davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
A Natural Inquiry.

A certain witty bishop found him.
self. few months ago. crossing the
Bay of Fundy. from Digby to st. John.
in company with certain Mr.. Cas-
well. The Bay of Fundy has repu-
tation for turbulence only to be
matched by the English Channel OF
the Bay of Biscay. Mr.. Caswell was
struggling with violent attack OF
sea-sickness; but the bishop. who was
above such weakness. was very cheer
full. and inclined to conversation. He
had failed. however. to catch Mr.. Cas-
wells name correctly. and persisted in
calling him MIR. Aswell.n At last the
sufferer. in n moment of ease, correct
ed him. saying:
"Cassoen. my lord; my name is Cas-
sceA. not Ass0el."
.'Ohl' said the bishop. eyeing him
critically. as a new spasm seized upon
his unhappy acquaintance. We'll.
Mr.. Caswell. don't you think you
would be AstoeU without the sed?''-
Harper's Magazine.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
just Full or Etiquette.

Many OF the colored people OF Wash
ington are the aristocrats of their race.
They are prosperous. conceited. fond
of loud clothes and very much s'in evil
dence.n especially in the presence of
white folks. In one OF the cars of the
electric railway which runs to the
Catholic University few days ago sat
a big. deady mulatto. dressed not in
the heighth. but the caricature of FASH
ion. He had striped trousers. light
correct top coat" the shiniest of silk
hats. the most brilliant of scarfs. dog
skin gloves and big cane. His seat
was in the middle of the car. and the
adjacent white trash felt small indeed
in his distinguished presence. The car
was full. Presently gesticulates to tile
conductor a colored woman. dressed
as gaudily as her brother exquisite ia
the car. She had on n light blqe silk.
an immense hat. big bracelets. big ear
rings, II big fur cape. and everything
else ACCORDING" When she got to
the car door she stopped. looking for a
chance to sit down. This was the mu-
latto dandy's chance. Rising to his
full heighth. he waved his hand mag
nificcutly and exclaimed: dis way.
lady; dis way. ladyi here's "a seat.
The lady advanced. Smiling expansiye-
iy. aud took her seat with gracious
mods of thanks. mt which the gentleman
bowed with the grace of Turveydrop-
Tie white trash sank INTO insignifi-
canoe. feeling their Inferiority- Tie
colored gentleman felt it. too. and he
determined To administer severe les
son. Grasping strap with one hand.
he east supercilious glance about
him. and just as the car was starting,
exclaimed: Use just full of itiquit. /
isl' Then he looked TO the lady for
admiration. and got it. As for the
white trash. they roared. Aud the
car went on.=Netc Iork lStar.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
Pioneer Spanish Families in Calf
fornfa.

A multitude of stories of the social
life of the Spanish period might be
told. Each town on the coast was the
center of the hide and tallow trade for
a hundred miles or more. The low
adobe stores there held piles of costly
and beautiful goods in the days of
which Farnham and Dana wrote-the
days when the great cattle princes
came from their ranches to hold
festival. The young cavaliers rode in
on fiery but wcll-trained and gaily
caparisoned horses, and all the WON
derful feats of horsemanship of as fine
a race of riders as the world has ever
seen, were performed daily on mesa
and sea-beach and plaza.
But the home life of these great
families was simplicity itself. In many
Spanish house there was no fireplace.
window, or chimney. The fire for
cooking was built on a clay floor, part
ly rooted, outside of the main building.
The household utensils were few-a
copper or iron kettle. slab of rock on
which to pound corn or wheat. soap
stone griddle for the tortillas. Dishes,
tableware, and furniture came slowly,
and were of the most simple descrip-
ton. For years raw hide stretched
on the floor with blanket spread over
it formed the usual bed in early Cali
fornia.
Everything was kept exquisitely
clean. and though the Spanish families
learned to spend more on their houses
and belongings, they seemed to look
upon such things as only affording op-
portunities for more generous hospi-
tality.- Charles Hoe0drd Sat'a'a, IN Cen
turn
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22

