davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28

Here is a fine field for the cumulative
sto-y-teller, for the difference in the length
of steps varies much. In China the ii
(smal) is 1856 inches, and the small-footed
woman's pedalic, exploits can be individu-
ally described with not more than ten lis.
In Cochin China the women may step
one throc, or 1872 inches, at one time. In
Denmark the woman who can step off
three fods, or 3.06 feet, is wonder. The
Abyssinian woman strides about one pic,
or 2S.6 inches. In Baden a step means two
fuses, the fuss being 81 inches long.
At the Cape of Good Hope the foot is only
Ii. GIG inches long. Estimating the aver
age length OF women's steps all over the
globe at two feet ana mems at two and
a half feet, the figures for one day run like
this:
739, 9,S5S,99o women take 1893, go, $50, 100
steps.
739, ,S5S, $3.50 men take 1889. .soe, ,o24, $50
steps.
Total daily steps, 4 9S3, 176, 707, ,75o.
Allowing that each step means rise of
the sole three inches, the total pile of
daily footsteps would amount to 4,949,-
$50, ,133, $50 inches, or 1245, 795, ,010 254 feet,
or 235, 945. .835 miles. Pile up these steps for
thirty years, an average life, and they
would reach distance of 1888, 139, 1893, $50
miles. This reminds one that it is just as
well to tell good story while about it.
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28

The midhour of night, as a rule, is the
accepted time and a dimly lighted top
floor back room in gloomy tenement a
favorite place for uncanny happenings.
These essential elements were present.
Time, place and occurrence were in keep
ing one with another. Hues, the ar tist,
occupied a top-foor rear apartment. He
was crippled with rheumatism, doubled
up in manner painful to behold; bound
hand and foot as it were by the malady
which had made him its victim. He was
alone, moreover, and l had given his
sorry plight many a thought during the
day. Ny last sketch for the night fin
ished l fastened away from the artroom
of the morning newspaper and was soon
afterward in the presence of my friend
Hues.
Great God, I'm starvedp p he cried as
I entered the door after feeling my way
through blackness up three fights of
stairs. "Here 1 am chained up by this &C
cursed ailment, can't move limb and
haven't touched food for a day."
"Too bad, old boy" said I, "and I'll
rush up supper for you"
''Just coffee now, please" was the sick
mans request. Stumbling blindly down
the dark stairway, l was soon in the res
taurant A stimulant, l thought, couldn't
be bad thing for Hues; so 1 purchased
quart bottle of whisky, which buried in
an inside pocket of my greatcoat, and,
being supplied with a steaming cup of
coffee, wended my way carefully back to
the sufferer. Hues sipped the hot bever-
age and seemed much relieved. Then
drew ont the whisky
"Ah! thanks" said Hues, "a rubbing
with some of that liquor will benefit nv
limbs, 1 believe"
Harkl wasn't that groan Of agony from
the hallway? 1 grasped the candlestick
from the table and started for the door:
but l stopped like one shot, as ghostly
form swelled up out OF the shadow and
confronted me.
"0h, my heartp' gasped the form. 1t
was the great, tall frame of a man. He
had a knotted grizzly beard and long gray
hair pushed back from his forehead. His
mouth was wide open as if to draw into
his lungs all the air possible, and his look
of dire distress is indeIibly stamped on my
memory.
Trembling, [ stood with the candle in
one hand; the bottle of whisky in the
other. The CHASTITY figure caught sight of
the bottle. He seemed to have lost his
speech. His eyes rolled, his jaws moved
from side to side; he extended hand
toward the bottle, while with the other
hand he motioned in the direction of his
chasm-Iike mouth.
Setting down the candle uncorked the
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28

There is no need of drowning simply be-
cause you happen to fall overheard. Keep
cool, have little confidence in yourself,
follow these few and simple directions, and
you may float safely till help arrives, no
matter how long the coming. Ali this,
within reason, of course. ii assistance
does not come to you before you die of
starvation, certainly you will not be saved.
A collateral truth IS that you must be
gifted with enough physical endurance to
remain in this natural and easy position
until the help arrives. If you lose your
wits. however, and begin to struggle, you
will drown as sure as the law of gravity
prevails.
Not long ago, in New York, the body of
a man was hshed out of East River and
taken to the morgue as dead. Evidently
the body had been in the water for many
hours, and you can imagine the astonish-
ment of every one when the apparent
corpse showed signs of returning conscious
ness and eventually sat up and began to
talk. This remarkable occurrence led the
Pittsburg Dispatch to take up the matter
and treat it from scien tific standpoint.
Samuel Cochran was the name of the
man who so miraculously escaped drown
ing. One of the authorities cited in the
matter says:
"Cockran's case is by no means as
peculiar as it would seem al first thought,
and is in no way mysterious when few
scientific principles are understood.
There is no manner of calculating how
soon a body will sink, and no absolute
certainty OF telling how long body has
been IN the water. 1t is all a matter of
guesswork. AS a general rule a human
body is Of about the same weight as the
water OF the river. In other words, the
specific gravity of the body is equal to the
bulk of water which it displaces. | say
about equal for there are conditions
which make this wise-the tide at
times affects the water of the river, while
stout people, with small bones, are n uch
lighter than lean. large-boned people.
Taking the general rule without the con-
ditions, then, body will rarely ever sink
of its own accord
"How is it, then, that people who fall
into the water are usually drowned ?"
"That is entirely due to the struggles of
the person in the water. The bulk of
water displacement and the gravity of
bodies are so nicely balanced that the
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
SHE WIS BORN in 1900

