davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
Nni 10 he knainn

A New Hampshire man and q man
from Ohio CHANGED TO meet at a public
dinner-table in New York. The man
from Ohio suggested to him of the
Granite State that it might be advan.
tagcous to him to remove to the West.
especially if he proposed to continue
TO follow the pursuits of farmer.
The Yankee could not see it. There
was no State in the Union equal 10
New Hampshire. lie of the Buckeye
State could not agree to this. Ohio
was inferior to New Hampshire in no
respect, while in many respects she
was superior. The Yankee demanded
to know a superior feature. The
Buckeye commenced TO enumerate;
but as fast as he presented his claims
of superiority his antagonist unhesita-
lingly swept them away by bold and
vigorous declarations TO the contrary.
At length, when all other sources of
argument had been exhausted, the
Buckeye confidently observed;
"You will at least allow that Ohio
Justly claims superiority over New
Hampshire in point of extent of her
territory"
Ono. sir!" promptly and emphat-
lcally replied the Yankee. "Your
State spreads out broad because it is
fat. Look at the mountains of New
Hampshire! just roll 'em out fiat,
and they'd make territory enough to
cover up the whole of Ohio, and fill
up big slice of Lake Erie!"
The gentleman from Ohio cheorfully
paid for the few extra cigars which he
found in his bill on that occasion.-
LEDGER.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
FOR HETTY'S SAKE.

There be more heroes in this world,
according 10 my way of thinking than
ever get talked OH in the newspapers,
or have the Victoria cross presented 10
them, or have books written about
them after they are dead and gone.
All the same, I've never been able
TO make up my mind as TO whether
one man I've known was a hero or
not. Maybe I'm heavy kind O. chap,
and things don't strike me SO clear as
they do others; bit if | tell you the
story just as it happened, you can put
what reading you like on it.
Pm a miner down StafTordshire way,
have been a miner all my life, and
reckon I'm likely to stick to the pick
till some explosion comes along and
makes an end of me.
l worked with a gang III the Nine
Pits colliery about fifteen years back,
and there was one man there who
hailed from South Wales as got pretty
friendly with.
I've called him a "man," but don't
know if the title comes right. lie was
more like stunted boy than a man,
and more like some queer animal than
either. lie was a dwarf. lie had a
monstrous large head and shoulders,
and pair of little, bowed, twisty legs
no bigger than a child's of nine years
old.
His backed was crooked; he had a
lot of hair on his face, as those Welsh
men have, and his ewes had n look IN
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

- Uni j. IILFE J.
inadvertent piunses from such vessels
are lost.
One reason of this can be found in
the constant care exercised over the
lifc-saving appliances on ships of war.
As soon as a naval vessel gets under
way man is stationed on the poop
whose sole duty it is TO be on the alert
for the cry of MAN overheard and
to drop the life buoys as close to the
man as possible. At the alarm the
lifcboat's crew, selected from the most
active of the seamen, instantly repairs
TO its boat The boat is dropped from
It's davits by patent appliance as soon
as the engines have checked the yes
sells Roadway.
If the man misses the life buoys
which are thrown to him, or fails to
catch one of the two knotted ropes
trailing from the stern, he has only to
keep ahoat few minutes and the life
boat will be to his rescue. His where
abouts are noted by the quartormaster,
whose duty it is TO ascend the mizzcn
rigging at the first alarm and direct
the movements of the boat by hail or
by signal, il the distance is great.
The result of all these precautions
is that very few men who accidentally
fall overheard from war ships are
lost.-[New York Times.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

Ants are eaten by many nations. In
Brazil they are served with a resinous
sauce, and in Africa they arc stewed
with butter or grease. The East Indians
catch them in pits and carefully mash
them in handfuls, like raisins In Siam
curry of ant eggs is a costly luxury.
In Oriental countries, locusts are still
utilized as food. They are sometimes
fried and served with rice or dates,
sometimes boiled or baked, occasionally
sailed and ground up into cakes, and
frequently boiled in milk. The Digger
Indians rejoiced in the great swarms Of
lOcusts of 1879, as dspensation of the
Great Spirit, and laid in store of dried
locust powder sufficient TO last them for
several years.
A curious taste prevails in many paris
of the world for clay. According To
Humboldt it is eaten in all the countries
of the torrid zone, but the practice is
also observed in the north, as hundreds
of cart loads Of earth containing infu-
sOria are said to lie annually consumed
by the country people in the most remote
parts of Sweden, and in Finland a kind
of earth is occasionally mixed with bread.
The Otiomac tribe of earth eating In
dams knead the earth into balls of five
or six inches in diameter which they
roast by a slow fire until the outside is
hard. They remoisten them when they
are required as food, an !, according TO a
monk wlo lived twelve years among
them, one of them would cat from three
quarters OF round to a ound no
peculiar food in day. In Guonad,-
Indians mix cay with thor brca
Washington Star.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
why We Have Leap.Years-

