davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

To punish Q man for nonpayneut Of
Z certain tax ty forbidding him 70 en-
ter restaurant is q rather singular act
Of government. yet in the canton Of
Bern such a law is IN effect. Every
man ia Switzerland must serve in the
Swiss army if be be physically capable,
ard If b. be rot physically capable he
must pay what is called TIE military
exemption tax. IL the canton Of Bei1
a rigidly enforced law is in effect which
prohibits a person who has not paid
this tax from entering any Of the vari-
Gus beer gardens and saloons Until the
tax is paid
This law is called the "wiTtshaBsver-
bet The government says that If a
nan has money to spend for coffee.
beer or liquors he must also have
money enough with which to pay his
debt TO the state At intervTis one May
read IN TIE local official papers the list
of names Of those who must stay away
from tile gardens. The law cannot
prohibit a person from obtaining liz
uor through the Intervention or help Of
frie-.d but the privilege Of dropping
into a favOrite resort and hobnobbins
with friends-a custom which is dear
TO every Swiss-must be foregone.
Tie law is effective for several rea-
soES The military exemption tax is
snaII-it IS generally paid-and the or
dinary peasant does not Ike to see his
name publicly Printed.-CnicagO Rec
ord
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
The ,1entucI.y mountalneer..

There are no more strikingly inter
estlEg people in America than these
isolated mountaineers. who make their
homes generation after generation
among the Businesses of the eastern
section OF the dark and bloody
ground" The waves OF civilization
which swept westward along the st.
Lawrence. the Erie canal and dozen
other routes seem TO have found at this
point in the Appalaehians an insur-
mountsble barrier and rolled back.
leaving the descendants OF the pioneers
of a century and half ago with many
of the same habits and customs and
traditions dear to the hearts of their
forefathers.
A man who knows the whole country
as a child does his first picture book
told me that II any person took the
trouble TO go through a copy of Shakes
peare and pick out all the obsolete
words he would ind nearly all of them
in common use among these mountain
folk In their phraseology we find
"holp'' for help" hit for 'ft" and
other words which. far from being cor
ruptlcns. are the pure old Anglo-Saxon.
Even their ballads are memories of
ages gone by. and know Of one man
who. after riding 200 miles through the
mountains for the purpose, finally pick
ed up. from hearing the women sing
them. the full 13 verses Of an old
Scotch ballad which proved to be iden-
tical with those recorded In diary
bearing the date 1GG5.-International
MAGAZINE
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

"Young man." said q noted Illinois
CONGRESSMAN In the house restaurant
Mt the capitol. "whcn you get chance
to be a consul for the United States
select a smoky city. one where there
are many factory shimneys- Do not
try for the Fashionable capitals. Leave
theal for the ambassadors Go where
the air Is murky. for there business IS
lively. and many consignment is sent
10 the United States This means fees,
and fees mean good income for the
consul
IN the course Of his chat the con-
gressman made the general statement
that consuls who are making the most
money from fees are the quietest. most
unassuming. uneomplainlng employees
Of the government. They do not set
up claims for a salary instead of fees"
he said. "Oh. No; but Ike the wise
boy where the raspberries are thick
they let the world forget. so far as pos
sible. that they are on earth Let a
consular Office be changed from the fee
to the salary system. and it az once
becomes aIluring TO a voraeiOus lot Of
aspirants. Some one finds out per
haps that the political support Of this
particular consul is weak. and tien in
fiuence is used. and soon there is a
change.
zone OF the most profitable consul
ships is that OF Liverpool. The salary
is SG.e0O. but the fees bring the emolu-
ments up to several times that amount.
and a generation ago the income Of tie
consul at Liverpool was $4,000 a year.
This has been reduced by abolishing
fees. "-pittsburg Dispatch.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Two Young men who must have been
medical students boarded en- Ansora
car late one Higis with fully artieu-
lated skeleton. Each had OBe arm
linked with that Of the skeleton, whose
bones ratified grewsomely as they walk
ed to the forward end Of the car and
grayeiy seated themselves with their
Inanimate companion between them.
Between the grin-ing teeth Of Ike skel-
eton was a cigarette. and derby hat
adorned its shining ssuIl. The car was
rather crowded. and the other passen-
gers. most of whom we're men, gazed
In open mouthed asfonishment at the
strange spectacle. The two young fei-
lows. however. pretended TO be unco1-
scious OF their surroundings and held
such converse with the skeleton as
''Too bad yon didn't wear your mack
infosh. BIZ: I'm afraid you'll catch
cold. or. SAY. Bin. better throw away
your cigarette or the conductor VIII put
you Of"
When the conductor came through
for tie fares. one Of the young men
handed him - cents. and he rang Up
three fares without a word Of com
Inent st Sixteenth street a Young
girl entered the car and looked around
for a seat. Here, Bill exclaim ed one
Of the students. where's your gaIlan-
try? Get Up and gi7e the lady a seat
Then be yanked the skeleton out Of Us
place and set il on his knees. The girl
gave one screech, fed to The back plat
form and insisted that the conductor
stop the ear and put her or
Gee. BilIr' remarked the student.
gazing reproachfully into the skeletons
face. you've deteriorated- You used
to be quite a Iady's man" Then ev-
erybody laughed = Philadelphia Rec
ord
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
P-nrer Of a soubrette.

