davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20
A Christmas Mamma.
BY NJ. B. Bell.

1t was one of those dreary
afternoons in November. The
rain had fallen steadily all day,
and Roland aud Esther Graham,
two motherless little children,
were curled up on the rug in
front of the library fire, looking
at the picture book.
Their nurse, who was kind.
hearted woman, had frequently
explained the stories in the
book to them. And now, with
their little heads bent down
over the page, they were look
Ing at the picture of two little
girls in bed. while a woman
with a gentle, motherly face,
was tucking them in. Nurse
had told the children a long
story about this picture, what
dear little ones they were, and
how loving and kind their
mother was to them.
II wish we had a mother to
tuck us in and talk to US when
the rainy days come, and we
cant 90 out" said Roland sit
ting up straight and pushing
the book away from him weari-
ly.
I'm tired looking at picture
mothers. Christmas is soon
coming and I'm going to pray
and ask Goa to send us a real
mother, what we can talk to
Then, oh! maybe papa will buy
us a mother if we give him the
money"
Use got no money" said
little Esther, Il spent it all
for Mary Jane, and now she's
broke and you'll have all the
new mamma and Essie'll be so
lonesome" and the little girl
began to cry.
"Ob, Essie, what you crying
for? l haven't any more money
than you have, but l thought
God wouldn't care if this year
we bought a mamma with our
Christmas money, cause ives
just as poor without a mamma
as those poor children. "
Mr.. Graham was a little later
than usual that evening and
somehow forgot to send for the
little ones but sat before the
fire thinking of Dora Lynhurst,
little girl he had known in
his boyhood, and to whom he
had once been engaged, but a
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20

misunderstanding had sepa
rated them, and he had after
ward married slight delicate
girl, who, dying the third year
after their marriage. had left
him with the care of their two
children.
That morning an old friend
had told him that Dora, who
had never married, but had been
abroad several years. had at
last returned. and he felt an in
tense desire to see her again. 1t
was with a strong feeling of
self reproach that he sprang
from his chair when he heard
the little ones at the door, and
with more than his usual
warmth he greeted them, tor
thew were very dear to HIM.
Mr.. Graham saw at once that
something was on their little
minds. What is it. Roland"
he asked, drawing the little
fellow to him. You and Es-
Their look as though you had
something to ask me-"
Yes, papa, we want you to
please buy us mamma for
Christmas.
why, isn't your father
enough, little chicks?"
"Oh! yes, papa, but Essie and
| thought, if instead of putting
our money in the envelopes this
year we gave it to you, you
might buy us a mother to tuck
US in bed at night and talk to
US when you are out"
"'Cause we're dreadful lone
some at times" chimed in Es-
! Their.
The tears came to the fathers
eyes in spite of himself at his
: children's strange request, and
he thought if Dora had grown
to be as sweet woman as she
babe fair to be she would be
the very mother these little
children SO earnestly louged
tor.
( Here's the money" said Els.
Their, pressing up closely against
her father and putting the coins
into his. hand. IF you have
any more you can just give them
to the poor children"
Mr.. Graham could not repress
the smile that came to his lips
at the children's idea of the
value of a few pennies they
had saved. "Well, little ones,
you run off to bed now, and
latter suppernI will go out and
try to find her"
=
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20

When it comes to decorating
hardware show windows the
Messrs Jaeger are strictly in it.
Stop and look at the windows
They are beauties.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20

II. G. Scheetz, of Palmyra,
was a business visitor in the
city Thursday.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20

The interior of many of the
business houses of this city are
decorated beautifully in honor
of the Christmas trade which is
rapidly growing to be the larg-
est in the history of the Queen
of the Prairies.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20
Reflections of a Bachelor.

