davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01
KITTENS AT A PENNY Apiece.

Is there anything that has escaped
legislation?
TIC cite the following. formerly one of
the statutes of Wales, it would seem
not:
The price of a killing, before it car
see, shall be n penny; till it hath
caught a mouse, twopence; when it
c-ommenceth mouser, fourpence. 1t
shall be perfect in it's senses of hearing
and seeing. be a good mouser, have the
claws whole, be a good nurse; if it fall
eth in any of these qualities the seller
shall forfeit to the buyer the third part
of it's value"
OF course, a penny was worth a great
deal more then han it is now.
This seems serious enough in all con-
science and to be placing pussy on a
lofty pedestal of consideration which
we should today account as laughable.
But, of course this was many hun
dred years ago., and people had time
and leisure to make laws, it would
seem. merely for the pleasure Of being
reckoned legislators.
But what do you think of the follow
ing:
IF any one do steal or kill the cat
that guards the princes granary, he
shall forfeit a milch eve, it's fleece and
lamb, or as much wheat as when pour
ed OF the cat suspended by it's tail (the
head touching the hoor) will form a
heap high enough to cover the tip of
the former" Poor pussyi
This is from the same statute made
by Prince Howell the Good, who died in
the year 948 A. D., after a reign of SO
years over South Wales.
For in those days there were many
kings in Great Britain. and, as is patent
from the above laws, all of them were
hardened experimenters in legislation.
1t would be interesting to know what
the cat thought of being used as a
wheat measure. Perhaps In those DAYS
and only mewed When there was real
occasion.
While on the subject of cats 1t would
not be out of place to quote the descrip-
ton of pussy as given by a learned MAJ.
uralist who died at the beginning of the
last century He says:
THE cat is a useful but deceitful do
mestic. active. neat. sedate, intent on
it's prey.
when pleased, purrs and moves its
taiI'' nowadays we consider the tail
movement as Indicative of anger);
when walking 1t draws in it's claws.
It drinks little, is fond of fishes, washes
it's face with its forefoot and at the
approach of a storm.
'The female is a piteous, squa1ling,
Earring creature. It's eyes, (from this
it would appea as if only the female
were meant; but this is not what the
naturalist wished to convey. but all
cats in generaD shine in the night; it's
hair, when rubbed in the dark, enits
fire; it is even p~roverbialIy tenacious of
life; always lights on its feets is fond
of perfumes-marum, cat mint, vale
rian. etc"
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

embarrassed, she called out to him:
DE not try to hide anything for my
sake. I shall not feel a bit vexed and
am quite ready to face the story which
you are going to tell"
'HThank you. madame" answered the
pimply plaintiff, evidently relieved.
"Messieurs, a week ago my complexion,
if not a dazzling one. was at least
smooth and clear. How 1 became the
Monster you now see is as follows:
Madanne"-and he bowed low in the di-
rection of the Witnesses bench-"invit-
ed me the other night to share her box
at the opera, and I eagerly accepted
this means of spending an evening with
a person / deeply admire" Another
SALUTE to h witnesses bench
She was particularly adorable that
night, and, as I saw her decollete for
the first time, I wondered at. the beauty
of her neck and shoulders,-a slight
cough-'so much so that when all was
dark around us l. grew overbold and,
unable to restrain my admiration. I
kissed her repeatedly on the crown of her
head. She.did not punish me so severe
" as I deserved. but, alas, I now rue
my audacious act. for two days later
my nose began to turn purple and my
Eyes to ache and itch. Then the insid-
ious color appeared Oh my cheeks, and
my sufferings became i~ntolerable. I did
not KNOW what 10 In1nk, TOT the QOclOF
whom I consulted laid that / vas suf-
fering from the poisonous effects of
certain chemicals. At last he asked me
if / dyed my harlan absurd question
to address to a man who, as you see. is
as bald as a billiard ball.
but an idea struck me. Gould it be
that madame's ravenlike tresses owed
their color to some odious composition?
I wrote to her, and she pfuckily ac-
knowledged the fact that she had tried
a new hair dye on the eventful evening.
Now, n1essieurs, we hope that the GRIM
inal hairdresser, who, I observe. does
not appear before you this morning,
win be punished as he deserves"
Then the chief chemist of the labora-
tory of Natural Sciences of Paris rose
and read his declaration, after which
a certain celebrated coiffeur was con-
demned in absence to pay $500 damages
and, is perhaps worse, to a peri
odical visit from a municipal chemist,
together with the Introduction of selling
for the next two years any article of
toilet before it has been carefully an
alyzed by a competent man.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

