davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
A Sma,ll WRfCh.

The Dowager Duchess of Suther.
land, who is credited with possessing
the only crystal watch in existence
having transparent works, made for
the most. part of rock crystal. had the
works removed" from q miniature
watch and placed inside a magnificent
diamond having a diameter not ex-
ceeding the depth of four lines of Or
binary type. Small as this timepiece
was, It is surpassed in diminutiveness
by what was Justly described as the
Smallest watch in the world" which
was exhibited at the watch exhibition
in Berlin recently. Made of n gold.
this microscopic watch had the df'
mansions of a pea; that is to say, It's
diameter Of 6 IL millimeters. which
Is practically q quarter of an inch,
would equal in depth three lines OF
type; $50 Of these watches would
weigh about n pound avoirdupois,
If there existed any one possessing
a heart sufficiently adamant to per-
NIT so brutal a weight as a~voirdupois
to be applied to SO delicate a mechan'
ism. Made Of gold and valued at
e400, this dainty watch boasts a min.
ute hand as long as an ordinary-sized
letter 81" and a half. an hour hand
less than an IN" and a half in
length, and a second hand one-six-
teenth of an inch long that would de-
mand an incursion into the ~nonpariel
font to supply a suitable Illustration.
Good Words.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
treatment of the strawberry Bed.

AEO<StAAlCAEt OA R1k E9tEa DcFTy SEua
After the strawberry bed has yielded
its crop, NOW the tops Of the plants
close to the ground, and burn them as
soon as dry enough, choosing a time
when there is wind enough to cause
the fire to run quickly, and not burn
too long in place. Then the weeds
can be cut out with the hoe, and per-
haps the old plants and the land left
to the new plants or runners. Some
first work the paths between the rows
and make the soil fine and rich with
manure or fertilizer, then cut a new
path where the old row stood, thus
keeping the bed In the same place,
practically, for several years. While
this is an ~old-fashioned method, those
who are limited in their gardens or in
land where they can grow straWber-
ries can scarcely try any better meth
cd until rust or insects begin to fnjure
the plants. 1t may not be adapted as
well to those who have small beds for
home use, but some who have tried 1t
like the plan, even on q large scale,
and do not change the location of their
strawberry fields until driven from
them, or until they decide that they
can get more profit from some new
variety than from the plants that
start as runners from the old bed.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
wood Ashes For stravberries.

a correspondent of Rural New York
er says that he has learned that wood
ashes are not O good fertilizer for
strawberries on 8 sandy loom. He
has a field on which in 1889 he put
about four hundred bushels per acre
of unleached ashes, and he has set
strawberry plants on it twice, and
both times most Of the plants died out
when o dry time came, though at the
ends of the row where the ashes We're
not put they made a good stand. He
has grown good crops Of early and
late cabbage and Of potatoes on the
land, and the best crop Of late cabbage
he had was on that land the same
year he applied the ashes. We think
one hundred bushels of unleached
ashes enough for almost any crop, and
certainly upon q light loan we would
not use more, though cabbages, pota-
toes and grass would not be hurt by
more, and the heavy application would
last longer; but n hundred bushels
to the acre would show its effect for
at least twelve years afterward. The
lime and potash are too strong for the
roots Of the strawberries, and we think
1t would be for some other crops when
used in so large al amount. We do
not think beang or peas would grow on
It very well.-American Cultivator.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

Canal street, New Orleans, is about
1875 feet wide between the sidewalks.
in each side of the pavement there is
a roadway 81 feet wide, on which is all
the traffic. In the centre of the street,
there is a section 60 feet wide, which
has been known as neutral ground, on
which the local street railways have
laid their tracks. Recently an effort
has been made to improve the condi-
ton Of the street and after c~onsidera-
BILE study it was determined to pave
this central section with concrete. Ac-
cordingly a regular concrete pavement
such as that used in sidewalks was
laid down, the bottom of which ex-
tends to the bottom of the ties upon
which the rails are laid. Instead OF
being a solid mass, it is laid down in
blacks with sand joints. Eight inch
sand joints are provided between the
paving and the rails to prevent spread.
ing of fractures which may develop
after a sime. This also permits of the
ready repairing Of the rails, Or re.
newing Of bonding without great ex.
pense. The experiment of using 8
concrete surfaceway in streets will
be watched with much interest by mu'
nicipal engineers.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Wastes on the Farm.

