davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
Weight by Inches.

Forty and a half" sung out the cut.
ter of a Chestnut street tailoring firm
as he passed the tape across a custom
er's chest. Thirty-eight was registered
when the measure girded the custom
er's waist, and then the cutter stepped
back and sized up the patrons height
as compared with that of the salesman
who was recording the measurements.
your weight is 165 pounds" he
said.
"One sixty-seven," spoke up the man
who was being measured for a coat
"How did you guess itY
mo guesswork about it. l simply
compared your height with that of the
salesman here, who is 5 feet 8 inches
tall. You are about two inches taller,
or, say, feet 10 inches. With chest
and waist measurements and a mans
height figured out l can come within a
pound or two of his weight every time,
as my close estimate of your avoirdu-
pois proves. OF course there are ex-
ceptions, notably the man with the
very slim waist and wide shoulders,
who is invariably much lighter in build
than his appearance and measurements
indicate. In that case drop about ten
pounds from my figures and manage to
come pretty near the Mark. "-Philadel-
phia Record.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
Anticipafed.

He was Scotch minister in a small
country parish, and he was sometimes
put to it for fresh pasture wherewith
to feed his flock. One day, however,
he bethought himself that he had
never thoroughly exhausted the sub
ject of Jonah, and his heart rejoiced.
Jonah and the whale was a sort of
thing whereby you could easily drag
out a sermon its allotted two hours
He was in full career and had reached
triumphantly the anatomical peculiari-
ties of the case.
IAN what feesh do ye think it wad
beY" he cried in stentorian tones.
"Aiblins We think it wad be haddie?
Ma, ma. 1t could nae be a haddie for
to tax big mon like yon in his belly.
Aweel, aiblins ye think it wad be a
salmon, but l tell We ma, na 1t wad
ma be salmon, for deed l doubt if
they ever see salmon yonder. Aweel,
aiblins ye're thinking it wad be a big
cod
Here an aged and weary voice piped
up from the body Of the church:
"Aiblins it was a whale?'
IAN the dell hae We, Maggie Mac
farlane, for takin the word cot O. the
mouth o. Gods meenisterp'-Lippin-
colts Magazine.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

desk and walked out without a word.
Ten minutes later she was back with
the real estate man on the first floor.
and the real estate man pounded on the
door and called out:
open, you sleek. slick man, and
hand over that $2!'
Eyes. You talked me out of 81" added
the woman.
No reply
"Open. or I'll kick the door IMP
eyes, We'll kick the door inp'
The silence of death.
"Major Crofoot, you are scoundrel!"
eyes, a deep dyed scoundrel!'
But the major heard not the words.
He had seized the money, locked up his
office and gone down by the back
stairs after his luncheon. He no lon
ger figured on Is cent grab" but his
thoughts bounded forward to a so cent
sit down with plenty Of elbow room.
NJ. QUAD.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
A New Census Word.

A new word seems destined to come
into use with the census of 1900. The
word is "median." 1t ought to dis
place average and center for the great
er number of ordinary census uses,
since the notion of average" which
most people have is really expressed
by "median." while average" means
quite another thing. There is room in
our Technology for both terms, just
as we distinguish between plurality
and majority to good advantage in
discussing election returns. The ay-
erage age of the population of the Unit
ed States, for example, is % years;
the median age is 81 years. The latter
means the point at which there are as
many people above as below. An So
year-old man would then have no more
influence in pulling up the median age
of his community than a 40-year-old
man so long as both were above the
average. The octogenarian would,
however, have great influence on the
average age of a community.-Boston
Transcript
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

Occasionally there is to be found a
proprietor of a secondhand bookstore
who is something more than the nature
of his business would seem to Indicate
He regards his old and rare volumes
rather as collection than a stock of
goods and experiences pang when he
parts with one.
A fiippant young man dropped into a
secondhand bookstore kept by a man
of this kind.
Taking down several choice old books
from the shelves, he fingered them
carelessly and replaced them. They
happened to treat of abstruse subjects
and did not appeal to him.
care any of these books for hire 2" he
asked carelessly.
mo, young man." sharply answered
the proprietor. "They are for lore"-
st. Louis Republic.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
Use For Old Envelopes.