would never do, the said, to allow this
potent emissary OF the devi to cavert
over the graves of their grandfathers-
Pretty much all outdoors in China is,
or seems to be, devoted to graves The
Chinese have few consecrated grounds
or cemeteries set apart and inclosed for
the interment of their dead, but they
are dropped about just where the fancy
takes the survivors to have them
placed. To be more accurate. however,
their disposition depends upon the ca
price of the geomancers or high priests
of the 'feng-shui-"
Anyway, the country is covered with
graves, particularly the level plains of
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

Then another difficulty arose. Tt did
not take long for the Wretched Chinese
to discover that those Who were acct
dentally killed by the engine We're paid
for by the railroad also in
cash, and thus many poor family was
raised from poverty to affluence by the
mere taking off of some worthless
member. This was a chance for a guar
anteed life insurance too good to be
overlooked, and the railway became the
haven of would be suicides, who actual
ly jostled one another in their anxiety
to get run over After the railroad COM
pany found this out the indemnities
were discontinued, and the harvest of
suicides became smaller.
The history of ~railroading in China
illustrates the saying that John China
man does everything by c~ontraries. The
very first road to be laid was a short
line between Shanghai and its port of
Wusung, a distance of about a dozen
miles, n it had a very large business
until the natives saw it was injuring
the coolfe carrying trade and complain
ed to the high officials. These latter
did the honorable thing, and instead of
melting an insurrection, as they might
have done quite easily. they bought up
h railroad, dumped the locomotive
into the river and pitched the rails in
after it.
I'm the south of China once wrote
a prominent American since shut up
in Picking, 1.-THE people grow rich
through trade with the foreign DEVILS
and they have learned the tolerance
which always brings; but in
the north bigotry has freer sway"
Yet it was in the north, in the prov
ince containing Taku, Tien-tsin and Pc
king, tina the first railroad was
brought to completion and put in sue
cessfu1 operation. The greater portion
was destroyed by the Chinese after the
allied attack on the TAXI forts, so that
it was not available for transportation
in the advance against the capital. Per
haps the railway and mining engineers,
who nder over the country so
freely in making their V for
routes and prospecting, were as instru-
mental as the missionaries in causing
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

hat animal traction cannot compete
with steam, and the rude -wheelbarrows
and buffalo carts, with their clumsy and
solid wooden wheels, viii eventually have
to 60 The Cinnamon may by this time
be convinced of this, but they were a
long while bringing themselves to even
entertain the notion of a railroad run-
ming over the sacred soil of China.
Tt was not sc much because they had
a dislike to the railroad, as the spiritual
disturbances it would create-the disar-
rangement of the .feng-shui." They
identified he steam engine with the
ancient red dragon of history, and it
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

transportation, Notwithstanding the ex-
ample of modern The
Chinaman's favorite vehicle for freight,
where the roads win permit of it's use,
is the w-heelbarrow. 1t is a large and
cumbersome affair ordinarily, but capa-
BILE of bearing up under at least a ton.
Managed by two coolies, these il bar
rows are pushed along through (rather
than over) roads that seem almost i'm
passable. There is no iron in the bar
rows except the tires of the wheels. Is
they are tied together with thongs and
pinned by mean of ood spikes; but
they are said to be SO durable that they
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

the last uprising, for they went about
quite recklessly, needless of h ma
tives' customs or prejudices, n espe-
cially inconsiderate in the matter of
their grandfathers' graves.
Having had their suspicious excited
and their superstitions aroused by the
actions of the advance engineers. the
people protested SO energetically
against the building of a railroad that
orders were issued by the viceroy for
bidding it's construction. 1t was only
by stealth that it was really built, the
engineer in chief first projecting a
tramway from the Pei-Ho to the coal
fields, then laying heavy rails, and
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

their way over the muddy flats like
those between Tien-tsin and Picking
with great facility.
The Chinese are expert muleteers,
and with a mule hitched into the
shafts of each cart, with two or three
others 40 feet ahead, spread out like a
fan, they will get over mud fats and
yank their loads into and out of any
mudhoIes less than ten feet deep where
our own army teamsters might stick
for a week.
In ordinary travel, when n desires
personal merely. the mule
litter is used. This is a covered palan-
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

