davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
THOSE AMUSING l D
Former New York School Teacher Re-
calls Some Rather Delightful
Experiences.

Little children are the most misun-
d~erstanding, as well as the most mis-
understood, people in the world" said
a young matron who before her mar
riage had been a school-teacher, to a
New York Times reporter; they are
blamed and often scolded for inatten-
ton and carelessness for failing to do
a task right when oftentimes the fault
has been entirely that of the teacher
who has not been clear in directions.
Still, children, especially, 1 think.
boys, can manage to make blunders
without undue aid. / remember a boy
when | was teaching, one David Perl, a
p%recocious child of the slums, who
came to me one day and said he could
repeat the whole of Barbara Frietche
without a mistake.
He had learned it in the grade pre-
ceding mine, and 1 thought that it
would be a treat for my own children
to hear him recite the poem. So David
stood up before his admiring and en-
vious friends and began.
"Such a ten minutes / never went
through before or since as those which
followed. What a string of gibberish
rolled from that child's lips! Here, as
| took it down Immediately afterward,
is one of the verses of Writers poem
in David's version:
up from der redder which wild corn,
Clear in de cool September morn,
De custard piesrof Frederic-tan,
Green hailed by de spills of Maryland
Round about dem ocids weep,
Apple an peach tree fiuted deep,
Fair as a garden of de Lord,
To de eyes of de fashioned rabbi ord
by the time he had finished l. was
nearly s%trangled with suppressed
laughter, but | managed to praise him
and he told me proudly that he said
the poem most every night, down at
de hotel when he went there with his
papers, and he added, 'dey give me
pennies, too
That performance of David's set
me thinking, and one day L thought L
would test the children on their abil-
ity to remember correctly a new poem,
or, rather, a verse from one. So l read
from old Ironsides:'
"'Aye, tear her tattered ensign down,
Long has it waved on hight
Il got many curious papers, but the
queerest, l think, was this one
81 tear her tattered insides out
Long as she waved on L."
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
AN OLD-TIME POUND"
Description and Picture of one of
the Few Still Standing in the
New England States.

Our ancestors had u great many
unique customs, reminders of which
have come down to us in the shape of
IN old-fashioned church here, the re-
mains of a grist mill run by wind power
there, and Ito come at once to the point
of this article), the ancient pound
which is shown in the accompanying il
lustration. This relic of past days was
discovered by little Miss Spry Eyes, as
the writer and his family were riding
down through the southern part of
Maine to the sea-coast that has become
so famous as a summer camping
ground for the people of New England
and of many of the middle states.
Miss Spry Eyes discovery proved to
be a circular pen of rough rocks high
up in a hillside pasture, with an open
ing on the side nearest the road.
"a 'pound!' an old-fashioned
'pound!'" cried the rest of the party,
though not one had ever seen such a
structure before.
1t was short work to hitch the horses
by the roadside and Chamber up the hill
side to the well-preserved old monu-
ment of our ancestors rigid views con
corning civic duties.
The pen was perhaps 20 feet across
and eight or nine feet high. 1t had evil
IDENTIFY been made of the rough rocks
that were everywhere in evidence in
the vicinity. That the work had been
carefully done was evidenced by the
well-preserved walls, which must have
withstood the effects of at least a hun
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
HUMOROUS.

Polly-''She says that her face is her
fortune" Dolly-"She must mean her
Observation-Disclosures Herald.
Basis of Comparison.-"Is he so ig-
n%orant, them" Ignorant! Why, say!
he's so ignorant and behind the times
that they took him on a murder jury
in a sensational case."-Chicago Post,
What becomes of your defeated po-
litical candidates, colonel? Do you
relegate them to the rear?" "No, sir;
they all take the lecture platform and
get rich telling how ithappened."-At-
lanta Constitution.
Proper Treatment.-Mrs. Goodman
You don't mean to say you threw
hot water on her when she fainted?'
Mrs. McSlug-'Av coorse. We wor
havin' a bit av a foight, an twas wild a
brick that she Observation-Disclosures
Press.
An Empty Assurance.-"He says
he'd share his last dollar with me-
Yes" said the man who looks at
things coldly; 'but he is a man who
will take precious good care never to
get down to his last dollar.''-Wash-
ington Star.
Solving a Problem.-George-"Wom
en- are still pushing their way into al
industries" Jack-"That's so. Ihave
just been discharged to make way fol
a woman" you have? Well! What
are you going to do now?" 81 am try
ing to marry the woman."-Washing,
ton Times.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27

