davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
ABOUT CIGAR BOXES.
Spanish Cedar is the Best Wood, but
It Comes From Cuba.

II ZONES from SuDa.
Written for The Evening Star.
There are something like IA, 900, 900 cigar
boxes used In the United States annually,
and about nine-tenths of that number are
made in this city, where the trade rivals
the clothing industry in point of capital in
vested, and the number of people employ
ed said a leading cigar box manufacturer
In New York to the writer yesterday. The
n aterial out of which the best boxes are
made comes principally from Cuba, and is
known as Spanish cedar. The recent war
with Spain has shortened the supply and
increased the price Of the article to such an
extent that many box makers whose stock
of cedar was small early last spring have
cen CO mpelled to use cheaper and less
desirable grade of wood for the purpose
One New York firm has been expert
mentfng with timber from the unexplored
Paraguayan forests, which are said to con-
tain the finest cedar wood in the world
They have, however. experienced consider
able difficulty in selling their boxes, as
cigar manufacturers and connoisseurs in
sist that spoilS fine cigar to put it in
any box not made of genuine Spanish
cedar. The latter wood always retains the
flavor OF good cigar. Indeed, some peo-
pie claim that 1t improves the favor The
reason given is that it grows in the same
localities as the best Havana tobacco,
Attempts made to use cedar grown In
the United States for cigar boxes have not
been very successful. The Florida and
South American cedar contains peculiar
gum that melts when the wood is exposed
to the heat of a store or house, and thus
the labels and sometimes the cigars in a
box are spoilt. Of course, the smokers of
cheaper brands of cigars are less particular
about the quality of the wood used for
their boxes, and veneered cedar made
from peculiar sort of cedar that grows In
Mexico is often substituted for the Spaa-
ho eth
the cigar dealers finding it out, and the
consequence Is that even good cigar when
packed in such a box sells at a Gisadvant-
age.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
A wOMAN's CONSCIENCE.
1t Pricked Her After She Had PLAYED
the Trick,

thf
L wonder If street railways have any
such things as conscience funds?" she ask
ed her husband at dinner the other evening.
Because, If they have, I'm going to mail
one of them cent"
OF course he wanted to know about it.
Well" she said, Il called upon Mrs. Gig
lamps this afternoon. You know she's
moved away over to the west end After I
came away, possessing a sort of feeling
that I wasn't particularly strong in none
tary way, looked into my purse as I stood
waiting for the car. My suspicion had been
correct. had only four pennies. Now you
know that 1 couldn't go into a drug store
and ask the proprietor for penny-I might
have been arrested for begging had done
that. might I not?-and yet it was, of
course, impossible for me to walk home
from Mrs. Giglamps'. SO 1 evolved a crafty
scheme-really, begin to grow ashamed of
the awful things I think of in emergencies
and put 1t into effect I took the four pen-
mics out of my purse and held them in nv
hand. Then l stepped into the car as bold
as you please. 1t was an open car. I lin
gled the pennies in my hand absent-mind-
edly-apparently, that is-when the con-
ductor came along in my direction for my
fare. Just as he got within a few feet of
ne, and curve In the line providentially
| favoring me, gave a little screech and the
pennies flew out of my hand l pretended
that the lurch of the car had done It, The
conductor looked sympathetic--he was real
ly an amiable mainland said he'd pick the
pennies up. He CROPPED around and found
the whole four of them under the seats OF
course he couldn't find the fifth. 1 told him
the five pennies had comprised my entire
funds
Never mind lady said he; I'll find the
other penny when all the passengers are
out at the end Of the line,' and I thanked
him hypocritically. Wasn't it dreadful"
And you talk about my bsng foxyv' said
her hl,a nd
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
SHEETS DID 1T,
What Julius and Marc Suffered
Tragedy Turned to Farce.