%NE of the most difficult problems
presented for solution to the COM
handlers of the allied armies which.
nave now reached Picking was that of
transportation. The armies of invasion
reached the coast, and. after the reduc-
ton of the Taku forts, were landed on
its shores. They ~intrenched and made
successful ~sorties, and they attacked
and finally captured Tien-tsin, which
they held as a military 5 from which
to press further operations; but it was
a long while before the final advance
was made toward Picking
The reason for this delay lay in the
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01
AN AMUSING CASE
IN A PARIS COURT.

A very amusing case came up in Paris
before the judges of the ribunal of the
Seine recently, and It caused them no
end of trouble to preserve their gravity.
A gentleman appeared with a face SO
married and bIotched that 1t was pain
full to behold. Painful also was his look
Of despair and shame when his blood
shot eyes met those of a lady of ma
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

large sums bearing the well known sig
natures of the witnesses were discov-
cred upon their persons.
The lad solved the mystery by nod
ding roguishly to Mr.. A. and suggest
ing that at another time he would be
wiser not to pay for kisses.
The rogues were none other than the
two alleged nuns, and the witnesses
had all been victimized in a similar
fashion.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

ture age. but
still lovely. who
was sitting on
the
bench. In spite
of her cOquet-
fish appearance
and Sc
frivoHty, this
lady was per-
forming an act
of great courage
in presenting
herself before
the semi-select
crowd which fill
ed the court, for
when the gen.
tleman got up
to explain his
s- a-4I<
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

Pe-chi-li between Taku and Picking.
and when it was intended to run a road
there the greatest difficulty was expe-
rfenced in securing permission from ne
authorities. After they a been at
tended to the secondary objection of
the dissertation of the graves arose.
This was settled for a consideration of
cash in nearly every instance when it
was found hat Chinese superstition
could be alIayed by the use Of coin.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-01

finally putting together an engine,
which vas running over the road before
the authorities saw what was being
done. Then the advantages of the road
were 50 manifest that even Chinese
non-progressionists were obliged to adj
init it's utility. but insisted upon gov
eminent control.
The viceroys and mandarins insisted
on exercising supervision over all rail-
ways in China, though they were APP
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26
PROVISIONS AGAINST FIRE.
the French Authorities at the
Paris Exposition.

Intending exhibitors and visitors
from the United States to the Paris e&-
position in 1900 viii be interested in
knowing what arrangements and regu-
lations win be made by the French
authorities against fire. The Paris eX-
position administration has taken all
the measures possible TO afford security
to exhibitors and visitors against fire
at the exposition. The regulations al :
rather voluminous, containing So ar
ticles distributed in six chapters. These
regulations take up the openings and
exits and the stairways and doors of ali
palaces and buildings. They regulate
the width of doors and steps. All cx-
terror doors will open in and out.
Doors opening only inward must re-
main open constantly. Emergency
doors will bear an inscription stating
their purpose, and in all Railways and
corridors painted arrows will indicate
the direction of the exit. An emer-
gency lighting system for night use will
consist of lamps of one-candle power,
beazing the distinctive red color. All
wood of the framework in the build
ings will Ec covered with an insulating
coat of non-inilammable material. All
stairways will be of fireproof material,
he floors of all buildings, palaces, the
ater halls, cafes, concert rooms, ex-
hibition places and all ratings and bal
ustrades viii also be of iireproof ma
terial and before accepted will be thor
oughly tested at the expense of the
contractors. All decorative canvas,
awnings and canvas coverings must Ll
fireproof, All electric installation o.
cables, lamps, wires ard ccnGuctc.s
the interior of the buildings l2us. !
put up under the supervision of The
director of exploitation. All motive
powerwill be adL ed only under rio
conditions. The Sc of ce,luloid in
lamps, globes, balloons and other fancy
apparatus for lighting decoration w..
be forbidden. The regulations for heat
ing and lighting provide that it can
only be done by gas and electricity. The
use of hydrocarbures, oils ard petro-
leum, acetylene gas and other gases
than coal gas is positively forbidden,
either for heating, lighting or motive
power. The constru, iion of meeting
halls, cafes, concert halls and theaters
must be of fireproof material, and the
theater curtains must lie of iron or
asbestos cloth. The lighting of such
places will be exclusively by electricity.
A fire service as nearly perfect as pos
slble will be established, with water
piping ard pressure sufficient for fire
meas seryic2. The administration as
sumcs the right to enforce any meas
ures that may be deemed necessary to
assure satety.--lron Age.
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26
CHINESE CLOTHING.
II Is by No Means Made of the Com
mon Diue Cloth IL Looks
TO he.

