davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
THE uNwRiTTEN LETTER.

The streets of the city seemed filled wit,
delight
And glad with the babble of joy:
Gay voices of pleasure made merry the
night
And dwelt in the thoughts of boy.
The reefs of distress in that ocean of strife
Were hid in its sparkle and foam,
And youth found no time in the laughter
of life
To write to the loved ones at home.
He loved them. ah yesl for he knew they
were true
And would serve him in sickness or
No task but their hands would most joy
fully do
To aid him in want or in wealth.
At morning and evening they whispered
his name,
Though far from their paths he might
roam,
Yet found he no time in his pleasures-foF
shame!-
To write to the loved ones at home
A message-"your mother is dead''-and
she died
With the name of her boy on her tongue.
And oh, for the letter her heart was de,
nied!-
The song that can never be sung.
And ali through the years he was angry at
fate,
Quite after the manner of men,
But OH t was forever and ever too late
To write to that mother again.
Nixon Waterman, in L. A. W. Bulletin.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
IMPROVING PASTURES.
a Few Days Labor Every season VIII
Surprise the Owner In Its
Beneficent Results.

IF there is any one part of the farm
that is neglected in the summer time
when the rush of harvesting takes up
most Of the time and attention of all, IL
is the pasture fields, says a writer in
Indiana Farmer. While there may be
some little excuse for this on large
grain farms, it can hardly be over
looked on a dairy farm. where grass
and green pasture are the chief de-
Tendencies for success. The improve
ment of pasture fields Is a crying need
on many old places. As rule the
toughest and most sterile fields are
given over to pastures, and 1t is not
giving a cow fair show to make her
pick up a living on land that would not
produce anything else. This is often
the case, however, and then we blame
the cow for not giving more milk. Half
the fault against our dairy COWS can
be traced to improper feeding. Be
cause cow has large field OF mead
ow to Craze in it does not follow that
she ought to give a large flow of milk
A much smaller piece of land would
produce much better results if the
pasture was rich and we'll cared foS-
1t is all right to give the COWS for pas
ture the toughest and rockiest part Of
the farm. for naturally one does not
select that portion for blowing under
crops. But 1T is the part of wisdom to-
bestow little care upon such fields to
improve them each year. A few days
la Dor devoted to the pasture fields
every season will surprise the owner
. in the results five years later. First
F. there are rocks and stones that can
be gradually carried off the field and
piled up. Clearing the pasture field
in this leisurely way will yield its re-
ward some day when it is found desir-
able to cultivate the meadows or hill
side for orchard or field crops. Along
with this work should go that of clear
ing the land of wild berry bushes,
brush, roots and weeds The roots
once taken up Will kill the bushes and
trees for good, and so with the weeds
See that they are rooted up. and not
simply cut off. Noxious weeds prevent
grass plants from growing, and gen
orally they harbor parasites and rusts
of grain which may spread to the cul-
tivated fields any day, and do a great
amount of damage. This work of
clearing the pastures of foreign
growths is very important at this sea-
son of the year when weeds are about
ready to produce their seeds. One
plant destroyed root and branch now
may prevent the growth of so next
summer. So it Is wise to begin a once.
for every year that the work is post
poned the pasture field degenerates so
much more. While engaged in this
work of destruction it might be we'll
to reconstruct, too. Plant a few
shade trees in the most convenient
place of the field, and if necessary for
their protection fence them in until
they attain good growth. Years
later they will be appreciated by both
man and beast. When the weeds are
pretty well rotted out, it will pay TO
SOW the field in the fall with grass
seed. spreading it thinly around to re,
enforce the old grass.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
Sheep ON weedx FARM.

