davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
ABOUT SINGLE MEN.
why More OF Our Girls Do No. Ma

Why More of Our Girls Do Not Marry.
why men do not marry has been
subject agitating many minds since the
christian world grew away from orien-
tai traditions and marriages ceased to
De arranged by parental authority. says
Harper's Bazaar. A statistician has told
us that the geographical distance was
to be held accountable. He SAYS the
trouble is widespread and that in the
United States there are 100000 more
unmarried men over 20 than there are
unmarried women; or in other words,
that there are 5,427,670 bachelors and
only 1924 94 spinsters who might be
had for the asking Women in Cana
da and England are now considering
ways and means of educating women.
not always as wives, but always as
helpers to pioneers. Thus wives, sis
tiers and maids are all to come in for a
training, SO as to take their places
side by side with the pioneers of a new
country. But, helpful as this latter
suggestion may be, it does not solve
the marriage question, for the pioneer
sister who stands dutifully by her
brother is in as much danger of being
left an old maid as those who remain
at home. All this, however, does not
settle the question. But, then, why
should men and women marry oftener
than they do? They are trained from
infancy to distrust each other. The
wonder is that they marry at all and
without going to pieces in every in
stance. There is only one thing to be
done-to bring up boys and girls to
understand each other, to be mutually
considerate. trustful and loyal. Some
times it seems as though a great war
of the sexes was being waged in the
world, where peace and harmony ought
to prevail. To bring about that peace
work must begin in our nurseries and
our Fairgrounds, our young mothers
and our fathers helping in the task.
In no family, moreover, ought men and
women be allowed to criticise each 9TH
er as men and women.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09

A table in Science shows that Cana
da leads all the other countries in the
extent of her forests. She possesses
799, $50. 720 acres of forest-covered land,
as against 45O,O00,O00 acres in the
United States. Russia is credited with
49S. 24O.O00 acres, about 100000 more
than the United States. India comes
next with 100000 acres, Germany
has 34.347 900 acres. France %, 4e6, 45O,
and the British islands only 1886, 900.
The table does not include Africa or
South America, both of which contain
immense forests II may surprise some
readers TO learn that the percentage OF
forest-coyered land is lager in several
European countries, Germany for in
stance, than in the United States.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
Curious French Laws.

From the New York Press: The pres
ident of the Mug House club, just ~
turned on the Cymric from a months
stay in Europe. says: THE 'extenus..
ing circumstances in the Dreyfus mig
carriage Of justice reminds me of the
trial of young man for the murder
of his mother and father. The crime
was surely fastened upon him, and he
should have been guillotined, but The
jury made recommendation of mercy
on the ground that there were extenu
ating circumstances, namely, the boy
having killed his parents, was an or
phan." The president continues:
French laws are as curious as French
habits. If man is run over by car
riage. or any style of vehicle, in the
public streets he is arrested and fined
for being in the way No man is per
mitted to insure his own house, but
must insure the house of his neighbor
II A, B and C live in the same block A
on one side, C on the other and B in the
middle, and BIS house should burn
down. the insurance would go to A and
C. If AS house should burn the in.
surance would go to B. and If c.
should meet with similar fate B
would be the beneficiary, being in both
cases the next door neighbor. This
custom was established as preventive
of incendiarism.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
CITIES WEAR OUT THE HORSES
Country Districts Are Drained to Sup
ply the Constant Demand.

Horses wear out much faster in the
large cities than they do in country
districts. Immense numbers of these
animals annually suCcumb to hard
usage, combined with the inevitable
labor of hauling heavy loads over
granite-paved streets. AS fast as the
city supply becomes exhausted. it must
be replenished by horses from the
rountry or from foreign parts 1t is
stated that in the suburbs OF LONDON
alone there are 100000 horses in use,
and that 100000 horses must every year
be sent into these suburbs to take the
place of those worn out The city of
Berlin takes 100000 new horses every.
year. A large number of the h rises
used in omnibuses and on tram lines
both in England and on the continent
are imported from the United States.
The horses from the United States are
shipped from the ports of New York
and Boston to the ports of LogdoD,
Liverpool and Glasgow. and gu to a
large number are transshipped at Lon
don for the ports OF Antwerp and
Havre. The ocean rates on horses
from New York and Boston are from
s25 to $50 per head, including feed and
attendance. Insurance for the voyage
and for ten days after landing and
dock charges.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
i Will Be the Most Magnificent in
the World.

