davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
CURIOUS CRABS IN FLORIDA.
They Eave Peculiar Shells and Feed
on birds md Insects.

Haunting the rookeries of the birds in
the southern part of the peninsula is
a large blue crab. He makes a hole in
the ground, usually under a log, and
when he hears 4 noise elevates his head
and protrudes his eyes with startling
effect. lie is able to take care of him
self, for his pincers are powerful and
his shell is hard. He is often rs large
as q saucer
There is a perpetual war between him
ard the birds. He wanders among the
nests at night and appropriates the bits
of fish left by the nestlings, and the
young themselves, if he can find a moth
err off her guard. But he has to be sly
or he is killed by the stroke of bayonet
bill and eaten in his turn. When the
plume hunters have driven off or de-
stroyed the parents of 4 rookery, these
crabs swarm out and devour the orphan
young in short order. But while the
mothers are allowed to do their duty
the crabs are ideal scavengers and de-
YOUR the refuse as we'll as the insects
that infest the bird cities. Their bright
cOlors, like those of the tiger, make
them less dangerous than their appe-
tites would otherwise be.
There is a little purple crab along the
coast of southern Florida which seems
to feed almost entirely upon the fruit
of the cactus. This it so much resem-
bles that you are suddenly surprised to
see one of the succulent little balls move
away from your fingers before you are
aware that it is alive. Step back and
the crab will resume its place and seem
to be as curious about you as you are
about him.
One of the most beautiful shells
found along our coast is that of a large
snail which climbs certain trees and
grows Gelicately fat on the young birds.
The shell is as thin as tissue paper, odd
~ curved and almost as transparent as
the finest glass. 1t belongs to the fam
lily of edible snails so priced as a del
icacy on the coast of France, and il
properly prepared makes a delicious
dish. 1t is most abundant about New
river inlet, where the slight shake of Il
tree about sunset will bring n shower
of them to the ground. The breakage
of a shell seems to be of little trouble
to the snai!-he repairs the damage and
moves charlottesville (Fla.) Citizen.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
SCHOOL AND U

There are leo Protestant churches
in Denver.
Gen. Booth has recently closed a
series of Salvation Army meetings in
Scotland.
The Woman's Foreign Missionary
Society of the Methodist Episcopal
church, has appropriated $1,000 more
for work thar last year.
"A home for soldiers and sailors is
about to be opened in Hong Kong by the
Salvation Army, and an experienced
naval officer placed in charge.
AT the Gowa station of the Scottish
Baptist industrial mission in Central
Africa, so acres of land have been plant
ed in coffee, which will bear fruit in
1898.
In 1896 there were 1867 Protestant
Missionary societies in the world, the
income of which exceeded $751; 900,
an increase of 81, GOO over the previ-
Gus year.
The centenary of Methodism in
Wales is to be celebrated by raising by
1900 a large sum of money for the clear
ing of debts and the erection of new
chapels.
1t is said that many parents in
Japan prefer to send their children to
mission schools, because of the proven
bially bad morals of most of govern
ment school teachers.
The local board of Sandown, Isle Of
Wight, has been upheld by judgment in
the court of appeal and has prevented
the sale of Sunday newspapers on the
~aSplanade.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
HIS POROUS PLASTER ROOF.
This saving West VirEininn Shingied
His House with a Material.

