davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

you are quick enough to watch the mo-
tions of a professional pickpocket !!
That man has my purse, I am perfectly
sure Of it; and I shall give him in
charge the moment we get to Rugby
1T was clear that I must bolt from
the carriage the instant the train
reached Rugby platform, and before a
policeman could be called. The train
was already slowing and I hastily gath
cred up my rug and umbrella and pre-
pared to move toward the door.
emo. you don't. my man. said Mrs.
Scoble, rising and taking possession Of
the door by the simple process of
thrdsting half of her ample person
through the window.
81. saw at once that the game was
up.
"'That man has picked my pocket
said Mrs. Scoble, a 500 as the police
man opened the door. Search him
and you'll find my purse in his posses
sion. 1t is marked "A. D. 81 and has
four fve-pound notes, two %sovereigns,
and some change in 1t, besides my
ticket
"'What do you say to this?' the po-
liceman asked me, evidently impressed
with the certainty of my guilt.
"'simply that it isn't true,' I replied.
7 know nothing of the lady's purse,
and 1 can easily convince you that !
am a respectable person.
"'My goodness!' exclaimed my ac-
cuser. Why, the fellow isn't deaf and
dumb after all! Constable, he pre-
tended to be deaf and dumb. That
shows what a scoundrel he isl
II rose up to follow the policeman,
and my foot struck against something
that was lying on the floor of the car
riage. 1 stopped and picked It UP. It
was the missing purse.
els that your purse, MADAME I
asked, as I held 1t up. You must have
dropped it when you were looking out
of my window
~ wouldn't advise him to play that
game any more said the policeman,
severely. Let me tell you sir, that II
you travel under false pretenses you
needn't be surprised If you find your
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

could not wait any longer, and we will
all three walk home together, and you
shall know all about it.,
II hesitated for q second and then
said to myself that I would meet fifty
aunts sooner than say good-by to the
niece before I had convinced her that
I was not always stupid, and that I
could sometimes be other than q nuis-
ance I not only walked home with
her and faced the dismayed and re-
pentant aunt, but I staid my full week
at G~reencroft. When I came away !
was engaged to be married, and had
already began to call Mrs. scoble
aunt partly to show her that l bore
no malice and partly by way Of en-
phasizing the triumph that the man
whom she had called stupid had won"
Pail Mall. ..
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
seed Corn Selection.

MANY farmers owning both bottom
and INLAND corn fields make the mis-
take of using the same seed on both
KINDS of soils. Corn which is adapted
to the soil and moisture conditions OF
the valleys will not do 50 well on the
upland as will some variety that has
by several years Of cultivation n Sc
lection become adapted to the conan
lions there. 1t is for the same reason
that the large Colorado potatoes that
have been grown for years under irri-
CATION will do so poorly when used for
seed in Kansas without the accustomed
supply of water. 1t is generally the
case on the farm that the corn from
all the fields. both upland and bottom,
is cribbed together. When the time for
seed selection comes the largest r
are picked out irrespective Of the kind
Of soil that grew them. AS the bottom
land produces the larger ears 1t Is
more than likely that the bulk Of the
seed will be from the lower and moist
or portions Of the farm. This is the
proper seed for the lowland, but 1t Is
not so we'll adapted to the dryer and
poorer upland as is seed that has been
raised there. 1t is advisable to select
the seed either before or at husking
time, when not only the quality of the
ground but the character of the IN
dividualt stalk and, ear can be taken In
to consideration. AS has been suggest
ed before, q small box attached to the
atdea If the wagon-bed into which the
desirable ears can be thrown is the
most practical device that can be rec
commended. By a little %judicious Sc
lection for a series Of years, q strain
can be established IN the upland por-
ton Of any farm which will be we'll
adapted to that and other soils similar
to location and composition. An eight
inch ear from the upland will ordinar-
ny prove better for planting on the
upland than will a twelve-inch a
from q draw In the lower portions Of
the farm. NJ. Westgate.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
Grouping with Ieeumes.

