davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

the Stats of its coop, curious to ws4ch
it's neighbors, the ostriches. Every
time it put it's head out it receiyedis
binding kick from its nearest neigM
bor, and would soon have died had II
not been removed. A meek-lookind
male ostrich stood about with its conl
sort looking 80 detected that some vis
itors remarked, it must be hen-pecked
"Oh," laughed their host, ''he is hens
kicked" and they soon saw him rel
ceive q staggering blow from his gem
tie spouse, which sent him With
dropping feathers into corner.
Old Lightning belonged to an .os.
trich farm at San Diego, and was e
magnificent bird. he acquired hi
name from the rapidity with which ha
could pluck lighted cigar or pipe
from visitors mouth, or remove hif
watch and chain or any other orna1
ment he could discover. The noislesa
manner in which he could steal up be-
hind one and then nip some personal
property was remarkable. He was q
natural born thief. Once he snatched
all the flowers off q young lady's hat.
At another time he attempted to swai-
low diamond earring, but as it was
fast in its owners ear, he could not
manage it. Old Lightning's greatest
feat was swallowing lighted mere-
schaum pipe which he snatched from .
VISITORS mouth, The keeper had seen
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
Wealth Out Of q Poor Farm.

There is man in Alabama who, ac-
cording to the New Orleans States,
takes life very easy for the simple rea-
son that his farm extends up and down
the Louisville and Nashville railroad
for a distance of forty or fifty miles.
A great many persons will be disposed
to doubt this statement, but neverthe-
less it is the truth. A short time ago
the Alabama man was victim Of I'M
pecuniousity because his farm was SO
poor that the cats whould not stay on
it, but one day the engineers OF the
road came along and discovered that
his farm was nothing more than a vast
deposit of gravel, the very material
they desired to use to ballast for the
bed of the road. They endeavored to
buy the farm, outright, but, the old
man stubbornly refusing to sell the
only home he had on earth, it was fin
ally arranged to pay him royalty on
every car load of gravel taken from
his land. The royalty has made him
rich, and as the supply of gravel is
practically inexhaustible he will soon
be able to boast that his farm is the
largest in the world and extends all
the way from New Orleans to Louis
vile,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

The Drunkard's Cloak was in use in
the early part of the Seventeenth Gem
furry in some old English towns, nota-
bly, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the
offenders were obliged to wear tubs or
barrels, with holes cut in them, through
the streets. One quaint old book
says: 'In the time of the common.
wealth it appears that the magistrates
punished scolds with the branks and
drunkards by making them carry q
tub, called Drunkard' Cloak, through
the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
We shall presume that there is no
longer any occasion for the former, but
why has the latter been laid aside ?"
The Drank was a framework worn
upon the head, with stick inserted
between the lips of the unfortunate
wearer. To this headdress was at.
tached rope, the other end of which
was held by a man with a long pole
who walked behind. 1t is not shown
whether the inhabitant of the cloak
was also accompanied by rear guard,
but it is certain that he could not have
run far, could not sit down, and it
would have been an impossibility for
him to carry his hands to his face.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
An Unlucky King.

The King of the Belgians said to g
friend of mine who asked him to stand
godfather to an infant son: 81 should
feel delighted did not feel in vein
of ill-luck. and unlucky people should
he avoided" He said to another per-
son: 1.-The world has no idea what an
evil influence tracks me-" His sister
Charlotte is lunatic; he lost his sob ;
he adopted his nephew, and he died
also. The Princess Clementine, his
daughter, has never got over the hor-
ror Of seeing her governess perish in
the fire at Laeken Palace, which de-
stroyed the building and endless fam
lily relics, papers and treasures of all
kinds. The tragedy of Meyerling was,
perhaps, the greatest blow of oil. One
son-in-law persisted in it, and the other
came out of it a black sheep at the
Court of Austria. The Congo State is
not what the King had hoped it was
going to turn out, and has impover-
ished him. The burning of his papers
il the Laeken fire has thrown his af-
fairs into disorder. It would now
seem as though his crown we're to 60
down in the hurly-burly of Socialist
revolution, and Belgium to be again
the cockpit of France and Germany.
Truth. -.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

