davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The herald., 1898-12-18
An Anti-Malaria Society

Italy proposes to found society to pro-
mote the study OF malaria, and as a pre-
liminary to its formation a prospectus has
been issued setting forth that every wear
100000 of people are attacked by the
malady, of whom $4,000 die. It is preva-
lent in sixty-three provinces and nearly
5000 communcs, and renders impossible
the cultivation of upward of 5000, 900 acres
of land. Scientific study of the malady
and the means of its prevention or diminu-
tion are the proposed objects of the society,
but the latter is to be attacked more di-
rectly in one territorial quarter at least bv
a German company which has been organ
lied to drain the Pontine marshes. The
scheme consists in the construction of en-
bankments builc so as to regulate the flow
of water from the mountains to the sea.
and all around the marshes a large canal
il to be dug to receive the water drained
from the swamps. 1t is expected that
they will thus become healthy and produc-
tive instead of breeding grounds of pesti.
lence, as they have always hitherto been
As German money is behind the enterprise
it is probably feasible, and it's accomplish
ment will tend to promote the aims of the
anti-malaria society more than their inves-
LEGATIONS.
The herald., 1898-12-18

It may be that tea is nearer the temperature
of your body than n merely tepid drink; it
may be some divine virtue in the herb, but
you feel the second cup of tea settle within
you. You feel yourself degree less torrid,
a shade more substantial. Ii you are wise
you will rest content for the moment with
this advantage. Order your pony and gal
lop an hour in theAesert. You will sweat.
OF course. You need not expect to escape
that at any time. But the sweat cools you
off and you ride in with fresh skin. Take
your tub in your tent The Nile cools faster
than the land, and, oh, the deliciousness of
the cold water licking round you!
Now comes the sweet revenge for all the
torments of the day. 1t is quite dark by
now, unless the moon be up, leaning to you
out of tender blue ilnmensity, silver, car
essing, cool. Or else the sprightly candles
beckon from your dinner table, spread out
side the tent-a halo OF light and white in
the blackness, alert, inviting, cool. You,
too, by now are clean and cool. You quite
forget whether the day was more than warm
or no.
But you remember the thirst You are
cool, but within you are still dry, very dry
and shrunken. Take a long mug and drink
well what you will have poured into it; for
this is the moment 3f the day, the moment
that pays for the Soudan. You are very
y
thirst. Let it be alcoholic, for you have ex-
uded much life in the day; lie. it above all be
long. Whisky and soda is friend that
never fails you, bat better still something
tonic. Gin and soda? Gin and lime juice and
soda! Gin and bitters and lime juice and
soda? Or else that triumphant blend of all
whetting flavors, an Abu Hamed-gin, YER
mouth, angostura, lime juice and soda?
Mix it in due proportion, put in especially
plenty of soda-and then drink For this is
to drink indeed. The Others were only
flushing your body with liquor as you might
flush a drain. But this This splashes round
Your throat and slides softly down your
gullet. 1t spreads blesscdly through body
and spirit-not swirling through, like at At
bara: but irrigating, like the Nile. 1t is sol
in the sand, substance in the void, life in
death Your sap runs again, your mummy
bones tougher. Your self has sprung ul
alive, and you almost think you know how
it feels to rise from the dead.-Lonton Mail
The herald., 1898-12-18
He Snapped Lizard in the Air

81 secured really remarkable snap shot
picture the other day." remarked an en-
thusiastic local amateur, "and the circum-
stances of obtaining it were of themselves
very curious. My subject was little
lizard that makes hunting ground of the
balcony before my window. l happened
to see him stalking fly along the upper
rail, and was lucky enough to get quite
close with my camera. The light was
splendid, and | was standing there breath
less, holding the shutter ON the hair trigger
and waiting for the best possible pose,
when a pet cat suddenly knocked over a
big vase of flowers right at my back My
nerves were at such tension that
jumped as if had been shot, and when l
regained my presence of mind the lizard
had vanished. / found that / had pressed
the button involuntarily, but had no idea
which way the instrument was pointing,
and never dreamed that had secured more
than a section of sky However, l de-
veloped the plate, just for fun, and to nv
astOnishment out came beautiful mega
tive of the lizard. He must have jumped
for his prey at exactly the same instant |
did my own great jumping act, and my
spasmodic snap shot caught him wholly
suspended in the air, his body curved like a
letter s, his paws outspread, and the fly
transfixed on the tip of his delicate tongue.
There is something indescribably comical
about the little fellows attitude, and such
lightning flash of animal life could never
be obtained by anything except the purest
accident. have apologized to the cat for
some hasty remarks I made before had
the picture. New Orleans Times Demo-
crat
The herald., 1898-12-18
A Fib That Made the Angels Smile

