davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
What Water Gan Do.

The effect of the hydraulic motor, which is now used for the purpose of removing masses of earth, well-nigh passes belief.
 A stream of water issuing from pipe six inches in diameter, with a fall be- hind it of three hundred and seventy five feet, will carry away solid rock weighing a ton or more to a distance of fifty or one hundred feet. The ve- locity of the stream is terrific, and the column of water projected is so solid that if crowbar or other heavy object be thrust against 1t the impinging Ob- feet will be hurled a considerable dis tance.
 By this stream of water a man would be instantly killed if he came into con- tact with it, even at a distance of two hundred feet.
 At two hundred feet from the nozzle a six-inch stream, with three hundred and seventy-fve feet fall, projected momentarily against the trunk of q tree, will in a second denude it of the heaviest bark as cleanly as if it had been cut with an aX. Whenever such stream is turned against bank it cuts and burrows it in every direction, hOl- lowing out great caves and causing tons of earth to melt and fall and be washed away in the sluices.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
He Had a Good Excuse.

X clergyman was on a Western trip for his health, and happened one Sum- day to stop at little Colorado inn, the keeper of which was also the Superin- tendent of the local Sunday school The superintendent was proud of his Schol. ars, and persuaded his guest to attend that afternoons session, and to put the pupils through little examination. The lateer did as desired, and wound up with a short discourse on profane swearing.
 "I hope" he added, ''that none of you ever indulge in that wicked practice I am sure," he continued, turning to the head boy, a sparkling urchin of ten, that you never do it. Do you, my little man?"
 ''No-o, sir, I don't. The other day I did call Bill Smith a cussed fool. But he is, you know"
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Not New

Much of the slang considered new by those who depend upon current chat rather than books for information. is in reality old. A young man was show ing his country cousin around the city. He told him all the latest stories. had sprung all the latest gags, had shown him all the sights that are supposed to interest the bucolic visitor, and in the meantime was dropping all of the latest slang phrases. He emphasized each and repeated it a time or two, in order to impress 1t upon the listener, who presently observed that city peO- pie seemed to use a great many old slang phrases. Well" said the other, in surprise, you're q good thing, I don't think. We are" "There you go again. If that expression isn't an old chestnut, don't know what is. Why, Dickens wore those out half a century ago. Noddy Biffin regarded himself as a good thing, and Tom Pinch, quoting John WestlOck, said: I am a nice man, l don't think It strikes me you are a few years be- hind the times" The young man de- cided to read Dickens and find some thing new.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Bred in CantivitY

The greater number of the lions ex- hibited to the English public have been born and readed in travelling menager- ies or caravans. When very young the cubs are taken from the liOness and given to a collie, Newfoundland, or other canine fOSter-mother. As a rule. a woman looks after 10th nurse and cubs, the task usually falling to the lot of the mistress of the caravan. When born the lions are like young cats. The little family is usually accommodated in a corner of the caravan, or in the trainers private apartment. In their infancy the young lions are treated just like kittens. When they are able to walk they have the run of the place, play about, and seem to look for and enjoy the tit-bits and careSSes that are bestowed upon them. They recognize for long time the authority, so to speak, of the fOster-mOther, and are obedient to her wishes, even after they have considerably Outgrown her in size
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
A PARSON AND A PIG.
What Was Effective in One Case Was
 Tried in the Other.

