davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14


A0O great a hurry. Whether l am pret,
a. OF not, is matter of opinion. l, OF
.Oourse, do not incline to thinking my
self quite horror, for my mirror tells
the, when 1 consult (which is quite
as often as other girls-that 1 have
bright eyes and white teeth, and dim
pie in each cheek, and a figure that
always seems to fit my dresses. l am
by no means rich, it is true, but no girl
can consider herself poor who possesses
good typewriter and skill to use it.
Both these qualifications belong to me.
and for nearly year l have held a
good position in Mr.. John Postle-
thwaite's office, and from nine to four
every day l gaily rattle the keys of my
typewriter.
Mr.. Postlethwaite is rich produce
broker, and, though he is not at all old,
Y never looked upon him as a young
tnan-he is SO grave and silent. AL
though l saw him every morning, he
never said more than Good day, Miss
Claxton," and l declare 1 could not
have told you whether he was fair or
dark, for seldom ventured to raise my
eyes to his. All through the day 1 sat
In my corner, curtained off from the
other clerks, and far too busy to take
any notice of them, or of any one else,
sxcept-ah! here is a tremendous ex-
ception, for l had constant visitor,
my sweetheart! l should mention that
Mr. Postlethwaite was widower
That, perhaps, was partly the cause o.
his seriousness, for l have heard thai
his wife was young and beautiful, anC
that he loved her dearly. They haC
been married but few years when shC
died, leaving him a baby three year.
old. That baby was now five, anC
every day, except in the summer whe1
he was away at Long Island on hi
fathers farm, little Jack would come
IN the carriage and fetch Mr.. Postle
fhwaite away.
The very first day took possession
Of my curtained corner, just as tn,
clock was on the stroke of four. tn,
boveIiest little head in the worlC
peeped around my desk, and pair o:
Dig, roguish eyes, blue as Heaven
looked up, laughing, into mine. Ther
she head disappeared, and l saw NJ
fsaore of those sweet eyes until The
Izext afternoon. Then, however, tn
little rogue, with all the confidence
Imaginable, walked inside the curtain
aud revealed the dantiest darling
Ricturesquely clad in black velvet, will
hong golden curls falling over his dee
GRce collar. l fell in love with him o.
'tsae spot, and am bound to say tina
Che passion was mutual, for he sat o,
nay knee and returnedrmy kisses wit
Interest, and when, the following day
L eemented the friendship with a
affering of French candies, we pledge,
eternal fidelity in the spirit, if not i
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
MUSICAL MONOPoLIES.
The Tyranny Existing Among Instruments
and Voices.

IAiSLlllS Among
and Voices.
When Thomas de Quincy complained
of ''the absolute tyranny of the violin"
in string bands, he struck keynote.
In every orchestra band or choir, one
piece or one voice makes itself conspicu-
GUS above everything else. In the or
chestra the tyranny of the violin is as
apparent to-day as in the days of De
Quincy. In the brass band the cornet
has the sway, and all the rest of the in
struments put together are secondary
In the choir the despotism of the soprano
is completes; or, if it is choir composed
entirely of men, the tenor assumes the
throne that would be occupied by So
prano in a mixed choir. Nobody dis
likes the violin, for it is the most eX-
pressive inanimate thing in existence,
conveying from one person to a thou
sand the sweetness and the sadness of
life; nobody objects to the cornet, with
it's power, its penetration, it's range,
its delightful mastery of all who hear
it; nobody can find fault with the So
prano or tenor, the soprano the most
admirable, the tenor the sweetest, of
all the voices ever sounded. But it does
seem strange that in music, the first
principal of which is harmony, any one
instrument or one voice should be al
lowed to override all of its companions.
Why mar the smooth beauty of piece
of music by making the violin the
tyrant, or the cornet the supreme mas
ter, or the soprano the sweet monopo-
list, or the tenor the monarch of the
music? Why not make them all tone
themselves down into harmony, no voice
or instrument greater than the rest, but
all combining into one unbroken cur
rent of melody? A central 'star" is a
great thing to have, but don't let it dim
the brightness of the whole armament.
-Washington Post
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
TENNYSON'S DREAM.
Warned of the Awful Fate of Friend-'
Robert Browning's Story.

