davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

the instructive faculty that impels the
mason bees to build their curious
structures. Mason bees fashion nests
Of very solid masonry. ChalicOdoma
muraria is solitary In her habits; she
constructs her habitation alone and
unaided, usually selecting a bowlder
of considerable size as a solid basis
upon which to build an adobe edifice
of a suitable sort of earth moistened
with her own saliva. When this is
about an inch high she proceeds to fill
it about half full of honey and of
pollen; lays an egg on it, and closes
it over with a roof of cement. After
eight or nine of these cells have been
completed she adds an additional pro-
lection, thick layer of mortar placed
over the entire construction.
A cell in an early stage Of construc-
tion was taken away, and in place Of
1t was substituted one already built
and stored with honey and pollen. One
would, in such a case, naturally sup
pose that the mason bee, glad to be
saved so much labor, would simply
supply the necessary egg and seal up
the cell. But no, indeed! the regular,
ancient and established custom in the
Chalicodoma order of procedure is far
too important to be disturbed by a
little thing like this; the bee calmly
goes on building until the cell is built
up as much as a third more than the
proper height then, although a suf.
ficlency of provision for the larvae
had been already supplied, she wastes
labor in adding thereunto a second
and a supererogative store Of food.
Another experiment consisted CT
piercing a hole in the cell below the
part where the bee had been working,
In this case the bee is of the same
genus, but Of a different species from
that just described; it is the Chalico-
donna pyrenaica. This species builds
cells as does the other, but fills them
with honey as she goes on, raising the
walls a bit, then going on several ex-
petitions for honey, then building W
the walls again. and so on until the
cell is finished.
A cell was chosen which was almost
completed, and while the bee was away
hole was pierced in the cell below
where the bee was working, allowing
the honey in the cell to gradually es
cape. Entirely ignoring an incident
so contrary to precedentan and established
usage. the bee on her return calmly
worked away as If nothing had hap
pened, adding mortar to the edges OF
the cell and honey, which Immediately
ran out, leaving the nest empty. This
experiment was repeated many times
with differences of details, but nont
in the results. AS 1t might possibly b'
conjectured that the bee had failed
to notice the injury cell was selected
which had but a very little honey IL
1t. A large hole was made in this
which the bee returning with the honel
certainly noticed, for she went dowI
to the bottom of her cell, and not onl.
examined the aperture carefully, bu
felt its edges with her antennae ant
pushed them through 1t. Did she then
as might naturally be supposed, stol
1t up? Not at all. TO do SO would b
to prove false to all the traditions o
her sace-be a departure from the I'm
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

taken, he inevitably, sooner or later,
falls into the liquid at the bottom Of
the tubular leaf, a pool Of death in
which are already imprisoned the
bodies of numerous previous victims,
and so incontinently becomes a subject
Ito point Il temperance lecture or adorn
a tale"
Some very interesting and amusing
experiments have been made in en-
deavOring to determine the nature of
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

a pumpkin raised on Long Island was
exhibited and was the centre of inter-
est to the farmers who attended the
show. This pumpkin was about two
and a half feet in height and was con-
sidered a wonder.
California, however, produces pump
kins that put the Long Island product
to shame. One was exhibited there
recently which was a whopper. 1t
was so large that after an opening had
been made in the top and the pulp re-
moved there was room enough inside
to allow a four-year-old girl to stand
there. Photographs were taken to
prove how large the pumpkin really
was, so that not even the sceptical
farmers of the East can express doubts
about it.-New York Sun.
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

slippery zone, but encounters a sur
face thIckly set with stifr, downward
pointing hairs, that affords him no
footing; and even If he succeeds with
the greatest difficulty in alighting, pre-
vents his progress upward. Taking
fight again and pounding against the
walls, bewIldered, tired, perhaps stupc-
fed or intoxicated by the food he has
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

anything OF the sort his more indus
trlous compeer can boast Of.
Near the cottage where an expert
ment similar to the one here described
was, in pursuance Of the suggestion Of
Sir John Lubbock, tried, grew some
pitcher plants; and toward these, as If
to show that the instinct of flies also
has it's llmita tinns. the nrisnuer that
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03
WHERE INSTINCT FAILSI
BY j. Carter Beard.
iE$E~~RR~~~RE~}

