davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-19
CONFERENCE OPENED.
Cars Effort to Give Peace on
Earth a Chance Is In.
augurated.
DE sTAAL TAKES THE PRESIDENCY,

After De Beaufort Has Delivered the In
auguraI Spsech-No Discussions Begun
or Business Done-McKinley's Cable to
Nicholas-Compl pliment to the Girl Queen
-Transvaal Situation Improves-Kru-
ger to Meet MiIner.
The Hague, May 19.-Czar Nicholas
mas the satisfaction of knowing that the
peace conference proposed by him last
year has been inaugurated under happy
auspices. Every nation in the world,
pretty nearly. is represented, including
even Siam and Persia, which causes
some people to wonder where the Span
ish-American republics are on this
question of international peace and dis
armament, as none of them is repre-
sented in the conference. But the
opening was a success and occupied
less than half an hour. The inaugural
address and welcome to the delegates
was delivered by NJ. de Beaufort. pres
ldent of the council and foreign minis
ter of the Netherlands. He paid very
graceful compliment to the czar for his
initiative in the gathering which is
now the observed of all observes the
world over, and expressed an earnest
hope that its sessions might be success
on earth and good will to men.
De StaaI Assumes the Chair.
Upon the conclusion of De Beauforts
address NJ de Staal, the Russian am
bassador to Great Britain, and head of
the Russian delegation, informally as
suming the presidency of the confer
ence said his first duty was to express
to NJ. de Beaufort his sincere gratitude
for the noble terms in which he had
referred to his august master, adding
that his majesty would be deeply
touched as well by the spontaneity
with which the high assembly had as
sociated itself Herewith Continuing
he said: Though to the czar is due the
initiative of the conference. we owe
much to the queen of the Netherlands
for inviting US to her capital. 1t is
happy augury of success that we have
met under the auspices of the young
sovereign whose charge is felt in
wide circle. whose heart is open to ev-
erything great and generous and who
has displayed such sympathy with the
cause which brings US here"
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

ton. Il war dining WITH tie so-sa1-
sos the other night and met, etc" 4
often the forerunner Of 4 topic started.
and no reason IS supposed to exist for
its being avoided.
A refusal should IL possible imply q
genuine regret at being unable to ac-
cept the proffered hospitality, and there
are many expressions and phrases in
vogue that full answer this purpose,
provided sincerity and not expediency
is the uppermost feeling in the mind
of the writer. Should the latter be the
motive of the refusal, and to get out
OF the necessity of accepting the result
TO be attained. then the before men,
toned conventional form of regret Ia
best adhered to. The power of accen-
tuating regret and making it fiattering-
ly apparent is a gift that some few
possess, and thus refusals on their part
are a combination of ready wit and
genial amiability and enhance the dis
appointment caused by their absence
from the function to which they were
hidden.
The plea of ga previous engagement"
cannot be put forward as the basis Of a
refusal Of al invitation Il a ball, the
late hour at which these festivities
commence rendering it possible to keep
a number of engagements during one
and the same evening-dinner, recep-
ton and ball or balls to follow-and
therefore a refusal, when no definite ex-
cuse exists other han engagements,
should be couched in vague terms. and
unable to accept" IS considered in this
case all sufficient between those on
formal terms, friendly notes of expla-
nation being outside the question alto
gether. Men, on the contrary, seldom
trouble themselves to refuse or accept
invitations to balls and leave it to cir
cumstances to decide whether they put
in AN appearance or not.
Invitations to weddings are often re,
fused on a variety of grounds quite
apart from engagements, as these lat
ter are also not valid excuses for re-
fusal, generally speaking, absence from
town being the exception, and thus, in
response to an invitation, a formal re-
fusal is expressed in the useful pharss
unable to accept" while between
friends a more explicit reason Is usual
ly given. g
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

