davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03

shall be prolongation of the side of its
support. Care should be taken that
glasses as nearly alike as possible be
used, and that the table on which they
are placed be perfectly level, for even
a slight variation from this rule may
make failure of your experiment.
The second exercise consists of balanc-
ing the body and foot of one glass upon
the rim of another, as shown in the mid
die figure of the cut. At the back may
be seen a way of doubling this expert
ment, with hardly any additional risk.
Two glasses may also be balanced,
side by side, in the mouth of q third.
Their feet must not touch the body of
the third glass; they are simply bedded
on their support, and it is strange to see
how, in consequence of their exact juxta-
position, neither of them shows any in
clination to swerve or to tumble off.
1t may be remarked that this latter
feat is not so mucl. an experiment in
equilibrium as new and curious ar
rangement to puzzle a late-comer to the
dinner table.
Thanks to the exactitude of the geo.
metrical form Of your glass, you may,
with a little practice and little audac-
ity, succeed in making stranger super
positions still, and the pyramid that we
show on the right will seem to you, after
q little while, as mere child's play.-Phil-
adelphia Times.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Working Women at Lunch.

Proper food, properly taken, may be
set down as the foundation of healthful
living; yet if we accept the statements
of a writer in Boston paper, large
class of our American women have yet
to learn the primary lesson in this direc-
ton.
Here is what he says upon the subject,
and it needs no comment: Il have
lunched for years where hundreds of
working girls and women go each day
for their midday repast; one in twenty
five, perhaps, will order something tend
ing to nourish and strengthen; the other
twenty-four leave the table more lily fit
ted for their afternoons labor than when
they sat down. | wonder if many of us
realize what the working women lunch
and work upon! Physicians would shake
their heads and say it could not be done.
But it is, and such women last longer
than would seem possible. A glance
through the stores and offices, however,
would show that the woman clerk van>
iSheS almost entirely after 80.
At the table with me, yesterday, was
a delicate young girl, a clerk in the shoe
department of one of our immense estah-
lishments; and her repast consisted of
two glasses of ice water, two chocolate
eclairs and several pickles. Think of it!
This to sustain her through long, hard
afternoon of fitting shoes! She dresses
well; neither big sleeves nor smart gowns
pass her by; a homemade hat minus
feathers never rests upon her head, but
her worn, anaemic face would suggest
less feathers and more nourishing food.
1.-The majority of these women lunch
upon a piece of pie and cup of coffee,
or an order of rich, spiced pudding, and
q glass of ice water. Occasionally one
viii rush through an order Of fried oys-
tiers and a half q dozen pickles. The
wonder is that they live through the sec
Ond year. From the table. where they
scarcely allow themselves time to swal-
low the several mouthfuls ordered, they
hurry off to Shop and use forty of the
sixty minutes allowed for dinner in this
way. Then back to the store to stand
FIVE hours in high-heeled. uncomfortable
shoes, their pitifully attenuated waists
tightly elapsed III corsets and bands, and
their trembling little stomachs contain
anXieties naturally attending a working
woman'S life and is it surprising that
their faces look harassed, nervous and
bloodIess?
''The young man clerk-who can no
better afford it-lives quite differently;
substantial food forms the basis Of his
lunch. and usually vegetables and glass
of milk, all of which he masticates leis>
urely, and strolls back to the store.
rested and refreshed. He is costumed
in Il loose, comfortable suit of light
weight flannel, his feet resting upon
mot over the soles of comfortable shoes,
his circulation unimpeded, and his body
well nourished. What wonder that he
keeps his nerves we'll covered, that Ill
temper finds not a home upon his face,
and that we find him cheerily selling
ribbons long after the girl with whom
he knocked elbows as cash boy is for
gotten"
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Test Sobriery.

