davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21

who works In our garden, two dollars
because he was hungry and ragged, and
now F.ancois will not do anything ex-
cept / pay him full wages. Bah! And
after ! drove eight miles into the woods
for a man who would work cheap.
These lahoring people rob us. ! had
Just gotten Francois to where he must
work for fair wages or starve, when
this meddling Jean stepped in. And
only last week that housekeeping Henri
offered our stableman three dollars n
week more than we were paying, ard
when | accused him of ii, the upstart
had the impudence to look me in the
face and say it was only regular
wages, and that he would be glad to pay
the same to any able-bodied man who
would help him with his contract to get
out railroad ties. Huh! The whole lot
ought to be in Jail. And now they're
over there singing and dancing. and |
don't doubt everyone owes you money
at the store"
NO." said the factor, slowly and re-
luctanuy. They don't owe me any
thing. The Labous always pay as they
go. But | don't believe therell be
money enough in the whole lot to pay
for a barrel of -four after this spree ia
over. And you're right in saying the
lot ought to be in Jail. They demorai-
ize the neighborhood-a shiftless, noisy,
drunken rabble, the whole lot of them
What do you say, Elise?"
The girl had been sitting with hei
head bent, gazing listlessly>at the floor
but with an occasional side glance to.
ward the door, as though she might be
expecting someone Now she raised
her face squarely to her uncle. She
was very pretty, and had only been IN
the factors house three months, but al
ready there was an open breach be-
tween them. Elise had wanted to use
the front part of the house. and to open
the blinds and let the sunlight in. But
her uncle had said no, angrily; they
would live in the little back kitchen,
as they had done: that was the way tc
save money. There was gleam of mall
ice in the old mans eyes as he looked
at her; but the girl did not shrink, as
he intended.
What do say" she answered, calm
ly; well, it seems to me the Labous are
great deal richer than we are. And
have never heard one of them called
shiftless or lazy or drunken before. !
thought they were hard working and
happy"
"Elisei" they both snarled in one as
founded breath.
YES" she said, ga great deal richer
than we are. They dress better, and
have good things to eat; and though
their house is small, 1t is covered with
pretty vines, and they use it all.
''E-lise!" Her aunt was upon her
feet now, her finger pointing toward the
stairs. 'Go-to-your-roo
once," she hissed, 'and tomorrow you
shall have nothing at all to eat"
Elise rose also, her face paling, but
her voice steady. There was step out
side.
81 am not ready to go to bed yet,
aunt" she said. 81 have promised to
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
AN ERIAL ExERCISEN.
Delling Ones Body on an Over
head Railway.

There are some people so constituted
that If they see the necessity Of under
taking course of physical training TOR
the benefit of their health they will pro-
ceed at once to carry out in systematic
manner the prescribed directions. With
another class constant change Of ap-
paratus and no inconsiderable amount
of persuasion are necessary to induce
them to stick to the training long enough
to receive any permanent benefit from it.
The former class will work faithfully
with apparatus or without, but the lat
ter must have all the latest devices with
which to exercise their muscles, and for
their special benefit the machine we IL
lustrate seems to have been devised. Its
principle is practically the same as that
utilized in the system of weights and
pulleys seen in every gymnasium, with
the added novelty of propelling oneself
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
Arf.ona's Unique Jail.

Graham county jail, at Clifton. Ariz..
Is probably the most unusual in Amer
lea. 1t comprises four large apartments
hewn in the side of hill of solid quartz
rock. The entrance to the jail is through
a box-like vestibule built of heavy ma
sonry, and equipped with three sets Of
gates of steel bars. Here and there in
the rocky walls holes have been blasted
for windows. and in these aperatures a
series of massive bars of steel have been
fitted firmly in the rock. The floor OF
the rockbound Jail is of cement, and the
prisoners are confined wholly in the
larger apartments In some places the
wall of quartz about the jail is Is feet
thick. Some of the most desperate GRIM
inals on the southwest border have been
confined in the Clifton Jail. and so solid
and heavy are the barriers to escape
that no one there has ever attempted
to. make break for freedom The no.
torious Black Jack was there fos
months.-TombstQue Epitaph,
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21

