davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

0pot Of Canned Goods. Provislons and
Other American Products.
All vegetables are sold In Mexico
by weight. In the capital they are
expensive. Potatoes, small ones at
that, cost Oh an average cent each.
All the large ones In the country
and they are astonishingly few-are
sold, while the small ones are planted.
Any farmeF gan guess the result.
Whimsical Causes oftentimes produce
unlocked for results, and boiled p0ta-
toes are rarely served In Mexican
hotel.
Although the Gulf of Mexico is
only ESQ miles away, and connected
with the capital by line of railway,
running daily trains, fish In the lat
ter place are scarce and high. What
can be secured-generally red snap
per-sell from 35 to 40 cents per
pound. Compared to New York, 1t
costs about double to keep house In
Mexico City. Canned goods taste
sweeter where they are scarcer, but
no man on limited salary can afford
canned goods on his table In Mexico.
A two-pound can OF American corned
beef sells for rs cents, while three
pound can of tongue brings 81. so.
Canned corn and tomatoes retail at
40 and so cents. American cheese
sells for 81 cents per pound. A two
pound glass cylinder of preserves sells
for $l.75, while soda waters sell for
65 cents per pound. American ham
and bacon sells for so and 40 cents
per pound, respectively. Michigan
apples retail at 123 cents each and a
tOttle of Milwaukee beer sells for 62t
cents. Most Of the bread consumed
in Mexico is made by large bakeries
which turn out millions of small
loaves daily.
In spite of the above prices there
Is large and steadily increasing de-
mand In Mexico for American gro
ceries. The departments in our
principal wholesale groceries de-
voted to export exemplify this.
The Mexican trade is a valuable
one and for which the Amer
lean manufacturer should work.
One very essential requisite In filing
export orders is careful packing. A
strict adherence to instructions, how
ever whimsical they may appear, are
also necessary, for the Mexican Gus
toms tariff is "fearfully and wonder
fully made" and the slightest blum
der on the part Of the shipper sub
jects him to fine in some cases ex-
ceeding the cost Of the shipment
p. Philip Terry, in Michigan Trades
man.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

and start into tea selling for money.
Professor Massey says that the nnest
tea be ever tasted was grown in the
South, and he has no doubt but IL
will be future profitable crop In the
Carolinas. Mr.. Jackson, an expert
tea grower from Assam, who had
charge Of the Summerville plantation
under General LIE Due, says that with
negro labor he can raise tea more
cheaply than Is done with coolie labor
In India because Of its greater relia-
bility. In regard to the hardness Of
the tea plant, all observers seem to
agree that north of thirty-flve de-
grees IL IL. pnwise to attempt to culti-
vate 1t. Around Old Point Comfort,
where some plants have been growing
more or less feebly for years, the
winters cut the Plants badly, and on
the upper part of the Delaware PEN
insular they were entirely killed,
But south of these points. In the
piney woods country extending from
Raleigh to the Gulf, tea plants can
be grown with great success, and the
time may not be far distant when
American tea will compete openly in
the market with that shipped from
China, Japan and India.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
IN ONE OF GEPKE's ROOM

and gross There was a revival Of
artistic industries in France under
the first empire. when it returned to
stiff classicalism. Fortunately the
current tendency is to reproduce the
elegant, graceful styles Of Louis
XVI
Returning to practical phase as
It concerns us today. IL one cares to
know the largest furniture making
center on earth. it is we'll worth not
ing that Grand Rapids, Mich, is en-
titled to that honor; as for the larg-
est exclusive furniture store In the
world it is in the city Of Chicago.
Chicago, however. Is so new that one
never thinks Of it as a repository for
antiques, particularly as it pertains
to furniture, yet in the fCtsam and
jetsam OF the auction rooms one oc-
casionally finds bit OF curious fur
niture amid the cheap aud tawdry
assortment and general dilapidation.
The expert searcher for the quaint,
the curious, and the artistic unique
is ever making his way about quiet
streets, studiouSly avoiding the thor
Oughfares where the spirit Of trade
throbs restlessly from dawn till dark;
where the great windows dazzle with
creations to captivate the eye OF
fashion; where the rush and roar of
the great city jars upon the soul.
With him the yesterdays and their
associations possess more potent APP
peal than their feveIed speculatons
in the hopes and fears Of the morrow.
Passing down Rush street, at the
southeast corner OF Chicago avenue
may be observed house whose win
dows are flied with a medley OF
quaint ceramics, rare bronze Candida
bra, rusty old flintlocks that look as
though they had been gathered by
some cyclone collector, and left sus.
pended like Mahomet's coffin to
amaze the passer-by. About the front
door Is tangled fence of andirons
and brass tenders. big bronze lamp
that looks old enough to have come
from Pompeii, and crazy-looking
table that mischievous boys In the
neighborhood occasionally loosen
from its moorings and skate down
the sidewalk. The sign on the outer
wall states that this is the domicile
Of John +. Gepke, dealer in curiosi-
ties OF al descriptions.
The frst curiosity you meet when
you pass the portal is Gepke himself
He has shop-worn appearance In
sympathy with the surroundings;
affable and loquacious. with the po-
llteness OF Frenchman and the
shrewdness OF German, he appears
to be absolutely guileless. But he
was not born yesterday. as one soon
learns when Gepke begins to dis
course business or describe his OBJ
jects de vertu.
Scattered about his room, in what
might be termed artistic confusion.
are carved chairs, highly ornamented
tables. long graceful touches. IN
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