Millions of dollars worth of mate
fial are wasted annually on tho farms
of this country, Is q statement made
by some authority. In the aggregate
/ suppose there Is an enormous amount
of waste In every industry, and farm
Ing is no exception to the rule. There
are farmers to-day who avoid waste
on their farms fully as much as the
wldeaWake manufacturer or producer
in other lines. On the other hand,
there are plenty who fail to realize
that they are wasting good material,
although the process Is going on daily
under their very noses. Everything
Is a waste that Is not put to its best
and highest use. Thus cornstalks
burned in the field is q distinct waste
If there Is any possible way to convert
them into food for cattle. Sometimes
it is q decided waste simply because
the farmer is too stupid to see that his
best plan Is to raise more cattle to eat
the stalks, and less corn. Again it
Lay be a great waste to attempt to
raise only one farm crop when the I'M
c~ertainties Of selling the produce at a
fair profit are great, especially If there
are other crops which could be raised
satisfactorily.
Sometimes n of the greatest wastes
on the farm comes from the failure to
spend money for needed improve
ments. The soil that is not In ft con-
dftion for raising a certain crop to the
highest perfection Is actually wasted
when soWn with seed which 1t cannot
possibly do the best by. The waste
comes In at such times because of lack
Of foresight or because the farmer-is
unwilling to spend the extra amount
o. money. Now, we can waste soil
and crops. We can also waste time,
machinery and labor. All of'these are
important factors and they must be
studied separately and individually.
The successful merchant studies the
market, labor, cost of production and
the wear and tear of machinery and
waste of capital. So the farmer must,
to avoid leaks and wastes, look to It
that the highest efficiency is obtained
from every dollar Of capital he has in.
vested. Progressive farmers Of to-day
are doing this, and they r rapidly
becoming the best business men in the
country. The man who can take a
run down farm and build 1t up. and
make a good living from it through
good farming is a shrewd business
man not to be overlooked In this age
of strenuous living.-W. e. Edwards,
in American Cultivator.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
A WOMAN WHO KEPT A SECRET.
IA , She's Married AID Apparently Glad
That She Didn't Tell.

IA , She's Married aad Apparently Glad
That She Didn't Tell.
Jodge John H. Baker, Of the United
States District Court, Indianapolis,
Ind, was in his private Office the other
day when a well-dressed woman,
hardly more than twenty, knocked at
the door and, In response to his inyi-
tation, walked into the ooEa and ap-
preached his desk. AS the full light
from the window fell upon her it re-
vealed a face of more nan ordinary
beauty. The bushes deepened on the
cheeks Of the visitor as she reached
the desk and stood looking at the
judge.
II want to thank you," she said in
a low, musical voice, "for having sent
me to the r~efornatory and also for
securing my pardon. / am now mar
rled and happy and 1 owe it to you for
having placed me where I would no
longer be under evil influences"
The judge recognized the woman and
spoke in words Of praise of her con
duct in the prison and congratulated
her on her better surroundings. Then,
as ii %recollectinS something, he asked:
Now that you have been released
from the reformatory, are you not
ready to tell who gave you the coun-
terfeit money"
The young oma seemed thought
full for a moment and then, shaking
her head slowly, replied:
ooh! l don't have to tell you now"
Judge Baker recognized his visitor as
a young woman who was brought
before him five years ago on q charge
of passing counterfeit money. She was
then about fifteen, and neither the
court nor the district attorney was
disposed to prosecute her very Wig
orously, but they were anxious to
learn from whom she received the
money that the maker could be pun
ished. Two men were under suspic-
ion, but the Government had no evil
dence that would justify arrests.
The girl was asked from whom she
received the counterfeits, but she re-
manned silent and no amount Of coax
ing could get the information from
her. Finally the judge told her he
would send her to the reformatory
till she was of age unless she told the
lame of the person from whom she
got the money, but would release her
if she would tell.
The girl kept silent and was
sent to the reformatory to spend the
night, the court hoping that q sight
of the Prostitution and the prospect Of
spending six years thererwould cause
her to meme her confederate. When
she was called before him the next
morning, She |as'as obdurate as ever
and be passed sentence upon her.
He thought a great deal of the case
and after a while he made up his mind
that the girl should be pardoned and
she was ultimately released through
his recommendation. Inquiry deVel-
oped the fact that she married oon
after leaving the reformatory and was
living in this city, but the judge had
never seen her since her commitment
till she appeared to thank him for
the pardon.
"There is one woman that can keep
n secret" said the judge after his visi-
tor left the Office, and he smiled as
though 1t was a pleasure to have made
a test which resulted in such a demon
stration.-NeW York Sun.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