Then the gondolas carry one to points
from which there are perspectlves,
hooks and contrasts such as cannot be
found on land. They glide around the
base of the golden Republic, move
down the center of the grand basin and
swing under the bridge to the match
less roadway between the Manufactures
Building on one side and the Electricity
Building on the other. This gives one
of the vistas which satisfy the eye with
a suggestion of completeness. To be
sure the dark green palma along either
side are still shackled with heavy ropes,
and some Of the triumphant columns
are Grated in rough scaffolding, but
these are mere spects in the massive
picture. Then the gondolas cross the
calm water to the west, where rises the
wooded island with the slashedJapanese
roof showing among the bare bushes.
To the east the Government building
stands in solitary pomp. The gondolas
find another unexpected path under a
bridge and pass down by the scaly
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
CHAPTER III.

PLOTTING.
Ill-favo1e ed, sullen- hearted Ralph Pres
cott nursed his swollen cheek and his
impotent rage in silence and solitude
the remainder Of that eventful day.
He did not appear at supper time, and
the ensuing day he mounted a horse
larly and gave Maple Leaf farm a wide
berth until after dark.
Farmer John met him the next fore
noon, and asked him what was up, but
he evaded direct reply.
Pretty Ruth only laughed slyly when
interrogated. He was too happy; she
saw too much of brave, earnest Paul
Walton those days to get even the off,
cious Ralph into trouble by betraying
his rudeness.
Once only she met the surly Ralph
face to face.
I'm watching and I'm thinking" he
told her in tragic accents Of mysterious
import. "You won't keep up your hirta-
tion very long"
Poor Ralph" she replied banteringly.
Don't think! The effort might bring on
brain fever!"
Don't fret" flashed out Ralph fiercely..
You'll see what kind Of man this new
lover Of yours is soon. You're mine, by
rights; it was always so understood, and
I'll have revenge"
Happy Ruth laughed at the dark
threats and blushed at the idea OF o
lover.
Ralph evaded Paul Dalton, anathema-
tized him at distance, refused to break
bread at the same table with him, and
the third night after the alteration
stole cautiously into the house at dusk,
stole guiltily out again, and made for
the distant village much with the excite
ment and haste Of midnight assassin.
I've done it, he chuckled, gleefully.
odd Elliott has been suspicious for a
week. He'll miss it, sure, and the way
I've fixed it"
Crafty Ralph seemed to feel very san
guine and very joyful over some plot
that bid fair to materialize ere the even
ing had passed away.
He reached the village and proceeded
straight to its tavern.
Arrived, it seemed necessary for him
to prop up his courage, for he drained
several glasses at the bar, and then, re-
firing to an inner room, sat at table
lost in reflection.
"I'll give it time to come to focus,
he soliloquized. In about an hour III
90 home and witness the explosion.
Paul Walton, you crossed bad mans 8
track when you crossed mine!"
More meditation, the crafty face ex-
pressing varied and feeting emotions,
and then Ralph drew two photographs
from his pocket.
At one he gazed fondly; it was that OF
Ruth.
At the other he glared .yenomously.--
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
Hair as a Cleansing Agent.

That the hair covering the body OF
an animal or the head of a human be-
ing serves the purposes of warmth and
protection is manifest, but one would
hardly expect to find that it also acts
as cleansing agent. This, however,
appears to be the fact. The minute
scales which cover the outer portion of
a hair are fastened at one edge and free
at the other, and the free edges lie in
the direction away from the skin. The
surface of hair, therefore, is like that
of piece of fur or cloth covered with
nap; rubbed from root to tip it is
found to be smoother when rubbed in
the opposite direction. This being the
case, it is evident that particles of
matter in contact with the hair must
find their direction of easiest motion
to lie toward the tip end of the hair
and away from its root. So, by virtue
of the peculiar structure of it's surface
the hair serves gradually to remove
from the skin which it covers all for
eign particles which may have found
lodgment there. The oily secretion
emanating from the follicles of the
hair probably assists this action by
gathering up the fine particles OF ex-
traneous dust and of scales from the
skin, and thus enabling the hair to re-
tain them, so to speak, in the grasp Of
it's curious system of brushes. Every
movement of the hair, however pro-
duced, must tend to set the particles
sticking upon it in motion, and, as we
have already seen, that motion can be
in only one direction.-New York
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

