davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-09
When Papa Was a Little Boy.

"When papa was little boy
You really couldn't find
In all the State of Washington
A child so quick to mind.
His mother never called but once,
And pa was always there
He never made the baby cry
Or pulled his sisters hair.
He never slid down banisters,
. Or made the slightest noise;
And never in his life was known
To fight with other boys.
He always studied hard at school,
And got his lessons right
And chopping wood and milking COWS
Were papa S chief delight
"He always rose at six o'clock
And went to bed at eight,
And never lay abed till noon
And never sat up late.
He finished Latin, French and Greek
When he was ten years old,
And knew the Spanish alphabet
AS soon as he was told.
He never grumbled when he had
To do the evening chores,
And ne'er in all his life forgot
To shut the stable doors.
He never, never thought of play
Until his work was done,
He labored hard from break OF day
Until the set of sun.
"He never scraped his muddy shoes
Upon the parlor floor,
And never answered back his ma,
And never banged the door.
But truly, | could never see,
Said little Dick Malloy,
"How he could ever do these things,
And really be boy"
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-09
An Honest Man.


New York has an extraordinary citi-
zen in the person Of Mr. Amos +.
Emo, who has just been paying oil,
principal and interest, debts thirty
six years old-debts from which be
had been released soon after the fall
ure Of his firm in 1861. The gentle
man was a member Of the firm Of
Emo, Bueren & Valentine. Of New
York, which, before the civil war, did
a large business with the South in
silks. The war destroyed for the most
part the ability ofSouthern merchants
to pay debts for silks, az for many 9th
er things, and the firm in question
made an assignment for the benefit Of
creditors April 20. 1861. The stock
on hand and the business we're sold,
a small dividend was paid, and the
members Of the firm were released
from all further obligation. Yet now,
after tbirty-six years. the surviving
member is paying his full share ofthe
unpaid liabilities, with interest Of 4
per cent, the total footing up some
$4,000. The interest BY this time
is Al per cent more than the princi-
pal, YET the whole is paid without de-
duction. Mr.. Emo ought to have a
monument.
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-09

She No, / won't sit out on the
piazza with you unless you promise
not to Try to kiss me.
He'll promise-if you insist;
but, remember. Miss MoIlis. that ] am
a man who never breaks promise.
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-09

81 don't mind Jacks slang" said
one OF the girls. "He is SO clever in
the use of it." "How so?" "Why, be
sent me three dozen photos Of famous
beauties, with a card on which the
only words were: You're another !"
Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-12-09

Your word is your servant 50 long
as you retain it, but it becomes your
master when you suffer it to escape.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
One Rock for Two Birds.

Which the same that puts me in mind
of another place where crcumstantial
evidence got in some strong and tellin
work.
Oncst upon a time John Andrew Mill
gan and Miss Rosebud Bucllalew took
a fool notion that they would go up to
the state fair together, and then took the
cars and went. They spent the day
takin in the sights and had most fe-
lonious nice time, to hear them tell it,
but on their return back home that
night they met with sad and terrible
accident.
How did it hnppenP Well, oil I know
about it is what John Andrew told me
and Miss Rosebud told mother, and they
didn't make us promise tokeep nograye-
yard secrets in the case.
Anyhow, from what they say, some
scoundrel beast throwed a rock into
the car where they were ridin side by
side. The same rock crashed through
the glass window, knocked the breath
outen Miss Rosebud and broke three
fingers on John Andrews left hand at
one lick.
And that is all know about it.
RUFUS SANDERS.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
Circurnst tn initial Evidence.