Warned of the Awful Fate of n Friend.
Robert Brownings Story.
Dr. Sarah Hackett Stevenson tells of
an afternoon spent some time ago with
the poet Tennyson and Robert Brown
ing. The conservation turned upon pre-
sentiments and clairvoyance, and Lord
Tennyson, while unwilling to aclnowl-
edge any belief in either, related re-
markable instance of the former which
occurred to himself. One evening while
sitting in his study writing he seemed
to feel the presence of very dear
friend near him. He was unable to
shake off the impression. He tried to
read and to smoke, but it was no use,
for it seemed that the friend was there
appealing for aid. This distressed the
poet, and he went out and walked sew
eral miles, trying to dispossess himself
of the thought but it was of no avail.
He could not rid himself of it, and finally
retired only to dream of his friend as
being in great agony, and crying out to
him for relief.
Some two months afterward the poet
heard that the friend, who had been
an explorer, had been killed and eaten
by cannibals, and that this had occurred
at or very near the time he had been so
troubled about him.
Robert Browning, who laughingly
said that his wife was the only super
stitious one in his family, then told of
an experience he once had with man
who claimed supernatural powers.
Browning discredited his assertions and
the man, wishing to prove that he could
do as he said, asked if he had an heir
loom of any sort about his person.
1t CHANGED that Mrs, b. had provided
her husband with some new shirts,
which were made to be worn with cuff
buttons, much to Mr.. Browning's dis
gust, and that morning he had ran
sacked the house for the necessary arti-
cles, finally fastening his cuffs with
pair of quaint old buttons which had
been given to him years before. He
showed them to the m an, who, after
looking at them carefully and eXamin-
ing them closely, took them in his hands
and told of dark room in house
somewhere on the Island of Jamaica, in
which a powerful man was struck down
by three robbers, who took from him
every thing of value save these three
buttons, and left him there to bleed TO
death.
According to Mrs. DIR. Stevenson this
was literally true, though at the time
not even Mrs. Browning knew of It, for
the buttons had belonged to an uncle. q
planter in Jamaica, who had been muir
dered and robbed as the man described
The cuff buttons had been found and
sent to the planters mother, who had
given them to Mr.. Browning OH con-
dition that he should never speak of the
sad affair. ir.-Washington Post.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
puNeENr PARAGRAPHS.


Whether man falls in debt or IN
love, the effect is about the same
Atchison Globe.
-"Everything" = including dry rot
and old age-"comes to him who waita."
IN. Y. Picayune.
One man may start paper, but tt
takes a good many to keep 1t going.~--
Texas Siftings.
The average wife hates to ask hcr
husband for money, and in most cases
he hates to have her.--Somerville jour
mel.
-Johnson-"And so Jimson has gone
TO his reward?" Bronson-"Yes, poor
fellow, I'm afraid he has. IN. Y. Her
aid.
Ask any woman what is a woman's
most interesting age, and she will come
very near telling you how old she is.--
Atchison Globe.
--''Did he enjoy himself?" 'Tremend-
ously." "Made himself at home, eh?"
"No; made himself away from home.
That's how he came to have good
time, "-Harper's Bazaar.
"A mule would rather hear himself
bray than to listen to anybody else's
music A good many people are built
like him.-Ram's Horn.
-HaTy-"Your remarks, Miss Jen-
ME, are so spiced with wit that they
quite take my breath away" Jennie
| ''I'm glad of that, for your efforts with
cloves have been fat failures?"-N. Y.
Herald.
Encouraging Him.-Nellie-"You're
a timid sort of a fellow, are you not,
William?" William Mot particularly,
1 guess. Why?" Nellie-"Jennie said
you were afraid to kiss girl. boston
Herald.
Amy with broken engagement, to
Mary, about to be married) )-"My dear
girl, do not make the mistake that did
with my Charlie. Don't ask George to
eat any of your cookinguuntil after you
are married. IN. Y. Herald.
--'I've been offahed $4,000 if I'd wife
a book on sassiety," said Rhinelander
de Pell "Why don't you do it, deah
boyP" INV fawther said he'd give me
SO, 900 if 1 wouldn't, don't you know.
Harner,s Bazar. ~~s.i
y-"Get me a paper-cutter, Elinor, and
I'll give you five cents" But you
can't" "Why not, dearie?" 80, I
heard mamma say thaIlf you had any
sense you wouldn't have stayed to dim
ner on wash day."-Jester.
"A woman in Arizona recently killed
wildcat with broom, and yet man
with all his wisdom and philosophy has
never been able to kill the tamest kind
of tommy with an iron bookjack. =
RAMS Horn
-Gay-'I feel like new man to-
day." Brisht-"Do you? Glad to hear
it. Perhaps you can see your way clear
to pay that little bill" Gay-"Im a
new man, told you. You can't expect
me to assume the liabilities of the old
concern. boston Transcript,
In the Matrimonial Office.-"Well,
here is phot tograph of the lady whom
I have described to you" But, my
dear sir, according to this picture the
lady is much older than you gave me
any reason to believe" so, l assure
that is a very old photograph. - File
gende Blatter.
Little boy (piclSing raspberries)-"I
say, ma, have some raspberries got
legs?" Ma-Why, of course not, my
child why do you ask such foolish
question:" Little Boy-'1f raspberries
haven't got any legs then swallowed
bug; that's all" - Cleveland Plair
Dealer
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
TIE FIRST HOUSE.
An Ancient Edlnoe which May Have Beet
MAMA UrtraN nxwoIIinU.

