davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

fast as a fish, though 1 can't stay un-
Ger water more than eight or ten min
utes at a time. Had 1 been afraid
of you / should have made a dive, and
swan clear across the river before
coming up to breathe"
II should think you would get water
in your ears"
do you know why / don't? 1t is be-
cause nature has provided me with 1T
tie valves in my ears to shut the
water out. If you dive you get water
in your ears, and there is a roaring
in your head; but nothing of that sort
happens to me. l can hear under
water almost as well as when l am
on the land. IL you open your eyes
under water they ache, but mine do
not; and no matter how muddy the
stream is, my eyes never get sore. l
am like a fish about that.
What do you eat?" asked the bay.
Grasses, roots and barks mostly,
but sometimes l nibble at apples and
vegetables. / can always find plenty
to eat, winter or summer, and l never
have to go far from the water. / see
you are looking for hole in the bank,
but you won't find one. dig into the
bank below the surface of the river
so that no one may know where
live. can dig like a woodchuck, and
my burrow Is sometimes 10 feet long
The chamber at the end of 1T Is far
above water, so that / have a dry bed
when / wish to sleep. Sometimes the
river rises and drives me out, but ii
such cases l make my bed in the
coarse grass along the edges. Didn
you ever see a muskrats house in
| swamp?
mo, never did"
"Well, we build a house almost like
the beaver, except that we use grasses
instead of sticks and limbs. We plaster
the roof with mud. and we have two
and three rooms inside, and we al
ways enter and leave them from be.
low / have been in a house when the
hunters came out on the ice and broke
their way through the top, but / was
swimming away at the first alarm, The
only way to catch us is to set seed
traps for us at the mouth OF our bur-
rows. We are not as cute as the mink
or beaver, though some of us die OF
old age and never get a foot into a
trap"
II have seen caps and capes and
muffs and gloves made of muskrats
fur" said the boy.
"Of course you have" said the
muskrat, land let me tell you that
them for what they are not. Some of
the capes called American seal are
nothing but American muskrat How
ever there Is big demand for our fur
for what 1T is, and men hunt us so
closely that in few years more there
will be none left"
when "A muskrat is caught in a
trap what does he do?"
"He makes a great struggle, OF
course. and does his best to pull his
foot out. Sometimes he gnaws his leg
off, the same as a beaver, but IL the
trap is under water he generally
browns before anything can be done.
once caught the end Of my tail IN a
trap and lost two inches of it in get
ting away, but it grew out again after
awhile. Had my leg been caught
should not have had the pleasure of
this talk with you. I'm going now, and
you can remember what I've told you
and relate 1t to the other pupils in
your school,"
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

the light of earth, dressed in slmpls
the pure white hyacinth, or possibly
the lily, upon her breast.
Meanwhile the 'Aanspreken' goes
about from house to house, leaving at
each a formidable looking card with
a heavy black border, announcing the
death and giving the date of the fun
eral. In some towns when the door
is opened the man steps inside and
reads the announcement in a solemn
toned voice.
Friends and relatives call during
the sad days that precede the funeral,
and the family must receive them; on
this most trying occasion duty again
upholds them. / know of an acquaint-
ance who had lost his dearly loved
wife. and who stood all one afternoon,
with his two children beside him, and
received over 700 people.
without any divine service, the
friends come together on the day OF
the funeral and start for the cemetery.
Out of respect, every neighbor has low
cred his shades; thus the street pre-
sents most sombre aspect.
I'm front of the door stands the
'Lijk Koets' (hearse), and ! shudder
now as | think of that funeral car
riage. Open upon all sides, in each
corner post that supports a square
canopy, and In the middle a raised
platform upon which rests the coffin
| all is heavily shrouded in black with
full fringe edging its borders. Even
| the wheels are lost to view, only the
eyes of the horses look through round.
openings cut for the purpose. Ere
| quently there are four animals walk
! ing. with measured tread, past the
| house where 'nevrouw was born, past
| the dear old church, through the mar
| ket place where the women from the
provinces are selling their wares.
1.-THE coffin is always of solid oak.
polished at least one and half inches
thick. lined with white muslin, and
closed with screws. Wreaths of black
and white beads or of ivy, and some
times flowers, are hung upon the
hearse, and cover the coffin. BY the
side of the hearse walk from eight to
twelve men, carriers, dressed in black,
with long, circular coats, a crepe band
about their three-cornered hats, and
flowing from the back a streamer OF
the same material. Not so many years
ago man walked in front of the pro-
cession systematically wiping his eyes,
assuming a woe he did not feel.
II am sorry to say that many times
l have seen these Dragers' carriers,
on their return from the cemetery, sit
ting on the edge of the hearse, their
long legs dangling from beneath the
curtain of black that has been let
down, under an influence that was spir-
itual II not heavenly.
'In some cities a child's hearse con-
sists Of a coach with the wheels re-
moved, wooden runners taking their
place, on the front little keg Of wa
ter which is allowed to drip slowly up
on the runners to facilitate an easy
transit over the cobbed streets.
AS a rule, the women do not go to
the cemetery, only the men Of the
family. Once there, a friend of long
acquaintance will make a speech ex-
tolling the virtues of the deceased and
comforting the mourners. When the
body has been placed in the vault, the
last word said, brass box is passed
around, that the poor may not be for
gotten, then the friends return to the
house, where a luncheon is served"
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

