davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25

his stern but not insensible ears, and one could almost see the fire of determination light up his eyes, and his massive frame expanded with wellnigh human eagerness and pride.
 When the race was over and he stood be- fore the judges and heard the plaudcits oi the crowd he looked as solemn as 6 philo- sopher, as if he accounted 1t of no great moment after all, while at the same time 1t was evident that if he had the power of speech he would assure those present that he was preparing to run much faster when ever It became necessary to do so.
 In his later years he became very melan- eholy, bnt never surly, says the Nashville Banner. He felt that Spokane was his in- ferior and wore honors that belonged to him. There was no resentment in his oon- duct; he simply submitted to his mistrsat- ment, but whenever he got the smallest opportunity he showed the public that he could finish in front of Spokane if he had to break the record to do it if his people would only allow him to do SO. And when they did on one occasion give their consent he spattered mud over the son of Hyder Ali from aag-fall to finish.
 Proctor Knott's admirers had tc pay dear for their allegiance to him, but they knew that it was not his fault, and most, II HUI dL OI tnoIl, WOulu nave Dttu BLhu to pat him tenderly in his last illness and assure him that they bore no grudge against him for their losses.
 His last days should have been peaceful, and not racked as they were with pain.
 He was mistreated in life, but treated min istrations were doubtless his in death.
 He has gone; his name and fame have faded into memories. May he sleep in perfect peace beyond this vale of pain.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
DROPPED.

These are the days when the caterpillar gets the drop on @ man.-Puck.
 First Mosquito-I feel like going on a right, then, here comes Kentucky colo nel. Let's light on him.-Boston News.
 Butcher-How would saddle of nut ton suit you, madam? Miss Batchem- Very well, but let it be a side saddle, be- cause it is for my sister and myself. - Binghamton Republican.
 :'How do you like that young Yale man you employed as a messenger, MT. Bar kinsg" '|He's very good fellow" returned the banker. "He let's me do pretty much as please. ."-Harper's Bazar.
 He (to Boston girl)HYou are ''up" on geology. Can you tell me what kind of rocks these are we are sitting on.
 Boston Girl-To the unengaged they are trap; to the engaged they are gneiss.- Life.
 'Do you know who that fearfully home ly woman is over the doorF' "Yes, that is my wife, and would remind you that beauty is only skin deep." fThen, my dear sir, why on earth don't you skin heri" Brooklyn Life.
 Fair Querist-Husband, dear, are there two "'s" in businessa Wideawake Husband-Certainly there are, my love. A man who goes into busi- | ness with only one eye is going to be badly Pittsburg Bulletin. Warden of insane asylum-''This poor woman imagines she is shopping all the time Sometimes she sits in silence for whole weeks" Visitor-"What is she doing thena' Warden-"It is supposed | that she imagines she is waiting for the change. ."-Cloak Review. Sympathetic, but near-sighted lady (to | tramp filling temporary engagement at stone -pile)-Poor man! that work seems hard, and you look dresdfully tired. Don't you ever take a vacationa Tramp (pound- | ing away wearily)-Pm on my vacation now, mum-C Chicago Tribune. l A Satisfactory Explanation.-Mr.G Green | ough-It seems to me that was pretty light ton of coal you sent to my house to- day, MT. Coke.
 Coal Dealer-Why, that load was of the best quality, sir; full of gas and tar, you know, and those things don't weigh much"
 MT. Greenough-Oh, excuse me; I had forgotten about that.-Puck.
 He from his paper)-Just think of it, if | world, it would be better to wipe out the whole of Paris or Chicago, rather than tc have it destroyed.
 She Gan optimist)-I should think il would be better to destroy it, and then some one would probably find a lot oi them, in cellar or some place, that had been overlooked. (And she will never know what he started to say, because he was interrupted by spasm, and then read his paper hard. )-Puck.
 Visitor-Do you suppose can see MT Moneybags this morning9
 Secretary You'd better not try. He', in tearing bad temper-said he was going to kill two or three of the slim-headed dudes that were after his daughter. Wha did you want to see him about
 Visitor-Oh-er guess I'll call again Fact is, was going to ask his consent tt my marriage with Miss Moneybags.-Mun sey's Weekly.
 Ben-I don't think much of girls. How ever, I'd rather be girl than goose.
 Tom-Probably, but think it impossi ble for you to accomplish the transforma tion.-Life.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25

