davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

Z. There is q dog at Paris, Tex, that can
tell the time of day and calls his master
for breakfast every morning. He be-
longs to II. c. Peterson, a workman Of
the cotton seed mill at Paris. 1t is Nick's
duty, besides waking his master in the
morning, to take his dinner to him IN a
little pail every day. Should Mrs. Peter
son by any m%ischance overlook the mat
ter, the dog is sure to remind her in
proper time by bringing the pail to her
and urging her to fill It. At first it was
supposed to be the dogs intuition which
enabled him TO know the hour, but he
has many times been seen watching
the clock, and once, when Mrs. Peteroon
set the hands ahead TO test the matter,
Nick brought the dinner pail promptly
on the stroke OF I2, although IN reality
II was only II o'clock.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
ALL SORTS.

In the last % years, aq indicated by
life insurance statistics, the average life
of woman has increased from - wears
to 46 years, an increase Of over nine per
cent.
Near Lakewood, Nj, there Is n ferret
farm, where these useful animals are
raised. The CHER service il to cap
ture rats in dwellings and sto~relluuscs,
Last year 1000 f~crrcts were raised on
the farm.
A pcrilous performance Is witnessed
nightly at n London t!lcater. The per-
former is tied up in u sack scaled with
kerosene. The sack is then set on fire,
and when it is all ablaze he leaps into
o tank of water.
Emma McCuc, 30 years old. who mar
ried George McCue, three years Older,
at Franklin, Ind, last December on his
promise TO support her in ease and
comfort. has sued for divorce because
she has had TO do farmhouse drudgcry.
A citizen OF Suffolk, Va, has Of
fcred n factory site free to anyone who
will establish n manufacturing indus
try there, and one OF the inducements
held out by a local paper is that "tho
morals OF the people are cqualcd in few
other places"
Farms In England are selling at n
ruinous reduction of their former value.
and in many cases annDt he sold at
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
WRENS WE'RE vlCTORS.


zone spring. said a lover of birds
there came 10 a bird house in my gar
den a pair Of great crested tiy-catchers
had a dozen bird houses scattered
around. This particular one was abou'
d foot square, with a peaked DOT and a
chimney at each end. a doorway for the
birds to go in and out and a couple OF
auger holes bored through the back &c
| give the house light and air.
This bird house the summer before
Rad been occupied by Il pair of blue,
| birds, who had left their nest behind
| them. This nest the great crested fly
catchers pulled apart and threw out OF
the house; every twig and straw; they
cleaned the house out completely; and
then they brought in everything new,
and built a nest of their own and set
tied down comfortably for the summer
but in a few days a pair of bluebirdS
came along and they made for this
house. 1t might have been the identical
pair of blucbirds that occupied it the
summer before; l don't know about
that; though | have no doubt that rob
ms and other birds that have been
south for the winter, hundreds of miles
away, do come back in the spring to
the same places, and to the same trees.
Anyhow, this pair Of bluebirds wanted
that bird house, and they were ready to
fight for it, and that is what they did,
Tx, a.. ,n4,la. ;e =, ,;,n l;ttI, l,;,.J md
n pretty plucky sort of a fighter, but
not a match for the bluebird. They had
Il grand roundup inside the house, and
finally the bluebirds pitched the fly
catchers out; and later they pitched out
every stick of furniture that the fly.
catchers had brought in, cleaned the
house out entirely, and then brought in
fresh material and built a new nest ac-
cording to their own ideas. and they
settled down for the summer,
well, a few days after that, a pair of
wrens came along and they took a fancy
to that particular bird house. too; and
they sailed right in and tackled the blue
birds on the spot. You couldn't see the
fght1rom the ground, buterery o and
then you could see a straw or a feather
shoot out of the front door of the house.
The bluebird is q good, sound fighter,
but the wren is a better one. and the up.
shot was that the wrens fairly put the
bluebirds out and took possession Of the
bird house themselves. And then the
wrens did just what the others had
donei they pitched out every scrap of
stuff in the bird house, just tumbIed il
out of the door, to fall on the ground;
and then they brought in new stuff aud
built a nest for themselves.
Nobody molested the wrens. They
stayed there and raised their young
there: and in the fall they all flew away
and left the bird house again deserted
for the winter."--N. y. Sun.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