Every woman you meet takes
more trouble with her complex
ion than her mother did and
hasn't as good a one.
If every girl, before she got
married, could have a picture of
her husband as he wonld look
with a bald head on. there
would be a lot fewer divorces.
A girls idea of luxury is to
have bunch of grapes and two
boiled eggs for her breakfast in
bed and read her mail before she
puts her clothes on.
The average man who belongs
to church will be disappointed
if he doesn't find heaven a
place something like a big park
with fountains in the center.
A woman's description of the
man she loves to her mother in
a letter is about as exaggerated
as her description of her sins 30
years afterward to the Lord in
an experience meeting.-New
! York Press.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20

Advertising is a necessity.
You can't wait until times are
better to begin advertising, If
you want better times, adver.
tise aud help bring better times
to yoursclf.-Good Advertis-
ing.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20
DR w 3. A. McNUTT

Paws special attention to diseases et women en-
and children. Office with ". NoI Mo- ss-
simmer St. Telephone Residence no. 90;
Wood's Drug Store No. SO. Residence
blocks west of f. & NJ. Bank.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20
, r WEBB. Auctioueer.

w. r.. RUTLEDGE, Dentist
The saving ofteeth especially. ONCE
in Redman block, over Variety
Store. Telephone 56.
Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-20
AGNES MCNEIL, D. o.

Graduate of American School OF osteoPatnS
EirEsyiile, Mo. Diseases both acute s anu
chronic are treated. Consultation iree'
Office Main st. Proctor Bullulhg'
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

1.-THE. conformation of the young women in
raiment who figure in
the burlesque. Some of them-especially
the younger ones among them-try TO
look real skittish and wicked, failing dis
mally, for the countenances of most of them
are open and frank, and genuine depravity
hath no lodging place in their bosoms.
Up in the Top Gallery.
On a big night at a variety show it is
always worth the price Of admission, any
how, to study the crowds in the galleries
Especially interesting is the lofty and
notwithstanding gallery of one of the local
variety theaters that is set aside almost ex-
cluSively for the colored small boy. The
suddenness with which the gallerytes at the
variety theater catch on to the somewhat
far-fetched stage gags-their superiority
over the occupants of the seats on the
ground floor in Immediately "tumbling' to
the inside points of the game. as it were,
as played before the footlghts-is remarka-
BILE Distant as they are from the stage,
they see and hear, and give tumultuous an
prevail to everything that goes on before
the men downstairs are quite aware of
what is happening before their eyes, The
remarks addressed to the players, that
proceed from the galleries at the variety
show are generally Of the short-srm va
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
AT A VARIETY SHOW
Lots of Men Who Really Like That
Sort of Performance.
MAY SMOKE And TAKE THINGS EASY
Some Familiar Faces That One is
Always Sure to See.
SONGS AND THEIR SINGERS

There arr few men. igh-cass or other
wise, married or single. who haven't a
sneaking fondness for variety show-not
embracing under this head the cultured
vaudeville performance, which caters to a
different clientele. The character of the
patronage. however is practically the only
difference between the variety show and
the polite vaudeville performance. To re-
dUce the matter to its smallest compass. a
man can smoke at variety show; he can't
smoke at Il cultured vaudeville perform
ance. Now. there are q lot of men so ad-
dicted to the soothing properties of tobacco
that the job of sitting in a theater for
three hours without a smoke is a real mis-
cry. These are the men who like to stuff
their vest pockets full of cigars and lean
back in a seat at variety show, filled with
great joy because they are permitted to
smoke themselves black in the face, if they
so desire.
The variety show doesn't have to be as
TO keep men of this sort entertained their
tobacco is half the fun of the thing to
them. An 1abitual user of the weed, with
his face wrapped around a cigar is a good
deal more ComplaiSant individual in his
seat Al a variety show than he is when he
i snlokelcSSly cndeavoring 10 be real good
and ccnteHted in the eyes Of his women
folks at The regular theater Here is a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
SHE HAD THREE ARMS.
A Clever Shoplffter's Unique Device
for Tricking Clerks.

A Clever Shoplifter's Unique Device
for Trucking Clerks.
From the Philadelphia Times.
The appearance in Denver of a woman
who uses three arms in her calling of shop
litter completely nonplussed the detectives
of the large department stores. Even when
they learned the track they We're afraid to
make an arrest, fearing failure of convic-
ton. So the woman was told to leave town,
and her early departure convinced the store
people that their suspicious We're correct.
Valuable silks disappeared and a watch
young woman employed at a silk counter
noticed one day that a woman under sus-
picion never moved her left hand. When a
piece of silk was shown her she would look
at it carefully, perhaps feel 1t for mo-
ment with her right hand, then lay IL aSluc,
seemingly dissatisfied
She would ask to be shown other pieces.
and before she got through would have so
many samples of silk on the counter that
the clerk could not tell for some time
whether or not one had been distracted
When the silk was replaced on the shelves
il was often found that piece was miss
ing.
One day the clerk laid trap for the sup
posed shoplifter, and she was detected
After several pieces had been shown the
woman the clerk laid particularly Valua-
BILE piece on the. counter, then turned her
back and looked for other samples.
When she turned to her customer again
the silk was missing. A detective was
called, the woman taken to a room in the
store and searched Under her arm was
found a piece of silk which had been stolen
only a few minutes before.
But this was not the most remarkable
discovery. 1t was found that the woman
had three arms. One of them was wax,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