An Ancient Edlloe which May Have Been
Mans First Dwelling.
Long, long ago some men travelling
in the low countries of South America
came upon a remarkable dwelling.
Only little one-story' habita ,ion,
seven feet by nine, left by its owner
sweet and clean. A cot of one room,
just large enough to hold whole family
of little ones, provided they did not need
too much room for running and jump
ing.
Such a beautifully decorated little
dwellingl None but master in the art
could have fashioned the delicately or
namented roof reaching high above tho
vines clinging about it-and roof war
rapted not to leak during the hardest
rain, and sure to last for ages and ages.
There were two entrances to this primi-
tive mansion one at the front and one
at the rear, not very large, to be sure,
but large enough for one to crawl
through comfortably, and these en-
frances, scalloped and cut with a per-
fection not to be exoelled-were always
open, too, as If waiting for an occupant.
And all to be had rent freel Now was
not this remarkable structure for our
travellers to find in the wilderness?
.-There were unmistal1able proofs too,
of it's having been inhabited, and by
savages, undoubtedly of very ancient
day, On examining the dwelling and
remnants of others (for the discoverers
found only one perfect one), these wise
men decided it must have been at one
time the bony covering of some animal
of the armadillo family.
Further research and study convinced
them they had found, not only perfect
armor Of the Glyptodon, the gigantic
armadillo of prehistoric times, but, what
was still more wonderful, that this
armor, abandoned by its original wearer,
had become, probably, the very first
habitation of man.
The only perfect one of these dwell
ings, now known to be in existence, is
in the possession of the French Govern
ment, and is kept in the Jardin des
Plantes, in Paris.-St. Nicholas.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

but yop mustn't ever like him better'n
me. You may kiss Val now, papa" he
added, magnanimously. "And if you
can't be married now, we must come
tomorrow and fetch you away"
Then, as it occurred to him that he
felt sleepy, he dropped his head on my
shoulder, and demanded, with baby i'm
periousness, to be sung to sleep forth
with.
1 placed him gently in his fathers
arms, and kissed the half-closed eyes.
Hes mine, now," 1 said, looking
John Postlethwaite for the first time
full in the face. "But I'll lend him to
you sometimes Ada Fisher, in
brakes Magazine.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
CATS EYES AS CLOCKS.
The Chinese Utilize Them to Tell tn
Time of lDay.