Y EFT the reader, as he finds Oc-
r. casion and opportunity, try
the following experiment:
Take a deep, wide-mouthed
jar. say from seventeen to twenty
inches long, with a neck from five to
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

he, that can walk upside down upon
glass skylight, finds it difficult to keep
his footing. He slips and falls, but
spreading his wings, flies and attempts
to allght on the opposite side, little
further down perhaps, to avoid the
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

Geographical Centre Of tho Union.
This monument at Fort Riley, Kan,
marks the geographical centre Of the
United States. 1t was not erected for
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

PUMPKIN THAT'S A WHoPPER.

A Four-Year. old Girl Can Stand Inside
This California RecOrd-Breaker.
At the exhibition of farm products
held last fall under the auspices of the
American Institute in New York City
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03
For Sale by Druggists Generally. ~

u
a s and & e one w. .S %S % 0 % *. A. Ss"Sf % @ na Ssss E %
wds
Ws svsudEd ssbotLd
The suburban citizen., 1902-05-03

sisting of two water jars, connected
by a handle. One jar has for the stop
per a bird that whistles as the water
is poured into the tube of the opposite
jar. Very few museums have many
perefct specimens Of the black Inca
pottery. The Peabody Museum Of
Harvard University probably has the
best collection in the United States.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
: The Boston Fern

From Farmers Review: Not ev-
eryone can grow palms well. Even
those who have had considerable ex-
perience in the cultivation of plants
fail with them But there is a plant
which no one need fail with-not even
the veriest amateur-if he is willing
to give it the simplest care. This plant
is nephrolepsis Bostoniensis, as the
florists catalogue it, better known by
the name of Boston fern. 1t is most
beautiful plant when grown we'll 1t
sends up scores of fronds, three, four,
and sometimes five feet in length, of
rich green. These spread out over the
pot in all directions, and the result is
a veritable fountain of foliage. A fine
plant is really much more decorative
than any palm OF size suited to the
living-room can be. Indeed, l know
of no plant quite equal to it for lux
uriance and beauty. A large speci
men will fill a good-sized window. In
a corner, when decoration is needed
for some extra occasion" it will give
a most charming effect. Smaller
plants are admirable for hanging bas
kets, or for use on brackets. Really,
this fern is one of the most all-around-
useful plants l have any knowledge
of. To grow it well you must either
give it either leafmold or that substi-
tute for it which is easily procured by
turning over old sods in pasture or
roadside, and scraping away that por
tion of them which is, full of grass
roots. This will give you light,
rio1, in, I,1
and the nearest like pure leafmold OF
anything l know OF. Mix some sharp
sand with it-just enough to make it
friable. Drain your pot well by put
ting an inch or two of broken pottery
in it, with little moss, or something
similar, over it to prevent the soil
from washing down and clogging the
creviceS through which the surplus
water is supposed to run off. A seven.
inch pot will be large enough for
plants six months old. AS soon as
they have filled the old pot with roots,
shift to ten-inch pot, keep the plan,
in this for year. Rather than shift
| to larger pot, / would divide the
plant by cutting it into smaller ones
Use thin-bladed. sharp knife to DO
| this. Make about four plants of the
old one. If it is desired, however, to
keep the large plant, and'it is not con
| venient to repot it, it can be carried
| along in satisfactory condition indef
initely by using fertilizers to supply
the nutriment which fresh soil would
furnish. Not all fertilizers will suit a
fern, however. Finely ground bone
meal Is as good as anything I have
tried. Never use guano, or hen ma
! azure Oh them. Eben Il. Rexford.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
The Home Days.

