davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
in THE CITY OF THE HZTECS.
Some Pleasant Memories of Christmas
Under the Sunny Skies Of Mexico.

For nine nights before Christmas in the
City of Mexico they hold what they call
las posadas
Several families join together and have
the posadas at the different houses in
turn. Posada means inn, and they repre-
sent the Virgin Mary and Joseph looking
for place to stay in Bethlehem. Most OF
the company are gathered in the sala,
where in one end they have little altar
arranged.
Mary and Joseph with a few followers,
dressed in The costume worn in the Holy
Land at the time of the birth of Christ,
come to the house. Mary is often
mounted on q burro. They knock at sew
eral doors, singing all the time, asking
shelter for the night. but they are denied
and the door is closed to them, until at
last they come to the sala, where those in
side answer them in singing, and the door
is thrown open. Mary dismounts from
her burro, and they all sing together the
hymns of the posada. Then they kneel
before the altar in prayer. l thought
never saw anything more picturesque and
really touching.
The music of the posada is very sweet.
After the prayer is finished, fine band
strikes up in the next room, and they
dance merrily until midnight.
The last posada is Christmas eve. In
the center of the room is hung a huge
ola decorated in the gayest and most fan
tastic style, with bright-coIored and sill
yer and gold paper. This is full of pres
ents and dulces, and each one takes a
whack at il with a big stick. and, as it
breaks, the presents fall to the floor and
thero is great scramble and very lively
time and plenty of fun. Besides this,
every guest is presented by the hostess
with q little gift.
They dance until the bells begin to ring
for midnight mass, then all adjourn to the
church. The mass is very beautiful and
solemn.
The great plaza or zocalo, as it is called,
is wonderful sight for a week before
Christmas. It is full of booths where they
sell all sorts of things From long poles
and cords stretched across are hung ollas
of all shapes and sizes decorated most fan
tastically. Quantities of the beautiful
Guadalajara pottery and pottery from all
parts of the country are for sale, and dulces
and fruits of every kind.
The men in their broad som breros and
leathern suits covered with dangling metal
buttons, gay sashes and bright zarapes.
the women in their skirts of gay colors,
their re bosos over their heads. their en-
broidered chemises and heavy silver orna-
ments, make most interesting and bril-
liant pictnre There are such throngs of
all kinds of people, also buying oilas and
little gifts for the posadas, from the poor
peon, dressed in his white cotton suit, to
the naughty lady who aliehts from her
elegant carriage.
This zocalo is historic place. 1t is said
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

his fellow-man so faithfu1-so steadfast? :?
By and by day came when Ford sold
the goats. Sold the log cabin, too, where,
among Pacific pines and manzanitas, for
q double decade he had almost lived the
lie of hermit.
He was growing old. A sister and a
brother far across 4 continent-far beyond
the ocean that laps its eastern shore-were
waiting for him to come home. So, there
came another day when Ford loped his
horse slowly down the lower slopes of
Cerro Colorado and the black bear came
Looping at his heels; Looping for awhile and
then stopping TO rest, and lying out as fiat
as if he was stone dead, then getting up
and going to where Ford waited for him.
And when they came into town and the
people heard that Ford was leaving the
country never TO return hundred offers
were made to him for the bear that had
never known muzzle nor chain nor collar
mo-" said he, where [ go Jack goes.
Ii l find when get to San Francisco that
l can't get a passage for him on the
steamer to New York and another one
when i get there that will take him across
the Atlantic why we will both stay on this
side.''
But that was half dozen years ago.
Since then letters have come across the
seas from Ford.
And "Jack" is with him.
IDA M. STRoBRIDGE.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
"toreYer 2 sobpeu sne, queryIIiHa
Forever" he answered gently.

