davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
SAVED BY HER PET.

Little Mary Walsh lived in the country.
II have the funniest pet for You tn at
ever you saw" said her papa one evenin g
as she was coming from school,
"What can it be" she wondered.
"Come with me to the barn, and you
shall see." said her papa.
The ''pet" was in little box al by it.
self And what do you suppose it was?
1t was u very small pig.
mot very nice pet after all" thought
Mary the first time she saw it.
But she pitiei it because it had no
mother to care for It, And strange as 1t
may seem, there came day when piggy
saved Msry's life. l will tell you how
It happened, for doubt II you could ever
guess how a creature SO senseless and
selfish as piggy could save little g,r's
life.
In the first place, every morning before
school and every evening after school,
Mary would feed piggy, who was very
fonl of milk. Piggy soon lelrnei to
slueal and grunt in great glee when he
would spy her coming with her bright
little pail. Mary was sure he loved her.
But her papa thought piggy was only
rluttOi, WIN lihCi indh DCltCt tluu uC
liked his kind, young mistress. No
matter which was right, it Is certain that
when he was allowed to run at large,
piggy would follow Mary about like
dog. every time she carried pail. Few
pigs were fed so well as piggy. In q few
weeks he grew so fat that Mr.. Chaup, the
butcher, wanted to buy him. Mary hal
never admired Mr.. Chaup, and she liked
him still less when he called her piggy q
hog. Her tears saved piggy's life.
One day Mary went out for blackberries.
OF course she carried her pail. and, of
course, piggy followed her. He squealed
SO loudly that Mary had to let him look
into the pail to show him there was no
milk In it. Even then he did not seem to
feel sure that his eyes were telling him
the truth.
Mary went out into the thicket where
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
HOW TIproEs CARRIED LIE TIER.

Little Mary and her kitten Tiptocs were
very fond Of each other. and when Mary
had to be sent TO her uncle's, four miles
away from home, to attend school, one of
the hardest things for her tc do was to
part with kitty.
A few days after she had left home, as
she was walking slowly toward school
one morning, what should she see in the
road few feet from her but Tiptoes,
trotting straight toward her uncles house.
She ran and caught her up in her arms,
and laughed and almost cried at the same
time.
But this was not the strangest part of
what Tiptoes did, for kittens often find
their way over long distances. When
Mary returned from school that night she
wrote a letter to her mamma. telling her
OF the kittens adventure, and then tie
the letter with a ribbon around Tiptoes
neck and told her that she must 90 back
home and carry the letter to mamma.
And what do you suppose, for this is a
true story?
A few days later Mary received letter
through the mail from mamma, saying
that Tiptoes had come home and dslivered
the letter safely.
Now don't you think that Mary has
reason to think Tiptoes pretty smart
catp
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
A MUsIo-LovING RABBIT.

Alice was acquiring habit of whistling
while working on the prairie just outside
OF her sod house She could viii stle very
sweetly, too, which was something of an
excuse for the habit.
One day, while in the midst of her
whistlilg and picking up corncobs. she
happened to glance towards the corn.feld
that was only few rods from the house,
and was very much amused to discover a
jack-rabbit peeping at her from behind a
corn-stalk.
She stopped her work, and at the same
time her whistling, TO watch the funny
looking little fellow; and he, just as soon
as the whistling had ceased, became terri
fed at having attracted her attention, and.
bounding away, quickly disappeared
from view.
Alice again began to whistle, merely as
an experiment, and presently the long
ears pointed at her from behind another
corn-stalk. She went on whistliDg, and
the foolish little animal became so reck-
less that he hoped from behind the corn
stalk into full view. Sle then whistled
her sweetest, an he came a few feet
nearer. She suddenly stopped. and after
a lev ihOmCuts VI uoICi iuuSSiSiOu, tuC
timid creature began hopping back to the
corn-feld as fast as he could go. Sud-
denly, though, she beIan with some
sweet bird notes. and when he heard the
whistling again, the little animal stopped
on the instant, as though she had trans
fixed him with spear.
The amused experimental continued
these sweet notes with variations, and the
fascinated animal, by degrees, came
nearer and nearer until within few feet
of the charmer, and there he sat upon his
launches, literally 'all ears" gazing at
the whistler ENHANCED. his long ears stick
ing straight up in the air, as il he wished
to catch every note.
Alice kept up the whistling until she
was out of breath, and when she stopped
the funny little creature again looked
dazed. AMI seemed quite I'm iecided as to
what he should do; then, coming back to
his senses, I've was seized with sudden
panic, an casting around him terrified
glance. nude long, hestating leaps for
the corn field. W Iere he dashed into the
shelter of the shady stalks and quickly
vanished once more from her sight
After that, whenever Alice felt lone
some and wanted to see the jack rabbit,
all she ha / to do was TO whistle for him;
and it was not long before he began to
listen for her SUNNI ons, while he peerei
cautiously from behind corn.s,ak on
the very edge of the field.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
THE YOUNG FOLKS.
A QUEER LITTLE HEN.

