davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
Chinese Dog Farms.

From Popular Science News.
III Manchuria and along the Monaghan
borders of China there are thousands of
farms. on which nothing is raised but dogs.
OF a breed peculiar to this region. Each
proprietor keeps several hundreds of them.
They! are of n large size. and when S
mouths old are killed. usually in midwin-
ter. for the sake of their skins As a re-
suit, of the severe climate. they are COW
ered almost from birth with a magnificent
growth of fur. Hence they are much in
demand among the Northern Chinese as
material for winter clothing.
they constitute the only wealth of this
d~esolate country. In each family n GER
tain number of doeskins are laid aside as
the daughter's marriage portion. Yet they
command no very high price. eight skirs
being required for a gown about two yards
long. and worth 8 or 81. This would make
the average value of each but little over
40 cents. from which must be deducted
the cost of sorting and dressing: also of
manufacturinS the armen The hides
find Their first market at several main de-
pets. whence they are taken to Moukden.
Fou-Tocheou and other cities to he made
up. Last year the estimated proceeds of
this traffic at Newchang. a leadlng empo-
rum amounted 10 1.Oco,OO francs. against
1,56a. 900 francs the year before.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
REFORMED FAKIR's OUTING.
Sick and Penniless. He Took Two
Months mt u Fly
resort.
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press.
Ibid | tell you the other night how ! got
an outing at a fly summer resort?' said the
Reformed Fakir. Well il was just this
way: The doctor said l must take n rest.
In trying to lead an upright life and yet
earn n living l was pretty we'll worn out
Cant you go to some heaithful spotr
he asked. and stay for Il few weeks?
Impossible | replied. despairingly. I
haven't turned an honest penny in months
But You must
We'll. if 1 must 1 returned. and T
thought hard.
The result was that I went to Far
Rockaway. There / danced attendance on
the ladies for two months
Il went TO the manager of one of the ho-
tells and hired out as u lfe-saver. with bed
and board found. Now. I can't save "A life
for a cent. for / don't swim. and even if I
could. | was too weak. But | went to the
man on the next strip of beach and said:
See here. old man. III rake OF your
beach II You'll save the lives on mine It
was a bargain. and while l kept both of our
strips cleaned up he watched my batherS
as well as his own.
so my work was done. But ] am amhi-
tious. you know. never satisfied with
merely earning my pay. | used to make
many an odd quarter carrying up pals
of salt water for the ladies who didn't
care to go down to the beach for a bath
THE COOK was n fat German-a man.
called. ate in the Kitchen The food was
good, but I got better than the rest j all
ways had a good story on tap to tell to
the cook at dinner time. He got so hat
as he chuckled Och. there comes that
chollv swimmer And he'd put an extra
nice bit on my plate.
SO the days and the weeks went on un-
til I got strong and brown ! quit there
with health and wealth, and 1 didn't pay
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12

to a rich widow who lives in a hotel. The
cat Is 4 L.ondoner by birth. Five years ago
the widow and her daughter We're staying
IN London. and the daughter found a poor,
homeiy starving cat in the street She
picked It up and took 1t to the hotel. After
a liberal diet Tom took on flesh SO rapid
y and showed such c~leverness and affec-
tioL Tor Its benefactreSs that IL was adopt
Ell into the family. although of personal
charms 1t was absolutely destitute.
The cat suffered greatly from "mal-de-
mer on It's initial trip to America and
required the entire attention Of the maid,
whose Stateroom IL shared. The next Year
It's young mistress died. and since then it
has crossed the ocean eleven times and de-
veloped into a pasSable sailor. 1t Is SAID
to enjoy greatly the hraCinE eject Of The
sal. air and becomes more than ordinarily
frolicsome on the high seas. The cat has
several times revisited its native heath.
Cats are the fashion of the day. \ revo-
lutiCnary era has begun which promises
to place the cat ard the dog on an equal
paving In the minds of all people who
think.
News comes from England that will re-
jcice all the friends of the feline race.
An association has been formed in Lon
don TO aid abandoned cats: eats who have
been left behind by people moving. or pets
who are allowed to forage for themselves
for several months while the family is cut
eats who have been thrown into the streets
as kittens TO make their own livelihood.
\ house of refuge has already been rent
ed at South Park road. Hampstead, and
gifts are pouring in. The patroneSses II
the institution are the DucheSSeS of Suth-
erland and Bedford and the Countesses
Warwick, Dudley and Munster.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
SHEEP OF A DEAD SHEPHERD.
A Flock of 1000 Wandered o Miles
After He Was Killed by
Lightning.