small cards of one plain suit and the
other three cards small, the long plain
suit would be the opening. This is a
reasonable practice. The opening OF a
short suit, however, from a hand con-
tanning five or more trumps, although
it is frequent with "long suffers who
are not strict, appears to be to be quite
illogical. 1t is used by some long
suffers as a conventional indication
of trump strength. That is, players of
this class lead a weak suit to SHOW"
trump strength.
Thus we have the following long
suit" conventions relating to the open
ing of a hand:
First-A plain suit card to show the
longest plain suit, probably without
FIVE or more trumps.
Second.-A trump, from four, to show
either all round strength or three cards
in each of the plain suits.
Third.-A trump, from five or more,
to show them and perhaps, also, no
long, unestablished plain suit.
Fourth-A card from a short plain
suit, to show trump strength.
But how shall a player following this
system make it clear whether a plain
suit card led is from a long or a short
suit? He can do so only if he uses the
fourth best, and agrees to lead no card
R"short" that is small enough to deceive
partner. A queen, jack, ten or or 8, led
short" is readily detected as such, but
anything below a 8 is easily mistaken
for the fourth best from a long suit.
For instance, suppose partner leads
a jack, and you hold either queen or
king, then, if he is an American leader,
you know his lead is short" If he
leads an s, second hand low, you the
| king (having none other above the 81,
| fourth hand low; then, if partner is in
the habit of leading all sorts Of irregu-
lar cards to show" trump strength,
you cannot tell whether this was a
| long suit lear or not.
Short suffers" and players who are
liberal in their openings without re-
garding the fourth best as a rule or a
necessity can afford to be less solicit
tfous about having their longs" and
shorts COMPOUNDED.
One more convention l wish to define
in this connection. 1t is that a short,
weak suit is always opened with the top
card. If a three card suit is headed by
ace, king or queen, it should be opened
as an original lead with a small card.
In this case a few players lead the mid
die ARC of the three as an arbitrary
convention. But IL the suit is headed
by a lard below the queen the best of
it is always the one to start with.
E. C. HOWELL.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
LONG SUIT MAXIMS.

To the Editor of the Register.
1t is conventional, with strictly
''long suit players, to open a hand in
variably with the longest plain suit
or with trumps. If the longest suit
in hand is trumps, the hand may cen
sist of four trumps and three cards in
each Of the plain suits. This is COM
monty called a "Cavendish" hand, and
by the strict long suffer- it is opened
with the trunps, no matter what the
strength or weakness of the plain suits
may be. Or, with just four trunips
and great strength in the plain suits,
the trump is the opening. With five
or more trumps the strict long suit
rule is to open them, regardless of the
rest of the hand.
have used the word strict in con-
nection with long suitism" because
very many players who obey long
suit" maxims as a general thing are by
no means strict in their faith and
practice. Some CT them do not start
the trumps from a 'Cayendish" hand
unless they have considerable strength,
or at least defense, in the plain suits.
Lacking such protection, they prefer
to open a short, weak suit, reserving
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

the following rules for the practice OF
"bumblepuppy:"
Lead a singleton whenever yoI.
have one.
with two small trumps and no
winning card, lead a trump.
Ruff a suit of which your part
ner clearly holds the best if you are
weak in trumps.
4-Never ruff anything if you are
strong.
5-Never return your partners trump
if you can possibly avoid it, unless ne
manifestly led it to bring in a suit OF
which you led a singleton.
6-Deceive him whenever you get a
chance.
7-Open a new suit whenever you get
the lead.
S-Never pay any attention to your
| partners first discard, unless 1t is a
forced discard. Lead your own suit.
9-Never force your partner under
any circumstances unless you hold al
least five trumps with two honors;
even if you lose by it, play the game.
1O-Devote all your energies to look
| ing for a signal in the last trick. II
unable to discover which was your
partners last card, after keeping the
! entire table waiting for two minutes
inquire what trumps are, and lead onf
on suspicion.
1t might be safely to any unbiased
player whether the majority of these
rules are not followed by the most
| radical among the short-suit school,
New York Evening Post.
RETURNING PARTNERS SUIT.
When your partner has opened 8
suit and you win the first round OF
afterwards get in, return your part
ner's suit at once. The following X
| ceptional cases are about the only ones
which justify a departure from the
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
The ETIQUETTE
OF REFUSALS.


