davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
SAVED FROM SUTTEE.
lea, Escaped from a Horrible
Heather Sacrifice


Mrs. Rance Lalros, a woman between
so and SIS, arrived in Chicago recently
from India, via Yokohama and San
Francisco, with her husband. Mrs
Lalros' husband is a Eurasian from
Lahore, and a Christian, but the wom-
an is stanch Hindoo who refuses tc
be converted, and has brought with her
from her native Benares a copper
statuette of the goddess SILVA, which
she worships at leisure, while her hus-
| band may be attending services in the
nearest Episcopal church. They toll
| crate each other and live happily to-
gether with their three beautiful
! daughters, two of whom are of their
fathers creed. while the third, the
youngest, is a devout worshiper of SILVA
and Ganeesha.
Mrs. Lalros has history that is mos;
interesting, for she was about to be
come victim to the terrible suffice OF
her caste when rescued by the man who
afterward became her husband. As is
the custom in India, Rance Khud, while
still toddiing child, was affianced tc
the son of friend and neighbor. Al
the age of II, just on the eve of the
children's marriage, the youth of Il
who was to be the bridegroom died
and. according to the irrevocable laws
of her CASTE. she was doomed to be
burned on the funeral pyre on the
banks of the sacred river Jumna, oven
from the city of Benares. AS Lalros
had much to do with what followed
it is just as we'll as he should tell the
story:
SIT was a little before the Sepo1
mutiny of 1857. and 1. the son of Euro
pean father. was guiding a detachment
of the First Bengal cavalry through the
jungles to Benares. While concealed in
the bush waiting for sunrise we saw
the dead youth carried down to the wa
ter's edge on a bamboo stretcher, and
judging from the sort of crowd thai
had assembled, we were about to wit
ness a suffice. The body was covered
over with a green silk robe-for he was
a high-class Brahmin-and placed OF
a pile of resinous sanda1-wood logs
Then the cloth was removed, the biel
placed on the pyre, with the feet to
ward the Jumna. six logs were laid OF
the body, and all was ready for the
widow.
LED by a relative, Rance walked
slowly down the bank to play hel
tragic part in the ceremony, covered
with a flowing robe of white. a Brah.
min priest stood at the head of the
body-the scene is before me now as
if it were but yesterday-and he di,
rected the proceedings in the coolest
manner possible. Taking the rod pre-
sented her by the Brahmin in her right
hand Rance walked three times round
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
wOMAN-A STUDY.

Woman, woman, winSome womdni
Tell are you saint or human,
Or toy Beefzebub has sent us from afar?
We've thought about you. sighed about
you,
Fought about you, cried about you,
Stayed up nights and lied about you, puzzle
that you are.
Just when we would dream we've got you
Figured out, as like as not you
leave us topsy-turvy, guessing what to say
or do;
Now we hate you, then caress you,
Now berate you, then we bless you.
But our lives are stale unless you keep us
In a stew,
Some there are who really dread you,
Some who long to WOO and wed you,
Some would Danish you forever to distant
land;
Artists paint you, poets verse you,
Bishops saint you. cynies curse you.
But for better or for worse" you sti1 are
IN demand.
There are times you sadly vex us,
Puzzles plague us and perplex US,
Fill we wish you were in Texas, very far
away:
But, although we sadly doubt you,
You've such wirSome ways about you
We can never do without you, so we let you
stay.
Nixon Waterman, in L. A. W. Bulletin.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
INSTRUCTED LETTERS.
Most OF Them Pass Through the Han d.
Of the "BIind Reader" OF the
Dead Letter Office

Among the hundreds of women in
the government Office in Washington
some stand prominent in their line
of work.
Mrs. Patti Lyle Collins, the expert at
the dead letter Office, is perhaps the
best a1l-around woman in office.
In the first place nature gave her a
brave equipment, add to this a liberal
education, great linguistic ability, wide
knowledge and years of experience, and
you have before you the little southern
woman who is called the "blind reader
of the dead letter office.
This is because there is nothing writ
ten so blindly, but she is able to de-
cipher it.
The mail matter which finds its way
to the dead letter Office is of several
kinds but the only kind that comes
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
The WRlF12.