most impossible to believe that they
have not been taught the accomplish
ment by dancing master. Their waltz
often ends in disaster, as they break
each others legs, which is certain
death, or become dizzy and fall down
in demoralized lump. The kick of
an ostrich has been known to destroy
life.
In the opening chapter of Rider Hsg-
CARDS "Jess" there lisa highly dramatic
account of fight for life. with. an os-
trich, and it is historically correct. In
fighting they are apt to break their
own legs, they give such desperate
blows. Indeed, it would seem as if all
hevital energies of the great bird were
centered in it's long, ungainly legs,
which are graceful only when going
across their native grass-covered plains
with rapidity of motion that must be
seen to be appreciated.
This paper has nothing to say of the
industry of ostrich farming, either in
Africa or America-that profitable in
dustry of growing fashionable feathers
is quite too important branch of COM
merce to be disposed of in column.
There are many books upon the sub
ject which are very valuable and quite
practical I am only rehearsing q few
of the peculiarities of the. creature
which have made it of interest ever
since the days of Job, (Which leayeth
her eggs IN the earth and warmeth them
in the dust.
1t would appear to be an evidence
of cunning rather than stupidity for
Mrs. Ostrich to adopt this very simple
method of incubation. However,, it
has its disadvantages, for while she
is away getting good dinner her
enemy, the white-necked crow, spies
the unguarded nest. He knows he
cannot break one of those mammoth
eggs, and devises a shrewd plan to
help him. Taking stone in his beak
he flies over the spot, calculates with
bird sagacity the necessary distance,
and drops the stone. PUNK! An
egg is broken, and he descends to his
feast. This is said to be the same
kind of raven that fed the Prophet
Elijah. His wisdom seems almost OF
q supernatural order.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

ODD CoNvEYANcEs FROM MADEIRA.
The people of Madeira, says the Chi
cago Herald in an account of the
Transportation Building, travel in
sleds, not because snow and ice are on
the ground at all times of the year,
but because the highways and byways
are 80 peculiarly constructed that run
ners are preferable to wheels when
quick transportation is desired. The
streets of the towns are paved with
stones scarcely as big as baseballs, and
80 smooth have they become through
years of unceasing travel that they
are as slippery as the surface of
well-swept skating rink. The wer-to-
do man of Madeira travelsi in state. His
sleds, while not so elaborate as those of
crazy King Ludwig, are fully as ample,
and look like a richly upholstered
closed carriage of our day set upon
clumsy runners. Seated in this con-
veyance and guided by the steerer or
pilot, who directs the movements of
the bullocks from rear but honorable
perch, the worthy Madeiran travels
about over the CLASSY but bare pave
ments with all the complacency and
comfort of Laplander setting out for
a feast of blubber behind team of
reindeer and in the pulsating glow of
an aurora. Another conveyance of
the people of Madena and one which
accompanied the bullock "cart" al
ready described is the mountain sled.
This looks like church pew set upon
runners. The seat will accommodate
but two persons, however. It is up
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

It is said that the cry of an ostrich
is like the roar of lion, and the
Hottentots often run from it in fright
until they see the bird.
The ostrich is q generous layer:
Sixty eggs will be found in and around
q single nest. One of these eggs is
equal to twenty-four hens eggs.
The Hottentots and bushmen cook
an ostrich egg by putting one end in a
hot fire. Through an opening in the
other they stir the contents, putting
in salt and pepper, making a very pala-
table omelet.
1t is never safe to drop any article
when walking near covey Of ostriches.
The ostrich will eat anything, seeming
apparently to have no sense of taste. A
story is told of a young girl who was
visiting zoo where a large ostrich
snatched her kid gloves, which were
rolled into ball, and ate them. The
next day the girl returned with the
family contribution of half dozen
pairs of gloves, all of which were as
readily swallowed.
While the ostrich hos absolutely no
brain-see Job for suthority-lt has
vicious propensities that show some
sort of wicked intelligence. Some
Cape Town people had a fowl fattening
in special coop near an ostrich kraal.
The bird dropped and grew thin. 1t
was watched and seen to peer through
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
POPULAR SCIENCE.

