davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
The POrcuDine:

The porcupine, widely scattered over
the world, unlike the rest of the roden-
tia or gnawing animals, is remarkably
slow in it's movements, II never at
tempts to get out of the way Of an
enemy; nature, however, has protected
it from attack by covering its body
with an impenetrable coat of mail,
bristling with b%ayonets; but for this,
its helplessness would Don aus it to
be eXterminated by the lynx and the
cat. This harmless animal has been
the subject of much fabulous exagger-
alton. 1t cannot project its quilts from
it's sides, as ROW from q bow, as
| some historians have gravely asserted;
and, in spite of Shakespeare's insinu-
alton to the contrary, it is not fretful
in it's disposition, for If left to it's soil
tary haunts, no animal of the forest is
more happy in the enjoyment of its
humble life. Its quilts vary from six
to fourteen inches in length, and are
civilized people, for various useful pur-
poses to which they can be applied.
AS weapon of defense they protect
the animal from the prowess of the
grizzly bear, as we'll as from the fox
and lynx.
The porcupine lives upon he bark of
trees and it seldom leaves n that 1t
has selected for food until it strips
trunk and limbs of their covering. SO
destructive are they on forest vegeta-
| ton that a small number of them will
make a neighborhood appear as If it
had been Scathed with fire-one porch
pine in a single winter destroying 100
trees.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
A Remarkable Boy.

Victor Bedingfield, the twelve-ycar.
old son of the editor of the Flatbufh
Press and Kings County Gazette,
seems destined to reap the rewards
promised in the beatitude which says
something about the long suffering,
says the New York Tribune. He has
probably suffered more pain and ey-
perienced more hard luck than any
other Flatbush youngster alive at the
present day. The father as well as the
subject of this story was seen the
other morning by q reporter.
"Victor is a bright boy, and reads n
good deal" said the father. "He was
not born on Friday. and l am not SURF
that any of the accidents with which
he has met happened on the 18th day
of the mouth. When the lad was about
six years old we lieved in York street,
Brooklyn. One day Victor, while play
ing with another boy. was asked to
walk down a plank which had been
placed on the stairs. Well, he was not
to be dared. and started to perform the
feat. lie fell, and was picked up IN
conscious. Our physician said he
would have to undergo an operation,
as several of the blood vessels in his
head had hurst. We took him to the
Brooklyn hospital. where the physi-
clans said an operation would kill him.
They. however, bandaged the head
tightly and forced the blood into the
system. The marks Of the bandages
are still on the child's forehead. His
head at that time was swollen until it
was twice its natural size.
Several years ago my wife gave all
the children creosote. Victor swal-
lowed two spoonsful of the poison,
and was once more rescued from the
brink of the grave. My wife admins
tered the fluid, thinking it was cough
mixture. The dactor said the dose was
sufficient to kill two men. When he
recovered from this illness | bought
him a bicycle. This was smashed one
day, and Victor was carried to the
Kings County hospital. A soda water
wagon had run him down ana had
almost severed his right leg from his
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
THE KITE.
Fifteen Feet High aid Pulls n Thou:
sand Potinds!