dred and twenty-five winters. 1t was
certainly intended that when an ami
NAL had been lawfully "impounded,'
neither the animal should escape MOI
his owner be able to liberate the pris-
oner until the pound-keeper's fees had
been paid; so thoroughly was the wall
and well-ironed door, or gate, con
structed.
The pound" in question is the only
n known to the writer to be still
standing in the Pine Tree state,
though there may be others in remote
places that have not been visited by
him. They certainly are very rare in
New England, though common enough
in the old days when every town had
its pound and its pound-keeper, to
which an0 to whom were driven all
"horses, asses, mules, sheep, goats and
swine" that anyone might find wander
ing upon the highway or trespassing
upon his premises. The keeper of the
pound who was annually elected at the
March town meet'n," vas obliged to
receive all animals brought to him,
whether actually caught trespassing,
or wandering at large, and it doubtless
often happened that animals were
driven to the pound out of pure spite,
but the pound-Neeper could not take
cognizance ofSahis. even though he
might suspectit. His duty was to keep
the animals in>custody until their own
ers should settle according to law.
The pound did not go as 20 as some
of the other customs that were
brought across the water, but the prac-
tice of impounding cattle began finally
to die out, and the old stone or wooden
structures to fall into ruin. But a
curious thing happened. Though the
custom fell into disuse, the practice of
electing a pound-keeper at each annual
town meeting has been retained in
many towns in New England to the
present day. In not a few towns when
the more serious matters have been
| disposed of, nominations are in order
for the office of pound-keeper, fence
viewer, hog-reeve (whose duties would
seem to encroach somewhat upon the
prerogatives of the pound keeper!)
and various other offices, the choosing
of suitable persons to fill which seems
to afford the voters much merriment.
This may be all very trivial, but yet
l am glad to see that some at least of
the many traditions of which New Eng
land life has been SO full, are dying
hard. l hope the old pound that is
shown in the cut will endure for an
other hundred years to evoke memo
ries of the old days of New England
days that have had no little influence
on the subsequent life of the nation
Webb DonneH, in Country Gentleman.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
A TENNESSEE MOONSHINER.
Brief Description of II Typical
Specimen of the Tribe and
His Home.

He was some six feet tall, but his
shoulders stopped, and he looked less
the mountain bad mar than the bro
ken-down farmer, says Leonidas Hub
bard, Jr., in Atlantic. His hair had
been coal black, but plentiful white
streaks were making their advent.
Apparently it had not been combed
for days, for it stuck out in mats and
tangles from under the edges of his
frayed and ragged black felt hat.
His beard was short and scrubby,
grizzled like his hair. His eyes were
blush gray, and when he spoke there
was a look in them which | have seen
in the eyes of more than one politi-
cian-a look which says Il know you
and you know me, and you know I'm
telling things which are not true. be-
cause it is part of my business to do
So" Much-worn suspenders fastened
by nails, held up a pair of threadbare
black trousers. A dark calico shirt
hung open in front displaying a sun
Drowned chest. When the man walked
it was with a decided limp, the result
of wearing manacles in an Alabama
chain gang.
The cabin had one room. In one
end was an immense stone fireplace,
and on either side of this a loophole
or window some six by eight inches
in area. There were no other win
dows than these, and there was about
the whole interior a gloominess which
might prove disconcerting to an Off
cial coming suddenly in from the sun
ny outside. A table leaned against one
wall, and owe this was a shelf on
which stood half a dozen quart bot
ties, some tin cans and a few dishes.
In the end opposite the fireplace were
two beds. AT the head of one stood
a brace of repeating rifles, a Marlin
and a Winchester, so placed as to
be within easy reach of the sleeper.
The walls were as bare as the floor
save for the wings and tails of some
half dozen wild turkeys which hung
about from nails and pegs
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
INDIAN VOW MAKER.
He Had Things All His own Way I'm
til the White Man Began Max
ing Vows, Too.

