davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
SunAhine in Shady Placea.

While Easter is for every age and
condition, there are nom to whom it
can have deeper meaning than to the
invalid and to the aged. and none to
whom loving ministrations IA bring
truer joy. The beautiful lilies, the
helpful Easter booklets. the appropri-
ate pictures. the written verse, the
bright greeting, are thrice welcome to
the 'shut-ins" who have less varied
sources of happiness than have 9TH
ers. Let them not be forgotten, the
aged mother in the neighbours home
nor in ones own-the fever GONZALES
cent in the hospital, the cripple in the
~laundress' family, tire suffering daugh-
ter in the house On the hill. The eX-
preston need not represent eXpendi-
ture of money. 1t may take the form
of a letter. dainty and cheerful. or of a
short poem. prettily copied. delivered
personally or by post. and if a flower go
with the Easter message so much the
sweeter is it.
The observance of Lowell's inJunc-
ton, to make sunshine in life's shady
places" is never more fitting than at
Easter-tide, when it is right that mind
and heart sunshine should be the por-
ton of all.-Chicago Standard.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

The policemen Of a certain precinct
are having a quieJ laugh at the expense
of q superior officer whose eccentrici-
ties have often provoked much amuse-
ment among members of the force and
his acquaintance.
Before the public lighting commits
sion sent in its estimates. printed slips
were sent 20 each of the stations, with
the request that they be returned with
the blanks properly filled out, desig-
mating the needs of the precinct in the
line of street illumination. The officer
turned the slips over
to his day squad, with solemn ~instruc-
items to make notes on the poorly
lighted districts and to report accord
ingly. OF course. the day squad had
no opportunity of observing the dark
places and reporting intelligently upon
them. SO no slips yer tu-nedin.
We'll" remarked the officer. with n
complaccnt air. Il guess precinct is
pretty well lighted" and. as he so re-
to the commission. the limits
over which he has police jurisdiction
were ignored in the estimates.-Detroit
Free Press.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
,fs.y Elind Russians.

Statistics which have just been COM
piled show that OF tie 100000 totally
blind persons i2Gurope 1872, eoa are ma
tives OF Russia. and this means that
out of every SEQ subjects of the car
there is one who is deprived CT sight.
In no other. country do we find this
terrible affection by any means SO
widespread. In Germany. France.
Great Britain. Italy. and Spain there
Is only one blind person in every 1,ooo
inhabitants. Russian oculists and
physicians say that the eason Why so
many of their countrymen are blind
and so many others have defective eye,
sight is because insufficient attention
is paid throughout the country to the
ordinary laws Of hygiene. and they
maintain that Russians viii continue
TO suffer in this way as long as they
keep themselves and their homes in
unhealthy condition.-N. Y. Herald.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

thoughts set vibrating in those two
practical. middle-ageG hearts were to
have swifter results than either
dreamed.
Two or three days later. just before
Easter, Lii Burdell was carrying a
basket along the village street. She
wore 4 made-over calico gown of Miss
/ Thusa's, shoes and stockings, warm
underclothing, and a neat straw hat
on her smooth hair. Proud of her de-
cent apparel and the trust reposed in
her is represented by 4 quarter
tightly clinched in n hand, she eX-
amincd the houses along the street,
and finally stopped hesitatingly be-
lore one.
Miss Thusy said, "a white house
with green shutters but 1 can't re-
member whether she said the first
or the second. I've forgot the name.
too, so 1 must run my chances.
There's some hens a-sqaawkin', any
way"
She opened the gate and walked
boldly upthelagged walk to the front
door. The true city gamin. male or
female. is ~untroubled by bashfulness.
Her ring "a answered by a tail.
thin. gray-haired man with melan-
choly gray eyes. Lii held out the
basket in enc nand and the quarter
in the other. saying:
Miss Thusy says will You please
let her have n dozen fresh eggs
fer Easter, an she wants EN- good
an big"
Henry Gleason stared at the odd
little figure. who stood stock-still aft
err delivering her message.
Miss Thusy! Was the world COM
ing to an end? Then the explanation
occurred to him. Thusa must have
sent this queer child to his next
neighbor. Mrs. Wilson. who sold eggs
regularly. and the girl had mistaken
the house.
y sudden thought whirled into his
mind. Not being widely read in the
poets. the line
Take the goods the gods provide thee.
did not occur to him. but he acted on
the principle implied. He took the
basket and the money, and babe the
child come in. He was alone. the
hcusekecper having gone to the next
town to do some trading" and the
hired boy was blowing.
Easter egg! Thusa should have
such an Easter basket as no young girl
in the village could boast. In the bot
tom of the basket. he arranged two
dozen CT the finest, freshest eggs he
could find in the henhouse. Then he
wrote a hurried note-not high-sound-
ing, but with true love in every line.
Truly he was making up for lost time.
He slipped the money inside. sealed the
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
HUMOROUS