But, to return TO our leap-yoars,
why is il that there have to be such
ycars-that all of our years are not of
the same length? 1t arises from the
fact that tho year does not consist of
an exact number of days. The length
Of tho day aud that Of the year are
tho measures of the motions of tho
earth. The globe We live on moves
in two wars. Il turns itself round
like spinning TOP, and at the same
time it goes steadily Forward like
bullet shot from gun. 1t turns IT.
self once completely round in twenty
four of our hours as shown by the
clock this anount Of time we call a
day. It's forwaFa or onward motion
carries it round thcsun in path that
is nearly a circle; time it takes to
go completely an we call year.
The FIRST mo'ioyt al. , US day "a, ,,' and
the werd "d having now a
different me, namely, not TWEEN
ty-fOur hOnrs, D the time Of day
light. The seSgll motion gives us
days, that is, periods of daylight,
| growing gradually longer and then
gradually shorter, one end of the
earth turning more toward the sun
for half the time and the other end
FOR the other half; and this brings us
summer aud winter and the other sea-
sons. Now, tho length of the year is
found to be neasls s565 IA times the
length of the dsf Of p hours; that is,
the year is $50, Gays long and nearly
six hours more. is these six hours
that givs " our 1ear-yoars, and 1t il
in the 'SIeArly" that we find the rca
son for 1900 moi being one Of thciI
number. AlSe Nicholas.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

gou won't; and if / don't marry him,
III never marry such miserable,
wicked, ugly wretch as you'll So don't
llatter yourself would"
And she gave kind of sob, and
burst out at tho door, and rushed upon
our little flight of stairs, and l heard
the door bang and the key turn in her
lock sharp and passionate.
| waited, still as death, wondering
how lie would take on, and hearing no
stir kind of squinted round the door
post into the passage.
There lie stood i'll the dusk facing
towards tho open entry door and the
starry sky. A desperate, hideous,
evil-lookiug thing, with his monstrous
head and shaggy hair and his little
twisted legs. There was that dull,
tranced look in his eyes, and lie was
staring before him like | had often
seen nm do IN the mime.
"She shall never marry Marwood
while I'm alive. God made me same
as him." heard him mutter to him
self, and then he went out.
saw him no more that night, and
| didn't let on to lIetty that had over
heard them. The next day we were
all underground as usual. Somehow
or other Matty and Marwood and ]
found ourselves always pretty close
together. lie seemed 10 me to be
hanging on to jim in way didn't
like, hearing what had heard, and l
kept as close to both as | well could,
keeping my tools ready 10 hand, and
watching the dwarf out of the corner
of my eye.
Jim never looked taller, nor hand
somer, nor straiglter than he looked
that day. Happy lie was as lark,
wEistling over his work and laughing
as light-hearted as could be.
couldn't he light, for there was a
curious weight on my mind, a sense
as if some mischief was going to hap
pen before nightfall.
notice that tho dwarf scarce took
his eyes of Jim, except at - o'clock,
when we stopped for our bits of food,
and then he sat in corner by himself
under a truck and scrubbed on scrap
of paper, with queer sort of smile
on his face. had the shivers more
| than once, for he looked so evil and
so black among the coal heaps, and
every now and then he would talk to
himself in Welsh. which | had never
heard him do before, and it turned my
blood cold, for il it sounded for all
the world like the gatherings of a
maniac.
In I'll. afternoon we got down TO q
lower level. 1t was dangerous part
of the mine, as we all knew, and VIC
kept our Davy lamps pretty light,
can tell you.
"Therc's flrc-damp about here, said
one of the men.
"Aud a spark would settle the lot Of
us, wouldn't itf" said the dwarf.
They were almost the first words he
had spoken, and tho expression of hi'
face as lie said it made my heart give
a turn.
"Ah! that it would" Jim az
swered.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
ADINNERIN MEXICO.
An Astonishingly Good Meal and a
Pretty Waitress.