comic be recognizable as such without a
satin skirt?-the orchestra strikes up a few
premonitory bars, and then they plunge
into sad vocal variations about the one
who's more to be pitied than censllred :
about the young woman whose mother is a
sure-enough loidy; about the man who's
wandered far and near and now wants to
go to his old boyhoOd home. and no,j,r
seems to reflect that the best wav to get
there is to dig up the price of a ticket and
take train, about the marriage bells that
amt a-going to ring out; about the sailor
lad who's forever going down in the de-
heep, de-heep, de-heep. with a song about
his mother on his lips; about the tenderloin
young woman who wants a properly var
nished and blue-peucied account of her DO
ings made to the old folks at home. ab,ut
the poor soldier lad who's going to be
shot at shutdown for neglect of duty on
post, and so on, to the scggy enjoyment of
the oily haired young man, who is in the
proper condition of berry appreciation and
to the slow torture of the man who is lust
holding on to his seat to smoke and to be
amused.
The Rare Exception.
Every few years some gifted chap comes
along and writes a ballad that is really
touching and beautiful-that is neither
maltous, vinous or rummyous in any re-
spect, and that goes straight and true to
the heart of everybody simply because 1t is
not maudlin. The gifted chap is followed
by several nunureuS OF WORD plumbers,
whose unspeakaby idiotic effusions in the
shape of ballads are sold by the hundreds
of thousands of copies and go all over the
world. and are yet apparently devised,
words and music, to appeal only to the fud-
died imaginations of longshoremen IN a
state of mixed-ale bliss
Yet the serio-comic at the variety theater
generally captivates the galleries, the men
en- the ground floor may mock-weepingly
pull out their handkerehiefs and apply the
corners of the same to their eyes, as If to
wipe away bitter, salt tears; but the gal
leryites swallow the saccharine sadness Of
the serio-comic like mothers bread. The
galleryites also highly approve of the H.
Illustrated song. It makes no difference to
them that the male singer of the Illustrated
song resembles, in about nine cases out of
ten, the conventional type of East Side bar
Der in Elephantiasisville-w means New
York-and that there is usually a bahia.
ba-hoo quality to his voice that is sadly
wearing on the nerves; the galleryites reck
not that the pictures that portray the char
acters in the Illustrated song all appear to
have as their chief figurantes young men
and women who make grating liveli-
hood at Coney Island during the summer
months: the galleries just pick up the H.
Illustrated song and run away with it, as the
press agents say when they're attempting
to convey an idea of an audiences appre-
citation. There are signs that the illus
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
1T CURES BY INHALATION,


ou more plat nIy thanyo
that has i'm
hma.
wi al Isorts Off
ntS !.
in to reach hesed .pbaIa
DC >andd ouches.
into
has
O n that theset terrible
rate. for of the
o he On OF EN- he fnhaI edintoth
in
of
THE NEW DRY GERMICIDE
ma by
N III O the day
OTHER HAS BEEN FOUND
only
KILL THE GERMS
OF
md lev Cold Bronch
Pneum and Group. ik with
every funded t fails
Hyomeis sold by all druEg sen by mail.
eofIm mutations Of Hyom
InE dints
cent? Hyomei soap2 5cent. "
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

and 1t was with this she fooled the clerks.
1t was so constructed that IL was ALWAYS
visible. She generally clasped the sun
posed left hand with her right when not
otherwise occupied, and thus it was pos
siole to make the clerk believe that she
saw every movement of the woman's
hands.
The trick was worked as the shoplifter
stood with her side to the counter, holding
a piece of silk up apparently to get a bet
ter light Then the real left hand would
dart out from under the cloak, seize a piece
of silk and secrete it, leaving the clerk TO
believe that she had carefully watched
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