Written for The Evening Star
You would not think it possible" said
an old actor to the writer recently "for a
little festive mosquito to break up the per-
Torrance of one of Shakespeare's greatest
tragedies. and turn it literally into a farce.
would you? Well, such Is the fact You
remember Ned Buckley, don't you? Used
to be leading man in the Boston Theater:
also with Booth and Barrett. One rather
warm night in August, 10, Ned took a snap
company out to a town in western Massa-
chusetts to do Julius Caesar 1t was not
a sumptuous performance by any means
out still 1t was good enough for the audi
ence- Buckley played Caesar, and did it
we'll If l am not mistaken, Fred Bryton
was the Marc Antony. 1t became so hot
before the performance had fairly begun
that the windows in the rear of the stage
had to be opened. 1t was not very long
before the stage was swarming with mos
quitoes, they being attracted, no doubt by
the strong light on the stage. Buckley had
on pair of white tights, and he discov-
cred. at the last moment, that there We're
several small holes in the legs. So he got
a piece of billiard chalk and whitened over
the tights where they were burst.
We'll, the play ran along smoothly
enough until the time came for Marc An
tony to bury Caesar, and not praise him
Poor Julius was lying on the bier, and just
as Marc began the Grafton he felt the in
ing work. Buckley always declared that
they were educated. They just picked out
the spots where he had used the chalk
He stood the agony az long as he could,
then he began numbering his tormentors
Several times did Julius slap his limbs, and
every time he slapped he grunted with re-
lief. He kept slapping his limbs and grunt-
ing all through the grafton. the audience
shouting with laughter all the while. The
audience just about knew the cause of the
trouble. because they were doing some
slaughtering on their own account. Buck
ley stood the agony as long as he could
then he gave Antony a tip and the Grafton
was cut remarkably short. The audience
was tickled immensely and insisted upon
the actors going before the curtain several
times. The mosquitoes who made the hits
went with them, and the performance was
a farce for the balance of the evening
Every time that somebody began to act
one of the auditors would begin to laugh
and everybody would join in the chorus"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
~: T dHfEy5T4D l
IN OEtN'

seems to be specially efficacious in stop
ping the pain and swelling"
x X X X
Though the war with Spain has been
officially ended, as far as a protocol can do
So, explained a clerk in the commissary
generals office, War Department, to a Star
reporter, 1.-The contest between the hun
dreds and hundreds Of comnissary officers
In camp and field and the commissary gen.
erals office has just begun in earnest. One
of the results is an increase in the official
mail and another is an increase of cuss
words. The commissary officers think
headquarters are unnecessarily severe and
using considerably more red tape than is
necessary, and that the circumstances
should be taken into consideration Our
reply to this is that the business end of
war is just as necessary and important as
the fighting end and that one cannot exist
long without the other. The trouble with
most commissaries is that they know more
about other things than they do about the
commiSsary, which is not to be wondered
at The cornmissary generals Office tries
TO help. instead of hinder, them by prepar-
ing and sending them blank forms to fill up
ana sign covering every contingency that
can possibly arise, but there are a number
of comrlissary officers who persist in sign
ing vouchers in the wrong place. or what
is Just as bad. sending them in without any
signature. Then. again, they report one
meal that they feed a certain number OF
men, and at the next meal, without ex-
planning the increase, they report a much
larger number. We had a case a few days
ago where a commiSsary officer started on
a journey with eight men. which made
twenty-four meals the first day. On the
second day he had vouchers for thirty
meals, and on the third forty meals. Be
fore the weeks journey was ended he had
run up to sixty meals. There was no evil
oence that the account was dishonest, and
the officer got very mad when he was ask
ed TO explain This is only a sample. 1t
Will be several years, at the least, before
the commissaries' accounts can be settled
up. even If the entire army was disbanded
next week. Many of them pay no attention
TO the requests of the office for explana-
ton, which complicates the matter seri-
ously.''
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
F 0 U N D AT LA S T

