davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
WIFE BOUGHT AT AUCTION.
what Was begun ms n Joke Termin-
ated in the Most Serious
Manner.

While some furniture was being sold
recently at auction at Orkellyunga, in
Sweden, curious incident occurred, re-
ports London paper A young girl
pushed her way through the crowd until
she was quite close to the auctiuneer-
SO close, indeed, that she somewhat i'm
peded him when he desired to make eff
fusive gestures Being man OF humor.
he resolved to get rid Of her, and. there
fore, taking her by the arm, he shouted:
Here now, is an excellent bargain!
A young girl. age 10. very pretty and well
educated What am offered? Come,
Wen start IL at 5000 crowns"
At once there was brisk bidding, which
continued until an elderly bachelor farm
er offered 10000 crowns. The auction
eer tried 10 get higher bidder than this,
but failed, and so he declared the farmer
TO be the purchaser of the girl.
All those present thought it was a
good joke, but it was more than that,
for few days later the farmer and the
girl were married in the presence of the
mayor, and before the ceremony the
farmer presented the young woman,
who is an orphan, with 10000 crowns,
the exact amount which he was willing
to pay for her at auction.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
QUEER MATTED FIR TREE.
NuTth Carolina Has ~ Great Natural
'uriusity--rrcctops II Man
Can Walk Iron.

One of the greatest natural curioS-
tiles ever saw is the matted fir trees
of North Carolina, said c. K. Ball, of
Raleigh in the Washington Star.
have never found a botanist who could
explain the phenomena, but there is Il
grove OF fir trees ON the side of Mount
Mitchell, which. when they attain the
height of eight or ten feet, begin TO
twine their branches and form flat
tops. They grow in this way until the
tops are perhaps 90 feet in diameter
and these have in some instances com
bined with the tops of other like
trees and person can walk for a
considerable distance upon these tops
They are undoubtedly a species of
fir, but wholly unlike the other frs
which are plentiful in that section. ex-
cept in appearance Of foliage. have
taken several scientists out to see
these trees and have not yet found one
who had ever seen or heard of sim
liar growth. They occupy an area of
only few acres, and are found no.
where else in the North Carolina
mountains.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
CALIFORNIA; GOLD HUNTERS.
Red Shirteu Miners SBI Roam
Among the Hills in search
of "CuIor."

II Is mistake to suppose that placer
mining is a thing Of the past in Cali
fornia. Bonanza strikes are of course
rare now, but in Lake county, In the CEN
traI part Of California. men still, hunt
for gold with pick and shovel and pack
mule. The red-shirted miners still
tread the lonely mountain trails from
digging to digging as they did In the
days Of Bert ETarte, says the Chicago In
ter Ocean.
Many Of these prospcctors combine
the business of hunting and trapping
with that of gold seeking. In the win
ter they locate in some lonely deserted
log cabin many og which were built in
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
A LAND Office BUSINESS.


The tremendous activity which is ap-
parent throughout the western states
and territories IN filing upon govern
ment land under the various land laws
| is statistlcally confirmed by a pre-
! liminary statement which was made
| by the commissioner of the general
land Office, showing the land business
| done by the government during the
| fiscal year just ended. There were
1912 900 acres Of public land passed
into private ownership, an increase ol
about 25O.O00 acres over the previous
| year. But the cash receipts were over
| $40 800 900, an enormous increase
about 70 per cent. over 1902 This, says
the Homemaker, is said to be largely due
to the increase in the purchase OF timber
land and the commutation in home
steads Both of these laws are continu-
ally and shamelesslv abused.
It is generally admitted that the
finest remaining government timber
laHd-in Oregon and Washington
worth 20 times the price asked per acre
is being bought In by the big lumber
companies in great tracts, notWith-
standing that the timber law provides
that the applicant must be a bona noe
purchaser and that he is buying the land
not for himself and the purpose oil trans
ferring it to some one else. The com
mutation clause Of the homestead law
is likewise being hagrantly abused, and
the result is that very large areas Of land
are being commuted, not for the benefit
Of the settlers, but in behalf Of various
western interests which furnish the
necessary money to commute,
Of these cash receipts of over SlO,-
100000 about three-Quarters go into the
arid land reclamation fund, which now
amounts to fully $15.00O,0 900 This is
available to-day for national irrigation
work. The surveys by the engineers OF
the geological survey are progressing
in every part of the west, and it is prob
able that the next half year will see
four or five large contracts let.
The rapid growth Of this irrigation
fund would be a matter Of congratula-
tion were it not for the fact that a ire
mendous sacrifice of valuable govern
ment porperty has been made to realize
this money What the real value of this
large acreage of land passed into private
ownership, would be to the nation it is
difficult to say, but it is far and away in
excess Of the pittance received for it
a fact acknowledged by every student of
the land and water question in the west.
Those who are opposed to the move
ment to repeal the laws under which this
Of the public domain
is going on urge with much vehemence
that it would never do to cut off this |
source of revenue TO the reclamation |
fund. In other words, they would con-
vince the people that after all the prop
cr method is to kill the goose that lays
the golden egg.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
DECLINE IN CHESS.
DIstinctIon Fatal to the Game That
LIS Eigidly Observed in
England.

