davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Cleaning Roosts.

The proper way to clean roost, says
Epitomist, is to first carry everything
out doors, roost poles, nest boxes and
loose boards. Give them dose of oil
and apply the match. If the wood takes
fire, it can be put out by throwing sand
on it. Now rake out all fowl dirt and
give the inside good coating Of white
wash. Do this once month. If we do
not have time for all this, then get some
liquid lice paint and go over the roost
poles, nest boxes, etc., with a brush
dipped in the paint. Put on good coat.
This should be done just before the
fowls go to roost at night. Probably the
fowls will not like the smell, but drive
them all in and shut the house up tight
for an hour or two. This will not only
kill the red and gray mites. but all the
body lice on the hens as we'll. In ten
days CATER the lice eggs previously laid
are about all hatched out) repeat the
operation, when we may reasonably
know that our hens and roosts are free
from lice and will stay SO for month
or two. Farmers should feed oats more
freely to poultry than is generally the
case. Oats are most excellent eggmak-
ing food when fed in connection with
other food. Boiled oats are especially
good.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Story Of q Boston .sTip."


In fashionable restaurant the other
evening a lady and gentleman were din.
ing before going tc an up town theater
They had been belated in arriving, ana
their order was consequently small and
hastily consumed. Handing the waiter
q SIS bill for the check, he was requested
to hurry, but as he did not return with
the SO change, nor could he be seen
anywhere in the room, the gentleman
beckoned to another waiter and tolG
him to look up the other. After still
longer delay, the first waiter, looking
glum enough, reappeared on the scene.
"Where is my changer said the gen.
tleman. sYou tcld rae to keep the
change, - returned the waiter, with .
surly air. Here the Lady took hand
"You're mistaken" !" she said. "1t is
not likely that the fee should be So
when you leave as to put on our own
wraps.' So the fellow drew the 81 from
his pocket, and the gentleman, not wish
ing to make further trouble, gave him
the customary quarter and departed.
Every one knows the course that should
have been pursued, but with not two
seconds to spare people cannot stop to
make complaints at headquarters, and
this the willy waiter understood quite
we'll Boston Herald.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
The Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The canyon is so tremendously wild
and impressive that even the great falls
cannot hold your attention, says John
Muir in The Atlantic. It is about 20
miles long and ], 600 feet deep-a weird,
unearthly looking gorge of jagged, fan
tastic architecture and most brilliantly
colored. 1t is not the depth or shape Of
the canyon, nor che waterfalls, nor the
green and gray river chanting it's brave
song as it goes foaming IN it's way, that
most impresses the observer, but the
colors Of the decomposed volcanic rocks.
With few exceptions the traveller in
strange lands finds chat however much
the scenery and vegetation in different
countries may change Mother Earth is
ever familiar and the same. But here
the very ground is changed, as if be-
longing to some other world. The walls
of the canyon from top to bottom burn
in perfect glory of color, confounding
and dazzling when the sun is shining
white, yellow, green, blue, vermilion
and various other shades Of red indetl-
nitely blending. All the earth here.
abouts seems to be paint Millions Of
tons of it lie in sight, exposed to wind
and weather as if of no account, yet
marvelously fresh and bright, fast col
ors not to be washed oct or bleached
out by either sunshine or storms.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Wanted a Good One.

Speaking Of antiquity brings up the
inexplicable American fad Of using
coats of arms 1t reached climax not
long ago, when youthful daughter OF
a wealthy German brewer visited an
engraver's Office, and, looking over the
books on heraldry, finally ordered one
coat Of arms for her own use which
combined the prettiest features of those
belonging to three great English houses.
Her youngest sister, not to be outdone,
ordered one for her notepaper and books
which contained devices from five old
English houses, not one of which coin
cided with the others choice. The
amazed engrsver endeavored to expos.
tulate, but neither of the young women
would listen to his argument. ''They
liked the coats Of arms, they said.
anybody could buy them who wanted
to, and they didn't propose to allow
any ridiculous nonsense to prevent them
having what pleased them. Besides that,
they wanted them different anyhow, so
that they wouldn't get mixed up. -
New York Mail and Express.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Conflict of Nature and Art.