Our dinner was astonishingly good.
Inst think of meal in that semi-bsrbar-
Gus place down in the hot lands OF MeXlco
equal TO the best TO be had in the Italian
or French restaurants that stand high III
the favor of artists and other bohemans
in New York! There were nine bounti-
full courses. served in excellent style, at
a total cost Of three reales, or thirty
seven and half cents in Mexican money,
hardly more than twenty-five cents Am
erican, with exchange reckoned as it was
then. The watermelon served at dessert
was the most delicious had ever tasted
"a deep rcd pulp Of firm texture and
mealy crispnoss that almost melted in
the mouth The melons in this region
are raised on the sandy beds Of the
Streams in the dry season. where they
mature quickly in the intense heat For
drink there was pulque from Apam on
the table-land, brought by railway train
10 the neare It station, and thence hauled
by teams across country.
This fonda was, of course, patronzed
by the "quality"-the visitors from thu
Uel4ntOrinP great esthtVsf WY P0VPN
who had come over from Jonacatepec
and rancheros with their families Thes'
latter, like farmer folk the world over,
believe, we're undemons,rative and charl
of speech exchanging but few words a
they sat at table, awkwardly handling
their knives aud forks, and eyidentl
awed by the unaccustomed magnihcenc
If their repast. Don Ernesto had enter
ed into little friendly chatting wit
Maria, proceeding upon which a goo
ranchera, who sat opposite with her hui
band, looked with evident disapproval.
Drink she was heard to remark
her husband, under her breath.
Eyes, he responded, with confrmi
!. tory. rlance. .rsEsA >
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

them as never get TO the bottom of
they were deep set in his head, as
black and as bright as bit of silk
stone; and sometimes there would
come a cloud into them and dull them,
and he would stare out before him as
though lie were trauccd; it was Il sad
look, too, as well as dull, and | never
could make out what he was thinking
of then.
You might think that, being so mis-
shapcn and little, he wasn't much
good in coal mine; but can tell
you there wasn't a man of six feet
among us stronger than lie was, To
have seen him swing his pick would
have made you hold your breath; he
went at the work like steam. and he
could walk, you sec, down some of
the narrow, low galleries where chaps
like me would have TO crawl.
| lived along with my father and
sister then. We were precious poor,
and father used to say he hoped Hctiy
would marry some one able TO keep
her, and so give us lift that way.
lIetly was powerful pretty. I've
seen sight of women, as you may
suppose, in six-and-lhirty ycars, but
| have never seen one that could come
near her for good looks. Bright and
light she was as sunshine, and size had
a bit of temper, too.
One day new hand came to the
pit, Jim Marwood by name; pleas
anter man TO look upon than jim You
never saw. See him on Sunday going
to chapel, clean aud smart, as straight
40 pole, with blue eyes looking so
frank and smiling, and you'd say he
Iooked picture.
He had struck up a mighty affection
for me before he hid been month in
the gang.
You would have thought twas a
wonder he had lived SO long without
me. lie told me all about his friends
and such like most confidential, and
! found out he had to keep his mother
and hadn't sixpence he could call his
own.
All lie told me l told lctty, and she
would listen, with lovely color in
her checks, and 90 on talking about
him after | had stopped, TIL all of a
sudden it came upon me that him and
hcr knew as much of each other as !
did. and more, too, and liked what
they knew to degree that was con-
siderable.
was trilc put out about 1t, for
knew he was poor, and it would be q
had lookout if they was 10 come TO-
0ctner; sun, Us w S"N' " ~
and slow in most things, and | thought
ia better hold my tongue awhile
longer.
Well, one day remember it as
clear as Yesterday it was between
lhe lights on september evening,
very quiet and still, the stats lust show
ing out like sparklcs of diamond light
we get in the seams at times. l was
smoking my pipe in our back room
father was ont of the house-when
heard voices in the other room across
1he passage. 1t was Matty aud my
sister taking together
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
! READ Sl;MIXED