Lie and Death.-They are talking Of
the climax of a fve-act realistic play.
He-"And that death in the fifth act"
She-'Oh, yes, that death-wasn't it
ifelike?"-Figaro.
Not Fitted for It.-Visitor-"When
you are grown up. will you be a doc
tor, like your father?" Bobby
Mercy, no! Why. 1 couldn't even kill
a rabbit!"-Brooklyn Life.
: HAS he got a YACHT" mo. but he
has a revenue cutter that's a regular
clipper" You don't say!" Yes.
the scissors he cuts his coupons
with."-Philadelphia Press.
He-"There are two periods in a
mans life when he never understands
a woman" Indeed: and when are
they?" Before he is married and
afterward-"-Collier's Weekly.
A.-'Why do you write to your
iancee with a typewriter?!" Bout
of precaution. She may have my
writing examined by those fellows
who can read the character from
observation-disclosures Blaetter.
Vailed to Observation-Disclosures the
matter with Rashleigh?" Absent
mindedness. that's ALL" Nonsense.
the mans cut and bruised frightful-
"" Eyes. He tried to stop a runa-
way automobile By jumping in front
of it and waving his coat at it,
Philadelphia Press.
In the Kitchen. - Bridget "Yis.
mum. if Dim to go. Oh want two
weeks wages in advance. Ye prom
is2d to give me two weeks notice,
an We broke yer contract" Mis-
tress-"You broke your contract to
begin with. You represented yourself
as a cook."-Philadelphia Press.
Il think the destruction OF forests
is an evil which should be stopped
said the wise man. YES" replied his
daughter. IF it isn't. there soon will
be no suitable place for picnies.
There will be no trees from which to
hang hammocks and put up swings"
Philadelphia Item.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
pasch.l Candies s,mEcr.sm.

The Pasckal candle is the name given
to the light which appears on the Cos
pei side of the altar during mas ana
yespers from Easter to Whit Sunday.
1t symboiiSes the rising from the grave
of Christ. the Light of the World"
In the year 1457 it was recorded that
the candle used at Canterbury was OF
300 pounds weight. There is also men
toned d: "a matter ot history that on
n occasion the Paschal candle in the
church at Norwich. England, was so
tall that it had to be lighted through
an opening in the roof eve the choir.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

drank the last of her tea, and ate the
remainder of her bread and butter,
looking fondly at her little brown
lowered plate as she did so.
1t was long past the hour for steady
going villagers to be in bed. Lii Bur-
dell, fed, washed, consoled, was sleep
ing like an infant, in one of Thusa's
lavender-scented bedgowns. Her ben
efactress sat by the small window,
gazing out across the fields She
was restless, and her thoughts were
of her old lover. Ministering to the
starved and homeless warf had set her
thinking of what nigh: have been, if
she had not been SO proud and defiant
in those early days. Henry had sure
ly been entitled to an explanation.
All. but that bitter, reproachful look
of his. She could not forget it. He
might have had more faith in her. in
stead of marrying Cicely Mellen with
in a month. If he hal waited, he
would have seen that Nathan Burn
side was nothing more than an Or
binary friend. (Alas. he had seen it,
after he had forged his own fetters.)
So pride and regretful love battled
in the lonely heart. The night
on, and Lill Burdell dreamed laven-
~der-scented dreams. 1t was halfway
to dawn when Thusa, reproducing
herself for wasted time and strength.
crept into bed beside her adopted
child.
Henry Gleason was also keeping
vigil with memory. \ chance word
with Nathan Burnside had led to an
explanation of that summer evening
ride SO long ago. Was it too late to
sue for pardon? Would Thusa be de-
fcient in proper pride, if she would
listen to a second avowal? She still
remained young and lovable in his
eyes. Yet, after all. she had been to
blame in not explaining the breaking
of the appointment.
So pride and affection contended in
the widower's heart also. The circles
made in the ocean by the casting in of
a pebble go on widening; and phi
losophers tell us that every physical
movement produces n~ever-ending Vi
brations in the cosmic ether. The
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