A young man here in town who is
studying drawing-I won't say just
how or where-went out to a Welsh
rabbit supper at a friends studio one
evening. The supper was given to cele-
brate an examination in light and shad-
ow which several of the young art stu
dents had just undergone with success.
The young man I speak Of was full Of
the subject. His mind was still dwell
ing on it when he started home Half
an hour later a fellow art student came
up with him. He was standing before
an equestrian statue in one of the little
parks and was intently studying the
shadow of the bronze rider cast by the
moon.
"say," said he to the other student,
t'look at that shadow. I've cast lots Of
shadows and I've studied 'em. That
amt bit like it I know shadows.
That amt an angle Of 45 degrees. -
Here he took his friends arm.
"Old boy" he said solemnly, "that
shadows all out Of drawing. WASH
ington Post.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
why Cnlckens DIE.

The unknown cause" of the fire.
quent losses among chickens before they
are more than 4 weeks old which we
see frequently spoken Of or inquired
about in some of the papers professedly
devoted to the poultry interests, and
which they often ascl:ibe to ''constitu-
tional weakness" Z" is most frequently
caused by indigestion. The weakness is
an inability to digest their food with
out clean grit Of some sort to go with
it into the gizzard, or 10 digest sour and
moldy dough or moldy grain under any
conditions. We have seen some such
cases, and we always found either this
or lice in abundance TO be the cause of
the trouble. There may be constitu-
tional lack of yigor which causes chick
ems to die in the she'll before they are
sufficiently developed to break out and
which causes well cared for chickens to
grow very slowly and mature late, and
even to be generally worthless after
they have matured, but we ascribe
these to the breeding fowl having been
made too fat or to having been weaken
ed by some disease like the roup. Sud-
den deaths in great numbers after the
chickens are hatched and growing well
are usually due to a Lack Of vigor on
the part Of the keeper. Somebody is too
lazy, careless or busy at something else
to kill the vermin in the coops, give
fresh, clean gravel in the yards and
mix fresh, sweet food every time they
are fed and take away all that they
will not eat up clean as soon as it is
given them.-American Cultivator.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Elaausnce RI t;ay.

1t was preacher who had that ia
tai fuency'' for whom an acquaintance
laid trap. He had way Of promising
to preach, and OF beginning would say
something like 81 have been too busy
to prepare sermon, but if some one
will kindly give me text I'll preach
from it. % One determined to cure him.
He therefore asked him to preach. The
invitation was accepted. The tine came,
and the visitor began his usual intro
duction: Brethren, have been SO
pushed for time today as to have been
quite unable to prepare sermon. But
if some Of you will give me text I'll
preach from it. Perhaps my brother
here, !" turning to the plotter near him,
3will suggest text eyes, brother, ("
came the ready response, "your text is
the last part of the ninth verse Of the
first chapter Of Ezra, and its words are
mine and twenty knives. >" There was
a pause, an ominous pause, as the
preacher found his text. He read it ont,
"Nine and twenty knives" and began
at once. "Notice the number Of these
knives-just exactly nine and twenty;
not thirty, not eight and twenty. There
were no more and no less than nine and
twenty knives" A pause-a long pause.
Then, slowly and emphatically, "Nine
and twenty knives. - A longer pause.
Then meditatively, s'Nine and twenty
knives. - Again he rested. 'Nine and
twenty knives A dead stop. "Nine
and twenty kniyes-and if there were
nine hundred and twenty knives ! could
not say another word. "-Garper;s Mag
azine.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Cereal Exports.

A report Of the department of sgri-
culture states that cereals that were ex-
ported in greatly increased quantities
during the past year to meet foreign de-
aciences were oats and barley. Ship
ments of oats were made to the extent
Of 35, 096, 736 bushels, valued at S8,-
756, 207, as compared with 1903. $50
bushels, valued at So, 497, Gil, in the
year preceding, while the exports OF
barley during the same period increased
from 1850, 3S1 bushels to 20, 0,030. 30l
bushels in quantity, and from So, 1oo.-
811 to S7,64@ s84 in value. The ex-
ports of rye. while much less important.
also show notable gain, having ad-
yanoed from 088, 466 bushels, valued at
$445, ,075. for 1895 to 8, $50, 271 bushels,
valued at sS, 867, 800 for 1897. Prior to
last year our shipments Of buckwheat
were not large enough to be considered
worthy Of separate mention in the off,
cial accounts of our export trade, but in
1897 they assumed more Importance and
were stated at 1877, 102 bushela With
q value cf s67s, 959
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
A Lesson 1nl Business.