When a polar bear attacks walrus
he has to take care that the other mem
bers of the victims family do not come
to the rescue, for then it viii be bad for
Bruin. The walrus simply collars
the bear and pulls him below the wa
ter, and keeps him there until he is
drowned. A ships captain once mar
rowly escaped this fate. He was seized
by walrus that had lost her calf and
dragged twice to the bottom. Except
ing that he was nearly drowned, the
only injuries he bore were two deep
wounds on his temple, caused by the
tusks. He was lucky enough to be
snatched from the animals clutch be-
fore it was too late. He afterward said
he did not believe the walrus meant to
harm him, but mistooE him for her cub
as he foundered about in the sea-
Cincinnati Enquirer.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
The Prig and His Cnne.

In the number of the Taller for Oc-
tober 6. 1909, it is observed that ga cane
is part of the dress of q prig" (this, by
the way, shows the erroneous notion
prevalent that ''priggishness" is a mod
ern word) land always worn upon a
button, for fear he should be thought
to have an occasion for it or be es-
teem'd really and not genteely a Grip
pie" In the number for November 1S
a rural squire in town is sketched who
is the prototype of one of the pavement
nulsances. "His arms naturally swang
at an unreasonable distance from his
sides, which, with the advantage of a
cane that he brandished in a great va
nety of irregular motions, made it I'M
safe for anyone to walk within several
yards of him." And under date of De-
cember there is an amusing sketch
of "a lively. fresh-colored young man.
whGrwas among the applicants to Isaac
Bickerstaff's Court of Censorship for
license to use "canes, perspective
glasses, snuffboxes, orange-fower wa
tiers, and the like ornaments of life"
This young man had his cane hanging
on his fifth button, and was ian Ok
ford scholar who was just enter'd at
the Temple. "-Gentleman's Magazine.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05

into Mrs. Collins hands is that which
comes under the general head of mis-
directed"
This means letters which are wrongly
addressed or those which bear an illegi-
BILE direction.
It is curious to note that there were
received during last year 29,O9S letters
which bore no address whatever. The
general appearance of these envelopes,
as well as the nature of the contents,
indicates that by far the greater por-
ton of these errors of omission were
not made by casual and infrequent
users of the mails, but were the result
of haste and want of deliberation by
persons more or less completely alb
sorbed in business.
Money orders, checks and bank notes
are frequently mailed without the
sender's name and address within, and
in an envelope with no address what
ever. After making every effort to dis
cover the owners of these, the United
States treasury finds itself the richer
annually by $4,000 from this source.
Letters bearing imperfect directions
come directly to Mrs. Collins, who has
become SO expert in her work that
there is seldom anything too ''biind"
for her to read. When it is remembered
how many foreigners who are totally
unaccustomed to the language write
in it, and how many illiterate who are
able to do little more than to make
their mark. use the mails, one is not
surprised at the great number of let
tiers which come into this department.
But these are not the worst people
Mrs. Collins has to deal with. The
writer of the ultra fashionable hand
gives her, as rule, more trouble than
the illiterate OF the foreigner.-St.
Louis Republic.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
PARSNIP COMPLEXION.

