davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

he was standing by candy stand he saw some peppermint sticks and he bought some at once. Pete was a good hearted little fellow, so he of fered to divide it with two or three boys who were standing against a tree, but they refused to touch it. Pete walked away.
 Say" said Sam Jones, "I've got some money and I'll treat" He reached in his pocket for the money, but it was gone "I'll bet 1t was that Pete who stole it. said Sam, angrily, and the other boys agreed.
 After that the boys would not look at Pete, and when Pete learned the rea- son he was very much insulted and declared that his nanny nebber lowed him to steal"
 One day Sam was standing under the very tree that had sheltered him the day of the picnic. He saw something shining at his feet. He stopped and picked it up and found it to be a two- bit piece. He knew at once that 1t was the one he had supposed Pete had stolen. Sam was very much ashamed of himself, and told the other boys about it. And by and by Pete found place among his schoolmates again.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

low, the, children loved to play: and when tired of sailing boats or catching minnoWs, they climbed up the steps cut in its hollow trunk to a wonderful nest they had built among the branches and listened to the hum-hum of the saw mill on the opposite side of the river or watched the men up above the dam guide the logs into the mill race.
 One time, early in spring, MT. and Mrs. Stiles were called away from home. Tommy had a bad cold.
 Nellie" said the mother when she kissed the children good by, take good care of Tom, don't let him get sick. and, Tommy, boy, see that you mind sister"
 Of course they both promised We shall see what happened.
 The very night the father and mother left a warm rain set in. The snow river was booming All sorts of things went floating down the stream A few more inches of rise and the banks would be overf1owed-the flood would be upon them. Toward night Tom came rushing into the house Nellie" he cried, T am going down to the dug-road. They say the mill dam has broken and all the logs are going pell-mell. It's great"
 But you can't go, Tom. It's too late and cold. It's almost dark"
 That very minute Tom had fit.
 'I will go; will go. Mother would let me. It's mean to make me stay. l will go," he shrieked
 "Then I shall tell your father"
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE WHINY CAT.
BY ELLA M. SEXTON.

BY ELLA M. SEXTON. Oh, at our home a dreadful thing Has lately come to tease us, It whines and pines, 1t growls and hoWls And seldom tries to please us. It snarls at Tom, it snaps at Dick, The house and folks upsetting, We're tired and nervous all the time This Whiny-cat is fretting. Iris true we have some peace at nights But oh, the early morningi It cries and sighs, it groanS and moane Both bells and coaxing scorning; Its clothes go on with tears, a drop At every button spilling, For strange to say this Whiny-cat A sailor-suit is filling. Two legs it has, "football-bang' Of curly hair and yellow; But work it shirkS with squeals, and feels Abused, the lazy fellow Just play 1t wants, this Whiny-cat- Its other name? Don't guess it, For promised sure and honest not To whisper or confess it. Dear grandma says he isn't well. Perhaps my slipper'd cure him., Says papa stern, while mamma tries With patience to endure him. For, don't you know-ths Whiny-cat This creature. cross and snarling, Who whines and pines, who growls and
 howls,
 Is still his mammals darling.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

Tom was beside himself. He kicked and plunged about in way dreadful to see. "I wish I was dead. do do. l hate everybody" he cried.
 Me, too, Tommy Littlemouse ?" laughed Sadie, who unfortunately came into the room that instant.
 Most of all" screamed the little boy as he rushed out of doors.
 Five, ten, fifteen minutes-a whole half-hour passed and Tom did not come in. They called and called. but there was no answer. It grew dark. They searched the house, the barn, the grounds.
 The other boys came back from the dug-road. He had not gone there. No neighbor had seen him, and all the time the water was rising higher and higher; the O. inous roar filled the whole valley; lanterns went bobbing about in all directions, people who lived very near the river were removing their household goods to upper stories, driving their livestock upon the hills and even going themselves.
 Poor Nellie and Sadie, with the old nurse and Jim, the hired man, were afraid of the coming flood. too, and did what they could to prepare for 1t; but they dared not leave the house, lest the lost boy should come back and find a deserted home. I think their grief and anxiety for Tom was far greater than their fear of the flood. What terrible night it was And, to make matters worse, the river d0m broke and all those pent-up waters came rushing, surging, tearing down the valley as if they meant to sweep everything away.
 All the poorly built houses and barns tumbled down and fioated off. The Stiles house had a foundation in the rock and didn't budge an inch, but the water came almost to the second story.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
mother used to soold him,