~ "A
Poor young fellow, to be SO l,arshlv
misjudged for his metropolitan manners
when his delicate health made him a fbtai
abstainer!
Jovita, one of the mattresses, became
a great favorite with us all. She was a
girl Of about fifteen, slight, with regular.
delicately chiseled features, and glossy
dark hair falling in two long braids- "a
type of lovely rural innocence. There
was an exquisite shy grace in her move
ments.
Take her photograph" suggested
Don Celso, and the proposition was
hear, lily seconded by all hands But even
here the function of hand camera APP
pcared to be known, and Jovita took sud
cen alarm.
"No, no, she appealed. Hhr head
dropped, pretty fingers went shyly to her
mouth, flush stole over her brown
checks, and she stood there with face
averted, Il picture of maidenly shame.
She was now on her guard, and ever
glanced arprehensivolv towards US.
Every time she saw the instrument
aimed in her direction she would turn
her face quickly away. 1t was too
shalowy in the fonda for a good snap
shot, and 50 really did not lose any
thing. But when we rose to leave, Jovita
was standing by the range, well out in
the light, and awaiting an order. She
had seen us start, and deemed herself in
safety She was looking the other way,
! was within few feet, and my camera
was ready.
"Adios, Joyita" | said.
She turned my way unthinkingly.
Click went tie shutter and had her.
\ shout Of merriment from my com.
panions greeted the success of my STRAIT.
ugem, and the expression of dismay on
Joyitas face gave way TO ripping
little smile, as if to say that now it was
done ii was no great harm, after ALL
,llarpers Magazine
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
How They Shave in Cuba.

A correspondent in Sic West Indies
writes us as follows concerning the
Cuban BARRIERS "In lathering the pa
tent no brush is used as with US.
Instead a sort of bowl, made SO that it
fits about the neck is used. In this
the lathcr is made and applied to the
face with the fingers of the operator.
After the usual method of shaving
the customer is invited to go TO a
wash bowl and wash his own face,
after which he resumes his chair and
the barber dresses his hair. This
operation is regarded by the barber
as the most important part of his vo-
cation, and he spends twice rs much
time on the hair as he docs in shaw
ing. When the tedious process is
ended the charge is ten cents in specie
or twenty-five cents in the paper cur
rency of the country National
Barber.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

Maity was the dwarf. lie had a
long Welsh name, but VIC ezlled him |
"Matly" in the general way, because /
Of his rough hair, and didn't seem TO
mind the joko.
knew his voice well enough. It
was not exactly unpleasant, though
deep, with sometimes sort Of crack
in it, but anything like it sounded just
then never heard before.
y 1t made me sit up and put my pipe
down pretty sudden.
81 loxe youp' no says TO Hetty.
ave loved you ever since I've seen
yon; won't you marry nfeY I'd be a
good husband 10 YOU"
She went into light kind of scOrn-
full laugh.
Marry you?7 she says. "Why.
Matty, you must DO dreaming? OF
course | won't"
Aud then guessed she gave her
head toss, with way she had.
got up and went step nearer the
, loor, for didn't know how he might
n lake it. them dwarfs being uncertain
J, creatures.
o lie was silent a minute, then he
It says:
'Pm stuntcd and crooked, | know,
i nut love you better than any other
= nan will ever love you, and I've Q
r. omforiable home to offer you"
uIf you had twenty homes
+. vouldn't have YOU" she answers
- uick. $50 do say no more about it. :
!, / think he moved around the room
after that, for his voice sounded neai
to me. lie spoke short and savag
=, Hike: aJim MaYwood's the man tina
/ Stands between you and me. do yo'
i think I've been blind? Do you thlnl
III can't sec that? Jim Marwood la
. got your heart; and do you think 20
will ever marry him while I'm alivc9
q | got SILVER down the back, an
l., felt round for my stick, for his ton
was awful, and | didn't know VIII
4 he might do next,
.s Helty never was the girl to be cowc'
and she flashed round on him the me-
II moment like gunpowdcr.
at is jim Marwood that has got N
Ahcart, and | have HE, and I'm II
ASHAMED to say it before you or az
9 Imam. know you've got your cona'
and your garden that ron arc so mo
q Ntl proud of, aud VIC shall have to wi
i. for years but you needn't think you
- Aaghten me out of marrying hlin, !
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
Might Have Been Worse.