Tried in the Other.
 A poor woman came to the parson of the parish with the request: Please, pass'n! my ou'd SOW be took cruel bad. I wish now, you'd be so good as to come and say a prayer over her.
 "A prayer! Goodness preserve us! l cannot come and pray over a pig-a pig, my dear Sally-that is not possi- ble."
 Her be cruel bad, grooming, and won't eat her meat. If her dies, pass'n -whativer shall we do f the winter wi'out beacon sides and ham? Oh, dear! Do'y, now, pass'n, come and say a prayer over my old sow"
 T really, really must not degrade my sacred office. Sally! indeed, must notr'
 "Oh, pass'n! do'y, now!' and the good creature began to sob.
 The parson was tender-hearted man, and tears were too much. He agreed to go to the cottage, see the pig, and do what he coud.
 Accordingly, he visited the patient, which lay grooming in the stye.
 The woman gazed wistfully at the pastor, and waited for the prayer Then the clergyman raised his right hand, pointed with one finger at the sow and said solemnly: "lf thou hvest, o pigi then thou livest. If thou diest, o pig! then thou diest.'
 Singularly enough, the SOW was bet ter that same evening, and ate a little wash. She was well, and had recover ed her appetite wholly next day.
 Now, it happened, some months after this, that the rector fell very ill, with a quinsy that nearly choked him. He could not swallow, he could hardly breathe. His life was in imminent danger.
 Sally was a visitor every day at the rectory, and was urgent to see the sick man. She was refused admission, but pressed so vehemently that finally she was suffered-juSt to see him, but she was warned not to speak to him or ex- pect him to speak, as he was unable to utter a word.
 She was conducted to the sick room, and the door thrown open. There she beheld the pastor lying in bed, groan- ing, almost in extremities.
 Raising her hand, she pointed at him with one finger and saidi ''If thou livest, O pass'n! then thou livest! If thou diest, O pass'nl then thou diest."
 The effect on the sick man was-an explosion of laughter that burst the Quinsy, and his recovery.-Sunday Magazine.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Borax For Preserving.

Borax, which has long been invalu- able 10 the housewife ill whitening her clothes, ill softening water for cleaning purposes, and for washing the scalp to remove dandruff, is now being much used as a preservative of fresh meat and fish and of garden fruits. The latter when ripe are packed in layers of borax and sent thousands of miles to arrive in perfect condition. The housewife may herself test this method of preserving fresh fruits for winter use The method is not an expensive one, as the borax can be used number of times without losing it's virtue. The fruit itself should be thoroughly brushed and then washed before using, as this powerful substance taken i'll any quantity internally has a most disastrous effect on the kidneys As an antiseptic and bleacher of the skin it is unrivaled, but is so drying that it should only be applied to the face occasionally, and even then its ap- plication should be followed by a thor ough massage with cold cream contain ing lanoline, cocoanut or almond oil Pure olive oil may also be safely and proftably used for the facial massage given to one who has dry, fine skin. New York Post.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
No Endearing Ties Tween East and West

No Endearing Ties Tween East and West
 But there is another view, most po- tent of all, which must be considered as affecting the solidity of the United States as now constituted. Until the present time the west has been bound to the east by ties of parentage and home. The western man who was sent to the senate or the house of representa- tives was born ill the east; the western merchant who had accumulated little money turned his face to the east to visit the old homestead or the last rest ing places of his parents. He loved the east because it gave him birth. The present generation ill the west feels no such thrill, is bound by no such endear- ing tie. It is of the west, western; it has breathed a new atmosphere; it has imbibed new likes and dislikes. In the generations which are yet to come the bond of sympathy will be still further removed.
 The representative in the Fifty-fourth congress from Wyoming until he visited Washington recently had never been east of Chicago. There are men in Cali fornia today to whom Washington is as distant in every sense of the word as China is to us here ill the east. When President Harrison went to the Pacific slope few years ago, he was visitor from strange country. The present chief executive has never seen the Rocky mountains, much less set foot upon the broad domain which slopes from their snowy peaks to the ever blue Pacific. c.- Henry Litchfeld West in North Ameri- can Review.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Indicating Weather Changes.

In many places the crow is looked on as a weather prophet of the highest distinction. On the approach of rain a whole community will rise from their nests or perches, and wheel about for some time, longer or shorter, according to the duration of the coming storm. The peacock screams loudly when rain is coming. Swallows fly high in fair weather, and when they fly low, skim ming the surface of the earth, wet weather is at hand. Gulls and other far-fying birds do not venture far from home when heavy weather is approach ing. Rain may be expected when ducks bathe. Geese chatter loudly when a storm approaches. Sea-birds fly early and far to eastward when fine weather may be expected to hold, but they fly inland in search of food on the approach of storms. Bad weather is heralded by wild-fowl leaving the marshes for higher localities. The guinea hen f1utters its wings and gives fearful screams on a change in the at moSDhere.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
A Loaf of Bread Over 600 Years Old.