this purpose. 1t consists first Of four
posts set in the form Of a rectangle
twelve feet long and eight feet wide.
At n end the posts are about five
and one-half feet high, at the other
only three feet. Across each end Of
the %rectangle an eight-inch board is
nailed at the top Of the posts. In the
upper edge Of these boards are cut
notches about four inches deep and
two and one-half inches wide. Begin
ming next to the posts these notches
are cut at intervals of eighteen or
twenty inches.
Now take boards four inches wide.
thirteen feet long and not heavier
than one inch thick. Arrange these
in pairs, as many pairs as there are
notches In each end hoard, and bore
holes through them at intervals Of one
foot, preparatory to boiling them to-
gether. Brush which has been col
lected from the thicket Is now placed
between these boards and clamped
fast. For the sake of ~clearness only
one of these brush is shown in the H.
lustration. The clamps thus formed
are now placed In the notches prepared
for them in the end boards, with the
brush hanging down. They are held
down by q narrow board nailed across
the tops of"the posts at each end.
The device is now complete. The
difference in height at the two ends
makes it suitable for cattle Of all
sizes. The brush will last for a long
time. but should they become much
worn, or old and brasb, they may be
easily replaced.-A. T. Shull, in New
England Homestead.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Training Currant Rus,.s

Currant bushes are usually too thick
sno are seldom properly cultivated.
mere are some advantages in train
ing currant bushes to O single stem at
'he ground, as they are then more
easily cultivated and kept clear of
grass and weeds. Such bushes ore
easily raised by rubbing off all the
buds from the lower part of the cut.
tlng when planting, all Of which will
De below the surface of the ground.
Good crops can be obtained, however.
from bushes with several stems pro-
vlded proper pruning and cultivation
be bestowed. e
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Amusing Slip Of the Tongue.

Women are sometimes accused Of
lacking a sense of humor, but a casual
slip OF the tongue while the Duke Of
Argyle was addressing q drawing
room meeting at LoWther Lodge was
instantly and warmly appreciated.
The duke had said that after the
Boer war It would be an excellent
thing If Bocr and Briton were to in.
termarry.
1--WE want the Brlton to marry a
Boer girl" said the duke, "but we
want him to have an English wife as
WE'LL"
A pea! of laughter which greeted
this ambiguous declaration led the
duke to correct himself, which, blush
ing, he did, e~ndcavoring to explain in
great haste what he meant. The ex.
PLANTATION intensified the merriment.
1t is the joke of the season, aud won't
be forgotten for a long time.-London
Correspondence Chicago Record-Her
aid.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Ere From Waste Paper.

The deterioration in the quality OF
paper increases the liability Of fire
wherever waste paper is accumulated
In any quantity, says the Scientific
American. Most modern paper is made
from wood and other vegetable ibres,
which, chemically, are not very differ.
emit from the component material of a
hayrick. If the waste paper is stacked
in largex.quantities, and especially II it
happens to be a little damp, heating
takes place just as with a premature
ly stacked hayrick, and spontaneous
combustion may at any time break out
I'm flame, as 1t has often been known
to do in the farmyard, and of late
years the greatest are and vigilance
has been necessary to guard against
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
American Apples For France.

