davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
IRREGULARITIES OF sITTERs.
A Talk With Count Ostrorog, the
Famous PhOtOpraDher.

There is an interview in the Woman at
Home, in which the well-known society
photographer. Count Ostrorog, better
known as 'Walery," gives some interest
ing particulars about bis sitters:
II believe you have a great deal of
trouble with some sitters, have you not p"
Yes" answered Count Ostrorog, 81
should think we have. People will not sit
s they are asked; they get nervous and
excited. So many people say. why do
YOU place US in such awkward positions !?
Let US sit naturally" forgetting that if we
allowed them t. sit as they consider natur-
ally. in all probability every part of their
body, except the head. would be more or
less out of focus. Then there is a stock
phrase among siters; how il could have
originated l cannot conceive; it never
strikes me as being clever or humorous, and
| have heard it so often am little W cary
of 1t. A sitter will come in and say. II
hate having my portrait taken. | would
far rather have tooth out Then a man
will rush in saying, 4 have been bored to
death by my friends and relatives to have
my portrait taken. 1 have to catch train
In ten minutes, and l should like to be
lakan in three or four positions, so fire
away. he Will then fling himself In to a
chair, and l take him. and. [ am bound to
own, often with the most exec llent results.
Then there is another class of man who
will come In and say, Now, look here, /
want to be taken naturallr, don't you
know; none of your stiff pos tions for me.
Certainly [ answer, you place yourself
as you like, and then if you will allow me
L will place you as 1 think correct, and
take one photo each way 1t is almost
needless to add how disappointed the man
invariably is with the result of what he
conceived to be an extremely natural atti-
tude."
Whom do you consider the more
troublesome sitters, ladies or gentlemen ?"
Men are by far and away the more
fussy. l can assure you a man will often
fdget twice as much over the arrange
ment of his tie as a woman will over her
Dress
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16

folding them together, and now pulling
one finger after the other, as though he
would crack the joints. About his waist
he bad a belly-bsnd embroidered with
jewels. and his feet were clad in heavy off,
cial boots. His head was covered with a
navy blue cap of hOrsehair net as high as
q silk hat. This came well down upon his
forehead. 1t bad no bTim. and there were
no wings at the back. as On the caps of
the officials. He shook his own hands at
me in Chinese fashion as l came up.
bowed, and 1 looked him straight in the
eye while we talked together. l was not
more than five feet away from him, and
there was little table between us. Above
US shoDe the incandescent globes of the
Edison electric light. and there was a
European carpet on the floor.
The audience was given largely I'D TO
the passing Of compliments. aud it lasted.
l judge, about twenty minutes During
1T l had good opportunity to study tho
King. and photographed. as it were. his
form and features upon my brain. He is
about feet inches in height. He is
rather well built, but not heavy. He
has beautiful bright black almond ewes.
complexion the color of rich JERSEY
cream, and teeth as white as the
tusks OF an African elephant. His
face is full, and it shines with intelli-
gence. He has a thin mustache, and
few hairs of black whiskers. He smiled
frequently, and now and then he laughed
meIodlously. He seemed TO have a stone
of about the size of boys lucky-stone in
hts mouth while he talked. and this from
time to time got between his teeth while he
listened. When he spoke it sunk back INTO
his mouth, taking the place of an old
maids plumper or the tobacco-quid of one
OF our Congressman. don't know why be
uses this stone. and i am not altogether
sure that 1t was stone. 1t seemed too
hard for wax, and medical chewinp-aum
has not yet been introduced into Kores.
The King of Korea is now 40 years old.
and he is in good physical condition. He
is one of the ablest rulers Korea has ever
had, and there is no harder-worked mon
arch on the face of the globe.
His troubles. to-day come from his Off
cial'. He lad been 80 bound round by
them that he did not know the condition of
his people, and he has been hedged in as
was the Mikado of Japan generation ago.
You cannot imagine the pomp of this king.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16