That sheep are more profitable for
the average farmer than cattle, and
for those owning billy or
broken farms, cannot be denied, as
sheep will thrive where a steer will
starve, and for renewing worn-out
and rundown farms they have no
equal, as they soon rid the land of
weeds, briars and brush, while their
manure is the richest of all fertiI-
izers and is distributed evenly over the
surface of the soil. But. like every
other business, care and Judgment
must be exercised in order to Sc
cure the highest rate of profit. A
fufl-blooded ram should be used. as
a scrub is dear at any price.-Epitorn,
;Sf
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27

more year, said the teachers, but it
couldn't be- Tremaine had listened to
the tempter, invested his scant savings
in a Colorado mine that for one year
gave dividends galore, and then-gave
out There could be no separate es-
Enlistment maintained on the pay of
a captain of infantry, who was keeping
up a heavy life insurance. Florence and
her mother were recalled to the Rifiers,
and, to still further promote the econ
omy demanded by their misfortune,
Capt. Tremaine begged TO be allowed
to go to the cantonment on the Cata-
mount, relieving with his company
like force that had been there in exile
over year. People at regimental head
quarters thought it absolutely heart
less in him to take Mrs. Tremaine and
dear Florence to such desert, so near
the Navaies to the north, and so eX-
posed to danger from predatory bands
of Apaches from across the Arizona line.
But neither Mrs. Tremaine nor Florence
shared their views. Floy was to have
her books, her birds, her horse; her
mother could direct her reading, and,
as for companionship, there was Mrs.
Lee, the wife of their first lieutenant;
she was barely Is. and charming young
matron; and Jimmy Crofton, their
junior sub, was engaged and would
soon bring his bride out to join. She
didn't doubt that they would have
perfectly lovely time, hun ting, fishing,
exploring in the mountains, and rid
ing races down the Catamount. Flor
ence's face would glow with enthnsi-
asm: it would become TRANSPORTED,
radiant-yes, almost pretty, said some
of the ladies-so proud did she seem
to feel at sharing her fathers lot. So.
though few agreed that Florence was
a beauty, all decreed that she was
trump, a fond and dutiful daughter, a
sweet, sunny-natured child. who would
make lovely woman and wife one OF
these days. 'On1y," said Mrs Hayne,
with a world of tenderness in her tone
-"only hope it may be the right man.
Girls with those big brown eyes love so
deeply"
The cantonment turned out to be
something of an Eden as an. army post
Four companies had once been sta
toned there, SO there was lots of room,
but after the last lot of Apache ma
RAIDERS had been translated to the
shores of the Atlantic, matters aborig-
inal Quoted down in Arizona and west
ern New Mexico. The cavalry were
needed elsewhere, and could not easily
be supplied at so isolated a post; so the
two troops were marched back to the
valley OF the Bravo, and then, soon after
Tremaine moved thither, it was decided
to recall one of the two infantry COM
mands maintained there; that sent
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
A QuaIfned Juror.

"You look troubled" said St. Louis
man to a neighbor.
81 am bothered about that boy OF
mine"
whats the matter with him?''
HE is so stupid he can't learn TO read
and write, and doesn't seem to have
good sense What will become OF him
when he grows up?"
81 wouldn't worry about him. He
viii be all right. He will have a steady
job on juries at 50 day. That's more
than many a bright young man can
earn.-N 7. World.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
How MaIefactOrs Are Run Down in
India.