Tine Soar family of Ambaston, Derby. shire, England, have curious heirloom in the shape of a loaf of bread which i. now over 600 years old. The founders of the family, it appears, were great friends of King John. When that mon- arch died, he made several land grants to the Scars. One Of these tracts, it ap- pears, had always been conveyed with a loaf of bread as a witness of good faith. When King John made over the papers to the original Soar, he sent the traditional loaf along with the "writ- ings," and the deed and the loaf are both kept to this day as sacred relics. - St. Louis Republic.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Addition to Our Navy.

Another formidable ship has been added to the active list of the United States navy.-The double turreted mOn- itor Terror has gone into commission at the Brooklyn navy yard. She is heav- ily armored and has four ten-inch guns in her turrets which will throw steel projectileS with accuracy and effective ness nine miles. The Terror has a low free-board and her turrets are low, for which reasons she will offer a poor target for hostile men-ofwar. She could bring all four of her guns to bear on a ship which, at considerable dis tance, would have great difficulty in hitting her at all.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
ouEERlY NAMED.
Some of Our Puritan Ancestors Had
 Remarkable BaptismaI Titles.

Some of Our Puritan Ancestors Had
 Remarkable BaptismaI Titles.
 The quaintness of the Puritan names of piety-nOt Bible names, but words or phrases of religious import-has long been recognized. In the days of CrOm- well. contemporary jokes were rifa among the ''Malignants," in which such worthy Roundheads as "Fight-the- good-fight-of-faith Jones" "Help-frOm- on-High Robbins" and "Faint-not- Pils- bery," figured prominently, and were treated with scant respect. The names themselves were not burlesqued. They were so queer it would have been difti- cult to do so.
 The longest and strangest of the com. binations in use in Old England did not, fortunately, ever become popular in New England Nevertheless the Amer ican colonies had their share. Our own Dr. Holmes has recognized this in his ballad of Puritan times, beginning with the fathers invitation to his little son: "Come hither, God-be- -Glorifed, and sit
 upon my knee"
 And it was in a much later period than the colonial that worthy person f1ourished, commonly known as Tribby Clap, but whose whole name was Through gh-much-tribuIatiOn-w n-we-enter-the- kingdom-of-H Heaven Clap. The brief surname follows it's lengthy prefix as surprisingly as clap of thunder.
 But, apart from the rarer and longer combination names, any one reading much among old town records, or expert in antiquarian lore, IS sure to come across names odd enough to make him pause to wonder whether the ancestors who bestowed them were so singularly sober-minded as to be without the sense of humor, or so excessively hu- morous as to name their children in jest.
 Some of the names read remarkably like puns. For instance, one of group of her ancestors to whom Mrs. Alice Morse Earle dedicates a recent book on Colonial Danes and GOodwives" is Mistress Silence Heard. One wonders whether Goodman and GoodwIfe Heard noticed the effect of this con junction when they named their baby, or did they do it on purpose?
 Here are a few other names of the same kind, all duly recorded among the births and deaths, wills and land trans fers of few little New England towns:
 Wait Long" Temperance Waters" !" "Righteous Hope" ''Lovey Sweet" Submit Willing" and Thankful Hart"
 Expect Little" of one village list off, sets Hope Much" of another. Lively Smart" should certainly have been a forward child, but he died in infancy One poor little girl at least, we may be sure was named in ignorance by her parents, who were peaceable and re- spected people, though it is hard tU imagine how they could have failed to perceive the blOOdthirsty significance of her Christian name when united with her surname. She was christened Desire Gorer'
 Notwithstanding her fOrbidding ap- pellation, young man was found bold enough to ask her to change it, and she has to-day numerous descendants whose desires are not gory, but it is quite true that none of them is named for her t-great-grandmother
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
THE LIONS SHARE.
Happily This Kind of Marital
 Chivalry Is Scarce.