getting public opinion round to the ides that the eviction of the fieurs-de-lys, which figured SO conspicuously on the arms of the kings of France, is essential to the dig nifty of the metropolis in these republican days, says the London Telegraph; vet one precedent at least might be found, for the first Napoleon replaced the royal feurs-de- lys by the imperial bees; and during the second empire Baron Haussmann, when prefect of the Seine, had serious idea of suggesting their restoration. As matter of fact, if the Aeurs-de-lys were eliminated from the arms of Paris, and the example became contagious, the municipalities of many other cities in France would be pug zled sorely, for the fieurs-de-lys abound on most of their blazons, to the exclusion, in many cases, of any other symbol. The proposition, however, is already encounter ing rdicule, and the suggestion is made in one quarter that if the fieurs-de-lys are re- moved the ancient ship ought to be re- placed by some modern craft, such As A torpedo boat; while another mocker asks why the Eiffel tower should not symbolize the city of Paris. The radical councillor. to be strictly logical, should have agitated for the complete abolition of one of the vanities of feudal times
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25

of political character. The only '1egal'' 1 names in the future are to be those taken from the characters in the Bible, from princes or from famous statesmen, gene rals and patriots. Ithas long been prac- tice among the socialists to give their chill dren the names of demagogues and revolu- tionists. This practice the emperor hopes to overcome. It is almost needless to say that the decree has caused 6 storm of in dignation.
 MT. Frederic R. Coudert, the we'll known New York lawyer, has his own opinion of politics and politicians. This is it, ex- pressed in we'll chosen words: There is un- doubtedly much that is petty and mean in the game of politics. Cheating ct baccsrat is considered dishonorable, and the de- tected culprit must fain go into the dark ness with stain that no cleansing waters can wash out. But the political game is not restrained by nice calculations of right and wrong. False pretenses ring like real coin, broken promises leave no mark upon unfaithful lips, chicanery rises to the dig nifty of diplomacy, provided it succeeds. Men of otherwise blameless private life look on while their associates raise large sums for political corruption. Men claim ing to stand upon pedestal receive the fruits of tainted bargains, and honor the shameless actor when they themselves are the recipients of the treasures captured from the enemy.
 No queerer scheme in connection with the Worlds fair has yet been concocted than the one got up by Sunday school class of young men in New Castle, Indi- ana, the direct result of recent Sundays 1esson-the story of the Saviour at Jacobs we'll. It is said that the well was original ly two hundred feet deep, but that the con- stant throwing into it of pebbles by visi- tors to it for the last 2,000 years or more has filled it up, until it is now but seventy five feet deep. The scheme of the young men is to form syndicate with sufficient amount of cash capital to make the plan work, and send a couple of men over to Europe and Asia, who will be instructed to make terms with the government of Turkey, by which the syndicate will be all lowed to excavate the well to its original depth, and bring the pebbles and whatever else can be found in it to the Worlds fair, where they will be exhibited, and finally sold as relics of the historic watering place. The matter is being quietly worked up, and the men behind it mean to see to it that it is successful.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
BETTER ROADS WANTED.

Considering the great waste of time and power caused by poor roads it is interest ing to note growth of interest in the matter For instance the New York State society for road improvement has succeeded in attracting good deal of at tention, and the governor has joined with the organization in advocating the con struction by the State of two roads across each county which shall be of general value and at the same time afford instruc- tive examples to the local authorities of what common roads should be. "The present condition of our highways" says the governor, "is disgraceful. For great part of the year many of them are almost if not quite impassable;" and he goes to the root of the evil when he continues with the declaration that "the fault has been in ignorance of construction, in lack of responsibility, and in waste of energy and money in maintenance" This is the case in many parts of the country.
 In Massachusetts law creating a road department in charge of civil engineer has been passed, the duties of this office
 including visits to the towns and counties
 of the state and the presentation of free
 advice as to the construction of roads and bridges. This is an important advance for one great need of the communities de- pendent wholly or partially on our com mon roads for transportation is more in formation concerning road building, and that of technical kind. Pennsylvania has appointed a commission to revise ant consolidate it's highway laws and take int consideration the advisability of the State' lending assistance in the construction O roads. This commission is given furthe power to prepare and present bill who's passage shall secure high-class roads to tn 1 people of the state.
 If the advantages and economy of goot
 roads could be properly and persistent. put before the people they would sool
 make themselves felt. A very little stud.
 of the matter will convince anybody of tn wastefulness and costliness of poor roads
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.