The people who live In stageland
have the su-angest ways. sat in
box In one Of tine theaters one evening
AMI | could see into the wings on the
prompt" side of the stage. A comic
opera was on, and | saw one of the
leading women come and take her
stand there in the wings. waiting for
her cue could see her quite plainly.
AMI | watched her with curiosity, won
dering il she were not cold IN the tights
and thin gauze OF her scant costume.
The comedian began the long speech.
the last word Of which was to call her
on She bowed her head. her lips moved.
and thrice she made the sign OF the
Cross with 4 deyoutness which left no
room for doubt that she was actually
praying. An Instant later she had
frisked out on the stage With a laugh
and dance step and wink that was
anything but pi0us. Nobody seeing
her could have dreamed that just the
moment before she was actually pray
ing-praying for guidance in her work.
praying for strength to succeed. as
earnestly and with lust as much faith
and reverence as II she-well. as If she
were anything In the world but a dane
ing girl in q comic opera.-Washington
Post
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
The oraels In the Mirror.

Sir Noel Patton. the painter. enjoyed
almost as wide a celebrity as joker
as he did as an artist. An encounter
he had with physician in Yorkshire,
with whom he was on the most init
mate terms. is an instance IN point.
Sir Noel was the physicians guest.
His drawing room boasted Of mag
nifieent mirror. which reached from
floor 10 ceiling Of the lofty room.
One morning while the guests were
assembled In the room one Of them To-
ticed a large crack near the top Of the
mirror. The physician was horror
stricken and asked question after ques-
ton in az eGort TO discover the culpri:
Perplexed ana sorrowfuL he stco3
looking n the shattered glass when
Sir Noel asked TIA, stepladder be
brought that lie might examine it mere
closely
Mounting. lie drew a rag from bis
pocket and hastily ran it across the
supposed crack. when. 10 and behold.
il disappeared, He explained that
having come down earlier than the
rest Of the guests. he procured a lad.
der and a lar of soap and inflicted the
seemingly irreparable injury.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Nd doubt the sharks mouth Is placed
so much beneath the protecting muz-
zIe. Under which also the nostriis lie.
that il may serve its proper purpose in
the best way In ali records of the
habits of the fish we are told that it
can and does bite out large chunks of
flesh from the dead bodies of whales
and even from living victims of its at
tacks. and it is easily seen that II its
mouth was like that of othef fishes the
necessary leverage would he lacking
4 further reason seems TO be that the
shark by this peculiar position OF its
mouth IS compelled TO turn upon its
back to strike and is thus able to de-
liver its onset frcm below with more
deadly effect.
Tlxs formidable strength of jaw is
backed up by most terrible array of
teeth. of which in some species there
are as many as six rows all around.
Each tooth is saw edged and pointed.
aud some of the largest are as much as
two inches in breadth at the base.
These lie fat against the Jaws, and can
be raised BY separate muscles at win.
SO that. as the shark darts upon its
prey. they spring on end. as cats
claws are stuck out from its paws.
This arrangement VIII not allow any
thing once boited 10 return, so that a
shark. mouth is veritabIe death trap.
Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
Tha Cont,tn.. ni.tInc,,on.