Many anecdotes show that Indians
have not been wanting in calculation
and cunning in their dealings with
white people. Indeed, the paleface,
although superior in intelligence and
education, is often obliged to look very
sharp in order MOI to become the dupe
of the crafty red a In 1.-THE Des-
erts of North America" this anecdote
is related:
An Indian, after hearing a preacher
speak from the text: MAKE VOWS to
Heaven and keep them" went up to
the preacher after the sermon and
said:
II have made a VOW to go to your
house."
but he smiled and said: well keep
your VOW"
On arriving at the house the Indian
seated himself, and after a time re-
| marked: 81 have made a vow to sup
with you" This was also granted, but
when, after supper, the Indian an
~nounced: Il nave made a vow to sleep
in your house." the minister began to
fear that there would be no end to
the vows of his attentive auditor.
"That is easy to do, and you should
keep your VOW" he said. 81 will give
you a bed. But" he added, 81 have
made a vow that you shall leave to-
morrow morning."
The Indian nodded. "Good!"he said.
"You make my VOWS come true; so L
make your VOW come true" And the
next morning he went away in good
humor.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Spoiled the Dog.

81 don't think there ever was such
an unfortunate individual as l am"
growled Short as he flung himself
down on the couch. at does not mat
ter what l try to do, something is
sure to upset my plans"
'It is like that with some people,"
remarked Long, sympathetically.
what is it this time?"
why, as | reached the door Black
came up and bullied me because my
dog had bitten out a piece of his leg"
Il don't quite see where the misfor-
tune comes in for you. You won't
have to pay compensation; it's the
dogs first bite. 1t seems to me that
the misfortune"
"You don't understand at ALL" re-
joined Short, savagely. "I've brought
that dog up from a pup as a proof
that dogs can live on a vegetarian
diet, and just as l am attaining my
object, the dog gets hold of a piece
of meat. It's enough to make a man
use bad language. Why on earth did
that idiot go and put his leg in the
dogs way?'-London Answers.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Ant. Hold Conversations.

Ants can talk! A gentleman expert
menting with one of the new instru-
ments, which magnifies small sounds
as the microscope does small objects,
distinctly heard the voices of a number
Of ants placed under a glass cup from
which they could not escape. At first
there was but a faint whispering
sound, which, soon as they realized
their situation and ran wildly around
the edge of the glass, increased to
what might have been an angry roar
to them. These little voices are not
audible to our coarse sense of hearing.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
CHINESE MAGIC LANTERNS.
HOW the Instruments of the Celes
tails Differ from Those in Use
in This Country.

The magic lantern, like porcelain.
gun-powder and printing, may have
been an invention of the Chinese. For
more than 90 centuries it has been a
staple amusement in the Celestial en-
plre and has been developed into many
forms unknown to the occidcnt, SAYS
the New York Post. The middle king
dom, which has been well termed
topsy-turvy land, uses the magic lam
tern in just the opposite manner from
what we do, having the light and pic
ture behind the screen. the same as
in our parlor amusement of shadow
graphs. The commonest form of the
magic lantern in the extreme orient
is a large box supported on a tripod
or f~our-legged table. The box is about
four feet wide by two high, and its
front is made of ground glass, oiled
silk, or oiled white paper.
Over the box is a light frame work
of bamboo and cloth, which reaches
to the ground and conceals the opera
tor from the audience, but leaves the
glass exposed to view. A powerful
lamp in front of a concave reflector
throws a strong light upon the glass
or screen as the case may be. The top
of the box and sides are half open to
permit the introduction of small fig
ures. This arrangement gives four
distinct classes of instruments. With
all four instruments, the exhibitions
are given in the streets, squares and
market places. They draw audiences
ranging from five to 80, and give an
entertainment of from five to Is min
utes in length. Each spectator is sup
posed to contribute one cash, or a
twentieth of a cent, when the hat is
passed around. Generous or enthus-
iastic patrons frequently give from
ten to Is cash, so that the average
performance nets the proprietor about
two cents. This seems ridiculous tc
a~ble-bodied man can be hired for five
cents a day, the owner of a successful
magic lantern is looked upon as a very
well-to-do individual. One of these
shows recently made its appearance
in Mott street, the owner of it, an ex-
laundryman from Canton, making in
and about Chinatown and the bowery
from a dollar to a dollar and a half per
day.
The little plays, which are written
about the magic figures are as conven-
tional as u w immortal Punch and
Judy. The wicked tiger" depicts the
career of a dissolute animal who from
killing pigs, dogs and buffaloes, finally
eats a beautiful maiden and is slain by
a Mongolian chief in full armor on
horseback. "The wicked wife" forms
a compact with the devil, %squanders
her husbands substance in riotous liv-
ings, and in the last scene hangs her
self in a blaze of red fire, while the
evil one expresses wild joy in extra
ordinary oriental gesticulations. "The
cruel magician" "the grateful drag
on" "the fairy foxes and other bits
of eastern folklore afford brief
sketches, which are as familiar as
household words.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27