There are many homes J happily
in New Orleans that were able,
through great, stress Of trying cir
cumstances, to retain their rich
quaint furnishings; but enough VI it
had gone adrift to furnishi employ
ment to the wide-awake cabinet max
ers and supply the people from the
North who love the substantial and
old-fashioned articles, massive but
beautiful in tthelr proportions, de-
spite rough usage and the change Of
fashion. Gepke states that at one
time he had over 100 four post carved
beds. There is now in his shop a
massive carved four-poster that Gen.
eral Lafayette occupied during his
stay in New Orleans in 1924.
On a card-table near BY is an as
Economical clock, graceful In its pro-
portions and complicated in its work.
ing. 1t shows the movements of the
sun, earth and moon, the6 circle Of
the zodiac. indicates the month, day
and hour and rings tunes on the
large, concealed h,rsic-box in its base
every half-hour twas found in a
garrett Of the house of Governor
Romero, In StqJames parish. The
sword Of General st. Clair hangs
near by, and people interested in fire.
arms will find the most curious ex-
ample OF the primitive repeating rifle.
There are many other rare and Curl
Gus objects to be found scattered
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
ACTORS SWEAR BY HIM.

A San Francisco Angel Whose Pockstbook
is Always Open to the Needy Thesplan.
II you want to hear the name of
any man mentioned with enthusiasm
and reverence 90 among the actors
congregated on upper Broadway, New
York, some afternoon, says writer
in the Pittsburg Dispatch. Grant?
Oh, no. Cleveland? Not much.
Anybody you ever heard of before?
Never bit. It's John Rademaker
And who on earth is John Rade-
maker? you will wonder. Just ask
the first actor you meet.
"Why, of course know John Rade-
maker! He lives in Frisco, and is
the best man who ever drew BREATH"
But who is he and what does he do
and what has he done? That Is what
you naturally want to know. Then
you'll find out from two or three men
at the same time that John Rade-
maker keeps big saloon in San
Francisco and is al angel" When
an actor from the East gets stranded
in San Francisco, or indeed anywhere
on the Pacific coast, he goes straight
to John Rademaker. 1t appears that
John Rademaker has an elastic and
sympathetic auricular apDendage
that is always wide open to the rep
utable men in the profession who get
stuck on the slippery slope. Those
who have never been stranded 1000
miles from home, with an idle sum-
mer ahead and no bank account, will
not be able to realize what such
friendship means. Imagine your
self in London without a friend
and without cent, as some
Americans are always to be
found there, and you'll know
what the sensation is to the actor left
in Frisco at the close OF the season.
Then imagine a man like John Rade-
maker in the Strand to whom you go
and pour out your tale OF woe, and
who pulls out his roll and says to
you:
"Well, old man, / don't know you;
but from what I've heard of you, l
think you'll make this good when
you're ia better luck. I'll take my
chances on you, anyhow. I'll just
stake you for trip home. Oh, that's
all right don't want any paper-if
you're not square your papers no
good. Now, what'll you have to
drinkoD
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
A Remarkable Dog.