His House with Odd Material.
Pompey was a soldier in the confeder-
ate army and was wounded at the bat
tie of Gettysburg. After the warhe set
tied down on a little farm near Moores-
field, W. Va, and has lived there ever
since. The farm is small and Pompey
is not prosperous. The only thing that
has fourished with him of late years
has been the pains caused by his old
wounds, and for those nothing afforded
~elief except porous plasters.
He had a contract with the village
druggist to supply him with porous
plasters by the gross, ard the tax on his
became so great on account
of being addicted to the porous plaster
habit hat he became penurious, and
demanded that old tin cans and
broken forks and every other odd and
end should be saved. And especially he
charged his wife to save the old porous
plasters The p~lasters had stuck to him
and he would stick to the plasters. He
was as proud of his cabinet of old plas-
ters as a man given to the bric-abrac
and curio habit is of his collections, and
declared that sometime they would
come in nightly handy.
Now there were three buildings on
Pompey's farm-his house, his barn
and a dilapidated building where he
kept his farming tools and his collec-
ton of old tomato cans and his porous
plasters. One night the house burned
down, and the family moved into the
Toulouse. 1t was good enough except
that the sun and the stars shone through
thereof. Then came the triumph Of
the ponus plasters
Pompey got out his collection and
shingled the whole blessed roof with
old plasters, and as they were thick
with burgundy pitch they served well
the purpose and made the roof water
tight. Now people come miles to see
the house shingled with porous plas-
ters, and Pompey says they draw bet
ter than they did when they were on his
back.-N. Y. Press.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
A WINTER SCENE,

Hurrahi hurrahI the children cry
The echoes linger long;
The fire of youth in eve.y eve.
Upon Zach lip a song.
The frost lies glistening on the snow,
And ice in every stream;
On each dear face a rudy glow,
Bright as an artists dream.
No thought of winters bitter cold,
Winds whistling in the trees,
could daunt a spirit half as bold,
Or check such hearts as these.
Some speed away on skates of steel,
The CLASSY banks descend;
With forward stride and graceful wheel
l hear their laughter blend.
And others, coasting down the hill,
A bounding sled astride,
Do quan their cup of joy and fill
Their merry hearts with pride.
Let those who sigh for warmer days,
And say that winters drear,
Their voices join with ours in praise
And welcome winter here.
Charles H. Conner, in Golden Days.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
Irish Town In Maine.

IF there is another town in this coun-
try with a record like Benedicta, Me-,
l am unable to locate it," writes Prof.
Rateman from the woodstock village
to the Lewiston Journal. The pc
culiarity of the place is the fact that
the population is composed exclusively
of Irishmen. There is not a family in
the entire township through whose
veins courses any other blood than that
of the Emerald Isle"
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

which you probably haven't, for the
percentage is plumb against you-you
certainly haven't got aces on top Now,
that was good poker reasoning. the kind
of reasoning that has kept me necktie
and peanut money ahead of the game
anyway for 20 years or so, and l gave
him the raise-back just as often as he
threw it at me.
FINALLY said he: We are getting out
of u depth and beyond the breaker
line, amt we? I've got you man.
handled, but you jumpers from the east
never can feel the bunch when you're
licked, and so I'll skate in my little five
and call YOU
I'VE zach had about $50 in the pot
then.
Il spread out my three royal gentle
men topping the pair of tens, and was
about to make some ~good-natured crack
about getting a hoe to scoop in my win
nings on the first hand when he spread
out his hand and raked in the pot with
a smile. His hand consisted of a pair of
aces up on a pair of skies and the
joker.
What the dickens are you doing
tEere?' l asked him when he raked in
the pot. Can't you see it's a misdeal?
I forgot to take the joker out of the
deck
"'Misdeal nothing he said, still
smiling. You had a good hand all
right. but aces beat kings, you know,
anywhere from Tuolume to Tucson
Yes said |, but you've only got
aces up, and I've got a full hand, kings
up, and it's a misdeal. anyhow
We'll, they all looked at me Ike they
thought l ought to be in a lunatic asy-
Ium.
"'Misdeal?' said my friend, who had
swiped in the pot. What the deuce are
/ you giving US, anyhow? 1 caught the
joker on the draw, and it just filled my
hand-three aces and a pair of skies.
Don't an ace-full beat a king-full in
hat desolate Atlantic coast region you
hail from?'
"'You mean to call the joker an ace?'
said 1, the thing beginning to dawn
upon me.
The three fellows gazed at me as if
they were trying to find out if l was
drunk or not.
why, do you mean to say said the
man l had played with, that you don't
know that in poker the joker is any old
thing you choose to make it-that, when
you get it either on the deal or on the
draw, you can call it anything you
want to call it to exc out a pair, flush,
full house or anything else? Tell you
what, old man, you need sleep. You've
been working too hard. Turn in and
have a long night of it.
Il couldn't help but laugh.
"'Well,' said l, you people may call
this joker-jigging poker, but somehow
or another it suggests tag and I-spy
and little girls singing London bridge
is falling down" to me. Why don't you
play poker with a pinochle deck and
be done with it? Come on, and well
build card houses. or what's the matter
with playing casino for chalk or pin
wheels?
why don't you benighted people
back east use the joker"
Eyes said l, we do. We always give
the joker in a new deck to babies in
arms to cut their teeth on
Another queer kink in the slope
game of draw is that straights don't
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