band Simon, aged 81, resident of Illinois,
is the only surviving one.
Mrs. Aldrich, although lacking less
than four years of being a centenarian,
appears to be scarcely more than so. She
was of medium size in her younger years,
but old age has somewhat wfthered her
form, but without leaving many wrinkles
on her clear-cut face. Her mind is won
derfully clear and her sight and hearing
good.
Her statements in conversation are ex-
ceedingly clear, and witty remark dropped
by the venerable woman now and then
brings a smile to the face of her son and
surprise to the interviewer,
''Yes, remember the war of 1872" she
said. MY brother was drafted for that
war, but he couldn't go, and so another
brother went.
"We raised fax in those days and spun
our own cloth. We didn't have all the
machinery of to-day, but will say that
people had some sense to get up the
machinery. Even if we had had machines
then we couldn't have run them so glib
as they do now. And bicyclesl don't
think | could ride one of them. They
may be all right for men, and I've heard
tell that man can ride bicycle up hill.
Lawsl
Eyes. knew Daniel Webster-and he
could drink brandy, too. His farm wasn't
so very far from our town, right jinin',
you mi ht say. He was rather shortish
and th1ckset, and lawsl what speeches he
could make. l never saw any of the other
public men OF those days, but many's the
time I've heard of them. They're all dead
now l suppose"
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
Il CURIOUS SCIENCE

| Among the curious sciences of the day
psychometry holds quite prominent posi-
ton. According to the students of oc-
cultism, there is nothing called into ex-
istence without making a permanent
record of its presence, even such an in
tangible thing as thought or posture
leaving such an impress on nature that it
can be recognized thousands of years aft
rerwad. 1t is asserted that surrounding
the earth there is vast tenacious mass of
substance, invisible TO ordinary sight,
known as the astral light. This is
said to become visible when there
is certain psychic development
in the observer. 1t appears as a
white or starry light, hence it is termed
astral. The statement is made that this
light preserves a Photographic character,
and that every event that occurs on earth
is caught on this sensitive plate of ma
ture and recorded there, so that it may be
observed and read by those able to explore
that plane. Not only are objects and
events recorded here but also all thoughts
and ideas.
Every one who is at all clairvoyant
makes his psychic observations IN this
astral light but for the psychometer there
is a still further process, for he asserts that
the astral light also rephotographs the
pictures within every molecule of physical
matter that happens to be in the neigh
borhood. Whether this theory can be
scientifically verified at the present time,
it at least offers reasonable working
hypothesis for the experiments made by
psychometers.
A psychometer will take piece of stone,
for instance, and placing it to his forehead
will see and describe all the events, cover
ing thousands of years, that occurred in
the vicinity of that stone. Or by fixing
his mind on certain place he can come
en- rapport with it and trace the past his
tory of that locality to an almost illimita-
BILE extent
Unfortunately the psychometer some-
times gets mixed up in his surroundings,
so unless collateral testimony can be OBJ
tanned his observations are not always
trustworthy. Nevertheless, it seems an
i'm portant branch of study for those who
possess the peculiar fitness for its pursuit.
and many curious facts have been cleaned
by it regarding the past.
A Chicago psychometer in 1867 took
piece Ol IOCk IAdI ndQ Deeil picked uD at
Columbia, Tuolumne County, Cal, near
the Stanislaus River, and placing it 20 his
forehead he saw herd of twenty large
elephants running along path in the
woods occasionally twining their trunks
around small trees and pulling them up
by the roots. The psychometer gave the
following description: Now they are at
the water drinking. A great alligator
comes out of the water and with omen
mouth runs at one OF the elephants. The
hits him on the head with his
trunk and the alligator crawls off. Now 1
see Indians sticking spears into the ele-
plants. They have killed number now,
but the elephants are still running.
Why there was a tremendous noise
Just then underground The trees bend
over; the elephants rum the ground is
l see it heave nearly like the
ocean. A good many trees have fallen
the rotten ones. Now another shock-a
hard one. One elephant fell down. The
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28