llIne Oh ii)ay'
Everybody knows that cats can see in
the dark, and some people are aware
that the reason they can do so is the
peculiar construction of their eyes.
You may have noticed that in a moder-
ate light the pupil or black part of pus-
sy's eye is small and of an oval shape,
while in full glare of light it becomes
narrow. In the dark it expands to a
circle and nearly fills the surface of the
eyeball.
This popularity of the cats eyes is
turned to account in curious manner
by the Chinese. The Able Hue relates
that when he was travelling in China he
asked his attendant what time it was.
The man went over to cat that was
quietly basking in the sun, and examin-
ing its eyes told the able that it was
two hours after noon, and on being
questioned how he knew that, he ex.
planned that the pupils of cats eyes
were largest in the morning, and that
they gradually grew smaller as the light
| increased till they reached their mini
mum at noon; that then they began tc
widen again, till at night they once more
became large.
The good able was filled with admira
tion for the ingenuity of a people whC
could use cats as clocks; but 1t must bt
admitted that this way of telling the
time of day is rather loose one, ant
could only be trusted in very, very cleal
and serene weather, for temporary
gloom or the darkness of storm woult
derange the four-footed clock and put i
all awry-Jeweler's Weekly.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
TIE DOMESTIC ART.
Why 1t Has Not Developed Into Any
Thing Like q Science.

why 1t Has Not Developed Into Any
Thing Like a Science.
One of the reasons why, after GEN.
turies of experience, the domestic art
has not developed into any thing like a
science, is that every woman is sup
posed to understand the whole subject
by the light of nature. This has not
only prevented any persistent study on
these lines, but has detracted from the
popular respect fort domestic skill; and
has discouraged any strenuous efforts to
attain 1t, because, forsooth, who cares
to excel in an art in which universal
proficiency is assumed?
AS long as this superstition exists, we
shall hardly be able to evolve from the
chaos of empiric knowledge and domes-
tic science which is worthy of the name.
The efforts to teach good housewifery
will be limited to the object lessons
which some specially fortunate girls get
in their homes To be sure, this is like
studying throrough-bas through the
simple hearing of good music, but it is
not altogether without it's results. A
few young women even get 80 far as to
copy recipes from their mothers manu-
script cookery books, which gives them
about the same grasp of the subject in
hand as traveller gets of a foreign
tongue by diligently coming the
"phrase-book" provided for his emer-
gencies. By and by. however, some
young woman will find out that good
housekeeping may be an expression of
all the principles of ethics, politics and
sociology; then there will be plenty Of
candidates for a degree in this hereto
fore neglected branch of learning.-Kate
Fields Washington.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

che letter. The day was indeed dull
asas TO me that did not bring my little
Lack TO kiss his sweetheart Val.
The winter passed, and at Christmas
and New Years Jack and l excha nged
appropriate gifts-Jack always assur-
ting me earnestly that his presents had
been his own unbiased choice, and per-
chased with his own money from his
avn money-box. / noticed that as the
early February days slipped away Jack
became immensely mysterious His lit
ale bosom swelled with some tremend-
'SQs secret, and sometimes, after gazing
at me for few seconds with widening
eyes, he would ripple with delicious lit
'tAe gusts Of laughter from head to foot.
After these tiny explosions ne would
kiss me vehemently, and rush away as
though afraid 10 trust his secret any
aOnger in my presence.
can not pretend TO say that had no
ankling Of coming events, and. sure
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
The Atlantic Laid Bare.

Figuratively speaking, the bed of the
Atlantic Ocean has at last been laid
bare. English, American, German and
French sounding expeditions have
mapped every section of the ooze that
lies at the bottom of the great watery
waste. According to these maps and
diagrams the Atlantic is large water
trough of varying depths, extending
from pole to pole. Here and there rocky
peaks, like that of Teneriffe, or hinge
mountains of sand, like the bank OF
Newfoundland, reach up TO or beyond
the surface. Between Ireland and New
foundland there exists remarkable
submarine plain, always referred to as
''the telegraphic plateau" which is evil
IDENTIFY a continuation of the great
watershed, which between latiEudes
forty degrees ana fifty degrees north
surrounds the earth and divides the
waters flowing south from those flowing
north.-St Louis Republic.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
Tha EntInr RnaIneaa.