When the goldenr0d has withcred, ana
the maple-leaves are red.
When the robins nest ts empty. and the
cricket's prayers are said.
In the silence and the. shadow OF the
swiftly Fastening fall
Come the dear and happy home days.
days we love the best OF all.
Then the household gathers early. and
the freight leaps and glows
Till the old hearth In its brightness
wears the glory OF the rose
Then the grandsire thinks of stories. and
the children cluster sweet.
And the floor is just keyboard for the
baby's pattering feet.
II the raindrops dance ootillions On the
roof and on the caves:
II the chill wind sweeps the meadows
shorn and bare and bound IN
sheaves.
II the snowfiakes come like fairies. shod
in shoes of silence. we
Only crowd the closer. closer, where the
CHEEKY kindred be.
Oh. the dear face of the mother, as she
tucks the laddies in.
Oh shs os BIZ M tna oice merrv Of the n father
Home. and happy homely loved ones;
Heart and life and creed and memory,
in the farmstead's holy ground.
the maple-leaves are red.
When the empty nest is clinging to the
branches overhead,
In the silence and the shadow of the
hurryiug later II
Come, the dear days. come the. home
Margaret E. Sangster III Woman's
Home COmpan nOn.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
;;:i:t!i;!is:?:s:sii:!51
FORTUNE TEtLlNG
IN RUSSIA

Russians have a good many ways
of looking into the book of fate, and
will here give short description of
the two that are most in favor among
young folks. writes a contributor to
st. Nicholas.
Whenever a number of young peo-
pie come together, whether it be for
dancing, playing games or just spend
ing a pleasant evening together. some
one of the party is likely to propose
"fate-reading" or "gadat," as it is
called in Russia
Seeking to know beforehand the
name Of ones future sweetheart is a
very amusing experiment. and there
are two methods of going to work.
The first is managed thus: A sheet
OF paper is cut up into strips about
four and half inches long, on every
one of which name is written. A
big basin is half filled with water,
and by wetting one end of the stripe
of paper these are made to adhere to
the rim Of the basin all round, the dry
ends pointing horizontally toward
the center. A nutshell containing q
DlI VI llSollLSu WA IdpeI lS lIlSu SCI
atoat by one of the party, the water
having previously been slightly dis
turbed with the fingers so as to give
it rotary movement. Sometimes the
skiff will pass by many names with
out harm, or, again, it may stay a
pretty long time before one without
igniting it: but the name set fire to
is believed to be that of the person
who is to play a prominent part in
ones future life.
The next question of Importance is
to ascertain in what direction lies
your fate"-that is, from which point
of the compass you are to expect it.
The answer is obtained in the follow
ing way: You step outdoors and
throw your slipper high into the air;
then, the quarter to which the toe
points when it alights is that whence
will come the person who is to influ-
ence your future.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
FRUIT BEFORE MEALS !
s sssssS a. IS S,ssss ssI-55 8;

A value possessed by fruit not gen.
Professor Jordan and quoted often
He says that one Important value OF
fruit is too often overlooked or, un-
known. Our daily diet has tendency
toward too great concentration of nu-
trients. That is to say, we are prone
TO continue eating until. so far as bulk
goes, appetite has been satisfied
But in the more substantial articles of
food. long before satisfactory guam
tity has been consumed a StifiCiencv
in nutritive quality may have been
taken. Fruit if eaten early in tho
meal is a guard against this, result
as its bullliness in proportion to its
nutritive value is very great.
The use Of medicines for smalr@ chill
dren in the simple ailments which
come to them is always to be depre
Gated. With a greater knowledge of
the food values of fruit some of these
ailments will be prevented, while 9th
ers, which have not been wardad off
may be vanquished by the use of
those fruits having the required me-
iicinal properties. We will soon degen-
crate into a pill-taking nation. 1t has
already been said, you know, that. the
meaning of the long uninterrupted
whispering of the ocean waves has at
last been sounded and its echoes are
two words-"Take Pills!" No
wonder. Isn't it folly to gulp down a
nauseating pill, or even sugar-coat-
ed one, when at the nearest fruit
stand or on the home dining table.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
a OET ON THE
POLICE FORCE !
sD6DGD6eDDDDDeDGeR