The American apple is growing more
popular In England as the people be-
come acquainted with them. The Lon
oon Chronicle says that France is
ABOUT to follow in the wake of Eng
land in taking to the American apple.
Happily, however, England will not
suffer any diminution in the quantity
II now gets, for our apple trees yield
as mucss as 21O, 900. 900 barrels in a sea-
son. Indeed, it is probable that the
whole of Europe could be supplied
without any great difficulty, seeing
that every year from 100000 to TO-
100000 barrels of apples are carried in
cold storage In the United States.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
The Good Effect of Thinning rre.s.

Since fruit when thinned Is more
evenly distributed over the tree there
Is q greater opportunity for uniform
development. The smaller the num-
Der Of fruits, the greater will be the
supply of food for each and the result
will be larger size, better color, better
quality, and higher market prices, and
the satisfaction Of producing an ex-
ira good article. The tree will make
a moderate growth, set fruit buds for
next years crop, and ripen its wood
SO that it will not be liable to be in
5ured by the water. With varieties
that will naturally produce crops BIZ
enfally thinning will tend to encour-
age the habit of bearing annual crops.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

II the Ohio river were straight =,
would not be navigable. The length
OF the river, including all Its present
windings, is s4s miles; yet the distance
from Its source to Its mouth. in q
straight line, is only GA miles. Tha
river now descends five inches in a
mile, which declivity, slight "a 1t Is IA
sufficient to cause a current so rand
that at come seasons of the wear
steamboats, can scarcely force their
way against 1t. At all times the a.
cent Of the Ohio is a very different
thing from the descent. s~trafshten
out all tho bends and the river wo1ra
rush along at a rate that would render
1t worse than useless for the purposes
of man. 1t would be a torrent. The
same is true OF the Mississippi and all
the aher great western rivers. all NJ
vhf7h resemble the Ohio in what NAV
bd0ermed the uniform irrgularitv ~
their course. -
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Pressure of Corn In silos.

"A much heavier pressure Is exerted
Upon the upright walls of the silo than
upon the floor. At a recent meeting
Of the Royal Agricultural Society Of
England, Francis Fox showed that in
q round or square silo ten feet in di-
ameter, holding 24O tons the pressure
upon the walls amounted to 200 tons,
while upon the floor 1t was only forty
tons. His explanation was that the
material forms itself into arches, the
ends Of which press downward ON the
walls with an oblique, not horizontal,
pressure.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
The Ways of tho Moiern rather.

The Ways of tho Moi.rn Father.
A friend of the Ledger Monthly tells
a story illustrating the ways OF tho
modern father In dealing with mis-
chievous boys. He has three, all In
the first rank in point Of mischief-mak-
ing capacity. A few days ago two of
them anointed the household pet pup
by with syrup of rhubarb. Their moth
er coming in shortly after and
getting a lively welcome from the
little dog. her dress is covered
with the sticky syrup. Shortly af-
ter the father, hearing of the domes-
tic catastrophe turned to the boys and
quietly locked the elder twenty-five
cents from his weekly allowance, and
the younger ten cents from his allow
ence, causing Immediately a tremen-
dous fall In the market value of mis-
chief. This, our friend says, is far
more effective punishment than scold-
ing Or whipping, as it brings mischief
to q point where its return can be cal
culated in dollars and cents.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Swallowing Pills.

There are unfortunate persons who
cannot swallow pills or capsules. be-
cause they try. A famous practition-
er offers this advice: when the OBJ
ject to be taken Is lighter than water
and therefore floats, look down at the
floor, bending the head, before you
swallow. It will so nearly every time
before you know 1t. In obstinate
cases take a mouthful of water and
hold the head back as il to gargle;
then drop the pill In and swallow,
Gone!"-New York Press.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

economists ~ho have been STUDYING
the social and industrial problems OF
eastern Asia predict that the Chinese
will 500 betome a hread-eating in.
stead Of a ~rice-eating people. The presi.
dent OF the San Francisco chamber OF
commerce said at the rate of the pres.
emit enormous Increase in -four exports
to China there will, within three years,
be employment for 40 first-class mer.
ehantmen carrying flour from Pacidc
coast ports to this Orient.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