Along in the spring of the year
when the sun shines warm and pleasant,
whilst the dogwood trees are bloomin,
and you feel so loose and lazy-the gen.
eral surroundins always put me in mind
of a strong case of eireumstantial evil.
dence which leaked out oncst upon a
time inregards to VIII Tom Pickens and
Miss Mamie Lou Galloway.
They have since mated off for good
and settled down to business and ara
now mixin clothes in one of the love.
LEST and most happest homes in the
settlement. But at that particlar time
tLey were right slap kerdab in the mid.
die of loves young dream, as it were,
and between the two they had worked
up tremendous bad case of it. They
had been courtin and carryin on to-
gether as reglar and frequent as pig
tracks for six months past, and the
country was then seriously threatened
with weddin,
One Saturday in the first warm
days of spring we got up big picnic
over at Stringer's old mill, and about
dinner time who do you reckon driv up
in one of these clost built buggies-
who but Will Tom and Miss Mamie
Lou? Comm along the road in the
mainline it would seam like they had
been caught in one of them pleasant
April showers and both of them got wet.
Now you will please recollect that
Miss Mamie Lou was dressed in white,
with blue ribbons in her hair and a
blood red belt around her waist. |
reckon no doubts they had been too
busy layin their future plans to take
any particlar notice of what had come
to pass. But at any rates, when they
driv up in the crowd and jumped out
of the buggy, by gracious the coat sleeve
which VIII Tom wore on his left arm
was painted a gay and gorgeous red
from elbow to cuff and back again. At
the same time anybody could shet one
eye and look and see that the onlyest
red thing in the whole layout was the
lovely belt which Miss Mamie Lou wore
The blame thing had got wet and run
in the wash.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
RUINED BY THE PRICKLY PEAR.
Devastation Wrought by the PIantia
south Africa.

\ large area of the most fertile part
Of Cape Colony has been rendered
wholly valueless by the spread of tho
prickly pear, which is a very free grow
ing cactus, attaining height of from
ten to twelve feet and consisting Of
thick, branching stems and profusion
of thorn-covered leaves. Originally
introduced into the coast towns as a
rare garden plant, il was soon found to
be so well suited to both soil and eli
mate that it was planted for living
fences. The thick, suceulent leaves
contain over so per cent. of moisture,
and were SO readily consumed by all
kinds of live stock that farmers in the
dry interior began to plant little OF it
as a standby in time of drought. Twen-
ty years ago, in the early days of the os-
trieh feather boom, when all farmers
included ostriehes among the ordinary
stock, this cactus was found to be inyal-
liable, and thousands of ostriches were
reared and fed upon it alone. Even the
sheep and goat farmers of the karoo be-
gan to plant it and thought they had
ioulu " Ilth anu lobhNls iut
1t spread with inconceivable rapidity;
leaves that touched the ground took
root in few days and became thriving
plants; any small part of a leaf broken
off by the animals in feeding at once
set up in the business for itself. Under
the South African sun the leaves devel-
oped also an enormous number of
prickly spines, about an inch long, hard
and sharp as needless which seriously
affected the animals, hundreds of whom
died from this cause.
The extent of the evil, however, was
not realized until attempts were made to
destroy the priclly pear and arrest its
spread. Cutting down was laborious
and thanlllcss task for the leaves, in-
stead of whitening, took root where
they fell. A plant with so per cent. OF
moisture could only be burned by the
use of other fuel, prohibitive condi-
ton in those treeless districts. Some
of the more energetic and capable Eng,
lish farmers did manage to gradually
reduce the area occupied by their
enemy by closely fencing it in and con-
tinually uprooting all young plants,
but the great majority of the farms
were occupied by Dutchmen, who took
little or no part in the conflict. Farm
after farm went out of cultivation and
ceased to afford any grazing ground,
until now there are hundreds of square
miles of once flourishing pasture and
arabic land turned into absolute wilder.
ness, abandoned to the jackals and the
wildcat.
Lately the aid of the chemist has been
invoked and the colonial government
has been supplying preparation OF
arsenic, solution of which poured
into holes bored in the stems and
sprayed over the leaves causes rapid
death and decay of the whole plant.
Slow and costly as this operation is, no
other means of destruction has yet
been found to give such good results,
Many Dutch families have been reduced
TO the most abject poverty by the ruin OF
their farms, and in place of the $4,000
to 10000 acres they once owned manage
now to exist on the produce of small
flock of poor goats and the fruit OF
the prickly pear itself-Chicngo Chron.
io1a
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24