chivaIry Is Scarce.
 A well-dressed, respectable-lookinS man-we will not mention his national ity-traveling with his wife in remote quarter of England, was delayed by defective railway service, and was un- able to reach his destination until 10 o'clock in the evening. He had left the railway train at small station where there was no restaurant, and had hired "a coach to carry him with his wife and his baggage to the little village where he was to spend the night.
 When the travellers drew up at the old-fashioned inn in the village street they were very weary and faint with hunger. They had eaten nothing since their early breakfast.
 AS soon as the rooms had been en- gagged and the baggage properly stow ed, the husband sent for the portly landlord and said:
 "we are the hungriest pair you ever Saw. We have lost our train connec- ltions, and been delayed at stations where food was not served. For this reason we have had neither luncheon nor dinner Now you must do your best for us. We want hearty supper"
 The landlord murmured that 1t was very late, and he had not been expecting any one to arrive, but that he would go down and talk with the cook. He re- turned in ten minutes with a troubled face.
 You have taken us by surprise" he said with an apologetic air. ''The mar ket stalls are closed and nothing can Joe had in the shops st this hour. This is only a modest, quiet country inn. 1 have been talking with the cook and find that the pantries are quite empty"
 Have you no meatw asked the anx- ious husband in tone of irritation. ' T regret to say" answered the land lord, ''that there is only one mutton chop in the house, but think that is a good sized one"
 The husband glanced at his wife and then stared at the landlord.
 What is my wife to have?" he asked grimly after an awkward pause.
 The matter-of-fact way in which this lord of creation appropriated for his exclusive use the only chop, revealed his idea of the relations of the sexes. The stronger half of the family was to be served first, whatever might be the necessities of the weaker half.
 Of course, the affectionate wife pro. tested that she was not very hungry and would be satisfied with little toast and tea, as she needed sleep more than my thing else.
 The brute ate the chop and grumbled when he finished it because his hunger was not satisfied.
 This true incident makes very un. satisfactory study of the kind Of marital chivalry that is sometimes found in this closing decade of the nineteenth century.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Mohammed's Only Male Descendant

1NAOIIS1IIII IIIONA S OH1AJ OAtRHC 11CSCCEIutIHk
 The only male descendant of MOham- med is Elsaid Ahmed Effendi Abdel Khalek Sheik-el-Sadat, who lives in Egypt and is a prominent Arab gentle man in the Khedive's country. The shiek's house in Cairo is an ancient affair and his ancestors have occupied it for eight centuries. He is typically oriental except that he is of an enor- nous stature. His face is very red, his hair short and curly and sprinkled with gray, his eyes small, beady and black. with heavy lids. His face is sensual, with thick lips and heavy, jOwl, stOlid and eXpressiOnless except when moved by anger or pleasure.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
SunhOWers.

AS plant the sunfiower has no supe- rior for vigor, rapid growth and pro- life yield of seed, leaves and stalk. all of which can be utilized. In China a valuable fiber, used in silk weaving, is obtained from the stalk, and they are of service as fuel and source of pot ash. The 0rientals mix their tobacco with cured sunfiower leaves, and make a yellow dye from the flowers, which are also rich in honey and wax. The sunfiower grows riotously in the United States, and stands all extremes of iweather well. It is worthy of general cultivation.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
BULLETS IN BATTLE.
An old Soldier Tells How It Feels to |
 Shot.