1t was one OF the big department stores.
Two women stood near each other before
a customer where the belongings of very
little children are sold. Both looked with
wistful yet widely different expressions at
the tiny garments displayed. The one
woman asked to be shown knitted under
vests for baby. The saleswoman drew out
a box and took from it somt absurdly
small garments, soft, creamy, heecy, the
most delightful combination of silk and
wool. The woman-a young woman she
was, almost girl-took them in her hands
with evident delight.
"How much are they?" she asked.
The saleswoman named price that was
twice the size of the tiny shirts.
"Apiece?" asked the would-be customer
timidly.
'Yes," answered the saleswoman.
The customer put down the little gar
ments. She looked tired and weak and
bitterly disappointed. It's heart-breaking
not to be able to buy what you want for
your baby.
''Show me omething-something cheap
err she said swallowing a lump in her
throat
The other woman, who had been looking
into the showcase, had seen it all. She
spoke to the saleswoman brusquely:
Il can't wait any longer" she said. Tell
me the price of that bonnet over there
The saleswoman hurried to obey. One
doesn't keep a chinchilla collar and an i'm
perious manner waiting if one knows ones
business. There was a moments whisper
ing, and the. saleswoman returned to her
waiting customer. From another box she
produced some garments precisely similar
to the too expensive ones.
Here's some shirts, said she, Athat we've
marked down to close out. We have only
few left. They're only -" And the
''only" was exactly half the price she had
named before. 1t wasn't cleverly done,
but it deceived the tired woman. She went
away with the wistful look gone from her
face. The chinchilla collar went down in
the same elevator with her, and the face
above the collar wore look almost of envy
added to it's wistfulness, fancied-though
it's folly, of course, to imagine that women
with chinchilla collars and imperious man
ners envy tired little women who have to
ask for something cheaper
Washington Post.
The herald., 1898-12-18
not contain much ornamentation or many

not contain much ornamentation or many
relics Of particular value.
AT Guayama the music was excellent and
services were always well attended. The
padre there was fine old Spanish gentle
man, who loved his people and his church
and was proud of the fact that except for
the cathedral in San Juan he had the best
church on the island. He took us all about
the old building from top to bottom, sfssv-
ing every chapel and every shrine with gen.
nine pleasure. On Sunday morning at high
mass came peculiar thing. At the end Of
the service, for recessional, the organist,
far up in the loft, touched his keys and
through this old Catholic church in an OBJ
scure village in Porto Rico there sounded
"The Star Spanged Banner" The varia-
tions improvised were beautiful The mel
ody itself was kept little in the back
ground, obscured bit by the Aorid music
that accompanied it, but it was there be-
yond a doubt Perhaps the Spanish wor-
shippers did not recognize the unfamiliar
strains for what they were. The Amerl-
cans did. All over the church there were
American soldiers and officers who had
been present as worshipers or spectators.
When the identity of the music came to
them there were heads uplifted and bright
ening eyes, and glances Of recognition that
meant great deal.
/ hunted up the old padre and asked him
About it.
The herald., 1898-12-18
THE SoUDAN THIRST
It Is the One Priceless Production OF
the Great African Desert