India.
In India the great enemy of thieves is
the khoii, whose name signifies
''searcher," or cracker" and whose
business is to track criminals by their
footprints. These crackers are trained
to their calling from youth, and become
exceedingly expert. They are an es-
pecial terror TO the cattle-stealers, who,
in. the parts of the Pun ab adjoining the
Indus and other large rivers, where
much grazing is carried on, are very
plentiful. They match their cunning
against that of the tracker, but they
have to be very clever to throw him off
the scent.
One of their tricks is to catch a
buffalo. drive it into the river and, cling
ing to its tail, guide 1T in the way they
desire to go. By this means they are
quickly carried down the current, and
leave no telltale footprints. But the ruse
IS not always successful, for the reason
that the tracker thinks nothing of dis
lance, and is likely to come upon the
tracks fanther on, when the thief is
forced to leave the stream.
A good tracker will follow a thief.
yard by yard, for a hundred miles, and
come up with him in the end
In one instance burglar was thus
tracked until the searcher reached the
lookup of a village so miles from the
starting-point. Inside the building was
the man The had set out TO find. The
police of that place had observed a sus-
piciouSlooking character walking
about, carrying small bundle, and had
promptly locked him up. An examina-
ton of the bundle brought to light
jewelry worth several hundred rupees.
One particularly good tracker was
especially useful because of his local
knowledge. He was engaged to find Il
burglar who had carried off some
jewelry. As soon as the tracker saw the
trail he said: cit is So-andrso. Go to
his house in yonder village and you Will
find him." The officers went, and came
upon the thief in the act of breaking up
the jewelry.
In one instance the crackers skill al
most condemned an inn mt man. Two
sheep belonging to COVER nm en- official
had been stolen, and the footprint is were
found to be those of a man employed to
look after the public gardens.
The man was arrested, but when the
track was followed up it was found to
end opposite the police barracks, whers
the skins Of the sheep were discovered.
AS it seemed unlikely that a thief would
deposit his booty under the very eyes
of the police, a further investigation
was made, andit was even tuanly proved
that the sheep had been taken by the
police, who, to throw the crackers off
the scent, had stolen and worn the
gardeners boots.-Chambers' journal.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
MODEL SWINE HOUSE.
A Good Carpenter Should BE Able to
Build 1t In Four Days alta
Cost of S35.

A suitable house for swine is found
on but very few farms, for the great
majority of farmers seem to think that
q fence corner on the lee side of some
straw stack is good enough, and to go
to the expense of building cheap
house for them to go into and sleep
at night and in bad weather seems
like throwing money away. They do
not stop to think that a comforta bic
swine house would save them many
nickels.
A swine house need not be expen-
sive, and need not be made of the best
lumber in the market. know a RUM
Der of farmers who have old odds
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
"a
ELEVATION OF HOG HOUSE.

and-ends of planks, ETC., lying around
in the yard that would-go a long way
toward building a suitable house for
swine, and anyone with little knack
at rough carpentering can build one
if he knows just what kind of build
ing he wants.
I viii describe my hog house, and if
I were to build another L do not see
how I could improve it, except only
the roof. Mine is a gable roof, and
think should like a slant roof better.
I made my house out of old odds-and-
ends of plank that were left over from
tearing down an old house. 1t has not
got a single new piece of timber in it,
and did all the work myself, at odd
times when 1 could do nothing else.
The only cash that 1 paid was for
nails and some shingles. The win
dows and door came out of the old
house.
Fig. L shows the house. 1t is PA feet
long by 16 feet wide. w w are win
dows, D D doors. The door in the
gable end is for convenience in put
ting anything into the loft that want
to put there. I made it so 1 could put
corn there to feed in the winter if de-
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
sheep in the Pastures.

Whenever the pastures have been
overgrown with shrubs and young
trees the best way to repress their
growth is to turn in sheep to pas
ture- a flock can thus be kept On
land that without it would soon he
SO oyergrown that no grass could
be procured. The sheep win bite or
the tender growth of the present year.
and Will get as much nourishInent
from it as they would from feeding
with hay. As a means of keeping
pastures from being covered with
brush, sheep are invaluable. They VIII
thrive where any other stock would
scarcely be able to hEe.-Amerieaa
Cultivatcf.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
CHAPTER III.

Two DAYS after the receipt of the an
oouncement of Fanny Hayward's en-
gagement to Mr.. McLane and few
weeks before the marriage, Randolph
Merriam had left Fort Sedgwick in COM
mand of detachment of cavalry es-
corting a government survey to the
Mescalero range. 1t was not his tour.
The detail belonged to Harrison,
Younger officer, who had been saving up
all winter for a two-months' leave and
a chance to spend his savings at the
great exposition at Chicago. A reient'
less colonel would allow him no leave.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
GROUND PLAN OF HOG HOUSE.

