-
Taxed, and hook. minnow and all
came up from the depths of his
bosom, leaving the trout free.
dropped the line with bafficd
groan. But mark you what followed.
While yet the trout and mutilated minnow
were at the surface, this fresh water shark
used the last bit of his remaining strength
to open his Jaws and shut them once more
on the juicy morsel which had just escaped
him.
This time there was no fight, and as the
hook had luckily attached itself to his jaw,
i easily raised him into the boat. He
tipped the scales at exactly three pounds
and ten ounces.
The only possible explanation can give
for the remarkable holiness Of this trout
is that the rod was SO plant that 1t gave
the fish no more resistance than he had
anticipated from the obstinacy OF so large
a minnow. And after he had nicely stored
it away in his stomach it tried his temper
to feel the minnow swimming out Of him,
and most likely scraping his insides IN
highly disagreeable manner.
The big sinner had distended the jaws OF
the trout to such an extent that the point
of the small hook failed to reach him.
Next day We kept our guide busy eaten.
ing minnows. and between sunrise and
sunset we took sixty-three trout that
weighed fifty pounds. 1t was the hand
soonest average of brook trout that have
ever seen. We would undoubtedly have
added third more TO this catch had our
bait been smaller or our hooks larger
A good outht, including So seven-ounce
split bamboo rod, high hip-rubber boots,
and an ordinary canvas hunting jacket,
which is particularly useful on account OF
its many pockets, will cost in the neigh
borhood of SIS.
OF course much larger sum can be spent.
For instance. the genial angler, Mr.. W.
Holberton, of the firm of Abbey 4 Imbrie,
New York, has rod, which he showed me
the other day, which is verify dream OF
delight. Each joint is made of eight strips
of bamboo. II is eight and one-haH feei
long. and weighs but four and one-hali
ounces This rod he used all last season, and
on one occasion hooked and safely landed,
two large trout with il at once. The rod
is still as springy and straight as on the
day he bought it. It's price. by the way
WAS $50. JAMES ". JOHNSON.
Beautiful women-E,ade 80 hs ussssg an
dom Robegtine
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

ing achieved this the thing is done, what
ever the particular composition of the
story may be. Whether it is that the
long, indistinct object dangling from the
hook in the wall, where nothing was be-
fore. slowly, yet Enthusiastically, takes the
outlines of human figure, with head awk-
wardly bent to one side, and distortion
of the countenance, or whether, as you
stand outside the door of certain room
that has been locked up for years, you
hear, on the other side, the light patter of
naked feet, and a stealthy breathing, fol-
lowed by terrible screams and silence; or
whether, awakening in strange bedroom
in the night, you are nervous Of queer
light, which focuses on the wall, revealing
the face of a portrait hanging there, which
you had not noticed when you went to
bed; or whether it be simply the impress
sion of a presence squatting in the corner
and raying out influences fatal to life
such details as those, say, are important.
You have got your nerves where they will
be scared by anything.
Now, to write is another thing than to
talk. But ghost stories can be conveyed
by writing, after a fashion. and, inferior
though it may be, it is better than my
fashion of talking. Accordingly. not to
appear disobliging, am here going to re-
count my personal experiences in the
supernatural by means of pen and ink.
Should the result prove unsatisfactory, 1t
must be laid to the entire and unexagger-
ated truth of the stories.
Put the shade over the lamp.-When I
was boy of II or Is l used to sit and
watch hand. holding pencil, moving to
and fro over sheet of paper. The place
was suitable for ghosts, and all who were
familiar with it declared it to be haunted.
1t was an ancient italian villa, or castle,
perched on hill of the town Apennines,
overlooking wide valley, with historic
river winding through it. There was
tower at one end of it in which political
captive had been imprisoned more than
200 years before. An owl now occupies the
gloomy chamber in which he used to Ian
guish but after sunset it would flap noise
lessly round the battlements of the tower.
emitting its soft, long-drawn cry. Bats
there were also in abundance. And sew
eral times, as lay on the tiled roof up
aloft watching the great comet that arched
across the horizon of the valley, have
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22


