davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

Clara while at sea last Saturday on her way
up from Rockport. They were well out at
sea where the water was blue and clear and
the wind very light, when one of the passen-
gers discovered large fish, which is known
in those waters as linn, following close be-
hind the boat
Several of the boys were soon leaning
over the stern admiring the fish, when one
of them accidentally dropped his watch
overheard out of his overshirt pocket. It
was a large oldfashioned Swiss silver
watch, and when it hit the water it glanced
off sideways and darted on its voyage to the
bottom Of the sea, but the linn saw it, and
as he is a fish that bites at everything that
shines, regardless Of flavor or taste, opened
bis huge mouth and swallowed the watch at
one gulp. The surprised and chagrined
young man says that the watch had just been
wound up and was good to tick away for "a
hours at least. The fish seemed to enjoy
the meal, and followed leisureIy after the
boat for some time.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
HARNESSED TO THE WAGON.

them up so-gently-without squeezing
them at all, and they do not think of biting
See here
He took the mouse from Mr.. Senn's hand,
held its tail between his torefnger and
thumb, and held it above his head.
"Thev do not mind that at ALL" he went
on. 'They are what We call prehensile-
they can support their weight by the tail.
When this fellow runs down smooth stick
you will see him coil his tail around it for
brake. But if I should squeeze his tail
little too hard, or accidentally press my
sharp nails against it, he would twist
around and bite me" O..
''What do you feed them on-cheese?"
Mr.. Moody laughed. "HardlyP' he re-
piled. 'No food is so good for them as
oats-just drv oats. Some breeders bring
them up on bread and milk, but that is not
as good as oats. On oats they keep cleaner
and do better. The dry oats, of course,
makes them thirsty, and then you can give
them little bread and milk, squeezed out
pretty dry. But it is well to have them
thirsty, sometimes, when you are training
them-and hungry, too, for that matter"
If mouse is hungry, and he is to walk over
string bridge, and he sees some oats on the
other side, he will go quicker
There are two great secrets about making
them do as you wish. The first is patience
A boy can soon learn to train white mouse
nearly as well as L can, if he has the
patience. But the boy generally tires Of it In
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

the bullfnch and some others, have human
teachers, when their music lessons are as
regular and their instructors as painstaklng
as the professors who teach our daughters.
The canary, our most familiar house COM
panion, is usually initiative and intelligent.
and a wonderful capacity for song dwells
within his tiny frame. I may say here also,
for his pretty little mate can sing, though
not everyone knows this.
What . Bird May Learn.
There are three distinct ways in which .
bird may receive musical education. He
may be taught to sing our tunes, opera airs
or negro melodies, as Is generally done with
the bullfnch; or, secondly, he may be in
structed in the notes of another bird, as a
lark or a robin; or, thirdly, his capacity
may be developed, his powers of voice cu1-
tivateJ and his song remain the canary song
through all
The learning time in canary's life Is
from or months old to year, and the
owner of one of these little folks must make
his choice of methods and begin in time. In
the first place he must see that his pupil is
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

the easiest thing in the world. I should
put him on the stick; and whenever he
started to run down I should reverse the
stick. He would Soon learn that no matter
which way he went up he was bound to 60
up. Then he would 60 up without any
trouble.
"Other tricks? Why, there is no end of
them. 1 suppose you have seen them
shoulder match for a musket, and sit in
little wagon, dressed in a suit of clothes,
while two others drew them around? The
coat is made to fasten around the neck
with hook and eye, and it won't come of,
so he must wear it. The hat fastens on
with rubber. The horses are harnessed
with little neck-yoke, which they can
not get out Of I have never been able
to teach them to fire pistol; the report
frightens them almost to death. Some
white mice sing, very much like canary
NO, you cannot teach them that. 1 think
1t is some disease of the throat
The exhibition over, Mr.. Sem put the
white mouse back in his pocket; and Mr.,
Moody, opening one by one number of
little cages that stood on the mantel, called
down dozen or more canaries that had
been perching on cornices and picture
frames, and put them to bed.
"Those are the two secrets of the trade"
said Mr.. Moody, as I bade him goodnight,
patience and worry 'emp
WILLIAM DRYsDAL1
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
RIVAL OF ELECTRIC LIGHT,
a Few Simple Facts That Throw Doubt O
the French Claims,