The late August Belmont once told
the writer. on the Monmouth race
track, that his horses would not win
because a flock of blackl,irds had cross
ed his path that morning. Il saw the
blackbirds in the tield.n he related.
land said to myself, if they fly across
/ shall lose.' So I walked my team
carefully-carefnlly. But no! Just as
came opposite. the birds flew in front
of me, wheeled about and crossed me
again. I shall not go to the stables.
have sent for my trainer to tell him
il is no use trying to win to-day. At
another time he was in radiant spirits
because little bird had fiown into his
bathroom and allowed itself to be fed.
II shall have good lucki' he exclaimed
Wait and you shall see." That day
he won three principal races. Indeed
a curious phase of his superstitions was
that they generally turned out to be
correct. When he felt that he was GO
ing to lose he did lose; when he imag-
ined he was going to win he did win
This may be explained by coincidence.
or by the fact that his trainer and
Jockeys were shrewd enough to humor
his whims knowing that he would rath-
er justify his superstitions than capture
race. But. whatever the explanation,
the fact that such man should be sub
ject to su@ii caprices is wonderful.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
Floating ON a Rubber LiIy-Lear.

.While nv wife and | were on our
last trip to Europe" said a gentleman
to Detroit NeacS man the other day.
1--WE met a middle-aged lady who was
going over for her health. and my wife
and she became great friends. One
day while sitting in the ladies' private
cabin the lady said: Let me show you
my life -preseryer' and, removing her
outer skirt, my wife beheld skirt that
was curiosity If nothing more. Run
ming up and down the skirt at a dis
tance of two or three inches. were soft,
flexible rubber bands about two inches
wide- They were sewed on at the side
of each band and ran all the way
around the skirt, and at the top they
were all Joined to broad rubber band
SIX inches wide. At the top of this
band was rubber tube about two feet
long. cad which ran up the waist in
front and was left resting on the top of
the corset.
said the lady, You behold one of
my own inventions for saving my life.
In case of an accident all / have to do
is to take the end of the rubber tube in
my mouth aud in two minutes l can
fill all the rubber bands (Which are
hollow and air-fight) with air. Then,
tying the tube in hard knet, | am
ready for the waves. This skirt. when
strike the water will spread out in the
shape of pond lily leaf aud will rest
on it in an upright position, as easy as
though reclining on couch, and l can
doat around till picked up
AS our voyage was pleasant one,
we did not have an opportunity to see
how it would work but have no doubt
it would work we'll
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
A Vegetable CaterpIlIar.

One of the gueerest things of Tas-
mania. New Zealand. and other parts
of Australasia is the bulrush. or yeget-
able caterpillar. This wonderful plant
is n fungus. a sphaeria. which grows
seven or eight inches above the ground
generally in n single stem. round. and
thickly covered with brown seed for
some five or six inches, ending in a
curved. worm-like point. 1t is usually
found growing at the roots of par
ticular tree. the rata" of the natives.
When this plant is pulled up its single
root is found to be the exact counter
part of n large caterpillar. say one,
three.o or four inches long; but although
IL preserves every detail of such grubs.
dissection proves it to be solid wood.
Intelligent persons of the countries
named above saw that this curiosity is
formed in the following manner: A
large species of moth feeds on the
rata tree; the grub of this moth bur-
rows in the ground; the seed of the
sphaeria gets lodged between the
scales on the grub's neck. strikes root.
aud completely turns the interior of
the creature into woody substance.
In every case the shell of the grub is
left intact, no small rootlets puuctur-
ing 1t at any point. Scientists say that
the above explanation is all .'bosh. -
aud that the plant develops the form of
a caterpillar because it is its nature to
do So. If this be true, why should we
laugh at the stories of the Mandrake
Man and the Scsthian Lamb. specimens
of which are preserved in the Surgeons
museum, London.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
HOW Plate olass is Made.

