davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
FAITH OF OCEAN CABLES.
sub:..arine Tnblelands That Stretch
Across l,t. At.a.::ir

Across The At.a.:.ic,
There seems to be no logical reason
why cables cannot he laid across amy
matter how great the depth. Some por-
tioEs of the Atlantic cables are three
miles below the surface, and this is not
necessarily the extreme depth. for the
cable may and probably does pass
from the top of one submarine hill to
another without dropping materially
into the deep valleys between. says
l.ippincott's Magazine. The greatest
known depth of the sea Is. 4OO3G feet,
or 80 miles, found i'm the south At
lantic midway between the island of
Tristan da Cunha and the mouth of
the Rio de In Plata. Soundings have
been made to the depth of I.lSO feet
in the north Atlantic south of New
foundlanl, and about $4,000 feet, or.
nearly Gls miles, is reported south OF
the Bermudas. Even such enormous
depths as these need not hinder cable
laying SO far as the theory is CON
ccrned, but i'll practice, for reasons of
economy i'll maintenance and other
wise, it is found best to take advan-
tage of favoring conditions in the
oceans bed. To Illustrate, all of the
cables between the United States and
Europe run up along our coast until
they reach the neighborhood of New
foundland before starting across to
their destination in Ireland or France.
The reason for this is fallntl I'm thn
range of submarine tablelands, form
Ing an ideal cable bed, which lies be-
tween The three latter countries.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
RIGHTS OF NAVAJO WOMAN
sao Alone of All lndia, saunws En-
Joys Independence.

Joys Independence.
The Navajo woman, who has made
her tribe the lnost famous of all liv-
ing Indian races by means of her great
and excellent invention, the Navajo
blanket, occupies a social position of
great Independence. Her property
rights are carefully respected. She
owns much of the wealth of the tribe,
nnd her children belong to her alone.
a woman may have hundreds of sheep
when she marries, and not one be-
comes the property of her husband.
Descent is traced through the female
line. 1t is IL survival of the primitive
Matriarchate.
The Navajo woman has no pcrma-
nent homo. The progress of the tribe
has been greatly impeded by its dark
superstition that every death is caused
by Chiide, the devil, and that evil
spirits lingcr about the dead body. The
house is never occupied again. The
corpse is buried in the floor and the
house pulled Gown over it, and Ma
vajo would freeze before he would
make fire upon the logs of one OF
these deserted heaps. So the Navajo
"hogan' is a poor, temporary affair, IL
mere circular hut of logs and stones,
With q hole III the roof for the smoke
and blanket for the door, In the
summer the Navajo woman loves to
move into a brush wickiup, made OF
greasewood boughs. There she sets up
her loom in the shadow of the rocks
and lives in the open air all summer
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
When Jackson Dincd!

While the dinner hour still clings to
the noontime among country people ii
has advanced in the cities until now IL
occurs at amy time between noon and
midnight And that reminds us, says
the Montgomery CAla.) Advertiser, of
one of the many stories about Colonel
Davy Crockett. While he was IL mem
Der of congress and was ut his home in
Tennessee some one asked him about
the dinner hour In Washington. He
said the common people ate dinner at
II, the next above them at /, the mcr-
chants at , the representatives at g.
the senators at 4, members of the cabi-
net at 5 aud the vice president at 6.
But when does the president dinc?"
What! Old Hickory" said Crockett,
anxious to fix Il time that would suit
his idea Of Jackson's greatness. We'll
he don't eat till next day."
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
The Odor Of Deatl,.

A London physician of large practice
asserts that owing to his extremely
sensitive sense of smell he can foretel
the coming of death forty-eight hours.
He says that when Il patient comes
within two days of death peculiar
earthly smell is emitted from the body.
When the fatal disease is slow In its
progress, the odor makes It's appear
ance as much as three days before
hand, but when the disease is of the
galloping kind the doctor says he re-
ceives much shorter warning. He at
tributes the smell to modification,
which begins within the body before
life is extinct.
Dogs are thought to have this sense,
for hunting hounds have been observed
to begin mournful baying day or
two before their masters died.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27