room, but its feeble rays only intensi-
fled the darkness beyond the circle of
illumination. The men slept soundly,
tired by the heavy work about the
house, though they had not been called
out that day. Once Dan heard the
clang of a trolley car gong block
away, and he was half out of bed be-
fore he realized his error.
At last he fell asleep through shear
WEAKNESS, and fifteen minutes later
the telegraph struck. At the first
stroke every man in the room was
awake. Boots few on as If by magic.
One tug to each foot, a jerk on the
trousers, one button fastened, and the
man jumped for the nearest brass
pole, then to the floor below, where the
horses were already in place and the
night watch had begun work on the
harness.
Through 1t all Dan slept. Burton, as
he passed, reached out a foot. 1t land
ed against the base OF Dams spinal
column, and he shot out of the oppo-
site side of the bed.
He made a desperate grab at his
boots, but his frantic efforts only made
matters worse. Instead of sliding into
lis boots. his toes carried the trous-
ers inside the boots. When these were
disentangled he pulled them up, fas-
tened the button and dropped down
the pole.
The house was empty. Through the
door he dashed, and down the street
following the trail of half-burned
shavings from the engine. One hand
clutched at the trousers and the otn-
er he waved as he ran. In the dim
light he made fantastic figure and
the policeman on the corner ran out
as he approached. Whats the matter
DAM" he asked, recognizing the feet
ing figure. PA ill?"
mo" gasped the boy, "the engine
left me behind"
Then he sped along. leaving the po-
licernan chuckling. His wind was good
ana the run was a short one, scarcely
a dozen blocks.
The fire, a mere blaze in the base
ment of tenement, had been put out
by a chemical extinnuisher from No. 1
truck. and the firemen were already
getting into the tender the line Of hose
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
is carried around to circle.