Vk11O
 The Democratic newspapers don't think much of Major McKinley's speech, and they have good reason not to. They are especially displeased with his reference to the silver question, which the Ohio Demo- crats have treated with such a plentiful lack of sagacity. Their platform calls for the free and unlimited coinage of all the silver offered for the purpose, whether the product of American mines or shipped here from all the other countries in the world. The Ohio Republican platform, while approving the silver legislation of the Fifty-frst congress, "stands in opposi- tion to anything short of full and con- plete dollar" The major pointed out the inevitable results of the suicidal financial experiment demanded by the Democracy. He showed that the worst of the loss and the suffering would fall on the farmers and the wage-earners. He declared he would never give his consent to the pay ing of the old soldiers, the chief creditors of the government, in 80-cent dol lars. "Never in the past" he said, "has Ohio given her vote to debased currency, and she never will. When in 1875, under the pressure of hard times, the country was wild for imitation, the sober sense of the people of this State, without regard to party, stemmed that awful tide. The peo- pie of Ohio had more to do than those of any other State in keeping the nation on the rock of honest finance and honest cur 1ency. Thousands of Democrats left their party and helped in that great struggle; and the people of Ohio will take no step backward"
 Contrast this with Governor Campbel's opinion that the silver question wouldn't be at all prominent in this years canvass, and his remark that while he had doubts about the proposed imitation of the cur rency he was willing to chance it." If Mckinley and John Sherman and the other sdbnd and right-thinking men of Ohio can't beat that man the State m ust be in bad way
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
FARMER DEANS COON.
Desperate Fight Between Coon, Man
 and Horse.

ahu H1oIbes
 Farmer Dwight w. Dean of Ovington Township, Lackawanna county, stopped by the roadside watering trough in the Lamberton woods few days ago to let his horsesIslack their thirst His wagon box was full of unhusked ears of sweet corn, says the Philadelphia Inquirer, and just as he had checked up the horses and was stepping toward the left front wheel a coon dropped from an overhanging limb to the load, grabbed an ear of corn in its mouth and jumped out of the hind end of the wagon. MT. Dean seized his whip in a hurry and made dash for the bold corn thief, lashed it over the head as tight as he could draw before it had chance to skip into the bushes.
 The cuts of the whip infuriated the coon and made it squeal fercely. Instead of seeking schelter in the undergrowth, it dropped the corn, sprsng at MT. Dean, and fought him with the ferocity of wildcat It bit him on the left hand till the blood ran, and it's attack was so sudden and un- expected that MT. Dean was unprepared for it. The coon was so near him that he couldn't use his lash, so he hit it with the butt of the whip and drove it back. Again the angry animal sprang at him and tore his right hand with his teeth, causing him to drop the whip. MT. Dean then realized that he had got his hands full, and he kicked at the coon, but missed hitting it. It bit his left leg this time. The farmer threw the vicious little beast over on its back, but 1t was on its feet in second, and once more it jumped at it. MT. Dean caught the savage brute by the throat and flung it into the the trough. The splash of the water scared the horses. They dashed forward, and MT. Dean ran to their heads and grabbed the near one by the bit While he was yanking his team to a standstin the coon leaped on his back and set his teeth in his shoulder. The horses reared and snorted at sight of the strange animal, and MT. Dean tore the coon loose with his left hand while he tried to manage the team with his right. He shook the pugnscious animal of three times only to find it clinging to his back and tearing at his shoulder a moment later. The last time he flung it loose it landed among the feet of the prsncing horses. One of them stepped on the coon's head and that settled it. By the time that MT. Dean had got his horses quieted down the coon lay dead be- hind the wagon. Both of MT. Dean's hands and one of his shoulders were badly bitten, and there was slight wound on the back of his neck. The coon weighed twenty two pounds
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
SERVANTS IN AMERICA.
They Are Restless and Seldom Remain
 Long in Any one Family.