The following peculiar incident is
told by Baltimore man as occur
ring to his fox terrier: "One day,
while the cellar door was open, the
dog descended in search of rats at
about o o'clock. At 9:30 the dog was
searched for and thought lost. No
further notice was taken in the mat
ter until the next morning at IL
o'clock. when l vas attracted by a
dog yelling. After a careful search
In the cellar, which revealed only a
pile Of sand by the wall, noticed
the dogs nose protruing through an
inch board at the top window Of the
cellar looking into the yard. went
Immediately up stairs and removed
five bricks from the pavement and
pulled the dog out. After careful
inspection l discovered he had dug
under the foundation OF the house
in the sand, which had caved In on
him. Finding no other means of es-
cape he dug up to the surface, dis
tance Of six feet, and on arriving at
the brick surface, which had been
recently paved, dug toward the win
dow, distance OF three feet, and
had nearly eaten through the board
In his efforts to free himself. He was
nearly exhausted when found, having
been twenty-six hours under ground.
One eye was entirely closed from
sand, the other nearly So"
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

mented). 1t Is then sand-papered
and filled. Broken bits of carving are
replaced with old mahogany, care
fully shaped to comply with the orig
inal design. After this it Is polished
and vanished, retaining the rich
dark hue OF age, and Is quite good
and sound for service as it was a GEN.
fury ago. The veneered mahogany
in panel work is very rich, and even
the solid carving takes polish and
looks exceedingly well, and Is singu-
larly free from the semblance of new
ness that appears In more highly pol
ished and modern furniture.
The long old sidebOards have been
very popular, particularly those with
side curved panels. carved pillars and
heavily carved top pieces. 1t Is also
stated that four post beds have been
very salable, as some OF these weigh
upward Of 200 pounds, have posts
from seven to eleven feet high, heav-
lily carved, and are crowned with
canOpies. Old chairs are always In
demand and they are now quite
difficult to obtain. The greatest call
Is for tables. These are seen in great
variety and are considered highly de-
sirable, rs the legs and bases are usu-
ally broad and free in their decorative
treatment and are handsome center
pieces for modern furnished apart
ments. Bureaus, desks with the fas-
cinating nest OF concealed drawers,
and carved front washstands are ap-
parently popular as individual pieces.
Many romances might be spun
about these curious old pieces that
once ornamented the chambers and
drawing-rooms OF the Southern no
bility. Famous men and women, dis
tinguished foreign visitors, and reign
ing beauties of the day have in times
past lolled at ease in these chairs, re-
clined gracefully on these touches,
long ago. Then through a long sea-
son of disuse the old furniture lay In
darkened garrets, when the troubled
tides Of war swept back and forth
over the South, and again is it, by
some natural or unnatural retrogra-
dalton, passed into the hands OF the
former slaves, and dusky danes lOll
laZily where their aristocratic mis-
tresses once took their siestas. They
tell sad stories Of the "pinch Of pow
erty" Of the once wealthy owners,
who tried to save them for their as
sociations and have been compelled
reluctantly TO part with them for the
bare necessities Of life. And now
they all are reclaimed again, revivi-
fled BETTING their sphere as artistic
luxuries, unique exempliflcation OF
the survival OF the fittest"
CHARLES i. NIXON.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

Some Interesting vsotA About Chocolste
aud HE History.
Tea and coffee, honored by an
tiQuity and popularized by centuries
Of use, hold positions of dignity
among beverages, and to supplant
either would seem to be most difil-
cult; but within comparatively
brief period there has come to the
front beverage little known In the
olden times, when tea and coffee Sc
cured places of honor In tho civilized
world. This new beverage, which
seems really able to replace its prede-
cessors, was In reality In use in this
country long before Columbus set out
on his eventful voyage, and 1t was
called by the Aztecs Chocolate" the
food OF the eois. This name has
chung to IL 10 the present time, and
we know 1t by u Q name Of choco
late.
Chocolate Is made from the fruit of
the cacao theobroma,a good-sized tree
which sometimes grows in forests of
considerable extent. 1t Is indigenous
to Central and South America and
the West indies. The tree is an
evergreen, producing flowers and
fruit the year round. 1t resembles
In size and shape the black-heart
cherry tree, growing to height of
thirty feet. The fruit or pod con-
tains from six to fifty beans, accord
ing to the climate, and 1t is these
beans from which cocoa and choco-
late are made. The processes by
means Of which the beans of the
cacao theobroma are prepared for
commerce vary according to the To-
cality. In some countries they are
simply separated from the pulp
which surrounds them and dried in
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
Little Laughs.