A visit to a plate-glass works reveals
nothing more Interesting than the cast
ing tables, whence come the heavy
plate glass that is used In nil shop win
duws. The casting tables the superin-
tendent tells you are the most import
ant pieces of apparatus IN the establish
ment. Each table is about 20 feet
long. 10 feet wide. and inches thick.
strips OF iron on each side of the table
afford a bearing for the rollers and
determine the thickness of the plate of
glass to be east.
Tie rough plate is commonly nine
sixteenths of an inch thick. but after
polishing is reduced to six or seven
sixteenths. The casting tables are
mounted on wheels and run on a track
that reaches every furnace and anneal-
ing oven in the building.
The table having been wheeled as
near as possible to The melting fur
mace, the pot of molten glass is lifted
by means Of crane and its contents
poured quickly out on the table. The
heavy iron roller then passes from end
to end, spreading the glass TO uniform
thickness. Ali this is done in half the
time 1t takes TO tell it, each move being
made by skilled men in the quickest
possible time.
In contact with the cold metal of tie
table the glass cools rapidly. Then the
door of the annealing room Is opened
and the plate of glass introduced. The
floor OF the oven is on the same level
as the casting table. SO that the trans
fer can be made quickly. When. after
several days. the glass is taken out of
the oven its surface is very rough and
uneven. 1t is used in this condition
for skylights and other purposes where
tkrss.r a. tn. a
pareney. The greater part of the
glass. however. is ground. smoothed,
and polished AS we see it in the shops.
N Y. Times.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
Feline Sagacity.

sagacity of the felines. is told by gen.
tleman who saw the occurrence. A
cat saw rat run out from under a
stable and seek shelter in a woodpile.
Tommy followed his ratship and tried
TO reach him. but could not do SO.
Finding that his efforts were in vain
Tommy scratched his head and hit up
on an idea. Leaving the woodpile he
went off short distance. informed an
other cat of what was up, and the two
went back to the woodpile. Tommy
No. l stationed Tommy No. 2 at the
place where the rat had entered the
woodpile. while he climbed upon the
wood and began ratching. This
frightened the rat ont and he ran into
the chops of Tommy No. 2. who had
been expecting such an occurrence.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22

A Handsome Young ArchItect who Capt
nred n Matrimonial Prize and How He
Did 1t.

Il noticed the other day an account
of what Mrs. Hopkins -Searles is doing
with all her houses, began one of the
shouting politicians of the 8 o'clock
boat. as he braced himself against the
chain box aud rested his perspirfng
brain can. Il suppose Searles is right
up TO his mob in clover, but knew him
when he had to rattle around for the
evasive dollar of our daddies like a lame
dog after an energetic cat. BY the
way. did you ever hear how he won his
wifeP,
Having satisfied himself of the igno-
rance of his immediate audience on the
question of the Hopkins-Searles nup-
tials, he proceeded:
Well, you know Mrs. Hopkins,
after she was widowed. became engaged
to an army officer out at the Presidio.
At any rate, he had announced the
plighted troth in his mess, and it was
accepted as a fact in society. At that
time Searles was Mrs. Hopkins archi-
tect. and was busying himself in
furnishing and fitting up that big. airy
house on Mob Hill. That's mighty
good piece of architecture, by the way.
Searles or no Searles.
nHowever. he had his eye on the
widow. and she got to having favor
able sort of eye for him. He was very
handy sort of man to have about
made good sort of appearance, ran
little errands well and all that sort of
thing. He began pressing his suit, but
she kept standing him off, through
loyalty TO her army officer.
Then she got the notion in her head
of that big house at Great harrington,
Mass, and. of course. Searles was the
architect selected to furnish the plans.
~ fha, aA st,fx.
each others society, and Searles kept
trying for the big matrimonial prize.
She remained true to her military
hero, however. and he determined
upon coup, risking everything on the
touch.
They were at Great Darlington and
he accompanied her to the train one
day to see her off for New York. Half
OF Great Barrington's stand and prudish
society was there, incoming. bridling
and looking out for stray mavericks of
gossip just as the train was pulling
in Searles put his arm around Mrs.
Hopkins waist and kissed ber full upon
the mouth.
There was a situation for youi
Mrs Hopkins kissed by strange man.
and half of Great Darlington looking
oni It was either Searles or scandal.
The widow was very quick to decide.
With a wink of her eve she dropped the
Presidio martinez Turning to her
nearest acquaintance she said loud
enough for a large portion of Great
Darlington to hear:
ALLOW me to present my afiianced
husband. MIR. Searles'
She took the train, while he took
himself by the hand with the thought,
Shake, Searslsey, old boy. You're the
NAPOLEON of love ~
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
BEWARE THE elAcksNAkE.
kfs IL More Fornaiaabie Than she rsa
tier, ms Onc womnn's Experiences o.
show,