Bumper failed once and lost his last
dollar. He studied the thing over from
every. view and concluded that his fatal
mistake was in not advertising. He was
general favorite in the country town
where be met with disaster, he held
nothing out against his creditors, and
his reward came i'm the shape Of the
postmastership. The income depended
very largely on the number and value
Of stamps sold. Bumper determined
that he would not fail again, at least
from the same cause.
In the local paper there appeared
big display advertisement notifying the
public that Bumper had the largest,
brightest, newest and best selected
stock of postage stamps in the county.
He would sell tLem at the lowest figure,
warrant thom to be all that was repre-
sented, would sell them in quantities to
suit the purchasers. guaranteed that
they would carry letter as far and as
safely as any other stamps in the world,
defied competition and wound up by
saying that he had tie backing Of the
government. AS long as it was good he
was good.
.sIt beat the band, y tells an old citi-
zen. eve laughed at him and knew
that he was the first postmaster that
ever adopted such tactics, but he was
winner. 1t tickled the people almost to
death, and there is no better way Of
getting their favor. They sent from 100
miles in every direction to buy stamps
Of him. Not man came to town to do
business or make visit that did not
have commission to buy postage
stamps of Bumper. He made nice
thing, is now in private business again
and thinks an advertisement about as
good as ready money. Detroit Free
Press.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Not Their Exact Words.

The general tendency to look at the
actions of others through ones own par
ticular spectacles is frequently observed.
Perhaps not so often noticed, however,
is the habit Of unconsciously rendering
another's speech into ones own Ian
guage.
a Boston girl who had been taking
her first lesson III bicycle riding ex-
pressed her satisfaction at home at the
result of her experiment.
ssThe man said, I" she repeated, "that
/ had made most satisfactory progress
for novice. y
"why, did he really say thats'' was
the surprised query. -
"Well, no" answered the Boston
young woman, after moments refec-
tion. .'What he did say was, You'll do
fust rate for new beginner. !"
A friend of the poet Bryant chanced
to be alone in his study when cabinet
maker brought home chair that had
been altered. When Mr.. Bryant return
ed, he asked:
'.Miss Robbins, what did the fellow
say about my chair?"
''He said." answered the visitor,
"that theequilibrium lis now admirably
adjusted. y
'.what a fine fellow!" said Mr..
Bryant, laughing. s'I never heard him
talk like that. Were those his exact
words:''
"Well, he said, 1t jo2gles just
right, . repeated Miss Robbins. =
Youths Companion.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
GOOD ROAD WISDOM.
How to Improve the Highways at Small
increase of Expense.

How to Improve the Highways at Small
increase of Expense.
It is constantly being remarked in
conversation and printed in interviews
and editorials in the papers that better
roads are very necessary, but that they
are too expensive. The community is toe
poor to Go anything, and there the mat
ter ends.
This need not be so, says The Z. A.
W. Bulletin. There is hardly town OK
county in this country in which the
money now annually expended is not
sufficient to procure much better road
surfaces than now exist, while very
slight increase in expenditure would
make great improvements possible.
Read taxes must be paid in money,
and not in labor. Good results have
never. been obtained by working out
road taxes, and it is not In the nature
Of things that they should be. What
ever is to be spent on the roads must be
available for use in the employment Of
experienced help under intelligent su-
pervlslon.
Proper grading must be secured, hills
reduced and filings made until no steep
hill exists that the farmer must ssload
for'' every time he hauls over the road.
The bed must be thoroughly drained
or good surface will be- impossible,
and the surface must enable the water
to flow off readily. Nothing ruins a
road so quickly as water standing on it
or soaking into it.
The roadbed NJ De crowned enough
to shed water and must be kept in con-
dition by system of regular repairs
and continuous oversight.
After a good surface is secured by the
above methods it must be preserved and
maintained by permitting only the use
of wide tires on heavily laden vehicles,
thereby continually rolling and improy-
ing it.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
The Letter %.