4 reporter recently called at this famous
seat OF learning and was shown lntotheroom
Of the President. Prof, Alvin L. Baruahs
When last seen by the reporter Prof. Barn.
ably was IN delicate health. To day he was
apparently in the best OF health In To
spouse to an inquiry the professor sand;
ooh, yes, | am much better than for some
time. ! am now IN perfect health, but my
recovery was brought about IN rather a
| peculiar way
Tell me about it,, said the reporter.
well, to begin at the beginning" said
the professor, II studied too bard when at
school. endcaVuring to educate myself for
the professions. After completing the com
mon course | came here, and graduated from
tto theological course. | entered the mln-
isiry aud accepted the charge If Il United
Brethren Church at a small place in kcut
County, Mich, Being OF an ambitious ma
trrc, | applied myself diligently to my work
and studies. In time noticed that my
health was failing. My trouble was iudigcs
ton, and this with other troubles brought
ON nervousness,
My physician prescribed for me for some
time, and advised me to take Il change Of
climate. | did as requested aud was som,
improved, soon after | cHme here as a pro
icssor IN physics and chemistry, and later
was financial agent OF this college. The
change agreed with me, aud for awhile my
health was better, hnt my duties were heavy,
and again | found my trouble returning.
This time 1t was more severe and in the
| winter ! became completely Frustrated, |
tried various medicines and different physi-
cans. Finally ! WAS able Ia return to my
duties. Last spring ! was elected president
of the college. Again | had considerable
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

fame as u forensic orator long before the
war.
"In presenting these cases. said he
to the writer a few months before his
death, in obedience to the wish of the
secretary of war, | used All the legal
acumen at my command. One morning,
with my papers all ready (and | was
deeply in earnest in the matter), | pro
ceedcd 10 the white house; and, as
entered his private office, the president
looked up with his long, sad face, say
ing:
"'Ah! Holt, what have you there"
~ have some important cases FOR
your careful consideration, Mr.. rresi-
dent, with documentary evidence suili-
cient to condemn every man..
"lle took the papers and read them
carefully, stopping at times to reflect,
then read on until he finished. There
was no chang in his countenance this
time, unless that il grew more sad and
his expression more serious. ! had Gov
cred the cases in question with strong
and convincing argument and evidence.
lie finally raised his eyes from the last
paper and gnled iutcntly through The
window at some object across the
Potomac. Then, rising from his chair,
with the papers all folded together, he
placed them in a pigeon hole already
filled with similar documents. With
his tail. gsint form facing me, he
spoke. in deep, sad tones. that would
have touched the heart of the sternest
officer of the army:
%"'Ilolt' Git was his custom 10 men
ton only the last name), you acknowl-
edge those men have n previous record
for bravery. 1t is not the first time
they have faced danger: and they shall
not be shot for this one offcnse.'
Il then thought it was my duty as the
head Of my department OF military JUS
tice to make further argument. For
knew Stanton would nearly explode
with rage when he heard OF the presi-
dents decision. | began to speak and
Lincoln sat down again, giving me his
closest attention. Then. rising from his
chair and riveting his eyes upon me, he
said:
"Holt. were you ever in battleT
"I have never BEEN
"'Did Stanton ever march in the first
line. to be shot at by an enemy like
those men did?'
81 think not, Mr.. President
"'WelI. l tried it In the Blackhawk
war. and ! remember enc time ! grew
awful weak in the knees when ! heard
the bullets whistle around me and saw
the enemy in front OF me. How my legs
carried me forward l cannot now tell,
for | thought every minute that | would
sink to the ground. The men against
whom those charges have been made
probably were not able to march into
battle. Who knows that they were |
able? am opposed to having soldiers !
shot for not fncing danger when II is |
not known that their legs would carry
them into danger. Send this dispatch
ordering them to be set free And they
were set free that day."-G. Il. Prowell, /!
In Chicago Inter Ocean.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
He PaRpOkED THEM.
why President Lincoln Set Free n
Number Of Dcscrtcrs.