London journals are discussing the
clestiOn, "How is it that Englishmon
are outclassed by foreigners as chess
players?'
In answer, It is said that the English
mans interests in life are Of too diversi-
an oriental Imagination, says the Lon
don Chronicle. However this may be,
the number Of chess clubs and chess re-
sorts and the number of chess players in
london are said to be greater than in
any other city in the world. As to the
oriental Imagination it does not go for
much nowadays. Gambit openings, like
frontal attacks in war, are thing of the
past The strong chess player must
have mathematical mind, and there is
no reason to suppose that Englshmen
are deficient in this respect
The real reason why such illustrious
English chess players as Howard Staun-
ton Shakespearean scholar; Buckle,
philosopher of civilization; Boden. the
artist. and others have no successors is
10 be found in the fact that the present
generation of players. unlike the lovers
Of chess of former times never have an
opportunity Of playing with the strong
est players, most of whom are profess
sionals who devote their lives to the
game. A national masters tournament
has not been held in England for years
a meeting such as that lately concluded
at Kieff, where Tschigorin has come out
first, after hard struggle with the new
master, Bernstein England. by the bye
is the only country in the world where
a distinction--fatal to chests drawn
between amateur and professional.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

with few Iittle loving pats the met.
uesome stced yielded to the charm Of
her voice and caresses and permitted her
TO lead him out and mount him.
Turning IN the direction of c.,
Lula dashed OF, trusting 10 the wind
and darkness 10 conceal her flight But
she had only gone a short distance when
a nash Of lightning revealed her swiftly
disappearing form 10 one Of the men
who happened to glance out Of the win
dow.
BY JOyc, there goes our little girl,
and on ThunderbOIi. tool"
There was wild hurrying for the sta
bic and swift mornings, but Lulu had
the start and they all knew the charac-
ter Of the horse she rode.
What a race It was! Never to her d.
ing day will Lulu Robinson forget the
danger and horror Of that time.
Swiftly. surely. steadily, her magnih-
cent stcrd kept her far in advance Of
her pursucrs but if he should stumble
or she should miss her way! On, on
they flew. her light weight and cheering
voice seemed 10 add swiftncss to the
beautiful creatures wonderful speed.
Ten miles were passed in this mad
flight ere the Iirbtof The distant railroad
town cleaned before her, and when the
sound Of hoofs became palmer and more
distinct
I.. a
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Whitehall, H., Dec. IA case has been
recorded in this place recently which up
sets the theory of many physicians that
Bright's Disease is incurable. 1t is the
case of Mr.. Lon Manley, whom the doc
tors told that he could never recover Mr..
Manley tells the story of his case and
how he was cured in this way;
81 began using Dodd's Kidney Pills
after the doctors had given me up For
four or five years | had Kidney, Stomach
and Liver Troubles; was a general wreck
and at times | would get down with my
back so bad that could not turn myself
in bed for three or four days at a time
II had several doctors and at last they
told me ] had Brights Disease, and that
| could never get well. / commenced to
use Dodd's Kidney Pills and | am now
able to do all my work and am all right.
most heartily recommend Dodd's Kid
ney Pills and am very thankful for the
cure they worked in my case. They
saved my life after the doctors had given
me nm,
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
WHERE PEACE REIGNS.
Money Is Not Needed and No Disxipa-
tiOn or IrreEulnrity
Permitted.