He had just alighted from a suburban
trolley car at the corner Of 7th and u
streets. He stepped out quite alertly for
the 18th street electric car. Then he stop
ped In the middle of the street and dived
into his inside breast pocket. He pulled out
his pocket book and overhauled it care
fully A blank expression overspread his
countenance, aud with his left hand he
pulled out his handkerchief and mopped his
forehead. Then he restored the pocket
book to his inside breast pocket and began
hastily to go over the rest of his pockets
No go, apparently. He unbuttoned his
Waistcoat and searched the inside pockets
OF that. No apparent result. He took off
his hat and dug beneath the sweat band
Result, apparently nil Then he went all
over bis pockets again, deliberately and
thoroughly. While he was doing this The
poilceman standing on the corner addressed
him.
Gone, hey?" inquired the cop.
BY jung, yes!" said the searching citizen
brow.
Where die lose it?" asked the peeler
Say, this is warm weather to reply to
that kind replied the distraught citizen.
ASK me dead easy one and you may
nave a look-in for an answer
pockets.
How much did it amount to?" asked the
polceman, after pause, stepping off the
curb and walking over to the perspiring
suburbante
i didn't figure it up before starting" the
swelte1er answered, but it was a con-
siderable figure 1 know"
Hard game" said the cop, comforting
~. You haven't leen bumped up against
by any suspicious-looking ducks in a crowd,
have your"
Nope; not that I remember" said the
man.
Well put In the cop, after a pause,
m afraid you've got a pretty slim show
of getting your money"
Money exclaimed the hunting citizen
no the dickens said anything about
money!"
Why said the policeman. wasn't it
money that you've
Money, nothing" was the disguised re-
ply. Its a list of things my wife wants
me to get for her down town that's got
away from me. If it was nothing but mon
ey, L wouldn't mind it little bit 1 could
square the loss of that somehow or anoth-
er, or get some more; but I'll never be able
to square myself with her if 1 don't bring
out a list of. Wonder where the deuce she
could have put it? She said she put it
somewhere in my clothes"
AS he spoke, his right forefinger wandered
TO the unused watch pocket of his trousers.
The right forefinger struck against a bit of
paper The mans face frightened as he
pulled 1t out, and he opened it with all
the eagerness of leading lady diving into
a letter in a play.
"Gosh!' he exclaimed. Here 1t Is She
made wad Of 1t about as big as a stamp,
and res-lets see-theres seventeen ar
ticies written on it that she wants. And
the idea of her stuffing it into that pocket
that hardly knew I had"
" immen's queer bunch" remarked
the cop, and the relieved citizen got on his
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20

ers that there was boy whose beat wasn't
to be found in the United States.
What can he do?' asked the boarder
who Rad made himself conspicuous by his
lack of tact.
Anything" was the answer.
Good man around the farm
Eyes. sir. He knows more'n one Of them
Handy Volumes of Useful Information
But is he a good hand at managing
horses and digging potatoes?"
Are you talkjn' about the boy O. mine
or the hired man?"
I'm talking about the boy, of course"
He don't drive no bosses, excep' when
he's out buggy ridin', and he doesn't dig no
potatoes, excep' after they're mashed an
he's fxin' a place fur the gravy. But you
ought to hear him tell about things that
orter have been put into the Constitution
of the United States, SOS to make things
run smoother now.
Doesn't he do anything?"
mot yet. You see, that boys ahead of
mis- times: way ahead of his times. Me an
mother. we talked it over. an We con-
Guided the best thing was to have him
doing nothin' fur year or So an give the
times a chance to catch up to him."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
WHY COST OF BEEF IS GOING UP,
Fewer Animals Being Slaughtered
Than Last Year and Larger Demand.

