davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25
HORSES THAT THINK.
Some Instances Of Equine
Intelligence.
1T rs MORE THAN INSTINCT.
How an Animal Resented Practical Joke
That Was Played Upon 1t by Another.
A Mare Who Fooled Her Owners.
Written for the MORNING CALL.

"Do you believe horse thinks ?" asked
friend whom was taking for a pleasant
drive over the hills.
81 am sure Madame does" was my reply.
Madame was the trim little bay mare who
was bravely trotting up the hill with US.
We were very near the top. and soon after
we reached the level she proceeded to give
us sample of her thinking. The road
wound between open, unfenced fields of
waving grain. nearly ripe for cutting, beau
tiful to see. and undoubtedly delicious to
the equine palate.
Neither binders nor check rein had
Madame. and the reins lay loose in my hand
as ] chatted with my friend. Presently the
pleasant trot subsidized TO a jog, and finally
to a walk. l touched my friends arm and
nodded toward the little mare, but went on
talking AS before. Madame turned her head
for furtiye glance at the occupants of the
phaetou, but we were apparently lost in
contemplation of the scenery. The walk
became slower. and by imperceptible de-
grees the mare began to leave the road.
She did not turn. but edged her way along
and travelled fully dozen yards before she
was fairly off the road with her nose within
easy reach of the grain. Even then she did
not stop but went slowly along, gradually
''lettiDg the old cat de-" until finally she
came so gently TO halt that had we really
been absorbed in other matters as she evil
IDENTIFY supposed us to be we might not have
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25
Did you ever 60 to bear dancer

NO
Well. you had better never 60 to one,
either, unless you have been specially in
Vited by the bears themselYes-and even
then there are pleasanter sorts of enter
tainment
Felipe Garcia went to one. once-a bears
dance, you know--to which he had not been
invited, and he lived to tell it. As matter
Of fact, be esteems himself lucky to be
alive, too, does Felipe-and SO will you
when you have heard the story.
Felipe told 1t to me himself. He told II.
70 be sure, with many gesticulations, after
the manner Of men of Spanish blood. and in
English so broken with Spanish oaths and
catch words that you would have under
stood it not at all-but that would have
been your fault and your misfortune, not
Felipe's.
You do not know Felipe, of course. Well.
that also is your misfortune. Every man.
woman and child in Ventura knows him.
lie is the little bit of a crooked, gray
bearded Mexican who hauls liye-oak wood
IN from the mountains 10 the towhspeope
ID riekety wagon drawn by a scrawny
team that Won scarcely see because your
whole attention is centered upon one of the
wheel horses. gray. with a crooked back
Ike cameFS, that goes swinging along
after the manner Of one Of those ships of
the desert, too. and with a serious air that
would seem to indicate that the beast Gas
the whole weight Of the world on its hump.
But about the bear story.
As have said before, every man, woman
and child IN Ventura knows Felipe Garcia,
the crooked little wOOdman. But every
man, woman and child does not know
Felipe as he was twenty years ago. All,
mol Feline will tell you so himself. He
was gay young vaquero in those days,
vas Felipe-sIraight and tall as a young
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

hiding place, but kept up a continuous
rattle. Joe soon became disguised with
that kind Of fun, and going to the upper
side OF the rock he discovered an outlet, but
could not see the reptile.
Determined not to be baff1ed in his efforts
20 kill the snake he inserted his stick under
the rock with the Intention Of turning it
over so that he could get chance at the
RATHER. He gave a good strong pry, and
the stick being dry aud brittle snapped in
two and Joe went sprawing over the rock,
but he still retained in his hand the smaller
portion of his weapon. Before Joe could
gain his feet the reptile was out from under
the rock and mad made vicious strike al
his leg but fortunately missed him.
1t was but the work of an instant for the
snake to coil again, and Joe, seeing that ii
was impossible for him TO get out Of the
way, made blow at the reptile with his
stick, and AZ the same instant the snake
made a vicious lunge toward him and
luckily for Joe struck the stick with his
fangs and became fastened to It. AS quick
as q flash Joe hurled the snake against the
rock with all his might, knocking IL inseIs-
sible, and before il came to he smashed its
head in with his boot heel. The snake was
a monster. being six feet and two inches in
length and had twenty rattles. Joe SAYS
he has killed a great many snakes on the
EsperanZa during the last three or four
years, but he never in his life before had as
close call as he did with this one.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