There Is woman in San Diego whose
memory takes her back to the days when
this Nation was young-when Jefferson
and Hamilton and Adams and Lafayette
were at the pinnacle of their greatness,
and when the Father of His Country was
talked alb ut as just having gone to his
eternal rest. She is Mrs. Lovey Aldrich,
who was SO years old on March 90 last.
With her youngest son, Edwin G. Aldrich,
who is gray-haired man of Sc, and his
wife, Mrs. AIdrich, she lives at 91S E
street.
Mrs. Aldrich is the widow of RevoIu-
tionary soldier, Caleb Aldrich and on the
records of the Government at Washington
be is set down as having been "a private
of the Rhode Island Line of War, 1776."
He fought against the British under Wash
ington, and there is naught to show that
he was not a valiant warrior.
Mr.. Aldr1ch was born in 1862 and had
buried three wives when he married the
present Mrs. Aldrich in 1888. She was
then 33 years old and had four little chill
dren, being the widow of Taylor Clark, to
whom she was married in 1921. Mr.. Clark
was a private in the New Hampshire line
of infantry and fought in the war of 1872.
After his marriage to Mrs. Clark he lived
at Sanbornton, N. H., until 1923, when he
died. Alter her marriage in 1888 to Caleb
Aldrich the family lived at Sanbornton
until 1849, when they removed to Hill
village, n. H., and it was there that Mr.
Aldrich died October 5 of that year. Ed
win G. Aldrich of San Diego was the only
issue of the second marriage. OF the four
children of Mrs. Aldrich by her first hus-
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
THE MODERN CUMUL4TIVE STORY

travels in the United States varies from
20 of one mile. on the average, in New
York city, to 24.29 miles in Sioux City, Ia.
There are only seventy five feet of fire.
mems ladders at Omaha and 1000 feet in
New York City.
Professor Walton waltzed sixteen hours
consecutlvely at New York.
Kicks at "St. Valentine" day bricks are
placed at 100000 per annum, but this is
only guess.
While the width of sidewalks at Mil
waukee is twenty seven feet the town is
full OF breweries. Taunton has only six
foot sidewalks, but there are sixty miles
of shade trees and 800 street lampposts
along the edges of the walks.
However, it is best to sweep aside all
difficulties and make bold estimates, for
the reader will like it just as well, and it is
easier to do that way. Here is the result:
There are 739, 1856, $3.50 of the female sex
on earth. These figures are reached by
dividing the total population by two, the
idea being to give the women an equal
chance with men. Of these, 10 per cent
may be babies unable TO walk, but they
have to be walked with, and so they keep
up the average. The Chinese women
number about 200 100000 and the Turks
20, 100000, and they don't walk much, but
their civilized sisters "window shop"
enough to offset the Mongolian and Mo-
hammedan inactivity. Moreover, the
women in many parts of the earth still do
all the "hustling" for the family and that
surely squares the account. There are
739, S5S, 800 men, including mandarins and
street-corner statues" Their mileage
will also be averaged on the basis of the
activity of fair type. Here is a rough
computation per diem:
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
woMEN.

Got breakfast, 1a mile.
Forenoon work, 4 miles.
Afternoon calls, 2 miles.
Window shopped, IL
miles.
Got dinner, l mile.
Walked with baby, l rod.
Total for day, 1919 miles
and ] ROD.
The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
MEN.

Walked to brea kfast, 25
feet.
Walked to streetcar, 200
feet.
| W alked to business
headquarters, $50 feet.
Walked Turing forenoon,
1000 feet.
Walked to lunch, 500
feet.
Walked back, 500 feet.
Walked out for cigars,
etc., 2000 feet.
w alked to streetcar, $50
feet.
Walked from streetcar
TO house, 200 feet.
Bicycle ride. 10 miles.
Walked with baby, 1914
miles.
Total for day, about "a
miles.
The Lamar register., 1896-12-12
TRUSTEES SALE

