davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
The Deacon's Vindication

For two or three weeks a good part
Of Horton county had been holding its
breath and waiting for the thunder
bolt to fall. It had been whispered
about that Deacon Spooner, widower,
was about to be sued for breach of
promise by Nancy Skinner, spinster.
No one could speak with authority,
but all gossiped and hoped that the
suit would materialize.
1t was known in a general way that
Deacon Spooner had been paying
Nancy Skinner attentions. There
were vague rumors that she once rode
home with him from the village; that
he had recommended cure for tooth
ache; that she had knit and presented
him a pair of blue mittens; that he
had helped her out of a mud-hole in
front of her own gate; that she had
said he was the best singer in the
church; that he had praised the color
of her hair.
All these things were talked over
and magnified, and a hundred people
were ready to take their dying oath
that there would be marriage.
AS a matter of fact, the deacon
didn't want to marry. He was just
"being good" to a lone woman. AS
matter of fact, also, the old maid had
no hopes of catching him, but she
didn't propose to have her heart brok-
en- without holding somebody respon-
sible for damages.
Likewise she had been told over and
over again that she was too old for
romance and that she couldn't look for
love, and such things were calculated
TO put her on her mettle.
Gossip was right for once. Nancy
Skinner sued Deacon Spooner for
breach of promise and laid her dam
ages at $4,000. That suit was a big.
ger thing than all the Fourths Of July
for twenty years past. A circus came
along in the midst of the excitement
and attempted to compete with it with
disastrous results.
The county at once divided itself
into two factions, and whenever a
Nancy adherent met a deacon adher-
emit there was no corn hoed during the
rest of the day.
Deacon Skinner had to answer to
more than the law. There was his
church, his children, and his fellow.
religionists. They demanded to know
by what moral or legal right he toyed
with an old maids heart, and his an
swers didn't satisfy them.
He denied in the most solemn man.
ner that he had toyed. They had never
sat in the moonlight--never listened
to the whippoorwill. Their talk had
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
GARMENTS OF BOSTON WOMEN.
Chicago Humorst Thinks We May
Look for Startling Changes.

Chicago Humorist Thinks We May
Look for Startling Changes.
Simeon Ford, who is rated as a
humorist of standing, relates that as
he was riding in a Boston trolley car,
the only male passenger in a crowd of
women, his eye was attracted by a
sign which read: Half the people on
this car are wearing Bunker Hill
pants" To this assertion Mr.. Ford
takes modest exception, but we are
inclined to believe ne is wrong. No
body will pretend to affirm that Mr..
Ford's companions wore trousers,
which, in so elegant community as
Boston, are the recognized neither gar
ment for gentlemen, but neither Mr..
Ford nor any other man is prepared to
assert with confidence that they did
not wear pants, either of the Ply
mouth Rock, the Bunker Hill or the
Washington elm variety. The women
of Boston are distinguished for their
progressiveness and their indepen-
dence. and it is wholly conceivable
that they have been quietly expert
menting, unknown to the general pub
lie, but detected by the advertiser,
who could not repress his eagerness
to spread the glad tidings. Perhaps
at given signal, not long distant, the
outer habiliments of the masquerade
will be thrown off, and true Boston
womanhood will stand revealed in her
emancnpated gladness. A violating
pant" as our clothing store friends
term it, is much more symmetrical
than the short skirt, and far more
symbolic of the strides which woman
confidently expects to make in the
coming years.-Roswell Field in Chi
cago Evening Post
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
NEW WEST POINT.
More Than Five Million Dollars Is to Be Spent by the
Government in improvements at the Military
Academy Of the Nation.