Little Laughs.
"ON what does Skiffins base his
suit for libel?" "On a casual refer.
ence to him as the ideal juror in q
capital case. Washington Star.
"WHAT are the relations now be-
tween your wife and YOURSELF" ooh,
only her mother, two uncles, sister
and a few cousins. Detroit Free
Press
JINKBoTs-"You complain of the
expense of typewriter; why don't
you have your wife do it?" Henpeck
II can't dictate to my wife. "-Syr-
acuse Post.
MOTHER-"Why don't you play
with that nice little boy across the
street," Small Son-"Us boys is boy
cottin' him." sway, what for?" HE
doesn't freckle. Good News.
WIFE-"The doctor thinks you
have enlargement OF the heart"
Husband-"I thought he must i'm
agine had something of the sort by
the size Of the bill he sent in. -
Truth
AT Prize Shooting: Rifleman
(after repeated misses)-Donnerwet-
ter! Ir those rascaliy fellows haven't
gone and stuck up the target In the
wrong place again. "-Unsere Gesell-
schaft.
AN absent minded Southwark
woman went to bank the other day
to have cashed check her husband
sent her. She Endorsed it thus:
"Your loving wife, Mary Miller. p
Philadelphia Record.
PATER (entering suddenly
"Phur-r-r! What do you mean, sir,
by thus embracing my daughters
Ethel, 1 am surprised" Ethel
(bravely)-"So are we, poppa, dear;
so are we. Truth.
INCoME-TAx AssEssoR-"You can't
claim exemption, Mr.. Smiles. Why.
man, you must spend $1,000 a year
the way you live" Smiles-"I know
that, sir; but live beyond my in
come. "-Harper's Bazaar.
Il AM strong in my love for you"
the youth protested. But when she
babe him open the window in the
first-class railway coach in which
they were journeying he fled In de-
spair-Detroit Tribune.
WHATS the outlook for a news.
paper In this town." @First-class.
We've got map Of a railroad, six
candidates for postmaster, an, il
amt ten miles to where the circus
shows!"-Atlanta Constitution.
INDICATIVE -" What makes you
think Jack Youngley Is going to pro-
pose to you?" "Why, we were dancing
the other night and l complimented
him upon the easy way in which he
held me. oh, yes he said, it's
always easy for me to hold my own"
Brooklyn Life.
THE gentleman you see pacing up
and down yonder as II he were men,
tally deranged Is Schmidt, the
famous accountant" "What Is the
matter with him?" "He was trying
yesterday to unravel the complica-
tions Of his wife's housekeeping
book. Misunderstanding.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

Italian, means flame. His coat of
arms also Is sun, surrounded by rays
OF fire. Before being Cardinal Svam-
pa was Bishop Of Forli, in Romagna.
some prelates have said of Cardinal
Svampa that he has no sin but his
age. He is only AZ, but, as according
to Professor Lapponi, the Pope's
doctor, Leo XIII. will probably live
at least ten years more, what has
been termed the only sin of Cardinal
Svampa will be corrected.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

enormous bed whose carved D0oeo
roach the oeilin1y quaint clooks that
have licked to NJ hundred yoars odd
bits Of china ofp9te with> oeme and
arist0cratic .rnopCkranl1. t1rnished
oandelsbra, rusty sWofds with richly
carved hilts, RlAss docantors, cham
payne glasses and curious, ceramics.
The whole atmosphere appears to DO
surcharged With must, moll0wness
and antiquity. "A thousand and one
romances are associated with these
objects, which, in their time have
played an active part In the old PAL
aces and plantations of the wealthy
Southern people, who brought into
their homes the best that Europe
could furnish.
Gepke, who IL q cabinet msker and
a recent arrival In Chicago, ten years
ago settled In New Orleans The re-
suit of the Exposition In thatcity In
spired q fad for old furnituYe which
he took as opportunity not to be
sighted. All the money he could
rake and scrape together he promptly
invested In old furnitafe ana the ap-
parently dead surplus Of the auction
rooms. Then he began to, carefully
and Systematically search in the
poorer quarters OF the city, where the
solid and indestructible furniture Of
the ante-war period had found loig-
ing. He travelled far and near, Wis
tied old plantations, made. note of
every sale and seenped all the SOU
venirs OF artistic valne that could be
procured for a song. Much of the
furniture was In avery dilapidated
condition, armless chaKso trembling
tables, mirrorless ,sideboards, crazy,
curious old beds, battered, rusty and
blistered through, carelessness or by
dlsuse, made strange and weird
collection, but the buyers Judgment
was INDICATED when IT came to ar
tistic repairing and renewing.
Every bit OF wood that. be secured
was solid Santa Domingo mahog-
any. or hard oak richly veneered
with mahogany. All of this furni-
ture had been imported from France
to New Orleans long before the war,
when the South was In ito 'halycon
day ofprosperity and its artistic taste
demanded the best Of foreign impor-
tations During the troubled war
times, and after the settled period of
peace, modern ideas made encroach-
ments, and the old furniture Of the
fathers was gradually abandoned in
favor of the newer and more fashion
able patterns Much Of it, con-
sidered merely as old lumber,
was stored in garrets or given
away to colored servants as USE
less, cumbersome, and Anticipated.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
TOOTHACHE A SERIOUS ALL
MENT.