a Few Simple Facts That Throw Doubt ON
tho French Claims
Electricity,
A new lamp whose projectors are enthu-
siastic enough to hint rather broadly that
it is to be the rival Of the electric light is
described in the French papers. ga small
ribbon of platinum foil, rolled upon itself
in the form of cylinder and inclosed in a
receptacle of the same material is provided
A gaseous mixture consisting of air and va
pors of certain hydrocarbons is slowly
urged through the apparatus and ignited,
with the result that the platinum ribbon
becomes incandescent" This incandes-
cence is maintained by continuing the cur
rent of mixed gases. and. as the story goes,
it it,, rivals ,n in brillifncy that of the electric
We do not know how seriously this plan
is proposed, but lest some of our readers
might be misled by such claims it may be
we'll to call attention to few facts. In the
first place early experiments with ipcandes-
cent electric lamps proved that platinum, to
give the same brilliancy as the carbon now
used, must be heated to degree so near its
melting point as to cause rapid change in
lts mOlecular STRUCTURE, Wnlcn soon causes 1t
to break down. In the second place, this
phenomenon of maintenance of an incandes-
cent state by an atmosphere containing hy-
drogen or hydrocarbon gases has long been
well known and was employed by Sir Hum
phrey Davy to maintain light in his safety
lamp after the fame had been e1tinguished.
1t is equally we'll known that brilliant in
candescence cannot be obtained in this way,
and, lastly, were there no other difficulties
in the way, where is all the platinum to
come from?
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

II, for he Il growing and must Be we'll
nourished. It is GOOD also to let him fly
shout, for this helps to expand the chest.
Tesehins the Bird . Song.
Now to teach him. If he 10 to sing can
ME Laurie" or 1.-THE Last Rose Of Sum-
mer," he must be placed in quist room,
with the cage covered. Then few notes of
the chosen air should be whistled, or played
on some instfun'ent, flute, bird organ or
piano. They must be played slowly and
distinctly, in correct time, and over and
over till the bird begins to try it himself
He must not see the teacher. nor hear the
least noise to distract his attention from
the notes SO constantly repeated. The in
structor may have to spend hours, 1t may
be IL, before the bird learns his lesson, but
he must persist in reiterating those few
notes and no others. till the pupil repeats
them. When he sings his notes he should
be rewarded with something he likes, for
one bit of food, for another little praise.
No matter how we'll the bird has learned
his artificial song, he will forget it the first
time he moults, unless it is carefully re-
peated to him every day while moulting.
1t the birds owner wishes her canary to
sing like lark or robin, she must put him
under native instruction. He is to be
room alone with his teacher, whose cage is
In light, sunny window. The lark sings
for his own pleasure and the canary, in his
darkened cage, forced to pay attention to it,
learns to initiate it.
The Little songsters Are Sensitive.
The third method, and the most natural,
is to have the young bird trained by fine
singer of his own family-a canary-and all
that is needful to do is to keep the young
one during the learning period in the room
with the fine singer alone, when he will fol-
low his eopv so far as his powers allow.
The things to remember are that he should
not be disturbed by other sounds, especially
other singing, and that he learns more
quickly if his cage is covered, so that his
attention may not be distracted by seeing
anything.
One caution should be needed. However
annoying or untimely birds song may be
he should never be stopped by violence,
throwing something at him, scolding or
shaking the cage. These little creatures are
exceedingly sensitive and they are by terror
sometimes thrown into an epileptic fit, and
occasionally killed. If too noisy, his cage
should be quietly covered, while a kind
word is spoken to sweeten the imprisonment
In darkness which he must suffer that his
mistress may talk.
OLIVE THoRNE MILLER
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

that before setting it at liberty Mr.. Sem
held the mouse loosely in the left hand and
gently stroked its head and back with his
right
The place was the parlor of Mr.. Thomas
Moody's residence Mr.. Moody trains birds
and all kinds of small animals. Mr.. Sem
raises white mice for the medical colleges
and for other purposes; and these two ex-
perts had made an appointment to meet me
and show me, for the benefit of all the boys
and girls, something about the training of
white mice.
'For the medical colleges" perhaps you
will exclaim. "What can the young doctors
do with white mice?"
They dissect them to examine some part of
their little machinery that is very much like
the machinery in human being.
'When boy picks up white mouse"
said Mr.. Moody, che is very likely to
squeeze him tight, to keep him safe; then
the mouse turns around and bites But take
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
Took His Cue Too Well