To wear your grand!H,i. RS g..
would not seem much of an hUngI. g..
to John Chinamar il is the l1,
,enCity. Not only is the COMMON.
@g, shaTelGss blue blouse Ct his
G.. cor rrized because II is Els aIcess >g
wi Because Of lis intrinsic value.
clothing usually worn L Chin
is the purest silk. and costs anywhere
from $1CJ to $50 suit.
AS a nation the Chinese ckiect f.
wearing clothing Of any other kind, az
centuries of experiment have tau",.
them how best g. rake up TIC c,..tr
caterpillar thread into the lnos GGvaL.
form. On this account the CaAc-
dress, though Of purer material. b..
none Of the sheen usually associate
with silk, a peculiarity which has re
suited in the erroneous ideas as 10 thci.
composition. All the garments az.
made 10 China, and are only exported
for the personal use of celes stials in for
eign countries.
Owing to their cost, however, they
are only purchased at long intervals.
each garment being of so durable {
character that they are handed dow
to the tb.rd and even the fourth genera
tion, Wear arrears to rather irnr rrcv.
them than otherwise, with the rrcu.
that the coat Of the father or grandfa
ther often has more intrinsic value thg.
ths newer and less worn articles. An.
other article peculiar to the Chinese /.
the felt slippers they invariably wear.
THESE are ofPeculiar shape, and are also
imported from the native country
where the method of treating felt un.
til II almost rivals leather for wear is
Kept q close secret, Cincinnati En-
quirer.
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26

Puo Verde, namely, the Bagote
IVA goty), now growing ON the
Umversiiy grounds, has trunk
ten inches in diameter and wide
spreading, handsome top, fully "a
tcpt in width This tree grew from
seed SINCE 1898. IN rapidity of
growth it has iar outstripped the
Ash, Locust, Umbrella, Catalpa,
and Mesquite growing IN like sit
uation. The institution has on hand
quantity of the seed of this tree
which they will willingly distribute
tree uf charge 10 those desiring to
plant them.
Our foothills and lower noun
tajNS abound in trees and shrucs,
many cf which g,ow with great
|rapidlty and are more attractive
than many of the things that we
get from away, particularly il we
cannot give them particular atten-
Ton. Our Yuccns ana Agaves are
especially decorative and should
receive much more attention than
they 10. In order 10 introduce
the native plauts into our gardens,
they must usually be grown from
seed 1t is only in rare instances
that the ordinary person will sue
ceed IN digging plant in us wlId
state and successfully planting II.
In addition 10 our native pllLts,
those winch grow IN and aujacrnt
10 the deserts oi The Old World
nc specially desirable. There Is
~ reason why avenues Of date
dGlnlS should not border our canals
md uItcheS instead of wnrm-eatcn
lDnttnnwuods. Date seeds germ
nate rapidly, ana # thrown out
lluug diic,Ifs aud canals will gr"w
without any further attention AID
N few Years time will grow into
attractive e'Widesircadlng plan 5
|
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26
y | AND
/ FOR SALE: :: BY
BUSS & BIRDNO.
Real Estate Agents, Stafford, Ariz.
Land and Water Rights Bought and Sold.