sired. Up to the present, however,
/ have put some cornfodder in the loft
to make the house warmer and L am
so well pleased with it that I have
concluded to leave it up there.
Fig. 3 shows the ground plan. AS
you will see, it has two apartments,
each 12x16. The feed alley, F, is three
feet wide. is the slop barrel, V V a
common V pig trough that runs from
G to 6, nearly the width of the build
ing. ID d are doors hung over the
trough to keep the pigs out while put
ting the slop in- The doors are hung
to the piece marked A A. 1t is 2x5.
The dotted line shows the position the
doors are in when putting in feed.
The places marked G G are gates. D
d are doors that open to the inside
and are three feet wide by three feet
long. There is a strip nailed to the
floor for the doors to open against,
with hook TO fasten them. When
the weather is cold l shut the door at
night and also during the day when
the wind blows cold. All other times
leave it open. The places marked F
are gates to turn the hogs from one
pen to another by letting out only one
lot. The pen 24x16 has an open shed.
The house and yard are fioored with
odd plank sawed off to fit in. 1 forgot
TO state that the building is seven
feet up to the square. The cost and
amount of material are about as fol-
fcx
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
Used to 1T.

Van Gabb.er-I see the fashion is
coming in again for ladies to wear ear
rings. I suppose now you'll have to
have your ears bored.
Miss Ennui-rm used to that.-Tit-
Bits.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
An Army Wife.
BY CAPTAIN CHARLES KING.
Copyrighted. 1896. by F. Tennyson Neely.l
SYNOPSIS.

Chapter I.-Fannie McLane, a young
widow, is invited to visit the Graftons
at Fort Sedgwick. Her sister tries to dis
suade her, Randolph Merriam (whom
she had Tilted for old McLane) and his bride
are stationed there.
Chapter u.-Fannie McLane's wedding
causes family feeling. few months later
she. while travelling with her husband,
meets Merriam, on his wedding trip. 1t is
this meeting that the following chapter de-
ScribeS.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27

A good rough carpenter ought to
build it in about four days.-C. Won
Staden, in Ohio Farmer.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-10-27
TRACKING THIEVES.

ITO BE Continued
Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-02
Third.CIass Matter.

~Say" said the bookkeeper, address
ing the cashier, and wlnklng knowing
ly at the office boy, "do you know any
thing about this new stamp taxf"
"Suro," replied the cashier, "what dc
you want to known
Suppose" continued the b. k. 'thai
I wanted to express by opinion; would
I have TO stamp the express receiptr'
Undoubtedly" answered the cash
Ter. 'But II you will allow me,
would suggest that you forward your
opinions by mail"
"And why by mailT asked the auto
crat Of the ledger.
Because" replied the cashier, "as
they have no weight II would be
cheaper."-Chicago News.
Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-02
Big Bird-Eating FrogS.

A species Of bird-eatiug frogs In.
tests the swamps around Susquehanna,
Penn. These huge croakefs have also
proved destructive to young chickens.
Recently a farmer named Wainwright
Of Herriok had his attention called to
the bird-eating propensity Of this
species Of frog by the cries Of a small
bird in a nearby swamp. Thinking II
had been seized by q snake, he has
tened to the spot, and saw beautiful
red and green bird in the mouth OF
large, greenish frog. Only the birds
head was visible, and its cries becom.
ing fainter, the frog was killed apd
the bird released. It's feathers were
all wet and shiny, and for some days
il could be distinguished in the garden
by its rullied plumage.
Since then others of the same spe-
cies OF frog have, on several occasions,
been killed with young chickens half
swallowed, and once n duckling was
rescued from the same fate.
The frogs make a chuckling sound
80 nearly like that Of hen calling her
chickens for food that whole broods
have been deceived and have rushed
toward the swamp, where they sup
posed the hen to be. The frogs are
wary, and il is difficult to find them
except by the squeaks of distress
from their victims. New York Press.
Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-02
Indian, Not Keen Sighted.