The new postoffice or federal build
Ing at Chicago. the cornerstone of
which was laid by President Mckinley
the other day, will be the highest of
flee building in the city. There are
buildings with more stories than the
new postoffice, but the rooms of the
latter will be so lofty that it will excel
in height all the other skyscrapers.
All the halls of the building will meet
at the center under the dome, in a
great rotunda. On the different floors
II Is expected that all the government
offices of the city can be comfortably
housed. They are now scattered about
in the various big Office buildings and
were thus distributed long before the
old structure was demolished A fea-
ture of the external appearance of the
building will be the massive granite
columns at the street ends of the cross
sections. Five columns will reach
from the second floor to the roof Each
column will be five feet in diameter
and each monolith will weigh eighty
four tons. On each corner of the build
ing will be group of statuary The
receipts Of the Chicago postoffice,
roughly estimated, amount to S6,0O0,-
600 year, and of this about So, 000,0
is profit The new structure will cost,
when completed, at least $4,000 600
This was the estimate, but it is ex-
pected the total cost will exceed this
amount The ground ON which the
structure stands is worth IS ,000, 900. so
that the new building will represent
an investment of about $10,000,00
Work on the postoffice was begun
about year ago and the structure is
rapidly assuming shape. The frame
work is of steel and iron which now
reaches the height of nearly eight
stories. In preparing the foundation
for this great weight 5000 piles, aver
aging forty-five feet long and a foot
thick were driven down to the solid
sub-stratum from rs to 100 feet under
the surface. These piles were cut off
below the level of the lake and upon
them was placed concrete. Then piers
of stone were laid on it up to the level
of the basement floor, where the ac
tual construction begins. No piers Of
masonry extend up through the build
ing to support the upper stories. not
even for the dome, the entire struc-
ture being of steel Upon this frame
and the Orders, trusses and beams are
to be built the massive granite exter-
nal walls. This is said to be the first
case in which granite Is used with q
steel frame. The dome masonry he
gins above the roof nearly $50 feet
above the sidewalk and virtually rests
upon eight stills nearly 22O feet long.
A feature of the building will be the
vault of the sub-tr treasury, which will
be burglar mob and fire proof and
large enough to contain 1900 tons of
gold and silver. The first postoffiee
from which the few inhabitants of
Chicago were delivered mail matter
was not in Chicago, but distant from
here $50 miles, at Fort Wayne. Ind.
The earliest authentic account of mail
communication with Fort Dearborn is
In work that is among the treasures
of the Chicago Historical society, en-
titled "Keating's Narrative of an Ex-
petition to the Source of st. Peters
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
HAZl1 E;:il :1llfIZ5
Not Unprecedented.

This is the saddest case of ruin COM
Ing through success that ever heard
of. and the fact that the result not only
brought desolation on the person him
self, but upon his whole family, makes
the instance especially sad, says An
swers. He was the only son of pros
porous provision merchant, and, with
a beginners luck, won some hundreds
of pounds on the turf. Elated by his
success, he CHANGED larger sums, lost
all that he had won, and, in a vain at
tempt to recoup himself, took some of
the money collected from his fathers
customers. Shortly afterward his faith
er accidentally discovered that a large
account which was owing to him had
been paid to the son and not accounted
for Inquiry was made, and it was
found that the outstanding accounts
did not amount to as many pence as
there should have been pounds; and in
addition. wholesale firms who were
supposed to have been paid by the son
had received nothing. The whole had
gone in fruitless efforts to back win
ners." The result was that, after fifty
years trading, the business was brok-
en- up, and the father, mother and sis
ters of this unfortunate man were re-
duced to extreme poverty.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
pnrer Guns.