is made 1t must lie union that Is fl
to be made and the banns must be pub
lished and announced from the pulpit
for so many Sabbaths previous to the
ceremony. Consequently there are no
Opponents - no runaways, and OF
course not so many divorces. Inconsid-
crate young people used to run away 10
Gretna Green, in Scotland, and be mar.
ried by an old Scotch blacksmith, but
those marriages were declared illegal
about 40 years ago, and now it is a
crime to be married anywhere save in
the church after the banns have been
published. Great solemnity is attached
to the ceremony. But here anybody
can run away with anybody's daughter
end be married by anybody in any sort
of fashion and get loose whenever they
take a notion. The whole business of
marriage and divorce should be remod
eled by congress and made uniform in
all the states. 1t makes me sick to read
those divorce advertisements of law
yers in Chicago: divorces obtained
without attracting attention" But
the devil is now unclaimed and the
thousand years are out.--Bill Arp, in
Atlanta Constitution.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24

Lets take leetle somethin for a
change of BREATH" Gays he, and with
that he went down in his pistol pocket
and come forth with bottle of white
ink
Well, as anybody knows, didn't need
no sperits that day. But right then
l felt like l would ruther take nibble
with Black Jack Virgins, of Cyclone
Streak, than any Twin mortal man on
the broad bosom of the whole diseov-
cred earth. And | never could tell why,
but it did raley seem to me like that
was the best corn whisky had ever
tasted since the day and hour when |
was born. At the same time Black
Jack was SO friendly and social like and
pleasant till he soon made me forget
all about the little justification which
Inc and him had got into that Satur-
day evenin over at the Cross Roads.
We kept up the familious CONTEMPLATION
till | had bit off three or four plugs Of
that early runnin of the corn, and then
we shook hands aerost the bloody
chasm of the past. We parted friends,
and that friendship we have maintained
from that good day down to this blessed
hour.
So that's what makes me tell you
what | do in regards to the news we
heard the other day-which l do hope
and trust it will not turn out as bad as
the reports.
And may the God of the brave and
the honest-hearted bless Black Jack
Virgins, of Cyclone Streak.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
FEARS HE DREAMED TRUE.
Part of 1t Came to Pnss-He breads
the Dagger End.


Here is o. story of a strange halluci-
nation told by Arthur Mursell. In a
good house in a northwest suburb a
few years ago sat handsome man.
about midnight, writing at a manu-
script, which, to judge by the drift of
torn paper AL around, had not been an
easy task, ard how he leans back in
his chair, waiting for the ink to dry
and to rest his cramped fingers and
his heavy eyes. The room is fitted as
library, with many books on many
shelves.
As he pauses in his work the door
opens and stranger appears--a gen
tleman, young, distinguished and i'm
perious in form and movement. lie
beekons to the writer, and, being dis
regarded, repeats the summons with
decision which compels obedience
Rising, his visitor leads him downstairs,
out at the door, through street after
street, and opening with latehkey the
door of a substantial house, passes up
stairs into an elegant apartment, and,
turning to a couch, shows reclining upon
it beautiful girl of about 10 or 20 sum-
mers Her golden hair has fallen in
rich mass about her and one arm is
left bare by a falling sleeve and the
other dainty hand is nesting under
her cheek.
For a few seconds the stranger sur
yeys the sleeping form and then
sheathes to the lflt glittering dagger
in the snowy breast. The deed done,
he beckons as before and again the
journalist is forced to follow. By the
same way he is led back to his own
door, to his own room, where the visitor
vanishes as suddenly as he has come,
without sound or signal.
Looking at his manuscript, the jour
nalist is amazed to find the ink still
wet and that this has all been but a
horrible dream of few seconds. Can
it be possible? So vivid, so real, so
tragic had it been, that he turns even
still to greet the stranger at the door.
Shortly after he went to a ball at a
friends house, where amid the dancers
wildly familiar to him. 1t was the
face of his dream.
Soon q gentleman, who seemed also
familiar to him, approached the lady. 1t
was the other figure Of his dream, the
murderer of the fair heroine. He gained
ali interview with both and shortly
afterward he learned that they were
engaged" They had never met till
that evening and it was an instance OF
love at first sight, and it was thought
It would be an early marriage. 1t was
then the journalist told OF his dream
in explanation of his interest in q
couple the course of whose married life
he watches in the eager hope that It's
development will prove that the dagger
was but Cupid's dart which so sud-
denly pierced both hearts on the night
of their first meeting.-Temple Maya
zine,
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
THE DOLL AS A SYMBOL.
Occupies n Prominent Place in Every
COuntry's Customs.