A majority of the ills affecting people
to-day can be traced TO kidney trouble.
It peryades all classes of society. in all
climates, regardless of age, sex or con-
dition-
The sallow, colorless-looking people
YOU often meet are afflicted WITH kid
ney complexion" Their kidneys are
turning to = parsnip color. 50 is their
complexion. They may suffer from in
digestion, bloating, sleeplessness, uric
acid. gravel, dropsy, rheumatism. cao
tarrh of the bladder, or Irregular heart
You may depend upon il, the cause is
weak. unhealthy kidneys.
Women as we'll as men are msde mis-
cradle with kidney and bladder trouble
and both need the same remedy DR..
KilIher's Swamp-Root, the great kid
ney. liver and bladder remedy, Will
build up and strengthen weak and IN
healthy kidneys, purify the diseased.
kidney-poisoned blood, clear the com
plexion and soon help the sufferer TO
better health.
The mild and the extraordinary effect
of Swamp+Root is soon realized 10
stands the highest for its wonderful
cures of the most distressing eases, such
as weak kidneys. catarrh of the bladder,
gravel, rheumatism and Bright's Dis
ease. which is the worst form of kidney,
trouble. 1t is sold by druggists, in fifty
cent and dollar sizes. You NAV have q
sample bottle by mail free, also pamph-
let telling all about il. Address DR.. Kill
mer & Co.. Binghamton. y. Y.
When writing be sure and mention
reading this generous offer in this pa
per.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
HUMOROUS.

Perhaps it is the microbes in kisses
hat cause people to fall dead in love-"
Spare Moments
ode clam amt berry handsome" said
Uncle Ephe, ''an' he amt strut aroun'
ak de peacock, but he got de pearl jes'
lie me."-Colorado Springs Gazette.
feels" Dick-"Nonsense! If that was
ID our twenty-irst birthdays!"-An-
swers.
Getting Even.-Customer-" sure
we seen you somewhere. / never for
get pretty face" Waitress-''I don't
-emember you-and I never forget a
fresh customer!"-Puck.
Forewarned.-"May call you mine 90
he asked. "You may call me a mine, if
you please, George" she replied; but
doubt if you'll ever strike paying ore"
Philadelphia North American.
How is the razor, sir?" asked the
barber. didn't know 1 was being
shaved" said the victim. Every glad,
I'm sure. SIR said the barber, feeling
f1attered. But the victim cut him short:
Il thought 1 was being sandpapered."
The Rival.
BY Proxy. = Aunt Ethel = well.
Beatrice, were you very brave at the
dentist's?" Beatrice-''Yes, auntie,
was" Aunt Ethel-Then there's the
half crown 1 promised you. And now
tell me what he did to YOU" Beatrice
He pulled out two of Willie's teeth"
Punch.
Willie is an observing little chap. He
enjoyed looking at the pictures of San
ia Claus in the newspapers, aad when.
a week later. he discovered a picture
intended for Father Time in a paper,
he shouted: "Oh, papa, look how thin
Santa Claus has got in a week."-Yon,
kers Statesman.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
To steam. the Face.

Place a large wash bowl filed with
boiling water ON low stand, put a
large fowl over the head so that none
of the steam may escape. Steam the
face and neck thus for Is minutes, and
with the fingers pinch and press every
part until it is as red as a lobster.
Battle the face in very hot water and
remain in a warm room for at least an
hour. 1t is good thing to take nap.
On rising battle the face gently with
cold water to prevent taking cold when
you go out.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
Good Taste i'm DRESSING.

Wear as few bands as possible at or
near the waist, and in all cases wear
them as far below the waist line as pos
sible with comfort. Make drawers with
as little fullness at the top as possible
and always make them on a carefully
fitted yoke, says Woman's World. Ii
YOU wear chemise or corset cover have
it fit smoothly, and use no sort of frilly
trimmings that will show their i'm
print through a closely fitted bodice.
Make them as elaborate as you please,
but let all trimmings be fat, using
lace rather than embroidery. If you
wear a short under-petticoat of flannel
or other material, make with fitted
yoke that drops well over the hips and
abdomen, keeping all fullness-both at
top and bottom-at the back. The top
petticoat should be fitted with the
same precision as the skirt to your very
best gown, and should always be worn
well below the waist in front and on the
hips.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05