Far up on the side OF Cerro Colorado,
where you may stand (1f you can find a
footing, so steep are its rocky slopes) and
look away off into the lovely valley OF the
San Joaquin, lying down beneath you;
far up above the snow line Of winter,
among the California pines and man
zanitas, there was living but half a
dozen years ago Lewis Ford, solitary and
alone but for his flock of 500 or 900 goats,
his haIf-dozen horses, and "Jack."
And s'Jack" was bear.
Some eight years previous to the time
1 mention Ford one day had found, the
little. shining, black cub-soft, and round
as ball-and had gathered it up closely
to his breast, carrying 1t to his lonely log
cabin as tenderly as though baby Bruln
was the fairest founding ever born under
the perpetual blue of California skies.
Neighbors he had none, Visitors were
creatures almost unknown up there where
a wagon road was an impossibility, and
where Ford's own stores had to be carried
mp on pack-horses that picked their way
carefully along the dizzy trails.
The real love of solitude is an acquired
taste. Man is, generally speaking. a gre
earious animal; and if he cannot mix with
his own species in his own way he will
instinctively-turn to the com panionship
of the four-footed beasts of mountain and
plain. So, Ford-wiieless, childless and
aIone-on the heights of Cerro Colorado,
sixty miles away from Mount Diablo's
snowy summit. took into his home The
little wild waif of the mountain; and
which, as the years wore on, won its way
into the heart of the lonely man.
But opening the cabin door with a
s'Salve, Bruin l' was not all there was to
be done in so serious matter as adopting
a very immature bear. jack had to be
provided with foster mother And so a
frightened, trembling, b!eating she-goat
was brought to the house 10 take the place
of the parent he so missed. 1t was only
after much combined force and persuasion
tnat Lille could be induced TO adopt as
her own the very un-kidlike orphan placed
in her care. But the time came when
foster.mother and foster-child were as
happy and content in their relations to
each other as if the sight of nimbIe-
footed, blue-haired Nanny" sucking a
clumsy black bear cub was Of the most
ordinary condition of affairs.
"Jack" waxed fat on goats milk; and a
more docile, tractable beast never grew up
under the guardianship OF humane and
loving master.
In the earlier days of his adoption the
baby was baby in truth. He would not
be left alone. And 1t would have been a
harder heart than Ford's that could have
resisted the pltiful whimper of the little
fellow whenever he thought that he was
IN he Ieft alone within the house
Had there been any to see it in those
days they would have witnessed strange
sight. The great, broad-shouldered man
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

With all pad Eve seized those
She gathered them bunch
that the bios
failed before Ewes wondering and
startled did Ewes white the Garden Eien which ne
the the alien
Eden closed behind
that growing
valley they began life the white their only
living memento of Eden.
humankind earth knew only
civilization rising and fang barba
sweeping proud works mans hands with torcn ana
crumbng and being
being down. rent
Surviving changes cme
country speech things days OF
Eden-the human heart and the love of
worldly getting happiness
sweet
battling disappointment Noess
vegetable
but midway happiness and Eve
intimately
which, taking blossom in
Life through listening meadows
and where more fall
migrating carried with them from her
of the world
Then, the crusades
Peter the Hermit hearing history carried it
faint speck
upon After this the red stain
Strange migraion Spanish cavalier
explorers Pacific Coast
America planted in remain
delight the Indian
maiden in what California
of Eden
those like Eve No naughty
lady, the proud Of the earth owned it
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

arrived when Adam and Eve forth,
SAgS disc extended the high which, ganded with
opunt in neveradng world
beyond North SOUTH
which fruied orchards bent lovingly which whole
From the the robin Dubu and the nghn-
Of the love stories which were evey aoTeng thorn and @
bush and tree through sweet constant iteration
driven fOaming their loud voices hushed
that in each rp of water in ngs in abbnr brooks in wind
ing flashing fountains and waterfalls
the future rainbow of hope prismaay revealed? There
TS GRs ea a hearts Of Adam ana Eve this day. Their wei" blurred
Adam. Thus hand
love half human and half divine their they walked like all
humankind with emotion
and sin and toll and and strife and loss and parting
The western glowing and ent in the sky
which feecy sailing slept musky
with the breath of thousand meadows and the incense Of all the
@ cahedrae aises OF the forests through which, IN their earlier
innocence these and mother had reyereniay
walked unafra meeting angels That haowd which, even
in glorious California afternoon the
hhe benedon chdrnwas brood
heartbreaking moaning
Stiffness
so startled bird and beast
hover with that before heao on eethut
heard often enough since-God pity u
the heads OF bh but they neither knew dreamed OF The final
victory which them licked their
hands Around neck convuivey sncwwhite
and into the lions that hue which has since been
Then Adam protecting Eve and led
&oo saiy but firmly on he standing erect and fearless as became his man
And so they came to the gate and world
Eden The either led
ward from had their shadowd by ambrosal
oaks and with vee turf which enameed with shd
vioe dainty found
willow the widepreadng
edged this
which repeating that phrase which yet in all
whit older'1 love you"
the pool O
her
like
flowers millions flowers
knolla al unroled to
We m go FORTH, said Adam.
"Forever?" sobbed she,
Forever" be answered gently
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
81 DN1pD D,WMlR@n ~
"Ah. Adam, beloved-but one more look"