new railroad to Samarcand Is wonderful.
This road has been in operation only about
five years and it is already paying expenses
and moderate interest on the investment.
1t runs more than 1000 miles right into the
heart Of Asia and it brings you within
about 500 miles of the railroads in India. In
deed had thought OF taking this road to
Samarcand and thence making my way by
caravan and by boat across Afghanistan to
Quetta or PeShawar, whence l would have
taken the railroad to Calcutta and thence
have gone back TO America by way of San
Francisco, making tour OF the world IN
this way.
/ fud, however, that my time is too lin
tied for me to carry out this project, but |
propose 1t for one of the globe-tretterS OF
the future. 1t would be new and original
route, and | am convinced that the trip
could be made at the expenditure of little
nerve and some money. IL ought not to
take more than month TO get through
from Samareand to Lahore, and at this
point you would be in the heart of the won
ders of North India. The English fear to
build road to connect with the Russian
line, but the Russians are pushing their
road right on, and if they are let alone they
will open all parts of Asia.
The recent famine has Increased railroad
building In Russia and number of new
roads have been commenced in order to
give the starving peasants something to do.
There is new line being built along the
Caspian Sea, and the Tartar city of Kazan
10 being connected with the railway system
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

steady hot fire Is reduced The fire in the
boiler is first started with coarse. heavy
grass or wood, and it takes a pressure Of
about five pounds to work the steam jet.
The engineers like it much better than
wood. and found that most Of the boats on
the Volga River used petroleum for their
engines. The petroleum comes from the
vast Russian oil fields which lie along the
caspian Sea. and 1t is shipped up the Volga
IN bulk in oil ships, which are great iron
tanks in the shape of barges and which
carry thousands upon thousands of gallons.
At various points along the Volga are vast
oil tanks, such as you see 10 Pennsylvania.
ana great deal OF oil Is stored underground
In wells that are made for ii. 1t Is carried
Into the cars by means OF pipes, and the
same sort OF tank cars are used here Tor
the shipping of petroleum that you find in
America. These cars ship about two hun
dred and fifty millions of gallons Of oil a
year, and though this big city Of Moscow Is
just on the edge of the Russian forests a
large number of its factories use petroleum
for fuel and find il much cheaper.
North Russia is the land of forests, and
II you will draw a line right across Russia
through Moscow or little above it nearly
all of the territory north OF this will be
made up OF dense woods. The locomotives
oil North Russia burn wood. and they have
engines like our ole camelbacks, with high
smokestacks shaped like a funnel and with
which are piled high with cordwood. The
wood is loaded by men who carry it up on
their backs. 1t keeps two firemen con-
stantly busy throwing this wood into the
engine, and at nearly every station you will
see acres Of woodpiles ready for the reload
ing of the engines. The engine which took
me from the frontier to ST. Petersburg was
fired up in this way, and the swee. smell Of
the burning wood was pleasanter far than
the sulphuric coal which was burned by the
trains which carried us through Germany.
l tiud the roads mere well ballasted. and
in the thousands of miles which l have now
travelled in Russia | have yet to find a
rough road or one that is badly managed.
The trains are ALWAYS on time and the road
beds are wonderfully we'll kept. The road
between st. Petersburg and the frontier is
weeded as carefully as the best-kept gar
den, and | saw women on their knees scrap
ing out the weeds between the ties with
knives. In travelling over the black plain l
saw men smoothing up the ballast on the
road where it had become rOughened, and
nowhere have l seen piece OF bad road
bed. The ties are wooden, the rails are OF
steel, and at every crossI0ad there stands
Russian peasant girl with flag in her
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25
RAILROADS In RUSSIA.
How the Cars Lines Are
Managed.
PUSHING INTO ASIA
Somsthing About the Trans-Siberian System
Queer Fsatures-Sleepin gears and
Priscn-Cars.
Correspondence Of THE MORNING CALL