Rigid economy is the mother of &C.
emulation. One of the buster bust
ness men of this city, with offices on
Broadway, never purchased scratch
book In his life and never wastes a
fresh piece of paper on a memorandum
or column of figures. Every envei
ope that comes in his mail is sliced
apart, back from front, and the front.
or address side, is preserved for use.
The inside forms clean, smooth
sheet 3l2 by 81 inches. One Of the
millionaires of Boston made his start
by saving empty nail kegs and selling
them back to the nailmakers for 10
cents each in trade. His clerks were
accustomed to kicking in the slaves
and burning them in the stove.-New
York Press
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
The Mexican Dollar.

The Mexican Herald does not believe
that the Mexican dollar can be driven
out Of the east. The big business
houses of the far east, it says. and the
Chinese compradores, always aceus-
toned to the Mexican dollar, give 1t the
preference. Few other coins have been
better received in any part Of the
world. And any one who knows tue
intense conservatism of the Chinese
may well doubt if, even in the Philip
pines. where there are not few Chi
nese traders, a new dollar can wholly
drive out the time honored Mexican
coin. On the mainland the Mexican
dollar is standard Of value, and the
Chinese are marvelously well acquaint-
ed with every feature of 1t.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
JEWEL MALADlES.
Precious Stones That Are Subject to
Serious Changes.

The decoloration of precious stones
when they have been exposed to the
air for long time is considered one IF
the most frequent maladies. Among
the colored stones, the emeralds, rubies
and sapphires are those which remain
intact best. Nevertheless they are not
exempt from changes, as has been
proved by many experiments recently
Jade in Paris. Two rubies of the same
size and shade were kept for two years,
one in a showcase and the other away
from all light. AT the end of this term
a comparison revealed that the first
had Secome somewhat lighter in color
The influence of light makes itself
felt more plainly on topazes and gar
nets. The garnet turns much paler in
short time, while the topaz assumes
a darker shade and even loses the bril-
liancy possessed by it when freshly
cut.
The most sensitive stone In this re-
spect is the opal This stone draws its
marvellous rainbow reflections from
numerous little clefts which allow the
light to pass and reflect it in different
directions. Often the opal stands the
manipulations of cutting and polishing
WELL and all of a sudden it splits. 1t
suffers always by excess of heat Ow-
ing to its chemical composition it is
sensitive to all the changes of tempera-
ture.
Pearls deteriorate very easily. In the
fire they are transformed into a piece
of lime. Placed in contact with an acid.
they behave as lime or marble would
under the same conditions. 1t some
times happens that during the work. if
the hand touching them is very sweaty.
they lose their luster or break, being
attacked by the acid of the perspira
ton
Since pearls are composed of concen-
trio layers of mother of pearl it is
sometimes possible to repair them by
taking off the outer layer, but this
operation is extremely difficult and
delicate. If the interior colors are in
jured there is no remedy
Diamonds are less sensitive; still it
is not prudent to take them too near
the fire.-Jewelers' Circular Weekly.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
CONVENT LANTERNS.
An Old Fad with Modern Improve
ue1ts-An Electrical Display.

An Old Fad With Modern Improve
me1ts-An Electrical Display.
In the old days a favorite fad for
travellers in ancient lands was the col
lection of lanterns. Those from ruined
converts, decayed mosques and power
ty stricken shrines were prime favor
ties. The fad is not entirely dead, but
the supply has run so short that now
ienterprising firms in Birmingham,
England, and in New York turn out
large numbers of excellent limitations.
The new ones are machine made and
so far as strength and durability are
concerned are superior to the ancient
designs, which were hand made, but
the latter in many instances were or
namentcd with inlaid work as well as
with carving and twisting of the most
artistic type. The machine made goods
can never reproduce these latter char
acteristics so well as to deceive an ex-
pert.
The material of the lanterns varies
from fine woods and glass to iron,
steel. brass. bronze. copper, pewter and
even silver. The simplest forms are
cylinders which are perforated with
numeous holes 50 as to resemble the
clumsy sieve. Then come globes, cubes,
octahedra. heXaGonal prisms, ovoids
and more complex solid forms. The
prettieSt &C all are the mosque Ian
terms. M;,".r of them are of bronze in
laid with silver. pierced with little win
dows and these closed in turn with
white or cc,:'rCd glass. With lighted
candle inside they look like a mass of
jewels in dark room.
A wealthy man on Brooklyn heights
who has travelled great deal has one
of his rooms Terminated by lanterns Of
this type They range in size from
small affairs four inches in diameter to
stately lan'.s a foot in diameter and
two feet high. In place of candles in
side he employs electric lights, one
bulb to the alallcr lanterns and three,
four ard dozen to the larger ones
When the current is turned on. the
splendor of the effect is almost star
Ting. The colors of the glass have
been decpened and made richer by the
years. and the radiance they give may
be compared to that from a great oriel
in a Gothic cathedral.-New York Post
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
THE GRAND SCHEMER
AN INTERVIEW IN WHICH HE TALKED
TO GOOD EFFECT.
He Joyfully Subscribes to a Home
and PhiIanthrOpicaIIy Pounds a
Utopia-Then, Thanks to His Trust
ing Caller, He INDUCES In a Sub
stantia1 Lunch.
Copyright, 1900, BY G. B. Levis.l