The effect Of continual cropping in
the exhaustion Of soil nitrogen has
been made the subject Of study in
planting peas, buckwheat, oats, etc.
The results of the experiments show
that only the leguminous plants were
able to utilize the nitrogen of the air.
An incfease was noticeable in the yield
Of each succeeding crop of peas, while
with the non-leguminous crops, each
succeeding yield vas poorer than the
preceding one. The experiments simply
show, what every farmer knows or
ought to know, that planting clovers,
cow-peas, vetches, or any legumes
tends to constantly improve the soil,
while cropping with non-leguminous
plants, such as corn and wheat, unless
fertilizer Of some kind is used, con-
stantly depletes the soil. Vast amounts
of fertility can be saved to the soil by
the liberal planting Of leguminous
orCnc
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
Plants from Turkcstan.

The Department of Agriculture has
received for distribution to careful
farmers a considerable quantity of
seeds from the dry regions of Siberia
ard Tu7kcstsan: Among these are hairy
vetch, which Is drouth and also cold
resistant, a variety Of winter rye which
is especially hardy and drouth resist
ant; oats and one or two kinds of w.n-
ter wheat. Most Of these seeds are
thought to be suitable to parts Of the
country having extremes. Of tempera-
lures. They might prove valuable in
the Dakotas. The rye. Mr.. Jared
Smith suggests. might be worth a
trial in the South. Some Of the Turke-
stan alfalfa supposed to be very drouth
resistant. is also on hand. The pecu-
liar advantage claimed for this alfalfa.
however. is its ability to Withstand in
tense heat.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

Grating Butter.-ln some Of the
Eastern cities. notably in Boston. q
considerable amount Of the butter en-
tering into the trade is packed in ive-
pound boxes, and these, in turn. Grated
by dozens, so that each crate contains
sixty pounds. They go to retailers who
have a family trade where the Gus
toner buys a box at a time. Up to a
certain point 1t is desirable to put up
butter in this way, says Homestead.
It costs, however, about 65 cents a
hundred more to pack it; consequently
when the small-package trade is
glutted and 1t has to sell on the basis
Of tub-butter prices, there is a loss In
packing this way. This glut occurs oc-
casionally because the trade to which
it goes. although a very good class Of
trade, is limited.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
Sheep Killing Dogs.

c. p Reynolds, writing in Michi-
gan Farmer, says: l recently heard
a well established and practical farm
er in speaking Of sheep prospects as
sert: Il wish there was a tax Of five
dollars per head on every dog in the
state today; perhaps then We could
thin out a few sheep-killing ours"
killing by dogs from various parts OF
the state there are a good many sheep
raisers who wish the same thing, and
most heartily. l have it on the au-
thority of one who is In a position to
know, that there have been over one
hundred and twenty-five dollars worth
of sheep killed in this township al
ready this season, and the first two
months Of %pasturing are scarcely past.
One farmer is reported to have lost
sheep to the assessed value of forty
six dollars; another has just suffered
losses that will sum up to fifty dol
lars or more. These estimates are not
exaggerated, and in all probability
come close to, II not below. the actual
value of the sheep killed and injured.
Other small losses, comparatively, are
reported that will easily bring the
damages up to the estimated value OF
sheep destroyed. And what is more
to the point, the chances are very
poor indeed that any of the losers will
be able to realize more than fifty per
cent of the value as estimated at the
time of killing by the appraiser.
Some states are enacting laws
against mob violence by making the
county responsible with a substantial
cash consideration to the party or rel.
atives Of the party suffering injury.
1t is supposed that this is about the
only thing that is going to have the
desired effect. Would it not be a good
idea If the sheep farmers of the state
were protected in some similar man.
ner? At the most, it is scant pro-
lection that they have at present
when injuries are paid pro rata Out
of the dog fund.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
The Lodging Of Grain.