 One day the mother pig said: I'll have to go to town to-day and leave you about a month" She asked them what kind of a house they'd like. Browney said he'd like a log house. So his mother built him log house with a chimney in it and a table and box of cabbage and a mud puddle to roll in and a chair
 Then she asked Whitey what kind of a house he wanted. He said a board house. So he got house with an iron stove in it and table, two chairs and a big box of cabbage. Both of these pigs liked cabbage. There was a win dow and a door, of course.
 The name of the last pig was Black ey. He said he wanted hree-story brick house to keep boarders In. There were seven rooms in 1t. There was a table in the dining room and seven chairs He had knives. forks and spoons, a stove and a fireplace. His mother had left seven little pigs when she went to town, and he had to stay and take care of them; they were to be his boarderS. He was to take care of them till his mother came back. There was a table, a chair and a bed in every room. He had a table and a stove and everything that a kitchen needs. He had a great big box full of meat and things to eat, and he cooked eggs and things for his boarders.
 His mother goes to market now. She was sold to another farmer.
 Now there was a giant near that town who lived way up in the noun tains. And he had his cave there. When the giant heard about those three pigs he came down and got Browney' s house, with Browney in it. He teok the house with Browney in it and threw it down into his cave
 Then he came and got Whitey.
 Then he came down to get Bllckey' s house, but the giant was not as tall as the house. He knocked at the door and Blackey said: "I know who you are. You're the ugly giant who stole my brothers" This made the giant mad He saw a window and thought he could get into 1t. He went home and came back, but Blackey had a big pot of boiling hot water. The giant was sure to get Blackey, too.
 So he climbed in the window and tumbled into the pot of boiling water and scalded himself. Piggy put him on the stove to cook. Then piggy took a long rope and pulled up the houses of his two brothers from the giants cave. put them on wheels and rolled them back to where they were before.
 Then he invited them to dinner to eat the giant up. There were the ten all together, and they lived happily till their mother came back.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

could eat a whale,''
 He spread out soiled and crumpled pocket handkerchief and placed the cakes upon it.
 Just then tramp came crawling up out of the sand.
 "Aha-dining on cake!" he said Its been many a day since I've dined on cake" Snatching up the handker- chief and it's contents he crammed them into his pocket.
 Such fine young men, with so much cake, ought to have nickel left to go with it.''
 He caught Allen by the arm, but Tommy dealt him such vigorous kicks and blows that he dropped Allen and ran for Tom. Allen started for the nearest house. shouting for help, but the tramp having the longest legs, soon caught Tommy, took his money from him and ran away.
 What are we going to do now?" asked Allen.
 We've got ter find place ter sleep
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

stealin'-jist this onct--Shoo! Shoo! SLoo! |,
 That's not the way" corrected All len. You must say
 "Git out of that! Bah! Scat!" cried Tommy, pounding his heels against the side of the box.
 Say, Allen, yer he'd better do the prayin' an let me keep off the rats, elst We won't never git to tell the Lord what we wants of him.
 Folks must have faith when they pray. Do you believe. Tommy, that we shall be sa-ed?"
 "Y-e-s, specially if I ken keep off these rats, an the water don't come up an drownd us afore it gifts light. Scat! Shoo! Rub-a-dub-dub! How de-dow-dow! Git out of this. blast vel"
 When morning came the water had touched the box and soon would have covered it.
 The boys clambered out on the top and saw how near they had been to death
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
moon 7!