On one Of "Old Hcss' HOey's trips
across the Atlantic the steamer. NOV
ing slowly along in a dense fog at
about O'Clock in the morning. struck
on the rocks of Fastnet. the light not
being visible, Fortunately. no.aing
more than a scare foF the passengers
resulted Everybody was soon on deck
except Hoey. who had been having Il
hilarious time the night before and lad
slept all through the trouble. One OF
his friends sent a steward for him. and
at last he appeared. still a trifie befog
ged. When the facts were explained
20 him, he joined fervidly in an i'm
promptu praise service which the pas
sengcrs were holding.
Finally there came 4 iuIl In the pro
ceedinss. and '-Old Hess took advan-
tage OF it to propose three cheers and
tiger for the captain. This PROPOSE
ton caused much astonishment. and
some one ventured TO ask on what
grounds re based the proposed honor
10 the captain.
Drawing himself Up 10 his full height.
'Oid Hoss" replied impressively. ~On
the ground that he IS the only man
sailing the Atlantic ocean who could
have Lii that Internal rock without a
hghtrs-SaH Francisco Argonaut.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

This word is in constant use IN
Northamptonshire. England. Ii has
two meanings. one being Ito throw
e 2. "I'll sock a stone at you" IA
vorite diversion among boys is sock
ing" birds. They proceed along the
hedges. one boy or more on each side.
all armed with stones. with which they
unmercifully pelt. or sock" any poor
bird they come across. The other mean
inc of the word is ito beat or to clout:1
e. 3. IN fetch you a sock O. the ear
hole"
have known "sock" in this connec
ton all my life. and it is sometimes
now used here. "I'H sock him." "FH
give him bellsock." He got a good
socking" are common FORMS 4 for
midable fighter IS called "a bellsock-
er." Sock" is common when speak
ing Of ''thrashings" given and taken.
TO give one socks" meaning 10
give one a good beating" is in common
use IN East Anglia. And so is pun
up your socks for make haste" and
''set TO work
a stone in the heel of a sock or stock
ing is a well known extempore life pre-
server or taker.-NOtes and Queries.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Alexander Macarthur. author OF q
successful study Of l.fe in the Latin
quarter Of Paris. whies tre,.-iit 10 tie
writer both popularity AMI proat. is
ah > the pupn and biographer Of Ru-
biRstela. The author lived for rso
years in ST. Petersburg. corresponding
for the London press and taking part
in some thrilling adventures. but the
most singular Of the writer's expert
ences happened IN Chicago after the
novel had been brought out by pub
Usher of that city. Tire book had been
50 successful that the publisher decid-
cd TO give the author 4 dinner. to which
a dozen Of the leading men Of letters
in the lake city were invited. The
guests had assembled when the author
was announced.
Through the blue haze " smoke
there appeared handsome young wo-
man attired in evening dress.
I've are expecting Mr.. Macarthur" /"
said ahe host. .Air alexander Mae
Arthur. the novelist"
$50 ! understand" returned the un-
expected guest. Il am Alexander Mac
Arthur
Your" gasped the publisher.
'Yes. Didn't you knOws l am Lii
Ian Macarthur. at your service. l
have been writing ever the name Of
Alexander ever since left my home
Ia Dublin"
II was only the work Of minute 10
rearrange matters and the dinner was
a great success = Saturday Evening
Post
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
Shattered Diamonds.

Under certain conditions, which are
very rare and remarkable" said an old
jeweler, - diamond may be shattered
10 atoms by a smart, sudden blow. The
stone seems TO disintegrate and fly
apart, as nearly as l can express il.
and when the Kimberley gems first
came into the market the Brazilian
brokers claimed that they were espe-
cially subject TO that kind OF accident
Fer the time being the story had its
effect on t.ade. but it was proved 60 be
untrue. and the incident is now forget
ten. in the course OF an experience Of
nearly 40 years l have known Of only
two cases OF diamonds being broken.
zone occurred many years ago. when
! was working in a shop in the old
Reid House in Chattanooga. A lady
customer dropped a cluster brooch
from the counter TO the tiled floor,
distance Of about 3l5 feet. II struck
squarely on the center stone. which
was broken into a number CT small. ir-
regular fragments. The diamond had
weighed about two carats.
~Thc other instance took place here
In New Orleans about six years ago.
a St Louis travelling man named
Crawford had solitaire veighin ng ~
eGrsts set In a ring. He was Standing
In the store and while conversng alout
something made sudden gesture and
struck the stone against a metal fix
sure- II was split into small. jagged
sIainters. a number of which we found
on top OF the showcase. The drummer
himself was the most asfonished man
] ever saw He had supposed dia-
nionds were indestrnctIbIe simply be-
eanse they were hard. New Orleans
Times-Democrat
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