The long haired young reformers were
holding an informal debate, and when
they had agreed that the world was Just
about as corrupt and bad place as it we'll.
could be, grlm-faced man arose, relates
London Tit-l}its.
"What you seem to want, friends" he
said, SIS place where everyone has to be
good by law"
That's it," chorused the reformers.
"Where smoking amt allowed, and such
thing as drink is unknown? Where no
one need worry about food and raiment,
and where money does not exist"
I'VE do"
Where everyone has to go to church on
Sundays, and everyone keeps regular
hours?"
That is just what we do want Oh, to
find such place." said soulful young
fellow, speaking for the others.
Well I've just come from such a
place"
You have" cried the soulful one. ooh,
tell US. tell us, man of wonderful expert
ence, where it is, that we may also go!"
IT'S place called prison" said the
grim man
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Sir Samuel Baker once had thrilling
adventure with an African buffalo bull
which he discovered standing in the
shadows OF small lake He fired two
bullets without effect and the animal
charged. Sir Samuel had no ammuni-
tion left but, luckily, the bull halted to
stare at him. Suddenly bright thought
flashed through my mind" says Baker.
without taking my eye off the animal
before me, put double charge Of DOW
der into the right hand barrel and. tear
ing OF piece Of my shirt | took all
the money from my pouch. three sail
lings in siXpences and two anna pieces
Making them into rouleau with the
piece of rag, | rammed them down the
barrel They were hardly home before
the bull sprang forward. The horns
were lowered with their points on either
side of me and the muzzle barely touch
ing his forehead when pulled the srig-
ger and three shillings worth of small
change ratified into his hard head.
Down he went and rolled over with the
suddenly checked momentum of his
charge"
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
A SUBURBAN JOKER.
He Was 'as Good as Gold" Rnt He
Laid II ON Too Thick
mt Times.

the unconventional husband is much
more OF trial TO the conventional
wife than the casual. careless world
can ever know, says the Detroit Free
Press.
at is uphill work trying to be even
civilized with man like Henry to deal
with dismally complained pretty
young matron in a little group of So
ciety women who were affectionately
abusing their respective husbands. II
live in the suburbs to please Henry,
because he has such countriRed tastes
likes to see cows go by, hear roosters
crow. sec sunrises, sunsets. and all
that kind OF queer doings Just as sure
as ! have any extraordinarily fastidi-
GUS guests, Henry contrires to do
something horrid
THE other morning, while he was
at home, Strengthening up outdoor
things on our place for the winter. [
telephoned out from town that Mrs.
Lofty ard Miss Penelope would come
home with me to luncheon. Henry
doesn't like Mrs. Lofty. In fact, she Is
airy, scorns everything In America,
and talks by the hour of everything
and everybody on the other side. Still.
j think Henry might have behaved
himself. He came to the station to
meet lis, as il he were the coachman.
only dressed in his old faded farm
overalls and with hay tied all over the
horses harness and his forelegs tied
up in hay, rs If he were a rosebush or
a hydrant done up to keep from freez-
ing. It was too ridiculous and wish
you had seen those two handsomely
dressed women riding behind that
horse
"Yes. did have to laugh--and was
vexed, too. But Henry said Mrs. Lofty
called him The Master of Hayseed
Grange one time, and he wanted to act
the part. OF course, my husband is as
good as gold, but do wish he hadn't
such a gallopinS sense Of humor"
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
AN EVIL IN FOOD THE LAW
SHOULD REACH.

In reference TO the use Of alum bak-
ing powders Prof. Schweitzer, Of the
State University OF Missouri, says:
"The deleterious effects of alum and
the soluble salts of alumina upon the
human system, even when used in
small quantities, are too well known
to need relating; their use in baking
powder is dangerous, and should be re-
striCted."
The effects of the continuous use OF
alum baking powders are thus summed
up in a medical publication
Alum taken into the stomach re-
tards the digestion of the food
at is an irritant which infames and
irritates the stomach and intestinal ca
nal
ut is an astringent and tends to con-
stipate the bowels, which interferes
with digestion.
1T renders the albumen of the food
partially insoluble, and therefore takes
away from its nutritive value,
ut is absorbed into the blood, which
1t tends to thicken and coagulate. The
free flow of the blood through the or
gans of the heart is thus retarded.
"Its continued absorption into the
system causes some forms Of nervous
prostrations and many of those affec-
tions Of the nerves from which both
women and men suffer.
Fourteen grains of alum have caused
the death of child. Larger doses have
frequently resulted fatally in the case
Of adults.
'No drug so powerful and deadly, no
matter in what proportions 1t may be
employed, can safely be used in any
article of food"
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
THE WHiSTLlNG CURE.