II is O deeply rooted conviction, dat
ing from our boyhood's reading Of
Fenimore Cooper, Mayne Reid, Gustav
Aimard, and other authors who famili.
arized us with the red man, that the
noble savage had keenness Of vision
such as no pale.facs could ever
reach. And now comes DIR. Ranke Of
Munich, who has been submitting the
eye-sight OF several Indian braves to
scientific examination, to upset this
theory. He comes to the conclusion
that the alleged keenness OF vision Of
the redskin is a sheer delusion. They
see no further aud no more distinctly
than does the average citizen Of Lon
don or Berlin. But they possess the
advantage Of having been trained from
infancy to observe with concentrated
attention the objects around them, and
to draw deductions rapidly from this
survey for the purposes Of war or the
chase. DR.. Ranke says that with
similar lifelong practice almost every
European could acquire the same
faculty.-London Chronicle.
Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-02

q fair compensation for their services,
the sisters Of the Red Cross got moth.
ing whatever. With the danger of
war before us, noble professional
nurses have come forward by hundreds,
and offered their services for Red
Cross work. They fully comprehend
the magnitude and Importance OF the
work that they will be called upon to
perform, and undertake il quite aware
that they are giving gratuitous SER
vice.
But what shall be said Of the I'M
professional women who, without
training or skill, offer themselves as
assistants to the Red CROSSE II would
seem folly to accept their services, and
yet the officers Of the society base
their opinion on the experience gained
In the Franco Prussian war, when the
princesses OF Prussia and women Of all
degree offered their services 10 the
Red'Cross, and proved Of inestimable
assistance.
The trained nurses will have life
and death in their hands, but the un-
trained assistants will hove no less re.
sponsibility, for while upon one will
the care OF the sick devolve, on the
other the protection of the healthy
will fall, and in hostile country, with
unacclimated persons. the task will DO
neither easy nor light. A great bat.
tie has been fought; the ''Red Cross"
is called for; bearers begin to carry
in the wounded. The country is de.
vhstated, smoking ruins show where
tho homes Of the inhabitants once
stood; there is no shelter, there are
no provisions; the wounded famish for
Sip Of water, which would poison
them IL served from the polluted
streams about them. The surgeons
and nurses are bending over the
wounded, rendering professional aid.
The unprofessional worker is now
alert and calls to her aid her house.
wife's training, and looks after the
comforts and wants of an emergency
household. While the trained nurses
have been providing themselves with
bandages, lint, etc., the assistant has
been loading a small cart with bread,
boiled water, tea, coffee, etc, and she
hurriedly follows the ambulance corps.
A sheet thrown over the branch Of O
tree makes a shelter, fires are lighted,
food is prepared, and the assistant fol-
lows the nurses and doctors, feeds the
wounded, and gives woman's gentle
aid to the soldier. As nurses and
doctors turn exhausted from their
fatiguing tasks, the improeised tent
offers the shelter and food provided by
the assistant.
II is for this kind Of work that the
unprofessional women are offering
themselves.
Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-02

A Wounded Soldier. my Dung "
days. am naturally robust man. but
that stomach trouble, together with rheu-
matism. which afterward set in, were max
Ing fast inroads upon my health and am
satisfied that Il would have been but short
time before my comrades would have been
conducting the regulation funeral cere-
monies over my remains, had I not CHANGED
to read OF and taken DR.. Williams Pink
Pills for Pale People.
There are several others In the homo
who are taking these pills and are receiving
great benefit" RionAap DUNN.
Subscribed and sworn to before me. this
LIST day OF Nov, 1897.
HENRY GrBsoS, Notary Public.
Sergeant Dunn IA perfectly willing that
anyone should write him In reference to his
case, provided stamp Is enclosed for the
reply.
All the elements necessary to give new
life and richness TO the blood and restore
shattered nerves are contained In q con-
densed form In DR.. Williams Pink Pills for
Pale People. They are also specific for
troubles peculiar TO females, such as sup
pressions. irregularities ana all forms Of
weakness. In men they cure cases arising
from mental worry, overwork or excuses
OF whatever nature.