Adam, belovd-but look.'
They lived all OF life
tasted all the bitterness of death short minute
the Eden, where
almost had the
shadow the wall arng sunlight through the
flowers
Adam chapet head 1t the
had
an
Now gaish sunlight fading. Shaken
its petals fell winding
sheet thrown which this floral
burial mournful
distauty heard be all the Sunday stsang
with
humanity is inexoraby and irretrevably recorded.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

also found those cowboys, lying about
on the wet grass, too tired and too saw
age to care what became of him. He
advanced on the party and swung down
from the saddle and stood scOwling at
the men as he hobbled his pony and
prepared to arrange for the night.
Il allow yer about the best bunch of
skunks | ever see" was his greeting.
'Whatever do We mean in stampedin'
that herd? Get up an get busy, all Of
We. Scatter and see that them bulls
don't drift to where we all KANT find
'em. Hear me-"
(Which we do, Bill" drawled Cur
ley" from where he lay all sprawled out
in the ground. An we all amt goin'
to do nothin' of the sort. | allow them
bulls is all right where they be, and
they amt no. use in stirrin' of 'em, none
whatever"
who's boss of this gang, me or you,
We wuthless cayote? Ye done all the
michief with yer burned quirt. Get up
out of this or I'll sink my boot into ye."
" NN WIN wv holllll vi lllt
kind, Bill" was the growing answer,
as 'Curley' half rose and returned the
scowl of the boss with interest. 81 al
low they amt goin' to be no bootin'
yere. | also allow I'm goin' to stay
right yere. Eff they's goin' to be any
bootin' l hereby declares myself into
the game, and so l tells you plain"
kin We shoot?" roared Bill, unlimber-
ing as he spoke.
"A %leetle," said "Curley," rising to his
feet with a jerk and pulling his gun as
the other men scattered.
The two men gaZed wrathfully at
each other for Il moment and then the
pistols blaZed out, shot following shot
until all were empty. When the action
was owe 'Curley" was lying still on
the ground with n hole in his lungs and
Bill was nursing n badly wounded
shoulder.
Well. it vas n bad business, but then
none of the others felt any call to in
t%erfere, and the combatants were hast
ened back to the ranchhouse and med
zeal aid summoned. Fortunately
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17
Science and Great Cities

Professor Brewer, of Yale Univer.
sity, in a recent address called atten.
ton to the interesting fact that at the
beginning of this century not a single
city in Christendom had so many as a
million inhabitants. In 1900 Paris had
54S,00O, and in 1901 London had S64;
600. Great cities could not exist then
as the advance of science has enabled
them to exist to-day. Science has help
ed the cities not only by cOnQuering
pestilence, and teaching the laws Of
health, but by enabling them to draw
their supplies from the remoteSt quar-
tiers of the earth, instead of being de-
pendent for food, as was the case at
the opening of the century, upon the
region of country Immediately sur
rounding them.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17
An Effective Retnrt.

Few things are more useful TO n NH.
lie speaker than readiness in turning an
interruption to his own advantage.
e the preacher can profit by it. rs
Is shown in a story told of the late Rev.
DR.. John b. McFerran in the Western
Christian Advocate.
IN closing a speech at a missionary
anniversary at Jacksonport, Arkansas.
1896, he stated that once he was shrink.
ingly timid when called upon to take n
collection. but that he had learned to
take the shirk by the throat and saw.
ray me that thou oweSt!'
Just then a man sung out, eyes. I
heard it said that they would put ON
your tombstone, And the beggor
died."
This created a laugh; but the doctor
stood silent. a tear stole down his
cheek, and in n subdued tone he broke
the pause:
DO you know what I told themp ,
sad, III you'll add the rest of the verse
and was carried by the angels TO Abra'
MANS BOSOM" wouldn't care"
The effect vas electric: money roinod
INTO the treasury, and shouts made tbo
roof tremble.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