around an overhead track while manip-
ulating the apparatus. The body is sus-
pended from the carriage by a large
spring, and the legs by two smaller
springs, while the hands grasp two grips
attached to cords wound on drum con-
nected with the forward wheel of the
carriage. 1t is obvious that a downward
pull on the cords will rotate the drum
and wheel and propei the carriage along
the track, while at the same time it sup
piles the muscular exertion in the partial
lifting of the weight of the body from
the supporting spring. When the cords
have been pulled down to their full
length the athlete has but to decrease
the weight supported BY them and the
spring on the drum will wind them up
ready for use again.-Chicago Daily
News.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
AN OLD ROAD.
LOUISIANA

Beswixt the village and the mill
1t winds a checkered mile,
Steps lightly under solemn pines
To find messy stiie,
Then chambers over rocks to turn
Through pastures spicy with sweet-fern.
"A rustic tramp with vagrant foot,
But blest with homeiy sweet;
The pale wild roses fringe its skirt,
Above the green boughs meet,
The bareback builds her tall pink towers
Along its way in summer hours.
II loiters past the Homestead door
With its glad friend the brook,
That runs 10 lend 1t company
From some dim mountain nook,
And tells wild stories Of the woods
And merry meadow nelghborhoods.
"A trail of flag flowers. blue as heaven.
The earliest June day brings,
The tall reeds to the harper wind,
Send sweet vibrating strings.
The thrushes steal a wood-stream's song
And sing 1t there when shades grow long
And dear the old roads sleepy track
In snow or flower-hlled grass,
For though forgot by human kind.
Such dream -nocks that way pass
All day. and when the moons strange torch
To carved silver turns the birch.
The bridge is down, the red-roofed mill
"A ruin, sad to see;
The old stile knows no trysts save those
or bluebells and a bee.
But over hills dim miles apart,
II leads straight 10 an exile's heart.
Susan Hartley SWEET, in Youths Com
panion.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
BUTTER-MAKING IN THE. CITY
Many New York Housewives Have
Taken 1t Up as Pleasant
-. Diversion.

Many New Workers in the heart OF
the city make their own butter, and a
surprising number of churns of a size
for working two or three quarts of cream
at time are sold by the dealers.
A good proportion of the city dwellers
have fresh butter made two or three
times a week from the milk brought
from their own farms and county
places. Others get the cream from milk
dealers, and make only the butter for
immediate table use, depending on the
grocer for that needed for cooking pur-
poses, says report from that city.
There is purity and wholesomeness
demanded in everything used about
milk and milk products that appeals
peculiarly to capable housekeepers, and
many fastidious women like to attend
to this department themselves, working
the butter with great care so as to i'm
prove its favor, and sailing it only to q
certain degree.
The latest churns for home use are OF
glass, worked by little hand wheel al
the top. Some are Of only one-quart
size, others of proportions to satisfy the
needs of a good-sized family of butter
lovers. There are fine white earthen-
ware churns of English make, with lit
tie wooden dashes to be jiggled up and
down in the primitive fashion.
To supplment the churns come splash
ers of an improved pattern, dainty milk
pans of enameled ware, skimmers OF
either china or tin, handy wooden pad
dies for working the butter. and scales
Of delicate adjustment by which the
housewife may know to fraction the
amount of her produce.
The dealers attribute the increased in.
terest In butter making to the present
taste for country life and the general
awakening In matters of hygiene.
And city dwellers who love fresh but.
| ter do not think it extrayagant to make
it even from the cream of bought milk
because OF the many uses the milk car
be put to after the cream has beer
skinned of. Blanc-manges, custard!
and many desserts and delicacies can be
made from 1t, and the potcheese or thu
curd, served with cream and nutmeg, II
a wholesome and attractive dish for sup
| per or luncheon.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
Sai'ii[II:l!!(1EE;3SE|aaIlI!!!iI, i'iII: ion
NICOTINE AND WHISKY.
Taken Together, In Large Quantftiea
and Regularly, They Frequently
Cause Blindness.