Shibboleths to test sobriety, or com
parative sobriety, in the case of supposed
drunkards have often been heard of, and
have generally been looked upon as jokes
for the dinner table or the smoking ROOM
From a case reported at the Westminster
police court it appears that g doctor, ex-
amined as a witness, has invented a test
phrase which he regards as infallible
This is: .The artillery eXtinguished the
conf1agration early" This may be very
effective, and it was tried successfully on
a cabman (the defendanD, but the doc
tor need not have taxed his inventive
powers. There is the Peter Piper picked
a peck of PEPPERS" etc. test, and one or
two more not quite SO elaborate. bib
lical criticism" and British constitution
have long been favorite tests, but the
best is probably Mrs. Smiths fish sauce
shoD. ''-LondOn Daily News
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
TRAFFIC on BROOKLYN Bridge.

During the year that is now a back
number over 100000 tickets We're sold
on the Brooklyn bridge. Seven kinds
of tickets are used on the bridge, and
they are usually contracted for at the
rate of 100000 at time. These are
the 3-cent strip ticket and the 2 for 5
ticket, the ten for % ticket, and on the
roadway the 3-cent, 5-cent and 10-cent
tickets and the Scent cash ticket. There
are thirty-seven ticket agents on the
bridge, six of whom are stationed on the
roadways. The big structure is one of the
sights Of the town during rush hours;
but one would be foolish to join in the
push just for the sake of gratifying curl
osity. Blood will be spilled there some
day unless the glut of traffic which now
causes downright suffering is relieved
New York Letter.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Bond is Loose.

1t is a favorite idea nowadays that
the marriage bond is but loose one and
that divorces are quite fin de steele.
Still, it is not often that young people
think of such thing in the golden days
just preceding the wedding. It was a
very up-to-date young bride-to-be, who.
the other day, was showing all the
pretty things in her trousseau to a girl
friend. Among the pretty toilet articles
stood what looked like a 1O-cent bank.
What in the world is this for? asked
her friend.
ooh! That is my divorce bank"
''Your whatY' screamed her friend.
"Nfy divorce bank. Every time Jack
says a cross word to me-and husbands
often do. I've noticed-he has got to
give me a dime for. this bank. In
this way l shall get fund to pay for
my divorce if it becomes unbearable."
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
FERN FARMING.

There is a Large and Active Demand for
Numerous Varieties of Frond- Growth.
We learn from a Massachusetts paper
that about eight years ago a gentleman
in that state thought that it would be
profitable to have picked and placed on
the market some of the ferns which grow
in abundance in his neighbOrhOOd, and
from this modest beginning the business
has grown to such proportions that last
year he disposed of 100000 ferns. Pre-
vious to 1886 the gathering of ferns in
their natural state was almost an I'M
heard-of industry. The few ferns put
on the market were raised in hothouses,
though a few florists sent their men aft
er wild ferns. But now the MasSachu-
sets ferns are sent to every state and al
most every large city in the country,
and, strange as it may seem, there has
been no falling off in the trade during
the business depression the demand con-
stantly exceeding the supply.
There are two varieties of marketable
ferns which always find ready sale
the delicate-leafed fancy and the
coarser dagger fern. The season for
gathering and shipping the ferns is from
some 200 persons are engaged in fern
picking, only about 60 do it constantly.
Good pickers can earn from 81 to S6
day, while the pay of others not SO
skillful in finding the natural treasures
amounts to only 81.
The ferns are brought in by the pick
ers, tied in bundles of twenty-five each,
and 40 cents thousand is paid for
them An average amount of 81 day
is paid the pickers. The ferns not need
ed for immediate shipment are packed
in low rooms. containing each about
100000 ferns. There are eight build
ings containing these rooms. The ferns
H. in, ho6C Of Try
moss is placed between the layers, and
the whole bed is covered with wet moss.
The greatest care and daily watchfulness
are needed to keep the ferns from be-
coming heated, and thus bleached or
covered with white spots. The ferns
are invaluable to the florists, as they
form a really essential groundwork for
designs, and they are also available for
general decorating. - st. Louis Globe
Democrat
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
A Brave Little Girl.

