davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
A SONG OF THE ToILERS.

Early and late we have borne
The burden, the heat of the day;
Visions and dreams of the morn
Have vanished forever away.
Heartily, friend by friend,
Our willing hands we have set
To the weight of the world-and the en-
Hath not come yet!
Once. in the dawning, we stood
BY the side of a beautiful stream,
Slow issuing, strong, from a wood,
With songs on its lips and the gleam
OF light from the heavens above
Astir In it's tranquil breast;
But the name of that stream was love
Was love-not rest.
We toiled on the mountain at morn,
We stood on the glorious height
And saw the full valleys of corn
In rapture of plenty and light;
But the reaper came forth from his cot
His parted lips still wet
From a hasty repast-and his lot
Finds no rest yet.
We sat in the shade of the trees
A moment when noontide was won,
Uncovered our heads to the breeze,
And smiled In the face of the sun.
But the trees were building apace
Stanch timbers the storms 10 fret,
And the sun wrought on in his place
There is no rest yet.
Steadfastly, gladly, till eve
We bore our full part with the strong;
Why should we falter or grieve,
Thus doing our brothers wrong?
We said: I'VE shall rest tonight
When the fiowery ways are wet;''
But the moon in the cast shines bright
There is no rest yet,
Oh, strongly the world hath stood
On pillars of toll till now;
The taste of our bread Is good
Seasoned with sweat of the brow
The streams are turning the mills,
Their hands to the firm wheels set,
And the slow dark trees on the hills
Are building yet.
The vigilant stars in the sky,
Each on his errand pressed,
Goes with his torch borne high,
Nor falters, nor asks for rest.
Patience, be strong, o soul,
In Gods high purpose set!
Somewhere, at some fair goal,
Thou't rest thee yet!
Ida w. Benham, in N Y. Independent.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
UNUSED STAMPS.
How Uncle Sam Redeems Envelopes That
Are Spoiled or Misdirected.

How Uncle Sam Redeems Envelopes That
Are Spoiled or Misdirected.
One of the most interesting branches
If the postal service is that which ii
devoted to the redeeming of stamped
envelopes which have been misdirected.
A person of an observing turn can spend
a very profitable half-hour there any
time, listening to the stories told by the
men and women of how they came to
spoil so much valuable stationery. In
deed, it is a remarkable thing how so
many envelopes get misdirccted, many
large firms returning them in lots of
several thousand at time. The clerks
who have to count them say that it is
all gross carelessness, and they point
to the way in which the envelopes are
returned = some back to back and
others folded and twisted into every
possible shape. All this means extra
work to the clerks, who have very lit
tie spare time on their hands.
The envelopes are redeemed in all
cases possible, many packages being re-
ceived which have obviously not been
misdirected. For instance. if firm
goes out of existence and has quantity
of envelopes left over, the chances
are that a marking brush will be
drawn over the edges instead of
few scratches being made on
each envelope. There are many ways
in which envelopes can be spoiled for
business purposes, and if list of all
the peculiar cases were made it would
fill book. One man recently brought
in box full over which he had spilled
bottle of ink, while another had
large quantity that had been badly
damaged by fire, and third appeared
with lot that he claimed had been
gnawed by mice.
The government, of course, loses
nothing in these transactions. 1t has
been already paid for the envelopes and
printing, and it redeems only the face
value of the stamps. The New York
office makes payment not in cash, but in
postage stamps, and these stamps have
TO come out of the regular supply. as
the department at Washington will not
recognize any demand until the mis-
directed envelopes have been counted.
N. YSJournal.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
PuNGENT PARAGRAPHS.