III In the Woods, Far from Dentists, It L
Not to BE Lightly Regarded.
Some one, In writing critically of
novels, once said: "Who ever heard of
the hero Of a tale suffering from
jaundice or mumps, or the heroine
down with q tOothache?" Who, to
be sure, ever did? JaundIcc and
mumps and aching teeth are not ro-
mantle complaints. Even the real
lists prefer to omit them from the
ills of their characters. Under GER
tain circumstances they may, how
ever, be serious ailments
Has anyone ever stopped to think
seriously of the terrible torture suf-
fered by backwoodsmen and inmates
OF logging camps from toothache?
The complaint is by no means uD-
common in the woods, happening
scores Of miles from any town In
which relief might be obtained.
Small wonder. then, that a tooth
ache is regarded as a serious matter
in the woods, and that instances are
on record Of lOggers committing sui
eide rather tnan lear the pain.
These facts were ascertained not
long since from number of guides
in one Of the most secluded portions
of the Adirondacks 1t suddenly oc-
cured to q gentleman, who made one
Of well-equipped party, that he had
omitted to make his regular annual
call upon his dentist This sug-
gested the idea Of making some in
quiries.
what do you do?" asked he, ST
you have tOothache up here?"
SWELL" said his guide, replying in
that deliberate manner for which all
woodsmen are noted, "well, that de-
ponds. Ii it is not bad tootache
we try to stand it."
81 suppose the doctors up here all
take a hand at pulling teeth?" re-
marked the sportsman.
EYES," was the reply, "but there
amt no doctors up here nearer than
Long Lake village or Indian River
There sin't much choice between
'em. They're both forty miles away.
There amt no film teeth up here"
he continued. "We get lem out il
we can, or wait until the dentist
comes. There's one comes up to
Long Lake about Christmas time
each year and yanks teeth for two
weeks.
"I've known of men who tried to
cut out the tooth with their knives
or pull 'em out with carpenters
pinchers. Once when l was loggin'
a fellow tied lake trout line about
his tooth, bent down sapling
spruce and fastened the other end to
it and let her co.
.Did the tooth come out?" asked
the sportsman.
sit did," replied the guide, sand
it dislocated the mans jaw at the
same time. He didn't leave enough
slack. He had to leave camp. There
was another fellow who tied a string
to bullet; but that didn't go. The
line snapped when he fred his rifle"
"You say dentist comes to Long
Lake once year," remarked the
gentleman. Il suppofe he does
pretty good business.
"Indeed he does" replied the
guide. ale pulled out most bushel
OF teeth last year. Folks came from
all parts of the woods to have
'em yanked. / know one fellow
Bob Walsh-who had all his teeth
out. Some of 'em ached and some
didn't, but he said that sooner or
later they'd all ache, and so he had
'em all out. He didn't see no occa-
sion to make more than one JOB
OF it."
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25

ARTHUR +. KENNEY. when ne was but 3
years old. At ~ he became cham
pion swimmer Of Australia. He has
long list of brilliant victories in
Australia, America and Canada, and
has won the championship In all
three countries. Last spring he
graduated from the Pharmacy De-
partment Of the University of Penn
sylvania, and will probably return to
Australia in the near future. He is
captain of the National Swimming
Association of the United States.