1t seems extremely odd that a man
should ever have been constructed on a
plan that requires him to stop work
three times every day and load up.
Meals are pleasant enough when they
are pleasant, but the inconvenience and
the expense of them are simply ridicu-
lous. If we were built on an eight-daS
system, or could go out and gorge once
or twice week and have done with it,
there would be a better possibility Of
accomplishing something chat would
every day brings its own pleasant pos
sihility that some microscopist may find
the bacillus of hunger and devise q
lymph that will eat hiro. .-Rochester
Union.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

aasw what in the world will my lady sayf
NY nind Is in Wild disorder
- tear the dainty paper apart,
Nhoa out falls u blood red velvet heart,
WlGS a row OF pins for q borderi
Wsll, pich mp the pretty, useless thing,
Ind tsvs IL, for here did her fingers cling;
Yet can not choose but wonder
d IL an emblem, q symbol true;
WnI she pierce nv heart So through and
through,
Ell tss depths Rre torn asunderS
AthiEk how a harsh word hurts and stings;
Z think Of thousand hard, cruel things;
Far enc gains with love, and one loses.
9hsn think OF my dear ones sweet pure face,
And my heart again at her feet place
Lss her plant there just what she choosesI
And hey pin-cushioh-why without doubt,
The pins we're means to be taken OUT
How blind have BEEN and stuptdI
90 thiS Is the message she sends today:
she will take each sting from my heart away,
And undo the work OF Cupid
Bessie Chandler, in Harper's Bazar
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
The Popular Notion of liberty.

To do what one likes with ones own,
and to have as much as possible of one s
own to do what one likes with-that, /
take it, is the ideal of life usually set
before themselves by those who are
commonly accounted men of under
standing That is the liberty where.
with we are made free by the much.
boasted civilization of the nineteenth
century, which has so largely converted
business" into schemes of gambling
called speculation, and into processes Of
fraud on ''the windy side Of the law
And If we pass from private life to the
public order, the most common an6
popular notion of the State is that it is
machine for securing person and prop
erty, in the unfettered employment Of
which, at ones own will, liberty is hello
to reside.-Forum.
The worst thing in the mince pie ii
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

ALERIE CLAX-
TON, that's my
name, and l
live uptown"
I'm not going
to say where,
and you won't
find it in the
directory, b e.
cause l liv e
with my mar
ried aunt, and
s / d e s-but L
mustn't be in
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

A Tender Valentine.

Bessie--I hate to write to George with
this bad pen.
Jessie-Never mind, my dear; hs1l
think the blots are kisses es,-Judge,
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

-Absent-minded Professor TO his
pupil-"Well, my dear boy, 30 ii Is tiWe
for you to go to bedP If you shou1d
dream of your father tonight please
give him my compliments. "-Fliegende
Blatter
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
Walls VALENTINE.

A Precious One the Old Saint
Brought-A Pretty Typewriter.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

There is now secret society of
cooks and the contents of hash will pc
mere OF a mystery than ever.-Aibany
Argus
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
a MESSAGE OF LOVE.

OW, Mercury wears
q suit Of gray,
, And his twisted
stick he has
given away
For a bag slung
over his shoul.
der,
While the feathery
wings have left
his feet,
Yet he urries
along on his
daily beat
Though the wealth
er grows colder
and colder.
He brings me . let
ter from her to-
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

The worst thing in the mince pie i
the edream.-Pittsburgh Dispatch.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14

enough, when arrived In the Office ON
st. Valentines morning, there on my
desk lay a package, sealed almost all
over with red sealing wax, and with
the stamps and address huddled into
one corner, as though of very secondary
account. opened n as eagerly, l de-
clare, as any girl III New York that day
who hoped to find her valentine hand
somer than that of her bosom friend
There was beautiful little hand-paint-
ed sachet, tied with big boNv Of white
satin ribbon, and-herein lay the cause
of Jacks mysterious rapture--a letter!
partly printed, partly written in won
derful hieroglyphics, but all his own
writing and composition:
"dere darlin val. luv so mush do waite till
am man so we can be marid. 1 Will be as
quick as can, u no am quite big now luv u
wild all my hart, u ar mi only darlin, ure luvin
Jack"
Now, am very fond of children, and
never having had brother or sister, OF
niece or nephew, or little one brought
close to me by any tie, my whole
heart went out to my baby lover, and
any one who chooses may think me a
fool when 1 own that tear-I scarcely
know If 1t was a sweet or bitter one
fell on that little smeared and blotted
scrawl. The next minute, however,
laughed heartily, and, although had
already sent Jack pretty valentine,
resolved to write him an answer to his
letter, and, to make it more legible to
him, used my typewriter.
This is what said.
'MY DARLING: will wait for you until you
are quite man, and you shall always be my
only sweetheart. Who could help loving such
dear petS Certainly not your own VAL"
This nddreSsed To