u
stantia1 Lunch.
Copyright, 1900. by G. B. Lewis1
Major Crofoot, grand promoter and
general originator, was just making
ready to go out after a luxurious Is
cent lunch when there came a timid
knock on the door, 1t couldn't be the
agent of the building after the four
months back rent, for he would have
boldly knocked the door open; his land
lady, to whom he owed $4S, didn't
know where his Office was; the tailor
had grown discouraged, the coal man
always sent his bill in the forenoon,
and should it be a bill from the cob
bier he wogld dispute its correctness.
In answer to the majors "Come inr' a
young woman entered.
"T-I have called" she began, Gin the
interest of new Industrial home soon
to be established. 1 am soliciting per-
sonal subscriptions"
''My dear woman, sit down-sit right
down." cheerily replied the major. eve
may call this Condolences curious
coincidence. Not half an hour ago
began drawing up plans for just such
an institution. 1t is to be called the
Crofoot Self Supporting Home"
'Then you would not want to sub
scribe to another, of course?"
Perhaps so. You may give me what
particulars you can"
at is to be home where children
without parents and friendless old
folks can be provided for. In return
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
He Was Satisfied.

The Duke of Wellington. as BELTS a
soldier. was an intense admirer of
physical courage. During the siege OF
Burgos one of the Irish regiments dis
pleased the Iron Duke greatly by not
acting with what he considered neces-,
sary bravery. To make up for the
supposed neglect they begged permits
sion to lead the assault next time. They
were allowed to do so. and the regi-
ment was cut to pieces.
wellington rode up to heap of slain
and wounded. Among the latter was
man with both legs shot off. He sa-
luted his commander with, "Arrah.
maybe yer satisfied now, you hoOky
nosed vagabond?'
The general only smiled and sent Il
special surgeon to the man, who lived
to become au inmate of Chelsea hos
pital.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
CONT DYIN THE AMBULANCE
A Doctors Story of a Man and n Wo-
man. Each With a Broken Leg.

A Doctors Story of a Man and n WO-
man, Each With a Broken Leg.
when l was an ambulance sur
geon," said the young family physi-
clan, 81 used to start like a fire horse
at the sound of the call. | was just as
much interested in the work at the end
Of two years as was the day | began.
1t was the excitement of the life that
made me so fond of it. l had all sorts
of experiences at all sorts of hours.
There was an element of danger in it.
too, but that only added to the charm.
Zone night had call from the west
side in the neighborhood of Chelsea
square. 1t was for drunken man who
fell down and broke his leg. On the
way back to the hospital with him
picked up drunken woman to whom a
similar accident had happened. There
was nothing to do but put her in the
ambulance along with the man.
after that the ride across town was
exciting enough for cowboy At first
the patients sympathiZed with each
other. Then they began to cry in cho-
rus. At Broadway they fell to kissing
each other. At Third avenue they were
fighting like pair of Kilkenny cats,
and l had my hands full in keeping
them apart. The woman had scratch
ed the mans face dreadfully, and he
had nearly closed her eye with punch.
When we struck the asphalt in Tween
ty-sixth street, they were singing we
Have All Been There Before Many a
Time and such singing! The uproar
attracted q crowd who evidently
thought had an ambulance full of lu-
natics. When we reached the gate,
they swore eternal friendship. and at
the office they parted in tears. New
York Sun.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
Last of the Modoc..