Than Last Year and Larger Demand,
From st. Louis Butchers and Packers Magazine
The probabilities sre IL at the price Of
beef will advance, not from any artificial
causes, but because the live cattle are on
the up grade. The demand is good and the
supplies of desirable animals are not excess
sive. There is mere beef consumed by the
armies in the field, or rather the prescribed
ration calls for more, than II there was no
war and the men composing the armies
were at home. The waste is more and that
tends to increase the cCnsumptive demand
There are plenty of cattle in the west. al
though fewer than for several years, but
there are many of them that are rot
beeyes now, iior will they be for some time
This statement is verified by the fact that
the receipts of cattle are smaller than az
the same time last year. Last month the
receipts of cattle at Kansas CITY Chicago
Omaha and st. Louis were "a $40 less than
in June. 1897 while the hog deficiency was
4o,ISl, and that Of sheep $500, so that
there were fewer animals slaughtered In
the west in June, 1898, than in the same
month last year. Not only were the nnm
Der of cattle marketed smaller but being
lighter in weight mostly, they furnished, in
auoibon, less number of pounds of beef
than If they had been of the usual weight
in previous years.
Consumers of beef and they include prac-
tically the bulk of the population of the
United States, are divided into classes, and
IN consequence their wants are varied,
There are cuts for the well-to-do, those in
moderate circumstances and the very Door
ana the prices vary In proportion to the
Quaiity Meat.eaters, however. when the
price of one kind becomes too high, can
make a change to a cheaper kind, as was
the case with the increased demand for
corn for export when the prices Of wheat
advanced so greatly. The cattle raisers are
doing well these days. after the long period
OF depression. and while they are realizing
fair prices. it is because the saughterers
are forced to pay them. in accordance with
the law of supply and demand
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
A Queer Business.



Count Rocco Dianovitch has made the
getting into prison the chief business of his
life for thirty-four of the forty-seven years
he has lived. for the purpose Of gathering
information for a book he is anxious to
write on the subject. At thirteen he left
his home and went into Prussia, where he
was arrested for trespassing and sent to
prison for three months, working at chair
making. From that time to this he has
never been free from the desire to continue
his prison explorations From thirteen I'M
til he was twenty he was in and out of
more than twenty prisons in Belgium,
Prussia, Poland and Russia. His first eX-
perience of gaol life in England was in
Liverpool, which was one of the worst he
was ever in, filled with drunken sailors
from all over the world. He stayed there
six days, when he paid his fine and got
out. the first time he failed to serve his
sentence. Then he went TO Ireland, France,
Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. then to
Egypt, where the gaols are the worst in
the world except Australia next to India
and Japan, and then to America, where
he remained for more than a year. spend
ing most of his time in gaols and peniten-
tiarieS.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
owe" Gave Them Fits.

From the New York Commercial Advertiser.
A small Canadian boy whose loyalty to
the British flag has got him into no end of
scrapes with patriotic American youths of
equally tender years. came up to his father
shortly after the battle of Manila was
fought, and, with a woebegone expression,
said:
Say, father, didn't the English ever lick
any other boats without losing a MANI"
The father was forced to confess that they
had not.
Well" said the youngster, 81 guess the
Americans aren't SO bad. after all, are
they?"
On the Fourth of July when young Amer
lea was celebrating the naval victory at
Santiago, the youthful upholder of Great
Britain was in the midst of band of ultra
patriotic boys setting off firecrackers and
cheering with the best Of them.
Here, boy! What are you cheering for?'
asked his father.
Cheering for? Oh, say, father: didn't
we give those Spaniards fts!
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
CALIFORNIA PRIMES.
$4,000 Tons of the Fruit Will Be Gath
cred This Year,

ereu 1nlS year.
Written for The Evening Star
THE magnitude Of the prune industry Of
California said a gentleman who IS
largely interested in the cultivation Of that
dainty article In Pomona county, 'is little
realized by the people in the eastern
states. In a decade the growing of prunes
has gone forward In California by leans
and bounds, and today $25 100000 is in
vested in it-that is, in lands trees irriea-
ton systems, agricultural tools and pack
ing houses. The total production of pr,lnes
that will be gathered from trees through
out the lower part Of the San JOAQUIN val
ley and the horticultural valleys of Pomo-
Ia, San Gabriel and Santa Ana will amount
to about $1,000 tons this year OF this
quantity nearly one-ffth will be shipped
east as green fruit, for sale at fruit stands
and for canning purposes; the remainirg
four-ffths will be dried for market. MAX
iIg about $4,000 tons of dried prunes.
Twelve years ago the total area of bear
irg prune orchards in California was less
than 5000 acres. In 1888 there were II 900
acres of bearing prune trees, and about
5000 acres more of young prune orchards.
There was an import duty of 2h cents a
pound on dried prunes in those days, and
the growers sold their crops on the trees
for sums varying from $50 to $50 a ton. In
1880 the total area of bearing prune orch
ards was 1900 acres. and there was az
enormous planting. of prune trees that
year in all of the frutt-growing valleys of
California because OF the large profit in the
industry. Twelve thousand acres of prune
orchards were set out in the winter of
1S91-'92 and $4,000 acres more were
planted in the next two years These
orchards have now come into bearing, and
1T is estimated that there are 55 900 acres
of bearing prune Orchards in California to-
day, and about 600 acres more to come
into bearing within the next year or two.
Conservative estimates put the total crop
Of California pfanes In favorable year
at not less than 5000 tons. In few
years more a full yield of the fruit in this
state will be more than 100000 tons Of
green fruit"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20