II hear your friend is practicing the
most rigid economy" "Yes; she does
nothing but shop."-Yonkers States
man.
-She-"This novelist writes of his
heroine as tall girl with becoming
blonde hair" He--'I suppose he means
by that that shewas having it bleached." !"
Cincinnati Enquirer.
-Attorney-"What was there about
the deceased that led you to believe he
was of unsound mind?" Witness
''Well, for one thing, he abhorred
bicycles. es."-Philadelphia North Amer
lean.
lis dis where dey wants a boy 2"
at is; but he must be boy who never
utters an untruth and does not use
slang or swear" "Well, me brudder's
deaf mute. I'll send i'm 'round."-
Memphis Scimitar. se
Would you like sonata before
dinner?" said the Washington hostess
to the gentleman from Kentucky.
swell, don't rnind,' said he; II had
two on my way here, but reckon can
stand another. Boston Herald.
His One Idea.-Branson-" Mr..
Garlick completed century this morn
ing" Hy Geer-"How long did it take
him? Branson-"Why, a hundred
years." by Geer-"Great Ixon! What
wheel did he ride?" = Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
Kind Neighbor accompanied by
large mastiff, to little girl very much
afraid of him)-"He's good dog; he
never hurts anyone. Don't you see how
he's wagging his tail?'' Little Girl
(still shrinking back)-"Yes, / see;
but that isn't the end I'm afraid off,
Tit-Bits.
MIR. Wiggies-"Didn't tell you not
to tell Waggles that we were going 20
move? didn't want him to know it,
and to-day he asked me when we were
going to make the change" Mrs. Wig
giles indignantly didn't say word
to him about it. didn't tell anybody
but his ife."-Somerville Journal.
The mother asked little Dot to go
into the next room and see if the clock
was running, for she had not heard it
strike all the afternoon. Dot came rum
ming back, put her curly head into the
door. and exclaimed: ''Why, no mamma,
de clock amt a runinn'. 1t is des stand
in still and a-wagging its tail" Con.
gregationalist.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
BODIES FOUND IN A TRENCH.

Physicians Examine the skeletons and
Decide They Are Bones of Indians.
Skeletons from the unknown graves
At Stockton, kan., have been brought to
st. Joseph, Mo-, and are now in the
hands of physicians, who have decided
that they are the bones of Indians. The
skeletons were taken from trench
where 300 bodies have been buried.
Rain washed the earth from a skull
at the side of the road and it led to the
discovery of the burying ground. The
bodies haG been piled into the trench
face downward and in every shape, pre-
sumably after q battle or massacre.
The bodies of women and children were
buried in the grave, but there was not
weapon or piece of pottery to show
their race. The skeletons of the men
were of ordinary stature and many of
them do not resemble Indians in any
way. The oldest inhabitants about
Stockton do not remember any battle
having been fought near the place
where the skeletons were found, and
have concluded that the bodies rnust
have been buried there before the ar
rival of any white settlers. 1t was be-
lieved for time that the skeletons
were those Of white people who had
been killed by Indians while crossing
the plains, and physicians were asked
TO examine them for the purpose Of as.
pertaining their nationality.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
WETTING THE PIPE.

1t Prevents Briarwood from Burning
Rapidly Away Inside the Bowl.
"The practice of wetting the bowl OF
a new briarwood pipe before filling it
with tobacco for the first time is an es.
sentially German custom here in New
York" remarked tobacco dealer in
lower Broadway the other day as a
man who had just purchased a pipe
walked over to the water cooler and
filed the bowl with water. "A briar
pipe is the easiest thing to hold be-
tween the teeth when you are working
ut desk or ON the street, and nine Ger
mans out of ten smoke them during
the day, though ut night, when
comfortably digesting dinner, they pre-
fer to puff away at long-stemmed af-
fair.
'The reason for wetting the pipe first
is simple enough. The wood gets bone
dry after having been in the shop for
months. as most pipes are, and if it
was not wet it would burn out in a
comparatively short time. If you al.
low pipe to soak for few minutes be-
fore lighting it for the first time the
wood will char very gradually, and as
time goes on it will absorb more evenly
the nicotine, which will make it sweet
to the hardened pipe smoker.
''Most people think that there is
vast difference in the quality of the
wood between a briar pipe that costs
two dollars and one that costs 25 cents.
and nearly every dealer is glad to foster
this IDEA. But the fact is that the diff.
ference in price lies in the mouthpiece.
The two-dollar pipe has mouthpiece of
amber, and the finer the quality of am.
Der the higher the price. But the quail.
ity of the wood is about the same in
cheap pipe as in enc that costs dollars.
OF course in cheap pipe there may be
flaws in the wood that have been deftly
pnttied up, but careful buyer, when
he has number of pipes to choose from.
can easily detect these if he looks
sharply. A 25-cent pipe, if judiciously
selected, will smoke just as well and last
as long as more costly one."-N. Y.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Cancer can be relieved and prob
ably cued by local applications of calci-
um carbide, according to DR. Guinard,
Of Paris.
The mercantile tonnage of the
United States reached its greatest
amount in 1861; we had then 5,539,S13
tons. In the same year the British
merchant tonnage was 4,359,696.
The vitascope, Edison's latest in
vention, is an enlarged and perfected
kiDetoscope. By its aid a number of
persons can view an operate or theat-
ricaf performance on a screen, behold
the actors and distinctly hear the per-
formers.
I'm 1892 there were 100000 sheep
In the Algerian Sahara alone, besides
100000 goats and 100000 camels. On
the oases there are l,50O, 900 date palms,
giving dates worth $3,O00,O00 a year.
So even the desert is worth keeping
under control.
"A new glass has been manufactured
that, while it allows the free passage
of light, is a decided check to heat. In
an experiment it was proven that a
glass plate four-tenths of an inch al
lowed but 4.6 per cent. of radiant heat
to pass through it. Ordinary window
glass let's Sc per cent. of heat through.
An important engineering work OF
freeing the Venetian lagoon near Chi.
oggia from inundation and the con,
sequent malaria has been completed.
A canal ten miles long and costing ST.
100000 has. been built, carrying the wa
ters of the Brenta and the Bacchigli.
one across the lagoon direct to the Adri-
attic.
In an exploration of the Himalaya
mountains in the Manga Parbat re.
gion, which was made last summer,
height of O,000 feet was attained by the
exploring party. The tents used were
made of silk. They weighed but 1e
ounces apiece, and formed warm and
comfortable shelters with but mini
mum of weight to carry.
The weight of cubic foot of fresh
water is 62.39 pounds, and ton meas.
ures 35.905 cubic feet. Salt water
weighs 64.05 pounds to the cubic foot
and ton measures 34.973 cubic feet
The weight of fresh water equals the
weight of salt water multiplied by
o.974o. In all ship calculations the
weight of fresh water is taken at 6225,
and OF salt water at "a pounds.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25