sand Poindsi
W.: G. Grace, the famous English
cricketer', has claims upon the public
attention other than those that are due
to skill at the "wickets." Mr.. Grace
has q grandfather, Mr.. George Pea
cock by name, who is Il high flyer.
That is to say. Mr.. Peacock dotes on
kites. Kites have a pull of a most
pronounced kind Oh his affections and
ingenuity.
Mr.. Peacock has constructed Il kite
that is q fitting finale to Il career that
has been pcrmeattd with these aerial
machines. This kite is q ''corker'' and
a wonder. 1t is said to be the largest
single plane kite ver built. IN point
of superficial area some kites on this
side of the water more than rival it,
but is is undeniably the biggest thing
in kites of the conventional form-tlat
form dear to boyhood's days.
The morster kite is fifteen feet in
height and twelve feet across the chest
ut the broadcast part. The frame and
ribs are made of layers of Lakewood,
put together on the principle of car
rage springs. Light canvas ferns the
covering Of the kite, and its tail is
formed of q series of wooden rings,
which. by an ingenious contrivance,
can, he raised and lowered at the will
Of the flyer, so as to alter tie center OF
gravity.
The old gentleman says that, in a
moderate wind his kite can develop an
actual pull of about 1909 pounds: He
has demonstrated the truth of his
statement by barrcssing the kite to an
ordinary fourwEccled village cart, and
permitting himself to be dragged along
by his Pegasus. AS a demonstration,
tie experiments on the lire indicated
were a complete success. In. other
ways they were not so satisfactory.
The kite took no heed Of the turns of
the highways near Bristol, England.
where Mr.. Peacock lives. On general
occasions it insisted. in spite of it's
steering gear, in keeping the undeviat-
ing tenor of it's way. The results to
spectators was decidedly interesting.
An obese and elderly gentleman at
tattled to an irresponsible vehicle in
sists on plunging through hedges and
crawling up steep banks is a spectacle
provocative of laughter. MI. Peacock
now rides only on the Bristol downs,
where he permits himself and his car
riage to wander at the kites sweet
will.
During his walks abroad with his
kite the inventor is always accompa-
MED by a crowd of small boys, with
out the aid Of which Mr.. Peacock's eX-
pertinent would not be possible. 1t is
All easy thing to get the kite in the air,
but it is Il matter of thirty to forty
small~boy power to haul it down again
And so the problem of the existence of
the small boy has been partially
eolved:-New York Herald.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
Sand ~Serpents.

This name was given by an imaEin-
umns of whirling sand that are so fire.
Quently seen on the great plains of
Central Asia.
Fancy what a terrible country to
journey through! Fol miles and miles
unbroken stretch of dreary sand,
nothing to break the monotony, moth
ing to rest the eyes, unless n of these
fantastic exhibitions, which; knowing
the discomfort and the danger, a trav-
eler would rather not see, takes place.
The first signal is a puff Of wind, fol
lowed by various slight disturbances
in the loose soil roundabout; then it
blows harder, and. as if a legion of
center of the earth, tiny columns of
sand lift themselves, and grow larger
and larger and rise higher and higher;
like the misty giant Sinbad the Sailor
loosed from the great caldron he found
in the sea.
These columns have the form of Ser
penis, and all the waving sinuOus mo-
tons of those terrible creatures. Some
times they will rise to a height of fifty,
sixty; and, If we may believe the teSti-
mCny of some. writers, even two hum
dred feet. They sweep over immense
stretches, sometimes singly, sometimes
in groups, gathering size and force as
they go, and then. as the wind lowers,
diminish and dwind!e into nothingness.
But for the terror of being caught in
one of these sandstOrms and being
blown and beaten about and having
ones sight and hearing almost destry-
ed, the phenomenon would be almost
as grand as any in nature. One could
fancy the evil spirits Of the world ut
play, writing twisting, wrestling and
exercising their mighty strength on the
playground Of the desert.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
Tccumseh's Bones.

The bones of old Tecumseh, Skeleton
No. %. of the McKees Rock mound,
are lying in state in a glass case in the
Carnegie museun.. Around the neck
are the bone heads and ornaments,
just as they were dug from the earth.
When Andrew Carnegie views the re-
mains next Thursday at 2 o'clock, this
inscription will tell him what he is
looking at:
This skeleton was found fifteen feet
and four inches from the top, and near
the center of the the mound. From its
position and the numbSr of it's orna-
ments. ilnplements-and weapons found
With this skeleton, it is inferred that
this is the warrior for whom the
mound was built"
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
A Vegetable Pistol

But the most remarkable instance of
this method of scattering the seeds
shooting them from the pod is afford
ed by Hura crepitans, a handsome
tree, native Of the forests of South
America. The curious fruit of this
tree is somewhat dattened, deeply fur
rowed or fluted body, made up of a cir
Gle of many cells, each containing one
seed. When the seeds are ripe the
cells open and eXpel them with a loud
report. like the crack of a pistol. Hence
the fruit is sometimes called the mon
keys dinner bell"
Stories have been told of Hura fruits
being placed In desks and subsequent
ly opening and discharging their seeds
with such violence as to break ink
wells. and even to crack the wood of
the desk.-'How Plants Spread" by
Thomas II. Kearney, Jr., in the st.
Nicholas.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
The Tumblr NGAd