the boys. They were all pretty evenly
matched, so that there was little
change in their relative positions for a
long time. How long Bill does not
know. 1t seemed n week to him, but
nobody in his plight could measure
time with any degree of accuracy. The
rain fell in torrents and the plains. now
darkened by the fading day and the
heavy green black clouds. was titfully
lighted by the constant flashes of light
ming, which m%Ockingly Illuminated the
pathway in front of Bill, likewise the
steers. At every flash and every roar
of thunder the bulls took on more
steam, and after Il short time Bill saw
with apprehension that they were gain
ing on him. Would they trample him in
the mud? 1t began to look as If they
might. for his pOny's wind was about
gone and his painting was becoming
short. sObbing gasps.
On they plunged, rider and pursued,
making COMMUNICATING time in n coun-
try where hard riding and plenty of it
Is lle udlIy IOIllOh VI all. oNcl ShCl'
ing, broken land, down into small
a.royos and Out again up the steep
grades plunged and seethed that mass
of struggling cattle. Some of the boys
behind noticed here and there the fallen
figure of an exhausted steer as he fell
from sheer WEAKNESS. They yelled en-
enlargement to Bill, for this was Il
good sign, and indicated that the herd
was rapidly reaching the point when it
would be compelled to stop. On they
ran, however, without wavering, pur-
sued by the storm and chasing the fly
ing figure Hf the boss. Would he eS-
cape death? Nobody could tell.
AS the beaten pony struggled up Il
steep incline after n mad dash down
into a gulch, Bill felt the hot breath of
the advance guard of the cattle. furious
as a furnace at his back. He cast a de
spairing glance backward. urged his
pony with foot and voice. and was
tossed headlong to the ground. He fell
from the stirrup, rolled about for an in
slant. and then lay still as he saw that
mighty herd leaping over the spot
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

same direction, and Il couple of hun
dred bore rapidly down on Martin. cut
ting him off and putting him in the di-
rect pathway Of the stampede.
"Whatever are We dom, We blamed
fool" reared Bill as he saw what had
happened. Come around on the other
side, We cayote, an head them bulls
often me. Durn yer skin, think I'm
part of this bunch?"
"Curley" saw the mischief and at
tempted 10 divert the enemy. but it was
too late. The other mar had followed
his lead and the steers instead of head
ing for the gulch We're racing in n wild
scrimmage straight away to the south,
hunting solitude. Bill went with them.
He had to. 1t was his duty. anyway. n
thought that afforded him little conso-
lation, for it was n race for life. with
the chances about fifty to one on the
bulls, with the same odds against him.
Still, being n man of family, he gave
his pony free rein and raced MS he never
did before or since, as he has frequently
said himself. 1t was all "Curley's" do
ing, us that aStute cowboy charged
with undue i~mpetuosity at an angle
calculated to produce the result he had
brought about.
As the cattle raced constant additions
We're made. until it seemed that the en-
tire herd was chasing Bill. He reflect
ed rs he ran that he had this advan-
tage, that when the ride was over, If he
survived. he could locate all of the
herd without much trouble. Just how
long 1t would take to terminate the
drift was the problem, us the herd was
mostly made up of young sters. full of
life and fleet of foot. Bill was busy
particularly in his straining effort to
avoid being inclosed in the rushing
herd. He had n little the start of them:
could he maintain 1t until a chance
offered to quarter the drive and escape
to one side? He dug his rowels into his
pony's tanks and swore vengeance on
"Curley" as loon rs the fun was over.
On rushed Bill. and on rushed the car.
tie. Behind them, with yells and shouts
squirting them to great efforts, raced
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