is to be seen on the sides of the hull in the
form of six peculiar wheels. The wheels
are fitted with a series of rods, working
on springs. that can be pushed in even
wi b The rim of the wheel.
In his experiments Cameron has
used a small cove where the water is
somewhat calm, but still not so smooth as
to be free from waves or rollers. His first
work is to wind up the spring motor and
then get into skiff and tow his model out
several hundred feet from shore where he
POINTS it toward the beach, touches but
ton and let's it go.
While it is passing through the water
there is nothing peculiar looking about the
little boat. 1t rides over the rollers and
skips through the fOaming crests of the
breakers with the greatest ease. 1t rushes
toward the shore ana looks as if it would
stop as soon as it struck the sand. But it
doesn't. for it rises gracefully out of the
water and starts up the beach like a
thing of life, only stopping when it has
bumped into large bowlder. 1t is then
plain what the wheels are for. The slid
Ing rods are put In for the purpose of pro-
ducing an even pull on an uneven surface.
Whenever rod strikes directly on large
stone 1t slides into the wheel and allows
the others 10 get good grip in front,
thereby keeping the boat almost level and
not allowing any power to go t. waste.
The working OF the model appears salts
factory, and Cameron will soon start for
Washington to get his idea patented aud
endeavor to interest naval officials in it,.
He says it may need few changes. but he
thinks that it is sure to prove practical,
and then man-of-war can at a moments
Office be made to do duty as an inland fort.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

there are various ways of correcting the
mistake-the sense. the context and refer
ence to the code; but these guides do not
apply to the case of figures. The only
remedy for suspected error is re petition
OF the message at an enhanced cost of so
per cent Numbers therefore are expressed
by code word. Errors in the transmits
sion of amounts of money are very rare.
bankers code contains words for every
possible sum of money from hafpenny
ito hundreds of thousands of pounds,
and the authors have exhibited great in
genuity in making a limited supply Of
words do very extensive service.-New
York Advertiser
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
THE EMPRESS UMBRELLA.
An Incident in the Life of Elizabeth
of Austria at LintZ.


The Empress Elizabeth of Austria was
recently spending a few days at Lintz
One morning she started for long walk
in the envirOns of the town, accompanied
only by a lady in waiting. Suddenly it
began to rain, but the Empress opened her
umbrella and continued on her way. Near
the hamlet of Windlingen she noticed a
little child who had taken refuge from the
storm under the branches of a great tree.
The Empress asked the little one a few
questions about the neighborhood and was
about to continue her walk, when the child
asked:
Dear madam. 1 beg you to take me un-
der your umbrella"
The request was granted, and the three
marched on toward the village, the En-
press asking the child about her family.
her duties at school and the people at the
hamlet.
When the rain ceased the child, the
daughter of a peasant, babe her COM
Danions farewell. The Empress, however.
made her a present of the gold-handled
umbrella that she might not get wet when
it raiued again."
But, dear madame" remarked the
child, her eyes wide open with wonder.
''you must be rich if you can buy new
umbrelap'
Her Majesty smilsd and kissed the girl
good by. A few days later she took a
drive in the same neighborhood and saw
the child parading up and down the village
streets with her umbrella, followed by her
playmates. Her Majesty greeted her
friend, and was recognized by some of the
older Inhabitants of the village. who soon
Informed the parents Of the girl to whom
the present was due. The umbrella is
now sacred relic in the peasant home
New York Tribune.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16