The ancient Modoc tribe has dwin-
died to II members, mostly women and
sick or diseased children. The death
Of a Modoc brave lately has left only
Ii ablebodied warriors, who will never
go to war again probably. From the
most savage and indomitable of fight.
ers they have lost all ambition for any
thing but their government supplies.
and, while virtually prisoners Of war
on a small reservation, they are left
unmatched. The spirit of old days has
gone, and nobody will ever hear Of a
story about "the last of the Modocs."-
MinneaDoliS Times
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
THE HELPFUL WOMAN.
Her Advice to Her Husband and the
Result of Following 1t,


Result of Following 1t.
There was once a Woman whose
Husband Depended on the State of
the Market for his Daily Toast. One
Day he Appeared before Her with a
Sad Countenance.
"All is Over. my Dear" said he
Wheat is Way Down, and l doubt
if after Tomorrow we shall have More
than Ten Thousand Year to Live On
l am Sorry that | Married you to Drag
you Down to This, but must Tell you
Sooner or Later. am Ruined Man"
NAY, do not Lose Heart" said his
Wife. Can you not Speculate Fur
ther?"
Il cannot" he replied, ''for l have
Lost my Nerve. My Friends Urge me
to Throw what l Have into Copper,
but Dare Not. Five Thousand a
Year would Hardly buy Croquettes for
Two. would Better Keep what
have Saved from the Smash"
"At any rate" said she, come Out
and Have some Lunch. Let US Go to
Sherry's and get Nice Little Bird
Then you Will Feel Better"
"Birdp' exclaimed her Husband
Unhappy Woman, if you see anything
better than Broiled Chicken and Beef
la Mode for the Rest of Your Life,
you will Do Well. In my present
Frame of Mind | would Suggest a
Night Lunch Cart"
LET us have One Good Meal at
least" urged his Wife, before we Die
to the World. l have Twenty Dollars
in my Purse. will Buy our Lunch
with that; after that the Night Lunch"
VERY well. for the Last Time" re-
piled her Husband
Then they went to an Expensive
Restaurant and Ate a more than Salts
factory Luncheon. At the end of it her
Husband said:
81 think Better of that Copper than
Did,"
Then he went Back to Wall Street
and Made Sixty Thousand Dollars in
Thirty eight Minutes.
This teaches US that Digestion is the
Better Part of Valor-Century.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
An Asphalt Lake In Canada.

Thomas F. Drew, mining man,
who has been prospecting in the wilds
Of Canada, thinks he is on the track
Of an asphalt lake near James bay.
"One day." he says, "a party of pros
pectors and an Indian guide were in
a section of country beyond the Great
Divide. The party had camped for a
rest, and the Indian went in quest of
game. He started up a fox at the
same moment he was ON the rocky
rim of good sized lake. The fox ran
across the top of the lake, splashing
the water as he went. The Indian
guide rubbed his eyes and sat down to
ponder on things in general. He then
went down to the lake himself, and
what Reynard could do he could do.
1t was an asphalt lake and, being in
the spring, had about an inch of wa
ter on it. Efforts are now being made
to locate the lake.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

Not long ago a young lady was
spending some weeks at a Scotch
country house, and just before dinner
one evening two cousins of the host
one of them the great man of the fam
ily-arrived unexpectedly. Shortly be-
fore dinner was announced the but
Ter sought the young lady and said to
her confidentially:
Were putin on yesterdays soup, an
for fear there shouldna be enough, We
maun decline"
Decline soupri exclaimed the young
lady, much amused. But, you know.
John, that wouldn't be manners"
Ma" said John coolly; "bnt they'll
think We ken nae better.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
FIRST PAGE FOR SPEECHES.
Rivalry Among Congressman For a
Good Position In The Record.