equipments. as well as a public or
gallery entrance. There viii be space
in the upper stories for future assign
ments.
This building is given a logical
location on the lower level OF the CHI
and it's design is severe and simple.
Its location shows It to be continue
ton of the cliff on whose brow it
stands, and It will be constructed Of
the rocks from the clif itself rising
from the river to form base for the
buildings above. The plans Of the.
building itself show one Of the finest.
riding halls in the world.
The extension of the cadet barracks
is one of the important questions with
which the firm had to deal. In this case
there have been added to the old build
ing seven divisions, one at the south
east corner of the old, four at the
southeast corner of the area and two
at the southwest corner of the old.
These seven divisions will provide for
80 men each.
The post headquarters, being the
central administrative building of the
academy, is treated with all the inn
portance due its function. 1t will be
built around an inner court 100 feet
square, three stories high, with a
tower 5Ox5O feet and $50 feet high, or
eight stories. This will be very elab-
crate building of cut stone. The lower
stories will be devoted to military
museum, and the upper stores to the
necessary Offices.
The chapel will be the most monu-
mental building of the group. 1t will
be placed on the rise Of the hill and
above all the other buildings and the
town, so that it's tower will be seen
from both the south and north river
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

notified of it's success in securing one
Of the largest outside contracts ever
awarded by the government, the
working plans will soon be begun.
This firm has made a specially of
gothic work, especially in the draw
ing of church plans, and from the
fact that the present style of build
ings at West Point are along gothic
lines the new plans carry the, same
idea throughout. This is not meant
to be construed that the lines will be
hard and fast as pertaining to col
legiate, ecclesiastical or domestic
gothic, but essentially a military
gothic, simple, massive and powerful.
The plans submitted in competition
were simply temporary ones, but con-
tanned all the details as to elevation,
location and typographical effect,
while the thesis gave more of the
detail as suggested by the architects.
With the contract in hand, the firm
will at once open an ONCE in New
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
HUGE NEST OF FIsHHAwK.
It Is Four Feet Across and Weighs
400 Pounds.

It Is Four Feet Across and Weighs
400 Pounds.
The giant nest of the American os-
prey. or fishhawk, which has been
placed in the crotched top of a pine
tree growing on point of land jut-
ting into the lake near the main en-.
trance to the Bronx geological park
is attracting a great deal of attention
from the increasing crowds these
balmy days, says the New York
Times. The nest, which was secured
at Gardeners island, off the eastern
coast of Long Island, has the shape
of q huge bowl, probably four feet
across and yard high, and weighs
400 pounds. 1t is composed chiefly
Of good-sized sticks and among the
other materials are pieces of broken
oars and wrecked boats, fishnets,
skeletons of quail, flshbones and a
long strand of barbed wire. The
huge nest also has number of sub
tenants, for about its sides are built
the nests of three pair of purple
grackles or blackbirds. The osprey
is not a bird-klling hawk, although
it is well able to take care of itself
in encounters with other hawks and
will not allow them to approach it's
nest. It is presumed that the wise
grackles made their home in the os.
prey's nest for protection from other
hawks.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

monumental arch and bridge which
win connect the two. This connecting
link win be Of deliberately carved
stone and fun of inches for statues
The suggestion Of the plans are in,
effect to change the superintendent's
quarters to the axis Of the main ave-
nue., point that practically commands
the entire academy and post. This
building is planned to contain not only
residential quarters. but reception
rooms and suites Of apartments for
visiting dlgnitaries. The south wing
will face the plain and academy, and
the north wing would be turned at an
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
The Deacon.