From the San Francisco Call.
A herder in charge of a flock of 1000
sheep. which were grazing near the base
of the San Francisco mountains. in Ari-
IONA. was killed by lightning during a
terrific storm which visited that section
about the LIST of August. AS the herder
was not expected to come in with his sheep
until the LIST of October. his absence during
August and September attracted no atten-
ton. When the middle OF October came
and he did not show up messengers We're
sent out 10 find him.
After a search of some days in the vicin-
ity of where he was last seen. the re-
mains of a camp We're found under n Tree
which had been rtven by the lightning.
The cooking utensils We're scattered about,
and the remains Of Il blanket were found,
which were identified aS parts of one which
the man had taken with him. The water
keg also was recognized by a mark which
had been burned into one OF the slaves.
A further search revealed the bones of
n human being scattered about over the
ground. some of them more than Il hundred
yards from the tree. having evidently been
carried away by the wolves. A proSpertor
who had passed that WAY had Camped for
n night with the man about the LIST of Aug
ust. and said the herd was then moving
northward. This tree around which these
articles were found was Just about far
enough north TO have been the next camp-
ing place. and when it was remembered
that there was n severe STERN of thunder
and lightning In that section one night
about the time referred to. il was clear
that the man had made his camp under
this tree and had been killed 10y lightning
and his body devoured by wolves. The
sheep had never been heard of. and no
trace of them could he found anywhere in
that part of the country.
But now comes the strange part of the
story. About two weeks ago a herd OF
about eco sheep was found on the plain
in San Miguel county in New Mexico.
with no one in charge of them. and TO all
appearances belonging 10 nobody. The
parties in Arizona heard of this fact and
wrote TO officers in this territory, giving
their marks and explaining how the sheep
could he identified. II was found beyond
any doubt that this was the herd that had
disappeared from the range in Arizona
about the first Of August. The animals
had been shifting for themselves for more
than three months. and turned M at a
point fully So miles away They had
crossed the Rio Grande on the way.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
ORIENTAL GOATS.
Those of Syria and Thibet-The Pre-
cious Cashmere Shawl
Wool.
From the London Spectator.

From the London Spectator.
but far the best breeds belong to the
East, and it is strange that the crusaders
never brought back some of the really
first class goats of Palestine and Syria TO
this country. The difference between the
best breeds of sheep and goats of Palestine
is far less than might be supposed from
the wording of the New Testament. Both
nave penGulouS ears. both are often black
in color, and both follow the shepherd in
place of being driven.
The goats OF Syria are the best of all.
The hair is long, with good close UNDER
wool; they are perfectly domesticated. and
are excellent mixers. Instead OF senClnS
his milk around to customers in 4 can or
cart. the Syrian dairyman leads his ODE
dent flock of goats down the street, and
alter receiving an affirmative answer to
the Syriac equivalent for the call of Milk
no. selects his goat. and milks IL in the
street before the customers door. If the
more than another he has only TO mention
his preference.
The cashmere shawlS made of the finest
goats hair are not manufactured from that
of Cashmere goats paSturcd. as IS oft.u
believed, near the rose gardens where the
nightingales sing by the calm Bendemeer.'
The precious wool Is the underfur Of L
breed kept il Thibet. and by the khirSiZ
in Central Asia, from the slopes of the
Aiatau mountains 10 the bend of the Ural,
north of the Caspian. only a small guam
THY, averaging three ounces, of the pre-
cious wool is produced yearly by each goat
and the material is collected by middle
baZars. where il is purchased by the
makers of the shawis NJ. Jaubert in 1873
imported some of these animals into
France, and after crossing them witt the
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
HIS ONLY LOVE A BIRD.
ShOemnker's Fancy Strong in Face OF
Death-Seeks to Save His
C0n0ry.

