davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
THE BLACK COUNTRY.
Some of the Strange supcrsti'lons fFeSa'
lent a Egypt.

lent - Egypt
Good housewives mark their bread
loaves with a cross. and hop~ei-aiGs IN
sure brisk l,indl,lg Of a neWiy-ht
Ere b. making the same saeIed sign
over die crate. As 70 ilrtunc-to-Hng.
the Black country has for Al least NAN
= century been a happy hunting
ground FOR the hlac,.-tre-aed and dark
we'd sibvls who disguise their roai
callirr from all but likely customers
-. the rrat.rse Of hawking h1n4-cut
oio,1oe--e,-.. s'levers. etc. And. more
ou9acio1s still. in several towns are
resident marici1ns, W1o rul3 planets
and reveal secrets for q consideration.
And when a woman misses an orna-
r,aut or of her valuable, sac hios to
wizard or else 10 wise woman, 70
learn WHO f. the thief One OF these
..3, students was 50 successful IN IN
ravelrru hidden secrets that his sLSlll
WI. attributed 20 his dealings with
tho III One. aud, IS he had more
tlan local reputation. he was known
far and wide as the Dudley Devil. "
While Satan is endowed 10y the popu-
lar irnagination with a Ubiquity
scarcely less than omniprescnt, he IS
! supposed specially to haunt the shafts
| and subterranean workings of disused
mines. And. though practically omnip-
otent. Ec :, invoked by the following
absurd spell: A crust of bread and
cheese placed inside Il hat, with q
. crossed knife and fork always an
o.niuous sign, and oycr-this the rec
itation of the Lords Prayer back
wards. You win to this day find peo-
, pie who are prepared to make oath
/ that when a boys they had tried this
spell on a pit-tank OF dark nights,
/ and had been brave enough TO peep
down the shaft, they had seen the
very forla of the Evil One Curing al
them from the depths below. Nor was
this idea OF a personal visible devil
confine| TO the ignorant, profane and
careless. With the devout and seriou,
the conception acquired still NOR,
sonber and tragic character. SataI
became to them not merely the in
spirer Of foul thoughts aud the suC
roster OF sinful actions, bat q rea
physical antagonist after the style O
ApolIyoa in Bunyaa's allcgory.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
LIGHTNING AND VESSELS.
Few Casualties Since iron aud Steel mr.,
Used in ships.

Used in ships.
Since the substitution of iron and
steel for wood in shipbuilding, the
using of iron for masts ard wire for
ripginrs. a marked diminution has
taken place in shipping casualties from
lightning The subject was made mat
ter for special inquiry by the German
authorities, and the result was pub
lished by them in a recent report.
Capt. Dinklass, who had charge of
the commission, states that no case
has been recorded where ship rugged
with wire rigging has sustained any
damage from lightning, except in few
instances where continuous connection
had not been made with the hull.
But wooden ships, rugged with ordi.
nary rigging, still show the same per
centarc Of casualties as formerly. wher
they are not properly fitted with ef-
fcient lightning rods. The iron or steel
vessel with wire rigging forms a FIRST
class lightning conductor, which is con.
iinuOus. and by means of which the
electricity seams to be led into the
ocean before it can do any damage.
The difference in safety between the
old and the new class vessel has been
particularly noticed in the tropics,
where violent storms are very frequent.
The destructive effects of lightning
upon the English war ships involved in
former years an expenditure of not less
than from six thousand pounds to ten
thousand pounds annually. Between
the years 1910 and 1915 no fewer than
thirty-fve of the sails-of-the-line and
thirty-six frigates and smaller vessels
were completely disabled. OF late years
these items Of loss and expenses have
wholly disappeared from the estimates
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07

The Boston Budget has a story of a
colored man who went into a fish
market in Richmond TO buy dinner for
his master. After looking about for "a
few minutes, he stopped before a pile
Of shad.
Apparently his suspicious were
aroused. lie took up one of the fish and
held it under his nose.
What DO you mean by smelling of
that fish," asked the dealer. indig-
nantly.
Didn't smell de fish aohow," an
swered the negro. only speakin' to
him.
Indeed! And what did he say?"
81 jes' AK him for de news at de mouf
OBJ de ribber, an he says he done clean
forgot, for he amt seen 10 water for TO
weeks. OATS all he said"
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
Antiquity of the Pump.