that served him right, for being such careless boy and causing her so much trouble in merding up his clothes'
 Evidently he was of no account to any one. He could not carry so much trouble alone. he co--f1ded it to Tommy Haleren, the drayman's son. He found a sympathetic listener, for Tommy had his woes as we'll.
 No, sir!" Tommy said, they don't want nothin' more to do with yer, no morn d. my folks with me. My old man, he walloped me like blazes be- cause he said I'd lost the spade, nd then he found it where he'd throw'd it down his self"
 'Who's your old man?" asked Allen.
 Well, Softly! Don't yer know? It's dad"
 "Ohn' said Allen.
 Thurs only one thing fur us to do," asserted Tommy.
 What is that?"
 Let us run awayi"
 "Where shall we go?" asked Allen.
 70 any wher's!. Ets better'n stayin' around where we ain't wanted''
 A few days later two boys were traced to the Oakland ferry; there their anxious friends could gain no further clew to them.
 Tommy and Allen hurried through the crowded streets of San Francisco, with no Idea or where they were gong.
 Let's eat" suggested Tommy, draw ing a silver dollar from his pocket.
 What a lot of money! Where did you get it?" asked Allen.
 "Oh. nibbed it from my old mani"
 You mean that you stole 1t from your father?" asked Allen, looking grave.
 70, g'long-that ant stealn'!-any- how, you ant got no cause ter growI. You'd git mighty hungry, well ez me, ef hadn't took it." So Tommy bought a bag of crackers.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

Can you imagine what anguish Nellie and Sadie felt? And how it seemed to them that the morning would never, never come?
 But come 1t did, and dreadful was the desolation 1t showed. Where was Tom? No, indeed, he was not drowned, Do you remember the nest in the elm tree? There was where he went when he ran out of the house. He meant to stay until he thoroughly frightened his sisters and made them sorry for being so mean to him. He didn't intend to stay quite so long as he did. Poor lit tie Tom, He will never forget that night if he lives fifty years
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10


 mark squarely when she said Tom would be the best boy In the world if he didn't have fits"-not that kind when the doctor, and hot water and nasty medicine are neces- sary, but the kind almost as bad for htr family to bear; fits of bad temper Sometimes he got out the wrong side of the bed, and then his fit lasted all day long; sometimes he couldn't have just what he wanted the very minute he wanted it and then his fit came on suddenly, like a flash of lightning am-bang! went the doors; over went the chairs. and the first thing near at hand was apt to fly through the air at Sadie, because she laughed I never felt very sorry for her even when she got hit and cried. l consider it mean for any girl to laugh at a boy in a fit All the rest of the time Tommy was lovely, kind and generous and merry About a hundred yards in front of his house was a river, the waters of which were forever hurrying on and on; and they seemed to say when Tom With bare feet and trousers rolled up to his knees, would wade and snia sh about How l would like to stop and play with you, little boy, but you cant think how much work have to do nor what long journey lies before me ,,
 Down by this river there grew Q huge old elm tree which Kent lie faa+ Tn the water all the time" so To,n,o,r said which meant that some of tbe roots stretched into the river onite pare or soil, source of endless 1yo,,O der and pleasure to the little fo1I[s Here in the long bright sumrr-r davS "iieH the water was warm and sha1-
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

in," answered Tommy.
 The place they found was in an old discarded sewer box. The bed was not soft, nor the odors sweet, but Tommy said: Tt was better'n nothing"
 Tommy was soon asleep, but Allen could not rest. He felt that he was do- ing wrong, and was haunted by the distress he knew he was giving his friends at home.
 As the hours passed he heard such startling, creepy sounds--then-O, hor- TOTS! something jumped into his face! At the same instant Tommy shrieked, 70, I'm bit! I'm bit!'
 Then there was skurrying of many feet
 Its rats!" cried Tommy. They'll eat us!"
 The rind of the old moon gave light enough for them to see the water all about them.
 "The tides riz," said Tommy, "and the Lords goin' ter let us be eat and drownded, cause I stole dads money"
 And because we did wrong to run away" said Allen.
 Then the feet came scampering up again-a whole army of them.
 Looking back into the dark box, they could see hundreds of little gleaming eyes
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
A TRAGEDY OF THE FOURTH

O was dreadful tragedy. dated Fourth O O | If can now hold back o tell of o I had lovely Spanish doll; Mercedes
 o A couldn't her You she had that o But My dreadful said Spanish spy; o And when looking he poked powder in her eye: o And he fuse-the other there And with bang, head Oh cry, O the Maine. he said But Her LID and Stripes ground 0 He says he'll buy dol know he do 0 Why born? booh o 'N'
 o o q q Q O o o o o o O o o o O
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

Don't yer think" said Tommy, that home Is the best place after all?" and Allen agreed that it was.
 They were obliged to beg their way back, but Allen was received with such Joy that his old sensitiveness banished, and even Tommy was surprised that he never received the 'lambastin' which his parents assured him he de- served.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
BY THE ROCKET EXPRESS

\ ND the Granger may sit on a ~ tikli-wood throne. H And the Pumpkins be docks all 4 A around him!
 Be docks and be princes.
 And grin when he winces At flea bites that fairly astound him. They will eat with their fingers and sit on the floor, And live iii house that has never a door!
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
LITTLE PETES TROUBLE
BY B. EVELYN STOUT.