A Western bishop spoke the other day
to a Sunday school, and this was one of
the stories that he told them: One after
noon he was riding through a bit of
woodland in wild part of the state of
Washington, and looking up as he rode
along at the tall trees which almost met
over his head. Suddenly he started as
a small voice piped out: please, sir.
amt you the minister?" The sound
seemed to come from the earth. so close
was it to the ground. He looked
down and saw a tiny girl standing by
the rude path and staring up into his
face. eyes. my dear" he said: ''but
what are you doing in this lonely placer"
He thought as he spoke of the mountain
panthers, whose dismal howl had been
following him for several days; and
then he thought of his own children, safe
at home. The child clasped her hands
cxcitedly. Il knew you'd be along" she
said. Owe been watchin' for you ever
since Yesterday. Mother wants to know
will YOU come to baptize our baby"
He followed her through the tangled
woods. where it did not look as if the
foot of man had ever trod before. to
the tiny hut. where they found the moth
or and the baby be was to baptize: Isn't
that strange and beautiful scene? The
little creature waiting in the heart of the
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
How Her Grace of Portland Won Her
Husband.


Gracious and stately, and one of the
handsomest women of her day, when
Miss Dallas Yorke became Duchess of
Portland, she at once took her place
among the first of the leaders of society
in London 1t would be almost more cor
rect if we were to substitute the word
England for London, since the duchess
appears to be singularly Indifferent to
the attractions of the metropolis. She
arrives there late in the season. she
leaves early. and she makes so many
Saturday ton Monday visits to Welbeck,
where she usually has a brilliant house
party around her, that her friends com
plain that for all practical purposes she
never comes to town at all.
For this reason the features ofi the
duchess are perhaps less generally known
than those of most women OF her posi-
! tion and this is the more striking, as her
personal beauty marks her out at once
on those occasions when she does appear
| in public. Perhaps the most effective
| likeness of her grace is 81 charming study
of silver point from the gifted hand OF
| her attached friend, the Marchioness OF
| Cranky. In this we especially note the
noble poise of the head, rising from a
| picturesque Medici collar, the delicate
contour of cheek and chin and the sweet.
! serious eyes, all of which are imprinted
on the memory of those who have once
duchess closely.
/, There is such promise of romance in
| the delicate profile and the dreamy eyes
| of the Duchess of Portland that my
readers will be disappointed if | did not
| hint that something of it's semblance had
entered into her life as well. More than
one tale might be unfolded. but unfor-
| tunately one may not say all he knows
| However, on her first meeting with the
young duke, | may say one word. 1t
| took place in that most prOsalc OF spots,
the junction of railway line. Miss
| Dallas Yorke was going North. and the
duke was coming South. AT that time
no acquaintance existed between them.
| but as the stately maiden moved up and
down the platform, waiting with her
| travelling companion for the train. the
duke observed her attentively. and he
| has since confessed that he said to him
! self at the time: eff ever | marry, l
should like it to be a woman such as
| this"
/ Later on the duke met the lady in. a
/ London ballroom and asked for a n intro
| duction He had noticed before APP
| proaching her tliat she looked on the
| brilliant scene before her with indiffer-
| ence. not to say with WEAKNESS.
| 81 am afrai id that this does not amuse
you he said.
"No." replied Miss Dallas Yorke, 81
| do not like society, and | do not care
! for London"
AS these words accurately described
| the DUKES own opinions. it is not sur
| prising that the acquaintance ripened
| rapidly. Before many weeks had
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Military Neglected.

'Jes' sposin'," said Farmer Corntossel,
''thet they should be war"
Nonsense" his wife replied; "they
amt goin' ter be no sech thing.
"But s'posin they should; whur'd this
'o "Weil, there there's 177e and 1912 ter look
back on" she answered.
81 know But amt we gittin' kinder
rusty on warfare?" he persisted. "Ain't
we kinder been lettin' our military
spirit git neglected?'
'Josiah," she said with touch of inn
patience, sometimes you rally do make
me kinder fatigued. OF course we amt
been dom sech big lot O. drillin' an
calm ter arms, an sech things ez is or
dinarily resorted to fer keepin' in prac-
tice. But''-and her face lit up with a
look of confidence, ''there hez been a
.treemeniis lot O. football playin' goin'
on. ',-Washington Star.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
The Monroe Doctrine.