the bier and waved it over her head
which, though to all appearance not
lighted, contained spark of fire with
in. Very soon the waving of the torch
caught a current and ignited. I could
not see the girls face all this time, but
I could see that her form shook like
an aspen leaf.
"The Brahmin now, amid profound
silence, having ordered her to apply
the torch, Rance advanced toward the
ment the pile was ablaze. Now came
RANGES time to sacrifice herself, to
perish then and there in the fierce
flames that were already stretching out
their tongues toward her fiimsy robe.
"She hesitated, she trembled, and by
command of the priest two men were
about to throw her On the blazing pyre,
when the officer commanding the de
tachment, a young man with a soft
heart, ordered his men to charge. They
obeyed the order with alacrity, and not
a moment too soon, dispensing the suit
tee party, which fled to its boats, leay-
ing Rance fainting on the river banks
In taking this step the officer really
disobeyed orders. Fortunately we
found what we had come for. We saw
that the rebels were terrifying Ben
ares. AS for Rance, the coloners wife
took her under her protection, and
after the mutiny was suppressed. she
became my wife" Chicago Inter
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
s'The Little Minister'S. Church.

The Aud LIGHT church at Kirriemui1
(Thrums), Scotland, made famous by
j. NJ. Barrie, seems to have fallen upon
evil days. William c. Conn, the little
minister" has resigned because the old
er members of his congregation said
he was ''too broad" having preached
in the pulpits of other denominations.
Although the presbytery acquitted him
OF all blame, Mr.. Conn could not be per-
suaded to remain. There are, by the
fay. only q churches in Scotland ana
two in Ireland which are now included
in the Synod Of United Original Sc
ceders." a fact which reminds the Phil
adelphia Press of the reply made by an
old Scot when asked after the welfare
of his church: ''Wee1," he said, s.ye ken
t this way; first, there were hunnerd
o u.s. Then there was a schism an
tina left but fifty. An then there was
heresy trial which took ava twenty.
five. Then a description left only my
brother Donald an myself-an' have
sair douts o. Donald's orthodoxy.".De.
troit Free Press.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
wnx the Red w.sRourh.

Archbishop Temple, of England, on
one occasion stayed all night at the
residence of a clergyman whose wife
was absent. On leaving, the host po-
litely expressed the hope that when
next his lordship honored the house
Mrs. Temple would accompany him.
mo. thanks" said the archbishop,
shortly. Mrs. Temple doesn't like to
rough it" The clergyman's feelings
were deeply hurt and he complained to
his wife on her return. Surely, you
didn't put the bishop in the pink bed
room?" she cried. The clergyman adj
mitted that he did. ''Oh, then, that's
it! I put all the silver in the bed. No
wonder he called it rough!"
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
CATCHING COLD.
1t Is Now Said to BE the Result of
MicrObiaI Infection and Not
of Exposure.

The old-fashioned cold has been
busted TO some extent from its former
position in domestic medicine by the
modern influenza. An attack of infiu-
enZa is a much better excuse for non
attendance at the office or shop than 4
cold. the latter being commonly regard
ed as an accommodation bill drawn by
laziness or idIeness. There is unques-
tionabls such a thing as a cold-that
is to say. a deviation from health OBJ
viously consequent upon and due to eS-
posture TO cold and damp. The initial
sensation of cold is followed up more
or less pronounced ny physical discom-
fort. possibly by more definite signs
and symptoms OF bronchitis or other
disease a frigcre. With that predilec-
ton for memorable logic which charac-
terizes the undiscerning. the average
citizen regards every illness beginning
with a chill as cold. losing sight of
the fact that there are caills-i. E., SEN
sations of cold-which are in nowise
due 20 the action of the low tempera-
lures. This vulgar error has been pro-
ductive of serious consequences in more
than one direction.
Nowadays. and rightly. we are all
for fresh air. We fear no foe save the
ubiquitous microbe. and we fight him
with fire and poison. with results that
amply suffice to justify This war out
rance. 1t may. on the other hand, be a
person with weak chest who expert
ences a Chill" and. as it is theoret-
ically impossible ever to exclude the
influence of cold, he or she attributes
the symptoms which follow-the cough
the sweating. the eXpectoration. etc
to incautious exposure, whereas the
chill merely heralded n rise of temper
allure incidental to an outburst of tu-
berculous disease.
1t would surprise many intelligent
people to be told that a chill is sign
that there is fever, and that sweating
is usually a sign that The fever is abat-
ing. Yet such is the unvarnished fact.
and it would be we'll for it to be gen
orally known. Cold is merely debit
tating agent, the effects whereof viii
vary according to the individual. 1t
throws a strain on the organic machin-
cry and the weakest part gives If the
machine as a whole is in good trim.
nothing happens beyond little tenn
porary discomfort. In rheumatic per
son it may determine pains in the
joints; in another. bronchitis; in
third. kidney trouble, and so On-in
short. it picks out the weak spots and
converts weakness into disease Colds
are VIGOROUSLY Infectious and the
places where colds are most frequent
~ caught are places where ventilation
is defective and where microbes abound.
as in certain theaters, churches. rail
way carriages and the like. so that even
the symptoms of the old-fashioned cold
are for the most part the result OF
microbal Infection and not of exposure
Medical Press and Circular.
Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-05-05
CoraIs I'm Silver.