Therc was once little brown hen,
A dear little, queer little hen,
Her work was to lay
just one egg every day;
And she did 1t, this good little hen.
She'd fly up In tree, and right then,
Seated high on a branch. this queer hen,
Her egg she would lay,
Her one egg every day,
This good little. queer little hen.
Twas strange thing to do, ! must say,
Lay an egg from tree every day.
And what good was the egg p
Just tell that, beg
That fell from tree In that way?
But some people do things just as queer;
know It; I've seen 1t, my dear.
They have good thought,
But 1t just comes to naught;
From the wrong place they drop 1t, my
dear.
There's lesson for you and for me
From the hen that laid eggs in tree.
II we do right thing,
IL good tho light we bring.
Let's not choose wrong place, you and me.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
HOW TO KILL ELM BEETLES.

Professor John b. Smith, the ento-
mologist of the New Jersey State Ex-
pertinent Station, connected with Rut-
gers College, at New Brunswick, n. j.,
has devoted great deal of time to the
subject Of elm beetles and how to ex-
terminate them. The ravages of these
insects have caused widespread regret
in various parts Of New Jersey, New
York and Connecticut, particularly
New Haven, over the destruction of
hundreds of noble elm trees, and Pro
fessor Smith was particularly busy last
season explaining his experiments and
advising precautions against the in
sects.
He has found that the pests are vul-
nerable to stomach poisons, and he
makes his exterminatOr on the follow
ing formula: One pound Of Paris green
or London purple, mixed with 80 gal
Ions of water; add q sufficient quantity
of stone or shell lime, n pound for each
pound Of the poison; in order to give
better adhesive qualities, add two
quarts Of glucose, or thick mOlasses, to
every VI iii-NtuiCy w hCh IhC
water and lime have come to the boil
ing point. put in the poisons. This for
mula will have no bad effect upon the
trees, for the soluble arsenic is neutral
lied Ivy the lime Another extermina-
tor prepared by the professor is: Lead
acetate, IL ounces; Sodium arsenite, 4
ounces, in 100 gallons of water; add
adhesives to the mixtures as before;
thoroughly stir and apply.
The cheapness Of these preventives
and exterminators is remarkable. A
hundred gallons Of the first formula,
which will thorough spray four large
elm trees. cost about fifteen cents. Ar
semitic Of soda in the second mixture
may be obtained at about eight cents
a pound and the acetate of lead at four
teen cents pound.
One of Professor Smiths contempt
raries has recommended an emulsion
Of kerosene as a remedy. This he de-
clares ineffective because non-poison-
ous.-Scientific American.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11

Designed for Use on Southern Railways
Where Weeds Grow DenseIy.

