davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

OF Shakespeare; all We know. he said.
is that Shakespeare was baptized. mar
rfed and died.
Well, she replied. he seems to have
done all the essential things
'Mr. Joseph Jefferson was once ex-
planning to Miss Keller what the bumps
on her head meant
That, he said. is your prizefghting
bump
~ never fight she replied, except
against difficulties.
Has Many Distinguished Friends.
1t goes without saying that Miss Kel-
Ter has known the friendship of many
great and wise men and women. and of
some of the best people who live and
move in the society OF today Her
childish letters to Phillips Brooks DIT.
Holmes. Whittier and others are repro
duced here. with some of the answers.
But, after all. the great value OF the
book is in its quality as a human docu-
ment. The world must perforce be in
terested in the feelings and experiences
Of a life so completely cut off from all
ordinary doings Of humanity. especially
when the soul thus isolated is of so fine
and rare nature as that of this little
American girl. It may interest some
readers TO know that she is of Swiss de-
scent. and that her grandfather was
much occupied in work for the deaf. She
was born in Alabama, and lived there
until she was nine or ten years old
when she began to spend a part of each
year in the North.
One Of the most noteworthy bits OF
work in the book is this, which seems to
be an extract from one of her college
compositions. the subject being dreams.
It has a weird suggestiveness about it
which could scarcely be initiated even
by the cleverest writer desiring to pic
ture the state of mind here described.
The Mikes Of DTeamland.
"Ah. the pranks that the Mixes OF
Dreamland play on US while We sleep.
Methinks they are testers at the Court
Of Heaven They frequently take the
shape Of daily themes to mock me; they
strut about on the stage of sleep like
foolish virgins, only they carry we'll
trimmed notebooks in their hands in
stead Of empty lamps
AT other times they examine and
cross examine me in all the studies l
have ever had, and invariably ask me
questions as easy TO answer as this:
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

and "Pasha" is a particularly good war
story. the hero of which is an Arab
saddle horse on Virginia estate
Perhaps the best piece OF work in
the book all things considered. is that
incident in the career OF BLUE BIazes. d"
when, with a reputation of a finished
desperate, he was decoyed into the job
Of helping load lumber into the hold OF
steamer, where there was no one TO
kick or bite. the only man in the vi
entity standing well out of reach.
After the job was done the horse
which had been hired from man on
shore. stayed on board the steamer, be
cause the first man who tried to get
out returned 10 the deck. leaving half
his flannel shirt in the teeth Of Blue
Blazes-
After some twenty-four hours without
food or water. the animal kicked and
bit himself loose and arrived on deck,
where stampede followed. and the
schooner went her own sweet way be
cause all the men. including the steers
man. had taken TO the rigging 1t was
a picturesque situation The subsequent
Of the story, and it makes up the rest
Of the story. and it would be unkind to
spoil Mr. Ford's climax by explaining it
all in advance
II is a pity that Remington or some
other horse artist did not illustrate It,
They have no character and the text
is individual TO the last degree. II
ought TO be issued as an edition de
luxe tNew York: Charles Seribner's
SoHs.J
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