Ask any OF the farmers or hunters in
this part of Monroe county whether
they are afraid Of rattlesnnkes. and
they will answer promptly that they
don't mind them very much. writes a
Pennsylvania correspondent. Ask them
IL they fear blacksnakes. aud they will
say yes without the slightest hesita-
ton. This fear of blacksnakes has
come down to most of them from their
parents, with story that none of them
is ever tired of telling. They all de-
clare that ii is true. and it is so well
known, and Is told with so much
solemnity ard evident fear by the
natives. that it Is hard to disbelieve it.
The story runs like this:
Many years ago well-to-do farmer
lived with his family nenr the barren
land verging on Pike county. His
wife was city bred and unused to many
of the hardships that are part of the
farming woman's life. She was strong
and hardy. however. with plenty Of
nerve. apd grit enough, to make the
best of things. One day, while her
husband was working in clearing q
good distance from the house. she
went down to the spring for pail of
water As she stopped over to fill the
pail q blacksnake that had been lying
coiled near the spring jumped at her.
She screamed and jumped back, but
the snake had buried its fangs in her
dress, and before she could recover
herself sufficiently TO shake him off. lie
had wound himself about her so tight
ly as to prevent her from walking.
Then he began slowly to crawl up
ward. The poor woman struck at the
snake with her hands.
L. a t,..f al,
so overcome with fright that she did
not mind this and kept ON striking at
him. The serpent kept crawling up
until his coils were about her breast.
She tried to tear him loose. but she
was not strong enough. She became
nearly paralyzed with terror. The
snake finally coiled himself around her
neck and choked her. She started
toward the house, but she had only
gone q short distance when she fell.
In the evening she was found by her
husband lying dead. with the snake
still coiled about her neck.
This story, with the well-known fact
that a blaeksnake is ever ready and
willing to fight anything that lives.
makes the native afraid of him. and
the man who kills blacksnake is
thought to have won greater battle
than the slayer of a dozen rattlesnakes.
You can't frighten n black snake.
said one old hunter. .'and the more
you try to the more he amt fright
ened. A rattlesnake is coward, and
will run if you give him half chance,
If he doesn't get the chance he will
rattle in fear and then strike in des-
peration. A rattlesnakess bite is not
nearly as dangerous as many people
suppose. All that you have to do to
render the wound harmless is to cut in
as deep as the fangs went. then go to
the nearest brook and wash it thor
oughly. A common poultice will
soon heal the wound made by the
knife. But if big bIacksnake tackles
YOU. and you give him a chance to get
one coil about your body. why. then,
look out. fnr ii IS Your life or his
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
just as Young as She Used to Be.

There is in New York a very aged
lady-her exact age need not be here
told-who is as fond of going to par.
was in the first half of the nineteenth
century. She arrays herself in fash
ionable style; she is very gay in society;
she is quick in repartee at the table;
she plays merrily on the piano; she re.
frains from dancing. but enjoys the
sight of il; she is dainty in her ways;
her white tresses add to her dignity.
and she has never been in the bonds OF
wedlock. She is always welcome
guest, and she is a favorite with the
younger folks, feminine and masculine.
She enjoys her old aye. though adyanc-
ing toNnrd fonrscorc.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22

Prepare the following mixture in the
forenoon. Shave one pound and a
half of any good laundry sonp into
thin small shavings. Entirely melt 1t
In saucepan OF wnter on the lire.
Strain the melted soap through coll
ander into tub half-full Of Iukewarm
water. Add half pound OF powdered
borax and tablespoonful of molasses.
Thoroughly stir the mixture; put in
the equal of one double blanket, and
notice as you do SO where the stains
are. Leave the blanket simply soak.
| ing. we'll covered ia this nice soft snds,
for nearly twenty-fonr hours. Next
morning look for the stains If they
are not all soaked out. pat them and
gently wave them in the water, but
never rub them. Rubbing makes wool
harsh like felt. When the stains are
gone, press what water you easily can
from them. and lift them into tub of
clean rinsing water. Wave the blank
cts in that till most of the suds is gone.
then put them into another rinsing wa
ter. Sometimes two rinsings are
enough to clear them. II third is
needed 1t may be blued little, if one
likes.
Have strong clothesline stretched
as tight as possible out In the yard
Strong sun Is apt to fade the eolored
borders of blankets. SO choose shady.
breezy place to dry them in. If you
can take them out in a tub. do so 9TH
erwise lift them. saturated with water.
into basket, and carry them full of
water to the elothesline. Hang them
exactly through the middle lengthwise
on the line; then the colored borders
of the blankets will hang vertically.
See that the fold of the blanket is
slightly wrinkled. that Is. very little
full, as the blanket lies over the line,
else the middle of the blanket will be
found to dry stretched longer than the
edges. The blankets after this process
win be clean. soft. and not shrunken.-
Good Housekeeping.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22