If it had not been for the thirst should
never come twice to the Soudan. 1T is part
of the comprehensive uselessness OF this
country that its one priceless production
can never be exported. If the Soudan thirst
could be sent home in capsules, like the new
soda water sparklets, it would make, any
mans fortune in an evening. The IRONY
of it is that there is much thirst here
such limitless thirst as might supply the
worlds whole population richly; on the
other side there are millions Of our fellow
creatures, surrounded by every fquor that
art can devise and patience perfect, but
wanting the thirst to drink withal. won
der if YOU were ever thirsty. Probably not
| never had been till came to the Soudan,
and that is why | came again. The true
Soudan thirst is born of sheer heat and sheer
sweat. Till you have felt it you have not
thirsted. Every drop Of liquid is rung out
of your body. You could swim in your
clothes, but, inside, your muscles shrink to
dry sponge, your bones to dry pith. All
your strength, your substance, your self, is
draining out of you; you are conscious of
a perpetual lquefacton and evaporation of
good, solid you. You must give it up and let
the goodness sluice out of you. There is
nothing of you left. You are mere vacuum
of thirst. And that goes on for three hours
after sunrise till an hour before sundown.
this while-not even the correspondents.
The real exercise of yourself and your ponies
YOU have begun before breakfast, and intend
to continue after tea. For the rest at Fort
Atbara you can go down to the railway sta
ton. If there is train there, there will be
troops getting out of it; if there is not, you
can ask when one is expected, and read
chalked on notice board the latest bulletin
of the health of every engine on the road
between there and Halfa On the platform,
too, is the postoffice. You can ask when the
next post goes out or comes in The dirty
Copt boy they call postmaster will answer,
tomorrow.
All this you may see, and sweat. between
the hour before sunrise and the hour before
sunset. 1t goes on always, but usually after
sunset you look at it no more.
For when the Soudan thirst has pent
itself and it is at your mercy, YOU again
try bombardment of hot tea. The thirst
thinks its conquest assured; it takes the
hot tea for a signal of surrender, and hu,ls
the first cup arrogantiy out again through
your skin. You fire in the second cup, and
you find that you have gained some ground.
The herald., 1898-12-18
SUNG IN A SPANISH CHURCH
American Soldiers Heard "The Star
Spangled Banner" as Recessional

San Juan has a very good opera house
facing the plaza of Columbus. There was
hope that company advertising in Ponce
might be induced to extend its journey
to the capital. The play they were offering
was advertised as "El Gran Drama Amer
icano, la Cabana de Tio Tom," and as
had seen it year before in Key West per
formed by an amateur troupe of negroes
under the more familiar name of "Uncle
Toms Cabin" with little Eva who was
as black as coal and whose hair was as
kinky as wool, cherished tender memory
of the play and regretted not to see it in
Spanish. Most OF the foreign entertain
'ments reaching Porto Rico are those on
their way to Havana and Mexico from Eu
rope. They stop over one boat and usu-
ally do pretty good business in the capital.
Loie Fuller has danced there and / believe
Patti once sang in this same theater.
Changing from theaters to churches, the
traveller in Porto Rico will find much to
interest him in the places of worship
throughout the island. The old church of
Ponce stands in the main plaza, backed by
the gorgeous Oriental structure which does
duty for fire department building. The
church is one of the old ones on the island,
exceedingly picturesque without, but does
The herald., 1898-12-18

japanese peace negotiations has received
letter from the Oriental statesman, in which
he says that all recent changes in China are
for the better"
Frederick the Great composed the
"Marche Real" the national anthem of
Spain, and Pedro l. of Brazil the "Hymno
Constitutional" the national air of Portu-
GAL"
The late John J. Fayil, superintendent of
the Holy Terror Mining company, in the
Southern hills, near Deadwood, s. D., has
at his old home in Theresa, N. Y. The re-
malnder of his large wealth goes to his
widow.
A new scholarship has just been conferred
on the scientific school of Harvard university
by gift of $4,000 from j. r. Jennings of
the class of II, now a mining engineer in
the gold district of South Africa. The inter-
est OF this sum is to be given to student of
engineering and award has been made to j.
S. Sanborn, '99.
Judge William NJ K Olcott of the Re-
publican machine, failed to get past the but
Ter in an attempt to see Colonel Roosevelt in
his New York house the other evening, being
refused admittance on the plea that the
colonel was not at home. BourEe Cochran,
however, who came up the steps just behind
Judge Olcott, had no trouble in getting in,
W "alC uhlll the eoNerhor-eiect returned
Senator Vest Gays of Senator Cockrell that
he always makes it point to learn the
names of his rural constituents and call
them thereby But once he made slip.
In some manner he forgot the name of
county chairman and blunty asked it.
why" said the chairman, 'I'm Jones. l
thought you knew me-" OF course do"
said Cockrell, quickly, "but which one of
old Jones' boys are you? l knew your
father for years" And he only had one
son." was the harsh reply.
The herald., 1898-12-18