Tumble-weeds spread themselves in
a wholesale fashion. Instead Cf send
ing the separate seeds out into the
world with wings or hairs 10 carry
them, the whole plant breaks off near
the root, when these are rips, and goes
rolling along the ground before the
wind. The bare s~un-scOrched deserts
of the West produce several tumble
weeds, and there are some in the
prairie region. IT is natural that thy
should be most abundant where tia:e
are no hills nor trees to stop them il
their course. But we have one tumble
weed in the East-the old-witch grass,
so-called. maybe. because it rides the
wind Ike an old beldame. III SeDtem-
Der this grass spreads lis head. or pan
icle, with hair-like. purple branches, in
every sandy field. When the seeds
are rips the plants are blown acr' SIS
the field, often piling up il masses
along fences and hedgerows. AS might
be expected, the hair-graes. which has
so effective a way Of spreading itsc'f,
is found throughout the United states
from ocean to ocean.-"H0W Plants
Spread" by Thomas ii. kearIcy, Jr,
in st. Nicholas.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
THE BLUE
n Wrote the Original Music
on His Wife's cuffs.

on His Wife's Cuffs.
1t was the linen cuff and the quick
thought of the woman who wore it
that gave us one of the prettiest of
the tuneful Strauss waltzeS. Johann
Strauss and his wife were one day en-
ioying a stroll in the park at Schonau,
when suddenly the composer eXclaim-
cd: MY dear. l have a waltz in my
head; quick give me a scrap of paper
Or an old envelope. l must write it
down before l forget it," Alas. After
much Iumaging CT pockets it was found
that they had not a letter about them
not ever a bridesmaids bill.
Strauss music is considered light,
but it weighed as heavy as lead on his
brain until he could transfer it to pa
per. His despair VAS pathetic. At last
n happy thought struck Frau Strauss.
She held out a snowy cuff.
The composer clutChed it eagerly and
in two minutes that cuff was manu-
script. Its mate followed; still the in
SEPARATION was incomplete. Strauss was
frantic, and was about to make a wild
dash for home with the third part of
his waltz ringing uncertainty in his
hCad-his w linen was limp, colored
calico-when suddenly his frau be-
tllNrght herself of her collar, and in
an instant the remaining bar of 1.-THE
Rlue Danube" decorated it's surface
London Mail.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
A nricht Town hoy.

One of OUR boys who does not own n
watch writes about how he tells tie
time of day., He works in a wheat ele-
| vator in an Iowa town. A big window
almost fills one side of his little office.
Into the corner of the window creeps
the early sunlight in the morning and
1t shines in all day long and creeps out
of the other corner in the evening: On
the floor where the edge of the Shadow
from the sash falls just at o o our
boy has placed a long chalk mark and
a little further away there is another
mark for 1 o'clock. and 50 on up to
six. The forenoon is similarly divided
on the floor. Each day by simply look
ing at the edge Of the suns light he
can tell what time it is. Once in two
weeks he changes all these marks be-
cause the shadows change as the sun
gets higher in the spring or lower in
the fall.
This clever device-any Of you may
use it-suggests the way that the ma
tives of Liberia, in Africa, who have
no clocks, tell the time. They take tho
kernels from the nuts of the candle
tree and wash and string them on the
rib of a palm leaf. The first or top
kernel is then lighted. All of the ker-
nelS are of the same size and sub
stance, and each will burn a certain
number of minutes and then set fire
to the one next below. The natives tie
pieces of black cloth at regular inter-
walls along the string to mark the d.
vision of time: Among the natives Of
Singar, in the Malay archipelago, an
other peculiar device is used. Two
bottles are placed neck and neck, and
sand is put in Il of them, which
pours itself into the other every half
hour, when the bottles are reversed
Chicago Record.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
LLyERPOOL'S GREAT FIRE.