The common water pump of to-day is
but an improvement on Grecian in
vention which FIRST came into general
use during the reign of the Ptolemies,
Philadelphes and Energetes, 2S3 to 22l
b. c. The name, which is very similar
in all languages, Is derived from tAe
Greek word ''pempo," to send or throw
The most ancient description we have
Of the water pump is by Hero Of Alex
ander. There is no authentic account
of its general use outside Of Egypt PIE
vious to its introduction into the Ger
man provinces at about the opening Of
the. sixteenth century. Pumps with
plungers and pistons were invented by
Morland. an Englishman, in 1914; the
double acting pump by De la Hire. the
French academician, some twenty years
later
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
IN The STATE OF WASHING TON.
Peculiar Names of May OF the Precincts
Ia the Tar %orthweit.

la the Tar Northwest.
The names Of some of the precincts
IN this state are certainly wonderful.
says the Tacoma tWash.) News. IL
Adams county there is a Nashtucna.
which sounds as if it was intended to
call it Washington, but the Indian liz
fluence controlled before the word was
completed. Aaat0ne and IheOn are
rather simple, but Humptuiips and
Wynoche are at least unfamiliar. Cath
lapoodle and Che!atchie are closely fol-
lowed in the list Is WashouSal.
Arkansaw and Monticello, in Cow
Iitz county, show the influence of the
ehivalrous south, but Toutle and Olequa
are distinctly home predictions. Fish
hook, Pasco and Washtucna are the
combination offered by Franklin coun-
ty, and Garfield has Pataha and q
Tuclzanon, COupevillc and UtSalady
are familiar in this part of the country,
but would sound strange to foreigner.
The county named in honor of the
sage of Monticello offers Chimacum
and Quilcene to the list of curios. and
Enumclaw, Duwamish, krain, Sam
mamish and Tolt are the contribution
of King county.
Ollalla. Colecllem, Manastash. Wen
atehee, Pcschastin, Swauk, ClaqUatO,
Salcum and Silookumchuck are a string
of pearls; Lincoln county has only Sas-
sis to attract the attention, while Ar
cadia and Coqualima and Humahuma
are in Mason county. Entail, Loop
loop and Toats Coulee are in Okanogan
county, Hwaco and Nasal in Pacific
Kapousin Ollop and Tanwax seem to be
all right, because they are nearer home
Avon suggests the home of poetry in
Sllagit, but they have also Guemas
Sank and Samish. which are distinctly
unpoetic. Port Susan in Skagit sug
gests home, but Stillaguamish anC
Tualco put US at sea again. Lummi
Nooksack and Semiahmos are righ
alongside in Watcom.
Oneco, Renewawa. Tekoa. Cowychee
Kiona and Wenas are east of the noun
/ tainS
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
MESSAGES 10 TAElR DEAD.
Beautiful Custom In siam of Sending
Candles Out to sea.

Beautiful Custom In siam of Sending
Candles Out to sea.
At full moon in October ard again at
full moon in November the three days
show is held, says the Saturday Re-
view, and for some time previously the
houses of grandees and peasants. the
markets and bazars show signs of
preparation for the coming event. The
humblest style in which the ceremony
car be performed is vet pretty enough.
The broad, strong leaf OF a plantain is
bent or folded into the shape Of Il boat
or raft. In the middle Of this simple
structure a tiny taper is fixed upright.
The ''katong," or raft, of. which this is
the simplest form, is then kept ready in
the house until the suspicious moment
predicted by the family prie5t-has
arrived.
Then at this moment, when the water
is silvered over by the beams of the
broad rising moon, the tarer is lighted
and the tiny raft is launched upon the
waves. Very slowly at FIRST it makes
its way along the edge Of the ebbing
tide; then, waited gently by the still
evening air into the sUifter current, it
drifts further and further away until
only a bright speck of light distin-
guishes it from the ripping surface all
around When the night is fine thou
sands of these little stars of light may
be seen twinkling on the broad bosom
Of the Menam, all winding their silent
way toward the boundless sea, all
bearing silent messages to departed
friends who have already gone to the
great unknown land.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
Every Man to His Trade.