The discovery Of the famous Tr0jan
nIine in calaveras county. Cal. Is curl
Gus rs an Illustration Of pure luck and
doubtless las hesrtened many dls-
eouraged miner In january. 1868.
henry Becker. a German. ard John L.
Trimmer. a Connecticut man. two poor.
ragged. discouraged mining prospect
ors. went into the mountains Of Cala-
yeras county TO cut oak wood fer fuel
They expected to make something like
$50 Or SO each per month during the
winter by the sale Of the wood They
made their home in an old abandoned
e.Iner's cabin 4 heavy fan of snow
had covered the ground to the depth OF
two or more feet
One day the two men built a great
bonfire of brush. The heat melted the
snow and left an area of bot earth.
Becker determined 10 MAKE an oven
out Of the hot ground. and. securing a
hamich Of deer meat. be began the
digging of 4 hole in which 10 bake
it. At the depth Of two feet he
came upon 4 bed Of rock. He had been
a prospector too long 20 resist the temp
tation Of examining the rock. and. ac-
eordingly. before placing the meat n
the hole he broke of a pieos Of the
rock.
Then. after the venison was buried
and roasted. be examined the broken
Bit OF rock carefully by the light Of his
cabin candle. To his very great aston
ishment, 1t proved TO be what miners
call live rock. assaying $500 to tile ton.
For several months Becker and Trim
mer kept their great find secret. in
the meantime gathering information
concerning the dip angle and length
and breadth Of their new discovered
ledge Within year from its discov-
cry this mine had made Becker and
Trimmer rich-Philadelphia Times.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
Ac,re..ea Pnint rh.ir Fnce.

at is a mistaken idea that actresses
are as general rule handsomer or the
stage than Of" writes Franklin Fyles
in The Ladies Home Journal The
reverse is as likely to be true Never
tEeless ali theatrical faces have 10 be
painted. II may be assumed safely
that none Of the complexion is genuine
An exceptionally clear and pink skin
may require no falsity. \ dark one
may chance 10 suit the character 10 be
assumed. Bat these exceptions 70 the
rule are rare The glare Of artificial
light would make most faces gllastly
white or unpleasantly sallow If bright
hues were not laid on. The art Of col
oring a pretty visage inst enough and
not overriding il is one whics all ac-
trcsses should learn. Many do no;
and so we see beauty disGgured in
stead of enhanced. Others are very
expert There are two distinct proc
lsses. One makes use Of colored pow
fers applied dry: the other mixes the
same powders with grease. making i
substance called grease paint"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

A wonderful reserve fund for the hu-
man appetite Is to be found in the veg.
etable diet of the klamath Indians. s
novel variety Of food. forming q menu
unknown to the civilized. is offered In
the pulp Of the great yellow water lily.
Which Is converted into n farinaceous
food: in the weed known as goosefoot.
which hears black seed that is ground
up for ioaves and cakes. ahd in the ar
rowhead. which in the fall deve:eas a
siarchy white tuber at lie end of tho
roots.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
Regard For The Fox In Japan.

All over Japan you will see images of
fOxes-old foxes. with their noses chip
ped and their ears broken of: older
foxes stiIl. with a growth of moss on
their backs; sly. alert foxes. with noses
perked smartly in the air; great foxes
and little foxes. sages and clowns. all
kinds and degrees. showing the preva-
ienee of this belief In the land of the
wistaria and the fan and also showing
in what respect the fox is held II Is
curious 10 note that in all countries tie
fox. above all other animals has been
considered TO exert great influence and
power All nations have legends of
which the cunning and intelligence of
the fox are the theme.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
sneech and Amhide,teritr.

Heres a scientist" she said. look
ing up from the paper. ''who asserts
that the reason people are right hand
ed is that the motor speech function
controls the right side OF the body and
consequently right handedness grows
with speech"
''Is that soT" he returned, deeply in
terested. 1T is indeed strange. then.
that many women can use their left
hands at all. is it notr-Chicago Post.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Il never was glad for this impedi-
ment in my speech but once" said the
man FROM Dearborn. who was in u see
the town.
when was tl'aty"
''Fs-fe-fellow asked me h-h-how
much I would take for a-a horse. and
while LII ~as t-trying to tell him
s-siyty doIla < be offered me hun.
fred. Won ans Journal.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
Charity.

