davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17

This remembrance was not pleas
ant, and a plaintive little whimper
came to Bridget's ear.
What is it ye're sayin'7" she asked
a little more softly.
Il wish me mother didn't get sick.
She likes me when she don't get
sick"
"Poor little MANI cried Bridget,
the sweet, motherly tenderness COM
ing back with a rush to her warm
heart. HE shall just consate that
I'm his mother the night, so he shall
An me an Honora, we'll spread up
the incest little bed, just his size, on
the floor; an there he shall sleep be-
side us, all night long. An if he
wakes an the darkness terrifies him,
he shall just call out; an there we'll
be, as good as if we was three in a
bed, only better"
She was holding him closely now;
and his little arms went round her
neck, unchecked. So when Bridget
toiled up the rickety staircase, Hon
ora followed with alacrity, her dis
pleasure quite gone at the thought of
her own importance.
And so Jimmy Curley entered into
the sweet hospitality of the "Riley's
part. Christian Register.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
The Mouse Finds Its Sphere.

A Greenwich street pie man has in
vented perpetual motion machine that
operates upon a novel principle. In
stead of using steam or gas or electrici.
ty as motive power, he has employed
an even dozen mice. To begin with
the pie man rugged an upright pole
about an inch in circumference, fitted
into wooden sockets above and below.
The little pole, the sockets, and all of the
surrounding woodwork are kept fully
creased, in order to reduce the friction
to minimum. Midway of the pole a
plane, some twelve inches in diameter.
has been fixed horizontally, and on this
plane the motive power is placed. The
mice. from the first moment they were
placed on the plane. began running
around it at furious pace, and set it in
motion, and not for a moment has the
plane ceased to revolve. The mice get
dizzy at their work, but they drop off
the plane in relays Of two or three at
time, and. as soon as they have recovered
their equilibrium. go back again and re-
lieve others. The pie man keeps plenty
of bread crumbs and other food in the
window, and the tiny workers drop off
to their meals. A few simple
wheels are to be attached to the fast
revolving pole by the pie man, and then
he will make an effort to utilize the
power which he has obtained upon his
unique perpetual. motion invention.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17

FARM, GARDEN AND DAIRY.
Instructive Reading for AgricuIturists.
PREPARED EXPRESSLY FOR "THE UNIvERSALIsTo

The farmer wants as few cows to care
for as possible, and these want to be
mich cows, every one of them. 1t does
not pay to mix things. These must be
fed as milch cows, and not as beef cattle.
If farmers would always discriminate
as closely in these matters as they
should it would be far better for them
in the end.
Ii breeding young stock for the
shambles make speciality of one or the
other Of the good breeds, and let their
owners keep up their breeding to that
kind, pure and unbroken. If the breed
ing COWS are kept as nearly true as pos
sible they will breed truer and better
beef form.
Ii the beef grower can make his year
ling steers weigh 800 pounds they will
bring him s25 or $50, or they are worth
keeping to feed our 20 cent corn to.
There is no reason why there should not
be good money in beef cattle. properly
raised.
Cellars and Easements are damp and
moldy solely because of the lack of
light and sunshine. and our cattle need
the same light and sunshine and air as
do human creatures; it is but playing
the part of wisdom to provide all these
for the COWS. especially to the cows
which are the providers of such a large
part of humanity's food Fix the
stables and make them light and pleas
ant.
Whatever there may prove to be in
the tuberculosis scare, it should result
in measures which will be for the COM
fort and health Of the cattle in many
ways. Bad air and rank smells do have
their effect where there is low vitality
among the cows, and make them sus-
ceptible to other diseases. Have the
stables tidy, the air pure and the sun
light abundant. Through large, clean
windows let the light come, purifier
and microbe killer.
Almost any trait can be bred in or out
OF cattle. One of the valuable charac.
teristics in cows is that their milk
yields butter quickly and easily; any
herd can be built up with this charac-
teristic in view. Some COWS show la.
mentable tendency the other way.
The amount of butter per COW for the
year is said to be the greatest for the
COW which calves in September or Octo.
Der, and she brings the added advantage
of producing the greatest milk flow at a
time of the year when it is worth the
most money. AS rule the farmer then
has more time to give to the details of
butter making, and properly stored food
is just as cheap as summer provender.
Nothing freshens up the cows in
spring like green taste of something,
and hardly anything is 30 good for this
purpose as few acres of fall sown rye.
If it is warm enough let the COWS out
early to pasture on the green shoots,
if stabbed, the tender rye can be cut and
carried to their stalls, Give it trial.
The cows will thank you for it in an in
creased flow of milk.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
Selected Story.
"INASMUCH."
BY MARY c. BARTLETT.