Farmers Review: The lodg-
loss, not only in the failure Of reaping
machines to make a clean harvest, but
lodged grain is not fully ma
tured and forms on hardening a wrin-
Killed. and u~nderweight grain. Lodg-
ing, however, implies a greater loss
than the mere loss in harvesting or in
u~nderweight grain; it shows unmis-
takably that the crop has not been
properly handled, that the soil is not
favorable to grain. The falling off in
yield began long before the straw
became so weak that it could not sup
port the grain heads. The popular
q is that silica has much to do with
the stiffness of straw. This has been
sEown to be a mistake by the famous
experiments at Rothemsted, England.
Straw badly lodged was found to con-
tain more silica than a sturdy, stocky
straw which held it's seed-head erect
under severe tests. 1t was found by
experiments that potash gave strength
10 stalk and straw, and soils low in
available potash invariably suffered
from lodging. The cure or rather the
preventive measure is very simple, for
there is no cure. The point is that the
INT or fertilizer applied should be
we'll balanced. The chemical analysis
shows that a full grain crop contains
about the same amount of phosphoric
acid and potash, hence the percentage
OF these two ingredients in the fertil-
lzer should be about the same. A fair
average fertilizer for grain would then
be 8 to 8 per cent phosphoric acid and
the same amount of potash together
with about 2 to 3 per cent nitrogen.
II any one ingredient is deficient the
excess of the other two will not make
up for 1t. All three ingredients OF
plant food must be present, and, as we
said before, in proper proportions
This lodging of grain is quite an i'm.
portant matter to wheat growers, but
with a little care and study it can be
prevented. Rational manuring will
solve the problem.
L, ]. FARMER,
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
.JOHNSTON'S
ADVENTURE.

I know this story is true, for John
'ston told it to me himself, and he has
not Imagination enough to invent an
.untruth.
He told me that If you should at
tempt to enter into conversation with
a fellow-passenger in a Chicago train
he probably would present you with
the card in question as a delicate hint
that he wanted to be left in peace.
am going down to Warwickshire
tomorrow I said"-continued John
'ston-" to spend a few days with SEQ
BILE, and I'll take this card with me. If
some one insists On talking to me when
I'm reading my paper I'll try what
handing him the card will do
Il took the train at Euston, travelling
second class.
my fellow-passenger was a fine
looking woman of about 30. The heat
OF the day and the excitement of catch
ing the train had given her a florid
color, and I could see thai the desire of
condemning the weather and exposing
the wickedness of a cabman was strong
within her.
Presently the woman caught my eye
and said, I beg your pardon, but will
you tell me the exact time? My cab
man.
But here I handed the woman the
Chicago card I had received the day
before.
"she read it and then said, oh, in
deed! So sorry. Pray excuse me- and
then lapsed in silence, while 1 resumed
my newspaper and congratulated my
self on the efficacy Of the American
plan Of dealing with railway bores.
ut is true that my conscience did
give me an occasional twinge, for the
distinction between telling a lie and
handing a person a ready-made lie
printed on a card was not very per-
ceptible. I asked myself whether in
giving the woman a card with the
words, 4 am deaf and dumb I had not
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

self in trouble. You'll have to give me
your name and address, in case any.
thing more comes of this.'
II gave him my address as soon as ]
could get away from the carriage, and
at the same time I gave him a surrep.
titious five shillings and asked him not
to give my name to Mrs. Scoble.
II saw Scoble on the platform as the
train drew up at Greencroft, but he did
not see me, for I had concealed myself
behind the curtains Of the carriage.
watched him until his back was turned
and then sprang out and bolted into
the cloak room, which was close at
hand. I had hoped to remain there
until Scoble had left the station. but !
was disappointed. The porter in at
tendance, finding that I had no partic-
ular business with him, Immediately
suspected me Of designs upon the prop
erty under his charge. and told me that
I must not stay in the cloakroom. l
tried bribery, but the action only con-
frmed his suspicious, and he roughly
ordered me to 90 about my business or
he would have me arrested. Just then
Scoble spied ne.
why. here you are, after all!! he
exclaimed. Where on earth have you
been?'
The niece had returned, and was
standing looking in bewilderment, first
at me. and then at her uncle. Sudden
ly she took in the full meaning Of the
situation, and after saying to me, is
this Mr.. Johnston burst into suncon-
trollable laughter.
There never was anything 80 CON
tagious and Irresistible as that laugh,
since the world began, and the fash Of
the girls mischievous eyes would heve
made John Calvin smile even In the act
Of burning a hereto. I could not help
It, but In another moment I found my
self Joining in the girls laughter. while
scoble stood and gazed at us with an.
almost frightened expression. s
s".The niece was the first to speak.
Uncle she said, there has bsen 4 mis-
take that would have been perfectly
awful II Nj. Johnston had not bssns :
real huInorist and seen the funny side
Of Il. Auntie mas driven home. for she
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
DYING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS.
Giant Poplar In Maryland Ha. Live