engaged elsewhere; but he persisted, and
he brought such influence to bear that she
had TO yield. She accompanied him 10 the
office of the Mayor, who was to tie the
knot; and he, staring at Sans Genes uni
form, inquired dryly, (which of you two
is the bride and which the bridegroom ?"
whereupon the lady in high dudgeon
stsIked out of the room.
What was the ultimate fate of the
warrior maiden history does not record
There is a story that she was presented to
the Empress Josephine, who was kind to
her. Let US hope that when the war was
over she found her old love living. with
the usual proportion of arms and legs, that
she married him, had many children and
lived happily forever afterward, as good
people do in the story books.
There are stories of women who are said
to have served as soldiers in the Union
armies during the war; and some of them
appear to be authentic. A lady lat4ly
died at Chicago. who proved beyond ques-
ton that she bad served as scout in Ken
lucky, and had run many barrow escapes,
having been more than once condemned
to death as a spy. She came out Of the
war alive, made money and married. not
once, but several times. But the most
romantic of all these transmutations of
sex is related in the case of Chevalier
d'Eon. Re was brought up as male, but
having been appointed by the French
court to a secret mission to Russia he de-
clared that he was a woman and assumed
female attire. In this guise he obtained
the appointment of reader to the Empress
Elizabeth, and won her over entirely to
The views of his royal master, with whom
he maintained secret correspondence.
After a years absence he returned to
Paris, when he was immediately charged
with a second mission to st. Petersburg.
in which he figured as a man. as brother
to the reader who had been at the court
the year before. He served in the French
armies and was distinguished for gallantry.
As fencer he had few equals. and
acquired quite reputation as a duelist.
In 1862 he was made Secretary of En-
bassy and later Minister Plenipotentiary
at the court OF Great Britain. He lost the
favsr of his sovereign, however. as he
claimed, through the machin atoms Of
Nine. de Pompadour, and was superseded.
During his residence in London, after his
dismissal from Office, he became engaged
in quarrel. and 1t became necessary to
determine his sex. The case was tried be-
fore Judge Mansfield, and it was decided
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
81 81 lR! !!:::z!F IK%{ifn'1z:&'sa

reached by granite steps guarded by stone
dogs, and the floor was, L Judge,
about six feet from the ground.
MiChln the ball. in front of a
Korean screen, stood the King, with two
eunuchs on each side Of him holding up
MS arms. And about him were a nun her
Oh officials, who bent over half double and
dared not look at him for reverence. All
OF these officials had these gorgeous storks
or tigers on their breasts, aud they looked
at me out of the tails OF their eyes as l
came up. My Interpreter got down on his
knees as he got TO the steps. He crawled
along the floor TO the front of the King
and bumped his head upon the carpet. He
then bent himself over half double and re-
NAMED in this position during the whole
of the interview, whispering in tones of
awe his Majesty's sentences to me and nv
questions 10 him.
The King was dressed in a gown of
crimson silk, cut high at the neck aud EN-.
broidered with gold medallions as big
around as tea plate. There was one of
these medallions on each of his shoulders
and one covered each side of the gown at
about where the fifth rib is supposed to be
located. This gown reached TO his feet
1t was gorgeous beyond descriI ton, and
1t harmonZed with his cream-colored COM
plexiOn. The sleeves of the gown were
very full, and out of them pair of deli
cate. shapely hands came from time to
time and clasped each other nerv-
ously. On one of his fingers l
noted a magn ifcent diamond ring, and
it seemed to me as though the great
solitaire must cut his fingers. as he
clasped and unclasped his hands. now
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
RICH ACTORS.
Some of Those Who Have Made
Money and Saved It.

money and Saved 1t.
Every once in while newspaper para
graph goes the rounds announcing that NJ,
COouelin is the richest living actor. and
that Mr.. Irving comes next in the list of
wealthy histions. 1t is probable that
CoQuein is rich, but Irving is by no
means so. Coquelin is rich for the yerv
reason that Irving is not Irving lavishes
his money upon his arl. His productions
are magnificent extravagances. Couuelin
never puts penny into scenery or into
costumes. Irving has gone broke a num-
Der of times, and on several occasions be
has been compelled to come to America to
rehabilitate his fortunes. We question
whether he has now in bank a sum of
money equal to that which Edward S. Will
lard has picked mp by diligeut attention to
business in the United States.
Ii is probable that Rossi is the richest
actor in Europe; he has an immense for
tune, lives in palace and is served like
potentate. 1t is understood that Tom
maso Salvlni has great wealth. The
tendency is to overestimate the wealth of
those presumably rich, but it is likely that
Miss Lolita has very large property, and
that Joseph Jefferson is abundantly pro-
vided for. William 81. Crane could writs
his check for quarter Of a million, and
Sol Smith Russell is not far behind. Stuart
Robson is very well-to-do, and so is Lii
lian Ru sselI, and by shrewd Investments
Jessie Bartlett Davis has got together a
large property. Francis Wilson is rich.
and is getting richer all the time. There
are many members OF the profession in
this country who are individually 10 much
more prosperous financial circumstances
than Mr.. Irving is. We do not hesitate to
add that we do not particularly rejoice in
this condition of things.-Chicago Record.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
ABOUT So A WEEK.
That Is the Amount Paid a Female
Mail Carrier.