amt had scarcely 4 bite for two days.
an when 1 see them things in the
dish, / Jest had to take EN-"
"Come around to the kitchen
door," said Thusa, pityingly. She
spread a second slice of bread, and
poured into a little pink-sprigged cup
her own slender allowance of milk.
In view of such abject misery, what
mattered milklcss tea and IL short
ened ration of bread and butter? The
girl slipped around to the kitchen door
and stood there, ragged. unkempt. al
together wretched. Thusa watched
her compassionatcly. as she ate and
drank like a starved animal-for the
time being she was little more. TAX
ing the cup from the grimy fingers,
and going back TO wipe the shelves.
Thusa brought out a third slice of
bread and butter.
By gentle questioning. she learned
that the girls name was Lii Burdell;
that she was ID years old; had lived
with n m in New York, who beat
and abused her, trying to make her
steal; and that she had run away;
tramping and begging by day; sleep
ing in barns at night; honestly try
ing to get work at the farmhouses;
and n%ervously warned off the prem
Uses of most. with a few cold pieces.
as if she had smallpox, that dread of
rural districts.
Her clothing was literally rags
fastened about her. heaven knows
how! yet there was a certain frank
and independent look about the small,
sharp features. despite the stolen
prunes. Thusa's starved maternal
feelings yearned over the child. She
brought her in TO sit by the fire, then.
softly closing the door between
kitchen and sitting-room. she told
her mother the pitiful story. Mrs.
Hill let the tea grow cold in her cup
as she listened.
81 was thinking" said Thusa, as
she reflled her mothers cup, that we
might-if you + willing-take this
poor child in. to help around the
houSe, anu give lie d Chance 10 10
more sewing"
IF you think it would be best,
Thusa. I should hate not to take her.
If it wouldn't be flying in the face of
Providence-with the interest money
to meet, and ALL"
1.-THE winters about over. The
Lord seemed to put it into my head.
I believe He'll open the way for US to
afford it.. And I don't see how it can
be flying in the face of Providence, to
follow the verse that says: Feed my
lambs"
SWELL, you're the n that keeps
things a-going, Thusa. You've the
best right to say" and the old lady
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
SCHOOL N CHURCH.

In the Danish high schools the cost
Of educating students. including ev-
erything except clothing, is SIS .
year.
The strength of the various sec
tons of the Methodist church. by re-
cent returns. shows that throughout
the world there are 1857 churches,
with 44.59S ordained ministers.
Rev. DR.. F. w. Hamilton, of the
Universaiist church, Roxbury. Mass,
has placed paid advertisements of his
church in the street cars of Roxbury
and in the cars of the Boston Il"
road.
Baldwin City. Kan, is the seat of
a Methodist college. Cards cannot be
bought in the town; there is no place
in which billiards may be played, and
two attempts to hold a dance have
failed.
St. Matthew'S Lutheran church
Germany, of Jersey City, has decided
to employ an assistant preacher to
conduct services in English. Services
in both German and English will be
held every Sunday in the future.
Three English Lutheran churches have
been established in Jersey City with
in the last five years. and are flourish
ing.
The two Atlantic walruses in the
museum of the University of Michigan
have been mounted on a platform in
the hall Oh the second floor of the
museum building. These specimens
were captured in the vicinity of Green
land by Lieut.. Perry during two of
his trips into the arctic region. One
was secured in 1874 and the other in
1881.
Every recruit in the British army
or navy is required to declare him
self as belonging to one of four
churches-the Church of England,
Catholic church. Presbyterian. or
Wesleyan. If he has no preference
he is put upon the list of the estab-
lishment. On one occasion e recruit
said he had no religious belief. Where
upon the commanding officer said,
with a twinkle in his eye: Sergeant,
this recruit has no religious belief. On
Sunday see that he attends parade
service with the Wesleyans at eight
o'clock, with the Presbyterians at
nine. with the Roman Catholics at
ten, and the Church of England serv.
ice at eleven"
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