The Indians of New Mexico are IA
nous weavcrs. incidentally to the
business of making large blankets for
the real folks the good mother turns out
some little blankets for her chldren's
dolls.
Among the Indians it seems to be
quite usual to bury dolls with children.
The custom, apparently, is of great an
tiquity, for such mannikins are often
found in old graves in that region. The
same practice is followed in parts Of
Africa and to some extent it is pur-
sued by the negroes in the United
States. In the cemeteries of colored
people in the south not only dolls but
all sorts of playthings that belonged
to the dead child are placed upon the
grave and permitted to remain there.
Available facts are scant about the dolls
of the savage tribes of the Amazons,
who are the nakedest people of the
world, many OF them wearing no
clothes whatever. Perhaps they have
no dolls. The natives of Terra del
Fuego certainly possess no dolls. They
lave no art of any kind, their entire at
tention being constantly absorbed by
the very difficult problem of procuring
food for day ahead.
In Europe the business of making
dolls is an important and extensive in
dustry. You can purchase in Italy for
a few dollars set of dolls accurately
representing all classes of the people,
with the whole scheme of national cos
tune. The same may be said of China.
India and Japan. in all of which coun.
tries the dollmaker plays an important
role. The Chinese are very fond Of
dolls representing mandarins. In Japan
you can get dolls illustrating every
class, profession and rank from the
mikado down TO the humblest peasant
The costumes of japanese plays are al
ways obtained from dolls. Thus they
are sure TO be accurately correct in
every detail.-N. Y. Telegram.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
Prolonged Fasting Dangerous.

Although many physicians advocate
the advantages derived from long peri
DDS of fasting and some even go far
enough to say that no serious change
of tissue need result, the question
arises: Why the invariable loss in
weight? Food of some kind is neces-
sary to maintain the body and mind in
a healthy condition and to restore the
inevitable waste. As a result of con-
tinuous abstinence from food the blood
becomes impoverished and diminished
and cerebral anaemla often follows.
The brain must be supplied with
healthy blood. Succi, Who few years
ago gave an exhibition in New York of
his ability to exist without food, and
who recommended so highly his
"elixir," made, he said, from a plant
which he discovered in Africa (the use
Of which retarded tissue changes), has
Just died in a madhouse in France.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
BIRDS FOR THE ARMY.
Great Britain About to Adopt Pigeon
Carriers for Mnr Service.

Following rather tardily in the foot
steps of the other great European pow.
ers her majestys government has de-
cided to avail itself of the services OF
the courier of the air" for purposes OF
war. Though the lapse of time has not
been great since the pigeon was active
ly employed as a purveyor of intelli.
gence, still its use for warlike purposes
has been so superseded by the railway
the telegraph and the Photograph that
this action of the authorities is certain
to cause some surprise in this country
With characteristic caution the expert
ment at first will be conducted on
small scale. A large pigeon loft, cap
able of containing 200 birds, is to be
erected close to the signal station of
the commander-in-ch of Davenport
and the birds will be trained to act as
an auxiliary to the naval intelligence
department by serving as messengers
between fleets at sea and the naval
posts on shore. IT is to be hoped their
services will not be confined to the
navy.
Inc DlRtOH VIII ltNtIs VI tbulStt w
cupy the position 1t filled in ancient
Rome, for instance, where it was the
custom for wealthy artisans to take the
pigeons to the Amphitheater for the
purpose of sending home the names OF
the guests they had invited to dinner,
Nor will it ever again become the trust
cd messenger between parted lovers
The telegraph and the penny post have
relieved them of such duties. But il
their adoption abroad means anything,
it is clear that the practical value of the
present means of communication in
time of war has been greatly overrated.
Continental military experts argue that
not only are oral or written communiea-
tions, from the time involved in their
Transmission, of secondary use only,
but that the application of signals of all
kinds is limited to the very narrowest
possible compass and that the electric
telegraph, the most perfect means OF
communication known, is from its very
delcacy liable to get out of order in
the rough and tumble work Of a cam
paign. to say nothing of the danger
Of the wires falling into the hands Of
the enemy. or of the efforts made to
destroy them, in recognition of the inn
portance of the part they play.-Lon.
don Mail
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
Over Mt the Cross Roads.