twas lFesiaen' Li-eo'u slA'ehSe ieNS
iof MS ie'Io" ihe'i 'A"'i ~" M" ""'sot'
prove o' 'he innings o' N''F''"''
whenever t"ere was poss'otc 'NeuS''
f~ar''cui"'i! !" 'he e'seS "a SI'ot''s
thaiSeu WI" uesei'o", WV" ""''"e
iaheh as'eep Az pos' Vi ""'9'o' WIN
"'her o"e"sos, .
"eNAs'"i! ''"''"" oi""sF h"s's''"
upon tue S~'rir'eS' u'sv'pll"e III 'ht army
una frequently "'seu 'H"' "V't'IS' s"',
u'eis lcSeiNe we nN'e'SS' l""'s"'"''''
"a il''i'"'. Jaw "'," 'o''''h' '""'"'"
Ih'eiS 'ooN "us aaNtee On SUIT """''eiS >
nc h"u iaeoi'"'eu oeetis ." '"' SUI
yee' Inv eo"sui'eu IL wv" J",5 ""'u,' !"
uisP'sIHg OF e"sts Vi mat MIN" 'N"'
came peiore NM
nc ia'c '"seph ho"' ""' ~'t'N""'
"'ee AT washington was Ju"F' ""'ot",'
genera OF the army curing 'ne "'"''
p'liou "a 'iG wax va "'a'"'H
20 report many vases u "'''S'a to"
"iu'Se Vi s"'uiefs 'S we" 40 o'h'' vs.
lenses tres'ocne L'nto'h '"'''u''H
reau every i'he Oh 'ne ch"rE'S "s"'is'
suen "'e'' anu az S''" 40 '' 81" s"'
SliShteSt ehaNce 10 eN'nse Tue P""' ''a
low a Siea'' o' so''s'"r,'on WOW" P"SS
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
GROWING OF BERRIES
Eternal Vigilance and Work Is the
Price Of Success.


The growing of u berry calls into
action some of the most wonderful laws
of nature. In the growth of plants we
find these laws in perfection. We also
find in various forms n complete supply
| of every element required for the full
development of both plant and fruit.
Nature gives all these products without
stint. She simply asks in return that
we assist her in some of the smaller de-
tails of the work. She asks that the soil
be made rich and well prepared; that
the plants be of good quality and care
fully set out; that frequent hoeing and
cultivation be given; that plants be pro-
tected from winter frosts and summer
drought; that no insect pest or fungus
disease find an abiding place with them;
that you treat them as a friend and love
them as a brother. Both pleasure and
profit come in greatest measure from
closest attention to all these details. Ma
ture furnishes almost every good with
a prodigal hand, but she is a niggard to
him who will not work in her ways. You
cannot cheat her in farm or garden.
You cannot get something for nothing.
These are days OF progress. Every line
of business must advance with the
times, or drop to the rear. The farmer
has been the laggard. The safest, the
surest, the most ancient and the most
honorable business OH earth should be
in the most progressive ranks. An army
of best newspapers are stationed all
along the agricultural highway, to
guard us from error and direct us to sue
cess. We cannot afford to be without
them. Read them!' Study them. En-
pertinent in a moderate way, give extra
preparation and cultivation to certain
tracts, and mark results. as compared
with ordinary tillage. Observe results of
similar experiments OH your neighbors'
farms. Compare notes with them and
reason together. Extend like expert
ments to the seeds you SOW, the stock
you grow, and trees, plants and shrubs
you set. Such experiments are almost
sure to lead to more careful selection of
seed, stock and plants, and to a more
thorough cultivation of the soil and bet
ter results every way from farm, fruit
and garden.-M. A. Thayer, in Prairie
Farmer.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
Mr., SRRlCEN AS A BRIDEGROOM
Cashier Of III" First National BANK OF
Fort Wayne tees ~ Package.


II would like a good room, in fact.
about the best you have in the house."
vas the remark addressed To Charlie
Fields. clerk of the Victoria hotel, in
Chicago, the other afternoon. by Il we'll
dressed Young man, LET me see" said
the stranger. rubbing his lead as II
thinking hard. 'it must have been q
tong time since | occupied the bridal
chamber of II hotel. Guess that will
do me to-day" MIR. Fields handed n
pen 10 the young man and requested
him to write bis name on the hotel
register.
With a flourish, the name &c, G.
Shridcu, Fort Wayne, Ind" appeared
on the book. For a moment the young
man guzcd ut the name, and then, with
an embarrassed air. said: II forgot TO
put and wife after my name"
IT. was in this way that Mr.. Shriden.
who is cashier of the First national
bank Of Fort Wayne, gave away the
secret that he had been married but n
few hours.
Mr.. Fields never told him that he
guessed his secret, but said he had II
, package for him. Mr.. Shrideu took the
package. which was neatly done up.
and. as u forgetting his wife for n mo
trent. he opened the box at the hotel
counter. As he united the last string
there was u sudden shower OF rice. and
Mr.. Shridcu was heard 10 softly NUT
ter to himself: 'lt's all Off"
Tin new he explained to the clerk.
"nnd my friends down horne have got
the best OF me"
Following the trick-box came two
large trunks completely covered with
old shoes. white ribbons, rice and signs
telling of the newly-marricd couple. Mr..
SEridcn took 1t all ms a Joke, and said he
would get even when he returned 10
Fort Wayne.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