Separate two eggs, beat the yolks and
add half a pint of milk, half a cup Of
inely-chopped dates, q cup and a half
of whole wheat -four, a tablespoonful
of melted butter and beat thoroughly;
add one teaspoonful of baking powder
and then stir in the well-beaten whites
of the eggs. Bake in hot, creased gem
pans in a quick oven for 20 minutes
Boston Budget.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

A ibrous preparation of steel, made
In the same manner as the socalled
mineral WOOL" by passing an air blast
through molten steel, is cominginto use
for cleaning, polishing, etc, instead Of
sandpaper.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

Miss Reed-Oh, Mr.. Wright, 1 am de-
lighted with your new novel. 1t pos
sesses some admirable qualities.
Mr.. Wright (pleased)-Tm glad to
hear you say so. What particular quail
ty do you admire most?
"The cover; I think it's just too love
" for anything."-Chicago Daily News.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22

The man who carries an umbrella on
a pleasant day may be a wise one. 'Tis
the honest man who, on a rainy day.
leaves his neighbours in the rack and
goes without one~Judge
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-22
As to Taking Things.

"The easiest way to get along in th.s
world is to take things as you find
them"
That's all right until you gee
caught."-Chicago Journal.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

An amusing incident was witnessed
in a certain menagerie the other day.
Here and there between the cages a
number of the well-known trick
mirrors were placed. An Irishman,
after critical survey of the monkeys,
had wandered away from his better
half, and suddenly found himself in
front of one of these mirrors. After
one glance at his distorted reflection
he rushed back to his wife, who was
still watching the antics of the mon
keys.
Come away, wild yer, Bridget" he
exclaimed. "Oi've found bigger
trate than that-the ugliest baste in
the show. He's in little cage in the
corner"
Bridget offered no objections. Two
or three of the bystanders who had
heard Patsy's remark were equally
anxious to obtain peep at the "ugliest
baste," and there was quite process
sion to the ''little cage in the corner"
Patsy, as the original discoverer, Sc
cured first place and dragged his wife
in front of the mirror. To his aston
ishment there was more in the "cage"
than he expected.
"Begorra, Bridget" he suddenly
exclaimed, "there's pair av eml"
Patsy had lively time of it when
some one explained the situation to
Bridget. Weekly Telegraph.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24
Large and Small Farms.

An observant visitor in hilly, stony
New England cannot fail to be i'm
pressed with the thought that if nearly
as much labor were expended upon an
acre OF the easily worked virgin soil
of the fertile Northwest as there is
upon the acre in the first-named re-
gion, yields would be produced that
would delight the producers and as
tonish the world. In New England
farms are small, and nearly all condi-
tions are so unfavorable, from our
standpoint, that intense methods of
farming are absolutely necessary if
farm and farmer are to be maintained.
Yet the results accomplished under
the unfavorable conditions and upon
the limited acres make one wish that
the methods employed there could be
adopted here, where they would pro-
duce so much more abundantly. The
'little farm well titled" even though
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24
The Dogs Sense of Smell.

1t is certainly noteworthy that OF
the three senses by which men are
able to detect the presence of things
at a distance-seeing, hearing and
smelling-the two former should be
SO much more highly cultivated in
practice and so much more scienti-
fically studied than the latter, which
70 many animals is the most import-
ant of the three. The dog, as we all
know, recognizes friends and enemies,
and distinguishes between those
human beings with whom he comes
into contact, very largely by his
sense of smell. The keen scent OF
hounds is keener that we with our
limited exercise of the faculty of
smell can easily conceive; and few of
as would be fiattered il we could
realize how strongly we smell to the
nose of our four-footed companion. -
London Times.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24
THE ILLS OF WOMEN
And How Mrs. Pinkham Helps
Overcome Them.