Oncst upon time some twenty years
ago, or maybe little the rise of that,
me and Black Jack got into tremen-
dius bad fight over at the Cross Roads
one Saturday evenin. No, sir. So fur
as l know there want any female
curiosity in the case. But there was
American politics and mean whisky
and fire-eatin fools at both ends of the
line.
In them good old days we didn't have
SO internal much party machinery in
the elections. 1t was a wide open, free
for-all scrub race, in which the best
man always come down under the wire
first.
That was on a Saturday, you un-
derstand, and the election was to
come off on the next followin
Monday. Consequentially the boys
had rounded up at the Cross Roads for
the last final rally before the old cat
lit. "Whte ink" and "sperits-of-cats-
a-fghtn' flowed free and promiscous
till l reckon the old devil went and
picked him out a soft place in some
shady corner to lay down and laugh.
1t did look like the documents" were
comm his way with a rush, and that
was enough to tickle the old scoundrel
beast most to death.
Well, | will not try to tell you'll
couldn't if | would-right exactly
when and how the storm riz and
brought on that bloody rucus between
me and Black Jack Virgins. Maybe it
was his fault and maybe it was mine.
But this much / do know to dead and
buried certainty-me and Black Jack
we had it, up ind down and over and
under. And then when the dust cleared
away there was blood and hair and cleo
ton signs on every hand, whilst the
ground was tore up as from bear
fight.
Hits been so monstrous long ago till
l can't exactly remember everything
for certain. but l recollect as fresh
and clear as il it was but only yester-
day that my wife's husband did have
to take and tote most tremendous
good beatin from a man by the name
of Black Jack Virgins, of Cyclone
Streak The general style and shape
in which l returned back to the home
base that night was a plum scandala-
ton on the Sanders family. And the
next mornin when l got up and went
to the looltin glass, bless the heavens
if didn't have to stop and turn around
and pinch myself to be dead certain
w hether it was me or not. For three
or four days henceforwards after that
l couldn't even battle my classic counte-
nance in warm water without sufferin
the most seyerest pain, and it was
somethin better than week before l
recovered and braced up sufficient to go
forth oncst more and face the green
and busy world.
The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-04-24
Tint Lonesome HomeIy Feeling.

But in the main time garden truck
was ruther scanty and rations had run
down powerful at our house. We had
jest naturally come up to the forks of
the road-somethin had to be done, or
somebody had to suffer. The wolf was
scratchin at the back door, and the
poorhouse loomed up over the western
hills, as it were.
So in orderment to settle the meat
and bread question | hooked up the
wagon and team and pulled out over to
the railroad station after little load of
provisions which had come for me.
And when l first driv up who do you
reckon was the first man | saw standin
there-who but Black Jack Virgins, of
Cyclone Streak?
No, didn't turn around and 60 on
back home with my empty wagon,
but l felt right smart like Mart Mayo
was in regards to the church, had a
powerful leanin that way.
In so far back as the records run
Mart Mayo never went to meetin but
oncst in his life, and then he was so
scandlous drunk that he didn't know
where he was goin' till he got there.
lie was standin outside by the steps
sennin up agin the church, when the
preacher come along.
"Do you belong to the church," says
the good man.
''Not as anybody knows Of" says
Mart. "but you will take notice that I
have powerful leanin that way,
Naturally, of course, The railroad sta
ton was mcnstrous lonesome lookin
place to me that day, and l never did
know till then what great gobs of truth
had been set forth in that good old
song-"Home, Sweet Home" But our
bread and meat was there at the sta
ton. and a hungry man will take his
chances in many a clost place in order
rnent to smooth out the wrinkles from
the brow band of his breeches. Any
how. | faced the music with fear and
trembln and driv up and got out and
q ropped the traces. looked at Black
jock. and Black Jack he looked at me
mad and steady like.
Come to me. Rufe," says he.
Whats the matter now, Black
'1cS% ssysI.