Tt appears that an old farmer near
Houehton owned Il large pile of small
stones, With which he wished to fill Il
ditch, but he had already got ABOUT
as much work out of his boys MS they
were willing todo. especially as it was
nearing the hour for Il ball game The
old man WAS bound to have the stones
moved. anyhow, and so, pretending TO
have discovered a nest of snakes in the
ditch, began stoning the place where
the snakes were alleged to be. The
boys, who n few minutes before were
weary and listlcss, We're now :tll life
and animation. Each threw stones as
fast as he could grab them, and the pile
w;ls soon in the ditch. There are two
morals to this story first. when you
set about killing Il snake throwing
stones is a gladstone occupation; sec
Ond, in selecting Il father be careful
not to choose II lnr.-Detroit Tribune.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
The Henuannn's reruuisitcs.

Strange and unreasonabl, laws guar
anteed to the hcadsman his full share
of emolumemts. He was we'll paid for
his work and never suffered from n
dull season. From the towns he re-
ccivcd poultry and fodder, from the
mOnaStcricS fish and game. The Alb
baye de Saint -Gcrmain gave him every
year Il pigs head; the Abbnye dc Saint
Martin five loaves of bread and five bot
ties Of wine. Cakes were baked for him
OH the eve of Epiphany. For each lepcr
in the community lie eXactcd-heavcn
knows why--a tax at Christmas time.
Les files Gle joie We're his vassals. 1t
was his privilege to seize in the market
place as much corn as he could carry
away In his hands, and the peasants
thus freely robbed submitted without
murmur, crossing themselves with fer
vor as he passed. He had the power to
save from death any woman on her
Way to the scafTold, provided lie We're
able and willing to marry her. He was
the first official called to the body of Il
suicide, and, standing OH the dead
mans breast, he claimed as his own
everything he could touch with the
point of his long sword.-Agncs Rep
plier in uarper's Magazine.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Women In Paris streets.

1t Is quite Il feature of Paris to see
streams of open carriages, private and
hired, taking folks for an after dinner
drive along the grand boulcvards.
which arc tllronged with proncnadcrs
and groups of people sitting outside
cafes talking. Now and again car
riage will stop to deposit it's burden In
front of Il cafe and return later, either
to this or another to which it's occu-
pants have migrated.
With her husband Frcnchwoman
may go anywhere, and it is quite Gus
tomary for the very incest French
women TO take coffee in the open ain
outside a cafe and make this pleas
ant meeting place for friends.-EX-
chanup
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Ruisinx the Minl.

1t seems incredible, but is ncverthc-
less fact, that as late as the year
1914 an old woman named Bessie Mil
lie of Pomona, In the Orkney islands,
sold favorable winds TO scalncn ut the
small price of siNpence Il vessel. For
many years witches were supposed to
sell the wind. The Finlanders and lap
landcrs made quite Il trade by selling
winds. The old woman, after being
well paid by the credulous sailors,
used to knit three magical knots The
buyer was told he would have good
gale when he united the first knot, the
second knot would bring a strong
wind and the third severe tempest
Irish Times.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Their Teeth Betrny Them.

There is only one feature of an ac-
tor which will give him away when
disguised in a perfect makeup" re
marked II young actor, and that fea-
ture is the teeth. Let Il man do what
he will to his face, let him cover 1T
with all kinds of paint beard, whsk-
crs and what not, but the teeth will
disclose his indubitablc indcntity di-
rcctly he opens his mouth to speak IL
line OF to emit Il laugh.
II myself. when sitting in the front
OF Il house Watching other peoples; per
fornanccs, have frequently been pu2
zling myself rs TO the identity of a
clevcrly made up player, but no sooner
has the said player disclosed his ivo-
ries than ! have at once spotted him,
provided, of course, he has chanced to
be II man whose face / know moder-
atcly well. Strangely enough, hardly
amy one is aware of this curious truth,
but it remains an undcniable fact all
the same
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Jnck Cnde's Monu ,mcnt.

at Heathfield. in England, is farm
on which still stand the remains of
an old stone house that is said once to
have been the home of the notorious
Jack Cade. Whether or not Cadc ever
lived there can never be accurately de-
termined, but there is no disputing the
fact that he was killed in that neigh
borhood. On the main road, not far from
the ruins of the house. stands a mon
ument with this inscription: Near this
spot was slain the notorious rebel Jack
Cade by Alexander Iden, Esq, sheriff
of Kent, A. d. 1850. His body was
carried to London and his head fixed
upon London bridge. This lis the sue
cess of all rebels, and this fortune
chanceth ever to traitors"
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
An Autograph Reuuest.