Christmas the baby at Aunt Elizabeth's
would just be month old. Across the
park lived little Tommy. He was passion
ately fond of babies, and they had been
telling hiu ali along that there would be
beautiful baby as Christmas gift for him
at his aunt's. So he had been eagerly look
ing forward to Christmas. The month that
intervened had to be bridged somehow, and
80, to prevent Tommy from finding out that
Santa Claus had visited aunt's house four
weeks in advance of the holidays, he was,
by one prete1t and another, induced to dis
continue his frequent calls at Aunt Eliza
beth'a
But the experiment resulted rather dis.
astrously for Miss Minnie, the 20-year-old
sister of Thomas. While shopping In town
one day she went into jewelry store to
buy baby ring for her newly-arrived
niece. Tommy was along. He had been
paying no attention to the purchases until
the clerk, who happened to be one of Miss
Minnie's personal acquaintance and ad-
mirers, glanced over the case of infant rings
she was examining, to where the little fel-
low was standing, and said: "And so you
have little baby cousin to play with now,
Tommy"
ooh, no, SIR" replied Tommy. innocently
enough. "Not yet. We don't expect it till
Christmas.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

rolled up In her head The small bare toes
of her audience quivered with fear.
"And In the dark the wolves eyes glared
like round balls of fire."
Lonzo cast his eye over the old fowling
piece above the mantel. Melia sadly won
dered If one OF the seven was to be sacri-
feed to the beasts, that was Lobelia's way.
One of her favorlte stories gave a whole
family to wolves, but those children were in
9 sleigh pursued, while these seven, it
might be supposed, had the door locked.
The wretched sacrifices in the story had
been strung out for miles, the last one ruth
lessly eaten just in sight of the house was
one Lobelia chose to describe as girl Of
81, with Melia's very features and spotted
dresa And how those wolves did wough
over It
"Pretty soon the oldest girl heard way
of the tinkle of bells and the crispy crisp Of
. sleigh over the snow, SC she looked out
the winder She see all the wolves runnin'
into the forest, for they're afraid Of fairies,
and then there came along sleigh drawed
by two horses with horns, and drivin' was
fat, old man with white whiskers and
bufaler coat"
"How'd he find the way7" asked Lonzc,
'tcause they lived on such lonely road"
''Fairies jest knows" said Lobelia, ''and
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
PHILOSOPHY ola young Gourm.s.

Mischievous young Jack may be killed BY
An electric car before he is out of those
knickerbockers, or he may die of consump-
tion when he is a man, but by hearing 8 re-
mark he made at the breakfast table, out in
the Seventeenth ward, one morning, am
convinced that he will never have dys-
pepsia
"Papa, you ought not to eat so fast, he
said, after he had watched for q moment
the unusual hurry of his father, who had
oversight himself that morning and was
now trying to get away at the regular hour.
"Why, Jack? Do you think eating
slower may make the food last longer?"
''No, sir; but you might last longer"
Once Jacks little sister stumped him
though. He was getting away with the
fried potatoes at an astonishing rate, and,
pausing, made the remark, 'I'll bet L can
eat fried 'taters with the next fellow,
Sue"
''No, you couldn't, jack" answered the
little girl, "for there would be none left for
the other fellow"
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
LITTLE FOLKS TALK.
How Motherless Mary Rides to Town
in the Arms of Morpheus.
A BABY AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT.
Incident Showing That All Teachers Are
Not Up in Physiology.
BRIGHT BOYS BREAKFAST JOKE
WRITTEN FOR THE prsrArcH.1