TT was the hot, close evening of a
i sweltering day. The doorsteps
of Crescent Court swarmed with a
gasping crowd. Little Jimmy Curl
ey sat on the lowest step, his usually
sunny face quite sober with the anx-
iety of one absorbing thought. His
mother was having one of her "sick
turns" and had retired to the privacy
of her own apartment, with bottle
of medicine" Small as he was,
Jimmy's powers of observation had
long since told him that the "medi-
cine" was not an immediate health
restorer. Meanwhile the door was
locked, and night was coming on.
This state of things was not new to
Jimmy Curley; but heretofore he had
always counted upon the hospitality
of his friends, the Sweeneys, whose
hearts were larger than their homes.
Now, alas! the Sweeneys had moved
away, and there was no one to whom
he could turn in his dire extremity.
He scanned the tired faces anxious
ly. until at last his eyes rested upon
Bridget Riley, who with her little
Honora was sitting upon the upper
step. A fretting baby stretched out
its thin hands to her; and she took
it in her arms, and hushed it tender
ly. When the baby had forgotten its
sorrows in sleep, she gave it back to
the tired mother Then, as she looked
down on the men, women, and little
children about her, the dreary dis
comfort of it all was too much for
her. An irresistible longing seized
her to get away, and she took her little
daughter by the hand.
"We'll go for walk, just, till we
get BREATH"
Honora was delighted. They soon
left the court behind them, and, tax.
ing quiet street, strolled along,
past pleasant houses, with cosey
piazzas, where people sat, chatting
and tanning.
They needn't to care if It's hot"
remarked Honora, who was thought
full little maiden for her six years.
They have such lot of rooms"
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
There is said to be much enthusiasm

There is said to be much enthusiasm
at st. Petersburg, especially among art
connoisseurs, over one of the presents
sent to the Gar on the occasion of his
coronation by the Emperor of japan. 1t
consists of unique and priceless piece
of ivory sculpture many hundred years
old and representing an eagle with out
stretched wings. the breadth from wing
tip to wing tip being no less than seven
feet, while the bird itself stands over
three feet high. The carving and the
tracery are of the most exquisite deli
cacy. Nothing of the kind has ever been
seen before in Europe.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
GRICULTURE.

Let the children in our country
homes have reading which is good,
sound, entertaining and morally health
full Have the means of improvement
and contentment at home, and then out
side temptations to father and sons will
have less power.
Though one-third of the manure heap
is insoluble or otherwise lost, it has
more value than most farmers think.
1t is said that we'll fed horse of aver
age size will deposit seven tons of solid
and liquid manure during the year,
worth 800; COW one half more.
1t is not wise to pasture too closely.
Tops are protection in summer as we'll
as in winter. The mulching which will
save the roots during the season of frost
is worth more than the late food which
the late pastures will afford.
1t is not all nonsense to call snow the
poors mans manure. The covering or
mulching which it affords renders the
plant food in the soil more available,
converting it into forms which are more
readily assimilated, although ii adds no
new elements. This is a hint that
other coverings will serve the same pur-
pose.
A farmer often does more grumbling
over the cost of railways transporta-
ton charges than he does over his own
expenses with team and wagon; yet it
often costs him more to haul his grain
five miles than it does the shipper to
send it five hundred. Look first to the
improvements of the roads and wagons.
1t is not too soon to look the situation
squarely in the face for the next season,
whether you own few acres or many,
and lay your plans. Look ahead. Let
there be systematic management, and
faith in the soil which you cultivate.
Do not count it too much trouble to
attend to the little demands upon your
time. If the weeds come up with the
grass in the spring, and outgrow it, set
the bar of the mower high and run over
the field.
Long rooted plants, as rule, should
be followed by those which spread their
roots nearer the surface; plants cult
waited for their seeds should be followed
by those grown for their foliage. These
different plants call for different soil in
gradients, and make less drain upon the
soil in general.
1t is contended that pruning potatoes
to two or three stalks in the hill has re-
suited in larger tubers and greater
yield. This is done for the same reason
that We prune vines and trees and pinch
back melons and tomatoes.
1t stands to reason that he is most
prosperous who gets most from given
area. Then expenses do not increase in
proportion to the yield. The added out
lay comes when we go to increasing the
area to get the increased yield desired.
Sow plat of rye wherever and when
ever you have the opportunity, for there
are not many things so easily had which
will come in much better. Keep in mind
the many purposes for which rye crop
can be utilized.
The American farmer must stop the
shipping of his crude, bulky farm prod
ucts. He can not compete with India,
Argentina and Russia in the worlds
great market Let him produce grain.
but only to work it through animal ma
chimes into higher and more elaborate
form of food. Think of the fearful tax
he pays on transportation.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17