She--I am very sorry, but our en>
gagement must cease. | can never
marry.
IIc-My gracious? What has hap
pened?
Shc-My brother has disgraced us?
He-Oh, is that all. That doesn't
matter. ] feared maybe your father
had failed. l. New York Weekly.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

A Kind " sick fear came over ms
that our lives we're in the dwarfs
ser, aud hanging, as it might be,
on 5 thread. Such a longing came
ov er me for mouihful of fresh air
and the sight of the open sky as had
ncvc, known in the mines before.
People warming their toes at their
handsome fires on the winter nights
don't know what it means TO US chaps
who have the digging of the coal in
the depths of the earth. and who put
flesh and blood in jeopardy every hour
TO do it.
Nothing moro was said about fire.
damp, however, aud that day, the
longest day | had ever known, came
round to o'clock without an cxplo-
sion.
The cages were ready for rs ~ get
up to the top of tho shaft, and most of
the men had gone.
eYou 20 now,n says to the dwarf.
eNor' he answers, 'Im going to
stay little overtime tonight You
all go on, and send the cage down
again for me. And look here, givc
this to your sister lIetty, will your
and tell her 10 open it,"
He put n bundle in my band, tied
up in handkerchief. ! took it giii-
gcrly enough, for, with such sas-
picions in my mind, half expected II
might go of in my face somehow.
Then we touched the signal rope
and up went Jim and me, and the
dwarf stood underneath and turned
his face up, watching us out of sight
, WE'LL felt more comfortable whet
VIC put our feet on firm ground on tol
! of the shaft, and then sent the Gag
down again for him.
S "Wondcr what's in that bundleP
says Jim.
. "Maybe Hetty will tell you som
i time" replied, little thinking how
Q concerned him.
It took it home and called lIetty
open it. Our cottage wasn't far ffoi
|, the pits, aud it couldn't have bee
It above ten minutes since the dwarf ha
put it into my hand.
y She undid the knot, and there
't you would believe it-wcre the lit
y deeds of his cottage and dozen so
&c creigns tied up IN 4 piece of canya
r and the scrapof paper had seen hi
lit scribblc on under the truck. The
II were these words on it:
or "What Is here is for you. 'Ug
II ~ Z
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

and miserable l am, but wicked
am moi, l said you shouldn't marry
him while was alive and shall keep
my word. Think kindly of a dwarf
if You can. God made me as we'll as
him."
We hadn't got to the end of the
poor, dirty little letter when we heard
a sound that made our hearts stand
still-a long, dull roaring, shaking tho
floor we stood on as if it was thunder
under our feet.
Gan explosion i'll the minc!" says
lletty, with a face us white as chalk.
We rushed out. All Nine Pitts was
out; men, women and children,
screaming and running to tho shaft
head
Hundreds of tons of solid earth and
rock and rubble had fallen in, and
under it all was the dead, crushed
body of that poor creature we had
helped 10 send from the world.
1t was no use trying TO dig him out.
He knew when he opened his Davy
lamp-and he must have opened it
that human help could never reach
there. lie knew, when he watched
me and Jim go up in the cage, that lie
was staying behind for his death, and
he went to it of his own free will for
the love of my sister lIetty.
She cried about it for week and
said she should never be happy again.
But think she is happy now, for she
married Jim, come the Easter after,
and they live in Matty's cottage still,
and the garden is all abloom wit
flowers.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06
fnfolEntary Sea Baths.

Quite nu9lber of cases have been
reported recently where passengers on
ocean steamships have lost their lives
BY falling overheard while the vessel
was al ID. Occasionally there is an
instance IL person falling into the
sea and beiag saved by the efforts of
the crew, but the instances of rescue.
unless all circumstances have been
excekionally favorable, have been
yery4sfc. On the other hand, the
chanceS of a person who falls over
board from war ship arc much
greater, and, ~, lie, only small
nerlapteee "a e Der who take
Vssl9z1 ~ NJ Esa VI = =,
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

A little while ago you knew not was /
A little while ago ! knew not you "
you
Now the swift hours have run by
And al the world is new.
hear the young irds sing
In the rosy light u morn;
Like them could take wing,
And sing as newly born.
A little while from now shall he fs- ava
A little while from now your face | SD
not see
But within my heart ray
TO light the dark VIII be.
DO you not know that ra'n
so sad, so sweet, so COY,
That comes, and comes agoiu
The gentle ghost Of JOY:
All. that shall dwell with me-
When vour face do not see
tLouise Chandler Mouton, in InderendeI
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

AN insult from certain sources Is .
compliment. When an ass KICKS ab
YOU he does so because lie recognizes
that you are unlike him.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

A Philadelphia has q garden on
his roof, where he grows his own
vegetables.
Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-05-06

Canada is enforcing the 90-day
quarantine regulations against Ame-i-
can cattle.