It is a noticeable fact that refusals
to invitations bear a large proportion to
acceptances as a general rule. The en-
gagements of everyday life account in
a MEASURE for this. but there are other
causes equally potent that influence de-
cisions now and again. Even the most
popular entertainers have to submit TO
the disappointment that refusals entail
and anticipate the same in a given
number of invitations issued. Different
functions are differently responded to.
Some require prompt and decided re-
plies. others call for little or no alacrity
in the response or nor at all, as the
case may be. When a refusal is the
alternative, no delay in conveying it is
allowable for those functions that de-
mand promptitude as regards either ac-
c~eptance or refusal, and if an accept
ance requires to be Immediately given
a refusal should be in NJ way behind it.
Indeed it is an act Of discourtesy to do
otherwise, and yet there are people who
think that if they do not intend to &C
cept an invitation it is immaterial when
a refusal is sent, a weeks delay being
of no consequence in their opinion.
Then, as regards the refusal itself, it
is expressed in a variety Of ways, a G
versity If forms is employed and with,
| one might say, a diversity of feeling.
The conventional and stereotyped form
in use in the fashionable world is the
one invariably printed upon cards Of re-
fusal in response to the printed cards
| of invitation to dinner. When invita-
| lions are written in this wise and
nothing more or less said, the refusal
| should be on the same lines, but when
an invitation is written in the first per-
| son and is what might be termed a
| friendly note the use of the convention
al form is rather Out Of place, and more
cordial words should be substituted.
We are frequently asked, when "a
previous SuSdSculChI - PiSouSo 90 oh
| excuse, is it necessary to state the ma
| ture of the engagement or to mention
| the name of the one with whom the
| engagement has been made? A many
| sided answer might be given to these
| queries. Concerning the nature Of the
engagement, if it is not mentioned the
| refusal may be classed among the
strictly conventional ones already re-
| ferred to. Therefore, if this is not in
| tended, then the nature of the engage
| ment should be mentioned in so far as
| to state of what it consists. 1t is sell
| dom polite to mention the name of the
| person with whom the engagement has
| been made for two reasons-viZ, II I'M
known it conveys nothing, and if that
of a mutual friend it often conveys too
much, in that it proves hat one friend
has been invited and the other not,
and, although it is not to be expected
that every one can be invited on the
same evening, yet few care to drive
this fact home and to declare a prefer
ence shown in their favor. Nc reluct-
ance is experienced by people, how
ever, in mentioning where and with
whom they have dined when the event
has taken place. and dinner parties are
frequently made a subject Of converse
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
WANTED TO BE POSTMASTER.
Columbus Dispatch.

Columbus Dispatch.
A good story is being told about the
appointment of a postmaster in north
eastern Ohio. 1t appears that there were
a number of aspirants for the place, when
the announcement was made that a Ger
man was to secure the plum, every per-
son was anxious TO be in line and con-
graduate him on his success. one OF the
congratulators was a man who was noted
for being blunt. and asking questions
from the shoulder. so to speak. After the
usual form had been gone through with,
he ,blurted out:
"Why, no person had any idea that YOU
were a candidate to say nothing about ex-
pectine you to get the place. What kind
of a pull did you have?"
II will tell YOU" said the GermN
You see / used to go to school vsd ID
Congressman. and We we're ehumps."
Most Of the people Of the town agreed
with the German. but that did not inter-
fere with his getting. the place and draw
ing a nice salary for four years.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
NEW IDEA FOR BRIDESMAIDS.

A rather new idea was started for
bridesmaids at a fashionable wedding
which took place recently in London.
Instead of carrying the ordinary bou-
quet, each bridesmaid had a violet vel
vet muff, with a large bunch of natural
violets, with their tender green leaves
and trails of buds, fastened on the top
of the muff. This had a very charming
and novel effect and might be carried
out in many different ways. Pale pink
satin muffs, with trails of pink roses.
would look lovely.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

the humps for dof6nsA II ~ attoGS T.
case partner develops powerful splt
The trump lead from : "Cavendishs
hand IS coming more and more into
favor, even among short suffers"
AS for the trump opening from five
or more. it seems to be losing ground
among experts, though l believe it To
be a safe procedure for almost any
player. Some practitioners prefer to
start a long, u~nestablished plain suit,
il they have one, without re-entering
cards in the other suits. For instance,
with five trumps, the queen and four
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

On the roof of a brewery at Maidstone
is to be seen one of the most remark
able weathervanes in England. 1t rep
resents an old brown jug and glass.
The jug, which is made Of copper,
stands 3 feet 6 inches in height and is 3
feet in diameter. 1t is capable of hold
ing los gallons.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
FREE TRANSLATION.