1t is asserted by oculists that partial,
if not complete, blindness has resulted
from the excessive use of tobacco.
Cases of this sort are probably rare,
but the correctness of the statement
is hardly open to question. The dis
ease first affects the central part of the
retina, and then gradually spreads.
During the early stages the subject is
warned by dimness of vision, and the
progress of the malady is slow. II
taken in time, 1t can be checked, If not
cured.
Writing for the optical department
of the jewelers. Circular-Weekly, Gus
tavus Kahn explains that the trouble
arises only when a person both drinks
and smokes to an unwholesome extent.
Both habits are necessary to produce
the result. as will presently appear.
First the blood becomes saturated with
alcohol. The vapor of the latter Is
given of at the smokers lungs, and
there it meets and absorbs the poison.
Gus nicotine. The vapor is then con-
densed and gets back into the blood, ac-
cording to Mr.. Kahn. That writer adds:
nicotine poisoning leaves its dele
terious effects on the whole system
but particularly on the eyes, which are
the most sensitive organs, especially
the fine nerve fibers composing the lay
ers of the retina. The general effect
Of nicotine poisoning is very similar
to quinine poisoning: In fact. should q
subject already suffering from the ef-
fects of nicotine happen. to. take toe
much quinine, total blindness might re-
suit. Nicotine, as well as quinine, low
ers the temperature of the body and re-
stricts the walls Of the blood vessels
thereby causing decreased circulation
which may be plainly observed in the
veins and arteries of the retina.
THE main cure and remedy for nico
tine poisoning is-total abstinence from
tobacco and all kinds of alcoholic stim.
ulants, until every vestige of the poison
has been eliminated from the system
1t has been observed that moderat,
use Of tobacco and whisky will not cause
nicotine poisoning to any alarming ex
tent, and moreover. the use of eithel
tobacco or whisky alone has never pro
duced any. toxic eye symptoms, 1t beini
only the immoderate use of the com
bination which has the poisonous ef
fect
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
GET THEIR FOOD AT SEA.
Water Fowl That Have to Pursue
Their Prey in Order to Main-
tain Existence.

Penguins earn their food with per-
haps the hardest work, as they follow
the fast-swimming fish of the open
ocean in their own icy element and
capture them. The slim, evil-looking
snakebirds of The tropical swamps also
dart through the water, but impale
their victims on their needle-pointed
beaks. suggesting the fish spears of
mankind, Cormorants and sheldrakes
also dive and swim after the fish on
which they feed, says Nature.
Next in the list of strenuous seekers
after fish is the osprey, which hovers
on vibrating wings, treading the air
rs it were over some favorite spot, and
when a finny back shows itself near
the surface the bird drops like plum
met. II seizes its prey in its feet, while
our common kingfisher, after watch
ing patiently from some branch over
hanging the water, uses its bill TO cap
ture its prey. When schools of mullet
). leap in frantic fear from the water to
escape the attacks of the porpoise, or
when the dolphins force the flying fish
above the surface, the merciless frigate
: sbixd has but to pick and choose. White
pelicans are the analogies of mans
gill nets, flock of these birds sur
rounding school of fish In a-haif cir
Gle and driving them ashore or into
shallow water Herons are the still
.Ashers ofsthes bird world. and stand in
the shadows. silent and motionless as
*gA6 reeds around them,. With thsis
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
Theory of Evolution.

The theory OF evolution is itself un-
dergoing evolution. 1t was Darwin's s
view that species result from slow
variations through long periods of time,
but Hugo de yries, Dutch naturalist,
has proven that new species may de-
veIop suddenly, almost explosiyely
With many failures he has succeeded In
observing the phenomenon in the
onagre biennial. This plant was stud
led in the botanical garden OF Amster-
darn from 1886 to 1900, and i: yielded
one new species in 1887, two In 1888.
while in 1900 not less than 800 individ-
uals of seven new species were produced
in $4,000 plants from seeds. We may
well suppose that variations in plants
and animals have been both sudden and
gradual, evolution being very COM
plex process
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
ANCIENT INDIAN RELICS.
Plates Reputed to BE n Thousand
Years Old and a Treaty OF
Ancient Date.