'The police force of the city owns
a cat that goes out with the men like
a dog" says the Jeffersonville CORE
spondent of the Indianapolis News.
The animals name is jim and he
knows when he is called as we'll as
If he was a human. Jim is about as
ugly specimen of cat as was ever
seen, has a short stumpy tail. but
makes up in goodness what he loses
in beauty. He wandered into the sta
ton about two years ago, and has
made that his nome ever since. 1t
is only on the rarest occasions that he
is ever seen in the daytime. He is
as regular in reporting for duty as
the members Of the force, and knows
when it is time for roll-call His is
the last name called. and he invariably
answers with a meow. He is especial
ly attached to Sergt. Kendall, who has
beat on the principal street, and
night after night Jim can be found
trotting along behind the officer. The
whole city is Jims territory, however,
and Re generally visits every officer
at some period during the night. Every
boarding house, and for the following
seven days eats breakfast at the home
of some officer, going there alone and
leaving at will. He gets nothing dur
ing the remainder of the day, as far
as the force knows. and is eager at
midnight for his lunch. One of Jim's
omplish1nents is knowing what the
telephone means, and he is quick to
act when he hears it. No one is
regularly on duty at the station, but
Sergt. Kendall reports there every half
hour. Jim is generally there some
time during the period, and if the bell
rings he goes like a racehorse in
search of Sergt. Kendall.
"The officers long ago learned Jim's
ways. He has a peculiar method of
rolling over when he wants to notif,,-
one Of the men that the bell has rung,
and they always go back to the sta
ton with him. A short time ago
Sergt. Kendall had just left the station
and Jim heard the bell ring. He went
out after the sergeant, and found him
within a square. The Louisville po-
lice wanted Sergt. Kendall to watch
for man who had cut another almost
into ribbons. Sergt. Kendall hurried
to the ferryboat and intercepted his
man just as he was disembarking The
fellow said in an hour more he would
have been safe from capture. His
victim died, and this week the muir
derer was sent to Frankfort for long
term. Jim was tie sole cause Of the
capture, and Chief Haager Of Louis
vile sent him fine collar"
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
Storing DatI.a 1u3ee:.s

One must not be over-ZealCus in the
autumn care of the dahlia tubers, or
they will be harmed rather than bene-
fitted. says contributor to Vicks
Magazine. The mistake most fire.
quently made is taking the tubers
from the ground too early in the
season. When one has specially
choice collection of dahlias, many Of
which are supposed to be rather ten
der varieties, there is more or less
anxiety felt at the first approach of
frost, for fear the tubers will be in
jured; and they are taken from the
ground before the buds form at the
sides Of the tubers which are to sprout
inlo bloom stalks the following spring.
These buds are called the nascent
buds. and they do not form until late
in the season.
An expert dahlia grower says in
this connection: Leave the roots un-
disturbed for several weeks after the
tops are killed by the early frosts, in
order to feed the nascent roots des-
tined to break the following spring. II
at the time of removing the plants
loLA tAO 6lOuuu IuCSS UuNS al 3 AA4'
mature, there is a great probability
that the tubers will perish before
spring: or should their vitality re-
main, there will be found difficulty Of
getting them to break"
The next business is to lift the
plants from the ground. The greatest
care should be taken to preserve the
fibrous roots, for the plants require
constant nourishment. A number Of
these rootlets will, under the most
careful handling, be broken of, and
the supply of SAP interrupted until
new roots are made. With those plants
that have well-swollen buds, repro
duction is soon effected. When the
tubers are raised from the ground.
they should be Immediately transferred
to winter quarters, where the 6brous
roots must be carefully spread upon a
thin layer of earth and at once COW
cred with about an inch of the same,
leaving the greater portion of the tuber
bare. During the winter they should
be kept slightly moistened, but there
is no better place for wintering them
than an underground cellar, provided
it's windows admit moderate amount
of light.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06