One Of the medical Journals publishes the
following prescription.
when tho thrGcs Of !rdVr stion ana the
qualms Of dyspepsia are making your NE
miserabe, Just purse the i.ps and whistle
brisk muTry tune Tie hEal
thing you know the stomach Will have
righted itself, the llyeE VIII be working
good and strong the blood Will be bound
ing through your veins your brain Will be
clear and vigorous. and you Will iee4
twenty years younger
When yOu tNiuk the world Is going to the
dickens right away,
Whistle.
When You look out IN the morning, tLiak-
Ing What Il gloomy day.
WhiTlc,
When It seems that everybody wants to
try TO pull Jou down,
When II seems tLat al creation wants tU
plague you just ,or spite,
Whom yOu see those black spola dancing
ana your tongue lrr,a thick and
brown
On. whistle. whistle. whistle
whistle oH with all your might!
when you got 10 rather doubling thut the
LORD is overhead,
Whistle,
Don't you care who hears 5ou-go 1t tn
your cbeclla get hot and red,
WhistIc
When you think the work you're doing
ISN'T worth the tim" If taxes,
When you've got 70 thinking nothing that
you try VII turn 0ut right,
Wh'n your heart feels Ike IL douGhnut
and your poor Old headplrrr aches,
Oh. whistle whistle. Whlstic.-
Whistle on siln al your might
when you hate 20 hear the children AZ
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

back and sides. For time was unable
to walk at all, and every makeshift
tried and all the medicine I took had
not the slightest effect. MY back con-
tinued to grow weaker until / began
taking Doan's Kidney Pills, and must
say was more than surprised and
graNfied to notice the backache disap-
peaTng gradually until it finally
stopped"
Daan's Kidney Pills sold by all deal
ers or by mail on receipt of price so
cents per box. Foster-Milburn Co.,
Buffalo, N. Y.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
Fine yooioGicnI ColIectt,,.

The geological collections of the Ma
tional museum have grown to immense
size, rivaling, and in some cases surpass-
ing. those of any other museum. Of in
sects there are in the government col
lection nearly 800 600 specimens: of re-
cent shells nearly 100000 specimens:
besides at least 100000 specimens OF
other aquatic invertebrates, about 200,-
600 specimens Of fishes, more than co.
600 birds eggs; 10000 specimens of
birds. more than 10000 reptiles and
batrachians. and more than $4,000
snecimens of mammals.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
A COLLECTION OF HANGERS.
One of the IntcrcstinE Sights In the
New nnHnrinn National Ma
ECum AT Munich.


ne b'oa' charih OF ihr ne" ba'aflar
"a'.oIiaI museum Ut mUlllch perhaps Ile'
! III llc TACT ihhI us lscoiiccll"hs were mao'
NiS' ana us buiINihE aIlcf"afd' rms
"e,H0a mas resulted IN uhsuaI harmony
ana surprises al every turn, writes
Emma hrneSllho Porter IN CHRISTMAS
m"nbe'7 III IN" century Ihc a''hI''c'
mas piaHu'a afche8 10 De borne ny stone
'''""'H" from carry roman bavaria, ana
'""i'S 10 De 'e'ieu ny genuine pa"elf
.fohl the mIddIc ages he has cut door
ways !" III lhe worn uuura at bis com
Hlailo' ana mas bulIl Failiicd rOaP'I 10
H"'a the wealth OF eccI'SlaSiicaI treas
uIe5'
Among 'ho many 'n"IVi"uaI coI''c-
'ohs oI lhe museum, ny Tar the most
o'i6in"l IL the spr'alied NIIppeh-
SamlhlunR' or collection oi hangers
10 Tue ears OF PROTESTANT America lhIS
expresses IttlIc or nothing, ana seems
70 DE more appropriate department
Iof county ialr lhan an art museum
hut the roman catholic church. IN Ils
constant appeals to the eyes ana ears
ol us followers. has, through long cen
'urlca' invented some very beauliiuI
lhethooS OF teaching little children as
wen as lhoSe children OF an oIdcr
grown, the unIctter"d and the untaughl.
lhus 1t ~ That the molly sepucher Is sun
a. In,
churcheS, while on Christmas eve the
story OF Holy Night Is represented to
the eye by group of little figures gath
cred about Il mangcr.
Whoever has happened on such scene
at Christmas time in Catholic church
In our own country has doubtless been
more impressed with the originality OF
the method than with any artistic merit
In the figures; but In the land of artists
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
Do Not Delay, But Write To-Day.