According to Charles Gibson, Indian
journalist of Eufaula, the two most
sacred relics of the Creek or Muskogee
tribe are in the keeping of the To-ka
par-chee clan. One of them is the treaty
made between the Indians and Great
Britain in the time of George H., says
The Kansas City Journal. When Gus
todian of the relic is dying he appoints
his successor by will. The Indians look
upon this relic as next to brass or copper
Plates that To-ka-par-chees own
these plates are hard to describe, as they
are kept in very sacred vault where
none are allowed to enter except the
medicine man or some old chief. The
history of these plates is as follows9
One old medicine man who had been
noted for being the greatest among the
Greeks, before dying, told some OF the
other medicine men that so many days
after the day of his death, If they would
meet him on the highest mountain peak
naming the mountain-hew would bring
them something very sacred and it would
strengthen their medicine and add to
their happiness. The medicine men then
appointed day and waited. When the
last stick was thrown away each wended
his way to the top of the mountain. They
waited long and well. When the sun
became low in the west great snake
came from the west and darkened the
country around about the mountain.
The medicine men were frightened, but
stood their ground Then came claps Of
thunder and flashes of lightning that al
most blinded the old men. Then dark
cloud appeared, and all at once there
appeared out of the dark cloud bundle,
which was handed to the old men. The
hands holding the bundle were all that
could be seen. and resembled the hands
Of the old medicine man who had died.
AS soon as the package containing the
plates was delivered the cloud moved
away and there was clear sky. The
old men took their charge back to their
square house and hid it until the time of
their annual celebration, or green corn
dance, when the plates were introduced
Into their festivities. That is some thou
sand years ago, and they are still in pos
session of the Creeks.
The custodians of these plates are
what are called the wild clan.. There are
great many of these plates, and the
brgest ones have characters of some
kind on them. They are exhibited only
on state occasions, once year. Each
one has a beautiful sound or ring, it is
said, when they are used in the dance,
making sweet music After the dance
they are taken out. one to each man, and
are secured very bright and placed away
until the next year. 1t is said that in
the polishing process the work hands
are very cautious. as 1t is known that
the least slip will result in a sure loss
Of the plate. as it is said the plates are
supposed to be part turtle or fish. as they
came to the Creeks through cloud or
mist and will dart here and there II let
loose in the water and will get away.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21

spend part of the evening with the La
bous. There" as a clear, firm knock
sounded upon the door, i expect that
is Henri coming for me.
She moved quickly to the door and
threw it open. Henri stepped in, big,
smiling and handsome. He nodded to
the factor and his wife, and turned to
Elise.
"Ready?" he asked.
The factors face grew livid
'If you leave this house tonight.
Elise" he shrieked, you shall never
come back" :.
Henri looked questioningly into
Elise's eyes; they answered him.
There is a priest among the guests
over home," he said "It will add very
much to the pleasure of the evening.
l hope, factor, that you and your wife
will come TO the wedding. 1t is only
short distance, and we promise to give
you good time. Come, Elise" He
bowed low to the old people, held the
door open for Elise to pass out, then
followed her, closing the door quietly
behind him.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21

The Canadian voyageur is a good chum,
as rule, and would be downright fine
fellow II it were not for his confounded
political opinions. Whoever imagines
that the majority of the French Cana
dians are loyal to the British makes a
woeful mistake. Eighty per cent of them
at least have made up their minds that
the Britisher mustgo and they will never
lose an opportunity to be thorn in our
sides, especially should we have a war
with France.-Paul Fountain, in Long
nuns.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
UTILIZING THE TIDES.