Giant Poplar IN Maryland Has Lived
Two Centuries OF More.
From the Baltimore Sun: The old.
est and largest tree in Talbot. county is
dead. It has been dying for twenty-five
years or more. The tree is a NAM
moth tulip poplar in a field of Popla,
Hill farm, near the public road leading
from Easton to Trappe, about a mile
and a half from Easton. The farm has
been named for the tree for at least
200 years and is the property of Mrs.
Edmund Law Rogers, born Platter, of
Baltimore, and was part of the orig
inal Platter grant made in early
colonial times. Scientific men who
have from time to time visited this
tree have said that it would take at
least 1000 years for this species of
poplar to grow to such size in this To-
cality. It stands alone, a picturesque
feature Of the landscape, in an open
field, and a be seen for miles from all
roads and from the water courses.
The wonderful size of the tree is in
the magnitude and height Of its trunk.
Approximately It Is $50 feet high and
twenty feet in diameter. The head is
comparatively small and the first limb
is 200 feet from the groundsand it car
ries It's diameter symmetrically all the
way up. From its top at night. for
many venturesome and agile climbers
have ascended 1t, the light in Sharp's
island lighthouse can be plainly seen.
A horse and carriage behind it cannot
be seen from the nearby public road.
The lightning has not spared It. It is
scanned and gashed and split by the
many bolts which have also knocked
huge limbs from its top. Tradition
says that 200 years ago, which is as
far back as tradition claims to have
known the tree-it- is named in land
deeds $50 years ago-it had lightning
marks on it, and even then showed
signs Of failure. Three years ago It
raj struck four times in one summer.
This fierce attack undoubtedly has
tened its end. Well, the giant tree is
dead. The old poplar Of Poplar Hill
probably saw the beginning Of the
twentieth century and died just before
the beginning Of the twentieth. It was
the Mount Shasta Of the Talbot land.
scape.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

been guilty of lying as certainly as
should have been If I had told her, the
same thing in so many words.
"At Willesden Junction another pas.
senger got in. This time it vas q
young lady who was evidently expected
by the elder lady.
"By and by my attention was aroused
in spite of myself by hearing the elder
lady mention my name. You see.' she
said, I had to come dow2 today be-
cause John has asked that tiresome
Johnston to spend a week with us. and
Of course it wouldn't do for me to be
away
".But, auntie.' said the other. how
do you know that he is tiresome II you
have never seen him?
"'1 know 1t, for one thing. because
Johns friends always are tiresome. It
does seem as II he deliberately selected
the most stupid men he could find and
asked them down to Greencroft, just to
make life q burden to me. And then.
my dear, for another thing, I tried to
read this detachable Johnston's books.
Anything more stupid and silly you
can't possibly imagine
80 / was actually travelling In the
same carriage with scoble's wife and
niece. and the former was dreading my
arrival at hef house and looking upon
me as a tiresome nuisance.
".The two ladies talked en-, but hap
pily seemed to forget the existence OF
the unfortunate Johnston. Once Mrs.
Scoble came to the window where ! was
sitting. to point out something to her
niece. and the swaying Of the carriage
nearly threw her on my lap.
"Just then the elder lady began n
or those nervous and hurried searches
Tor her purse which women when tray
cling are so prone to make.
" 1T is gone!'. she exclaimed, and !
.am sure that fellow In the corner
picked my pocket when ! was looking
ont Of his window ga
"sHe could not have done that re-
piled the niece, for ! was looking Of
him at the time. ana he never once.
took his hands or his eyes away q from.
his newaispapsr.'
~.xx dsar child! Do you suppose.
E-EE EeNsS 2AEH 4am tsNyEI
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

G~rasshoppers and Fungus Diseases
Thus far we have been only par
TALLY successful in our attempts at
destroying grasshoppers by the use Of
fungus diseases. Unlike the chinch-
bug fungus the one that attacks To-
Gusts in North America is compare
lively slow in its action and only APP
pears to take hold Of the insects after
they are about half grown.-Nebraska
Station Bulletin.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
Bseears In = d