A Swedish naturalist is hunting in
Florida for new kinds of mice.
In domestic architecture the pro
portions of room are as one to one
and half.
The first record taken by American
astronomers of on eclipse was on Long
Island on October 27, 1880.
A belt recently made for the Brook
lyn City Electric Railway Company is
116 feet long, seventy-two inches wide
and weighs 1900 pounds. One hun
dred and twenty hides were used in
its manufacture.
The meteor which struck John
Browns statue at Osawatomie, Kan,
recently, is said to contain the metal
helium, one Of the elements in the
sun. This is the first known specimen
of the metal on earth.
Where the telephone wires are over
land the speed of transmission is at
the rate of $4,000 miles a second;
where the wires are through cables
under the sea the speed is not more
than 5000 miles a second.
Electricity, when unretarded by
atmospheric influences, travels at the
rate of 2SS, 600 miles second. Along
q wire it is, of course, vastly slower,
and a perceptible period of time is
occupied by the electric current in
sending kilograms over long dis
tances.
Mr.. Steineger describes in the "Pro.
ceedings" of the United States National
Museum, blind salamander which
forms new genus and species. It oc.
Cured both adult and larval in the
Rock House Cave, Missouri. Whether
the larva had eyes or was blind is not
stated in the preliminary account pub.
lished.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

young, strong birds are let out of their
enclosure, and is said to be entirely
due to awkwardness and uncertainty.
This leads them to advance and turn
in dervish like whirl which is very
quaint and fantastic as they float about
assisting their motions by their out
spread wings. They circle and reverse
almost as o waltzer would, and when
large number Of these strange birds 60
through their dancing antics, it is al
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

forward. As each pushes on his oar
with sudden yigor the boat lifts itself
and darts forward like released arrow.
After that the motion is one unshaken
glide. The oar at the bow and the oar
at the stern act co-ordinately. No
word of command passes, but the gon-
dola cuts around grassy points, be-
tween moving launches and under
bridges. The ducks swimming sleepy
rlong the basin scream and glide out
Ot the way.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

wings of the Fisheries building and be-
tween the posts of the stilted electric
road almost to the gateway of the lake
and then undulate past the majestic
fronts of the Horticulture. Transporter
tion and Mining buildings and re-enter
the cgamped road under the shadow of
the huge Manufactures Building.
The plain American citizen squats
in the yellow plush with the silvered
ornaments flashing around him, and
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
The new cruiser Detroit proves to

The new cruiser Detroit proves to
De as fleet a vessel as it was antici-
pated she would be, having made a
run Of nineteen knots, and showing
that if need were she you'd do even
better. She is said to mind her helm
readily and to be very steady, all Of
which is as gratifying to all patrioti-
cally interested in the new navy as
1t is professionally TO her designers
and builders. How proud of ship
like the Detroit would a man like
Decatur have been in the day when
the Constitution was the ideal Yam
kee mau-Of- war!
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
THE BIG FAIR.
THROUGH THE LAGOONS WITH
THE GONDOLIERS,
GiIded Craft From Venice Propelled
by Expert Oarsmen-Convey-
ances From the Island
of Madeira.
OMING down the

DINING down the
broad steps lead
ing from the door
way of the Agricul-
tural Building to
the grand basin
one finds a chat
tering group of
1.-THE and muscular
Venetians. Float
ing in the basin
and rubbing their
fr e t t e d bow s
against the land
ing are the Condo
las. They are cres-
op&ehora1 on 4
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

holstered in red and has no covering
or side curtains. People of that far
away country who use this conveyance
simply sit beside each other before
making the descent down the we'll
worn mountain road and then when
the steerer is ready the sled plunges
forward with incredible speed. It is
said that it will slip over thirty and
even thirty-fve miles an hour.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

their dipping keels seem barely to
touch the water. One is of blue, with
beaded gold ornaments along the sides,
fringed cushions Of blue plush and
gilded stem wrought into fanciful de-
signs, under which the velvet hang
ings drag lazily in the water. Another
is of yellow, with silver mountings and
knick- -knacks.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

rides past the pointing groups with as
much easy dignity as any Prince of
the realm. As the boat glides easily
back to it's starting place the gondoliers
draw in their oars and turn about with
good-natured grin. They are not
even breathing heavily, although an
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
him and caught around the neck, and,
the pipe was exhumed, the tobacco
still burning. Detroit Free Press.
The Drunkard,s Cloak.