E1nDassadors receive many queer re-
quests in the course of their official
duties. Here is one that was sent to-
Mr.. White by n western woman, who
lncloscd pieces of linen, when he was
minister to Germany many years ago:
eve are going to give fair in our
church, and | am making an autograph
quilt. l want you to get mo the auto
graphs of the emperor and empress, the
crown prince and Bismarck. and tell
them to lie very careful not to write
too near the edge of the squares, as a
seam has to be allowed for putting
them together"
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
All sirloin.

Holman Il. Days pine Tree Bal
lads" tells in verse a number Of sto-
ries that actually happened "down i'll
Mainn,' and are remembered there to-
day by old nnrrators. One relates to
Barney McGauldrie, a landlord Of that
state, mt whose house famous men
liked to stay, that they might enjoy II
merry joke.
Barney was always loyal to his
friends. At one time a new meat
dealer came to town and tried to Sc
cure the landlords trade.
II have always bought meat of Jed
Haskell said Barney, "and guess
l won't change"
"But," said the other. .'old Haskell
doesn't know his business. He doesn't
even know how to cut meat"
We'll" drawled Barney. "I've al
ways found that he knows enough
about it to cut sirloin steak clear to the
horn, and that's good enough for me.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
ROMANCE OF INVENTION.
stcvens ANA Hi. n Rnil and cunard's
clipper Ship Model.


Robert Livingston stevens sailed
from New York to Liverpool before
the advent of the ocean steamer. In
those days the passage took two
months, and Stevens passed many an
hour, jacklsnife in one hand and IL
piece of wood in the other, broouing
o.er IL problem that had often worried
hinl- how to run a railroad without
stone stringers for tracks. He wanted
TO get an iron rail that would hold"
and would take The place OF the thin
strips fastened to the chair OF the
roadScd. just before he reached Eng
land his whiting revealed to him the
solution of his problem, and that so
lu.ion took the form of L rail with,
u broad base that could be applied di-.
rect to II solid wood support. That
L rail is still in use OH all railways
of the world
The elder Cunard, who was appren-
ticed as Il lad to II Scotch shipbuilelcr,
is said to have amused himself in
whiting the hulls of vessels. Occa-
sicnally he would fit one of these With
nasts, sails and rigging complete.
Tired of familiar types he would eN-
pertinent with new ships, and ore of
these it was that attracted the atten-,
tion of his master, because it would
not maintain it's upright position in
the water. Experiments We're made
to ballast it i'll order TO give it the
proper trim. The clipper-likc shape
and graceful long lines of the model
promised great speed. Such is said
to be the origin of the standard model
of the Cunard and later ocean grey
hounds. Cllicng0 News.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
A QUEER EXPERIENCE.
1t Made One Man Believer In thd
Su:,crnnturaI.