guise or disguise of the familiar reed =
bird, and now it is ready to start on it's
annual journey southwark. From north
and west the birds wing their way in
great flocks. all heading toward Florida.
They are rapid travellers, and pretty soon
they strike the swamps and estuaries of
the middle Atlantic coast. tits the sea-
son OF the ripening of the wild rice, and
they pause for awhile to feed upon it,
Boston Transcript.
The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-17
DAIRY.

If human beings have cold. fever, in
digestion or consumption, the fact is
promptly shown in the heat, dryness,
scaliness. harshness or otherwise I'M
healthy condition of the outer skin. 1t
is exactly the same with cows. There
is no surer index to the condition of the
general health of the animal than her
skin.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03
MimIcry in Plants.

An interesting case of mimicry in
plants is described in the Botanical
Gazette, that of the seeds of the
philippine Island bean" from the
coast near Manila, which SO closely
resemble the quartz pebbles among
which they fall, in shape, size, color,
luster, hardness and qualification, as
to be indistinguishable from them ex-
cept by a very close examination.
The size and shape Of the beans are
both very variable, ranging from four
to nlne-tenths of an inch in length ;
some perfectly resemble well-rounded
beach pebbles, while others mimic
pebbles which have been broken across.
Their color varies from moderately
dark to light crab, some giving q
faint green'sh tinge; others resemble
pebbles OF chalcedony or of crystal
lied quartz. Nearly all the specimens
show a series Of approximately parallel
darker lines passing round, very sug-
gestive of qualification. ALI are quite
hard, cut only with difficulty with a
and give a clinking sound when
shaken together N the hand. They
are not affected by soaking in sea
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03
Gratitude of a Lucky Butler.

A significant little story m from
the south of England. Three wealthy
old ladies who lived in considerable
state were accustomed to rely in every
difficulty upon their butler, who was
what is known as a ''treasure." The
individual n day gave a months
warning, and utter dismsy fell on the
three spinsters. Atlength they decid-
ed that, in order to ~!retain his serv-
ices, one of them must marry him, and
the youngest was chosen for his bride.
So the %servitor in due time became
master of the house with an ample
fortune. AS years passed the old
ladies died, one after another, and
finally the ci.devant butler was left
with a very large income. Naturally,
the country tolk fought rather shy of
the good man, and, as it happened.
only n neighbor was even tolerably
civil and hospitable. When the butler
died it was found that he had left his
entire fortune, amounting to over
S6o, 900 a year, to the eldest son of his
neighbor New York Times.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03
Society in Guatemala.