A Yarmouth captain thought himself
a handy fellow with a paint brush. He
decided to put the name Of his schooner
on her bow, and as lac could not reach
high enough from float and did not
wish to swing stage. he leaned over
the bow and thus did the lettering. He
went ashore, after doing the work on
one side. to view the effect from a dis
lance, and this is what his astonished
eyes teheld: aID9FK"
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07

The Russian Is a very religious man
Whenever he leaves his cottage OF en-
ters il he will bow before the image O.
a saint that invariably has its place IL
a corner at the window and before
which lamp is constantly kept burn.
ing. Never will he touch any food or
drink until he has made the SIGN OF the
holy cross; that takes tAe place OF pray.
er and is not done without thinking OF
the Creator. -
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
OIL WELLS M JAPAN.
The Petroleum Industry Is Thing OF Re-
cent Date.

cent Date.
Although Japan is ono Of the Oldest
countries in the world, It has just be-
gun to produce petroleum in large
Quantities. Two expert drillers of oil
wells in Pennsylvania have been IN
Japan for a year sinking wells for the
Japanese government. Oddly enough,
these wells are drilled under the waters
OF the Japan sea, on the northern
coast of the empire. For at least
twelve hundred years the japanese
have known OF the existence Of Pc
troleum along the shore, but the na-
tive wells were dug by hand, and the
oil slowly filed the bottoms, when it
was scooped up in buckets, n few gal
Ions at time. Now the japanese gov
eminent lie talking of pipe lines and
railroads for distributing the products
OF the wells which the Americans ara
dircinr Labor.is very cheap in Japan,
and natives work for seven yam a
month, and board Themselves, a van
being about severty-siz cents. They
are not organized, and have no such
things as labor unions, and strikes are
Unknown. They have 20 set time for
a days work. which Is praetically-dur-
ing daylight, they frequently begin
ming work at the wells at four o'clock
in tbs morning. In consequence, dig
ging wells in Japan is not expensive.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
sir Way. Abound the World.

The time required for Il journey
around the earth by man walking day
and night, without rest, would be 42s
days; an express train, forty days;
sound, at a medium temperature, 32}7
hours; cannon ball, 2lH hours;
light, a little over one-terth of a
second; electricity, passing over copper
wire, a little less than one-tenth of
Nnnond
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
AN ANCIENT CHURCH.
II Was Erected in the Days Of George
WasLiG ytoD.


Washin ston.
There still stands in Fairfax county,
Va. church for which George Wash
ington drew the plans. The rector has
recently written this description of the
old building:
The Pohicl1 church, for which
GEORGE Washington drew plans, is still
standing firmly on its foundations.
The solid walls, eighteen inches thick,
are so well constructed that they Will
defy for many generations. we trust,
the inroads of time. The exterior of
the church presents the same appear
ance IL did when Washington drove up
to it regularly on Sundays in his IA
nous coach. The interior suffered Sc
verely during the late war. All the
woodwork was destroyed except the
cornice. which is The only interior work
still existing from Washington time.
The roof wee lefs n a vuinous condi-
ton after the war. bat The oil ti140crs
are stiu there, well projected by a GOV
ering OF good shingles. About eighteen
years ago the chursl was put in good
rerrair. though not restored to its
original interior appearance, through
the kindness of a gentleman then liz.
ing in New York city. Much reeds tc
be done to restore the church to ii.
former antique interior, but it is com
Portable and properly cared for"
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
BOW Did They Got In?