the chamber will contain only. air,
which will gain access through an in
let valve above. AS the sea rises II
squeezes the air into smaller compass
AS the roof is to slant gently toward the
end of the chamber furthest from shore
the air ought to accumulate there,
Thence it may be transmitted to a spe-
cial tank (not shown In drawing) by q
pipe and valve which discharge out
wardly. The illustration, copied from
Compressed Aair," gives such good
idea of the general arrangement that
few details are needed.
The plan has not yet been tried, and
its author can only guess at its value OF
the cost. M. Ongley entertains great
hopes, but the wisdom OF his scheme re-
mains to be discovered. The amount oi
power to be obtained in this way may be
too small to pay for the construction
Of such plant as he has tn view.
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
FORMATION OF CORAL.
by Prof. Asassix in the vnri-
Gus Oceans.

Prof. Alexander Agassiz has sum-
married. his results based upon obser-
vations of barrier reefs and atolls (coral
islands) carried on during the last 25
years. for the proceedings of the. Royal
society. He recognizes the fact that
Darwin's. theory does not explain the
conditions now observed, but limits his
report to descriptions of the different
types of coral reefs and of their prob
able causes, without attempting to es-
tablish any independent theory.
He has found that the barrier reefs
of Fiji, Hawaii and the West Indies are
underlaid by volcanic rocks and usually
flank volcanic islands. Those of New
Caledonia, Australia, Florida. Honduras
and the Bahamas are underIaid by out
liers of the adjoining land masses.
Some of the barrier reefs of the Society
islands, Fiji and the Carolines show
that the wide, deep 1agoons separating
them from the land mass were formed
by erosion from broad. fringing reef
fiat.
Encircling reefs, as in the Society
islands, hold to their central island, or
islands, the same relation which bar
rier reef holds to the adjoining land
mass. Denudation and submarine ero-
sion accounts for the formation of plat
forms upon which coral and other lime
stone organisms may build either barri-
er or encircling reefs or even atolls
rising upon volcanic base
We may trace plateaus that have been
elevated, like Guam. partly volcanic and
partly limestone, to atolls where only a
small islet or larger island OF either
limestone or volcanic rock is left to in
dicate its origin. Atolls may also bs
formed upon the denuded rim of vol
canic crater, as Mt Totoya. In Fiji.
Many of the atolls In the Pacific are
merely shallow sinks formed by high
sandbanks thrown up around central
area. Throughout the Pacific, the In
dian ocean and the West Indies the most
positive evidence exists of a moderate
recent elevation of the coral reefs.
Closed atolls can scarcely be said to
exist; Niau, in the Paumotus. is tho
nearest approach to one, yet its shallow
lagoon is fed by the sea through its
porous ring. The land area of an atoll
is relatively small compared with that
Of the half-submerged reef flats. In the
Marshall islands and the Maldiyes,
for example, the land areas are reduced
to minimum.
Atolls may arise from platform of
suitable depth wherever and however it
may have been formed and whatever
may be its geological structure The
great coral reef regions are within the
limits of the trades and monsoons and
the areas of elevation, with the excep-
ton of the Ellicc and Marshall islands
and some of the Line islands. Corals
have their fullest development on the
surface of reefs; they grow sparingly in
lagoons where coralfne algae grow
most luxuriously. American Geo
graphical Bulletin. 49,
The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
TIDES OF THE OCEAN.
Belgian Inventor Has Devised a Plan
of Utilizing Them for Com~
mercial Purposes.

One OF the latest attempts to utilize
the tides for generating power is that
proposed by Charles Eugene Ongley, of
Mons, Belgium. He aims to accomplish
his object by using the incoming flood
to compress air. The latter is then to
be stored. If it is not Immediately
available for operating an air motor,
further compression by other ma
ehinery may be resortedyto. The first
part of M. Ongley's equipment is large.
shallow tunnel-like reservoir. whose
floor is atAthe level of low water and
whose roof is nearly at that of high
high tide. This is to be situated close
to the sea and to be open on the ocean
side, so that water can flow in freely.
1t should be added. however, that the
passage which admits the water will be
close to the floor. When the tide is out