Designed for Use on Southern Railways
Where Weeds Grow DenssIy.
Weeds often grow 50 high along the
railroad tracks In the South that they
interfere with the running Of trains.
The roadbeds of many OF the smaller
lines are not covered with cinders or
stones and the weeds grows as high
beside the tracks as they do In the
open fields. This often makes 1t neces-
sary for the crop of weeds to be moved
every summer.
One Of the singfe-track lines down on.
the Delaware Peninsula ceases running
trains for two weeks every summer
while the employees NOW passage
for the trains.
An electrical weed-killer, which will
destroy weeds by the wholesale IL
about to be introduced on some Of
those lines. The new invention will run
at express train speed and cut down
every bit Of vegetation on or near the
tracks. Wedding has always been con-
sidered very hard work, but with the
aid Of the electrical weeder a man has
only to touch button and the weeds
vanish.
The plan Of the railroad weeder IL
simple. An ordinary fat car Is equip
ped with metal brushes which extend
out over each side Of the car. Their
height is regulated so that they will
brush the top Of the weeds as the car
moves along. A dynamo on the car,
run while the train is in motion, Is con-
nccted with the metallic brushes,
which receive the full force Of the cur
rent. The circuit is then grounded
through the wheels to the track.
When the current is turned on 1t
passes through the metal brushes
through the weeds to the ground, thus
completing the circuit. The current is
so powerful that the weeds, which
serve as conductor, are instantly
shrivelled up. 1t is necessary to wet
the weeds in order to make them good
electrical conductors, so the mowers
wait until after rain.
The electrical weeder does its work
more cleanly and more thoroughly
than any moving machine for the
weeds are literally burned up. When
they are cut off they soon sprout up
again, but after they have been
touched by the electric current they
are destroyed down to the ends Of
their roots.-New York World.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11

redstart was constantly teasing fos
something to eat, and, like most moth
ers, the redstart was just wearying her
self into the grave trying to supply the
demand. Then came the kindly hand
Of a good-hearted and wholly unselfish
neighbor to help her. A jolly bachelor
OF chestnut sided warbler heard the
bay cry and saw the WEAKNESS Of the
overworked mother, and he fiuttered
his wing at the thought that here was a
chance to be courteous to one of the
other sex, without any one being able
to say that he had an Interior purpose
in the kindly attentions he might give
her.
Gathering goodly worm, the bach
elor carried 1t to the baby. AT first the
poor widow didn't know about that.
She might be without her natural pro-
tector, but no meddling stranger need
think her unable to take care of herself
end little one; and she made some pref
ty harsh remarks to the chestnut-sfded
warbler. But he, good fellow, did not
mind that. He would have taken the
baby in his arms and walked up and
down to soothe II, had that been the
fashion with baby birds; but, as 1t was,
he kept on bringing worms and other
things until even pert little Mrs. Red
start was Gained into peaceful state
OF mind and, the baby being satisfied,
was able to smooth out her much rum
pied skirts and attend to the gloss Of
her acknowledgements breast and
arms. 1t was a most charming little ep-
isolde in bird society.-The Chautau-
IMAM
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
Tons of Honey In a Rock.

On Elk Mountain, Susquehanna
county, Pennsylvania, a few miles
from the Jefferson branch of the Erie
Railroad, there Is an extraordinary
lot of wild honey. The hive is located
in n rift, which penetrates the rocks
probably to depth of 100 feet The
orifice Is thirty feet long and seventeen
feet wide. The rift was discovered to
be the abiding place Of a huge swarm
Of bees, which flies in a close column,
one foot in diameter.
Many persons have tried to get to
the honey stored by the bees, but were
invariably driven back. One man.
three years ago, nearly lost his life In
the attempt. Others have built a scat
fold, 125 feet high, In the hope Of
reaching n place whence they vainly
tried to run tube into the hoard of
sweets and extract little. Within
four years the bees have added prob
ably not less than fifteen feet Of honey
to their treasure. 1t is thought that
there are several tons of honey In the
rock.
A man named Duncan, who lives In
a cabin, not far from the spot, each
summer obtains from the rock, by the
suns heat. more than enough for his
family. All through that region, the
second highest point in Pennsylvania,
wild honey is found In cracks of
rocks.-New York Press.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
Utilizing an EIk's va'or.

During the last two or three years
wolves have, without doubt, increased
considerably in Norway, says the Pail
Mall Gazette. Not only have they COM
mitted great deal Of damage among
domestic animals, bnt in some cases
the elk have been so prosecuted by
them as to he obliged to take refuge
among the haunts Of men.
Last winter In the ShelbO district.n
Trondhjem, the remains of several elks
were found in the forest, with the
tracks of the bloodthirsty brutes show
ing plentifully in the snow all around.
while many more of the big deer must
undoubtedly have fallen victims to the
ravenOus animals.
Two men driving a sleigh with sleep
ers for the railway came across a big
elk in sore plight. Three Of the pack
which had attacked him lay around
dead or dying, pierced with his great
antlers, while he himself could barely
stand. Needless to say, the worthy
peasants made the most of the ocea-
sion. They killed the unhappy bull,
and they claimed and received the gov
eminent reward for each Of the wolves.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11