Mrs. Dollarworth-"Place u DANES
l wonder wha that means!
Mr.. Dollarworth-That-oh. that's
French for intelligeEc = ofdce!-Boston
Transcript.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19
HANDICAP.

THE Jinkle girls have given up all their
social ambitions"
Money run out?'
NO. They couldn't leach their mother
TO say 'candeIabra-' Nashville Banner.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

rule:
when you wish to lead trumps
for your own or your partners suits.
2-When you hold a suit headed by
q. sequence of three high cards, such
as ace, king, queen, king, queen knave,
or queen, knave, 10, which will evil
IDENTIFY be more easily established than
your partners suit.
3-When you won the first round OF
your partners suit cheaply, as with
a 10, 9, or smaller card. In this case
your partner holds either the major
CT the minor tenace, and your right
hand adversary the other, and to re-
turn the suit would give the opponent
the advantage Of position.
4-When both of the adversaries are
void of the suit, to lead it would allow
the adversary who is weak in trumps
to ruff and the other to discard a los
ing card. Forcing both adversaries is
worse than changing suit.
5-When one of the adversaries will
evidently trump THE second round.
Even in this case if you are not strong
enough to lead trumps you are usual
ly weak enough to force the opponent.
6-When partner has opened a short
suit, to return it is usually about the
worse thing you can do, for o then
give the opponents the advantage OF
position. '
When returning partners suit it is
imperative to lead the master card II
you hold it, or the second best if you
have both second best and third best;
otherwise lead the highest of two re-
naming or the lowest Of three more.
"Common-sense" players holding ace,
knave and others, or king, knave and
others of partners suit, on winning
with ace or king usually return the
kneve, no matter how many others
they nay hold, in order to give part
ner a fnesse.-Toronto Mail and Elk
press.
Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-03-19

Rules for Practice q 1s.Bunblepuppy"-Re-
turning Partner SUITE. G. nowelrs Letter.
Treatment Of ! "Cavendish'' Hand Long
Suit Mains.
RULES FOR PRACTICE OF BUM
BLEPUPPY."

A great many years ago, before the
short-suit game was ever heard OF, a
very clever English satirist under the
nom de plume" of "Pembridge," gave
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-23
TERRIBLE BOILER EXPLOSION.
Three Men Killed and Eight Others
Seriously Injured.

APPLETON. Wis. Aug. "A boiler in
the SASH door and blind factory Of E. H.
M ,srse men ana ssr,ons,v IN inring eisht
others.
The killed: Robert Pasch. Nathaniel Pat
tson, engineer, William Bolduan.
The injured. Joseph Wettingel. frac-
tured arm and internally injured: John Fos-
ter. arm fractured. William Hoffman, head
cut: Edward koletxke. head and arm cut:
Paul Hoepner. head cut: Herman Miller.
head cut: August Rehfiedt. face and head
cut. william Weaver. head injured
All Of the other men In the building were
more or less hurt. The explosion carried
down the entire main building and dry
house in addition to the engine room.
Eighteen men were hurried m the ruins.
Fire started In the ruins and for q time
threatened to burn the imprisoned men
alive. but II was checked until everybody
control and completely destroyed the plant.
The FIRE loss is 50 GO. partially insured.
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-23
STORMS TRAIN Of HORRORS
NEARLY 1000 DEAD REPORTED n
PORTO RICO.
H0oses Were Destroyed and H.
90 Persons Are Homeless-Feser
rP~n stench Of Unburied Corpses


NEW YORK. Aug. "a dispatch TO the
.1eraid from San Juan says.
The board OF charity IT. sending out sup
plies by land sna water daily. but petitions
keep coming In from all over the country.
requesting food. medicines ard money.
There are no means 81 raising funds In
the different localities. AT Waunapo an
effort was made ~ start popular sub
scrspiion but only 10 pesos vas obtained.
In consequence OF the putrsfacsion OF
bodies, typhoid fever has developed al Ar
rayo. The captains Of coastwise vessels
complain that the bad odors AT the various
ports have caused them more suffering
than the hurricane. The reports Of the
board Of health UP 10 last Friday gave the
number killed as l.s75: 1000 missing s<2l
houses destroyed and 22.0%s persons home
less.
Advices from Ponce state that there has
been slight rioting at Cauco, but that Il
mas been easily quelied by the local guard.
The local authorities are running short OF
money with which 10 pay workmen. There
are no reports OF fever as yet from the
south side OF the island. The authorities
are making strenuous efforts TO relieve
the country districts. where great distress
y reported.
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-23