CHANGED that one evening, watching
his opportunity to say goodnight to
his hostess and escape from a crowd
ed dance, he looked across the shout
ders of the throng and intercepted
the level glance of a pair of brown
eyes. Norwood promptly changed his
farewell to a petition, and five min
utes later he was saying to the owner
of the eyes, LET me take youeout Of
that window where air is a possible
ty."
II know your name well, Mr.. Nor
wood" said Dorothy Moore. Cousin
Jack has so often mentioned you in
his letters"
Jack and / we're old college
friends" he replied, "but l had lived
here two years before l ran across
him again."
what puzzles me-" the girl went
en-, lis that your face is familiar, too.
1t struck me when l first saw you a
few moments ago-and yet / know we
have never met before"
"Once," he said, three years ago.
"Why, lis it possible? / didn't
know"
THAT at our first meeting l was
tempted to beg from you-and later
on did worse-applied your property
to my own needs-or, to be plain,
stole from you??" questioned Nor
wood.
She made a movement of astonish-
ment, and her fan slid from her lap.
AS the young man bent to restore it,
something in his attitude or gesture
brought recollection in a food. Doro-
thy paled, then flushed crimson.
st can't be true" she began, then
stopped, watching with fascinated
eyes while he took from his breast
pocket a case, and held out his hand,
On the palm lay a little silver Filipino
coin.
"And you are really, really that
poor boy?" she cried impulsively
mo wonder your face haunted me.
Oh, why did you never let us know
when we owed you so much?"
Norwood's eyes roved from her
eager face to the bit of silver. y
should like to return it to YOU" he
said, irrelevantly. at has been a
veritable mascot, yet at times a
source of sharp misery"
why do you say that? 1t sounds
dreadfully like a riddle, and | was
never good at guessing Them" said
the girl, holding out her hand for the
coin.
AS her soft fingers touched Nor
woods palm, his own closed over
them, and he replied, Because it
might have been the gift of "a"
"Friend?" she supplemented, de-
murelv, as he hesitated.
He frightened his clasp. ut could
be the gift of a---lover," he insisted,
"Oh, hush!" murmured Dorothy,
rising. Some one is looking" Then
she AIDED. But come and see us to-
morrow-and don't forget to bring
Observation-Disclosures Monthly.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
WHISTLE 1T DOWN..

Whistle 1t down, my onnde lad,
The anger that rises hot;
You never will grieve at set of gun
For the harsh words uttered not.
Think of some pleasant thing, my boy;
Don't stop to sulk or frown;
Ii evil thoughts leap up to your lips,
Just whistle, whistle them down.
Whistle as loud as ever you can,
OutwEdstle yon merry bird;
It's queer, but ne'er from a whistling lip
Comes an angry, petulant word.
Don't let them out of your lips, my boy
Those thoughts unfit to own;
They'll soon give place to purer ones
If you whistle them bravely down.
Eva Williams Malone, in Atlanta Consti-
tuition.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
A SEA CUCUMBER.

tropical species have splendid colors
and are among the creatures which
make the bottom of the sea gay and
lovely as a garden.
The sea cucumber is generally about
a foot long when reposing, but can
extend itself several times that length.
The Chinese are very fond of this
little creature. They make them into
a rich soup and also stew them in va.
rious ways. A large trade is carried
on in these strange products of the
sea. They are prepared for the mar
ket by being carefully opened and
either in the sun or over wood fires
Girls Companion.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
GOOD ENOUGH If YOU SING.

olng. Let your heart be happy;
Fretty good world of ours!
Fienty of joy and contentment,
Fienty of sunlight and flowers;
Love enough here for the millions;
snare it wherever it's found,
ana sing till a great, gladstone chorus
he-echoes the world around.
may be that fortune has Stunned you;
Just thiGk 1t is better gone by,
ana spring to your feet where you're
signing,
And carol a song to the sky.
sing! There's a sun in the heavens!
Help 1T to brighten the day;
sing, and the world will be better,
And roses will bloom by the way.
sing, for o know it's contagious;
Others will join in your song,
begetting the love and the laughter
That carries this old world along;
All nature around you will hum it,
While beacons of goodness will swing
Gut from the gloom of the darkness
It's a good enough world if you sing.
George Harrison, in Chicago Inter-
Oceahoh
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
THE SEA CUCUMBER.
In the Waters between Asia
and Australia.