bring forward. He was her hired man,
and he swore that he once heard Dea-
con Spooner tell her that she ought to
kill the worms in her plum trees with
kerosene oil.
She didn't depend on living wit
nesses, however. She brought forward
written and printed proofs of the dea.
cons perfidy, She had kept a diary
for several years, and it was full Of
such extracts as:
"The deacon called again this after
noon. He said one of his cows seemed
to be sick. Asked me If wasn't afraid
of tramps. / think ! saw love in his
eyes as he said Good night, Nancy"
After about fifty extracts had been
read, each and every one of which
seemed to be a nail in the deacon's
coffin and caused the spectators to
suck in their breath with gasp, the
court excluded the diary.
Then Nancy played her trump card.
She produced from paper box. where
in 1t had reposed for long weeks,
slip of paper on which was printed in
good fair type;
II you loved me
AS ] love you
No knife could cut
Our love in two.
What did the verse moan? She had
read 1t over a thousand times. She
had repeated the lines to herself by
day and dreamed of them by night,
They had told her that while butter
and eggs were not fetching the price
they ought to, she was beloved.
1t was, or appeared to be, a sock.
dologer ON the deacon. It had come
from his own hands. ON an occasion
he had brought her from the village
half a pound of broken candy. There
were peppermint, wintergreen and
cinnamon pieces among the lot. There
were chunks and hunks and cubes
Wrapped IN tissue paper was a hunk
bearing the above motto. It was the
deacon's way of declaring his love-
1t had been accepted as such, but he
had refused TO follow up his good luck
and ask Nancy to name the day. Every
time he had departed she had burst
into tears Of disappointment.
Her wandering thoughts had made
her mix up the sonr with the sweet
milk half dozen times over and when
she sought her couch It was to toss
about and sigh and groan and suspect
that the deacon vas a heartless vii
lain.
When her tale had been concluded
everyone IN the courtroom rose to his
feet to mob the deacon, but before a
band was laid upon him the court dis.
missed the case and assessed tho costs
on the plaintiff
ID legal lore Ne explained that the
poetry signihed nothing, and that BY
no possibility could Nancy's heart
have been broken IA consequence Of It.
The candy might have given her ipdi.
1 eession. but the poetry could net have
given her hold % the deacon
Deacon skinner stood forth triun,
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Congress passed June %, 1902, the
sum Of $5,5OO,OO0 was appropriated to
bring about certain changes in the
line of new buildings, remodeling the
old and giving a more beautiful land
scape effect to the spacious grounds
on the Hudson.
To do this properly a competitive
contest was entered into by ten archi-
tectural firms-selected by the secre-
tary of war-the plans best suited to
what was needed, not only for the
present, but a long way into the
future, to be the ones from which
the changes would be made. A Bos-
ton firm was successful in securing
the decision Of the committee and
now that the firm has been officially
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
DMexleanv and aoold.p

The American who has lived long in
Mexico and come to New York is
queer on money. How much did you
say you made last year?" you ask, and
his reply will be "A hundred thousand
Mexican, or 5000 gold" what is
your regular salary as president?s
twenty-five thousand gold!. He
buys a hat "The priee?' Five dol
lars Mexican or gold2" Gold.
treasury certificates or silver dollars /"
Here's an old hat that cost me $48
In the City OF Mexico That's a fine
Panama. We viii sell you one like 1t
for S25." Mexican or gold?" "United
States currency" Mine cost $4s
Mexican, so beat you $685. bold. It
takes the clerk all the rest Of the day
to figure 1t out.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

It has been apparent for some time
to those best cenversant with the
needs for training young men for the
army through government gratuity
that the young soldiers at West Point
are not suitably housed; that In order
to keep the reputation of the old
military academy where 1t has long
stood, as the best in the world, a
radical change must necessarily come.
With the great improvements at An
napolls, It was but step to provide
for the army end of the nations pro
tectors. Accordingly, by an act of
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
A sono Of DUTY.

Sorrow comes and sorrow goes,
Life is fiecked with shine and shower,
Now the tear Of grieving flows,
Now we emile in happy hour;
Death awaits us, every one
Toiler, dreamer, preacher, writer
Let us, then, ere life be done,
Make the world a little brighterl
Burdens that our neighbors bear,
Easier let us try to make them;
Chains, perhaps, our neighbors wear,
Let us do our best to break them. ,
From the straitened brain and mind
Let us loose the binding fetter,
Let us, as the Lord designed,
Make the world a little betterl
Selfish brooding sears the soul,
Makes the heart nest of sorrows,
Darkening the shining goal
OF the sun-ilumined morroWs;
Wherefore should our lives be spent
Daily growing blind and blinder2
Let us as the Master meant
Make the world a little kinder!
Denis A. Mccarthy, In Good Counse
Magazine.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

pha8t. but his church had to take up
the matter. He passed another bad
three days. for there we're those who
were inclined to think love and broken
candy went together. But when the
affair had been concluded the verdict
was:
I'VE can't say that the deacon is
guilty as charged, but after this we
hope he won't leave any poetry with
his packages. Amanda Clarkson in
Boston Globe.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