The English are greatly excited at the
encroachments of the Russians upon the
Asiatic provinces bordering upon their In
dian possessions. The fact is that Russia
regards Central Asia as her territory. and
she is adding TO her A3iatic possessions
much faster than the world realizes. While
| was in Picking year or so ago heardthe
Chinese growing at the way in which she
was inching upon them. Every year or so
Russia would move the boundary line
little bit farther down. and she has so
enlarged Siberia that the country contains
more than four million square miles, and it
promises to be one of the most valuable
countries of the world Of the future. The
wheat area of Siberia is rapidly increasing.
and there is vast emigration going on from
Russia into Siberia, which promises to change
the face OF that country.
The Siberian trade of Russia already
amounts to millions OF dollars year. and
on the Volga you see caravans of boats
loaded with iron and wheat and salt, which
have been brought from Siberia to Perm
and thence foated down the Kama River
into the Volga and up the Volga to Mini
NoVgorod. whence they 60 by rail over
the empire. The increase in Asiatic ex-
ports and imports since the building OF the
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

went faster than he had gone at any tim e
before. down the hill on regular tobOg-
gan. Well, maybe the sport wasn't re-
newed then. First the old man bear, and
then the old woman. whizzed down that slide,
and Of course didn't bother to bring their
piece Of bark hack, taking new piece
from the pie each time. After they had
t0b0gganed for a while, one at time,
the two old bears held another family
conference. aud what do yen think the
result WASP Why they suddenly come to
the conclusion that 1t wasn't just the right
thing fer them to have all the fun to them
selves. so each bear took cub, held it on
the bark toboggan in front of them and
gave the cubs the benefit of the fun as we'll
as themselves.
Well. sir. they kept that up until they had
turned every piece of bark there had been
on that bill into a tOboggan, and had no
more to ride on, aud then they went away
smiling into the woods. | had been enjoy
ing the sight of the tObogganing bears so
much that | never thought of what they
were doing for me; but after they were
gone 1t suddenly came to me that they had
moved my pile of bark to just the spot
where | wanted 1t and saved me a good
many fat dollars. l was a trifle disappointed
because the bears hadn't piled the bark up
nicely on the bank of the river; but then
man ought not to expect everything, ought
he?
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

pine OF the high hills. and he could sit
broncho and throw 8 Rata upon the horns
of mad steer with the best of them. 81,
senior! Never a rodeo in all that country
was complete without Felipe. aud it was
dull baile for the fat senOras and the 1.-the.
large-eyed senOTitaS that his gallant pres
ence did not grace. And he had a wife,
tCo-a gentle. daTk-eyed mother OF his
dussy brood, living alone in the little cabin
under the SycamoreS in the Also CANYON ::
a wife content to keep the hearth warm for
the gay ea6alleTo, who came TO 1t only when
other amusementS failed.
But the bear storyi Oh. well. then, GER
tainly-but the little vile comes into 1t, as
you shall see.
Felipe was q vaouero. With the other
yaqueros he would 90, in the spring and
fall, about from rancho TO rancho for the
strengthening, and few were there in all
that country who could handle more b0-
Eagas in daY than the little crooked wood
nan Of the now.
Il CHANGED. one day ia early June.
that the Moragas had called the
Vac1eros together for the shearng Of the
sheep that beated upon the low rolling
ranges Of the Rancho del Canyada Larga.
Felipe was in the crowd that came. Day
after day they worked through one week,
and when it came Saturday, aud the weeks
labor was ended, Felipe bethought OF the
wife and the little brood under the sycamores
in Also Canyon.
There was e glorious moon, too, and
plain trail ever the range. Further it was
but step from one canyon into the other.
A walk of half an hour. Even a yaquero
would have no need of a horse for such
trip upon such night. Besides, the trail
was bit lonely, and the horse might be
scratched upon the scrub oak and chemi-
sal. One does not ruin a good horses
coat for wife and children CaFamba, mol
There are too many wives and children.
And so, when the night fell after the
shearing, and when the supper had been
put away, and after there had been long
STORYTELLING and much smoking of cigarrOs
under the Moraga grapevine and much
drinking Of good red wine, Felipe, rolling
vet one more cigarette, started over the
trail leading 10 his home, whistling cheerily.
as MeXicans DO who walk the hills by night.
1t was close upon midnight when he
started, and the moon, broad disk OF
silver, sailed directly above him and dimmed
the stars. As matter Of fact, in that
glorious atmosphere it was just pleasant
walk to the top of the hill. although the
cbemisal bushes, growing tall and rank,
tent 10 meet over his head and seemed to
prison him In a long gallery from which
me moonlight, flooding the mountain. was
shut out as rain is shut out by dropping
trees. Felipe went on. minding this shadow
1 OF whit Every foot of the trail ne knew.
and, more than that, the brush came to an
tGd at the top and there were upon the
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25
TIE LAND OF UsED-To-BE.