the world IS not here. It is in America,
IN Canada. in Australia, In New Yea
land it is in any country where men
are devoting themselves 10 seIf-ean-
quest. to the perfecting Of the daily life.
and have thrown over once for all the
dog-in-the-manger attitude toward
events There is but one cure for this
nlaiady of fear, this malady as ehsrac-
teristic of Europe as dyspepsia is of
America; it is internationaifsm; II in
democracy"
And here is a bit of the picturing Of
the chateau.
L was walking the other morning in
the shrubbery that skirts the lake when
caught sight Of a haIf-hidden patch
which had never noticed before. Il was
only another Of the surprises of which
this wonderful garden is full.
A Beautiful Summer House.
Il followed the path. brushing aside
the OBTAINING hands which the bushes
put forth on all sides. and. STOPPING
where the sJouter branches were too low
for the high head that I am always
Obliged to carry, I had all the joy Of the
discoyerer. Ny little path seemed bent
on mystery for it wound IN and out in
all sorts Of curves and tangents. but
finally it led ne TO the most perfect NOR
sci of a summer house. half overhanginz
the water and half buried In the green
cry.
1t was very. very old. and OF curious,
foreign workmanship, quite unlike any
thing in the chateau Itself The marble
was stained with moss and Hchens. and
all its outlines were so softened By time
that it seemed almost a part OF nature.
The carving had grown iBdistinct. but
here and there I could trace the fains.
semblance of quaint flowers. and little,
loves were lowering IN the midst OF
them. like bridal butterflies.
What surprised NE most was that
there was a marble seat extending along,
the front side OF the summer house. for%
anyone who sat there must needs turn
his back on the one possible outlook.
I got up aud sat down on it to
see if that would give me any idea. YOU
may call me fanciful. If you please TO-.
but II solved the mystery.
III was here the duke sat. and Mar
gherita sat opposite to him. She looked
a. the beautiful view. and he looked at
her, as any lover would, It was a pretty
compliment I liked the fancy, and often
came TO the summer house and sat,
thus picturing the dear Margaret oppo-
site to me"
This is gentle and merry spirit. fulL
of airy fancies, fair thoughts and trus
going quotations make fascinating read
ing for beauty-loving readers, but, all
the same, they do not make a novel.
/ Boston. Houghton, Miflin & Coz
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

choice of words, but it will be seen from
this extract that this natural. almost
inevitable. fault is singuIarly absent
from the writings of Miss Keller.
Her Wholesome Life.
One of the strongest Impressions given
by this book is that of the purely nor
NAL and wholesome character Of Helen
KeIIer's life. There is, as her teacher
emphaticaIIy states. nothing occult or
uncanny about her. She has been led
so far as possible to think the same
thoughts and do the same things as
other girls of her age
She has been debarred, it is true, from
much of the knowledge of evil and sui
ferfng which comes to those who can
see and hear, and thus far she lives in a
world of her own. But for all that, her
judgments of people and things are sin
guIarIy just, and there is no lack of pro
portion in her impressions of the out
side world
The clearness and beauty of her writ
ing is largely accounted for by the fact
that her reading has been mainly con
fined to the best authors. Here is her
opinion Of some of her favorites4
4 like many writer's, for many rea-
sons-CarIyle for his rrggedness and
scorn Of shams; Wordsworth, who
teaches the oneness of man and nature;
find an exquisite pleasure in the oddi-
ties and surprises of Hood. in Herrick' S
quafntness and the palpable scent OF lily
and rose in his verses; I like Whittier
for his enthusiasms ana moral rectitude-
I knew him, and the gentle remembrance
of our friendship doubles the pleasure
have in reading his poems.
Admires Mark Twain.
I love Mark Twain-who does not 4?
The gods. too, loved him, and put into
his heart ali manner OF wisdom; then,
fearing lest he should become a pessi-
mist. they spanned his mind with a rain
bow OF love and faith. I like Scott for
his freshness. lash and large honesty.
I love ell writer's whose minds. like
LoweHs, bubble up in the sunshine of
optimism 49, fountains OF JOY and good
will. with occasionally a splash of anger
and here and there a healing spray OF
sympathy and pity"
She has a quaint wit of her own. We
are told:
When she met Dr.. Furness, the
Shakespearcan scholar, he warned nsr
not to let the college professors tell her
too many assumed facts about the life
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