Connecticut has a woman mail-carrier in
the person of Charlotte Waldo, who drives
her wagon every day over the worst route
in the State, lying between Ashford and
Bolton. She covers thirty-six miles in all.
going on duty as early as o'clock in the
morning and stabling her horse at about
the same hour in the evening" In the
course of her travels she passes through
Ashford, West Ashford. Four Corners.
North Coventry, Quarryyille and Bolton.
The route is controlled under Government
by Dwight Shurtliff of Illicit distilIery
fame. who receives 5000 year for it.
Charlotte Waldo gets for her services $3.50
year, Shurtliff furnishing the team. In
the early spring the roads of the Ashford
route are almost impossible and after a
snowstorm they are seldom broken our
for day or two.
Last winter the woman. although
Obliged to shovel ROAD through heavy
drifts at times, never missed a mail train.
her personal appearance is thus described
by one who accompanied her over the
route recently: "Sne was of medium
height, and although not fieshy her entire
build suggested greet strength and endur-
ance. Her face and hands were as red as
a boiled lobster from the exposure to all
kinds of weather. Her hair cut short and
parted in the middle, huge black eye
goggles, black sailor hat with Wits
ribbon and huge bow much the worse
for wear, pair of large mems shoes upon
her feet. and the resolute, determined look
ON her face. all gave her decidedly mas
culine appearance as she stood there with
one hand on the carriage ready TO get in
and the other holding the mail-bag."-
New York Evening Post.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16

No one can 60 in front of him. He never
moves about the palaces without there are
eunuc5s at his side TO hold up his arms, and
the officials must get down on all fours and
bump heir heads on the floor whenever he
comes into their presence. He spends his
nights in working. and he sleeps in the
daytime. He goes to bed at s o'clock every
morning, and no one dare wake him. About
his rooms guards are stationed, and all
the conversation that is carried on near
him must be in whisper. He usually
remains in bed until half-past 5 in the
afternoon, and in quiet times he begins his
work In the palace when the watch fires
are lighted on the mountains about Seoul.
These notify him that all is well through
out the coun ry or the reverse. These
signal fires / will describe in another
letter. They take the place of the tele-
graph. and from hill 10 hill all over the
kingdom the character of the fire flashes
dispatches describing the condition of the
people. 1t is the telegraph system of the
middle ages, and has been in daily use in
Korea till the Japanese took possession of
the land a. few months ago.
Leaving the King, L was next intro
duced to the Crown Prince, who is now
just about 81 years of age. and who is
treated with As much veneration by the
people as the King himself. met him in
another audience first backing out
from the King, aud going down the side
steps of granite which l had mounted. l
do not think that the Crown Prince is as
able man as his father. Still, my inter-
view with him was short, and he
seemed to be coached all the time by
the giant eunuchs who stood beside him
and held up his arms. My interprets
had TO double himself up between US
while we talked, and there was quite as
much pomp i'm the present presentation
During the audience l heard low laugh.
which seemed to come from behind a
screen at one end of the room. l magine
this was uttered by the Queen or one of
her maids of honor. She often views, |
am told, such matters through a peep
hole, and, though it would be entirely con-
trary to official etiquette for her TO be seen
by a man other than the King, 1t is said
that she knows all that is going on in the
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
THE CHINA CRAZE.
Vast Sums Paid for Vases and Old
POrcelaine,