On awakening the other morning q
farmer, who lives near Shelby. n c.,
was much surprised on seeing seven.
teen rabbits huddled together in cor
per of the room. They had entered the
house to escape the cold.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07

Blanks Of every description
for Magistrates, COnstables
and other Officials kept con-
stantly on hand.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07
ADVERTISERS
-:O:-

in principles, it will ever ad
vOcate what seems to 1T is to-
the best interests of State
generally, and the Parish
particularly.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-09-07

Reaching every home in
the parish, it is an excellen
medium for
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27

months, and still he seemed no nearer the consummation of his hearts desire than at first.
 think Mistress Dolly had encour- aged him wee bit at times and smoothed the way for him as much as maidenly modesty would permit, but if so, Jason, in his abject humility, never knew it. It may be that she pitied him-and pity is akin to love, 'tis said; or, perhaps, when Master Cupid so sorely wounded Jason, he had also aimed shaft at Dolly's warm heart
 She knew that Jason's drawbacks were all plainly apparent. He was an honest, upright, industrious young fel- low, forehanded in that he already owned the tract of land adjoining his fathers farm and had in the bank sufIi- cient capital wherewith to make a comfortable, though modest, start in life.
 But fair lady cannot wait forever for faint heart, and, perhaps, Mistress Dolly had grown little weary of Ja- sons procrastination. At any rate, there came a time when the swain learned that he must bestir himself. Dolly's little brother, an imp of great promise, informed Jason, under the bond of eternal secrecy, that Dolly
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27

nately in the seventh heaven of de- light and the lowest depth of despair ing doubt. Dolly was his for the ask ing-Hurrah! Jimmy had said so, and Jimmy ought to know. But it was too good to be true-he could not bring himself to believe it. His for the ask ing? Oh, Jimmy must be mistakeni And thus the teeter-board of his spirits rose and fell.
 The chores wero done in whirl of conflicting emotions. Dolly would have him-he gave old Tokus, the horse, Q double allowance of oats No, it could not be true-he kicked Quinine, the dog, half way across the barn lot.
 When the evening meal was over Jason hied him to his chamber and arrayed himself for the coming ordeal. He oiled his ruddy locks with odoriferous un- guents and anointed his boots lavishly with mutton tallow. It is no light task to deck ones self for such an er- rand as Jason's, and it was well along toward nine o'clock before he set off across the fields for the Trilligan homestead.
 As he drew nigh unto the house the mighty import of what he was about to do burst upon him and his courage deserted him. and he tramped back and forth in the snow for many minutes,
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27
Tho Modern Folding Bed.

Mrs. de Flat-Have you anything new In folding beds?
 Dealer - Only this, madam, and it really is quite success. On rising in the morning you touch a spring and it turns into wash stand and bathtub. After your bath you touch another spring and it becomes dressing-case with a French-plate mirror. If you breakfast in your room a slight pressure will transform it into an extension table. After breakfast you press these three buttons at once and you have an upright piano. That is all that 1t will do, except that when you die it can be changed into rosewood cofiin.-Spare Moments.
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27
DEATH OF THE OLD YEAR.

The gray Old Year who saw him dlo' l. said the poet, I saw him die. l stood by his bedside all the while, And he gazed at the world with saddened
 smile
 On his dear old face while he slowly said: 'They're tired of me now and wish me dead" And he shook his crown of snow-white hair. White as the snow iii the midnight air, Then lowered his kingly head to hear The first footfall of the gay Young Year. At last it came, a silvery bell. Ahl that was the Old Years funeral knell He rose, when he heard the first faint swell. And waved his hand in Q mute farewell To the sleeping earth that awoke to cheer The birth of the snow-clad, white-robed year. Then Father Time took the Old Years hand And drew him away to that mystic land Where all the ghosts Of the dead years go, Into the world of tho long ago. Then the New Year took the vacant place My eyes were filled Turned my face As there came through the starlit night the
 knell or the dying Year and It's weird farewell
 Mary E. Mannix, in Good Housekeeping
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27