never gone beyond windmills. light
ming rods and carpet rags. and IN shak-
ing hands with her he had always been
careful not to squeeze any harder than
he would in handling o ripe peach.
The deacon made these assertions
and denials TO his friends and his
lawyer, while Nancy simply set her
jaw and said she would prove her Gaze
At the proper time.
The case came on at last L val
Just as the potato planting season had
arrived. but not q farmer Tor ten
miles around minded that. lie was
bound to be present a that trial 4
potatoes went % to 50 per buahel IL
the iaIl
Nancy's lawyer iooked Ike man
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16
Kindergarten labor.

Speaking OF how seriously ednca.
ton IS taken in these days. certain
school had to be closed because OF an
epidemic OF some children's disease
and one Of the parents met the kinder
garten teacher on the street.
"You must be glad OF this unex
peeted rest. she said.
'sWell, / should be but that there
win be so much hack work to be made
up when we return"
Mamma unused, as she went on her
way, where ths arduoueness o. the "a
Dor came % Ia making the little three
and four year olds recall that they
mad once learned that classic Good
morning, merry sunshine and 0ther
iingles q that flk
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

angle facing directly up the river.
The main avenue, as it prolongs It.
self across the military plain, demands
q focal point Of considerable import.
ance The battle monument is TO be
one side Of this line Of vision. Bal
ancing this monument, the Arm has
indicated another very similar in de-
sign, 10 be In memory Of the oficers
and men Of the academy who have
fallen In wars other than the cIviI
war; blank spaces being left for the
inscribing Of possible future names.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

New York is TO have bank which
win be kept open at night This win
enable the saloOn-keepers 70 avoid the
risks they must now run by keeping
large sums OF money In their posses
sion tin 10 o'clock the next morning.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

After telling an editor that he could
choose between losing his head and
cabinet once, the Servian conspirasors
made him minister of justice. He
ought TO appreciate the grim irony OF
his Official position.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

A st. Louis judge says that a man
should be the head of a family, but
if man can't impress that notion
on his wife a full bench of Supreme
court judges couldn't make her see
the point.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Married love wanes in hot weather,
decides a womans society. It never
occurred TO us before that getting up
TO fix the furnace at ave a. m. was
conducive to matrimonial bliss, but it
must be 80.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Patti is TO sail for New York Oct
"a. To reporter IN London she said I;
1T will be my real farewell to the
United States as a public singer You
may say that very positively But
the conscientious reporter let her say
Il herself
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

The New York courts have decided
that it is no evidence of insanity for
a man of 80 to marry. Not on his
part, perhaps, but how about the
woman?
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Miss Halle Erminie Rives, her pas
sionate press agent says, is about to
abandon literature for time-just as
II some Rives literature wasn't aban.
doned enough already.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

"If gambling isn't protected" asks
the Indianapolis News, how does 1t
exist?" Well, mainly because of the
mutual attraction that brings sharp
ers and suckers together.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

If $10,000,000 will secure the annex
alton Of Canada, as somebody says it
will, perhaps Mr. Carnegie will an
nounce his readiness to write a check
for that amount.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

zone Irritation does not make a
summer" remarks the rejecting
bachelor of the New York Press. And
many fiirtations do not make mar
rage.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

who had confidence in his case. In
his opening address he talked of
wolves in sleeps clothing, hypocrites,
liars, broken-hearted women and many
other things to sway the spectators,
and his listeners decided that the dea-
con was pirate in disguise.
Nancy had only one living witness to
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Don't take pillow and try to mash
the mosquito on the ceiling. Tie a
sponge to the end of stick, dip the
sponge in kerosene and hold it under
him-or her-and see him Cor herr
drop.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

OsYobozhdenie is the name Of one Of
the Russian snti-semitic newspapers.
Il must be interesting when the news
beys 50 rushing through the streets
yelling Extra osvobozhdenie, All
about tho horrible outrage AZ BizFc
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