An ingenious Frenchman has SUE
gested a way in which Il rose, or DINER
flower, could be caused to appear grow
ing and unfolding in the presence OH
roomful of spectators. He proposes y.
employ the kinematoscope, a maSN
lantern so arranged as to produce no'
ing figures on a screen by means Oh
series of photographs of living opJee's
each successive photograph ha'lnS
been taken only a small fraction Ola
second later than its immediate preuV
cessor. But for the proposed new ap
plication of this instrument the pnOV
graphs need not be made so near "
gether, since they are to repreSen'
changes which require several mOn..
for their development. beglnnS
with the first appearance OF the OO-
several thousand photographs Vi
growing rose are to be taken, just n'.,
enough together so that the chanse y
form in the flower is almost lmpercev,
bic, until it has attained its cOmP,..
bloom. and then has faded ana Jaw.
to pieces. These photographs oem'
passed as transparencies, in rapiu ~.
~cession, through the kinematoSCVpS ~
there would appear upon the SCREEN
figure of a rose visibly budding, sfU"
ing, opening, spreading its petalS' ~.
finally ~shriveling and dying, the VIZ
process occupying but a few mu.o.
Many other applications of his pl riu,
pie to the representation of crowns
objects are suggested.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17
Measuring Its Own Velocity.

By means of an electrical device ez'
perimenters, acting for the United
States Board of Ordnance, have recent
ly succeeded in obtaining Photographic
records of the motion of a prOjectile
while yet inside the bore of a cannon.
The projectile carries a rod of wood
attached to its front end, and copper
rings, %encircling this rod at fixed ID
tervals, successfully form electric con-
facts as the rod is driven from the gun
Each of these contacts produces an
automatic record on a Photographic
plate. The Scientific American, in de-
scribing the apparatus and eXperF
ments, says that the shortest distance
Travelled by the projectile between Two
successive records was 81 centineters,
which is a little less than an inch anu
n half, and that some Of the time inter
walls between the records were only Ons
two-thousandth of a second.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

was caught in that stampede and hur-
ried off toward the gulf at a terrific
speed, his pony straining every nerve
to keep ahead and the steers racing
f~uriously behind in their efforts to get
away from the storm.
AS Bill dashed off to turn the flank of
the bunch, just as the animals COM
menced to change their revolving mo-
ton for Il straight-away run, "Curley"
lifted up his voice and quirt and made
a furious onslaught on the nearest steer.
He swung his deadly Quirt and
thwacked that bull with great vigor,
communicating Il sudden impetus to the
animals movements. This had the
effect of starting many others in the
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

A correspondent of the Irish Natural.
list describes Il curious scene which ho
witnessed while watching his cows in
the field. He noticed many wasps buy.
zing around the cows, and upon stop
ping to observe what they were abOut
he found that they were catching and
killing flies. A white COW in particular
attracted the wasps apparently because
they could SO easily see the flies that
alighted upon it. They invariably BIT
off the wings, sometimes the legs, and
occasionally the heads of the flies. and
carried the bodies away, probably to
feed their larvae. Three or four hun.
dred flies were thus caught in about
twenty minutes from the backs of two
cows.
Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-12-17

where he went down. Bruised and
shaken by the tumble, half conscious
from the shock. he lay there and with
the curious Inconsistency of him in I'M
minent peril, commenced n desultory
counting of the black forms when
plunged yer him. Where his pony
was he did not know. and he fell to
specializing concerning him. On ran
the steers and still Bill lay there. his
daZed mind going through all kinds of
arithmetical problems.
Finally the last of the herd passed
and the boss, one of the most expert
enced %ranchmen of the wild West rose
to his elbow and sent a careful glance
to the rear. He saw his men racing
1urlOuSly after the cattle and suddenly
ducked again as the boys plunged over
his position. Then it dawned on him
where he q He had fallen into n
natural ditch too deep to wade over and
just the right width to leap easily. This
fact had saved his life, for the FIRST
steer leaped the ditch and all of the
others blindly followed suit. Bill was
safe and he crawled out of his hole not
grateful for his escape, but with n mind
fuiI of wrath against "Curley," the
cause of his downfall.
The ditch had also saved the ponv
The little broncho fell when he threw
his rider, and being deadbeat Law where
ne iell. AS he had as much sense rs his
master, he kept quiet, and when Bill
arose he saw that broncho ouietlv
drinking ut n small pool. his tanks
stu rising with undue rapidity, for he
was very weak. Bill arose and intro.
duceI himself by taking the bride and
giving the unoifending brute n savage
Kick. He then remounted and followed
after the herd slowly, knowing that nv
this time. the storm having broken. tho
steers were willing to quit, and that
with plenty of hard work they wonld
all be collected.
We'll. 1t was as he expected. He final.
ly found the herd scattered about ON tho
plans, some lying down and some graz.
ing but all showing evidences of that
wild flight from the driving storm. He