all the world before them; for their
sake the mother must run no needless
risk; her first duty is to them;
she has borne and sucked them;
TO sacrifice them to the father
would be unnatural and harmful.
and, in the widest sense, unfeminine."
That's all very well for the beasts"
Mamie answered, petulantly; ''but we
are not beasts, and I say, with us. a
woman's first duty is always to her hus-
band. Fold up my chair before you
come below, Arthur; III run down and
see how Charlie and the baby are get
ting on in the stateroom'
1T opens up. an interesting moral
question: said the chaplain, as Mamie
disappeared with a nod down the COM
panion-ladder. 1T seems to me yon
make things rather rough for the hus-
band, don't your"
rWell-po," arthur answered, "
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
MAMIE CLUNG TO HER HUSBAND.

hAlMlE SLON6 III hr.R dOSbAND.
About two in the morning every soul
on hoard was awakened at once by a
terrible crash that Jared horribly
through the ship as she came to sud-
den standstill. Her iron plates clanked;
her timbers creaked and shivered. The
bows were stove in. She had run into
an iceberg!
In a second the electric light had gone
out and all was IN darkness. Too ter.
rified for screams, men, women and
children CROPPED their way through the
long corridors and up the companion
ladder. On deck few dim lights made
the gloom just visible. The sea was
rushing into the forward compart-
ments; leaks had sprung in the after
ones; the fires were out; tons of ice
numbered the quarter deck; the fore
castle had disappeared with the vio-
ience of the collision
Still, all on board was order. The
captain, wounded by the falling ice,
gave the word of command as clear
and steady as ever. Sailors were lower
ing the boats; the second officer, revol-
yer in hand, was holding at bay the
half-naked stokers who had surged up
from the noisome hole at the earliest
alarm, and were trying to seize the
first boat for themselves, regardless %
the claims of the women and children.
One boat was ready. Arthur Whit.
more stood on the deck, holding his
wife's hand tenderly. Mamie pressed
the two children tightly against her
bosom.
Women and children forward" the
captain called out in his clear, calm
voice.
With wild sob and fierce embrace,
Mamie clung to her husband. Arthur.
Arthur" she cried, trembling, wont
they let you go with us?"
NO, darling" Arthur answered, kiss
ing wife and little ones; "this boat Is
for women and children only
"Then must go with the children"
Mamie sobbed, breaking forward
They took their seats on the thwarts.
and were pushed off into the dark deep. |
After three days at sea in the open boat |
they reached Cape Race. But Arthur |
went down on the sinking steamer.
He was justified, after all. Instinct |
bad solved the problem Alright for Mai, |
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
THE TEST AT SEA.
BY GRANT ALLEN.