It would be ridiculous to expect to
find in her a literary genius simply be
cause she has had an extraordinary ex-
perience. We do find. however. a mind
of unusual quality. and a power Of eX-
preston which would be considered
somewhat remarkable in almost any
school or college for young women. Here,
sor example. is bit Of the account
which she gives of the early days Of
her education in her Southern home, af-
ter the arrival of Miss Sullivan:
Studied in the Woods
We read and studied out of doors,
preferring the sunlit woods 10 the
house. All my early lessons have in
them the breath of the woods-the fine.
resfnous odor Of pine needles. blended
with the perfume of wild grapes, Seated
in the gracious shade of a wild tulip
tree I learned TO think that everything
has a lesson. and a suggestion. The
loneliness of things taught me all their
use.
Indeed everything that could hum or
buzz or sing or bloom had a part in my
education-noisy throated frogs, katy
dds, and crickets held in my hand I'M
til. forgetting their embarrassment, they
trilled their reedy note; little downy
chickens and wild flowers, the dogwood
blossoms. meadow violets. and budding
fruit trees.
Il felt the bursting cotton bolls and
fingered their soft fiber and fuzzy seeds;
felt The low soughing Of the wind
through the cornstaiks, the silky rust
ling of the long leaves and the indig-
nant snort OF my pony as we caught hin
in the pasture and put the bit in his
mouth. All, me! How well 1 remember
| the spicy. clovery smell of his breath!
Her Remarkable Memory
Sometimes I rose at dawn and stole
into the garden while the heavy dew lay
on the grass and flowers Few know
what joy it is to feel the roses press
! ing softly into the hand, or the beautiful
motion Of the lilies as they sway in the
morning breeze. Sometimes caught al
| insect in the flower I was plucking, anG
/ felt the faint noise of pair OF wings
rubbed together in sudden terror. as
the little creature became aware of 9
| pressure from without
| The chief defect. from literary point
of view, in the style of most deaf per
sons is the lack of a sense Of rhythm
/ in the arrangement of sentence and
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

I plunged into the oncoming pillows as
a strong swimmer dives into breakers.
and struek-aIas. It's true.-the bed
post.
Often when 1 dream, thoughts pass
through my mind like cowied shadows,
silent and remote. and disappear. Per-
haPs they are the ghosts of thoughts
that once inhabited the mind of an an
cestor- At other times the things I have
learned, and the things have been
taught drop away, as the lizard sheds
its skin, and I see my soul as God
sees it.
There are also rare and beautiful mo-
ments when I see and hear in Dream
land. What If in my waking hours q
sound should ring through the silent
halls Of hearing? What If a ray Of light
should fash through the darkened cham
bers Of my soul? What would happen.
! ask many and many a time? Would The
bow and-string tension Of life snap?
Would the heart, oyerweighted with sud-
den joy. stop beating for very excess OF
happiness?"
And that is another glimpse into the
mind Of Helen Keller. The book is il
Illustrated with eighteen portraits and
other views. taken from photographs.
New York: Doubleday, Page & Coz.
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

to those whose ingenuity unselfshness
and persistence enabled Helen Keller to
enjoy to so great an extent the world
from which she might seem to have been
exiled in babyhood.
Deaf, Dumb, and Blind,
As most people are aware. Helen
Keller was left deaf. dumb. and blind
by mysterious illness at the age of
nineteen months. Her training has oc-
cupied the last sixteen years. and in that
time she has gained what would be con-
sidered a remarkably good education
even for girl in possession of all the
faculties
The present volume contains not only
full account of her life, but copies
and fac-simiIes of letters written by
her, and some other specimens of her
literary skill
While the style Of Miss KeIIer's writ
ing is not free from words and phrases
which have been used by other writer's
in other words. not strikingIy original
it is certainly more original than that
Of the average girl vino is fairly well
educated. If she has not genius she has
talent, and absolute originality is rare
indeed. especially in girls of eighteen OF
twenty.
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
AN ENGLISH STORY BOOK.

CD GCHARD ROsNY.'' new novel
y from the pen of Maxwell Grey.
is neither better nor worse than one
would expect the work of this we'll
known writer to be- II is story of
English country life, with the usual
strong contrast between the virtuous and
the vicious characters and the usual etii-
flying moral. (New York; d. Appleton
& Coz
The Washington times., 1903-04-05

Stories TITM a Ifatte,-QfIaet Ahmos6he,e-T Told BY
Z. WlhklasS IN al Unusual VezH.