"Life in Guatemala City to a for
eigner, and especially d young man,
possesses about as much attractive
ness from a standpoint Of amusement
as would a residence in a graveyard.
There is absolutely nothing to do ex-
cept work, sleep and eat. The only
place a man has to go when he has
finished work." said J. J. Prinple, son
of the Consul-General to Guatemala
from this country,"is to a saloon, and
there he has nothing to do for recrea-
ton but drink. The door to the best
society is shut in the face Of Ameri.
cans-'gringoes, as they are called by
their standllg. OF course p', when "1, n
has official dignity he is invited to the
Presidents ball and other official tune
tions, and has entree into society, but
there is no such thing as social inter-
in its American sense. Nobody
is allowed to see a young lady unless
is in the presence OF her entire FAM
lily or under the watchful eye of her
duenna, and there isn't much pleasure
in this kind of a visit to most young
men of America. Guatemala City has
a population of 80, 900, but has no
theaters. There was an opera COM
pany of fair character there two years
age, but there have been no attrac-
tions at all of this kind during the
past season. Living is very high IN
Guatemala City, and salaries are by
no means correspondingly high. 1
would not advise any young man to
go there with the idea Of making his
fortune. There hae been too much
immigration to the country SIS it u.s."
Orleans Times Democrat.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

Three hundred bicycle-riders 70.
Gently attended an Anglican church
in the diocese of Toronto, Canada,
tie rector preaching a special sermon
to them. A silver-plated bicycle
covered with flowers was one of the
special decorations of the chancel.
which a church paper denounces as
"a most monstrous, ir~reverent and
~distracting intrusion into the house
Of Gods presence" ''Stronger lam
guage." says the New York Inde-
pendent, "couid hardly have been used
if the rector had quarrelled with .
vestryman, or told a lie, or done any.
thing else really wrong. Between
adorning a church with a bicycle or a
bouquet is o matter of taste; and as
to its being ~distracting, the cycle is
much quieter and less disturbing than
many q choir"
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

The British Consul at Foochow SAYS
in his last report: II think that few
Europeans at home or in China real
ize how much trade benefits from the
presence of missionaries in the inter-
ior. These gentlemen, in addition to
fulfilling the duties of their sacred
profession, take it upon themselves to
bring foreign inventions and the needs
OF foreign civilization to the notice of
their Chinese neighbors, and thus a
knowledge of things, and consequent
" q demand for them, spreads through
the country"
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03
Cuba's White House.

The garrison of Cubitas, the scat oil
Government of the Cuban Republic,
consists generally of about 100 men,
we'll armed, commanded by the Secre-
tary of War himself, General Rolof.
| Although no attack from the Spaniards
is to be feared, and but few of them
have to be on duty as sentries in the
paths and entrances of the labyrinth,
they are by no means idle. Some help
the field labors and attend the cattle,
whilst others r always busy in the
different factories which have been
established there, and others, finally,
attend to drill and thoroughly prepare
for military service the new recruits,
of which there is always a. large num-
Der at Cubitas awaiting to be provided
with rifles.
Thus the traveller will not feel adj
miration only for the self-denial and
courage of these heroic men whose
life is devoted to the sacred cause of
the independence of their country.
He will not fail to remark at seeing
them SO orderly engaged upon their
different tasks that they we'll deserve
to have their "Whlte House" trans
ferred to the Havana Government
Palace.
There are in Cubitas several smith
and carpenter shops where the
patriots guns are repaired, tan-yards
and harness factories, and in a hut,
far apart from the rest, gunpowder is
made from the guano gathered in the
famous.caverns with which the Cubltas
mountains are so abundant, and the
empty cartridges picked up at the
battlefelds are reflled, to be sent, as
good and useful as if they were new,
to the army in operation.
Another bohio, built with extreme
care, larger than any of the others, is
used rs hospital for the wounded and
sick, under the direction of eminent
Cuban physicians, with the assistance
of some of the women Of that patriotic
colony who volunteer to act as angels
Of charity in the wild solitude.
From impression to impression, the
traveller at last is taken into the Presi-
Dental bohio, where he is kindly well
coined by citizen Salvador Cisneros, a
gentleman who once bore the title of
Marquis de Santa Lucia, and who left
the luxuries and comforts of his home,
as we'll as honors, riches and personal
conveniences, to represent in Cubltes
the noble and democratic aspirations
of his country, firmly determined to
shake off the Spanish yoke.
Weekly.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