Among the many objects of art collected
by Lord Revelstoke and sold last year were
a pair of Octagonal Mandarin vases and
covers, of old Chinese porcelain, enameled
with flo wers. birds and Insects, four feet
IN height, which sold for 1000 guineas:
also set of three old Japan vases and
covers ana pair of beakers, painted with
chrysanthemums, other flowers and build
ings, in dark-blue borders the vases were
"a inches high and the beakers "a inches
hlgh). and the lot. which last year realized
go gulneas, had been bought from Nine.
de Gruytens of Antwerp, whose father
purchased them from the family of Ru-
bens. At the Murietta sale two years ago
a pair OF old Japan jars, richly decorated
with fIuit trees, flowers. etc., 80 inches
nigh. went for go guineas. But in each
OF the foregoing examples the purchaser
had at all events something for his money
so far as regards size. In the Field sale Of
June, 1898. pair Of oviform vases of old
Chinese lavender porcelain, painted with
bambOos and foliage, in dark blue and red,
13 inches high. realized the preposterous
sum of 500 guineas.
But for foOishly high prices one has to
go back to the sale in 1880 of Dr. E. B.
Shuldham's collection of blue and white
porcelain. when one old jar was knocked
down for $500 and another for $3.50, and
in neither case was the reserve price
reached In April last the collection of
E. o. Arbuthnot of Shanghai was sold in
New I ork, and 1920 was given for soft
paste sem -eggshell. pear-shaped bottle, %
inches high; a set OF four peachblow
coupes-the glazings and standings were
different in each piece. and the set repre-
santed the varying hues of the ripening
peach, each measured AZ inches by IL
iDches-realiZed $780,
At the same sale Lang-yao crackle
case. 161a inches high, sold for 1920, and
long, slender-necked Hawtt orn bottle, Of
which only two others of the kind are
known to exist, fetched $500. From these
prices it will be assumed that the mania is
as pronounced in America as it is here:
but If any further proof is needed, here
are few more lessons from sale held in
the same enlightened city in May last.
when Captain Brinkley's collection came
under the hammer. A large vase of soft
paste, Of light buff color, Is inches high,
lover 900 years ol6." bought in Shanghai
by the collector, OO.-Fortnightly Re-
view.
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
Copyright 1894.
A WOMAN WHO WAS A MAN.

Sardou's new play. madame Sans
Gene" which was recently produced in
London, is travesty of a chapter of real
history. In the play Madame Sans Gene
is roturiere duchess, who scandalizes the
nobility by the slight estimation In which
she holds them. The real Madame Sans
Gene was French duplicate of the Maid
of Saragossa who was a warrior born. and
concealed her sex to crafty her love for
arms.
Her name was Therese Figueur. When
the armies of the Convention attacked
Lyons she took part in its defense and
was made prisoner Her captor. fasci-
mated by the bravery of the young girl, in
duced her to change her dress and her sex
and to enlist as a dragon In the revolu-
tiOBary army. She soon had opportunities
TO distinguish herself, and won the regard
of her superior officers. 1t is related that on
one occasion when she was serving before
Toulon she incurred by some neglect the
dis leasure- of General Bonaparte. who
ordered her TO the guardhouse, and that
when she was set free she took revenge by
calling him. in the presence of his brother
officers, ''Iittle blackamoor"
She seems to have served in the French
armies for seven or eight years. exhibit
ing courage and judgment whenever shs
went into action. Her superior officers
were aware of her sex. but outside of them
the secret was faithfully kept. This led
to misadventures. A gentleman of family
complained to her commanding officer that
she had grsvely compromised his daugb-
ter, and insisted upon a court-martiaL IL
required some diplomacy to pacify him.
and while the controversy was going on. a
distinguished adjutant-general, who had
to be let into the secret, was smitten with
the heroic maiden and offered her mar
rage. She declined, her affections being
The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-16
A CABLE CODE.
To Compile comprehensive One Is
Very Difficult.


The compiler of a really reliable and
comprehensive code is met at the outset of
his undertaking by difficulty that so far
has defied all attempts at solution beyond
a certain point. Despite the fact that the
rules of cable companies permit him to lay
under contribution eight languages, the
total number of words that can be used
with safety for cOding purposes is only
about 10000. The reasons for this are
twofold. First, the companies decline to
permit the use of any code word Of more
than ten letters. and it is dangerous to
employ those having less than seven,
owing TO the difficulty of detecting an error
in short words. Further. thousands, nay
hundreds Of thousands, of words are re-
lected because of the similarity of tbs tele-
graphic symbols that make up the letters.
Figures are rarely telegraphed. The
possibility of noting an error in a group of
arbitrary figures is very remote. Should a
letter or two be jumbled in code word