1t is carried around to circle.
II the field is a small one, matches
answer very well for the hedges. Fig
ure shows an enlarged view of the
hedge. 1t is a simple arrangement,
the three pins form two braces be-
tween which the sticks are laid.
H, the hazard is an elastic band
raised just the width OF a match from
the table.
The foxes and hounds are marbles.
The players are divided evenly into
two sides, one side being the foxes, the
other side the hounds.
Figure 8 shows small stick with
which the marbles are struck. Push
ing is absolutely against the rules of
the game. A small circle of leather
glued to the end OF this stick will
greatly improve it's efficiency.
The object of the fox is to enter the
run at the opening on the right, to
complete the circle and strike the pin
within the den without allowing HIM
self to be caught. A fox is caught
when his marble is struck by marble
belonging to one of the hounds.
Neither fox nor hound can enter the
runs except by the opening on the
right and they cannot leave them ex-
cept by the opening on the left.
When hound kills fox he has an
other turn.
Foxes cannot kill the hounds, but
they are allowed to have a second turn
If they succeed in hitting one of them.
This is however, a very dangerous
play, and is only resorted to in the ut
most extremity. A fox does not receive
a second play by hitting the same
hound twice without turn tnterven-
ing.
A hound may not kill a fox merely
by passing him. If fox chooses to
do so, he may double on his trail and
play back toward sthe open, but he
cannot leave the run except by the
opening on the left.
The foxes are always allowed TO have
first turn, and play one after another
until all have entered the runs; then
the hounds follow in full cry. 1t is per-
fectly fair for fox to strike with his
marble the marble of another fox, but
no second turn is allowed for this play.
The same is true regarding the hounds.
1t is, of course, a great advantage for
the fox to get well out of reach on his
first shot. The plays marked by the
dotted lines and K in the diagram are
both excellent shots, and carry the fox
we'll out of danger behind the hedge.
None but the most experienced
hounds can capture fox on the first
play IL the shots outlined are carried
out successfully.
To make the marble jump over the
hazard, strike sharply down upon it,
as shown in figure one. If the board
is covered with cloth the marble may
sometimes be jumped over one of the
hedges by using this stroke.
Figure two shows the position of the
guiding hand in an ordinary play.
Figure three shows the position of the
striking hand; the stick is held loose
ly between the thumb and first fin
ger.
If either fox or hound Is jumped out
of the runs he is counted dead. The
hounds must capture all the foxes in
order to win the game. If single fox
escapes and reaches the pin in his den
the foxes are accounted the winners.
A hound may follow a fox into his
den; not until the fox strikes the pin is
he free from pursuit.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

give an Ineligible account of his VIC
tory.
We'll, you see, after I got four GER
tlhcates of character for the civil ser
vice board, l went through phySl-
edl examination by the surgeon at
tached to the commission, and then
had to take the regular mental exam
nation. Well, was a bit scared, but
was easy after ALL Any one with
iair public school education could pass
IT, Geography is the hardest for most
fellows because it Is mostly given over
70 locating city streets and buildings,
1 uut l was all right on that l got loo'
MY percentage on the whole was 70,
though 70 would have done. Now it's
up to Sullivan to get me in. There are
ABOUT 1,500 names on the waiting list.
Inc faces of the women fell at these
!ast words. Fifteen hundred names
ana his at the very bottom! But Mr..
male and Dan understood the sltua-
ton
Now, don't you fret mother, Sulli-
van will fix it. That's what he's dis
ulct leader for. He gets all the votes,
ana the boys stick by him because ne
SUCKS by them. When a man wants
Job, Sullivan just goes to the Or
sanlzation and gets it for him. the
sullivan will see that the clerk IN
N0des my name in the list"
Nor was Dan mistaken in his IDEA
VI VI practical politics. Sullivan had a
,Teot to pay and the organization palu
a Tor him with job. Just week
,aler he dropped round to Backus' shop
S Sld told Dan to report to Captain
Dochrane of No. 9 on probation, the
next morning at o'clock as part OF
a patch Of IA new appointees.
G. Ian was more than thankful that
sSuilllvan had sent him among his OLD
LENDS, including Battalion Chiet
Sross, and he was warmly welcomed
the fire-fighters who had watched
o us earnest preparations to hecome
one of them.
. hazing is not only forbidden in the
MIe department, but II is actually pre-
ented. There is always a man on
Talch below. and the captain keeps a
thaip lookout from his room just on
80 1ormitory. However. the men hau
's laugh at Dams expense when ne
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

party. The idea that Danny could fail
at anything he undertook had never
entered her head. And Mile at II had
wise head on her young shoulders.
Moreover, Pat Sullivan, whose son
Danny had saved, had declared that
he would see the young fellow through,
and the name of Sullivan was all pow
erful in that section of the city known
as the 5th ward.
A quick, firm step on the landing,
and something very like a boyish hur-
rah rang down the entry. Dan burst
through the door, crying:
I've got it! I've got it!''
"What?" cried everybody, just as IL
they did not know the great secret.
Why, the fire Department. mean
a place in the fire department"
1t was some time before the confus-
ion that followed the speech subsidized,
and Dan could be prevailed upon to
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