The old way of getting to the sea is
not satisfactory to the Mississippi,
Missouri and Kaw rivers. They are
demanding better roads.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

In seeking to rid the country of the
mosquito pest Mr.. William G. Whitney
is doing more for humanity than any of
his fellow-millionaires.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

There is no great loss without some
small gain. The recent floods will
enable the agricultural department to
clean out its accumulation of garden
seeds.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Polonium is said to be worth 3d..
100000 a pound. Now watch for the
organization of the United States Po-
lonium corporation to control the mar
ket.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

A Chicago man after having been
'joshed" for eight years shot hole
through his "iosher." Down with
unlimited GOSH"
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Once more a horse, by boiling at a
scarlet motor car, demonstrates the
equine danger of looking on the auto
when II is red.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Russell Sage will have to pay taxes
on an assessment Of $4,000, 900 because
he forgot to kick in time. Hetty Green
would never have put on such an i'm
portant duty.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

DR.. Rainsford says "the middle
classes are the best citizens" Ex-
tremes are seldom safe or to be de-
pended upon.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Some men achieve vacations. Others
have leaves OF absence thrust upon
them.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Lions are so brave that some of
them will go fearlessly into a cage
with a lady lion tanner clad in
spangles.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

The Missouri mule never goes OFT
on a strike. When he strikes II is
generally the other fellow that goss
out.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

Boston is to provide a special street
car late at night for drunken men.
This looks like rank favoritism,
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

A man in Baltimore makes a good
living by tattooing dogs. He could
make fortune In Newport.
Mexico Missouri message., 1903-07-16

It's all day with the British stomach
now that the American quick lunch
has invaded London.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-10
Sealed Bids,
Office Of City Clerk.
Wichita Kan Nav Q. 1863

Wichita, Kan, May ., IJOo.
Sealed bids viii be received at this Office
until 2 o'clock May IS, 1903, for the con-
struction of the following cement side
walk:
4-foot permanent walk on the west
side of Fern avenue from Douglas to
Maple.
A 4-foct permanent walk on the east
side of Fern avenue from Maple to Uni
versity.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the east
side of Lawrence avenue from Thirteenth
20 Fifteenth street
A 4-foot permanent walk on the south
side of Third from Hydraulic to Cleve-
land.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the east
side of Fairmount from Twelfth to Thir-
teenth.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the south
side of Pine street from Water TO Main
street.
a 4-foot permanent walk on the north
side of Second from Cleveland te Hydrau-
lie
a 4-foot permanent walk on the west
side Of Pattie from Lincoln TO Kellogg
street
A 4-foot permanent walk on the north
side of Tenth from Market to Main street.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the west
side Martinson from Texas to Chicago
avenue.
\ 4-foot permanent walk on the east
side Jackson from Tenth to Thirteenth
street.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the north
side Eleventh from Carlos to alley west
A 4-foot permanent walk on the north
side of Eleventh from Emporia to St
Francis.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the west
Side Elizabeth from Douglas to Maple
A 4-foot permanent walk on the west
side Hydraulic from Second to Third
street
A 4-foot permanent walk on the east
side Campbell from Maple to w & w
r. r.
A 4-foot permanent walk on the west
side Larimer avenue from No. 1926 Lari-
mer to Eleventh street
A 4-foot permanent walk on the south
side Anderson avenue from Milwood TO
Elizabeth
A 4-foct permanent walk on the east
side Of Usage from Douglas to Maple
street
A 4-foot permanent walk on the west
side Of Usage from Douglas to Maple
street
All bids must be accompanied by a GER
titled check in the sum of $40, as a guar
antee OF good faith
Bidders viii be required to give main
tenance bond in the sum equal to esti-
mate of contract. All walks must be
built under the supervision Of an in
spector. according TO specifications on file
In the Office Of the city engineer. Bid
uers must state price per square foot.
Mayor and council reserve the right to
reject any and all bids.
149-St J. L. LELAND. City Clerk
Trimmed Hats on special sale all this
week at Shields Millinery Co. 1877 North
Main. $50 1t