WRITTEN FOR THE prsrArcH.1
The servant girl problem is getting TO be
terrible one. If it is hard to get q domes-
tic (and keep herr in Pittsburg, it is in
fnitely harder in the suburbs of the city.
A well-to-do dairyman, living on a farm
not far from Pittsburg, recently lost his
wife by DEATH She left him two children,
one bright, healthy girl of s years. and
the other mere infant just past its irst
birthday.
The nurse, who was also the homework
girl, had deserted the house in its trying
hour, and the father of the two children
came home after the funeral to find himself
completely alone with his orphans. He
himself had not a relative living except
one, and she was SO situated that it was i'm
possible for her to come to him or he to 90
to her. Miles away the mother of his de-
ceased wife was already housing and caring
for the orphans of other of her children, and
the extent to which she could assist her
freshly bereaved son-in-law was to offer to
take the youngest of his little ones to her
home to raise.
He advertised far and near for a house,
keeper. He offered to pay the highest rate
OF city wages He had thought he would
be particular in his selection, so as to take
only such an applicant as would be motherly
guardian for bis 5-year-old girl But after
Q while he saw it would not be a question
of choice. but rather matter of doubt as to
whether he should be able to find even tho
poorest OF housekeepers. As time wore on
he discovered his own short omings in try.
ing to fulfill the duties of mother to his
lonely little girl. The effects of isolation
were not good for the child, and he grew
6aa R,rt =
housekeeper.
ALI last summer he carried treasure in
his milk wagon. To reach the town in
which he sold milk early enough be had to
arise every morning at o'clock. 1t would
usually be nearly 4 before he had the wagon
loaded and the horses hitehed ready to start
away. Then. slipping gently into the bed
room, he would tenderly draw little Mary's
clothes upon her, wrap ner feecy night COW
ers about her and carry her, still sleeping,
out to his wagon. For the next two hours,
perhaps, she would comfortably slumbef
there, a cozy bed having been arranged in
the rear part of the vehicle on buffalo robes
The father wculc check his horses at every
rut in the road, or roll the wheels slowly over
q stony hole, and Mary was never rudely
jostled awake. By 7 o'clock the wagon was
generally back at the farm, and then father
and daughter busted themselves cooking the
breakfast, over which they cooed and chat
ted
Did little Mary enjoy it? I never had
the heart to ask her, for can never forget
the pleading, suffering look on that fathers
face, when, meeting my wife and I as we
rode along the turnpike, early one morning,
he said to both of US, but looking at my
wife: ''Come over to the farm and spend
couple of weeks with Mary, won't you,
please2"
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
Long Distance Telephonlug In Australia.

Long-Distancs Telephonlug in Australia.
An interesting telephone experiment. has
been made in Melbourne. where converse
ton has been carried on with Adelaide, 8
distance of 500 miles. The Governments of
Victoria and South Australia have just
completed the suspension of copper wire
(known, technically as mo. 12," and
rather more than an eighth of an inch in
thickness), which is to be used for the new
quadruple1 telegraph instruments; and the
idea suggested itself of seeing what could
be done with the telephone over the wire
For over an hour an animated conversation
was carried on, and the chimes of the
Adelaide postofice clock were distinctly
heard in Melbourne. The instruments used
were the Hunning, Berthon, Berliner and
the Blake, and the two former were found
the most elective
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
SNOW FOB TIE THIRsTY.

1t Is Strange Fact Tint the White Crystals
Will Not Satisfy.
It would be in order for some medical
man or scientist to explain why eating snow
does not satify thirst, says W. Z. Thomp-
son, of Oklahoma, in the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. Sometimes travellers in very cold
districts during winter, finding all the water
frozen up, eat snow to relieve their thirst,
and almost Immediately commence to suffer
ten times more than before.
Sucking ice affords relief in the most ex-
treme cases, but eating snow invariably
either increases or produces thirst What
makes this still more strange is that melted
snow produces the purest and most satisfy
ing drinking water.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

fact, many, perhaps all, birds are taught to
sing. I have myself heard several birds at
what believe to be their singing lessons,
notably the American robin and the whip
poor-will. In both these cases the old bird
sang his full song and waited while the lit
tie one with more or less success initiated
It. Over and over the parent repeated the
notes and the infant tried to copy them.
These are the native teachers, but birds
destined to the life of parlor musicians, as
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

in robust health and good spirits To in
sure that he will have capacity, some per-
sons recommend that he shall have peculiar
training from the nest, to keep the muscular
body flexible, since he cannot be taught to
expand the chest by deep breathing. A
seed diet gives the muscles compact
ness, therefore, according to this sys-
TEN, seeds should not be the princi-
pal diet until he graduates, but a soft
food of hard-boiled egg grated with
cracker or bread, and boiled in milk to
the consistency of stiff paste. Some seed
may be added, and this may be varied by
bread and crackers in milk, and grated egg,
or little lean beef chopped very fine. He
should have variety Of food and plenty Of
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
Physiological Progress In the Schools