through 81 pan1c.
A terrible disaster. causing the loss
Of r'early forty lives. happened on Oct.
II, 1878, at Liverpool, through a sud-
den panic and crush occurring in a
crowded music hall, the Colosseum, in
Paradise street, which was nightly
thronged with a company of the poorer
classes listening to a musical perform-
ance. About $40, rs Fred Coyne was
singing a comic song, Il fight took place
in the corner of the pit under the gal
lery. The disturbance increased. and
those taking part in it could not be
seen from every Fart of the house.
Some one raised the cry of Fire" A
great stampede ensued, and a rush
was made to the doors, and in Il few
minutes a large number of people were
trampled under foot, being unable TO
escape from the building, the doors Of
which seem at first TO have bee closed.
There were no less than six available
exits. but the frightened audience hast
ened to the one leading to Paradise
street. AS the free passage of the peo-
pie there was interfered with by an
upright in the center of the doorway,
there was a complete block. Hun
dreds rushed down from the gallery,
others slid down the pillars IN the
heads of those in the pit. The police,
seeing the shriekipg crowd trying to
emerge from the building, ~endeavOred
to persuade them to hold back, but in
vain; the loss of life would have been
greater had not a policeman cut down
n partition with an ak, and thus en-
larged the exit.
At length order was restored and the
people made their way out of the main
door. as well as by the other exits: but
the panic, however, though brief in
duration, had done it's worst; in a few
minutes thirty-seven dead and a num-
Der of injured persons were carried in
to the street. Few bore marks Of out
ward injuries, but their torn clothes
showed how severe had been the strug-
gle; death had resulted from suffoca-
ton. AS fast as possible the injured
were placed in cabs and taken to tho
Royal infirmary, amid a scene of great
excitement. The fire engine and es.
cape arrived, and the tiremen. joining
with the police, entered the building to
reassure the people. The performance
was, of course. stopped, and the build
ing taken possession of by the poli'c.-
Spare Moments.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
A Cows Moo.

A very small girl was learning to
write. Her teacher ruled the slate
and set her "copics," and Lucy took
great pains with the pot hooks and
round o's with which she began. One
day the teacher set down something
new for Lucy TO copy-M-o-o-No0.
What is it," asked Lucy, with Il
puzzled look.
'"That is moo The noise a COW
makes, Lucy. Sec. it is nade up OF
pot hooks and round o's, just what you
have been learning en-"
SO Lucy sat down and prepared to
copy MOO" But she did it in a queer
way. She made an NJ at the beginning
of each line, and followed each NJ with
a whole string of o's all across the
slate. You must copy the word as 1
have written it. So-M-O-o."
Lucy looked at the teachers cory.
and then at her own attempts, and
then she shook her haed decidedly.
"Well, l think mine is right, Miss
~.ICnes." she said, For | rever saw a
COW that gave such u short Moo rs
Won wrote dJWn.'-LiaIIer's- Round
Table,
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

The recent tou~ of inspection Of the
United Ststes by Count Hilkofr, the
Russian railway commissioner, has re-
=
suited in a report to his imperial mas
ter which is most f1attering to our ma.
tiopal pride, and is likely to cause the
employment of American methods and
American skilled labor in the building
Of tie road across Siberia. Count Hill
kof, as a young ia n, spent several
years in this country. and by practical
eXIe .'"nce fan Haired himself thor
6uehl,' with the details of American
Railway construction and Z anagement.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

The musical or whistling tree is
found in the West India islands, in
Nubia and the Soudan. 1t has a pecu-
li%ar-shaped leaf, and pods with a split
IT open edge. The wind passing
through these sends out the sound
which gives the tree it's peculiar name.
In Barbados there is n valley filled
with these trees, and when the trade
winds blow across the islands Il con-
stant moaning. d~eep-toned whistle is
heard irGm it. which. in the still hours
of the night. has Il vesy weird and I'M
pleasant effect,
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

Tho recent troubles of Africa have
called public attention TO q large nuln-
Der of interesting persons living in
the southern portion of that c%outi"cnt.
Among others who have been coISi ic-
uors'y noticed is Mr.. "Rafhcy" Par
natO, who hos made Il great fortune in
Africa, and of whom a Gaze Town
journal tells the following interesting
anecdotn: When a boy Mr.. BaIlato
went to the London Jews Tree school,
which has produced so many leading
Jews of the day. When lie left his
teacher. who was much attached to
him. gave him n penny and his bless
ing. The years relied by, the triendlcss
youth he'd made his wonderful career
in South Africa, and the little barney
had become a parsonage. About the
time when half London and Paris
were going crazy ove the tiOatatton Cf
the Rarnato bank, Barney was seized
with a fancy to visit his cid school
master. With great difficulty he man-
aged to hunt UP the CID man.
DO you recollect," he said, when
they met-''do you recollect giving
your little Barney a penny WHOM he
left school thirty years ago? Here it
is back again, and with compound in
terest," and herewith he handed the
~scho0lmaster a check for 105 pounds
sterling.-Harpcr's Round Table
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