roads throughout the farming commu.
mites. He said, Il think better of il
than | did a veal ago, but won't it cost
too much" His wife, ii bright, well-in-
formed woman, said: That is the ar.
gument you have been using for five
years. | cannot use that argument.
Human life is more precious than gold,
BAD roads cost life in our family
THAT excited my curiosity, and
asked for the story. Here it is:
last year was moving back OF the
house. Our four-year-old child came
OUT to see me. did not hear him. Ny
scythc swung far to the left and struck
something. A plaintive"Oh, papa" drove
the steel to my heart. / saw him as he
fell. He had received a trightful wound,
severing arteries. l Immediately
hitched up n team and started for the
city. The roads were worse than they
are now. 1t was a slow journey, pain
fully slow. 1t was an equally slow jour
ney back. When we reached him the
little one was beyond earthly help
LIZ lho'ier anu 'ather were sol
Ing "i'l' tne stof! was hhisheo'
WIEN ne 'oulo speak 'l'e young FARMER
'on''n"g'' IL hnusU seem strange 10
YOU 10 nave 1hls story appear IN our
'"'N III S'o" toaus, pu'h'S "ile' Wheh-
ever s''e sees anything ABOUT good ROADS
III Vne papers mo iha@aH'hes' Always
says tha' II we mad had good roads be-
tween mere anu 'i'e cry ii'tle 'eh would
pe NiIi U.S. iIiSa teil'S argument l
epulu nave Sotteh tne DOCTOR III a quar-
'er"l 'ae ''i'e II we I'D" huo sood roau'.
una ne couio nave saved the boy me
Il we sPoNe Vi el'e luherai. iteS
i"o many friends yet ohly re" al
,en'eu' because Vi 'nc almost '"passa-
me Io"os' 1t "ouio nave peeh such Il
,oN'ior' 10 see our he'snpors present
Ever since "Heh 1 nave peeh an aa'o
cate VI s''ou loauS' -No' alohe' Oh COURSE
because OIL our ioss' out because that
~ i'e 70 tn'hN'hs' a"h nave "fl'tea
me COUNTY p"Pers many ie''ers on tle
suo!e''' Farmers are hot as he'gn-
poily as !heS shou'o De- ana much OIL
'nis iach is o"'hs 10 oao roaas during
i'll IttNl IL III lit PHI ~ tbIlN
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
WOMEN.

The youngest daughter OF Beerbohln
Tree was christened recently at st.
Marguerite's, Westminster, by Canon
Eyton. Her godmother Is the duchess
Of Portland and her two godfathers
are Lord CRANKY and Lord Rowton.
Quees Victoria approaches her dia-
mond jubilee in excellent health. En-
cept a weakness Of cyesight and u tend
ency TO rheumatism, her physique is
perfect, the brain, heart and lungs be-
ing in the same condition as those Of
a healthy woman Of 20. She certainly
takes as much interest in matchmaking
and in the love affairs Of those about
her as a woman Of 20 does.
The members Of the Women's Vege-
tartan union in London have a new
craze. 1t is for vegetarian dress. They
have concluded that 1t is as wrong to
kill animals for clothes as for food.
They want vegetable boots. vegetable
gloves, vegetable gowns. and even vege-
table note paper. They have decided
that the kid. the calf and the sheep
shall be spared II their influence can
do II.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
u FAIRY SISTERS.

There was once a little maiden.
And she had a mirror bright:
1t WAS trimmed about with silver;
Twas her pride and her delight
But she found two fairy sisters
Lived within this pretty glass,
And very different faces showed,
To greet the little lass.
II she was sweet and sunny,
Why. 1t was sure to be
The smiling sister who looked out
Her happy face TO see.
But If everything went criss-cross.
And She wore a frown or pout.
Alas. Alas! within the glass
The frowning one looked out.
Now this little maiden loved so much
The smiling face 10 see,
That she resolved with all her heart
A happy child to be.
To grow more sweet and loving,
She tried with might and main,
TIL the frowning sister went away,
And ne'er came back again.
But II she's looking for a home,
AS doubtless Is the case,
She'll try to find a little girl
Who has u gloomy face.
So be very, very careful,
If you W Il mirror too,
That the frowning sister doesn't come
And make her home with You.
Helen Stnndish Perkins. in st. Nichola
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

Salt is universally recognized as o,
prime Importance to farm animals, and
especially to mich owl. Rock salt j.
not as much in favor as formerly. It il
q good plan to have loose salt where
the animals may have daily access ia
it. Prot. Robertson, Of the Ontario az.
ricultural department, says that salt 70
the amount of q quarter of a pound a
day should be added to the ration Of
= mich COW. He soys that, other con-
ditions being equal, q COW fed this
amount Of salt daily will yield IA to II
per cent. more and richer milk than II
deprived Of salt; that in hot weather
milk win keep sweet several hours
longer II salt i q part Of the daily ra-
zion.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
]. A. wATROUS
Taking Care Of Fruit Trees.