Majestic, which is due on Wednesday next
1t is said with confidence among Mr.. Nc
Intyre's associates on the floor of the pro-
duce exchange that the most ambitious of
all his projects is now certain of accom-.
plishment. After fight that seemed al
most hopeless two months ago, the broker
has succeeded in convincing the English
of the Pillsbury- Washburn
mills that his scheme to unite all the lead
ing flour mills in the country into one
giant flour trust, which shall practically
control the entire product of American
mills, supplying three-fourths of the civil
lied world with breadstuffs, is practicable
Mr.. Mcintyre and Richard Glynn, presi-
dent of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. mills, de-
parted for London in October. Mr. Glynn
had come over to investigate the plan to
form the combination. Mr.. Mcintyre un-
folded it to him in his own plausible way
But the Englishman was not convinced
The cable brought the announcement that
the whole scheme had been abandoned.
Mr.. Mcintyre came home and said nothing
But he sailed for London again four weeks
ago. 1t was in answer to cable from
Richard Glynn. He wanted to talk it
over now himself. So the leaven had be-
gun to work, as Thomas A. Mcintyre knew
it would. just before the steamship Ma
jestic sailed from Holyhead for New York
last Thursday, Thomas A. Mcintyre sent
this cablegram to a member of the local
grain firm:
"We win"
Richard Glynn had changed his mind
and the giant flour trust, with its capital
of $l50,000,000 and its milling capacity of
5000 barrels of flour a day, will be
launched by the shrewd and persistent pro-
moter of the Produce eXchange.-From a
New York Dispatch.
The herald., 1898-12-18

lecture was illustrated by lantern slides
showing the evolution of the automatic gun
and closed with firing off a twenty-five
pound Maxim gun at the rate of six hun
dred rounds a minute. 1t was gum, similar
to this that the army of the sirdar, Lord
Kitchener, used in the Soudan and that
made it possible for a few regiments, formed
in hollow suare, to destroy more than fifty
thousand dervshes.
Mr.. Maxim excused his "haby gun" for
not doing its full work of throwing six
hundred bullet in sixty seconds last night
by saying that he had been asked to leave
out the bullets, and without them the cart
ridges were too light to work so rapidly.
Mr. Maxim said he understood the United
States government was spending $4,000 in
evolving practical flying machine. He did
not think it would be successful on the aero
plane system, but that totally different
plan would be found necessary.
When Mr.. Maxim began to speak about
his guns the large audience in Havemeyer
hall craned their necks. Even President
Seth Low made sounding board of his
hand, and bent forward to catch every
word.
The great inventor said the metallic car
fridge first made it possible to construct
breech-loading firearms, and that Peter
Cooper, in 1910, made the first machine gun
ever thought of. The first machine gun put
into Use was the gatling, which had from
six to ten barrels, arranged in cylinder form
and operated with a crank. Then came
the French Mitralleuse, the Gardner, the
Lowell, the Pratt, the Whitney and the
Nordenfeldt, all similarly operated. In all
these the recoil was so great that the gun
had to be provided with mounting as heavy
as that of light pieces of artillery.
In 1884 he invented the first apparatus in
which the recoil of one cartridge was used
to fire another. When the gun was finished
and it was discovered that the inventor
was an American. people said it was cyan
kee brag and boast" but the Prince of
Wales came to the basement one day and
fired the gun, and the consequence was that
2O0,0OO rounds of cartridges We're used in
showing the gun to visitors.
Then the lecturer said they wanted to
fool him. They ordered gun which would
not weigh more than 100 pounds and fire
400 rounds in just one minute. Then he
fooled them by presenting a gun which
weighed forty pounds and fred 1000 rounds
in three minutes, which was tried by Lord
Wolseley, and he received his first govern
ment order.
Hir lordship, however, complained of the
enormous cloud of smoke made by the gun,
and then Mr.. Maxim first thought of smoke
less powder.
When the "baby Maxim was DISCHARGED
and two hundred and fifty empty cartridges
were thrown from its side, the little gun
belched continuous flame two feet from
the muzzle.
The herald., 1898-12-18
ELECTION BETS IN NEW YORK
Roosevelt's Success Caused Vast Sums
to Change Hands