pie, anyway. There's that nightgown
of Sally Myers to be finished, for we
need the money right away; and 1
promised to go and watch with Cynthia
Warner tomorrow night. She's very
bad, they say"
Her mother looked at her doubt
ingiy.
You don't look any too well your
self, Thusa. 1 don't believe you're
strong enough to watch with the sick.
Folks that work hard's you do can't be
broke of their nights rest without pay
ing for it,"
Il know it." was the answer, "brt
Cynthia would come and watch with
me. if I was in her place."
She set the table in the little sitting
room-they played at being well-to-do
in numberless innocent, childlike ways,
these two slim sparrows-and put on
the two little brown-fiowered plates.
the two thin china cups and saucers with
the tiny faded rosebuds and the almost
invisible line of gilt, and the worn sill
yer spoons, the last of the mothers
wedding outfit. Thusa u the bread
and butter, set the tea to draw. then
went to the buttery for the prunes.
The window looked on a side lane. and
Thusa was startled to see that it was
open, while a white, wolfsh. hungry
face was framed in the aperture, and 4
desperate hand was emptying the bow!
of prunes, scattering the purple juice
recklessly over the snowy shelves.
Thusa suppressed a little scream.
that she might not startle her mother,
and stared at the intruder. The crea-
ture. as if turned to stone, held its hand
arrested midway from bowl to mouth.
A childish terror began to overspread
the sharp features, and Thusa stepped
carer to the window.
Poor SOUL" she said. gently. "Are
you SO hungry hat you have to rob
our shelves? Don't be frightened. I
wouldn't hurt you for the world.
Take this"
She quickly buttered 4 slice of bread.
and the marauder. c%lutching it, burst
into tears, which she wiped away with
her juice-stained fingers, creating a
fearful effect.
81 never stoled!" she cried, SHUT I
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
SORRY TIME AS "SUPER."
Experience Of q Harvard Fresh>
man with Ambitions for
the stage.

when / was at Harvard said Wall
Ter Kellogg. of st. Louis. to the Trib-
une man. during my freshman year
/ had a vast ambition to appear upon
the stage. which finally assumed such
proportions and SO colored my every
thought hat l at length determined to
crafty it. Fate seemed to play into
my hands. for upon making guarded
inquiries in the matter, I ascertained
that 'supers' were in great demand at
q certain theater, and so one night, in
great trepidation, 1 presented myself
at the stage entrance. l was finally ad-
mitted with a crowd of 'hoboes,' ex-
amined and passed by a profane and
Neutrality-suspicious. per-
sonage, and told to take my place in
line.
MY outer garments l removed, rs
did the others, and in a dazed state I
found myself passing them through
the window of a sort of courtroom and
receiving a costume and check in re-
turn. l then moved on to a sort of
dressing-room. The costume / had re-
ceived vas dirty enough and the idea
of putting it on was moi only repug-
nant. but impossible. While 1 vas de-
batting what to do Z loud. coarse voice
informed us to clear the dressing
room, and again / found myself on
the stage in my undergarments. with
that bundle of rags on my hands. 7
made my way to the courtroom, only to
find it closed, and my appeals 10 the
stage hands met only derisive re-
sporsss. while an offer of money for
the return Of my clothes they would
not accept in a promissory form. 1t
was all / could then offer. but they re-
garGed it with open suspicion.
Il spent an awful evening. hiding be-
hind anything l could find. chased out
of odd corners by perspirirg and per-
abusive scene shutters. and IN
an agony of confusion whenever an
came within the line of my
My embarrassment. / must
say, they did not share. and when they
did see me they commented on my ap-
pearance and costume with ~ungratify-
ing freedom and painful detail. At
1 recovered my own clothes and,
and wiser. made my way back
10 Cambridge. Since then / Fave been
to see plays from the paying
side of the footlights.'-N. Y. Tribune.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
letter and laid it on the errs. fold1n,