The Semitic people called D Daleth,
a door or opening, whence the Greek
delta. To as in its present form it is
not much like door, as we know, but
If the orienta1s lived in tents shaped
like the letter B it is not wonderful
they should have doors the shape Of a
D. Our form Of the letter is greatly
changed from the ancient D, but a
glance at the Greek delta, which is
right angle triangle, shows it Identical
in shape with the triangular tent door
closed by flaps of canvas, and when one
Of these was drawn back shape was
represented which must have been fa-
miliar to all orientals.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Converted by a Handslaalke.

Hero is a good story of the Right
Rev. Thomas Underwood Dudley.
The bishop had gone TO Beattyville,
and the place was rough and desolate.
A rough looking man came up to him.
"They tell me you re from Virginia, y"
said the man.
"Yes.''
"They tell me you fought with the
rebels"
eyes,
"Give me your hand, pard. Ny
names Bill Dolan, an I'm blacksmith
down here.
"Bill, I" said the bishop, .tI'm proud
to meet you. .
That night Bill Dolan went to the
service and heard the bishop preach,
and he went afterward too.
Twelve years later the bishop went
to Beattyville once more. 1t was sun
set. He was met by the towns clergy
man. "Bishop, Bill Dolap died yester-
day, and before he died l baptized
him." said the minister. 'In his last
words he told me TO tell the bishop that
he loved him.
'That, {" said the bishop, twas in'
deed compensation l''-Louisville Cou'
rier-Journal.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Feeding Affects Eggs.

We once heard an old physician say
that when obliged to remain at some
houses so long that it was necessary on
desirable to eat there. be always chose
to have one or two eggs boiled for him.
The impression conveyed was that he
thought that nothing unclean could be
inside the eggshell, but il he could
have seen some Of the messes that are
fed out to hens or that hens feed upon he
would scarcely have felt SO sure Of hav-
ing wholesome food even when he broke
the eggshell. Many people do not un-
derstand that an unpleasant flavor can
be fed into an egg as easily as it can
into milk and that only such food
should be given to the fowl as is per-
fectly fresh and free from Objectionable
odors or flavors. .-Cultivator.
Managing Husband.
It is ridiculously funny to hear two
or three married women discuss the mo-
mentous question Of how to manage a
husband, asserts writer in the Phila-
delphia North American. Yesterday ]
dropped in at BRIDES cute little home
to sip a cupo tea. The poor little crea-
ture had evidently had slight differ
snce with chubby" before he left in
the morning, for she seemed wee bit
unhappy. It was not long before a
young matron entered and made third
to the party. This particular matrou
has great reputation for managing
her spouse and was just the person "the
bridey' needed. She commenced at
once, and. this was the conversation:
'My dear, is your husband ever
cross?''
"What a funny question! He is new
er anything else.''
"How in the world do you manage
him?''
81 don't try. just let him alone.
3'But how do you make up:'
eve don't. He is always as cross as
two sticks at breakfast. They say most
men are. He gets off lot of sarcastic
things about women attending to their
households, clubwomen. and SO forth,
and then he goes away mad. "
"Oh. dear me, you poor thing! And
vet Tom told me this morning you were
SO congenial and SO we'll suited to each
other"
$50 We are. When Harold comes
home in the evening, he hands me a
little package and says he hopes it will
please me. / tell him he is too good
and that wish all women had as good
a husband as mine Then ! see what he
is giving me. Sometimes it's lovely
belt or new chatelaine Or c fancy
scarf or something Of that sort, and l
give him kiss and ASK him to forgive
me for being cross in the morning.
The little hostess looked dazed and
went ON slipping her Russian tea IN pro-
found silence. Finally she broke out:
"And yet you deliberately told me
you did not manage hin:''
Pertinent query. What has Mr.. Tom
in store for him in future?
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Getting Even.

ST notice, % remarked the literary ed
itor, casually turning over the leaves Of
the book the. struggling author had
brought in, "you have given your hero
six fingers on his right hand, and there
is nothing in the story, so far as ] can
see, to explain why. May I ask what
the extra is for?"
sTo snap at the critics, !" vociferated
the struggling author, with a CLEAN OF
vengeance in his eye.
The worm bad turned.-London Fun.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Not Built That way.