d Ist. 100 acres. North side of river,
Il opposite Thatcher Brick house, grainery,
4 l-2 acres orchard; nearly all cultiyated;
4 fenced, plenty water; excellent place for four
q families.
End. 38 acres adjoining Pima on the
4 south. Well situated for division into city
4 lots or will make good farm
4 100 acres near Eden with water, 80
4 acres under four wire fence, we'll, small
Il frame house. one room adobe house, will
u sell cheap for cash or trade for Stock
q good home, II-2 acres adjoining SAT-
ford, good four room house, well and few
y young tresS.
About SO acres river bottom land half
mile north of Stafford, IS acres under cultiva-
ton, balance unimproved, all under fence
Cheap for chsh,
IS cres north of Stafford, acres in alfal-
q ia, II acres in grain, good Water-right, river
a bottom land. A bargain
9Th. I-2 acres in Smiths ad. to SAT-
y ford; good house, water in Montezuma canal
d bargain.
9th. 100 acres four miles from Stafford:
n 100 acres tillabe, II acres cleared, house,
n few trees, under San Jose and Enterprise
n canals. bargain.
4 All of the Frye property including wind
q mill, tank, houses outhouses, etc.
\ Lot 10, block 2, with all Improvements,
IN Smiths addition to Stafford.
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26
1T Dave 70 CONSULT
III | HIO THE BEST!
DR. HILL, The Kansas City Specialist,

Will give honest scientific opinion charge
Why not throw worthless electrical appliances
medicines and cousul tbs and rmincrt physical?
after eading oeges
he decided himself
East where he might still his profession He
ed medical reasonable
better fitted undertake
II be his
thought will
healing than
peculiar If Others have tailed thai
which cmhrucr best
should fail effect permanent Dr.. Hill guar
a in the following described
Graham guardian., 1900-01-26

Dr. w r. L,ndlcy. rear q
n F,e e
Washington sentinel., 1900-06-23

the Office Of chief But to obtain
this title the aspirant must nave cut
off sixty human heads. These are
sought from the savage MandaVas
of the interior, who are remorse-
lessly pursued through the deep
forests. They build their huts
high up in trees and defend them
selves with stones. The Moros
seek to bring them down by shoot
ing burning arrows at the huts. II
these fail, they climb the trees with
their shields locked above their
heads and cut down the posts that
support the huts. The caPtives
are then divided, the heads OF the
men are cut off, and the women
and children held as slaves.
Washington sentinel., 1900-06-23
TRADE HINTS FROM our
cONSULS ABROAD.

PROFITS ON GERMAN FARMING
Consul General Guenther writes
from Frankfort, April s3, 1900:
For the purpose Of furnishing
Information with reference to new
commercial treaties. Investigation
concerning the pro6tableness of a
large number Of farms has been
made by the authorities in the
Kingdom OF Wurtemburg, Ninety
four were selected, including the
smallest and those of several hun
dred acres. The appraised value
amounted to Sa,o7o, 900; the aver
age value per acre, to S225, vary
ing from SIS to $3.50. The average
profit per acre was 81, or I,72 per
cent OF the tota appraised value.
The several establishments, how.
ever, showed very different results.
or the ninety four farms, nine
worked with a loss. Of the re-
mainder, only sixteen returned in
terest on the working capital; nine
teen yielded S per cent on the
working capital and 3 per cent on
the investment TOR buildings; hfty
yielded s per cent on the working
capital and 3 per cent on the cap
ital invested in buildings, and IN
addition an income on the lands
"Grundrente' y, which latter in
two instances amounted 10 s.Iz
per cent.
Washington sentinel., 1900-06-23

PROPOSED INCREASE OF GLOVE
PRICES IN GERMANY.-Consul
Hughes writes from Coburg, May
7,I9oo:
At a recent meeting OF the AS
sociation oil German Leather Glove
Makers in Leipzig, the question
OF increasing the price OF leather
gloves was discussed. Stress was
laid on the fact that the manutac-
tuTe Of leather gloves was one OF
the few industries which had not,
upto the present, participated in the
extraordinary general advance Of
German commerce. In view OF the
rise in wages and the high prices
OF raw materials, this branch of in
dustrY makes a very trfilng profit.
Factories are overwhelmed with
orders, so that at present they are
in a position 10 dictate prices to
the purchasers. 1t was decided to
send circulars to all members Of
the society, as we'll as to outside
members, urging them to increase
their prices, without, however,
binding themselves to any fixed
percentage Of advance.