letter and laid it OF the eggs, folding
a paper over ali. Then he went to the
housekeepers cherished window plants
and loaded tie basket to the very
handle with Easter lilies and roses.
Amt there no change from the
quarter?" asked sharp, city-bred Lii,
looking c%uriously from him to the
flowers and back.
"Inside-in an envelope. Miss Thusa
VIII understand"
did he spose I'd lose it, If he gave
it to NE in my hand?" said Lii to her
self rather scornfully, trudging OF
with her fragrant load. A little later,
the ~fUwer-ladan basket was dumped on
the Hills kitchen table by breathless
Lii, who had come as e to running
as the safety OF the eggs would permit.
He sent you all these lots an lots
of flowers. Miss Thusy, an the eggs an
change is at the bottom of the basket.
He said you would understand"
He! What was the cLild talking
about?
Didn't you go to Mrs. Wilson's,
Lin?"
81 went to the first white house with
green shutters"-Miss Thusa dropped
white and trembling into the little
kitchen rockrr-"where the hens was
a-squawkin'. an the man that come to
the door give me the eggs an the flow
ers. I didn't see no woman any,
where's"
Thusa sprang suddenly from the
chair and liftea out the flowers, Lii
bringing water for them in an old
fashioned pitcher. When the note ap-
peared. Thusa caught it up and fled to
her room, scarcely glancing at the
eggs. kneeling beside her patchwork,
covered bed, Thusa wept and smiled by
turns over her old lovers note. in which
he told her he would be with her in an
hour. Then, womanlike. she got up
and began to freshen ard improve her
faded face and hair, her plain gar
ments. But the greatest beautifier was
the soft light in her changed eyes.
On a lovely summer morning. Lii
Burdell, plump and rosy from weeks OF
N"A> o"o hAhf-HSsSs Slccu Ou tLt cIth
porch of the Gleason farmhouse, scat
tering corn 10 a flock of hens. Mrs.
Hill sat near, Smelling peas freshly
picked in the morning dew; and Thvsa
Hill Gleason. looking years youn.er
and prettier, was stirring in n house
wifely fashion about her spacious
kitchen. getting ready a substantial
breakfast.
Look, grandma" said Lii. "ain't
they pretty: An squawkin' jes' like
they did the Cay / came for the eggs
an neither M ror them a-dreamin'
how soon we'd all be livin' here to-
gether."
All, Lii, You little guessed what you
were doing that day, when you stepped
at the wrong house-the first house
where the hers were "a-squawkin'!"
Nor did your Miss Thusy-who will al
ways be Miss Thusy" to you-realize,
on that cold spring evening, that the
ragged. tempted little tramp. with
whom she shared her own scanty meal,
was an angel entertained nawares.-
Leslie Dane. in Good Housekeeping.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
His One Regret.

Judge-So the prisoner hit you on
the head with a brick. did
McGinty-Yis. yer honor.
hut it seems he didn't quite kill you,
anyway"
mo. bad cess to him: but it's wishin'
he had o; do be-
"Why do you wish that%'
"Begory. thin Oh would have seen the
schoundrei hanged for murther."-
Chicago Evening News.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
blessing OF the House.

Among the Gregorian Armenians the
periodical blessing OF the house" takes
place at Easter. This consists of the
repetition of a prayer by the priest.
accompanied by the burning of in
cense. and the sprinkling with holy wa
ter in the "saIa' or central room bf
the house.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
Good All Round.

Smith, understand you are work
ing half time now.
Joncs-Yes, and loafng the other
hall.
"Tell. working half the time is bet
.er than nothing"
"Yes. and half a loaf Is better than
aone."--Judge.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14

VI DLlc,
When we walked to Sunday meetin' DER
the meadows green and sweet,
Where lilies waved in welcome, with yio-
lets at our feet
1t amt the fancy fixin's 1 mind so much
the bills
For birds and fluffy feathers-alI the fine
new-fangled friIls;
Fer / know that fashion cianges-that II
rules the world complete;
But the old-time Easter bonnet was 30
simple and so sweet!
Its ribbons matched the color OF the blue
sky overhead,
An the lips that smiled beneath II seemed
to mean the words they said.
The lips that smiled so ~sweetly-neyer
KNOWN any art
An the eyes whose sunny glances made a
light around you heart.
I've nothin' 'ga!nst the fashions-they've
got to have their day;
But l love the simple bonnets of the far
an far away;
Az thinhin how she looked in 'er-there,
in the long ago,
i sigh, an praise the Lord from whom all
blessin's used to fiow.
F. L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
You Con Know Too Hucb.

You Can Know Too 7uch.
Too much information sometimes
makes a fool Of a man.-Chicago Daily
News.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
1AUSA HLLEs


HILL h a i
come into the lit
tie front yard foc
a breath OF fresh
air. before putting
on the kettle for
tea. Her life was
encircled by such
n narrow horizon
that this was the
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-04-14
AN OLD oe....
EASTER BONNET

WISH The Easter
days were now
like those that
once I knew,
h Jenny wore
the bonnet plain,
with ~ribbon-bows