stoutly against the practice Of workino
butter, and commends warmly the
work Of the Bradford drier and molder.
In the use OF this invention the butter
is churned as usual, washed in the
granular state. and then "brined." AT
ter remaining In the brine half an hour,
the granular butter Is ladled out and
put in muslin lined tin inolds of any
desirable size-for pounds, half-pounds
or other weight packages. The filed
molds are then placed around the inner
periphery Of wheel that is revolving
at high speed, and the centrifugal mo-
ton drives out the water in the form of
spray and also packs the butter In the
mold without injury to the grain, SO
that In two minutes time the dried and
nodded butter is ready for the wrapper
or package. The butter Is perfectly
granular, and breaks freely on slight
pressure, being somewhat crumbly and
on that account possessing-so 1t Is
claimed-an aroma and flavor that can
not be retained under the crushing of
the rollers Of the butter-worker.-
American Farmer.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
ALFALFA FOR HOGS.

It will sustain life and produce some
growth in shoats. 1t will not make
them fat, but it will keep them in con-
dition to make good use of little ex-
ira feed. One acre Of good alfalfa,
with a dividing fence in the middle, so
that as soon as one part is eaten down
the pigs may he changed to the other,
will support twenty pigs from the mid
die of May till the first Of October, or
little later, providing the land is
properly irrigated and the work is
done systematically. Counting upon
alfalfa to furnish the sustenance ra-
ton. the addition of grain will produce
good, heavy porkers. which will return
good profit, providing the price in No
vember is four cents or upward. Al
falfa is also of great value in wintering
brood sows. If the leaves which drop
of in the mows, and which are unfit for
horse feed, be saved and mixed with
bran or slops, they will be eaten greed
ily with good results, making a valu-
able saving of other feeds.-American
Agriculturist.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
CURING THE RAM OF BUTTlNC.
He Preferred Women. So Had Log in
Skirts to Experiment Upon.

jim McCue, rancher, politician, phil.
osopher and horse doctor, walked on
the ferryboat with a crutch the other
day. He also had an arm in sling
and his head bandaged.
whats the matter, Jlm?' inquired
two or three acquaintances.
III bet any man in the crowd $50
he can butt harder and longer than
any ram or billygoat in the State" re-
sponded Jim somewhat irrelevantly.
but l guess I've broke him off it,"
"You look rs if you had been broken
some YOURSELF" suggested one.
well, to tell the truth, l did get
damned around little. I've been
breaking ram Of the butting habit.
This ram was raised pet, and that's
what makes him so sassy. He knows
who to tackle, too. He won't touch a
man, because he knows he'd get q
fence rail frazzled out over his head
but q woman he will butt clear over
into the next pasture.
1.-The other morning this ram jolted
n lady friend Of mine clear across a
field and through picket fence, and
thought it was about time to clear him
of the habit. l put on an old calico
dress, tied on an old sunbonnet, and,
cOncealing sledge hammer under my
apron, sauntered down through the
field. The minute the ram saw me he
hand and came over to have some fun
with me. He squared off, shook his
head, and made a run for me. When
l stepped to one side to get good
swing at him, the blamed old dress
tripped me and fell down. started
to get up, but that blamed old ram
was behind me, and I turned two SOM
ersaults before l hit the ground again.
l didn't stand any chance at all. He
just kept lifting me until he got me
against the fence, then backed off and
hit me another crack, and then another
and another, till l thought he'd broken
every rib in my body. Finally he
damned me clear through under the
bottom rail, and l managed to crawl to
the house.
But l got even this morning. l had
the hired man take green oak log,
dress it up in women's clothes. and set
1t to swinging from limb. That buck
lost horn the first time he hit it, and
1t wasn't long till the second went the
same way. When / left him he was
meeting it half way every time it
swung back at him, and l wouldn't
wonder If he is worn down pretty close
to the tail by this time"
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
Making Pianos of Paper.