Dramatis Personae- Mrs. Algernon
Horton. young married woman; Alicia
Graham, her dearest friend.
Scene-Handsomely furnished boudoir,
Uttered with pretty trifies, screens, ia
bles flowers On couch Mrs Horton
is discovered weeping.
Alicia speaking from doorway)-N1y
dear Elise, what is the matter?
Mrs. Horton (from among the sofa
cushions)-Boo-hoo!
Alicia with anxiety)-My dear girl.
don't try to conceal it from me. Doesn't
your new frock fit? Didn't Algy give
you that bracelet after all?
Mrs. Horton-Boo-hoO! It's all about
that dreadful war.
Alicia-Nhat war:
Mrs Horton Sitting up)-Aicia Graz
ham! l should think you would read the
papers. The war with England. (Buries
her face in her hands and gives way to
tears.)
Alicia (cheerfully)-Oh, if that's all.
Mrs. Horton (sternly)-Alicia. have you
forgotten the horrors Of the last war?
Alicia Qreezingly)-I didn't come here
to be insulted, and be asked if | re-
membered the war, just because I've
Mrs. Horton Casting herself on her
friends neck and weeping with her)-Oh.
Alicia! | never meant anything of the
kind. | just don't know what l am do
ing with that wicked, wicked war COM
ing and my invitations out for a delft
tea. Suppose with shuGder) just while
things were at the gayest, the band play
ing. and the lights shining on the silver
and glass, officers should come in and
drag Algy off to fight for his country!
Alicia (gloomily)-That's the way it
always happens. I've seen it done a
hundred times on the stage.
Mrs. Horton (weeping)-How dreadful!
And they'd be sure to break all my
lovely new delft.
AIicia-And to think it all comes of
that wretched Monroe doctrine.
Mrs. Horton-Miserable creature! I'd
lust like to know what right he has 20
drag Algy off to war, and break up
nav tea. I never did anything to him.
/ never knew he had a doctrine till two
weeks ago.
Alicia apologetically)-W you know,
perhaps he never intended the thing 70
go so far, hut that's the trouble with
doctrines. They are sort of religious,
like confessions of faith and altar cloths,
and YOU look silly changing about. SO
vnu have to stick to them.-New Orleans
Picayune.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
ImneriaI Kiss.

The famous motto, ''Noblesse Oblige,'
had striking exemplifcation when the
Grand Duchess Sergius was presented
at the court of ST. Petersburg. AS that
Russian great lady was receiving the
imperial kiss from the Czarina, the string
which confined her priceless pearl neck
lace broke and the pearls rolled down
her dress, rafting on the floor like hail.
Without looking to the right or left, and
without noticing the loss of her match
less pearls, the grand duchess retired
courtesying from the room. An ordinary
woman would have been ratified.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Tested the Soldiers Nerve.