Sable Island, off the coast of. Nova
Scotia, where so many ships have
been wrecked, is gradually washing
away, and, strange to say, the. Cana
dian Government is doing its best to
find a way to ave it. 1t might be
thought, at first blush, that it's wash
ing away would be the best thing that
could happen. but the trouble is that
it will wash down just below the
surface of the water, and then lie
there concealed, an infinitely greater
danger to navigation than ever. So
an effort is to be made to keep it
above water, and this is to be done by
planting on it certain trees whose
roots have peculiar binding qualities.
The roots branch out widely and in
terlace, clinging to the sand in such
a way that it becomes a strong wall.
The French Government has used the
trees effectively for this purpose, and
they have also been used along the
sandy banks of the Suez Canal.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Al Natural development.

The reason that the ~eyelashes of so
many of the conductors on the Coney
Island trolley cars r so remarkably
thick and strong has been explained.
They have to make $ of them on
Sundays and holidays to hang on to
the cars while collecting fares.-New
York Times.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Locomotive and Boat.

A Swedish State railway engineer,
Herr Magnell, has been commissioned
by the Paraguay authorities to con.
struct a combined locomotive steamel
for the traffic between Altos and
Pagua. This amphibious vessel VIII
be nearly twice as large as the Svaney
-Swan-which at one time maintained
the traffic by land and sea between tbs
viskau and the Baltic In Central SWe.
den.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
OLD LONDON WINE HOUSES.

ths English Metropolis.

ths English Metropolis.
The phrase wines from the wood
Is said to have been coined by the gen.
Roman who. forgotten himself. is per-
petuated at Shorts in the Strand.
zhls famous wine house, founded in
t126, already hears the thunder Of the
county councils pickax on its flank
snd in about two monLns, we learn, 1t
OIL disappear to the eye. But the cell
mrs OF Shorts" are another matter.
Ehese extend across the Strand to the
somerset house and to q considerable
distance in other directions. In their
hoyrinths an eighteenth century en-
Pfoye Is said to have lost his way and
Pever to have been seen again. And
the tale goes that once q year, in April,
mysterious bells ring below and q
moaning sound wanders among the
nmemorial bins. A new Shorts"
Viii, OF course, replace the old, and
Meanwhile attention will! doubtless be
arawn to the career Of the original Mr..
short. He seems to have been a char
acter as we'll as q good man Of bust
ness. He would not serve his custom
srs with more than one glass OF wine
at a visit and attempts to obtain
4 second glass by slipping out at one
door and entering In masquerade by
another are said to have been not
worth making. Mr.. Short died rich
and his successors have borne other
names. But Shorts" Is Shorts"
still, and even Somerset house will
hardly seem the same until 1t Is again
''aced by its m~onosyllabio noighbor.
Among the host of public houses about
to be demolished for the Strand i'm
proyement Is one in Catherine street
which bears the unique sign Of the
Two Spies. OF course, 1t Is q Bible
sign and refers to the 1sraelites' inva-
sion OF the promised land. To Judge
from such signs and the alliance be-
tween beer and Bible would seem more
ancient than political confederacy be-
tween the publican and the parson Of
these later days. There are seven
Adams and Ewes In London and FIVE
Noah's Arhs, and, Of course, connected
with that. five Olive Branches. There
are two Jacobs Wells and one Jobs
Castle and one SamSon's Castle.
5~trangest of all, but not the least ap-
propriate, Is Simon the Tanner, In
Long lane. Bermondsey, the seat of the
tanning industry in South London
london Chronicle.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02

No matter what ails you, headache to o
cancer, you will never get we'll until your
bowels are put right. C~AsoARErs help nature,
cure you without o grippe or pain, produce
easy natural movements, cost you just 10
cents to start getting your health back. Cas-
0lRRTs Candy Cathartic, tho genuine, put up
Ia metal boxes, every tablet has G. &C.
stamped on it. Beware of limitations.
The Opelousas courier., 1901-11-02
Protector For young Hedges.

A vigorous, full grown hedge is q
formidable barrier to either man or
beast, and when properly pruned also
beautiful-an ornament appropriate
for any artistic home in a picturesque
locality. When first set out, however,
the shrubs are liable to injury from
tramping. Some protection should