Long in Any One Family.
 They generally remain but few months in one situation. Like everyone else, they are restless-require movement, change writes Hamilton Aide in the Nineteenth Century. It suits the head of the family to break up his establishment when he tra- vels abroad, or goes to a fashionable resort in his own country to inhabit a monster hotel. And it equally we'll suits the ''es- tablishment" to go to the monster hotel and get advanced wages for the crowded season. So it comes about that old ser wants, except negroes in the southern states, are unknown. In the west the diff. culty of obtaining any but slatternly Irish girls increases every year.
 Considering the enormous immigration, this is a problem no man can understand. In Colorado lady said to me: "0ne does not think of asking for a servants char acter here; she asks for yours. The first year I came I could get no one-they knew nothing about me. This year they have
 been kinder" She then went on to tell | me that parlor maid living on a ranch had come to her mistress (who told my in | AoAAAo-A eAS ESoA- AOA cSA-Ac fAeASSAs "tAS expected, and stipulated that she should | be presented to them-or she would de | part. Itwas Hobson's choice, and the pre-
 sentation was duly made. In another fam. | fly the advent of the cook was thus an. nounced in one of the papers: Miss Sallit
 Dexter has arrived from Denver on visit | to Mr.-- in this city,"
 A friend of mine says that when a par. Tor maid came to be interviewed she in. Quired, ''Do you do your own stretchingr | Upon inquiry she learned that this meant | 'Do you serve yourselves at tsblel" Man.
 ners in servants of both sexes are peculiar
 as indeed they are in all the lower ordert | Gf one may be allowed such an expression about Americans). This is the only class
 that never addresses you as "sir" The
 hotel waiter vouchsafes no reply if you ask
 him to bring you food. He fetches it ir
 silence, and then leans over your chair lis
 tening to your conversation. One mar
 made plunge at my head as I entered the
 coffee-room of the hotel at Pittsburg. FoI
 moment thought it was an assault, till
 he bore away my hat in triumph to hang il | on @ peg. He meant no incivilty; on the
 contrary, he believed he was showing his | alacrity to serve me. But he had not been | taught better, nor are his children taught; therefore for the present see no prospect | of amendment in this respect.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
ERRORS IN GRoGRAPHIRs.
Publishers Are Responsible for Man
 Mistakes Made by PupIIs


 Mistakes Made by Pupils
 "The publishers of school maps" says a teacher in the St. Louis Globe-Democraf, 'are responsible for more errors than any other class of people on the planet They use sometimes half dozen different scales of sizes in a single book, and it is impossi- ble for children to get correct idea of the relative sizes of different countries because of their lack of uniformity in the scale. In an atlas for school use all the maps should be on the same scale, otherwise most incor- rect ideas will be formed. recently asked a bright boy, who had just finished the study of geography and laid it by because he knew all about it, how large he sup posed Arabia WAS. He reflected & moment, and then, with some confidence, replied that Arabia was about the size of Masss- chusetts. l suggested the possibility of his being mistaken, when he got his atlas and showed me that Arabia and Massachusetts were the same size, that is, on the map. He opened his eyes when I explained to him the mysteries of the scale, and that instead of being mere speck Arabia was as long as from St. Paul to New Orleans, as wide as from St. Louis to New York, and contained more than one-thiTd as many square miles as the United States. He had been misled by the maps, as his teacher probably had also. and thousands of other people besides. A uniform scale would prevent many false ideas, and if & national series of textbooks is ever adopted the atlases should have that feature promi- nent"
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
A Deaf and Dumb Man Starved 10
 Death.