These BE Old Friends.
The street-talking team of Irishmen gen.
orally make coed" at the variety show.
They handle each others public and pri-
Tate characters without gloves. and are
always on the point of clubbing each other
with red flannel bricks that they conven-
1ently carry in the tails of their coats. and
they shake their fists in each others faces
almost continuously from the time they
first appear until they make their final bow
but then, they don't sing coon or Serio-
comic or Illustrated songs, and they rarely
1all TO get good. rousing hand" from all
over the house,
The three painfully thin little feminine
creatures in big picture hats covered with
imitation ostrich feathers who come out
together, giving their skirts a rear hitch a
la French chanteuse, and who begin by
singing something about Underneath a
willow tree and that is where l met her."
winding it all up by kicking over each
others heads and doing the split most
alarmingly, are merely tolerated. They
come back twice. anyhow, and SO it makes
really no difference whether they get a
hand" or not. 1t should be said that va
riety show audiences are decidedly not
cruel: that they rarely or never hiss very
bad performer, and that they often seem to
applaud solely for the purpose of making
the weak performer feel good. The thin
voiced singing woman who has pathetic
face and an air about her that betokens
that she has been used to better surround
lngs always gets a unanimously appreci-
alive reception at the hands of a variety
show audience, no matter how unsatisfac-
tory her efforts may be.
Fellow Feeling.
The hobo who scratches matches where
with to light his stump of a cigar on the
sides of his face and whose gags all have
a bearing upon his personal efforts to Sc
cure foaming "schooners O. beer without
being compelled to work for the price OF
them, always reaches the risibles of the
gallery crowds. In fact. any old variety
SHOW gag that has for its point the evasion
of that loathsome thing called work ap-
pears to hit the galleries right where they
live.
The team of wooden-shoed Dutchmen
who do knockabout turn-who get into
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
What Do the Children Drink?

Don't give them tea or coffee. Have you tried the
new food drink called GRAIN-O? 1t is delicious
and nourishing and takes the place OF coffee. The
more Grain-o you give tn, children the more health
Won distribute through their systems Grain-0 is
made of pure grains. and when properly prepared
tastes like the choice grades of coffee. but costs
about y as much. AL grocers sell 1t. 1Sc. and
be.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

riety, and some oftthenI are mighty funny.
huh man that hello have to pack his
clothes and go. She is pretty fierce and
vituperative about it. and she is goaded
and helped along to be fiercer by these re-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
No Reflection Involved.

As matter of fact. however, the femi-
nine sense of pride shouldn't be wounded at
all. The average mans visit to the variety
show is no reflection upon them whatso-
ever. 1t is simply that most men like to
fancy themselves real ba-a-ad once in a
while, and a visit to a variety show helps
them in this fancy: and then the free and
unf-ttered smoke attracts them
You'll surely visit night performance of
a good variety show and fall. to see the
lawyer, doctor and merchant chief-gen-
orally quite a few of each Of hm-sitting
bland and content, well up in the front
rows, distributing great clouds of smoke
fore and aft, and to the right and left of
him; chuCkling at the antics of the knock
about team. looking sympathetic over the
serio-comic's lyric narration of the hard
luck story anent 1.-THE young woman who
slumbers in sunny Tennessee or bestowins
critical chances at the now buXom, now
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
In the Upper Circles.

The man-and-wife .'parlor' sketch-which
invariably portrays the husband either in
the midst of a period of alcoholic delirium,
wishing he was that way or getting over
such a siege, and which wouldn't be the
real thing unless it offered the wife numer-
Gus opportunities to pull his hair and call
him names-wins a chuckle or two here
and there. These man-and-wife sketches
often attempt to depict young married peo-
pie quite highly placed in life who, how
ever, can't get away from the habit of
saying Il don't know nothin' about it, or
Il don't intend to have no woman talk to
me like that"
When the manager of variety show
wants to make decision to what are
the best turns in his outfit he doesn' I
draw conclusions from his own judgment:
he mixes with the audience and accepts
the audiences verdict. Wherein he shows
his ShreWdneSS
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

marks from the Afro American inhabitants
of the galleries.
Kill him, Babe
Eat him up, honey,'
Amt yo got no knife?"
'.EYuhhOdN rap,',
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