tales in this book that it seems odd tnat
the author did not include it in the col
lection
1t was the story of the ghost of
murdered child which haunted a coun-
try schOolhouse, and was finally laid
by the courageous teacher. It is posi-
BILE that the central idea of this story
reappears in the last of the present col
lection. The Lost Ghost" which is at
once horrible aud pitiful, and perhaps
the best, from an artistic point of view.
OF all the six
It is q curious fact that, whether in
tenGcnaIIy or not, the author has made
every one of these tales develop from a
nucleus of crime. In each of the six
the ghost comes of a malignant human
will whose workings had their effect
even after death. In Tho Wind in The
Rosebush-' it s the spirit of young
girl. allowed to die of neglect. which
makes itself known by manifestations OF
quaint yet half-poettc sort.
The Shadows on the Wall deals with
| a case of fraticide by poison, and is per
haps the strongest of the six in grue-
some and horrible suggestion .I.ueIla
/ Miller seems TO Re the temperance OF
I the vampire myth IN a mild form The
Southwest Chamber" while not founded
on actual crime. takes its theme from
maIevolence.
Based on a Forgotten Crime.
The Vacant Lot" one Of the best Of
the collection, is based on a long-for-
gotten crime The Lost Ghost" deals
with the consequences Of peculiarly
unnatural crime. 1t may be that this
association of wrongdoiug with super
natural appearances is Intentional, and
| conveys a hint that while free from the
/ irrational and causeIess superstition
/ which makes q bogie Of death in any
/ form, the mind OF the New England
villager still harbors in its recessas the
/ half belief that the evil that men Go
lives after them in uncanny shapes ard
/ sounds. However that may be, the evil
shadow is over these stories, and ADDS
much to their artistic impressiveness
They are well told. The author pos
sesses in the highest degree hat pc
culiar talent which IS not TO be learned
or explained, but whose effect. in the
telling of a ghost story, is to produce
goose flesh and the sensation of rising
hair.
The Illustrations of Peter Newell add
/ good deal to the uncanny fascination
| Of the book. Especially good are the
pictures of the chiId-ghost in the last
story, and the group OF specters in
grave clothes standing before the sign
/ Of the Blue Leopard Mr.. Newell has
done a clever work here, somewhat out
! side his usual field (New York: Double
! day. Page & Coz
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
Il REFINEMENT OF ROMANCE
{ H@nJ0'a HTnae'oms Latest Volume Series Of Prose
Pasfeks Rather Than a Flesh and Blood Novel,

IS John PERCYFTELD" is the non
y committaI title of a novel by
c. Hanford Henderson. If a book so dis
cursive and analytic can properly be
called a novel at all; in fact, the plot
is too slight to hold the attention, but
the development of the character of the
hero, and the descriptions of his sur
roundings. especially in the first part
of the book, are full of interest for
those who love dainty writing.
The author possesses an unusual COM
mand OF language, and a fine apprecia-
ton of the higher things Of life, but as
a story-teller he is not worth the trou-
bic Of discussion.
However, there are a few chapters in
the book which are nothing less than ex-
quisite in the refinement OF their senti-
ment and descriptive power Among
these are the chapter in which the Cha
teau de Beau Rivage. On the shores OF
Lake Geneva. of which the hero is a
transient tenant. is pictured with a skill
which brings 1t wildly before the minds
eye; the chapters which deal with the
childhood OF the hero and heroine in
New Orleans during one delightful win
ter which the former spent there at the
age of fourteen. the character sketches
of the three gentlewomea whom the
hero POLITICALLY dubs England, Ireland
and Scotland. or. collectively, the Unit
ed Kingdom.
Mission Of Democracy.
his creators efforts at elucidation.
rather mysterious and vague. some
what resembling those heroes OF lady
noveIists. who are endowed with all the
virtues under the sun except human
nature, the crown of all properly good
folk
Nevertheless. the book was. worth
writing and is worth reading, though it
might better have been made q series
OF dainty pastels in prose 1t contains.
besides the clever descriptive work,
some whimsical analysis of public af-
fairs of which this is fair example:
Here on the Continent there is uni
versal fear. II was worth crossing the
ocean 10 make the discovery Without
this key an American cannot under
stand the triple and quadrupIe alliances.
the jealousy watched balance OF power.
the cowardIy diplomacy, the PARALYSIS of
the powers before the Sick Man of Fu-
rope, the constant war cloud in the
East. 1t is like a nervous game of
chess One listens always for the cry
Of check and breads the final check
mate.
Shall America join this family party
of fear? pray God not. The hope of
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
NE of the most remarkable books
Of the present season, and one
which will undoubtedly have its