An old Soldier Tells How It Feels to 1se Shot.
 The old soldier, with hot toddy be- 1 fore him, was communicative.
 "How did you feel when you went into your first fght?" the reporter ln- uuired, as most people do when they be- gin to ask a soldier questions about his experiences.
 II felt as though there were mil lion places ill the world I'd rather be than where then was" was the frank response.
 ''Were you afraid?'
 | s'Of course was. knew those fel- lows shooting at us weren't doing 1t for their health or for ours, either, and l knew enough about guns to know that they were dangerous.
 But you overcame your fear as the fight progressed?'
 Anyhow, I didn't mind it so much. After awhile I got mad, and then for got about myself and wanted to lick the entire army against us. ' "Did you ever get shot?" "Once only, and it was queer about that. You read stories in the papers about how it feels to be-shot, and I SUD- pose they are correct, for every man has a different way of taking his cold lead. I've seen men shot square in the fore head, stand for an instant as if turned into stone and then drop without ever bending a joint. Some I've seen run screaming sway and fall dead with the scream on their lips. I've seen some grab and clutch at themselves and spin around as if they had been hit with club and didn't know what the matter was; some drop quietly and say nothing about it; some jump high in the air and fall stiff as pokers, and so on through list of them, no two alike.
 ''In my own case, was fighting in the woods in a skirmish in Virginia on terrific hot day. It twas lively ill there, I can tell you, and wasn't thinking about myself at all. We had started on 8 run through an open space after the Johnnies, and just as we slowed down when we saw they had got too close to the main body for us to go after them I began to feel sick and weak and told the man next to me that thought I must be sunstruck. He began to say something, and everything grew dark. The next I knew was ill hospital with hole through my chest. When I got it or how, I never knew, but it couldn't have been more than ten min- utes before collapsed, because man couldn't stand up long with that kind of a ventilator in his bosom. '-Wash- ington Star.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
An American Dodo.

She was an extremely pretty young woman and distinctly undomestic in her tastes; she consequently found the baby very wearing.
 Her husbands finances made it im- possible to have a nurse, but she did not propose to stop at home just for that baby!
 A bright idea came to her. She put the infant in a bureau drawer, leaving a crack open to give it air, and sallied gayly forth.
 She has been divorced twice since then. The baby, strange to relate, still surviveS.-New York Journal.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Tying the Knot.

At a Babylonish wedding ceremony the priest, 1t is said, took a thread from the garment of the bride and an- other from the garment of the bride groom, and tied them into knot, which he gave to the bride. This is prob ably the origin of the modern saylnd about tying the knot with regard to marriage,
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
His Tune.

''I'd like to hear you play the violin, MT. Tillinghast, said 7-year-old Tom my Dillingham;, who was entertaining the caller.
 But I don't play the violin, Tom my"
 "Then papa must be mistaken. l heard him tell mamma that you played second fiddle at home. ''-Exchange
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Taking Advantage of Science.

An ingenious man has invented de vice for feeding his horse, and he does it with one of the ordinary alarm clocks. For instance, if the horse is to have it's morning feed of grain at , o'clock the alarm is set, and when the morning comes the horse gets its break fast before its owners eyes are open. It is so arranged that the alarm pulls the slide, letting the grain run through . sluice to the manager.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
Locomotives Are Heavier,

Ten years ago the heaviest locomotive usedon the Pennsylvania express trains weighed forty to forty-eight tons. Now the through express trains are each hauled by an engine that weighs from sixty-five to seventy tons.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
The Cat Came Rack

A man near Newkirk, Ok. took his neighbors cat, saturated its tail in kero- sene, and set it on fire, thinking it would run home and burn the neighbor out. Instead, it turned and jumped into the torturer's own barn and burned it down.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18

We should imagine that people must enter their fifth or sixth love affair with the same feeling that the man at an eating match begins his twenty GlnSa quail.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18

When an industrious man makes a dollar by hard work, the loafer starts the story that he made at least ten iol- lars, and stole half of it.
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
A POOR MANS GOOD LUCK.

DHSAH~H~] SUCNfOA V"
 Bow1der Worth a Million Dollars.
 A romantic good luck story comes from Spokane, Wash: Martin Nelly was returning home disheartened from an unsuccessful prospecting tour in the Salmon River district and sat down on the bank of the Colrmbia River to eat his dinner. AS he did So he noticed a huge powder half blrted in the sand in a dry portion of the river not far
The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-18
IndestrnctihIe Rira

Paper indestructible by fire has been invented in Paris. A specimen of it was subjected to a severe test-14s hours in a potter's furnace-and came out with its glaze almost perfect.