Mrs. MARY RoLLINGER, 1101 Mariana
St., Chicago, Ill, to Mrs. Pinkham:
az have been troubled for the past
two years with falling of the womb,
leucorrhma, pains over my body, sick
headaches, backache, nervousness and
weakness. l tried doctors and various
remedies without relief. After taking
two bottles of your Vegetable Com
pound, the relief l obtained was truly
wonderful. have now taken several
more bottles of your famous medicine,
and can say that l am entirely cured"
Mrs. HENRY DoRR, No. s06 Findley ST.,
Cincinnati, Ohio, to Mrs. Pinliham:
For long time l suffered with
chronic Inflammation of the womb,
pain in abdomen and bearing-down
feeling. Was very nervous at times, and
so weak l was hardly able to do any
thing. Was subject to headaches, also
troubled with leucorrhea. After doc
toring for many months with different
physicians, and getting no relief, had
given up all hope of being well
again when 1 read of the great good
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com
pound was doing. decided immedi-
ately to give it a trial. The result was
simply past belief. After taking four
bottles of Vegetable Compound and
using three packages of Sanative Wash
can say feel like a new woman, |
deem it my duty to announce the fact
to my fellow sufferers that Lydia
e. Pinkham's Vegetable remedies have
entirely cured me of all my pains and
suffering. have her alone to thank
for my recovery, for which am CRATE
full. May heaven bless her for the
good work she is doing for our sex"
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

it be a stony, hilly and comparatively
sterile one, there proves to be the most
profitable; it might almost be said the
only profitable one. How much more
profitable, then, would the same kind
of farm, both in size and tillage, be
in region where natural fertility and
facility of cultivation are, as found in
the Northwest This is not plea
for the conversion of large, paid for and
successful, because well-tilled, farms
into small ones, but it is designed to
suggest that 1T would be far better
for the large farm unpaid for and
without means or ability for first-class
cultivation to be converted into a
smaller one out of debt and that can
be well worked 1t is also to sug-
gest that the young farmer must not
think that he must have big farm or
none; that he must either remain an
employe all his life or assume a big
debt, with all of its risks and bur-
dens. He can buy small farm, pay
for it, make himself frst-class far
mer on it, and find an independence
and prosperity there that the big
farm with the encumbrarce of mort
gage upon it and indifferently worked
will never realize. Farm, Stock and
Home.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24
DEPoPULATION OF FRANCE,


crease Becoming Apparent.
The returns of the census for
France, which was taken on March
30, 1897, have now been published
and compared with the statistics OF
the previous census, which was taken
six years before, on April 12, 1891.
A year ago the number of people in
France was 3S, 22S, 969, and at the
1891 census it was 80, 095, 150, SO that
in the six years the population of
France had only increased by 1873, S19
persons. And even this triaing in
crease is more apparent than real, for
it has taken place entirely in the large
towns, and is due to the influx of for
eigners, such as Belgians and Italians,
who are to be found in increasing
numbers among the urban populations
of France
In only twenty-four departments is
there any increase; in sixty-three de-
partments there is a positive falling
off, and this is more especially marked
in the rural communes. Even more
than in England does the population
flock from the country to the town,
and yet we are always hearing of the
perfect nature of the French agrarian
laws and of the advanta ses of small
holdings. The fact IS, that small
holdings tend to keep down the rural
population, for tle subdivision of
fields has now got to such pitch that
any family at all often means starva-
ton to a man and wife.
For years past the French popula-
ton has only been kept from showing
an absolute decrease by the influx of
foreign workmen into the great towns,
and yet the French allow the folly of
the colonial party to drag them into
ridiculous enterprises abroad for the
beueft of few greedy officials and
functionaries. A nation with de-
creasing population can never hold
colonies, and the French may rest as
sured that sooner or later their COL
onies will go the way Of those pos
sessed by the sister nation, Spain.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