The effort that is constantly being
made to secure the printing of speeches
on the front page of The Congressional
Record is not generally understood.
Senators and representatives naturally
desire to have their deliverances in
congress receive as much attention as
possible, and there is but one publica-
ton in which they can monopolize the
front page in a display of their
speeches. That one publication Is The
Record.
OF course speeches that are printed
in regular order in the debate, ap-
pearing on the day after they are de-
livered, are 10 be found only in their
regular place in The Record But in
the cases Of speeches withheld for re-
vision there is an opportunity to have
them displayed on the first page of the
official report of the proceedings. This
is merely done by an arrangement be-
tween the senate and house by which
this privilege is about equally divided.
Senators and representatives who
withhold their remarks for revision
frequently inquire when they can have
the first page of The Record, which is
generally reserved for at least a week
ahead.
The general rule is, First come, first
served" In this way those who want
to make their speeches influential will
at times arrange TO have them on the
first DaOa of Tho PaoOrd On thQ morn.
ing of a day when a vote is to be
taken, in order that they may be
brought prominently to the attention
of their fellow legislators just before
they are to take action on the matters
of which they treat. 1t is in the ma
ture of judicious advertisement
Washington Star.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

Smith, suppose Dobber regards
himself the greatest artist that ever
handled brush.
Jones-You do Dobber an injustice.
He never presumed to regard himself
in any such light. Why, l have heard
him say very modestly that he was a
second Raphael. Isn't that admitting
that Raphael was greater painter
than himself?-Boston Transcript.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
That's All.

I'm proof of the assertion that the
world is growing better" remarked Op-
tin. let me mention the fact that we
never find stones in the coffee we buy
at the grocery stores nowadays"
NO" growled Pessim THE reason
for that is that most persons who buy
coffee have it ground when they buy it,
The grocers pick out the stones for fear
Of running their mills. The world is
growing more enlightened in its selfish
ness. That's all."-Chicago Tribune.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
Took Mutton.

He was station hand In from a
three months spell of work, during
which he had tasted no other meat
than mutton; also he suffered badly
His eyes fairly leaped at the stuffed
turkey on the hotel dinner table.
though the boiled mutton made him
shiver.
Said the host, What will you try
Mr.. Straps?"
Eagerly, "Ill t-try b-bit of TIT
The word fioored him. Again. SC give
NINE li-little TIT Then. red faced
and disguised: "Oh. h-hang it, Give
me some b-blooming mutton. | h-hate
it, but can s-s-s-say it, anyhow
Sydney Bulletin.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

Horses were the sole guests at a re-
cent dinner given by a company of
English men and women who went
from London into the country for the
sole purpose of entertaining their four
footed dependents. The menu includ-
ed chopped apples and carrots and
slices Of white bread mixed with a
few hahdfuls Of sugar.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
The Second Need.

Stockman - You remember that
pointer you gave me on the street
yesterday?
Bonds-Yes. What about it?
Stockman-Why, tried it, and as
consequence I've come around to see if
you couldn't let me have a retriever
Richmond Dispatch.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

Fires in all parts of New York city
are most common between and D. M
and are least common between the
hours of and Z p. m. Between 5 and
6 in the morning there are very few
fires; between 6 and there are the
fewest, but after o'clock the number
steadily increases until o'clock at
night, when rapid diminution begins,
the increase being again resumed at :
o'clock.-New York Sun.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
One of BritaIn,. weaknesses.

The weak point of the British caval-
ry service was illustrated the other
day when out of 80 cadetships offered
II were left untitled. only 10 candidates
having passed. The reason is to be
sought in the fact that the cavalry regi-
ments are "swelP' and therefore so ex
pensive that they have to be recruited
from a limited class. = Springfield
(Mass.) Republican.
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08
American Appetite For Diamonds.

1t is the voracious appetite of Amer
leans for diamonds and not the regula-
ton Of the De Beers output by Cecil
Rhodes that, according to Mr.. Woolf.
the leading partner of the biggest Lon
don wholesale diamond firm, is respon-
sible for sending up these gems 90 per
cent Woolf said: Everything has
gone up in our trade-emeralds ten
times as much as diamonds owing to
the smallness of the supply. Pearls.
too, are very dear. The Americans buy
up three ourths of the diamonds. The
Americans buy the very finest dia-
monds and will pay any price for them.
A syndicate has got the cream. There
are only six members, and there never
was such monopoly as theirs. Rough
~ speaking, 1 should say they have
made about S1O,O00,000 in one year."
Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-03-08

I'm thinking about that lodger Of
ours" the landlord remarked to his
wife.
about what?'
"He pays his rent so punctually
think I'd better raise it on him.
Philadelphia Times.