II want to tell you very queer ex-
pcrience l had" said the colonel. 1T
borders so much on the supcrstitious
1t throws me somewhat in doubt as to
whether believe III the supernatural,
You all know What IL fondness have
for driving, and the more spirited the
horses are the better l feel to put them
OH their mcttlc. Well, n few summers
ago bought Il pair of high strung,
strongly built b:c, horses and began to
drive them. One Sunday morning [
carefully hooked them to my surrey.
personally saw that every strap was
justed and, in fact, every prccaution
taken to have them so llarnessed that
there could be nothing to fret them.
II drove up st. Charles avenue to
Washington, out Washington to tho
railroad crossing, back again to st.
Charles avenue and then up to Car
rollton until opposite the old Carroll
ton gardens and there stopped to rest
under Il tree. We had moved at q
pretty good pace. the weather was
warm, and | believed that little rest
would do the horses good. I forgot to
tell you that | had III the rear seat of
the surrey my wife and daughters.
I'VE stopped just under q tree, on
the side of the neutral ground, and
there waited. Just then IL party OF
about twenty bicyclists came in sight.
coming up the avenue. AS they passed
us my horses reared and made one
plunge. had the reins in my hand,
and the ladies were seated i'll the sur
rey. What made me do it do not
know, nor can account for it, but L
let go the rcins and the horses ran
away-ran away, mind you, from the
surrey unhitchcd. The surrey remained
perfectly still for Il moment and then
by Its own momentum slowly slid
down to the sidewalk. We all got out
without the slightest anxiety what
ever. 1t was perfectly astounding.
I'VE made Il careful examination OF
the straps, the hooks, the chains, the
pole, and there was nothing broken,
nothing strained. nothing bent-in fact,
1t was just as if some unseen spirits
had carefully unlocked the horses and
let them go. The horses We're brought
back in about two hours. We again
made IL careful examination of tho
harness, and assure you the entire
outfit was in perfect condition-no
ing broken, nothing hurt or damaged
whatever. Now, how cam YOU account
for that? am not inclined to believe
in the supernatural, but at times when
think over this incident l do not
know what to believe" New Orleans
Times Democrat.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Dangerous Criminals.

"Why," said Il lady rcproachfully to
her husband. you know when say
Denmark | always mean Holland.
Perhaps the city girl in the followin:
story, told by the Philadelphia Telc
graph, allowed herself Il similar iati
tude of expressions:
She was sitting on the porch. a...i,
rocking to and fro and watching IL,
fircflies fitting about through tl,
shrubbcry. Suddenly She turned IL
her companions and said in Il li.usiil;
tone:
81 wonder If 1t is true that :irenicS
do get into the haymows sometimes
and set them aire"
Everybody laughed at what was an.
parcntly pleasantly, but the young
lady looked surprised.
why" said she. lit was only yester-
day that saw in the paper an article
headed Work of Firebugs' 1t said
they had set Il barn on fire. Really"
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
RAiNoCERos HUNTING.
The Killing of Big Rhino ON the
Enni.S of thu. Nile

Banks of the Nile.
was dashing along, confident that
the rllino must be far ahead, when 10
wanji whistled. could see nothing till
he pointed out the brute lying quite
close to me. The sun boating on her
mud caEel hide made 1t blend so per-
fcctly with the red earth and ycllowish
grass, that should l,as.. walked right
Up without seeing her. She sprang to
Lpr feet. We 10th fired. She made IL
short dash toward us, but thought bet
ter OF ii and rushed down Il small slope.
OH u Il flat bed of short reeds. Here
she turned again and deMed us. Again
the heavy guns roarcti. She spun round
nlid round several times. staggered. re-
covered and dashed off only TO stop,
however. under the next tree. The 3O3s
cracked, and in Wild chorus cs thank
ful yclls she toppl Il over. rose again,
spun round and finally subsiGcd into
the :sr:,ss We went up quite close to
finish her. She fought lilr,l to vi:,c and
like bullet again sped on its sad GRAND.
and the game OLD relic Of prehistoric
tim S brcathed hcr last. We were sad
mrn as we gaZcd upon her grotesque,
m:sshapcll form. Somehow one feels
such II bl;ltant upstart in the presence
the unbro!stn line that dates back un-
changed into the uNthinllal,lc ages of
the past.-Ewart Grogan in Outing.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
A Difference.

An American girl pretty and bright,
had been spending some time in Lcam-
ington, England.
The afternoon before her departure
she suddenly remembered that several
books from the public library should
be returned She took the volumes.
Sailed forth and presently encountered
:, young Englishlnan whose acGlaint-
ance though brief, had not been with
Out attraction.
"Rcally. now, how queer you .Ameri-
can girls are" he said. "Now, sup
pose If YOU were at home, walking oil
Fifth avenue. you would never Ike seen
with fellow lngging all these books"
"Gnftainly not she quickly and
arclly answered. "If were In Amer
lea, the gentleman would be carrying
them"
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
He Wouldn't spli,.