Beyond the purple. hazy trees
OF sum mer's utmost boundaries:
Beyond the sands. beyond the seas,
Beyond the range OF eyes Ike these.
And only 10 the reach of the
Enraptured gaze or memory,
There lies the land lost to me-
The land OF Used-to-be.
land enchanted. such as swung
In golden seas when sirens clung
Along their dripping Drinks, and sung
To Jason In that mystic tongue
That dszed men with its melody;
Oh, such a land with such a sea,
kissing its shores eternaily,
Is the fair Used-to-be.
A land whore music ever glrds
The air with bells or singing birds.
And sows all sounds with such sweet words
That even III the lowing herds
meaning lives so sweet TO me
Lost laughter ripples limpidIy
From lips brlmned DER with all the glee
OF rare old Used-to-be.
o land OF love and dreamy thoughts,
And shining fields and shady spots,
OF coolest greenest, grassy plots,
Embossed with wild forget-me-nots,
And all the blooms that cunningly
Lift their faces up to me
Out Of the past: kiss in thee
The lips OF Used-to-be.
love ye all, and with wet eyes
Turned giimmeri & on the skies,
My blessings like your perfumes rise,
Till DER my soul silence lies.
Sweeter than any soEg tOm me,
6weeter than any melody
Or its sweet echo, yea, all three
My dreams of Used-to-be.
JAMES wHITCoHB RILEY.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

This had coated the snow with surface as
smooth and as hard as glass. l had to wear
sharp ice creeperS to walk on IT,
was walking away from the hill In dis
gust over the shortsightedness OF my men,
and had got into the wood. when / heard
noise behind ne, and, looking back, saw
two old bears and two little cubs standing
on the brow of the hill. The old bears
seemed to be intent on the icy bill in front
of them, and they acted as if they were
holding a consultation on it. Pretty soon
the biggest bear sQuatted himself on his
launches, and, inclining himself along
toward the edge Of the hill. finally struck
the icy incline, and away he went down the
plain like shot from gun. and across the
level stretch at the bottom of the hill and
clear to the bank of the creek. When the
bear came up the bill he was the most
pleased looking creature L ever saw. He
seemed to be tickled to death. Tobogganing
had been adelightful surprise TO him.
He rejoined his family at the top OF the
slide, and he danced like dervlsh in his
enthusiasm. Then he held an earnest con-
fab with his mate, and it was plain to see
that he was trying 10 induce her to make
trial OF tobboggan, but she was timid.
he at last overcame her fears, and she
squatted and tried the same sport. That
settled it, She went back up the hill as
tickled as the old fellow had been, and they
had eleeful breakdown together. Then
the mother minded the babies and the old
man took another turn at the slide. Then
he went back and took care Of the cubs
until the old lady took her turn down the
slide. This thing went on for fifteen min
utes, and stayed to see the fun. By that
time could see that the continuous sliding
on the Ice had worn the fur all off where
they sat on the snow, and l could see By
their actions that these bare places were
getting little tender. They had gotten so
tender after little while that the two
bears quit sliding.
i could sec that this was a great disap-
pointment to them, bat they gave up and
finally turned to leave the place. As they
were moving away the old man bears eye
fell on my pile of bark piled near by; he
stopped a moment and great idea struck
him. He grabbed one of those pieces of
bark. placed its smooth side on the snow,
squatied Oh the other side and away he
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