Mounting handsomely cut corals in
silver for cuff buttons and studs for
the shirt waists is one of the newest
fads. Some of these coyals are cut
after antique patterns. The settings
are perfectly plain and without claws
of any kind.-Chicag Chronicle
Willmar tribune., 1899-09-13
STORY WITH a: LESSON.
How a Tramp's A'olitenes. Was
Awakened by. the sight. of a
-? Model Creamery.

I will relate an amusing incident I
saw happen in a creameryI visited a
short time ago, writes G. B.Lawson in
Creamery journal. The creamery was
as clean and neat as any could be.
There was not a speck of dirt on the
floor or about any of the machinery.
The door opened and tramp came
in with muddy boots on: 1t was rainy
at the time. He made one step on the
inside and stopped, as soon as he saw
the condition of the room, looked at
his muddy feet, took off his hat and
apologized for coming in in such
hurry with so much mud on his feet.
If that creamery had been dirty and
grimy, as some are, that tramp would
not have stopped at the door and apol
ogized, but would have gone in and
gotten the buttermilk he wanted with
out looking at his feet. Brother But
termaker, do you keep your creamery
so clean that tramp will stop at the
door, take off his hat and offer an
apology for coming in? If not, try
it and see what a difference it will have
on the looks of the place, and also on
the quality of the product made.
Willmar tribune., 1899-09-13
FRESH DAIRY NOTES.

When milk is to be taken to the
creamery do not mig the milk of the
night and the morning even if it will
save the use of one cam
The milk cow must be kept clean;
the mixers must be- clean at milking
time; and the vessels in which the milk
is put must be clean at all times,
Do not aerate the milk in the stable
CT in the lee of the stable. The air
in which the milk is aerated must be
pure, else the milk in being aerated
will suffer more harm than the aera-
ton will do good.
Milk for the creamery must be milk
in it's proper condition. The farmer
that has permitted his milk to get into
bad shape had better feed it to his
hogs or poultry than attempt to haul
it to the creamery where it will be
likely to spoil a hundred other patches
of milk.-FarmeTs' Review.
Willmar tribune., 1899-09-13
THE SPARROW HAWK.
er Has No Better Friend Than
This Persecuted Bird.

In many sections the sparrow hawk
is recognized as true friend of the
farmer, thoughin others it is included
in the general warfare waged by farm
ers and sportsmen against hawks of
all descriptions. The value of the SPAR
row hawk lies in his habit of feeding
on small rodents. He is rapacious
bird, and destroys great numbers Of
these farm pests; also grasshoppers.
Farmers are slow to appreciate the
value of birds of prey. If one young
chicken is devoured by a hawk a year,
the whole race is condemned and no
account taken of the 500 mice and
young rats he may eat during that
period. Mr.. w. B. Hall, of Wakeman,
o., was county clerk while the Ohio
hawk law was in force, and he issued 46
bounty certificates for sparrow hawks.
He examined their stomachs and found
them all to contain the remains of
grasshoppers, beetles and meadow
mice; not one held any signs of chick.
ems. The Investigations of the depart.
ment of agriculture are more con.
elusive yet, showing hundreds of mice
against every chicken.