they had stretched from the corner
hydrant to the building.
A shout went up as Dan, breathless,
cantered around the corner. Cochran
stood by the building questioning the
janitor At the close he turned around
and regarded the painting figure with
a smile.
1--WE had to put out the fire with
out your valuable assistance. Daniel
he said. when we speak of running
to a fire you should not take 1t too
literally. You can always get a ride if
you wake up early enough, but you're
doing very well for the first time. Now
you tie a piece of rope round your
waist and well ride you back again.
But next time don't oversleep even If
you have to buy an alarm clock, OF I
shall have TO prefer charges"
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

of an old table, will serve as field on
which to lay out the runs for the foxes
and hounds. Drive into the center of
this board the largest pins which the
household affords. There are extra
large pins which make better board
than the ordinary size, but the COM
mon household variety will answer
very well.
Attach a thread to your pin and then
wrap the loose end of the thread about
a pencil This appliance will enable
you to draw circles quite as well as
with a compass. The first circle
should be about three inches in dame
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
TELLING HIM THAT HE MUST
COME UP TO TOWN"

rub him and the humble bee loves to
be tickled. Thus they work upon his
good nature until he actually let's them
take part of his bag of sweets-all of
it sometimes.
When he has been robbed in this
fashion the smart hive bees bid him
an affectionate goodby, acting just az
if they were slapping him on the back
and probably telling him that he must
come up Ito town" and take dinner
with them some day when he is not
busy. Whoever knew a humble bee
to have day to himself!
Then the robbers go home and lay
their plumber away. while the bumble
bee sets out for his farmhouse, con-
graduating himself upon having such
good friends, likely enough. and quite
convinced that he is, indeed, a highly
popular fellow.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

Next to flying through space in his
flying machine, M. Santos-Dumont
enjoys knitting, making embroidery
and tapestry. 1t is hardly credible
that man so utterly fearless, so
completely devoted to the most danger
Gus pursuit that ever attracted reck-
less human nature should find delight
in occupations so essentially feminine
as fancy needlework. 1t is true, never
theless, and Mr.. Santos-Dumont, as he
prefers to be called, admits it frankly.
Robert Louis Stevenson also found
knitting a most restful relaxation
when he was exhausted by literary
work.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
at don't know"

81 don't know"
Your teacher in school probably
could have told you. 1t is because we
carry a little bag of musk with US.
Whenever you smell the perfume you
may remember that 1t comes from us.
One drop of musk will scent your
clothes for a year. 1t is not much
used in America, but in Europe, es-
pecialiy in the olden times, IL was a
favorite perfume. Kings used to use
so much of II that you could smell
them rods away. and very often 1t was
eprinkled over the mortar and plas-
tered upon the walls Of churches. Did
you ever ask anybody how lived?"
you must live like woodchuck,"
replied the boy.
mot at all, young man. The wood
chuck has a burrow In a bank, and al
ways seeks dry ground, while have a
house IN a swamp or marsh, and spend
much OF my time In the water. When
do not build a house / make my
home In a hole ia the bank. Let ne
tell you that can swim almost 90
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

ter and about one inch should inter
vene between each of the following cir
cles. There are seven circles in all.
Players draw somewhat upon their
own imaginations in inventing hills. or
waterways through which the fox may
scamper in his effort to elude the
hounds. The board shown in the dia-
gram is an excellent one, offering many
opportunities for variety of play and
mishap. It is made of Sc pins, giving
seven runaways, A, B, C, ETC.; four
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
Funeral Customs in Holland.
From the New York Tribune.

A woman who has enjoyed a long
residence in Holland tells various in
teresting things of the funeral customs
of that country.
when 'mevrouw.' the faithful wife
and mother, is called away" she says,
mo unfeeling undertaken will touch
that precious body-with the sweetest
attention they will care for her, and
leave her lying quietly In her own bed,
the very bed upon which she first saw
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
CHAPTER III.
THE FIRE DANNY MISSED.