They sat idly on the deck of an Allan
tic liner. The moon was rising. 1t was
an evening in June. and they were
nearing 'the Banks" Even there in
midocean the setting summer sun had
SO warmed the air that they could
lounge attheir ease in long wicker deck
chairs and discuss knotty point in the
moral philosophy of the domestic rela-
tions.
For my part" Mamie Whitmore re-
marked, drawing her little wooden wrap
closer round her ears, Il say a woman's
first duty is to her husband"
"And for my part" Arthur answered,
leaning across towards his wife, Il say
awoman's first duty is toher children -
How do you make that out, Whit
nore?" the major inquired, lazily. The
major had pretty l<nack of his own in
casuistry.
"Why, it runs through all nature"
Arthur Whitmore replied 1T belongs
to the very essence of the feelings en-
gendered in us by natural selection.
The male fights always for the female
and the young; the female fights for
the young only, or turns tail to protect
them, leaving the male to defend him
SELF"
II remember" the major unused, 81
was out tiger-hunting once in nullah
in India, and came across tiger, with
the tigress and cubs lying hid in a
jungle. l fired at the brute, and he
eaped straight up a me, but the tigrcss
and the cubs skunk away through the
long, tall reeds of the cane brake. Well,
l killed that tiger. and went after the
tigress; but, when got her at bay, she
fought like regular devil for her cubs.
l can tell you. So there's your case,
Whitmore."
Yes, it must always be So" Arthur
Whitmore continued. '"The male, as
the more active and stronger of the two,
must fight for the female and the
young together; the female, as the
weaker, yet the protector of the young,
must leave the male to look after him
self, and, at all risks to him, must take
care of the little ones. They are the hope
of the race, the future of the species.
The sire has had his day; if he sacrifices
his life for his young, no great harm
can come of it. But the little ones have
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
GOLD FOR DEER's TEETH.
rhe Man Who Found 1t Is Now Tryin,
to Discover a Gold Mine.

rhe Man Who Found 1t Is Now Trying
to Discover Gold Mine.
Gold has been found in q variety of
queer places, among others in the dust
in the crops of wild turkeys, and be-
tween the toes of wolf hound. The
latest odd place for gold is as the filling
for a deer's teeth, and it is told of by
John A. Bryant, of Kansas City, Mo.
A Kansas City taxidermist was found
in a great state of excitement by Mr..
Byrant. He had recently got two deer
heads for mounting from Colorado. The
jaws of both deer were being scraped,
and then the taxidermist observed pe-
culiar substance crusted on the teeth,
This sediment was brownish-yellow in
color, and just for fools luck the man
scraped it off and sent it TO an assayer.
The assayer got a lump of gold, pure
yellow gold, from the stuff, and the
taxidermist made haste to find out the
precise locality where the deer were
killed. Then he asked about the deer
licks where the animals got their salt
He doesn't know yet whether the gold
came from salt lick or from the dust
blown onto the grass or browse on
which the deer fed.
The taxidermist said that the deei
were killed not more than a hndred
miles from the Cripple Creek gold
mines, and, further. that he knows the
spot exactly. He thinks il deer can get
gold filling for their teeth in the or.
diDary course of nature. man could get
bushels of it. He has so much faith in
this that he is going to sell out his busi-
ness. buy burro, grub stake, a pros.
pectov's pick, and then &C to prospect
ing ca the deer's trails.-The Nidolo
sist ~
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
Something pigestib,e.

Lady-Mr. Longhair, 1 wish TO
thank you for the beautiful poem you
sent me on my birthday last week.
Poet-Don't mention it.
did you get the pie sent you in re.
turn?"
II ate the pie with gratitude
Il hope, Mr.. Longhair, that my send
ing You in return for your beautiful
poem something digestible did not
offend you?"
20. no; not in the least."-Texas
Sitter.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
IN JAPANESE THEATERS.
Amusement Resorts Where Patrons Sit
on the Floor.