Pete was a little negro boy, about Il years old. He lived with his imam my" But he had neither brother nor sister to play with, so he did not have as nice time as some other boys of his age. Some of the boys stunned his company One day there was to be picnic and Pete wished to go very much. Nanny had just one nickel to spare, and Pete was delighted. While
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

"O-ouch! Git out! Kick! Stamp. Yell. Allen. an help me drive 'em back.
 Tommy" said Allen. we must pray!"
 I'm too bad" said Tommy "It wouldn't do no good.''
 You must ask the Lord to forgive you.'
 I'm agreeable. Drat ye-git out uv this! Scat! Scati'
 Well. ask him then,'' said Allen. Lord won't you forgive feIler fur
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

feel proud and to talk about how nice and white he was and how untidy the other potatoes were.
 The cook put the potato into pot and poured water over it. The potato now thought that it was very rainy climate. Soon the water began to boil and poor MT. Potato cried out: Let me outi Oh, please let me out
 But it was too late now, and the wa ter boiled on. So you see that was what he got for being proud and vain.
 Again the waron stopped. Again the
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
QUEER LETTER FROM THE sKYRoCKETED PUMPKINS

He had stepped on his sisters thim- ble, crushing it flat, and she said "he never came within ile of anything without destroying it."
 He fell down on a ston; pavement, striking upon his knees and cutting a big rent in a brand-new pair of pants It hurt him, too, but his mother said
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE VERY BAD BOY
 WHO ONCE RAN AWAY
By MRS. w. F. PERRY.

X LIEN TALCOT was a bad boy, ~ or if he was not, circumstances A were al ainst him.
 While playing in the street his A ball flew straight into Deacon Fuckers window, breaking 1t into pieces.
 His father said eff he did that trick again, he'd tan him we'll"
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
IPPINE LAND, REACHED

" THEN Dewey has conquered ~ the country for sure. " The. natives will be Yankee
 voters
 There'll be push and be "pull'' In that country of wool, Turkish baths and cleo tri- cal motors Old Tow-Loo-Gum's wives will each have long dress, And Tow-Loo himself will then run for Congress!
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

chased with stolen money, but he had launched in Tommy's boat, and there seemed no other way.
 We've got enough left for supper" said Tommy, as they hurried on.
 AS evening approached they came trudging out up the beach.
 "Jerusalem" said Tommy but I'm tired, and hungry agin, too. I believe I
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
IN THEIR SKY VOYAGE.

HUT, if Congressman 'Tow-Loo R should put them in pot, nAnd stew them all up for his din-
 The cowboy and dude;
 The rest-in flood | Of soup cooked for an ebony sinner! No more their proceedings your hours would vary; They'd be picked just as clean as the last mis- sion-a-ry!
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
TO ENCOUNTER IN PHIL

\ ND each Pumpkin will learn there ~ the boomerang to throw, n The boomerang surprising and A stinging,
 While'King Tow-Loo slum-
 bers
 To musical numbers Of the Pumpkins gay donkey a-sing- ing, "Ooh-aak! Ooo-aak!" What a beauti- ful tune; Liked best by the funny old man in the moon!
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

yard. They lived there. and one little pig was a bad one He was named Browney He wanted to roll In the mud all the time, and his mother told him he'd be sorry some day that he did not mind her.
 But he'd find the biggest mud puddle in the farmyard and roll in 1t and get as dirty as the puddle itself. He'd get some water in his eyes and come souealing to his mother, and his mother would just let him alone. Then he'd go to the dairymaid and she'd wash him off Then he came back to his mother and was happy again. But his
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

the lady who came to 1t what she wanted this day.
 She said that she would like sack of potatoes. And so this potato who had fallen out was put back into the sack.
 Now the cabbage was alone and the potato sang: "Good-by. good-by, l send my love to all" The potatoes were taken into the house and the wagon rode on.
 By and by the housekeeper was told to cook one potato. She just happened to take this very one and put it in pan. Then she took a knife and began to peel 1t. The potato now began to
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE GIANT AND THE PIGS

BY CARL R. JOHNSTON, WsaIia.
 Once there was an old mother pig and she lived in a farmyard, and there were only three little pigs in the farm
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE LETTER BABY WROTE
BY R. w. RIGGS, Fresno.