They were gathered in the front
roonl" of the Hale fiat the day Dan
uas to know whether he had passed
.ne civil service. There were Mrs.
uale. all of tremble, as mothers will
bs under such circumstances; Mr.
vale. smoking furiously and stealing
furtiye giances through the wondow;
Grandma Hale garrulous and deter
mined to while away the moments by
recounting over and over again DAN
nv's exploit with the butchers cart and
old Buck; several younger Hales re-
iodcing in the reflected glory which
should be theirs when their big broth
or was made a really fireman" and
Mile Francis.
Mile was by far the calmest in the
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

The sky was solid wet blanket for
miles and miles-not break anywhere
to set ones hope on. Such were the
conditions under which l made my
first acquaintance with the game of
Fox and Hunter. 1t was girl who
suggested it, and naturally the boys
who had their minds made up for base
ball. fishing or tennis, did not, at
first, take kindly to the new amuse-
ment. They were in that state of
mind in which nothing that is done in
the house seems worth while; yet the
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

hedges. D, E, F, G, and one hazard.
and the fox's den, 1.
1t will improve the field greatly If
felt, green baise or some other heavy
cloth is tackled over the board before
the runs are laid out; this, however, is
by no means essential.
Figure s shows the best knot with
which to tie the thread at the start
and figure 6 shows the hitch by means
of which it is held to the other pins as
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

When Representative DeArrnond
of Missouri was out in the Philippines
he learned to manipulate a camera,
says the Washington Post. When he
had pictures developed and mounted
he put this Endorsement on each card:
Made by the firm of David A. De-
Almond & Sun"
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

There are even bee park loafers-the
dudish drones-who do nothing what
ever. The clumsy, Ioud-buzzing bum
BILE bee, however, is a veritable farmer
and lives with a comparatively small
family in his mud farmhouse in the
clover fields. He is such a simple soul
that the hive bees loko upon him as a
regular "hayseed" Several of them
will meet him when he is on his way
home with a load of honey and induce
him to stop and have a chat in the
bee language. Then they pat him and
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

game succeeded in winning first their
attention and next their enthusiastic
approval
When the rain finally did stop it was
nearly an hour before the young folk
discovered the fact.
You will see in the diagram that the
game of Fox and Hunter is played
through a network of pins and threads
and sticks, or in the language of the
game runs, hedges and hazards. A
board about two feet square, or the top
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
THE BUMBLEBEE is FOOLED.
The Elegant Hive Bee TickIes Him
and RObs Him With Ease.

The patient men who study insect
life have found that the big black and
yellow humble bee is often swindled
into giving away the results of his
hard days work at honey gathering.
The dapper little hive bee knows how
to play upon his weaknesses in the
most shameful manner. The hive bee
is a thorough city dweIler, living in a
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

1T has been discovered that the
building in Richmond, Va, wherein
Poe edited the Southern Literary Mes
senger is still in existence and it is
proposed to place suitable comment
orative tablet on it's walls.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
THE MUSKRAT AND THE BOY.

Why 1t Gets No Water in It's Ears
When 1t Dives-How 1t Builds Its
House.
A boy who often used a path along
the banks of q river one afternoon
caught sight of muskrat on the bank
OF the stream. He was looking around
for a club or a stone to throw at the
animal when the muskrat said:
"It would be no use for you to throw
at me, as I would be under water ss
soon as you raised your arm. You
would better come here and have a
talk. A boy of your age should know
all about the animals to be found
around his home. ] suppose you have
seen a muskrat before?"
Lot OF times replied the boy.
And why DO they call US musk
ratg7"
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

Gen. Egbert i. Vlele, who has
Just died in New York. was distin-
guished engineer and planned Central
Park. He was author Of several books
on municipal engineering.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

that. when drawn up, the knot will be
against the inner part OF the writing
paper inside of the spool. Make slip
knot of the looped end of the horse hair
and fit it over a notch in a smoothly
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03

rounded stick. Rub some rosin on the
notch. BY whirling this arrangement
rapidly, the instrument will produce a
sound that is an exact imitation of a
locust
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
LIKE FOX HUNTING.
Here rs a Game That VIII Pass a
Rainy Day PIeasantIy.

The rain beat a hopeless tattoo
against the windows, dripped with a
dreary persistency from the caves, and
made miniature canals through the
tennis court. 1t was one of those
gray dull mornings when even the
most sanguine of boys is apt to lose
hope.