Foreign Letter Baltimore Sun: To
add to the number of astonishing
things that are made of paper, Krupp,
the great German manufacturer Of
cannons. has lately completed num-
Der of paper field-pieees for the use of
the German infantry. Their caiber is
eentimetels, or little less than two
inches; and the pieces are SO light that
a soldier can easily carry one. But
the resistance is greater than that Of a
field piece of steel of the same caliber.
Ii is not expected that these paper guns
will replace those Of steel. They are
intended for use in situations where
the movements of field artillery would
be impracticable Paper artillery on
the field of battle seems most ex-
traordinary thing, but is hardly more
so than paper wheels for carriages on
railways appeared when they were first
introduced, or. for that matter, than
paper water-pails were.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09

A new way to bunco cyclists out OF
half dollars is being played. The vic
tim leaves his wheel to enter store
and returning in few minutes finds
lock fastened to the sprocket wheel and
chain, presumably through the mis-
take of some careless wheelman. Upon
the advice of bystander the cyclist
takes his wheel to the shop of me-
chanic nearby, who is unable to pick
the lock and so saws it in two, or Sp-
pears to have done so, when he reap.
pears from his back room with lock
like the one on the wheel in two pieces.
The mechanic charges half dollar ami
as the victim does not care for the use
less two pieces of the lock, they are
kept in the shop for fSrther use, while
the lock that was really on the wheel
is handed over by the mechanic to his
accomplice, the accommodating by
stander, to be employed in catching the
next rider.-New York Sun.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
CHAPTER II

minute more and Aunt Jane was
gone. The door clicked sharply be-
hind her, her dress rustled through the
passage, her steps descended the stairs
then we breathed more freely. | put
my elbows on the table and covered my
cheeks with my hands and looked
across at the girls who faced me, and
the girls, following example, put their
elbows on their knees and their chins
on their upturned palms, and looked
back at me in silence. Suddenly their
blue eyes twinkled, they glanced at
each other, decided that the situation
was comic, and laughed merrily.
He's a paragon!" said Meg. Poor
little Kitty! viii you like to marry a
paragon
For a moment had hesitated scarce
~ knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The girls merriment decided me: a
lump seemed to rise up in my throat;
the tears filled my eyes. overlooked,
and fell fast upon my open Euclid.
why, Kitty crying! You are never
crying?' laughed Dora, in mock re-
proof. MY dear. this is base ingrati-
tude Refect-let us reflect on his yir-
tues"
Turn up your plgtall at once. Kit
ty," interrupted Meg. with gravity
The paragon objects to pigtails-tc
the juvenileness of them. Let down
your frock, my dear; the paragon viii
never think of addressing young per-
son who shows her heels and the hole;
in her stockings Dry your eyes, Kitty
my child: take comport-the paragon
means to marry you"
Their merriment seemed heartless:
would not answer. clasped my hand:
tightly above my forehead. aud gazet
at the open page Of my Euclid, which
my tears would not let me read.
But what does all this mean?" said
Dora presently. in a musing tone "Ha:
he really spoken to mother-and why.
He can't be in love with you, Kitty;
he's oid-quite old-gray-haired oil
nearly, and you're little chit of q
high school girl-not clever, not rich
not anything mot even pretty"
no. | know" l agreed. with humil
ity.
Then why does he want to marry
your" persisted Dora.
Because he is paragon, dear, sale
Meg.
looked up at her with a swift, tear
full inquiring glance.
Yes, that's it." echoed drearily. =
understand understand it all; 1T
because because he is so good :"
"Perfectr' corrected Meg.
yes. so perfect" agreed. "H'
wants to be kind and to make things
better for me; l always knew that b,
was trying to be kind. When he talk
to me he is always so gentle-so muci
more gentle than when he talks to you
/ know why it isl have always
known. He Is thinking of that none.
OF mine. II hurts him to remembe
that his father took 1t away from nj
and made me lose 1t all He vans t
I prevent things from being horrid 70
me. and $3.50 he has thought Of this.
Ny tears were falling fast on tn
open pages OK my Euclid. There wa
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
POOR UNCLE.
Not So Shrewd Sometimes as lie Has
Credit for Being.