The New York Press tells this story:
Never a chick nor a child had John Nc
Keown. For thirty years of his 90 he had
been a misanthrope, snarling at men,
women and the world in general.
One day a friend said: Here, John,
this'u liven you up;' and. of all the things
in the world. he passed over to the scowl-
ing a canary bird-a tiny yellow
thing in a fimsy wooden cage. fiuttering
Its life away in vain song against the
bars.
Mckeown swore in disgust. The friend
laughed at what he thought a great Joke.
Tie bird twittered ~sorrowfully. A change
came over Mckeown's face. Yes, you
fool he said. I'm a it. No, / don't
that bird"
Thereafter John McKeown seemed to be
wrapped up in that tiny yellow. feathery
morning hooker of whisky SO that he might
buy rape seed for the canary. There are
martyrs. even among the lowly. His
friends gibed at him. saying:
None of the girlS'd lave Johnny Nc
wife" ~ ""o y"
John heard. and scowled. and went on
petting the bird. spending his nights in his
dingy room instead of a sroggery. listen
ing rapt to the song of the canary. until
the golden head dropped to one side and
finally found shelter and sleep under a
wing, And then John McKeown himself
would go to bed. happy-he didn't know
why.
"Jawn. 1 hear ye're not drinking" said
a friend whom he met in Lexington ave-
nue. yesterday.
Never a drop. My canary's good enough
for me-" said Mckeown. and he pulled his
right hand from the breast of his coat.
In the big fist reposed the canary. lot
timSrous in fact. carolling cheerfully.
Inc friend crossed himself, saving,
Sure. Johnny McKeown's mad" and vert
on his way. Mckeown thrust the bird back
into his bosom. still keeping his tender
clasp upon ii, and started TO cross the ave-
nue. at Sixty-seVenth street. A cable car
rushed along with changing gong. Nc
keown tried to avoid it and failed. He was
hurled headlong into the gutter. bleeding
from a dozen wounds. His left arm hung
Imply at his side. for it had been broken.
But in his right hand he held high in
air. as If vaguely seeking to save 1t from
hurt, a little bird.
Save my canary," he Casped.
Men In the surrounding sympathetic
crowd, lifting him to a sitting position,
triec to take the fluffy thing from his hand.
He fought against them, calling ~pitifullv
between breaths of pain for some one to
take care of his pet.
Pooh. you can't go to the hospital with
that thing snapped the ambulance sur
geon: Drop it and come alorg!"
Mckeown swore at the pert young doc
tor. y youth stepped out of the crowd.
My card said he. offering il. 'IIl take
care of the bird until you're we'll"
The crowd SMILED. McNeown wept tears
of gratitude. The bird changed hands,
tenderly. Then the ambulance with the
sufferer changed away. to the ccompani-
ment of a single twitter.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
OUR WINTER BIRDS.
The GOldfnch in His Winter Suit
A SOmber Grayish

The wild canary or goldfinch illustrates
an interesting fact in bird life. In sum-
mer and spring the goldfinch wears a
bright yellow dress, with jet-black
wings. BY August the finch mouths
off all his feathery sunshine, and as
sumes a sober grayish-brown for his
winter business" suit. About April the
gray in it's turn mouths off, and the gold
begins to appear. being complete yellow
by June. Consequently the goldfinch is
inconspicuous in winter. except by its
flight from brush to brush. In the breed
ing season they dip and chirp, but there
is no song after breeding. The goldtinch
is a late breeder. building its nest in
July. The nest is of plant fibers, softly
lined, in which the bluish-white eggs are
laid. The goldfnch nests low. 1t lives
on sunfiower seeds and insects.
The purple-finch winters here; the male
has a beautiful purplish-pink plumage.
while the female is white and brown
striped; but the one is frequently mis-
taken for the other. because during the
first and second year. the male shows the
same color as the female. the purpiish
tint not appearing until he is three years
old. The purple-finch sings all day long
sociate Is the pink-tinch, also a winter
visitor. The cardinal grosbeak. also a
finch, is here all the year around, 1t
hiding in bushes. 1t seeks the tide
water thickets throughout the winter.
Strange to say its red color does not show
much in sunlight. except against a con-
spicious background.
Nine-tenths of our winter birds belong
to the finchcs or sparrows, certainly the
most numerous. if not the most char
acteristic bird of this season. They are
ground birds. feeding on the ground and
being of inconspicious colors. They have
short, heavy conical bills. and they
live on seeds or hard shell beetles (where-
as the warblers, who feed on soft in
sects, have slender bills. The song
sparrow, known by his continuous song
and striped breast. is silent in autumn
and winter, except giving forth Il low
chirp. The tree sparrow is a winter visitor.
living in alder bushes, and beginning to
sing in February. The white-throat spar
row in another winter resident; its notes
strike an octave up and down. and then
a sound resembling peabody" from which
ii is sometimes called the peabody bird"
The snow bird may be recognized by its
apron of gray feathers and white border of
the tail feathers
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
THE MYSTERY OF SMELL.
One Subject Into Which the Scientists
Have Not Gone Very
nonnIU