Getting Started.

The young man with mild manners
stepped into the office of his somewhat
crusty uncle who was engaged in the prac-
tice of law.
well, said the old gentleman, NOW that
you are out of college, what are you going
to do for nving?"
Il guess I'll study some more and adopt
the profession of law"
That's right" was the ironic rejoinder
GO ahead and have your own way. Don't
you take any advice. l thought we had a
talk about that the other day. 1 told you
the profession is overcrowded now. But
you won't believe me- of course You've
got to go ahead and put in a few years
finding out for yourself
I'm willing to take advice" replied the
nephew mildly. THE fact is that I'm try
ing to take all the advice 1 can get. When
you told me to give up the idea of practic-
ing law. l went to a friend who is a civil
engineer. He said my general education
ought to give me a good foundation for
any profession, but he advised me to let
civil engineering alone. He said there We're
too many people in the business now. He
said commerce was the thing for a young
man TO t.y and he gave me a letter of in
PRODUCTION to a friend of his who keeps a
drug store. The druggist said that / could
go through college of pharmacy without
any trouble, but he wouldn't advise me
to do it, as there We're as many people in
the business as 1t would stand. He asked
me why 1 didn't take up medicine.
thanked him for the hint and went to see
our family physician. He told me that it
was an exacting life in which the percent
age of eminent success was small In fact,
he said that there were more physicians
now than there was practice for. He had
heard me sing and asked me IL l had never
thought of a career in music. I went to
see musician and he tried my voice"
What did he say?'
HE wasn't gently considerable as the
others. He said there We're hundreds of
people with better voices than mine look
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
y
\ Cherished Onion

vi course there's nothing much in sig
We're privileged to joke
AT weather saws and jingling lines
BY dear oid-fashioned folk.
And yet, when hope seems almost hid
And earth is fever-tossed.
lis sweet to hear thu katydid
That sings Six weeks till frost"
No feathered songster's facile throat:
No prima donna fair,
Fer sang a more ecstatic note
Than that which echoes there
In some wee bow'r where, all unbid
In ieafy mazes lost.
She takes her place, the katydid.
And tunes, six weeks till frost"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
What 1t Means,

From the Detroit Free Press
How yez absirved." asked Mr. Gilhooley.
'th' noomber av people yez meets an tn
street nowadays thot wears specs?"
Il how thot Gilhooley," answered Dinny
Sullivan, ar I've wondered wat ut
Names"
1t names wan av three things, Dinny."
'Phwat?"
1t names ayether that tn woorld is a
dom sight mure intellectual than 1t wor
IN my day. er thot there air more suckers
in 1t than there ulster be, er thot tn doc
theirs is a hape sight cleverer than I've ivir
givin EN- credit o. bein'"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20
One Girls Opinion.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer
L don't like that Mamie Strawboard.
She looks shy"
Does shep"
Yes. she does. She looks to me like a
girl who would announce her engagement
TO hero Hobson, and then write and ask
story"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-20

ing Tor work. He thought I might make
KIND. So 1 hunted up a brfckIayer and
TAXED II over with him. He said the brick
laying business was overcrowded and thar
ne sIoulu think man with my training
"ouid Dc lawyer. So I came back here
and I'm willing to start in and go 10 yyorL
etuuyihs with YOU. or go through the list
again getting more advice. whichever YOU
think proper" '