"Our boy was absolutely helpless. His
lower limbs were paralyzed, and when we
used electricity he could not feel it below
his hips. Finally we let the doctor go as
he did not seem to help our son and we
nearly gave up hope. Finally my mother
who lives in Canada wrote advising the use
OF DR.. Williams Pink Pills for Pale Peo-
pie and bought some.
"This was when our boy had been on the
stretcher for an entire year and elpless for
nine months. In six weeks after taking
the pills we noted signs of vitality in
his legs, and In four mont s he was able to
go to school.
"It is two years since h took the first OF
the pills and he is at school now Just as
happy and we'll as any az the other chill
dren. 1t was nothing e.se In the world
that saved the boy than DR.. Williams Pink
Pills for Pale People," :
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

School children are so observant.
Especially OF their teachers, and more
especially when they are just starting
out in school.
A little Cleveland girl of six sum-
mers came home the other day with
her mind filled with that new wonder,
the schoolroom.
"How do you like your teacher?"
her mamma asked.
"She's very nice teacher" said
the little one, ''only it's such a pity
she doesn't speak SO many of her
words right. I shouldn't think they'd
let her teach till she learned to say
them so people could understand"
"Why, what does size say that's
wrong?"
"Well, yesterday she was going to
say Pass from the room quietly, and
what do you think she did say? She
said 'Pawss,' just like that. Pawss
from the room quietly guess no.
body didn't understand her at first.
And, then, this morning we were talk
ing about trees, and she said
'brawches'-yes, sir, just like that.
She's nice teacher, but you got to
get used to her before you can UNDER
stand her language. - Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24
I've" Gave Thorn Fits.

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 bat
tie of Manila was fought and, with a
woebegone expression, said: "Say,
father, didn't the English ever lick
any other boats without losing a
man?" The father was forced to con-
fess 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 America
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
frecrackers 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 fits New
York Commercial Advertiser.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

The problem of keeping the farm
properly fenced in the best and cheap
est manner is one of the most impor-
tant that confronts the farmer. Ii
new fence is built all over the farm
at once the cost is very considerable.
Besides, when it is rotted down an
other new fence would be required.
My plan is to build or repair GER
tain amount of fence each year. By
so doing, the expense is not burden
some. Following out this plan for a
series of years we return to the first
part repaired, and so on. L have some
of the old-fashioned rail fence, and
sometimes 1 build few panels of new
fence at one end of string, and then
take the old rails thus removed to re-
pair the balance, making a good and
cheap fence.
On piece of land / bought there
was a long string of "worm fence"
that was practically worthless. I
planted posts nine feet apart, and got
sufficient old rails that were sound
enough to nail to the posts, making
the fence three rails high. 1 then
put on two "wire boards, " making the
fence sufficient to turn all stock, with
comparatively small expense. Eli
Kirk, in Agriculturist Epitomist.
Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-11-24

The BaltiVore and Ohio Railroad is
not going to adopt the Raub locomo-
tive for service between New York and
Washington as has been stated in an
item which has been going the rounds
OF the papers for the last month. The
Motive Power department of this rail-
road has looked upon the rumor with
considerable amusement, as within the
past year and a half the Royal Blue
trains have been hauled by the finest,
fastest and strongest ten wheel pas
senger engines in the world. These
locomotives have rs inch drivers and
since they have been in service have
proved so eminently satisfactory that
nothing better can probably be Sc
cured. 1t will be remembered that one
of these magnificent new locomotives,
the 1913. pulled Vice President Elect
Hobart on March End, 1896, from Phila-
delphia to Washington in 1856 minutes,
distance of 1876 miles, and made one
five minute stop. They frequently run
80 miles an hour with six and eight
cars, so the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road is under no necessity of changing
it's type of passenger motive power on
the Royal Blue Line, and experiment
with a locomotive whose usefulness
has yet to be demonstrated.