Credit for Being.
People who put faith in the tradi-
tional shrewdness of pawnbrokers,
said veteran in the business, would
be surprised if they knew how often
they are hoodwinked into loaning
more than the value of pledge. Most
of the big shops have experts who are
hard to deceive, but they make mis-
takes now and then, while with others
of less experience generalization is
distressingly common occurrence. A
certain class of sharpers make living
by victimizing pawnbrokers, and they
regard them as tolerably easy prey.
Colored stone are often used for that
purpose, and / have known dozens OF
large loans to be made on paste rubies
and emeralds The bogus stones are
usually mixed with good ones in the
setting, and are hard to detect. few
years ago an ingenious gentleman dis
covered that by dipping an off-color
diamond in a weak solution of aniline
ink, he could render ii temporarily
blue-white and extraordinarily bril-
liant. He saw fine field for opera
ton in the pawnshops, and these
painted diamonds, as they were called,
were worked off all over the country
before the trick was exposed A big
yellow worth, say $60-would
look like a $500 gem, and it was no
trouble at all to borrow from $500 to
$500 on such security. Another COM
mon swindle is a filled watch case. re-
enforced at points where it would be
apt to be tested, and pawned for solid
gold. When these watches were first
made there were very few pawn
brokers that didn't get one or two.
The works of watch may also be
sham For years firm in Switzer-
land made cheap works in imitation OF
famous and expensive varieties. and
forged the name on the dial and inside
plate. 1t was only surface imita-
ton, but it was good enough to pass
muster at many a shop. Lots of men
! have been forced out of business sim
ply because they were loaded up with
worthless pledges
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
DID NOR BOAST Hls HONESTY.
Confession of the Tramp Who Found a
$1,000 BilI and Restored 1t.


$1,000 bin and Restored 1t.
From the Boston Herald: Eve
slept under a shed with the thermome-
ter way below Zero said the tramp
"and I've gone two long days with
nothing to eat. but I'm telling you
straight that when once had $1,000 in
my pocket l was worse off than at any
other time that | can remember.
had just been let out of the bridewell
In Chicago and was begging on the
streets and being turned down on every
hand, when | p.cked up a $1,000 bill
on the sidewalk | thought it was 81
and you bet | made hustle to get
down side street. When | lodged
into a doorway and made out that
was $1,000 ahead of the game the sweat
started from every pore and my knees
knocked together. | was regular sea-
sick for ten minutes, and my heart
thumped away until thought it would
break out. That $1,000 meant heap
for me, you understand, but ! was SO
excited that it was two hours before ]
could do any planning. The first thing
was to buy new suit of clothes, and
! entered store and picked them out.
When l exhibited that $1,000 bill the
clothier ran to the door to call po-
liceman. / got away by close squeeze
and then | realized the situation.
Tramp that | was, l couldn't get it
changed at bank nor use it to make
me more comfortable If it had been
ten could have had lodgings and a
bed, but I'm telling you that | walked
the streets as hungry as a shark and
slept at police stations and in lumber
yards. Under the circumstances the
bill might as well have been a piece of
brown paper. tried all sorts of lodges
to get it busted, but it was no go.
Every time l showed it I ran the risk
of arrest. ! offered butcher 800 to
get it changed, but he refused to have
anyehing to do with it. I'd have sold
ii for half price, and been glad to, but
there was no such thing as making a
deal. Finally in despair, l went into
one of the newspaper Offices and looked
up the advertisements for the week
past. The loser had advertised and /
went to his Office in big building and
gave up the bill. The reward was $50,
but he counted out $40 on top OF that
and said: L wouldn't have believed
there was such honesty in the world.
You could have kept the bill as we'll as
not He took down my name and all
that, and gave the affair away to the
reporters. They wrote me up as the
honest tramp, and had my picture in
the papers, but you may guess / didn't
enjoy it very much. | had $50 in place
of 81 ,000 and as for my honesty, it was
all bosh. / returned the bill because
l had to, and though I'm hungry and
dead broke, and don't know where to
turn in for the night, I'm not looking
for any more big finds. Something with
a figure 50 in the corner will just about
fit in my vest pocket"
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
KTTY'S HUSBAND
By Author Of "Hetty" Etc.