Amusement Resorts Where Patrons Sit
on the Floor.
To a stranger one of the most curious
sights in Japan is house of public en-
tertainment. A more extraordinary or
interesting spectacle can scarcely be
imagined, and is certainly not to be wit
messed in any other portion of the CIV
ilized world. In nearly every street in
the city of Toxic is always to be found
one or more of these places of amuse-
ment. 1t is rendered conspicuous by
placards, posted on square box hung
in prominent place, announcing that
Messrs. So and So will give an enter
tainment regularly between certain
dates, and at night this box is Lit up
with candles.
At the entrance to the house is large
wooden till, in which is placed three
pinches of salt for 'luck." Close by is
stationed man, who cries at Intervals:
"Come in! Come in, ladies and gentle
men, and see our wonderful exhibition.
1t will tickle your liver and make the
lean grow fat from laughing. Come in,
PiCtty hdiQt anu VIC VIII SIlOW you
the features of your lover"
The performance usually commences
at seven o'clock in the morning and
closes at six o'clock in the evening. and,
including the intervals, which ARE fire.
quent and long, the fun is kept up all
day.
In the city the young girls rise earlier
than usual, and hastily complete their
elaborate toilet in order to be present
at the commencement of the performs
ance. They are easily distinguished
from the country maidens by their less
ruddy compilations and more genteel
manners.
On arriving at the place of amuse-
ment the audience take off their geta,
or clogs, and place them in the custody
of man, who charges a nominal sum
for taking care of them. These clogs
are hung on pegs with huge wooden
tablets attached to them. Those who
go into a house with geta concealed
upon their persons are treated with
contempt and dubbed "abrumushi,"
signifying "cockroaches."
AS there are no seats in a house of
public entertainment in Toxic, the au-
dience squat cross-legged on the mats
in the space allotted to them and make
themselves comfortable for the day.
The men and women light their pipes
and while away the time by rehearsing
pleasant "reminiscences until the per-
formance begins.
Jugglers, story-tellers, magic-lantern
exhibitors, who are considered the fore
runners of prosperity and harbingers
OF peace, entertain the public both day
and night. Each troupe of performers
usually remains in one place for about
a week, but if they are unprecedentedly
successful they remain as long as their
speculation proves profitable.
The performance always takes place
In the upper story of the house. At one
extremity Of the room is an elevated
platform for the performers, on which
is firebox and tea-service, and at each
end are two candlesticks. The audience
Is seated in front. Here may be seen
group of peasants, there a few Off
cials; girls, old men, servants and ap-
prentices, all mixed up together without
regard to rank or set.-San Francisco
Chronicle.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25
CHURCH AND CLERGY.

Asyut training college, Egypt, needs
ings.
The property of the Salvation Army
in the United States is valued at nearly
$5,000,o 600.
The degree Of doctor OF divinity was
last year conferred on 355 persons in
the United States.
The cause of foreign missions has
Jagged the past year because of hlrd
times. This is the report of every de-
nomination.
English bishops receive from G $500
to 10000 and each is provided with
a palace in which to reside. There are
said to be considerable perquisites att
tached to the office.
Travelling churches are to be estabJ
lished on the trans-Siberian railway,
which passes through many desert
tracts, where neither village nor church.
can be met with for miles.
Iowa appears to have churches enough
to meet all demands upon them. With
seating capacity of 1903 ,s04, they have
membership Of only 571,264. Meth
odists are most numerous in the state.
Next come the Roman Catholics, the
Lutherans and the Presbyterians.
On the island of Madagascar there
are 32,972 Lutheran Christians and 4s5
congregations. These are cared for
by % Norwegian missionaries and So
native helpers. Thirty four thousand
four hundred and thirty-seven chill
dren attend the 4S7 schools.
The Colfax chronicle., 1896-07-25

look at it like this: Parents bestow
much love on their children, and the
love they receive in return very rarely
requites them. 1t is repaid by the chill
dren to the next generation, as the fa-
ther and mother themselves repay the
debt they incurred to their own par.
ents. It's the same with the father.
The love he lavishes on the woman of his
choice is repaid by her in part to him.
self, in part as care on her side for the
children, who are, after all, his chill
dren. don't see how a race could well
be kept up otherwise. The man must
love, first, his wife, then his children;
the woman must love her children best
of all, and repay the surplus of her love
to her husband"
Lets have cigar" the major said,
with a yawn. Were growing quite
sentimental"
They smoked and went below. In half
an hour all was still, save on the bridge,
where the officer of the watch paced up
and down and peered before him in the
dark, for fog was forming.
The passengers had all gone to their
staterooms; the silence was oppressive
and ominous, as if some subtle spirit
presence came with warning. Perhaps
it was but the dominance of vague fear,
in the face of the thick, dark veil that
blotted out the sky and sea and shiI. and
almost hope.
Fog on "the Banks" at night is a ter
rible thing to the experienced seaman.