A fatal instance of forgetfulness on the part of the police is recorded in the pages of the Vienna nlustrirtes Extrablatt On the feast of Corpus Christi, May 2S last, deaf and dumb man was arrested on a charge of vagrancy at the village of Hra- bin, near Troppau, in Austrian SilesiR, and was confined in the local lookup. After having taken him into custody, however, the police appear to have entirely forgot ten their prisoner, for not only was he not brought up in the ordinary course before the magistrate, but WAS left without food or water. In fact, no one visited the cell in which he was confined from the day of his arrest until yesterday, when, quite by chance, some person happened to enter the place and discovered what had occurred The unfortunate man had evidently died of starvation, and the flesh of his body had been nearly all eaten away by rats.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
HE FINALLY GAVE IT UP.
A Woman Gives Very Indefinite
 Information Regarding a Night

A woman Gives very Indefinite Information Regarding a Night Key.
 "Do you make keys herei" asked the woman as she entered locksmith's shop, says the Detroit free press.
 tYes'm."
 "Wen, want one."
 "What sort of key, ma'anp "One for the front door,"
 t'Have you a duplicatei"
 "No."
 "Bring the lock-"
 s'No."
 "What kind of lock is iti"
 'T-I don't remember"
 "But how am I to guessa There are about forty thousand different kinds of keys"
 1sH'm. didn't know that"
 ''Is it a night keyi'
 "Yes, yes. That's it. It's night key But that's also very indefnate." "Well, my husband sometimes come. home at midnight and unlocks the door with his pocketknife or buttonhook or any. thing else that comes in handy, and you ought to know what sort of key would fl, such lock.'
 He studied over it awhile, but finally had to admit that he was up tree.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
The Father and the Dude,

If every cheap little mssher in the land
 could be put through course of training
 like that administered by this stalwart
 Missouri farmer, there would be fewer
 women insulted and more sense pounded
 into heads too empty now. It occurred
 reporter of the Globe-Democratic:
 On the platform stood an old gray hair
 ed gentleman, with strongly marked feat
 ures, and by his side modest girl of F
 years, neatly and becomingly dressed.
 They were evidently father and daughter
 The natty little dude spied them as soon as
 tunity, of which he quickly availed him self. Accompanied by three companions,
 he walked slowly past the couple, making some remark as he reached them. The girls cheeks, crimsoned, while an ominous frown gathered on the fathers brow.
 Unaware of their danger, the quartet proceeded to the station saloon and gleeful ly quaffed their soda, after which each lighted cigarette and retraced his steps to he.train, again having to pass the father and daughter. Whether the soda flew to the dudes head and made him nore reck- less than usual, or whether the fact that the girl was so modest and shrinking that he thought her lawful game, and as her only protector was an old man, no danger was spprehended, the St. Louis dude grew more bolder as he approached the couple, and turning to a companion said. "This girl says that she won't have me-"
 In moment the old gentleman reached forward and grasped the surprised mashsr
 by the back of the neck, saying; "No, by
 gun! but her father will :" and then proceed ed to mop the platform with his dudeship. Back and forth the natty little man was dragged, his lavender pants split up one leg, his silk shirt torn, while his handsome
 beaver was helplessly crushed as though so
 much paper. Then turning him around, the old gentleman planted No. 10 shoe squarely and fairly at the base of the dudes spinal column, elevating the little
 man into the air and landing him of the platform, hopeless and helpless wreck. His three viliant companions had fled at the first onslaught of the old man, but the four or five hundred passengers gave him such an ovation as seldom falls to the lot
 of mortal, the cars fairly rolling under the applause so heartily bestowed.
Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-25
The Prodigal Daughter

To the home of his father returning The Prodigal, weary and worn, Is greeted with joy and thanksgiving, As when on his first natal morn; ''robe" and a ring" is his portion, The servants as suppliants bow, He is clad in fine linen and purple In return for his penitent VOW. But ah, for the Prodigal Daughter, Who has wandered away from her home. Her feet must still press the dark valley And through the wild wilderness roam; Alone on the bleak, barren mountains The mountains so dreary and cold. No hand is outstretched in fond pity To welcome her back to the fold. But thanks to the Shepherd, whose mercy Still follows his sheep, though they stray, The weakest, and cen the forsaken, He bears in his bosom alway; And in the bright mansions of glory, Which the blood of his sacrifice won, There is room for the Prodigal Daughter As well as the Prodigal Son.
 ELLA WHEELER WILCOX