"SSIhy
One subject which in this scientific age
has not been made the subject of thor
ough scientific investigation is the sense
of smell. Our knowledge of the science
of odors remains about where 1t was fifty
years ago.. although We have learned so
much about light. heat and sound. says
the Hartford COurant. The old imperfect
classification of smells into ''pungent. saline
and saccharine' still remains. Indeed.
about all that most of us know is that
some smells are agreeable and some de-
cidedly the reverse. There IL no standard
of smell. no unit odor established as a
base of comparison. We do not know when
one smell is twice as strong as another.
AS n famous chemist said, "Quantitative an
alysis has not yet been applied to the
hunks.
A writer in the Independent does, in
deed. say that on an examination of sew
eral thousand flowers he found that there
fume. He finds that of white flowers u
per cent gave out agreeable odors: of
gray ones. II per cent: OF red. a little over
8 per cent of yellow ca a little aea over We 9 per
only 2 per cent. But further. yellow flow
ers contain the largest number with a
disagreeable odor and the white the next
largest. But this analysis is vitiated by
the fact that a perfume agreeable to one
person may be sickening to another. There
are but few which all declare to be de-
lightful. An English manufacturer of per-
fumes asserts that he is able to combine
CoiOrS 50 as 10 PIouuce Il cettaiH eiicct
and talks of a perfume scale but this
seems rather commercial than scientific.
If he could really produce an odor which
everybody would recognize, by the combin-
alton of different smell elements. the foun-
dation of Il science of smell would be laid.
One remarkable thing about Odor is that
the emission of it does not appreciably
diminis the mass of the body from which
it is given off. A grain of musk may
fill "A room with odor for years and weigh
as much at the end of that time as it
did at the beginning. Its weight must
have been diminished. for it is impossible
to believe that an effect on our organs of
sense can be produced without an impact
of material particles from a source of
| energy. but the amount of matter dissi-
| pated is intinitesmal in the case of an Cd
OrOuS body.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
A SNAKE 900 FEET LONG.
WITH A HEAD II FEET WIDE ANE
a BODY TO MATCH.
Seen I'm n California LaEe-That Was
Years Ago, but the Man Who Re-
the Sight Cites
Others Who Saw II.
From the San Francisco Call.

From the San Francisco Call.
The following is related By a well known
citizen of San Francisco. manage OF the
park band. 1t Is presented unaccompanied
by afidayits. and may be accepted as
truth by anybody who chooses TO believe
it:
The story of a sea serpent comes from
so many sources and from people of such
~und0ubted veracity that il cannot be
doubted that there is wins in the Atlantic
ocean a serpent of monstrous size, but
It remains for California, with its remains
OF gigantic monsters scattered all over its
surface. and where animal life attained
its greatest perfection. TO have "A sea ser
pept now living within its borders much
larger than any described by SO many
witnesses.
1t was my fortune 10 be one of the
earliest settlers on the west shore of Lake
Tahoe-from June. 1851, to 1863. l located
q meadow and was engaged in cutting wild
hay for the market on the PlaCeryille
road In the fail of 1865. in the month of
November. / took my gun, and. accom-
panied by a very intelligent setter dog.
started for a hum for grouse along the
into the lake.
My attention was called to a curious
state of things happening around me.
First, n flock Of quail and other birds
came flying out Of the canon. uttering
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
AN INTELLIGENT DOG.
How n Doctors Pet stopped a Run
away In IA Crowded
Street.