WHEREAS John i, Gerry. b. hts deed 0f
w trl-t dated ostglgnr 4, isl3, and duly re-
..,rtiS y, ~, elsifsv n prougirs ana sfatss 81
Colorado. October - isal IN t-luk 81 T. D.,
thn county uf Pre5gsas and state of Colorado.
te-Fit: Iiie s'Hss half ug the southwest quarter
Of section one IN is1synsiiip t~sntY 1.-TWO Ill
soatii Of range toct4siG ittl west Of sixth pFtn-
e5Ial meri, ,lian. ceatasnlns ~ acres. uqre
70 a full paid perpetId water right the la
Iunfa and Lamar caual. used fnv Irrigation ~
above d=cri i tagld IN trust % secure the pay
n4ent ~ his prunlissnrF uote for tho sum uf
thausanh l9igaij dftiiars dated Ortubrr =. ia--
aud payable the order pf the Colorado srctEr-
titles company On the Ist day Of September, is7.
tosetller with Interest tltrrfon suii-nn ually.
as shown by ten essppons Of $40 each uttHcbed
aeHisi nofa and r.ayztbls raspr.ffvt.ly On the
first dafs % MARCH, tnd September Of each year,
With iufdrfst on safii coupon notes nt the rate
Nhefsss said decd of trust provides that in
case n dsftuit ii the payment - said note, or
ans interest thereon, or any part thereof. then
Il Shall bc lawful for tlle said frdstcc. ar lie
successor 20 trust, 70 sell the said premises, OF
ton ST to said Ishu r Ciirry t6orrin Il pubIc
aurtiun. for cash. a. provided in ssid deed Of
Wisre.ls. it is provided in and by said deed
of trnst that ia case OF the death, inability gr
trustee. at any time when action may be
qtiircd Tor ths execution ut The trusts under
said decd of TRUST. tieh tlip egl hn!der Of said
note may ~ wrtting duly aeSnowigdsecd, az
point successor in trust % the said Henry !.
Whereas, the said HeHFy J. Allriri Is absent
from tie state nf l'alorntio, and unable 10 act,
aud the legal holder of said mote hos hy writ
ing duly appointed the undersisncd a trustee
to act a. successor pf said Henry J. Aldrich, eis
recorded ia the office Of the county clerk and
recorder of tho county Of Pr0wers and state Of
Colorado; and
Whereas. default has been made in the pay
meat of the iptcrssf due March !. 1856 and all
subsequent interest, and the legal holder Of
snid fat, has declared the whole of said princi-
RAJ snrn and interest due and payable, and has
rea,fested a saie OF said premises under said
deed tsf trust.
Vow. therefore. the undersigned. as such
trustee, will on Tuesday, the Zqth day Of De-
cesnber 1870. at ten o'clock in the forenoon. at
fhe Fremont street front door Of thecourt house
IN the city Of Denver, Arapahoc county. lolo-
ado sell the above described property and all
water rights or interests appertaining thereto
aud 10 aud by said decd of trust conveyed.
HARRY G. DAVIS.
Successor in Trust.
First publication NoE. ., 1875,
Last publication Dec. 20 1896
The Lamar register., 1896-12-12
His wife WAS sharp.

They had been talking Of the sharp
gaines played on the innocent people
by sharp men, when Green looked up
aud said:
"Gentlemeu, don't brag about
my wife being sharper than razor,
bnt III tell you what I'll dc. I'll
write a note, sign il with my own
name, and ask her 70 deliver my sun
day suit 70 bearer for repairs. You
may send it up to the house. and I'll
bet you i've dollars that she'll be too
sharp to let the clothes GO
.We'll take that bet" called two
or three voices at once, and there
baing i've Of them altogether. they
each chipped in one dollar and took
the bet.
Green Wrote the note and signed
it as agreed, and it was dispatched
by messenger hoy In about half
an honr he returned, empty handed
as to clothes, but having note,
which read.
'.Come Oh the porch. All the
clothes you have in the world are on
your back
"Gentlemen.1 said the winner, as
be pockesed the FIVE dollars, ''let me
r+commond it to you as something
which always wins, and as / have an
engagement to meet man at 3
o'clock. l will now bid you good day"
Exchange.
The Lamar register., 1896-12-12
mo Extreme Of Apathy.

1t was in one Of those rural com
muuities which arr periodically
aroused to spch a high pitch ot ex
citement over a possible change in the
postofllee.
@Who IS that man sitting on the
cracker box there" was asked by the
stranger
-That's 81 Jenkins He's the iaz
lest man in the town." replied a ma
tive.
Lazy, is her
Il should say So Why, do you
know that felier Is too doggone in
doleut to even run fur office ~ Amer.
lean Industries.
The Lamar register., 1896-12-12
rRusrrEs ~