WASHINGTON. Aug . Gen. Otis re-
ported today by cable the following add
ttcnal casualties.
Killed Near Angeles Twelfth infantry.
August Is. &. Musician Edward = Roat-
right John +. Brooks. ~. Edward uotiss.-
holder, 18th. I. First Lieut. Alfred ".
Drew
wounaedAt San Fernando. hasns.a,
corps, Ninth, Geo. w. Greenwich head
moderate. Thirty. sixth infantry. X John
!. Tshi, foot. slight. Twenty second in
tanir,. near san Luis, iash. II James
oConneli. lex. slight. Twelfth Infantry
near Anselr~. 18th. First Lieut. VEN III
Miiiams, eye. severe. II. Charles q
knlgbtan, arm. sitght; G. Corn Frank i
Raft. foot. slight; Henry Maeiesa@. elbow
severe. Fred I. Steiser leg moderate. n
Carl Hennilngs. hand severe; Jordan Ro.-
erS. leg. slight Anssl r. Ware, arm MAD.
crate ~, VIM. I. Mess,anhelmer arm. moi
crate, NJ. AiAeri Irwin abdomen sever.
Louis II. stroap forearm slight fsth 81
Musician Milton Roesies lag Sigh, =
stephen hradftsh. forearm. slight. fafr II
FIRST Lieut. Nm, Thine. neck. aaYsrey ~
Naeolor. Eighteenth. X tuartsrycosst~r
Sergi. Fred ;. Reach. thigh. rnssleraf...
Ftrst Washington. near san praro
Marati. 18th. h, Corp or. l.. Denny.
cheat. severe Twenty-shlr.a infantry.
near GuadaEoupe Cehu nth. Se<sna
Lieut.. Alex. j MeNRbo. ir. ~calp. zl4sht.
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-23
THE OLDEST BRICK
Exhibited az Recent Meeting NJ
the Academy Of Inscriptions

~ recent meeting - .Ae Acaaerey ies
Inscriptions ~ Eetl.s-ieitrss. in Parts
the kfener - nc feNwvrr NJ Fervpv.
showed hrick which "a undoubtedly tAe
oldest &n existence. Eating IL - estimated.
from the fartiate century. Il a. This brick
~ question was discovered ay the French
sAsaHt and antiquarian Sc Sarz.~. ,;uh~ rig
recent excavations a. Ts.la TIRE Aurgent
StrT'uao IN Chs'dea TIE Srick VS. sa-,..
"hSs curved ard had hsen baked nu; vas
a s@cs crude form cha: il evidently bad
a*3tAsr nsSs Pat Ia a press uor nels!,d
TIE mark - sAs maker was strsprs TOO
imprint q ire seumn IL was clearly
made ttfA ss>o9 after fhe discovery ~ = =
ar q aF4Fknz&Asns which art AZ : tr{-
f"TSa&ly admitted marks tie dawn 81 CIV
tlsza;icn. 0t5Sr BRICKS ~ = ssgeh mere -
r%n date NegR sA0wn, Sanne ~ fhrga
bare RE marks of fAe etsat ~ arms rs SIR.
seio. an eagle vtsh ins bead at a Hem
Others again Mere Inscribed Nib sha nannn
% the gsasn.ax monarch
The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-23

Hatteras, N C.. From them II 10 learned
that the regent hurricane which sent SO
many people To death and destroyed vast
estates In Porto Rico, added another
chapter to It's horrors in little stretch OF
beach from kinnakot to Hatteras. y. C..
Thirty people are known 10 have lost
their lives In this district, which is only
eighteen miles long. and the beach IL
slrewE with spars. masts and other wreck
age. The sailors say eleven vessels are
ashore on the coast between Hatferas and
New River Inlet. No such damaging re-
suit has attended a storm on the coast
i, the past quarter OF century. Waves
ran mountain high and the vino howled
INCREASINGLY several days and nights al a
seventy -five-m.le velocity. That not more
lives were lost In the vicinity Of Hatteras.
lis considered by the survivors nothing less
than a miracle.