There is a certain young physician In
Nashville who owns a dog. Brush. that he
considers n treasure. Equally his wife con-
siders Brush n nuisance. but be that as it
may the dog did exhibit a stroke of genius
the other day that has quite won for him
the tolerance If not the affection of his
mistress.
The doctor was going in his buggy to
make n hurried call, when suddenly down
on Church street his horse began TO run.
As the street was fun of vehicles and the
electric cars were coming and going things
looked pretty shaky for a few moments.
The doctor put his strength TO the reins.
but the horse kept his head. Suddenly,
just as hanger seemed most imminent.
Brush. who CHANGED TO be sitting beside
his master. Jumped to the foo: of the bug
gy. reached over the dashboard. and. grab
bling the horses tail in his mouth. braced
himself back and pulled with all his might.
The effect WAS instantaneous. Doubtless
the horse was overcome at the novelty of
the sudden demonstration at his rear end.
Al all events he stopped short and the dam
ger was averted.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
THEY LOVE The CAT.
GOOD STORIES OF CHICAGOANS AND
THEIR FELINE PETS.
Made Lively BaEEnge-Dr. Clinton
Locke Experience With n Kit
ten ON IL Train-HOlds o
Travelling Record.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
There are many prominent people IN
Chicago who are devoted to the feline
race, and among them Mrs. Clinton
Locke is conspicuous not only for her
fondness for cats but for her catorium,
which contains animals of the highest de,
gree.
BESIDES being remarkable for their blue
blood, these pets are developed to the high
est possible state of Cathood cultivation:
they have all the necessary points. They
are blue-eyed, brown-eyed, yellow-eyed.
according to the color called for by their
coats. which are white. red. and blue re-
spectlvely. The red cats are of Spanish
extraction. the blue cats English, and the
white. blue-eyed felines come from far
Persia. AS to the tails of these wonders.
so long. fluffy, and bright of color are they
that one might imagine them fine ostrich
plumes of brilliant dye.
But Mrs. Locke's fondness for cats does
not stop at the tabulated ones of the tribe.
Last summer the Locke family spent sew
erai months at their country place. Lock
Haven, and a pretty. intelligent puss made
Mrs. Locke determined to bring 1t back
10 Chicago when the time for departure
came.
DR.. Locke objected to the cat as a travel
ing companion or to II as part and parcel
OF the baggage. but his objections were
finally overcome, and when the luggage
stood waiting on the platform for the
hearing the legend. This side up with
care was n mart of IT
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12

From the Philadelphia Record.
The wonderful alertnsss and activity OF
sea lions in the water which enables them
to get fish for their food in Arctic seas are
qualities that are manifest in Il still moro
striking way by the captive specimens
at the Zoo. These three s~priShtly indi-
viduaIs in the big outdoor tank have de-
veloped into rat catchers that never MISC
their prey. Rats are pests that naturally
thrive about the animal houses. and at
nights. when the Zoo is deserted by visit.
ors. the rodents run in all directions.
They are fond of water. and hey find
their way in considerable number to tho
sea-lion tank TO dabhie at the waters edge.
They may go to the lake and seal pond
with impunity. but when they venture to
the home of the sea lions that visit is
their last. Swiftly and noisslessiy the sea
lion dives and reappears at the surface
precisely at the spot where the rat is peer
ing into the tank. One snap and IL Is all
over. The rat goes down the hungry throat
at "A single gulp. So many rats do the
sea lions catch in this fashion that they
are sometimes indispossd to take their
early morning meal of fish thrown to
them By the keepers.
Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12

world. the German trade, on account of
overproduction. being largely foreign. but
American hops have entered the competi-
tive market, and a leading German trade
journal admits that no matter how great
the industry and intelligence displayed in
Germany. the enormous tracts of arabic
land in the United States are bound to
secure to the latter the upper hand in the
ed from Bavaria. Bohemia and Alsace to
France. England II Scandinavia; and
Russia was once a good market. but i'm
ported Bohemian plants into Nolhynia and
Poland with such success hat il has a
large surplus for export. Certain qualities
of German and Bohemian hops are sent
in small quantities to America for manu-
featuring certain grades of German beer.
but are being superseded by American
hops, and so formidable has become the
competition of California hops that the
German producer has TO content himself
with a very small profit. and sees his bust
ness steadily declining.