MTHEREAS. Eiwyn NJ Slater bg HE deed II
w trust. iintefi the 18th day q August l7' aui'
dSalyreeorsed "a thse ei.ce II tic en'intl gits = q
rscs,nieT, in the eoani} q Provo. ai.d s'it'' -
Colorado, the .th iat Gt AuEglrt- j. 2 ~ ai1 .
page 9l,,couvs3 ei 10 henfy = M1ueh, O. trasi'-
the following de=erlhet feal estate s4t2A-e Y ~
rs5uuty of PnlseFs aud lnse af tulaTatisl. 70
Wit Bio south hsifl1 - uurfhrAst gtiasttrt : 2
ii section seleH;eea III iu tosfusblp swsuis'
eipdihg an water fisl.ts and lriyiir2es toe,tttf
with one water rlsht from tiie AgAansa- httEF
cenyeFins 0ue and sLiea Cubic feet ~ water iaer
sccund Of tlmH diced iseiug rQcrfti'A t- NH-itA
y Pase eza. m trust y seraFs re "a
n ONE th1usaad tS5sgl dnliar-. tntea Aas q
5tii, tss9, aud I,ayabte 60 TIE "f,ier ~ z g.
of August lsli. toEsther with iBtcrsst fHers'sg
sgFni-Hunually, as stsnNu b3 Tea c.51Ef''3s 81
tluYfy $500 doliarr each, attached tn
days ul tupruRiy and Ausu~t % c4ch Nelaf, sgitii
Interest On said clugsfi pots ~ the rate 81 -7a
Whereas. satd dresio II trt=f prgsielrs tA1f o.
case Of driAuit ia tlte payment ~ slla p8aes uF
asy Interest uirre2a or ans isst tils'f,-'tr il51a
essor ia trust, 60 -li the -ntt iaTsslist 90 i8y
part thereof, aist all right tutl nguTiy q rfai,
ttop % thr said Eiwgu NsslStrr, sls l.zl-s sH'.
assigns tba-pfn al Eublie auction tUr cash, ara
" Nhcrsa- it T. provided iu and nE sf5s ss'71l at
truss ti.aI % eats e tha ge45iF tnh1.Llh = q.
fct ~ ans tlnta ajian action ,1ty h. fblret sI'
Tie cECcgtita e the tEi5sts uusirr saiA "F'A so
writing duif ae sIloa llsiarli, aFfaatEt q slfcaasf
81 trust ts fllr said HrUrI J. Atir.rhs esd
Nharras, tho zuti Hfury j. AtItElaEl r. sL7s-l.
fFltu the state - tntuFldU Hai aa8Hin rH HE-i.
and tho iaslsl hulsicF - tlt said nate aas. BY
ayitiuE, duiy 6puulEtsd tsH uu1rTsE51.-A %
trustee ~ aCs a. slur1e-ur ut said Henri j. 80.
Irigt, a. rcrottisli IA th0 ol.l-H ut t.Hs GalUEE
clerk aui rssoEdarHf Puwyr caunIy aRa aEalr
uf AulufadUE nud
WhrrusH dafaQil has brgn us1alr H fhn pay
ui+sHt o. size principal 20 slTt Iffft H &c -lEe-
dur August let, fsa, nnd Az l-trrasf rEt=
ssIuput tiisrutsi- aEl uu part - HE- raa o.
has tetg uaid. aud Eisa LEGAL lnl.iFT pc saai IH
uns declared thr whole aa -1ua Iarln7rEaa a1sal
anil luteruzt disc ard iyHisle end Hs4 rtalEsEE
sole OF said 4zrslI5ssaz ulrT aaai aaal 7l rzEa-.
NoV llergt1ras ght. uul.isErislI. a.. r1l1ll Eil7-
i5a, WiN on HUAlay, DFesuil17r s.sf last - f.1l
l'riuck in tie fisH ulsr, ar tilr ut irHa5 a7aa-
= rta euuFt h1usn. ia tAis ruAa - LHuIlF taEal
srs cuunty. altsEAdo atl Tl1p 1ip1Er latsEf5 bad
sFaferty ami uMtgg rtriIss ai, iuElresfs gfEus-
tahiuE th1rrtu. auJl al the tiEEl, tfthe fslFti ID
snd tlulf3 - redemption - fhH said t5luyu ~.
-l1taF hts lgiEs and uss iE=, iuF tla hll.sst nA
best pIicr The same ail 1fIHlg De- C1HH fur sh1
qurpa-s 10 psFruE aid uutu and y ElffEFat .i1Ia
Tharo,in up - tl1ae ~ sale tugsfLrr VITA tlsr
costs Aui sHFfEso- oi rEncutius tHH tEusE
&C. tflIuALE-
Successor 20 Erusf E1d Nov t-1s=rs
Date 81 0rst put5irafiUaa NvrrubEr ~. fsa1-
Dste ~ last g1hlEcA2iaa bur1mbgr d. l7zss