York, with the result that 800 were
ordered at once, and the following
day instructions we're received to
double the order. This was the first
lot of good pampas plumes sent from
| California to the East. There are now
nearly 1000, 900 plumes harvested
each year, 1000, 900 of which are
raised in Santa Barbara County. Mr..
Sexton has 5000 hills of the grass, and
sometimes raises a crop OF 2oo,oOo
plumes. There are several other large
plantations in the county.
The plants are set ten by sixteen
feet apart in good valley land, which
has been plowed deep and cultivated.
Owing to the unreliability of the seed
the grass is p~ropagated by dividing
the roots of the best female plants,
choosing the younger hills or the out
side roots of old hills-the center
roots being nearly worthless. One
hill will make six good plants. There
will be q few small plumes the first
year. The hills often measure sixteen
feet across, and will produce from
seventy-fve to $50 plumes the second
and third years; atterward the num-
Der will be smaller, but the quality
will be as good or better. ALI dead
portions of the plant are trimmed or
burned away. In Santa Barbara, no
irrigation is necessary, as water lies
neal the surface of the ground.
Early in September the grass, which
cuts like a knife unless it is carefully
handled, is trimmed, SO as to facill-
tate the gathering of the crop, and
when the plumes begin to burst from
their coverings it is the signal for
great activity on large plantations. A
laboring force sufficient to handle the
plumes as they reach the required
state each day is engaged, and the
harvest is finished within four weeks.
After the sheaths or husks have been
removed, the plumes are laid upon
the ground in az open sunny spot,
and kept there for three days and two
nights. They are next packed away
smoothly on wide shelves in sheds, to
remain for ten days OF two weeks. I'M
til the stems are thoroughly dried. In
preparing them for shipment, three
grades are made-the best grade meas
uring from thirty to thirty-six inches
in length If they are to go by ex-
press they are packed in bales of 1000
plumes, covered with burlap and pro-
tected with wood at the n For
freight, boxes holding about 5000
plumes are used. When they are care
laid, no harm results from tight
packing,a as the plumes can be restored
to their original beauty by exposure
to the sun and a gentle shaking.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

From all that sealing experts say, it
is high time that the Cog srnmsr B'aco
stirred itself in the Beemg sea matter,
for the seal-poache1s every season are
slowly but surely discriminating the
remnant of the great herds that once
swarmed in thousands over the Priby-
Low Islands. Competent judges de-
clare that four years more under the
present loose regulation will see the
fur seal almost as extinct as the buff
falo.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

Henry Labouchere aid eighteen
other members of the J ritish Parlia-
ment have issued a manifesto an
nouncing the formation of an extreme
radical party which will devote itself
to the dissemination of its principles
through the country, the extermina-
ton of the House of Lords and the
ultimate abolition of all that the
House of Lords stands fe..
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

According to Harold frederic, the
dear old London Daily News, in its
cable dispatch on the morning of the
st. Louis Il a has dgeont n. achieved one
very -E1ndqr-it an
noraLa candidature de BY :don+ M,
nILcnsas considerables, celia
george mas Ozark Hanna, qui c'dded
that he is "a hoDe Mckinley ffsey."
What "a hobart" is,Gor how rutys IT. Jersey
kind differs from others, the News did
not explain. A letter was written to
the editor, ingenuously begging infor.
nation on this point, but it failed to
get into type.
The Opelousas courier., 1896-10-03

1t is estimated that it will cost the
railways of the United States about
$50, 00O, 900 to comply with the pro-
visions Of the federal statute requiring
them to equip their trains with safety
appliances. The law affects only tlllae
railroads which are engaged in ihp
state commerce, but this classificatNssu
Of course, includes all the i~mpo,taSss
lines in the country. While tie COZ
OF compliance with this act will be
enormous the railroads win ind q
great element of compensation in re-
diced damages for accidents. The
frightful loss OF life and the enormous
number Of persons who are crippled in
railway service caused the passage Of
this act. The record is terrible in.
deed. From 1883 to 1894 over
l6. 900 railway employees in this coun-
Try were killed in the discharge Of
their duty, and the numbsfscof those
crippled and injured reachedS 72, 900.
While the safety equipment law .5ss
not go into effect antil Japr
1898, many Of the railroad Of the
country have already in large measure
complied with its provisionS The eff
fect Of increased use of safety appli-
snces is seen in the greatly reduced
number Of deaths and casualties. In
1898 the number Of employees killed
y railroads was 2, 727, and in 1894
he number va only 1.82s.