Every good act is charity. Giving
water 10 the thirsty is charity; remoy-
ing stones and thorns from the road is
rharlty; exhorting your fellow men TO
yirtuous deeds Is charity; smiling In
four brothers. face is charity: putting
n wanderer in the right path is charity.
mans true wealth is the good he
does In this world. When he dies.
morals viii ask. What property has
be left behind himy7 Bu; angels win
inquire. What good deeds hast thou
sem before thee?"-Mohammed
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
The w,t xr. peecher Kep, In.

In the early d:ys 0 Mr.. Beeehers
career. when wit was unknown In the
pulpit. some of the deacons Of his
church asked him # be didn't think
such frequent outbursts Of humor were
calculated TO diminish his usefulness.
He listened patiently. and when they
finished be said. Brethren. If you only
knew how many fanny things keep
in yoH wouldn't complain about the
few let out Ladies' Home Journal.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

"Will you have this here woman 10
be your lawful welded wifeT'
That's what I lowed ! wouldr'
''Will you love. honor and obey herr
"Ain't you got that switched roun',
parson:" said the groom.
"John." said the bride elect. "don't
you reckon the parson knows his busi-
ness? Answer the question:
YES" said the groom. Il reckon I'll
taye toF'-Atlanta Constitution.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Evil spirits are held in great dread
by the Chinese, who believe them to
bear sPeciai in VIII 70 the eldest SON Of
the family and TO delight in playing
unkind tricks upon him. To prevent
this the eldest son in one family was
named ''Sixth Little Sister the ehild's
parents evidently being under the I'M
preston that evil spirits could he de-
eeived as to the sex OF the little one.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25
: making orer-nH Hnt.

a Cory woman. who could not ~
ford a new s. hat. visited millinery
store, saw the late styles. Went home.
pounded her old hat for half an hour
with 4 rolling pin. stuck a feather
through the hand and went TO church
the next Sunday the envy Of all the
women in the tOwn--Erie Dispatch.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Good morning How do you 10 this
morning.' said the duck, meeting the
len.
None Of your business" replied the
hen ~YoH are no DOCTOR"
'ouacl, squawked the duck angri-
~.
That's what said" caekIed the
hen.-Detroit Free Press.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

At woInan's euchre party the other
cay one of the fair players stopped the
game With this query: What do they
call lltde black cat In Englandy"
A number OF the members had been
in England. bur they all had to give II
up.
The riddle maker smiled sweetly as
she trumped her partners ace in true
traditional style.
Cant guess? Why. kitty. kitty
just the same as anywhere else."-New
York Mail and Express
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

"fou say" pursued the chairman Of
the Legislative investigating commit
tee. that he resorted to no bribery
whatever during the campaign. SO far
as you know"
Yes, sir replied the witness; that
Is what said"
did he not circulate several boxes
Of cigarsT
Yes sir. but them cigars wasn't
bFibes. Here's one Ct 'em. You can
Gy tt."-cLicaso Tribune.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

The indigestible properties Of boiled
lam. corned beef and other silt meats
may. according TO Mrs Parloa. the
cooking expert. De eliminated II the
meat is sufficiently boiled. Tie salt
touslIeDs the fibers. and ii takes per
sistent boiling TO overcome this. The
time allowed for ten pound piece Is
Eve hours. but as the pieces are apt 10
be thick rather than long one Of half
this wight would need about the same
amount Of time. The meat should be
partly caol,A in the water n which it
is boiled.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Seven dollars and fifty cents for a
book Ike thatr- exclaimed the yonng
man. putting his purse hack IN his
pockrt why. that COSTS Ike sin
-AIy young friend said TIE elderly
book a-epf. .ihere is nothing That costs
u Chicago Tribune.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

II is estimated that at any given
time. In Germany alone. I.@0o.cOO per-
sons are afflicted with consumption
ard l.2n00o0 In America have 1t at all
times. Professor iIlrsch pronounces 1t
em2hatically a disease of all times, all
countries and all races.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-04-25

Original things are not always good.
The best that any writer can do IS 10
absorb facts and Smiles as COW does
grass-ihen give as good a quality Of
the milk OF eomon sense as possible
New York Journal