had just caught. hooking it through both
would do no harm, and it might be an adj
vantage, as it would keep the worm bait
moving. The water was about twelve feet
deep. and as the bats slowly sank l could
feel the minnow playing. judged it had
reached within a few feet of the bottom.
when, in strong, steady, business-like
manner, it started away from the boat. At
first ! supposed it was the minnow at work,
but after playing out foot after foot of line
! began to think that it must be a larger
fish than the minnow that was now at the
other end of my line About the same
time realized the fact that only very
large trout would tackle so large min
now, and my excitement grew apace.
About thirty feet of line ran out steadily
bait would have to be swallowed before the
hook could get in it's deadly work and inn
mediateiy thought Of the way pickerel will
stop in order to turn bait in his mouth so
as to swallow it head first, and WAITED
for like maneuver from my. trout.
was not, however. quite prepared for
what happened. Suddenly the rod was
almost jerked from my grasp. The line
buzzed furiously. Then I struck, and
struck SO hard that nothing in the world
saved the rod but the length of line that
was between it and the trout. It was like
striking the bottom of the lake. The fish
started straight for the boat at such q rate
of speed that my multiplier was made
quate and ] was obliged to take
in line hand over hand. In spite
of my utmost endeayors, under the
boat he went; then with undated
strength took course astern of us,
quickly using up the unreeled line that
had accumulated in the hottom of the
boat. Soon the reel sang out again until
but a few feet Of line remained, and
began snubbing him. On feeling this re-
sistance he made one grand effort for lib
erty. He shot into the air and shook the
line as terrier does rat After the
splash / felt his weight from the end of
nv still rod. Back towards us he came
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
IISH IN JAPAN.
crcus Manner in Which
Sic Is Often Spoke.
osIr'Es ~ SPELLING.


ubIy no single phrase of Japan-
- English is quite so pregnant as
RI Whieh the Chinaman scornfully
- the japanese in allusion 70
Shoddy limitations of the foreigner,
Europeans.
1epanese have no pigeon (properly
- corruption Of the word business)
. Ike that which prevails wherever
Dnll and John Chinaman have much
euul,e. It insults them to talk the
- one topside plenty-pidgin lingo to
- They always endeavor to express
1I1paIses Ia good Queens English and
tSaf's American, with much more
- results. There are plenty of
Cinnamon, such as the shroffs nj
100 u the compradors of ships and
6 III, who speak japanese like
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

heard my name called in the air. just over
the parapet. There was clean drop there
of seventy feet TO the ground.
In the body of the edifice there was sort
of ceA or oratory. massively constructed
of stone, with groined ceiling. This was
the special abiding place of the ghost. One
night my sister. having. occasion to go
there. set the candle on the mantel-piece.
AS she was stopping over chest in the
corner, she noticed her shadow gliding
along the wall Turning, she saw that the
candle had been placed on the table, sew
eral Yards from its former position. But
no one except herself was in that part OF
the house.
An immense place it was, with upwards
of forty large rooms. As there were only
FIVE of us in the family, we each had q
suife of five or six apartments. Ny bed
room was at the end of the west wing:
five rooms, opening into one another.
INTERVIEWED between that one and huge
reception hall in the center OF the build
ing. often. in the dark of the night,
have walked up, and heard some one
racing 10 and fro in these rooms. and
lie rustic os ii long skirt sweeping %
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
PAINTING SIGNS.

sort, built entirely Of W God and only closed
in with sliding shutters (shoji), except
that it had window. out of which leaned
the most venerable looking japanese ever
beard. don't suppose its counterpart
exists among pure blooded japanese.
When we got inside some time was
wasted in the elaborate bows between
Mayeda San and the librarian, who looked
about II years old, of course after that
worthy had given me the most elaborate
kow tow in his repertoire. A good deal
more time was consumed in Mr.. Mayeda's
deciding for me whether it was best that /
should be q special or quasi-special Gus
toner. or = student, or lodging man,
and what percentage between 1-1,O00 and
lilo should pay on that European-styled
book, "Grifis' Mikado's Empire He
recommended me not to pay evidencial
money, because could only get it back in
June or December, and this was January.
Finally I got tired of the nego-
tiations and went outside. My 'rikisha
boy was standing as if he was
posing for monument. with most sub
lime grin on his back turned face and his
pipe case in his left hand, while his right
held b; ss ss ppel s, the dignity o.
Taro was absent, sick. He had probably
been taking too much sake. Being my
servant, at 20 cents day regular, he was
rolling in wealth for Jinrikisha boy. /
simply stood and watched his statuesque
deputy until the funniest old man slouched
past with the peculiar trudge of the Jap
anese. dressed in most comical cloak Of
thick brown undressed leather. which re-
minded one in fabric of the buff Jenkins Of
the Cromwellian soldiers. Rafting my
kodak out to snap . photograph OF old
Fortunatus was too much for the statue by
the Jinrikisha. He put a hand to each
side and laughed aft to split himself.
Mayeda San, for man in his poor cir
cumstances, could really write very fair
English. Here is specimen Of one Of his
letters:
Gentlemen. duly received your letter from
Kioto which dated Sd. You have written me
about the book of poem and carry down the
covers inside papers and six copies of proofs, so
have told alt about it to our head, and have
already arranged all things above.
thought must go to the Club hotel this
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

some two feet. And then the music of the
reel commenced. 1t was great hight
delicate tackle matched against rage and
cunning-and it was good ten minutes
before he was sufficiently tanned to be
brought within netting distance. His
weight was trifie over two pounds and a
half, and in his honor I must saw that
have taken many larger trout with con-
siderably less trouble. Ny friend attached
similar flies to his leader, and from then
until dark We had lively sport, making a
catch Of thirty -four trout in something
less than three hours
Speaking Of big catches, reminds me Of
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
Easily Done.