He has been temporary checked at Coles
berg, but all reports agree that he COM
mands the Boer line of retreat at that
point and the British are eagerly looking
for news of a serious Boer reverse that
would enable this brilliant cavalry leader
TO make a dash for the Orange Free
State.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
In n Coon Song,


Huh man" comes back at the coon ditty
singing girl by pleading with her to be per
mitted to remain until spring. His implora-
ions are plalntlve and appealing enough to
move a stone. and they have a mixed effect
upon the dark-skinned galleryites.
Give de moke uh show"
De po poy am too strong tub wuk!'
"How's he uh-goin' tub tex he cloes W en-
ne am got no place tub go?'
TEX uh slat tub he all. Rosy"'
tub wuk.''
me girl who sings coon songs gazes up
at the galleries with an invitation in her
eyes. and strikes into a Darktown ballad
tnat the galleryites all know by heart
w men she comes to the chorus they all fall
mo e me ana raise the rafters. Some of this
reiraln chanting of the galeryites is beau
tllul ana effective, for the compensat tory
endowment of many son of Africa is d
noble voice.
Done to Death.
The attitude of the variety show audience
in general toward the various turns" is in
terestlng to observe. For example, while
the galleries still appear to regard the coon
singing as the best. feature of the perform
ahce the men down stairs groan and look
at each other dismally when the stout
young WOmcn-they are generally stout
perhaps Just because May Irwin is built
that Way-trps out on the stage. palms ex-
back and forth rheumatically and give
other indications that she's about to shout
something about the urgent necessity for
her telegraphing huh baby
Inc coon song. after a long gruelne rim
has at length become stale, fiat and un-
prohtabie IN the sight and hearing of the
more intelligent men al the variety show
ana they manifest their Indifference by
gazing gloomily at the ornamentation of The
ceiling while 1t is in progress and by re-
naming deadly silent when it is over. This
ls as IL should be. 1t is source of gen.
ulhe satisfaction to know that they re now
egglng and cabbaging and turnip.ng peo-
PIE VINO insist upon singing coon songs out
IN cincinnati and couple of other cities
lurth@r west; maybe variety show audi
ences around this way will arise and do
likewise after while
The DolefuI SeriO-COmic
The variety show sero-comic affects the
crowd out in front in various ways. Just
why the comic should be tackled on to the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
The DoIefuI serio-Comic.

Inc variety show serio-comic affects the
crowd out in front in various ways Just
why the comic should be tackled on to the
serio Is never apparent in the cases of
young women who ara described on the
programs in this fashion. They're never.
comic, or anything like it. They generally
narch out very solemnly, with a mournful
swish of their satin skirts-would a seri1
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
THIS NEW TREATMENT

Has Cured Over Eighty Thousand
TENDER Ist, 1885,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
The SSPOgtal''

Is the Greatest Competitive System of Telegrapas
ever maintained, reaching all important commercial
points In the United States and Canada and all
Joints in the Old World via "CommercIaI'' Cables
Packages notes. etc, promptly delivered.
Table of Telegraph and messenger rates upon ap-
rlication.
Main Ofce-l345 Pa. ave. Phone ass.
Brarches-912 Pa. ave: 9Th and B: sth and F;
City P. O.; House Corridor and Senate Post
ofjcei T. S. Capitol; Woodward Lothrop's;
18th and VT. ave, Kings Pharmacy; 1905 1ith.
Re.nsturg's Pharmacy; 18th and o, Portner
Pharmacy; 14th and Wellington Epply's: 22d
and p. Huddlesou's Pharmacy; n. & W.
Wharves foot Of It'll: Raleigh National Ebbit,
Riggs. Wellington. Gordon. Normandie and
Regent Hotels; 32o7 n St. De Names Paint
Store. Georgetown: all Government Depart
ments. ja5-42tf
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

frightful lngual mixes and end by deposit
ing the sharp edges of hatchets in each 9TH
ers heads, sticking their stiffened fingers
into each others eyes, kicking each other
on the shins, batting each other in the face
other Srievous-appearing indignities upon
each others persons-get in the money"
every time. as the turf folks have it
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20
These BE Old Friends.

trated songs gallery popularity is on the
wane, however.