In the textbook or physiology and
hygiene, used in the public schools Of Penn
sylvania, is this question: "Why is the
upper part of the heel called the tendon of
Achilles?'" In one of the country schools
Of Allegheny county. not long ago, none Of
the pupils could answer the question.
"Wen. it was because that part of the
heel looked like the shape Of town called
Achilles" announced the teacher, not sure
himself of the history of the phrase, but not
displaying any lack of assurance.
This answer did not satisfy winsome little
Betty and climbing up to her fathers library,
that evening, she found in one of the books
of reference there, this definition:
The tendon OF the gastrocnemius and
soleus muscles, which connects the heel
with the calf of the leg, and is principle ex-
tensor of the foot, was named the tendon of
Achilles because, as fable reports, Thetie,
the mother of Achilles, held him by the foot
when she dipped him in the river Styx to
render him invulneraDle, and so the only
part about him which was vulnerable was
his heel.
Who says physiology is not good thing
for teachers to study as well as pupils?
S. e i.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

As he spoke be took q cunning little mouse,
white as snow, from his coat pocket and put
1t on his shoulder. The mouse looked
around for moment, then ran across MI
Senn's back and sat down contentedly on
the other shoulder. noticed, however,
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

o think of music les
sons for q bird seems
rather odd, for song
is natures gift to the
feathered folk. Un-
d o u bt dly a bird d
Matched in solitude,
and never allowed to
hear the voices of his
kind, would express
his emotions in some
sort of musical fashion.
But as q matter of
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
SWALLOWED HIS WATCH

Smart Fish Which Preferred to Keep the
Time for Itself
Velasco Times.1
A rather strange as well as amusing incl
dent happened on board the schooner Emma
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
TRAINING WHITE MICE.

There Arc Two Secre.s-One ID to Have
Patience. the Other to Worry the Little
Animals-How . Skilled Trainer Goes
About 1t
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
WRITTEN FOB THE D1sPArcR.l

STARTED out with
two; but the boys both
cred them in the street
and one got away"
The speaker was Mr..
Ferdinand Sem, who
knows more about
raising white mic e,
probably, than any
man in this country.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
TEACHING BIRDS TO SING.

Three Ways in Which to Do It-They VIII
Carol Annie Laurie or Annie Rooney
If the Teacher Knows His Business
One Caution.
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
ON A LONELY ROAD.
a Story Of Smuggling Santa Claus.
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH
BY PATIENCE STAPLETON,

OW all you children
sit down and warm
your fee. or you don't
get no story" said
Lobelia in q motherly
tone of command.
Lonzo, Melia and
Lisbeth Ann solemnly
obeyed. 1t was so
novel to them to have
tn cir elder sister
housekeeper in the ab-
Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20

WRITTEN FOE THE pIsPATcH.I
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-01-20

This mornings Kansas City Jour.
nal contains the following:
"Mrs. Nellie Davis, wife of w. r.
Davis. who recently broke jail at Lex
ington, Mo-, where he was confined
on charge of burglarizing the post
office at Higginsville, Mo-, last No
vember in company with r. L. Nor
ris, is laDguishIng in the Second street
Jail in default of being able to furnish
$500 bond. Mrs. Davis who is pre-
possessing brunette, about 80 years
old, was arrested on last Wednesday,
at Sedalia, by Sheriff Ellis r. Smith
and Deputy United States Marshal
Siddell, charged with receiving and
harboring the property stolen from
the Higginsvill post office. She is
suspected of being the person who
struggled into the Lexington jail the
tools by which the prisoners cut their
way out.
Mrs. Davis was arraigned yesterday
morning before United States Com
missioner Wyne, who held her for
trial tomorrow. He fixed sher bond
at $500, which she was unable to give.