London probably suffers less from
the plague Of beggars than any other
OF the great capitals Of the world. II
Is certainly less troubled with them
than II was 9 few generations ago. Ac-
cording to the report Of the Mendicity
society, which held its annual meet
ing recently, professional men4icants
number about 10000. 8 large multitude
In itself. but not 90 very formidable
considering that they are distributed
among . population Of III million.
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09

Henpeck-There'll DO no parting In
| Heaven. you know.
Friend-That's %. II You want )
divorce, old fellow. you'd bsttsr IT
tand to It on this side.-Li6A
The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
Pinehinr Melon Wines.

Judge Miller asks . question In re-
sArd$to pinching melon vines. He says:
q have questioned different melon
growers on the point. Some ray pinch
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-09
FOIL PLAY AT TOTLON.
EXPERTS BELIEVE THE POWDER EHPLO-
SION WAS THE WORK OF UN-
KNOWN MIsCREANTS.

Paris. March S.-Dispatches received here from
Toulon to-day confirm the report received from
there last night that twelve dynamite cartridges
were found behind the Toulon Arsenal yester-
dav. and that an unidentified person fired re-
volver at a sentry on duty at the arsenal. IL
appears that two shots were fired at the sentry
before the Montely Magazine at / o'clock last
night. The guards were turned out and patrols
were sent 10 scour the neghborhood, but the
culprlts were not discovered. The sentry says
ne saw six men running away. The magazine
contains quantities OF gunpowder melinite and
dynamite
Touon. March Sit turns out that the twelve
dynamite cartridges found behind the Toulon
Arsenal yesterday are Of foreign manufacture.
NJ I.ockroy. Minister of Marine, in an inter-
view regarding the explosion Of the naval pow
der magazine at La Goubran, between La Seyne
and Toulon, early Sunday morning, intl-
mates that the experts now have little doubt
that II was due to foul play. He thinks ii was
POSSIBLY caused by some clockwork arrange
ment provided with detonator, hidden IN
powder keg A%8
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-09
HUGE SUM FOR BRITISH NAVY.

NEARLY s14O0OoOoO PROPOSED FOR THIS YEARS
EXPENDITURE.
London, March 9-"The Times" this morning
says:
I'VE understand that the navy estimates VIII
show an increase for the ensuing year or nearly
e. 600 900 over last years total and VIII reach
almost f2s0O0.000. 1t is proposed to add be-
tween 1000 and 1000 men The largest snare
Of the increased expenditure. however. Is TOT
shipbuilding. repairs and the IKE
Commenting edit0rially upon the foregoing
"rarher startling statement" THE Times" says:
1T is pretty clear that Sir Michael Hicks
Roach chancellor OF the Exchequer) will have
an admirable opportunity TO display his powers
as a constructive hnancier ana we only nope
he will rise 10 the OCCASION But ne posltlFey
must not seek 10 escape from his difficulties by
n further increase in the already oppressive In
ia
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-09
ACCIDENT TO An ACTOR

REUBEN FAX PAINFULLY But NOT sERI.
OUsLY HURT AT THE BIJOU.
Reuben Fax who plays the leading part in That
Man." at the Bijou Theatre. met with painful
accident in the middle or the performance last
night Near the end OF the second act he has 10
leave the stage and make slight change OF cos
tune His dressing room is few steps above the
stage and in going up the stairs he slipped and
fell The injury which ne received was so painful
that he was unable TO finish the act, and the other
actors got through II well they could with
out him In the third act his place was taken by
Edward F. Rose the stage manager.
The managers OF the theatre sent for ALL the
doctors they could think or The first to arrive
was an eye specialist There nothing wrong
with Mr. Fax's eyes. and he was not OF much USE
The next was a general practitioner. and he rather
thought that something wrong but he could
not tell exactly what. He thought that the knee
can was fractured. Finally DR.. Joseph d. Bryant.
of No "a West Thirty-sixth-st., arrived After ne
had made an examination he said that there was
no serious injury although the actor wouio prop
ably have to rest for few days. -
An ambulance had been called, but did not
seem 70 be necessary and was dismissed Mr.. Fax
was taken home and will probably not appear
again this week.