In this issue of the paper the Worlds
Greatest Jewelry Establishment, Mermod
q Jaccard's (St. Louis. announce they will
send Free to our readers their magnificent
Catalogue containing thousands of illus
trations with prices of the most beautiful
things in the world in Watches Diamonds,
Jewelry, Silverware, &c, etc. Their prices
are the lowest in America for fine goods.
If you are going to make any Xmas gifts
you would do we'll to send for it at once.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Tppng-'I'm afraid the Bakers won't
get along very well together" Fytcher--
Il don't see why not. They are wholly
IN harmony, you know. She thinks there
is nobody in the world who can come up
to her husband, and he is certain of it,
Boston Transrrtpt
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
Carrying Things Too Far

We'll, this" said the South Amer
lean citizen, "is carrying things too far
n our base and servile imitation Of
Yankee methods"
What is that?"
why, the insurgent and government
authorities are having forenoon and
.fternoon programmes printed for all
our revolutions, Town and Country,
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Boastful Bess-Yes, have a speak,
ing acquaintance with that young mil
licnaire.
Sarcastic Sue-Indeedl How long
have YOU been working in the tele-
phone exchange?-Chieago Daily News.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

81 hear" said Hi Tragedy, that while
YOU were playing in one OF the western
towns Il fire broke out in the theater."
Yes" replied Lowe Comedy and
there might have been horrible panic
but for one thing"
What was that"
There weren't enough people in the au-
dience to create one. Tit Bits.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

tAho - hHa a
miles from
Ire Ii t on,
Mo-, says
"A s o v e re
cold settled
III my kid
neys and de-
veloped so
quickly that
Twas obliged
to lay off
work on ac-
count of the
acliinpin nv
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
That's All.

Tommy--Pop, why do people have to
pay duty on things they bring from
Europe?
Tommy's Pop-Just as n matter of
custom, my son. philadelphia Record.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

'Why is it?" asked the jolly party.
that you are always borrowing trouble$J
Because" answered the melancholy in.
diyidual, st is the only thing | can Dor.
low without security. y."-Chicago Daily
News.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

The discovery OF an Indiana astron-
omer that the climate OF the sun is
generally warm seems so obvious, now
that Il is pointed out, that we wonder
nobody ever found I. out before.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Mrs. Homelegh our husband is at
his club good deal, isn't he?" Lady
Gadabout-"Ies. The poor boy hates be.
ing at home alone, you know. Punch.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Isabel-Are you ever rude?
Dorothy-0h, yes; Gne has 10 be
rude now and tnen to teach other peo.
pla manners. Detroit Free Press.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Post Office orders are not obtainable
in Spain, as officials cannot be trusted
with cash.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02
EVERY WALK IN LIFE.

A. A. Boyce, farmer, living three
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

lmpudence might be genius. If given
wise direction.
The commonwealth., 1904-01-02

Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. All
druggists refund money if it fails to cure. 25c.
The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-12

good gloves, equal to many LOO ones; all shades, black and white.
 Neckwear.
 We are showing an exquisite assortment of new ruchings in lisse, crepe and chiffon, white and colors, plain and fancy; some finished with gold, silver and pearl beads-20c to 75c yd. Some exceptional values in neckwear will be placed on sale Saturday morning, including lace and fancy stocks, worth asc
 At l27sc each New serim sets, embroidered and lace stocks, many exclusive styles, worth soc each,
 Special. 2Sc
The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-12
Gloves and NeckWear.

Our special importations of kid gloves are now arriving, and in freshness of skins, beauty of shadings and perfection of fit, are unusually attractive
 Special values are:
 Two clasp regina, a real French kid in colors, black and white, better than most I.a5 gloves. Our special price, l.io Our Rosamonde, $r.oo a pair. An excellent glove, well known and deservedly popular. The spring importations show all shades, white and black, and are still unrivalled at LOO pair New Gloves, new shades
 at FOG the pair.
 A fresh assortment of these
The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-12
Hosiery and Underwear,
For H01ssn and CA1zden.

Women's ribbed lisle union suits, low neck, no sleeves, knee length,
 Plain, 75c, face trimmed, 75c Womcn's shaped ribbed cotton vests, high neck, long and short sleeves, low neck with wing sleeves, low neck with no sleeves; French band, knee length pants so match. Price, 25c each Women's medium weight cotton vests, high neck, long and short sleeves, knee and ankle French band. pants; hand crocheted, silk trimmed,
 Price 5Oc each; extra sizes, 59c Wcmtn's Empress pants. trimmed with 9 strong lace edge, French band,
 Price 25c-extra sizes 29c
The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-12

Boys heavy Aleeced shirts and draw CTS --grcy, worth s5c,
 Price 15c-2 for 25c Women's black lace lisle hose, spliced he els and toes, assorted patterns,
 Price 25c Won en's black cotton hose, medium weight, spliced heels and toes, double sole, worth 15c,
 For soc d pair, ? for 25c Women's black cotton dfopstitch hose, double heels and toes, tan and black, worth z5c, M
 For 19c pair; 3 for soc Boys a-r ribbed cotton hose, double knees, spliccd heels and toes, worth 2 SC,
 For 12ssc pair