The tramp in the green goggles stood
before the door.
Yes" said the housewife kindly;
you cam have good meal if you split
that wood"
"Madam," said the tramp in pre-
else grammatical manner, II was born
and raised in Boston But stop, shall
l tell You the sad, sad story Of my
llfe!"
"Ycs, yes"
when youth in Boston, was dis
inherited for splitting an ininitivc, and
since then (his voice brolie) / have
vowed never to split anything. not
even the wood"
"sick i'm. Tige" Baltimore Herald.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Her New jacket.

A naval officer engaged In ordnance
duty on n home station was given to
talking In his sleep. One night he
awakened his wife by starting up in
bed and exclaiming in accents Of pity
ing distress:
"she must have new jacket. I
must manage to get one for hcr"
The wife, knowing her husbands
slumbers had never before been dis
turbed by the requirements of her
wardrobe, became vastly agitated and
gripped him by the arm
William. Willialn." she breathca
earnestly into his ear. hope meanwhile
rising high in her breast. WHO is
sheY"
My three inch gum" sighed the
overtaxed ordnance man
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
Hi. sympathie. Too strong.

''You might think" said Meandering
Mike, dat l don't know how to work.
If you do, lady, dat's mistake. I'm
a wonderful handy man at lot o.
things"
"Then why don't you get employ
menty'
"It's me principles dat keeps me
from followin' me Industrious inclina-
tions. Every time dere's strike de-
clared goes OH sympathetic strike
to help along de cause. An dere's n
strike somewhere Or another purity near
all de time. e."-Washington Star.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
COLLISION WITH A COMET.
What snch Catnstrcphs Would
Mean To-. the Earth.

Mean To. the Earth.
Although it is exceedingly ilmproba-
bic that the earth may be destroyed by
cnJ:.sion with Il comet OF some huge
meteor, still the fact that such a CON
tlngency is possible is sufficient ground
for discussion on the subject and for
imagining what the result might be,
says the Woman's Home Companion.
The earth is moving around the sun
st Il velocity of eighteen miles IL sec
Ond, while the sun, with all It's attend
ant planets, is being hurried OIL toward
the great fiery constellation OF lIcrcu-
les ut Il far greater velocity. The very
fact that small meteors exist proves
the possibility of the existence in space
of mcteors oil Uncomfortable magnitude
Even great black dead worlds may lie
in our path, like breakers in the path of
Il ship. Fifty miles a second is not an
unusual velocity for heavenly bodies,
and some are known to move at IL
speed even in excess of Il hundred
miles !, second, five hundred times the
speed of a rifle ball. Small mctcovites,
which reach the earth at IL velocity of
from twenty To thirty miles Il second,
are instantly consumed by the friction
generated with the atmosphere. Large
meteors, however, occasionally reach
the earth, escaping destruction from
their size, but are found to have their
surfaces fused from heat generated by
the passage through the atmosphere.
Although 1T is not probable, still 1T is
possible that the earth may some time
encounter such a shower of small me-
teors. perhaps in the form of a comet,
that the heat of combustion from fric-
tion with our atmosphere and the poi
sonous gases thereby generated might
destroy all terrestrial life
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
A snntl Tree of PRUSSIA.

We are accustomed to regard sand as
utterly barren, but the plants native to
the coast sands of Prussia have been
enumerated by nuturalists, whose esti-
mates vary from III to 234 varieties
OF these one of the most available is
the Arundo arenaria (marram, which
thrives only in sand and in the salt air
Of the beach. This in time serves to
prepare the soil for larger plants.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-11-27
The reneuin'n Bump OF Locality

On shore the penguin is an awkward
creature. Water is it's element. When
hunted OH the ice foes, the birds gen
orally try to run away in an upright
position, but just as the hunter thinks
he has got one the bird lies down on its
white belly and paddles along over the
snow very quickly, the hard, smooth
quilts slipping over the snow crystals
almost without friction. A remarkable
characteristic of the penguin is his
bump of locality. Both OH shore and
in the water he never loses his way.
To human eyes one ice tloe is precisely
like another, but under that roof of
similar ice foes have seen a penguin
of the larger species find it's mate OH a
foe after diving and swimming for u
full mile under water.-I.eslics.