The bluff old major from the Queens
army had listened attentively to the
campfire tales of his companions. He
put fresh charge of fragrant tobacco
smoking and the three occupants of the
compartment lapsed into expectant 81
lence, waiting to hear from him.
'"The bravest man | have ever met was
not on the field of BATTLE" he began.
''He was a soldier, but I know little
about his military record, and yet when
I say he was the bravest man | ever
knew think [ know what | am talking
about. We were campaigning in India
and for months the command had sim
ply been idling time away. We were
all thoroughly tired of a life of routine
military inactivity and finally a party of
five of us secured a two weeks leave OF
absence which we proposed to spend IN
a hunt for big game.
One of our number was a senior regl-
mental officer who had been through ten
years service in India. He had been the
guiding spirit Of our expedition. Seated
a few feet away from him and to his
left, was young junior company ot1cer,
who had but recently joined the COM
mand. We had been eating fruit, which
was Of kind that bears a very peculiar
scent. 1t is tradition that this native
fruit has a strong attraction for several
varieties of venomous reptiles. which are
peculiar to that climate. |, at least, am
convinced that there is something more
than tradition in it.
Gas [ have said, we were talking OF
adventures, when, in moment OF 81
lence, the bluff old regimental officer,
looking steadily at the young lieutenant
to his left, slowly said:
Do you think you could keep your
presence of mind under the most trying
circumstances, when your life depended
upon your GOODNESS and courage"
dead silence followed the colonels
question. and the young officer, looking
quizzically at his interrigator, replied:
eyes, think could
"'Then the time has come when you
must be put to the test. Move not a
muscle until I tell you, or you are a
dead man..
"Then the bronzed old warrior slowly
drew his pistol from his holster, and,
taking deliberate aim, he fired shot at
the very feet of the man to whom he
had addressed his ominous \ question.
For the space Of second we all sat like
statues, then the colonel, in tone of re-
lief, exclaimed:
"'Its all right, now, boys; I've killed
it,
"We were all on our feet in an in
slant, eager to know what danger had
threatened our young comrade. At his
feet lay the coiling, sQuirming body of
huge cobra, the most venOmous reptile
that haunts the jungles of India.
think the man who calmly faced that
danger was the brayest man I've ever
met" said the jor, and no one dissent
cd New York Mercury
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Quaint Savings.

The Rev. David Macrae has brought to-
gether in most interesting little vol
ume, entitled Quaint Saying of Chill
dren,'' number of stories. many Of
them old, but nearly all of them good.
There is one, evidently told in print for
the first time, of little girl in Aberdeen,
who brought a basket of strawberries
to the minister very early on Monday
morning. "Thank you, my little girl, .
he said "they are very beautiful. But
hope you didn't gather them yesterday,
which was the Sabbath day?' mo, sir. :"
replied the child, Il pulled them this
morning. But they was CROWN all yes,
tordav''
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
POSTAGE STAMP FOR EVERY TOWN
MIR. Pugh's Plan for the Delight and De-
spair of Philate1ists.

MIR. Pugh's Plan for the Delight and De-
spair of PhilateIists.
Representative Pugh of Kentucky has
prepared bill to permit cities of 100000
or more inha bitants to obtain postage
stamps of special designs. His bill pro-
videS that any number of inhabitants of
any city of the United States containing
a population Of 100000 or more, as
shown by the United States census of
1890, or as shown by any future United
States census, as may desire, may unite
in petition for the issuance of postage
stamps of special designs commemorate
ing the history of said city or the mem
DRY Of inha bitants thereof now deceased,
but no such special postage stamp shall
be designed, made, or used to advertise
the business of any individual, firm, cor
poration, or society.
The petition asking for these special
stamps must be delivered to the post
master-general at Washington, who shall
report the same to the secretary Of the
treasury, and the latter, upon finding
that the provisions of this act have been
complied with, shall furnish postage
stamps of special design to the post
master of that city for the use of the
people upon the same terms and condi-
tons that postage stamps are now CIR
may hereafter be supplied.
Representative Pugh says there is con-
siderab BILE sentiment throughout the coun-
try in favor of stamps of special designs,
and he hopes to receive a favorable re-
port on his bill at an early day. Mr..
Pugh provides against any fraud or de-
ception being practiced on the govern
ment, and that the cost Of engraving
and printing these stamps will fall on
the people of the city and not the tax
payers of the country.
Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-02-03
Place for Hosea.

Dean Hole. in his Little Tour in
America gives the following good story,
which was picked up at an entertainment
given in his honor by the Lotos club of
New York The quaintest story of the
evening was told by DR.. Greer, of a te-
dious, monotonous preacher, who had
exhausted the patience of his hearers by
and elaborate dissertation on the four
greater prophets, and when, to their sad
disgust, he passed on to the minor, and
asked "And now, my brethren, where
shall we place Hosea?' a man arose
from the congregation and made answer,
You can place him here, sir. I'm off.