Spain is between two fires, or rather
Is surrounded by three OF four. The
patriots operate undisturbed and I'M
checked In Cuba. The sympathizers
with Cuban liberty are raising a body
Of volunteers in the mother country.
With no money in the chest, with no
couruge in her generals, with discnl-
tent rampant. the situation is one to
make the proudest and most stiff
necked Of peoples despair.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

It Is stated that Rosebery, when
prime minister of England, declined,
on behalf Of Great Britain, China's
effer Of the island Of Formosa. That
is probably the first instance of Eng
lands declining anything in the shape
Of additional territory, and in this
ease she would doubtless have taken
the island If she had thought it worth
lighting ver.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

The season for skating has not yet
opened, and here come the base ball
managers with the announcements of
their ball games for next year. And
there Is as much gossip in it's way rs
to where the elusive pitcher or the
comprehensive catcher will play next
season as over the formation of a pres
ideptfal cabinet. If the national epic
ever be written it will surely include
come lines Of bases and a fly leaf.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

If Turkey chooses to fight there will
be war. The Turks are preparing to
equip more than q million men If ne
eessary. The Noslem's fanaticism
makes him a desperate fighter. But
international wars. with the Ten,en
dous ornaments and wonderful facili-
ties for combination now in vogue, are
like national elections-a matter OF
nlajorities and a day.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

The Transvaal republic does well to
put in a claim Of 100000 against the
British Chartered South African COM
pany, as indemnity for Jameson's raid.
A private corporation that INDUCES in
war needs disciplining. This claim,
well fortified in law and justice, will
take the ginger out Of this ambitious
company and make it walk more hum
bly before the South African people.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
INTERVIEWED AT LAST.
Mr.. Chamberton's Opinions on Cycling.
What He Thinks of Our City,

AS he read his lock of evaporation
gave place to a smile, for he was one
Of those fortunate mes who can enjoy
a joke at their w expense, till finally
he burst into a laugh so hearty that
his fellow passengers wished they
could enjoy the joke with him.
'"The little jade" he muttered, eff
ever l trust a woman again, I'll be"
But the expression vas so utterly un-
like what II would expect from a
celebrity that it had better remain I'M
recorded.-New Orleans Times-Demo-
crat.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

The British three. volume novel is
said TO be on the wane. Has the bicy-
eie craze anything to do with it? That
SLOWS less time for reading than for
merly, and 1t is easier to strap n
volume than three on the handle of 4
wheel.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

A scientific authority on physical de-
'elopment has recently given his ideal
Of a theory for perfect physical ccndi-
ton, as follows: Exercise moderate
fy aad temporarily for a short time at
the same relative hour every day of
your life"
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

4 New York court has ruled that a
young woman who sues to recover
damages for a sprained ankle need not
show It to the jury. Thus the emanci-
cation Of the sex goes on in spite Of all
hindering influences IS.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16
Hopeful.

"Tis true said the a convicted
of murder in the fist degree, I'm play
ing in hard luck nov but
He surveyed his ccusers with a
hard. cynical smile.
Il have a pull NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Times.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

1t to~k $412,SO7 to pay the expenses
Of the armed cruiser New York last
gear, but some millionaires who have
dropped more than that annually ON a
yacht or a newspaper might be willing
to try q battleship for economy's sake.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

Now that the novelists have taken
s~erieusly to our early history ms a
source fro which to draw inspiration
and NJ material, we may look for a con
seqncnt mystifying of the facts of his.
tory.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

Arizona leads In railway construc-
tion for the year with 274.41 miles.
Other states with increases Of more
than 100 miles are: Illinois, 1SS. 70;
Pennsylvania, 157; Maine, 1886; Tex
ms, l10.41; Montana, los. 70.
The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-09-16

Richard Watson Glider declares that
the New York tenement house is the
worst in the world. Twenty years of
hard work ON the part of philanthro-
pksts have done little to lessen the evil
of evercrowding in these human hives.
That Is one of the problems that Great
or New York will have before it.