1t was roughly estimated that more than
a million dollars in bets, ranging from
$500 to $4,000, changed hands in this city
as the result of the election, and book
maker asserted that the aggregate of the
small wagcrs would largely increase this
total above the record of betting in any
previous state election. The scenes in the
Fifth Avenue hotel and in the Hoffman
house on the two or three nights just pre-
ceding election were extraordinary. A
man who makes his living by betting fig
ured out clear profit of 5000 for himself
hedging, so that it did not affect his win
This was his way of following the change
of odds: He bet 800 to $1,000 on Van
Wyck, $500 to $1,000 on Van Wyck, and
these odds he had put up $2400 to win
changed so that he was able to make one
bet of $1,000 to $1,000 on Roosevelt, another
$1,000, representing again total of $240O
to $4,000 on Roosevelt Thus his bets were
so balanced that he was bound to win
$4,000 on the victorious candidate and lose
only $2400 on the defeated candidate. The
betting was at varying odds in different
parts of the city, and on one occasion when
the Hoffman house crowd was willing to
back Van Wyck at only even terms Wall
street firm which handled large amount
of Democratic money was Offering odds of
10 to on him, and so it went, seesawing
back and forth up to 10 o'clock of election
night.
Although there were unusual obportun-
tiles for the professional betters to hedge at
odds from either side, and thus make a
sure thing on the result, it was noticeable
that few of them took advantage of them.
There were sure tips on both sides, and
they were backed boldly by the men who
had money to wager. The damage done
to the Hoffman house cafe by the eager
crowd which filled it one night, climbing up
on the tables and breaking glassware,
must have been considerable, and it was
sight never to be forgotten by those who
were present-New York Sun.
The herald., 1898-12-18
Overcoat That Carried Its Own Heat

The oldest novelty perhaps in winter
overcoats is the invention of George Har-
mer of Pleasantvile, N. j. 1t begins in
tremendous collar reaching above the top
of the head and ends at the heels. The
material throughout is composed of two
thicknesses of cloth, between which is an
air space of wire fabric woven in elastic
spirals. In the front is slot in which the
wearer, on starting out, deposits slowly
smoldering fuel cartridge. The cartridge
chamber imparts its heat to the air space,
completely enveloping the body, and, as
this warmth rises it circulates over the en-.
tire system. Another coat much like this,
but patented by the same genius few years
ago, utilizes lamp instead of cartridge.
Still another queer coat is long water
proof ulster having arranged over the shoul.
ders, front and back, slanting cutters of
metal for draining off rain and melted snow.
Washington Dispatch.
The herald., 1898-12-18
TOLD BY OUR CONSULS
OoOOOOOOOOO OOOCOOooOoOOc

The consul at Havana sends the following
extract from Havana Report, printed No
vember 2: Meanwhile the two elements
formerly so hostile to each other-Spanish
and Cubans-are waiting peaceably for the
completion of the task of self-betterment I'M
posed upon them by the Americans. 1t is
wonderful that these two elements, living
now side by side and even mingling with
each other, should SO well conduct them
selves. And it shows that the people of
Cuba are tired of strife and desire the estab
lishment of approximate good management
of affairs. The planters, who, during the
late war, suffered so much, welcome this
condition of things and are now preparing
to reconstruct their plantations and com
mence to work with renewed vigor and faith
in the future. Such preparations are to be
noted in nearly all the districts of the
island"
There is broad and steady expansion
of trade throughout all the South American
states which border upon the Amazon. Con
sui Kennedy of Para declares that his city,
situated only 100 miles from the mouth of
the Amazon river, is destined to become the
The herald., 1898-12-18
IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Emma Calves real name is Emma Rouuer,
and she was born at Decazeville in 1866 She
was brought up in a convent, and during her
first season as singer got $40 month.
General John W. Foster, who served as
Ii Hung Chang's adviser during the Chinese
The herald., 1898-12-18

EYES," he said, at was intentional. l
asked the organist in the morning if he
knew the American national hymn. He
said that he did, so l asked him to play it
as a occasional. l thought it would please
the Americans"
1t did please them, and the old priest
could not have done more generous thing
or one that would have been better appre-
ciated.-Special letter to the Chicago Jour
nal
The herald., 1898-12-18
MAxIM'S new GUN
INVENTORS LECTURE ILLUS
TRATED WITH SHOTS
600 ROUNDS A MINUTE
History of the Rapid-Fire Gun and Of
Smokeless Powder-Remarks
About Aeroplanes

Hiram Stevens Maxim-Sir Hiram, as
Queen Victoria has often said he would be
had he been born in England instead of
the United States-delivered a lecture the
other day in New York under the auspices
OF the Engineer society of Columbia uni
versity, on his works and inventions. The
The herald., 1898-12-18
Somewhat of an Epicure

Mrs. Hayfed-How strange Towser did
not run for you. He generally seems to
divine some way that you fellows get the
food for him.
latter de Malion-You wrong de faithful
animals sagasserty, mum. He evidently
deduced from me genteel appearance dat
wuz not after dat class NV food, num-
Ind