BY R. w. RIGGS, Fresno. The letter my baby wrote to me Is enough to make an angel smile.
 It's creased and crossed,
 Some words are lost: It keeps me guessing all the while The letter my baby wrote to me have to spell out half the words,
 And the other half
 Make me laugh, For they look tracks of giant birds The letter my baby wrote to me Is very precious, sweet and dear;
 I read 1t through,
 Then read anew, And ev'ry time 1t is more queer. The letter my baby wrote to me l gently kissed and put away
 Next to my heart,
 With Cupids dart, I shall keep forever and a day.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
LITTLE SANTA CRUZ MAID.

ME little maid of Santa is dancing on the sand
 me SKY IS 1alr; the smooth; the soft and bland
 ot ten years old this little elf, she has ~ her eyes ot blue like lofty lakes refecting only Sngt IS ner hgure as nymph's She dances like ot glaoder seem the sunlt than play. III "alei now she enters her laugh far wide; me loVeheSt she of all roic with the put mark! She shrieksl On wicked crab! How could o o Q Q Q o 0 Q Q o o o 0 0 o o
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
SOME OF THE STRANGE

THE Pumpkins have gone to the
 far Philippines, Mid the dusky natives you'll find
 'em
 Their crazy skyrocket
 Broke off at the sprocket, And left their poor old cow behind 'em; But the old COW will get to them, later or soon, For COW once, you know, jumped over the moon.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

Little four-year-old Harry was not feeling well and his father suggested that he might be taking the chicken pox, then prevalent. Harry went to bed laughing at the idea, but early next morning he came downstairs looking very serious, and said: You're right, papa; it Is the chickenpox; found a feather in the bed.''
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10

WeIIl put on your OId hat.
 The members of a family were going to see the soldiers arrive. The speak CTS were Bell Nelson and her mother
 So off they went to the depot. When they reached the depot, Bell stood in a corner to mourn the loss of her hat. But she was aroused by cheering, and then she saw the "boys in blue''
 Bell walked up and down and talked to the soldiers about war. They all spoke about Ticking the old Span iards' and sweeping them off the earth.'
 Some gave her buttons, but her most precious gift was a soldier hat She did not wear it, but put it away with her treasures. She found her other hat and now Is very happy
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
LITTLE MARYS
 QUEER DREAM
BY BEATRICE PHILLIPS, San Rafael.

BY BEATRICE PHILLIPS, San Rafael r TITLE MARY lay fast asleep in
 her own little room. She dreamed
 there was once potato, who met
 with his friend the cabbage on a
 vegetable wagon.
 Why, how do you do, Mrs. Cab bage!" said he. How are your hus- band and the children?"
 "Oh, they are well, thank you" an- swered the Cabbage. How are your wife and children?"
 Fine, thank you.
 Have you seen Mrs. Corn to-day" asked the cabbage.
 NO. l have not seen her since last week" said the potato
 'Oh,' said Mrs. Cabbage, T suppose she is celebrating her birthday" Suddenly the wagon gave a great thump.
 "Ha! ha! hal" laughed both Mrs. Cabbage and MT. Potato, as some vege- tables came rolling down. The vegeta- ble man now vent to a door. He asked
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
AND PLEASURES

"HEY'LL hunt meath the shade of the bulli-boo tree With the natives-who have bows and arrows,
 Where reigns King Tow
 Loo-Gum,
 Tn whose funny king dom Mosquitoes are larger than sparrowsi And they'll shoot at the funniest things there alive That have tails, so they tell me, as many as five
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE SOLDIER HAT.
BY JUDITH GUsLEAN.

BY JUDITH GUSLEAN, TT THERE is my hat?
 N Oh, you never know whers h| anything is; find it at once. " " I don't know where 1t is.
The San Francisco call., 1898-07-10
THE VERY GOOD BOY
 WITH VERY BAD FITS
By. MRS. H. s, l. BRICK.

(T \ THAT lovely boy Tommy H Stiles isl" That is what IVY his uncle and aunt said. V " and he waS-sometimes
 His sister Sadie hit the