All manner of articles in place of
wood have been used in the manufac.
ture OF pianos. Perhaps the most sue
cessful Of all these is paper, Of which
many pianos of exquisite tone and ap-
pearance have been made. The Duke
of Devonshire has one of the finest
specimens Of the paper piano, this be-
ing of French make, and decorated
most ornately with pictures by we'll
known French artists. The Duke
gave $500 for this, mainly no doubt,
on account of the ornamentation.
suppose, says London correspond
ent, you know that pianos for very hot
and very cold climates-all instru-
ments for export, in fact, have to be
specially made, and in this direction
all manner of experiments have been
tried. Among others, sort Of cellu-
lose, one factor in which is actually
common molasses, from which sugar
is made, is employed. and a compost
ton made from the chemical treat
ment Of gutta-percha, and leather
pulp has been tried. Ivory pianos are
by no means uncommon, and the Dow
ager Countess Of Dudley has a mag
nificent carved specimen. Pianos Of
ivory are, l might say, made every
year in numbers, but chiefly for In
dian princes and rich Spanish Ameri-
cans. Many pianos Of solid silver
have been made-indeed, one was only
lately completed by London firm for
the Nizam Of Hydera bad-and piano
cases have at various times been made
Of bronze, a species of aluminium,
glass, porcelain, and, in combination,
mOther-of-pearl-M
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11

the berries were large and luscious n
an hour her pail was more than half filed.
She came to some very large stones, Be-
yond these the tempting fruit hung In
richer clusters than any she had gathered.
She could not limb over the rocks, but
she thought she could 60 round them, 30
she began TO push aside the bushes. She
was SO busy that she paid no attention TO
the warning, "whir-r-r, whir-r-r, whir-
r-rr," which her father had so often eau
toned her to beware Of. At length she
noticed; but alas, not in time to save her.
SELF for great yellow rationale lay
coiled at her very feet Her limbs were
paralyzed with fright. She knew Its
fangs were charged with deadly poison.
Dropping her pail to the ground she
uttered single piercing scream.
Snap, snap, whr-r-r-r!"
Piggy plunged past her at the very mo-
ment the reptile was about to strike its
cruel fangs into her flesh. Shake, shake,
shake. Behold. piggy, who was greedly
devouring Mr.. Snake.
Poor, poor PIGGY" thought Mary,
''he has saved my life. But he will
surely be poisoned"
just then Marys papa came running 10
her. He had heard her cry.
Poor piggy is poisoned, she said with
fearful eyes. ''He ate the snake to save
my life."
He will not die. There is nothing in
the world which pigs like so we'll as rattle
snake meat. But must admit that piggy
has saved my little girls life"
''He is real hero" Mary said. "How
he loves mel"
"And how he loves snakes!" said her
papa.
''You will never sell him to Mr.. Chaup,
will you, papaf"
mo, dear, that will not. Piggy de-
serves to die Of old age
''And he is not hog, is he. papa!
That horrid Mr.. Chaup talks as if piggy
were only common hog, you know
Whatever he is my child, he has
proved to-day that 1t pays to be kind,
even to pig" said her papa. taking her
in his arms and stasting for home, while
piggy squealed loudly for milk.
To this day Mr.. haup eyes piggy
wistfully every time he sees him, but
gets no encouragement either from Mary
or her papa.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-06-11
Intelligence of Animals,

Dogs and cats, suffering from disor-
dered stomach, eat certain grasses,
which have the effect of purging and
vomiting. The dog also eats fat with
avidity when In need of purgation, but
abstains from it in his normal condi-
tions. The horse will eat fat for the
same purpose, and earth, coal dust.
ETC., when suffering from worms. Cat
tie seek certain herbs when ill-me-
dicinal herbs, such as they would not
eat when well. Horses and other ami
mails, when suffering from chronic
rheumatism, expose themselves to the
sun. Dogs and other animals seek
water in which to battle their wounded
limbs.
NJ. Delaunay, French writer, has
recorded many instances of instinct
i've therapeutics among lower animals
when suffering from fever, infection,
wounds, etc. He relates the case Of n
dog that, on being stung by viper,
held the part in running water for
days until 1t finally recovered. He in
stances also the case of q dog that
was badly injured by being run over
by n carriage, and that remained lying
in brook during three weeks. The
animal recovered. A terrier was Sc
verely wounded in his right eve. 1t Sc
cluded itself from the light and heat
and ate light, abstemious diet. The
wounded eye was treated with spittlc
applied by itself by means of its paw,
which II licked on its upper surfaco
and then applied to the wound. This
it did repeatedly until the wound
healed.