The peach is propagated by budding
on Seeding peach trees. Generally the
seed is planted in the spring and the
plant budded in August. In pruning
the peach, from one-third to one-hali
of the new wood should be cut off each
year. This should be done in the spring
before growth starts. BY this treat
ment the fruit buds are thinned out and
the tree takes on a compact form and
does not easily break down. Cherry
and plum trees may have light pruning
done early in the spring. They no not
need much pruning, but a little looking
over each year to take out i~nterlocking
branches and shorten branches that
grow too strongly.-Farm and Home.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
HOUSEHOLD INVENTIONS.

.,,a,,l, ,,.l ...,l -. -.
.-.,
-, 49,. -.
hold fur, f,r ia, fir,
~ a.. h,i..-J - g..
,. ,.t
,,,,h asnfr,I ,'ir. h,,.n, m'hf,n tsa
~. -, - -, -,
80, ;.a
~
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

Brown. who afterwards presented her
to the zoo), and was singular in hail
ing from the Andaman islands, where
no monkeys were supposed to exist.
Also, she belongs to an unknown spe-
cies. For four years Jenny served on
board the ship, and then, having passed
all the dangers Of the Abyssinian cam
paign, she wac discharged with u first
class certificate and silver chain and
medal. This was in lieu Of prize
money. OF course Jenny was the sail
ors' pet, and SO was educated to an
amazing pitch. Her pet was an almost
featheriess chicken. which she nursed
baby-fashion. She never turned in a:
night without her pipe and glass Of
grog, which she consumed with unmis.
taxable relish.-Strand Magazine.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
FARM AND GARDEN.
A r ARGUMENT,
Some Of the Reasons for FavorfnE the
Good Roads Movement.

some OF tue neabOnS xOf f0vOr{nE the
Good Roads Movement.
some of the telling good roads argu-
ments, if not the most telling one l ever
heard" said a Chicago merchant who
spends a portion of his surmer at a
western resort, was in the home of a
young farmer, and the farmers wife
presented ii.
~ had spent the forenoon fishing in q
lake near their home. They invited me
to dine with them. accepted. 1t was
soon after one of those heavy summer
rains, and the roads were very deep with
mud. The wife remarked that they
ought to 60 to q funeral four miles
away. They won't expect us to drive
four miles through this mud said the
husband. They came 10 us when the
roads were bad and we were weeping
over our first born
"They went to the funeral. They
urged me to make another visit. | did
so. The good roads discussion followed.
! asked the gentleman what he thought
of the proposition to establish good
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20
PLENTY OF PURE AIR.
Cows Need 1t More Than Amy Other
Kind Of Farm Stock.


An authority on dairying and certain
dairy breeds says that no successful
d~airying is permanently possible unless
the stock is kept in sound health. 1t is
true that we read of a great many dis.
eased cows being killed which were at
the time of their death doing good work
in the dairy, but such conditions are nee
cssarily temporary. Even waving all
questions of contagion, such an animal
is bound, sooner or later, either to re-
cover or go down. The first requisite
for the dairyman is that he should start
with sound stock, the next that he
should keep it sound. To do this, es-
sential conditions are necessary.
Among these conditions there Is moth
ing Of nor importance than that the
cows should have pure air. To secure
this the stable should be Of size proper
tionate to the number of the cows and
then the mean Of ventilation, inciud-
ing both outlets and inlets, should be
ample. In many dairy sections one may
go miles without finding n stable large
enough to afford healthy quarters for
the cattle 1t is designed to contain.
Numbers Of stables can be found
amongst good dairymen, too. which do
not contain over 300 cubic feet Of air
space to the COW. Every stable should
contain at least double this amount Of
air space per cow and three times the
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

Four layers Of material were used, the
first consisting Of large, fiat stones laid
in mortar, the second Of small stones
or coarse concrete and the third in finer
concrete. On which were laid stones OF
several angles joined solidly together
and forming the top layer. The four
layers together made q thickness of
from three to seven feet.