tEIfago IfIDune-
Scoffer-Your system is a humbug. You
can't cure disease by thinking it cured.
You've got To use remedy.
Christian Scientist don't believe in
medicines.
suppose Won want 90 lead pig across
q river, and uen't believe in using the
bridge. How would you get il over?
I'D sit dow: and think it over"
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
ARTIST AND MAN.

Make thy life better than thy work. Too oft
Our artists spend their skill in rounding soft
Fair curves upon their statues, while the rough
And ragged edges OF the unhewn stuff
In their own natures s,arsie anu offend
The eye OF critic and the heart of friend.
II ia thy too brief day thou must neglect
Thy labor or thy lie, let men detect
Flaws IN thy work. while their most searching
gaze
Can fail on nothing which they mar Eet praise
In thy weil-ehiseled character. The Man
should not be Swallowed By the Artisan
Ella Nheeler WIccx
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
do, such as the gentleman who describes
himself on his shop sign as:
DEALER OF
THE
ANCIENT THING, OLD GOLD And
SILVER.

TOXIC, JAPAN,
has been filed with distrust by these pro-
ceedings Of his countrymen and issues this
warning to his European patrons:
If health be not steady, heart is not
active. We're heart active the deeds may
be done. Among the means to preserve
health the best way is to take in kozan
wine, which is sold By US, because it is to
assist digestion and increase blood. Those
who want the steady health should drink
Koxan wine. This wine is agreeable even
to females and children who cannot drink
any spirit because it is sweet. In other
words, this pleases the mouth, and, there
fore. it is very convenient medicine for
nourishing. Accordingly, our wine is now
in demand. and it can be obtained at any
store for liquors and spirits throughout
the empire, but il is regretted that several
others initiated our wine, having mixed q
certain sweet material with common wine.
Please remember our three registered
trademarks, in order to distinguish genu-
inc from inferior limitations"
/ have myself tasted this koran wine.
1t is something like very sweet California
port. -,
most as funny as Mr.. Rihei's. They
asked me for testimonial and I wrote the
old German doggerel:
Ieben sic wohl,
Essen sic kohl.
Trinken sic bier,
Leben sic mir?
And they saw the word bier and ac-
cepted il perfectly seriously.
For a climax must go TO Mr.. Chamber
lain.
During the last ten years young Japan,
eager for new worlds to conquer, has be-
gun to turn its attention to English versl-
fication. That the results still leave some
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

than the average, know not; but in
cline to think it was more because I
handled it badly. am no hand to give
riua roce narratives. My object is to reach
the point of the story by the shortest route,
and SO have done with it. This is con-
trary to wise principle, especially in the
case of ghost stories.
The effectiveness of good ghost story
lies always in the handling. never in the
issue. The experience is subjective one;
1t is a matter of nerves and obscure sensa-
tions-a state Of feeling, not q fact of
knowledge. You must put your auditors
III ghostly frame of mind; their logic or
intelligence is the last thing to appeal to.
They must be brought to the condition of
the person described by Coleridge, who
turns no more his head, because he
knows frightful fiend doth close behind
him tread" This state is to be enhanced
by intonaticns of the voice, by stern hor-
ror of the eye, and by incffable pauses,
judiciously administered. By and by
there begins atrickling of cold electricity
down the nerves of the spine, perception
that the hair has roots, an oppression of
the lungs, a humping of the heart, a part
ing of the lips, and dilation of the eyes
all on the part of your audience; and hav-
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22
STORIES OF GHOSTS.
Their Effectiveness Lies in the
Manner Of Telling.
HINTS BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.
Ton Must Put Your Auditors In super
natural Frame OF Mind-A
spook Anecdote.

T often happens to
people OF my pro-
fession to be asked
to tell q story-a
ghost story by pref
erence-and, If pos
siblc, a ghost story
of their own exper-
fencing. 1t has
happened to me, at
any rate; and I
h a We uniformly
failed to make .
good s h o wing.
Whether this was
because my ma
terial was worse
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

Beautiful womcn-niade 80 n usss'g N's-
doms Robertine.
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-22

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