notes which had fallen due, and with
drafts which had been sent to the bank
for collection from other cities. All
these duties kept me fairly busy. but
[ still had time to learn something of
banking as business, and of the
transactions which took place behinu
the counters. AS the business Of the
bank increased, the teller and the
bOokkeeper welcomed my assistance
in their departments; and, when sum-
mer came. and there were no fires to
make and no snow to shovel, had
opportunity to learn most of the de-
tails of the business After while
l was intrusted with the work Of the
teller or Of the bookkeeper when
either was kept at home by illness,
and at the end Of my first year felt
that I was indeed 'cut out for
banker"
l had SO good an opinion Of my &C
complishments that demanded of my
employers an increase of salary for
my second year. They replied that
was receiving all they could afford to
pay, and / Immediately resigned. At
this time nearly every boy in Central
New York had the "Western Fever,
and, after l left the bank ! developed
a very bad case. l determined to start
for Chicago to make my fortune, and
arrived there one day in 1855. with
few dollars and no friends. l had my
mind made up to be banker, and sup
posed that it would be easier to find
an opening in the western city than i,
aad been in my native village. But
when l made tie rounds, l found that
no embryo banker was needed | could
not afford to be idle, so determined
to accept the first position which
should.offer, whether or not it was to
my liking. 1t does not pay for young
man starting in life in a strange city
to be too particular about what he
does for living. l soon found place
as bookKeeper for lumber company
The panic of 1857 affected even book
keepers, however, and, when the firm
found it necessary to reduce expenses,
gladly accepted appointment as night
Waterman.
/ had been in Chicago three years
before good fortune seemed to come
my way. l had visited every banking
house several times in search of
position, for I was convinced that
banking ought to be my career, and
l was familiar applicant to all the
officials. On the third of August 1855,
date l shall always remember,
was summoned to the Office of the
Merchants Loan and Trust Company
where my name was on file as a can
didate for any position, however hum
BILE. "Can you keep set OF books?"
asked Mr.. Holt, the cashier. 81 can
try" was my answer. That isn't
what we want" said Mr.. Holt; "can
you do it?" Il can, if it can be done
in twenty-three hours out of the twen-
ty-four," I replied. and was there
upon engaged at an annual salary OF
five hundred dollars. After working
for 80 long at uncongenial employment
with low wages. this opening made me
very happy. l felt that my future was
assured, for l had obtained, at length.
the long-desired standing-room in
Chicago bank.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06
THE DAFFODIL
QUEEN
Il 8 3 g E% g g 5 s x :

Mrs. Ivy Wandesforde Kersey was
born to sing, as most every one knows.
for she delighted thousands, when
singing in opera. and thousands more
when she appeared with Camilla Urso
of the magic violin. yet to-day She Is
better known as the daffodil lady"
than as a queen of song, and strange
to say, she seems better pleased to
have her name mentioned in connec-
'tion with her loved flowers, writes q
contributor to The Housekeeper."
About ten years ago Mrs. Kersey dis
covered. quite by accident. that there
was a hillside forming part of her
California home. where wild daffodils
bleomed earlier than elsewhere, and as
these blossoms had always appealed
very strongly to her artistic nature,
she decided to raise as many varieties
as possible for her own pleasure. This
sent her to studying books on the
bulb lore of the Dutch" as she puts
it, and for eight years she made this
one of her principal studies,i and all
she learned was being put ipto prac-
teal use.
from three to five weeks before they
can be purchased elsewhere, and she
not only furnishes blossoms in time
for Christmas decorations, but she
also furnishes bulbs for most of the
leading florists of this country, as well
as many across the water.
1t has been predicted by the best
authorities in daffodils that California
would one day rival Holland as field
for bulbs, and as Mrs. Kersey has one
of the best locations in the state for
her daffodils there is no reason why
she should not one DE- be known a.
the daftodit snueen of L.ae world.
The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-06

II properly furnished, may: - 50una =
far better substitutel Why then. the
pill instead OF the fruit7 For this rea-
son: your druggist gets IN ! new pat
ent medicine warranted 70 clear the
complexion, take the fur coat on
fcvered tongue and make = new
creature out OF. the frazzled old one.
and all for twenty-five centa, possi,
bly, fifty cents. Docs he hide this new
cure on some back shelf or even con.
tent himself with standing It in his
show window? BY no means. He
calls the passer's attention by Z skill
fully colored portrait of some fair
taker of his drug. He goes farther
and inserts and advertisement In the
morning and evening papers with q
few glowing testimonials. Then he
gets ready for business and it comes
until the last little box or bottle has
been tied up in blue paper with a
pink cord around it and sent of on
its mission of healing. which latter
word should be followed with large
course he did-that is the druggists
business!
1t isn't enough that the fruit grow
er grows his fruit, packs it. stores it
until prices have reached their top
notch and then starts it on its mis-
sion of health-giving, wishing he had
more of it and that prices were high
er. He must know and be able to tell
TO ignorant customers just what his
particular product is good for.-Mrs
Sada V. Blair