The Pubisher-We can publish your
book of epigrams if you will guarantee
us the cost of printing and binding.
The Poet-It's no 90. never could
enjoy witticisms at my own expense. =
Cincinnati ENQUIRER
r.esiiatfng the Teeth.
It is curious to what an extent the
mutilation of teeth goes On among saw
age nations, and even among certain
civilized people, such as the japanese.
With them girl is never married with
out first staining her teeth black with a
tepulsive kind of varnish, and the Gus
tom is especially adhered to among
members of the richer classes.
On the west coast Of Africa large
proportion of the teeth are deliberately
broken when children reach certain
age. Both in the new world and the old
the custom exists Of extracting the two
front teeth of domestic servants. In
Peru the custom has existed from time
immemorial and used to be a sign OF
slavery in the days Of incas. This is al
SO the custom on the Kongo and among
the Hottentots. Teeth are stained IN
various colors among the Malays.
A bright red and bright blue are
not uncommon, and bright green is
produced with the aid Of arsenic and
lemon juice. Livingstone related that
among the Kafirs child with prom
inent upper jaw was looked upon as
monster and Immediately killed. On
the upper Nile the negroes have all
their best teeth extracted in order to de-
stroy their value in the slave market
and to make it not worth while for the
slave traders to carry them of.-Pear-
sons Weekly.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Ttts POET AND The CHILDREN.


With glory Of winter sunshine
Over his locks Of gray,
s Ia the old historic mansion
He sat ON his last birthday.
With his books and his pleasant pictures
And his household and his kin,
While sound as OF myriads singing
From tar and near stole in.
Il came from his own fair city,
From the prairie's boundless plain.
Fsom the Golden Gate of sunset
And the cedarn woods Of Maine.
And his heart grew warm within him.
And his moistening eyes grew dim,
For he knew that his country's children
We're einging the songs OF him.
The lays OF his me's glad morning,
The pseMas Of his avening timA
\ Nhcee echoes shall doat forsvsr
On thswinds Of every cline.
An their beautiful consultations,
Sent forth like birds Of cheer,
Ckma Rocking back to his windows
And sang IN the poets ear.
!; Grateful. but solemn a1a6 tender.
The music foeaand fell
With 4 Joy akin to sadness
Ind 3 greeting like farewell
1 With sense Of fawe he listened
70 the voices sweet and young.
9 The last of earth and the first Of heaven
Seemed IA the songs they sung.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Elective San Jose Spray.

6l06CIfV0 SA0 0O00 SpxBys
The salt, sulphnr and lime spray 10.
San Jose scale, as it has been used with
good results in Ca1;fornia for many
years past, is made as follows: Unslak.
ed lime, 40 pounds; sulphur. 20 pounds;
salt, 15 pounds Ten pounds Of the lime
Is first slaked and boiled with the sui
phur in 90 gallons OF water for three
hours over brisk Ere. The remaining
80 pounds Of lime is slaked and added
to the boiling mixture, the salt is then
put in and the whole boiled from SO
minutes to an hour longer. Water sufd-
oient to make so gallons is then added.
When the ten pounds Of lime and the
sulphur have been boiled long enough,
the mixture assumes deep amber color
and the sulphur will be held in soiu-
tion. Before use the whole should be
strained through fine wire screen and
be agitated while the pump is at work.
It may be strained through burlap, but
loose threads are carried through, and
these are liable to clog the pump.
This mixture has been found equally
effective as preventive of curled leaf
and fungous disease, as a remedy for
the scale, and in all the large orchards
Of California it is used religiously every
winter. It must not be applied after
the trees are in leaf or when the buds
are bursting, as it will injure the TO-
liage, but when the trees are dormant it
can be used without danger, says cor
respondent Of The New England Home
stead.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Expensive A1i-th.

"Cheery words cost nothing
"That's where you are way of. l
said two CHEEKY words yesterday, and
they cost me ST."
Chow did that happen?'
"Well, 1 slapped a big man on the
back and said, Hello, Fatty!'
''That was all right. -
"No, it wasn't. He turned out to be
man didn't know, SO we knocked
each other down and got into court. ~
Boston Journal.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-06-08
Sign of a Trip Abroad.

"Mrs. Gaswell, your daughters visit
to Europe seems to have made her quite
a polished young woman.
Il should say SO. My land! You
ought to hear her say, shall be very
pleased. Chicago Tribune.