- NE of the most remarkable books
of the present season, and one
which will undoubtedly have its
reputation long after the present genera
ton has passed away. is The Story of
Ny Life. by Helen Keller.
Obviously the value of this book must
lie not so much in its intrinsic merit,
great as that may be, but in the re-
markabIe achievement of which it IS the
chronicle. That a deaf, dumb. and blind
person could be taught to express
thought in any way whatever would
have seemed impossible TO the civilized
world Of a century ago. and even when
Laura Bridgman. within the memory OF
persons now living, was taught by care
full and painstaking effort to use the
deaf and dumb alphabet. 10 read, to
write, to sew, and TO employ herself in
various other ways, the success Of her
education was only partial as compared
with that of Miss Keller.
In the present book she has herseIt
told the story Of a life unique in the
pathos Of its conditions and the brave
and patient spirit with which those con-
ditions have been overcome. It is, and
must remain. the most touching tribute
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
ROMANCE AND LABOR PROBLEM.

GITHE BLUE GOOSE" is the odd
l tile of a story by F. L. Mason.
the interest of which IS about equally
divided between pure romance and an
elucidation Of the labor problem as IL
exists in Western gold mine. The
author is uncompromisingly against the
labor union as it now exists. and brings
forward all the welI-known arguments
and representations in favor of the
rights of capital.
Unreasoning opposition only inter-
sites the evils OF which the empIover
complains. and, in turn. unreasoning
demands by the union make the srti-
tude of the capitalist seem more rea-
sonable. Mr. Nason's argument *
weak. first. because a story book is no
place for argument. and. second. be-
cause he is partisan. which story
teller should never be If he can help
it.
Aside from this. the story has it's
merits. It is spicy. and its descrin-
lions of Western mining are good. The
heroine. Elise. is an attractive and
spirited damsel, and the minor char
acters are strongly portrayed. The
author Is sometimes guilty Of certain
oeseurity OF style, especially in his
dialogue. but some of his colloquisI
proverbs are humorous and worth re-
membering. tNew York: Mcclure, Phil
lips Co..
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
WASHINGTON DETECTIVE STORY.

WASHINGTON DETECTIVE STORY.
- he FILIGREE BALL" is the title
L of new story. by Anna Kathe-
rine Green, which acquires a somewhat
peculiar interest from the fact that its
scene is laid in Washington. which has
not before been selected as the ground
for a detective.
The plot. as in all of this author. s
books. is ingenious. and the denouement
would be unexpected if one did not know
that in her stories it is never the ap-
parent criminal who turns out TO be
guilty We have at the beginning of the
book a suicide and suspected murder.
The house in which the interest of the
story eenters contains one room with
tragic and horrible associations.
Three times, in as many generations,
upon the hearth of this room, before the
opening Of the present story. man has
been found dead, with no apparent rea-
son for his death. and no mark OF VIC
lenee The death Of the last victim
being followed by the murder or suicide
Of young bride. descended from the
builder Of the house. its history and be-
longings become a matter for detective
work
It is good detective story, one OF
the best written by this author. and
that is saying something, indianapolis.
The Bowen Merrill Company.
The Washington times., 1903-04-05
BOOK REIZEUS IND NOTES OF RECENT PUBL/CATZONA
HEAR

What was the name Of the first mouse
that worried Hippopotamus. satrap OF
Cambridge under Astyagas. grandfather
of Cyrus the Create wake terror
stricken, with the words ringing in my
ears, An answer or your life
Such are the distorted fancies that
fit through the mind of one who is at
college and lives as I do in an atmo-
sphere OF ideas. conceptions and half
thoughts. half-feelings, which tumble
and tostle each other until one is al
most crazy. I rarely have dreams that
are not in keeping with what I really
think and feel. but one night ny very
nature seemed 10 change, and I stood
in the eye of the world, mighty man
and terrible.
Fighting With Phantoms.
From the top of the hill where l
stood saw my army surging over sun
lit plain like angry breakers, and as they
moved I saw the green of fields. like
cool holIows between pillows Trumpet
answered trumpet above the steady beat
of drums and the rhythm of marching
feet l spurTed my painting steed. and.
waving my sword on high and shouting
I come! Behold me. warriors: Europe!'