The sea cucumber is a most curious
looking animal. 1t owes its name to
its queer shape, which is not unlike
that of a cucumber with a bunch of
leaves at one end. They are found in
all seas, but particularly between Asia
and Australia and the Red sea. The
sea cucumber is covered with a tough,
leathery skin, and some of them look
black and wrinkled, appearing as if
they had been made out of the upper
leather of old shoes; but many of the
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Traffic.

London is frightfully antiquated in
it's traffic; and the Partisan, the Dub
liner or the New Yorker is stirred to
amazement when he sees the people
c~ontentedly accepting conditions
which prevail in no other big city. We
thing the great railway companies are
largely to blame for the congestion of
traffic. The links between the lines
north and south of the Thames, and
east and west also, are very defective,
and the result is that a huge cross-city
goods traffic results.-Dublin Irish
CycliSt.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Fortune Left to Bears.

One of the leading officials in the
ministry of justice of the Canton
Berne has recently made a singular
bequest, leaving the bulk of his large
fortune to the bears in the geological
gardens for their permanent keep. 1t
was hoped that the legacy would have
been vetoed by the council of state,
but it has been officially sanctioned.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Bad Spelling.

When was the last spelling book pub
lished? Have our youth outgrown the
use of that once important text book?
1t would seem oftentimes, from their
ignorance of the rules of spelling and
their arrangement of the letters in
words, that they disdained the practice
of good photography. 1t is all very
we'll to talk about some people being
natural spoilers and some being poor
spoilers. There are faults of ear which
are hard to overcome; but eyes can be
trained to correct these faults; and de-
cent spelling under all circumstances,
at least from every graduate of the
grammar grade, should be demanded.
1t is a fact of observation, explain it
how you will, that pupils who have TAX
en- prizes for scholarship in grammar
schools of good standing cannot write
a letter free of plumbers in spelling;
another fact, that pupils in high
schools, remarkably well read for their
years, are guilty of gross errors in
spelling; still another, that pupils who
have the wit and brains and style to
write a charming letter, misspell abom-
inably; and yet another, that boys
seeking entrance to colleges of first
rank, able to pass examinations in
mathematics and science. spell after
the fashion of "witch."-Boston Tran
script.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
One Thinr Familiar.

Oliver Hereford was at the Boston
club one day when an enthusiastic in
dividual clapped him on the back with
a Hello, old fellow!"
Mr.. Hereford coldly surveyed the
stranger who, somewhat abashed,
said: .Why, don't you know mes'
No. was the reply, Il don't know
your face, but your manners are
familiar.''-N. Y. Commercial.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27
Fishes from Volcanoes.

noe is no new experience, and it
seems more startling than mysteri-
Gus. M. j. Girridins explains that in
the interval between the eruptions-
often a century or more-the craters
become filed with fish-stocked lakes
and the next eruption blows out the
water and it's contents.-Albany Ar
gus.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27

The king of Spain is of all soyereigns
the one with the largest assortment
of names. They are: Alfonso Leon
Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidor Pascal
Martial Antoine.
The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27

Gen. Jackson entered Florida to suppress the Seminole Indians in
March, 1918. He occupied the Spanish post OF st. Marks, and marched to
the Indian town OF Suwanee, where he hoped to catch the Seminole leader,
Billy Bowlegs, ut in thlswa va not successful H nXt captured the Span
colonial capitol at Pensacola, ad declared the whole territory under
American rule. Spain protested against his actions, and he ws officially
censured, though TIN territory he had acquired by force O. farms IA never
again occupied by Spain, and wa officially transferred in February, 1915,
though it was not until October, 1920, that the treaty a ratified by the
Spanish crown