George T. Cottmnn writes: We have
with as in the spring and early sum-
mer temporary visifant who well de-
serves special noticc-the boboiink-
most musical of songsters. Until
within the last three or four yenrs /
never saw him in this part of Indiana.
Within that time he las come abun-
dantly at his appointed time; but few
people seem to note his advent or to
know of the wonderfully rich melody
with which our meadows are vibrant
through May and June. made his
acquaintance some years ago when.
paddle in hand. | threaded the sinmous
windings of certain -fringed
water-courses in New York; above me
the skies of June. about me the ditiss-
pied fields where these happy revelers.
each in his trim uniform of black and
white, held high carnival. When. as
it seemed. he followed mo hither.
bade him welcome, and each spring
am on the alert for that note of un-
rivaled sweetness. The last May.
while strolling in my neighbor's woods.
l suddenly and unexpectedly heard
the first one of the season. Thrice he
sang in tree hard by as if for my ex-
press benefit. then was gone. and lis
| tening intentiy l heard them far off.
Out Of the woods. into little creek
valley and up an adjoining slope |
pressed in pursuit. when over the
brow of the hill came furry of birds.
full score of them. and. lighting all
about me. burst into full chorus
and such chorusl The tintinnabuia-
tions of many crystal bells ranging
up and down the gamut in melodions
riot-the silver tinkling of water drops
shifting the face of a quiet pool-a
wild and artless symphony, an ecstatic
reyel. Then having finished. they
were off as suddenly as they had come.
baud of Hitting cioristers. and when
they had ceased dead silence seemed
to lie upon the little valley as if the
songsters had paused abashed and
wonderstruck.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
A Community without Taxes.

In all probability the most enviable
community in the world is that in the
village of Klingenberg. on the Main.
in Germany KIingenberg enjoys the
reputation of producing one of the best
wines in Germany. But this is by no
means its chief cause for glory. In-
stead of paying taxes as ordinary NOR
tails. the citizens of Klingenberg re-
eeived each $50 marks from the income
of several factories owned by the town.
The division was made after the expeu-
ses of administration had been paid By
money from the same source.
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
Tigers Parasites.

In speaking of the minute parasites
which are found in the hairy part of a
tigers foot. a scientist says: They
constitute one of the most wonderful
curiosities l know of in the animal
world. The parasites are SO small as
to be almost Invisible to the naked eye.
and yet each is a perfect counterpart
of the tigers head. ears. jaw. legs. claws.
body. tail. all are there. You may
think this is big story, but look the
subject up and see if ii is not so."
The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-05-22
How To Wash The Hands.


Now. about your hands. Wash them
in hot water. using almond meal in
stead of soap, just before you go to
bed. and during the day don't wash
them too much in cold water. A wo-
man who has very beautiful hands told
me that during the daytime she wiped
off any stain that might be upon them
with piece of kid on which was lit
tie vaseline. However. am bit old
fashioned and prefer water to this.
Then when you have the time, sit with
your finger tips in bowl of hot water,
and after they have soaked well. dry
them and trim the nails, keeping the
skin at the base of each down iu its
place. Push it down either with the
end of soft ivory file. or a bit of wood.
but do not cut it off. Do not point
your nails. and do not polish them too
much. The first makes the skin super
sensitive and causes it to grow quicker.
while the second and third are counted
vnl1ar.-IAe Ladies' Home Journal.