such an offer is! You are such a
child still; in the ordinary course OF
things you could not have expected a
home Of your own for years to come.
You must have gone out as govern
ess--that was inevtable-your uncle
and | could not have maintained you
in idleness. And how many govern
esses marry. wonder? But you I'M
derstand. of course, that John Morti-
mer was speaking to me, Kate, in conf
dence; you are to know nothing OF the
matter. He wished to say nothing to
you as yet. You are to behave quite
naturally, remember, but to strive to
talk pleasantly and sensibly to him and
to impress upon him that you are not a
child. That is why | am telling you
this. II he means to propose to you,
there is no reason in the world why he
should delay doing So"
"He might repent Of his intention"
said Dora, in grave voice. but with a
little smile as she looked across at me-
HE thinks You too young to know
your own mind" continued Aunt Jane.
severely; land no wonder he thinks
you so young. when he finds you, as he
did yesterday, with your fingers in
your ears, saying your Euclid aloud!
You have such silly, childish habits
Kate. and this is not the first time
have complained of them. When
was a girl of seventeen was as old as
l am today. AS for blushing like a
baby, as you are doing now, that was a
trick l was cured of before | left off
bibs and pinafores."
There was an impressive silence.
After a minute or so Aunt Jane moved
to go; but she paused just opposite me
and regarded me with attention, with
an air of dissatisfaction.
I'VE shall give notice for you to
leave school this term" she observed,
slowly; land you can turn up your
hair at once. Do see, Meg, what you
can do to make her look presentable.
John Mortimer is coming in this even
ing, Kate, to see your uncle. Put on
another dress and come down stairs;
and pray for once leave your school
girl manners behind you're
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-09
CHAPTER I

Five o'clock on July afternoon-an
afternoon hot everywhere, hottest OF
all here in London dreary, shade
less house in a dingy square; a small
upstairs rOom-half sehoolroom, half
sltting-room; an open window, at
which much dust, much sunshine and
little air came in and near the win
dow. sitting rigidly upright in a low
chair meant for. lounging my Aunt
Jane, talking reasonably, mapping out
mu future life for me TRANQUILITY, but
with decision.
| sat and listened in silence; Meg
leaning back against the cushions of
the shabby little sofa. put down her
novel to listen, too. Dora, with her
sewing In her hands, became suddenly
lndolent. Aunt Jane talked on and no
one interrupted.
| fancy | hear her still-her calm,
even, unemphatic tones, that expressed
such rational sentiments, such unro-
mantle, excellent common sense. When
i shut my eyes the whole scene comes
back to me. | am seventeen again, a
schoolgirl still, in a little shabby, out
at-elbows frock, with my hands hot,
my fingers ink-stained, and my open
school books spread out before me; and
once again the fear Of Aunt Jane is
railing upon me like weight.
Aunt Jane made towards of us all:
we never dared to oppose her plans.
When she spoke decisively we were ac-
customed to assent with meekness.
And of all Aunt James household I
was the meekest member, not because
] was by nature more meek than
others, but because Fate had unkindIy
used me and had made me poor rela-
ton in Aunt James house. Meg and
Dora dared sometimes to smile de-
risively as they carried out her tyran-
meal orders-dared to obey her with
little air Of indifference and grand care
lessness, as though their obedience
was a matter of choice and their
choosing to obey were an accident;
but then Meg and Dora were her step
daughters not her nieces: house room.
food. clothing, lifes necessities and