when he bent his bow and sent an ar row straight at the heart of Jason Claggett
 Jason was two inches over six feet tall But those seventy-four inches were seldom or never stretched out in perpendicular sequence; for many weary days of trudging behind the blow and many others spent in pick ing legions of tobacco worms had bent Jason's back and invested his knees with prominence which might have suggested to q casual observer that their owner had been just about to kneel and then had had doubts about the advisability of so doing and was yet undecided
 Nature had crowned him with an abundant thatch of flaming hair. and the sun and wind had given him a complexion hardly less red than his locks, and then poor Jason stuttered badly. It is hardly needful to add that he was bashful, painfully and seemingly hopelessly so.
 As might have been expected, the object of his affection was exactly his opposite-it is thus that Cupid loves to work. Dolly Trilligan was pretty and short and inclined to chubbiness "a fresh, wholesome, country lass.
 Being in love with her with all the strength of his great, awkward, basin ful being, it followed naturally that Jason's bashfulness was painfully aug mented when in her presence, and he was abjectlY and helplcssly dumb when he would have given the world and all to have appeared to advantage He would willingly have parted with his right arm to have been for brief space endowed with the readiness of tongue that would have enabled him to pour out the old, old story and ask her to become his wife,
 Time and again he had made up his mind bOidly, almost fiercely, to put his fate to the test, but upon each occa- sion when the supreme moment came his courage had deserted him before the flash of her bright eyes, and he had sat dumb as the lamb before the shearer. Often he had vowed to tell her, though he died on the spot, and each time he had found himself re. 'dnced to what he felt to be the verge of stuttering imbecility, and had crawled away, hating himself and his .cowardice.
 And so 1t came to pass that, since he mad first begun worshiping at her shrine. the weeks had grown into
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27
HE CAME TO CALL" ANSWERED DOLLY.

had vowed that if Jason did not speak e'er the year had flown his subsequent speaking would avail him nothing.
 If you don't ask her this year you won't get her at all," quoth the lad. "She means businessw
 The implication that he might be successful in the event of his taking time by the forelock filled Jason with happiness.
 "Gug-gug-go long, Jimmy" he stammered, desirous of dallying with his new-found joy as long as possible. "Sh-sh-she w-w-w-she w-wouldn't have mum-mum-she wouldn't have me, anyhow!"
 "H'm!" answered young James, with judicial air. "You never can tell about girls; they are always doin' foolish things But she'll have you if you get move on you and ask her in time, Jase."
 "Dud-dud-dud-"
 "Aw, no, she didn't tell me so, O course! But I know it, all right enough. wouldn't tell you anything about it, though, if you wasn't pret- ty good sort of a fellow. You gimme a dime once."
 "Bub-bub-but-"
 And that ain't all know" inter- rupted the lad, tentatively.
 The astute James reasoned that this tantalizing revelation ought to be the means of enriching him to the extent of another dime, and when Jason handed him quarter instead of the coveted dime he warmed toward his victim.
 "We are goin' to have lots of com. pany tomorrow" he said. Henry and his wife, and Cousin Marvin's folks, and the Wollivers, and"
 "Fuf-fuf-"
 That's so! Fred Wolliver is comin' with his father and mother, and-well, l guess he likes Dolly pretty well. and"
 "Dud-dud-"
 "Oh, you never know what a girl will do! But I'll tell you what, Jase: You go over tonight and fix it up with Dolly and get ahead of Fred. like you better'n do him, anyhow. He never gimme anything in his life. If had ten cents more could"
 This delicate hint elicited another quarter from Jason, who was now in the state of mind where money is as dross.
 'Bub-bub-but," he began, timorous- ly. There's pup-pup-plenty-"
 Plenty of time?" broke in the lad. "Why, tomorrow is New Years; your year will be out at midnight, and then where will you be?"
 "Bub-bub-but it ain't ye-ye-it ain't year sus-sus-"
 'She didn't say year since you be- gan goin' with her. She said if you didn't ask her this year she wouldn't have you at all, and"
 T-I'll ask herl'' broke in Jason, firmly.
 "Gee-whizz!" ejaculated the lad, as he jinglcd his booty in the palm of his hand when safely out of Jason's hear ing. Why didn't think of this be- fore? might have made as much as ten dollars out of Jason if had started in early enough"
 All the rest of the afternoon Jason was in a tremor of excitement, alter
The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-12-27
The Fruit of Resolution.

No man ever gathered a harvest from his field who had not first resolved to gather one. No man ever won a victory or conquered an enemy, whose success was not the result of resolu- tion and planning. No man ever ac- complished better things who did not first resolve and attempt better things. Shall we form good resolutions for the new year2 Certainly, if we would rem der better service in the future than in the past.-United Presbyterian.