summit OF the range and on the Also
Canyon side park-like groves Oh i've
oak running down TO the syeamores
of the creek bed. And so, almost before he
knew it. he stepped out into the clearing,
where the moonlight came down in full
food, though sfsed here and there through
hve-oak branches-stepped out into the
midst OF half a score Of gaunt grizzlies
seated upon their launches In half circle
and grmly watching couple Of their num-
Der that circled in each others arms about
the open in sort of clumsy waltz, while 4
monster bear, seemingly the master Of cere-
monies, sat little apart at the head of the
circle and patted iuoa with Its great paws.
II was too late for Felipe to draw back
into the cover Of brush, even had his scare
permitted him TO move. He was unarmed,
even his good RATA being safely tied on
his saddle lying down by Moraga's corral,
and for a moment he stood staring wildly
upon the strange scene before him. he had
NOT been invited, you see. and he had NO
notion of intruding upon any company.
For q moment he st0od-and then the
moon changed suddenly into a million
points of dancing light. and Felipe knew no
more. A bear, sitting so close 10 MIN that
he had not seen it. had struck him power
full blow upon the side OF the head-and
Ihen, by way of varying the entertainment.
sat down and began crunchlnR DIS iett
shoulder.
1t may have been the pain of this crunch
Ing tnaL aWoke Tie FaqueTo. Oub wba'o'Ii
was. he recovered his senses after awhile
and raised himself slowly with the con-
seriousness of an intense agony all over his
body. He looked about him. Yes, there
were still the bears. The dance was vet in
progress. Felipe raised himself little
higher and the effort drew grOan from
him. Blf: The moonlight resolved itself
into dancing stars again-and Felipe saw
nothing more.
When he awoLe gray morning was creep
ing upon the darkness that brOoded IN the
deep canyons and he was cold As death.
Perhaps the cold had saved his life in stop
ping the flow of blood, for his left arm hung
limp and Il seemed to him that his shoulder
was but mass of tangled blood and cloth
and bits OF flesh. The bear had enjoyed bis
lunch, that was clear.
With an effort Felipe Staggered to his
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25

towels or soap, and you always pay extra
for these when you order them. Ii you
don't understand the Russian sometimes
you pay when you don't order them. l re-
member swallow-tail waiter who made me
pay 80 cents for a cake of soap at the hotel
at Mini. / wanted towel, and In order TO
convey that idea to him rubbed my hands
over my face as though ! WAS drying it. He
rushed off and brought me piece Of soap.
1t was wrapped up in tin ted paper and he
tore off the wrapper before could tell him
that / didn't want soap. He then took the
soap away and l noted that 1t was charged
in my bill. whereupOn / ordered him to
bring 1t back and took 1t with me as had
to pay the bill anyhow.
The Russians are always gorging. The
average man Is a glntton. and have seen
slender. ethereal, esthetic-looking Russian
girls during the past week who could getaway
with more solids and liquids than any beefy
Englishman | have ever met The people
seem to eat at every station. and the beauty
Of 1t Is you can find something good to eat
every time the train stops, l wish l could
show you plate of Russian soup. One
plate is good enough for meal, bat the
Russians take it only as an appetizer. The
favorite soup Is called staclee, and 1t is
made of cabbage and other vegetables with
piece Of meat about four inches square
and two Inches thick in the middle of IT, In
addition TO this they bring you bowl Of
thick cream, which is sometimes sour and
sometimes fresh. to pour into it in order to
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-25
AN OBLIGING COUGAR.
II Came Down off the Perch and Gave
Up the Ghost.

IL Came Down off the Perch and Gave
Up the Ghost.
The Harding Chairman camping party
that returned from Clear Greek last week
reports the killing of panther near the
camp on the Tuesday previous to returning
home. The beast had been screaming the
woods several nights, and a number of
sheep belonging to rsncher named Day
had been slaughtered. On this afternoon
Mrs. Day came upon the panther in the act
of making a meal on a freshly killed lamb.
She set her big dog upon the brute, which
made for tree aud was kept there till
Superintendent Hubbard of the United
States hatchery got his gun and fired five
shots into its carcase. The cougar then
came down from his perch, gave up the
ghost and submitted to having his measure
taken. He was found to be six feet and
three inches long.