At recent meeting of the Associa-l
tion for the Study and Cure Of Ins-l
briefly in New York, one Of the doc
tors present, according to the Sun, re-
lated some amusing incidents of faith
cures where copper pincers were in-I
,strumentsl in bringing about the good
results. .3.,s
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

The Episcopal chufch of Scotland,
according to the a4hual statistics just
published, has n9@ 2SS congregations,
including MISSIONS, and the member
chip has risen fl 3om 81, TAO to "a, ,257.'
The number Of commandments has in
creased from 81, 493 to $500.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

One of these expert boatmen, says
the Chicago Record, stands on the
dancing bow of gondola, with his
long, broad oar thrown across the
twisted lock. Another balances on
tip-toe oA the narrow stern, leaning
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07


trich is one of those
peculiar native Gus
toms which certain
fowls develop, with
out any apparent
incentive except it
may be the law of
heredity. It usually
occurs at e arly
morn. when t h q
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

II NEVER had so long a dry spell In
my life" said the Kentucky gentle
man, who had been shut up for a
week in a temperance town by the
foods.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07

The new Scotland yard is the largest
police station in the world. It con-
tains rob bm in which 5000 men cah
be assembled.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-06-07
THE OSTRICH.
HE ENJOYS LIFE AS MUCH AS
ANY LIVING CREATURE.
The Giddy Waltz is One Of His Fa-
yorite Diversions-Facts and Fan
cies About This Interesting
and Useful Bird.

~9HE dance of The o.
The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-23

Over 800 years ago IL Spanish king tried
to conquer Holland and change its religion.
As You may suppose, the Dutchmen resent
co this, and for years they kept up n de-
ternlincd resistance. Their leader was the
famous William prince OF Orange, called
bccausc lac spoke so seldom, William the
Silent.
One night when the Dutchmen were yery
close To their enemies the cunning Spau-
iards took the opportunity To I>ake Il
nigh, attack. so iii the darkness Il small
party ot them stole quietly along past the
scntincls who, tired ont by the previous
days fighting, were lying down and rest
ing In William the Slcnt's tent all was
still, only little spaniel at the princes
feet being awake. Presently the dog
raised his head and Srowlcd for he heard
something stirring outside which his dog
nature told him was not right. When the
noise grey; louder and nearer, he jumped
UP and began to bark and whine How he
wished his dear master would awake, At
last, by licking the princes face and by
barking his lOudcst, he reused William.
who understood ut once that there was
some danger
When the prince found thaJ his enemies
had indeed entered the camp and were
even then searching for him. he sprnng onto
his horse, which always stood ready sad
died by he tent. and unseen bv the Span
iards III the thick gloom gallopcd safely
away. To show his gratitude for this
timely warning, William the Silent ever
aftcrward had Il spaniel slccpn" in his
room, and on the princes tomb in Il church
in Holland II marble figure OF Il spaniel is
carved. touching memorial this of a
dogs love and devotion.
The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-23
Specimen Cases.

5. IL. CLIFFORD, New Cassel. Wis.
was troubled with Neuralgia and
Rheumatism. his Stomach was dis.
ordered, his Liver was affected to an
alarming degree, appetite fell away, and
be was terribly red uced in flesh and
strength. Three bottles OF Electric Bit.
tiers cured him
Edward Shepherd, Harrisburg, H.,
had running sore on his leg OF eight
years standing. Used three bottles Of
Electric Bitters and seven boxes of
Bucklen's Arnica Salve. and his leg is
sound and well. John Speaker, Ca.awba,
o, had five large Fever sores on his
leg, doctors said he was incurable. One
bottle Electric Bitters and one box
Bucklen's Arnica Salve cured him en-.
tlrely. Sold by Christian .S Rarbee,
Drug Store