davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
COST OF LOUIS BUTTONS.
@Grand Monarque" Said to Have
Squandered SIS 5000, 900 to Sat
isfy Peculiar Mania.

Twenty thousand dollars for a drop
shaped pearl scarf pin. SIS, 900 for a
pearl stud, $4,94O for a Dat fastener
formed of a white bouton pearl with
gold bar, $3.50 for seven buttons en-
suite and SITS for a pair of brilliant
sleeve links-these are a few of the
prices realized at the recent sale in
London of a noble marquis jewelry.
But, after all. everything is compare
tive, and the marquis gems, rare and
costly though they are. would have
been quite eclipsed by Louis XIV.'s per-
sonal jewelry. The grand monarque"
had many crazes. but for buttons he
had a positive. mania. In a single year
1856, he s~quandered $500. 900 on them,
and some Of his purchases are well
worth glancing at. On August 1, 1856,
he bought two diamond buttons for g.
966 francs, and Is diamond buttons
for $50. 703 francs. The buttons for a
the 1854 "boutonnieres" used 1862 con-
tanned five diamonds each. while the
remainder were single diamonds. In
all, the great monarque' is said 70
have spent IS, 900, 900 on buttons alone.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
LATEST LIFE-sAvINc GUN.
Improved Means Of Sending a Line
to a Wreck Highly Praised
by Technical Men.

When, owing to fog or storm, a ship
is wrecked anywhere along an inhabited
coast, prompt efforts are made on shore
to rescue the passengers and crew.
Where a regularly-organized life-saving
service exists it is customary to keep,
in addition to a suitable boat. means for
throwing a line to the stranded vessel.
This, having been made fast to the ship
and also on land, is used as a sort Of rail-
way on which a peculiar form of buoy,
or a life car, is made to travel to and fro.
To establish the first communication
with the wreck it is customary to attach
one end of the line to a light ~projectile
that is fired from a gun. IL the aim is
accurate and the velocity sufficient the
shot will go over and beyond the vessel
and fall so as to bring the line within
the grasp of the sailors. The rest of the
work is comparatively easy.
One of the latest improvements in
such work relates to the form of the
gun. Until recently the latter has al
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
RARE COINS ALL coRNERED
It Is Only the Burglars That Keep
Any Of Them in Cir
culation.

The passion for making collections OF
| articles Of various kinds. particu-
larly stamps and coins, Is like hope. 1t
springs eternal in the human breast,
says the New York Sun.
You would be surprised" said a pro-
fessional collector of coins and stamps,
ito know how many utterly worthless
specimens are brought to me by persons
who perhaps have treasured them for
long and then. needing money, have
come to me expecting to be handsomely
| paid for an article that really has no
commercial value whatever. Sometimes.
indeed, | have paid good prices for
worthless articles of no use to me at all,
to save their owners from the disap-
pointment which l could plainly see a re-
fusal would cause them.
Why | handle on an average pretty
nearly 500 specimens a day, both Of
stamps and coins, brought in here by
people who expect them to be literally
worth their weight in gold. Yet in spite
of the great number of specimens coming
into my hands in this way every year.
it's only about once in three years that
I find anything of real value.
"You see. it's just this way. Hardly
any good rare coins or stamps are cir
culating at large. Almost everything
has been picked up by collectors; and II
you follow up any rare issue, you can
place almost every one-either find the
owner or account for the issue.
And you will be surprised. perhaps.
when l tell you that we are indebted to
burglars for most of what we do find.
One of the light-fingered gentry lifts
some rare old coins; he has no senti-
mental fondness for them based on age
and possible associations. and he is I'M
able to make any use of them. So he
rids himself of the worthless and posi-
bly, dangerous and discriminating arti-
cles; and in that way they drift into Our
hands.
mot long ago a child went into a
candy shop with a nickel she had found.
The old woman who kept the shop took
the nickel without noticing its queer ap-
pearance. but later she saw that it was
not as other coins are. and she brought
it to me.
Il found 1t to be a nickel of 1856, Of
which only a few were issued. as an ex-
%perimental form. gave the old woman
S. for her five-cent piece, and she went
away rejoicing.
It's the burglars that keep the are
coins in circulation"
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09

French Writer Presents a Theory
Which Is Interesting Scien-
tifc Men Everywhere.

An interesting study of the origin of
animal humps, such as are found on the
camel, and a comparison with curious
Jumps that occur Oh the neck and shoul-
ders of native porters in Madagascar.
which appear to have arisen from anal
ogous cause has been made by q
French writer, M. Devaux, whose paper
on the subject, read originally before the
Societe de Biologie, is thus noticed in
the Revue Scientifque:
IN. Devaux was struck with the hump
found on the back of the neck of Mala-
gasy porters. This class of persons is
alone affected, and the origin OF
the tumors may be quite well de-
termined. They consist of large
wens. often three in number, one
on the neck and one on each Shout
der, and due to traumatism. In fact, the
Malagasy porters carry two burdens, OF
almost equal weight, suspended at the
ends of a bamboo pole resting on the
shoulder at it's middle. They walk thus
for days with minimum weights of 40 to
60 kilograms (8S to 1872 pounds, They
change shoulders when tired (Which ex-
plains the two humps, and for this pur-
pose they slide the pole (Which is
greased) over the muscles of the neck.
Besides this, the bamboo pole, while
resting on the shoulder, is always
n contact with the neck, which ex-
plains why the middle tumor is the
largest.
THE mechanism of the formation Of
humps in the zebra, the bison, and the
dromedary is identical, according to N.
Deyaux-a curious and interesting anal
ogy. In the zebra and bison the hump is
found just at the level Of the angle Of
fexion Of the neck on the vertebral col
umn, At the moment when the animal
browses-a very pronounced angle, be-
cause the neck is relatively short, and
the natural tumor, therefore, develops at
the exact place where the cellular tissue
of the last cervical vertebrae. In the
dromedary the hump in the middle Of
the back is found at the angle of f1exion
formed by the vertebral column when
the animal kneels, and here also the
apophyses form a bony corner which
penetrates roughly into the cellular It's
sue. In all these cases the pressure re-
suits in the formation of Serious pockets,
simultaneous injury, and the accumula-
ton of serum; only in the animal these
wounds are of internal origin, while In
man they are external.
'The author should have tried also to
give a similar explanation Of the double
hump of the camel, which is much less
easy to understand. The nutri-
tive reserve which would appear, from
the standpoint of natural selection. to
be the reason for these humps, may pos
sibly be localized in points that other
factors have already indicated. In any
case the animals hump is hereditary.
May it become so In the case of the Mala-
gasy porters?"
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
BIRD WITH STRANGE BILL.
Rhlnoceros Hornbill of Borneo Is a
Creature That Is Equally Gu
rious and Unselfish.

One of the most remarkable and least
Known birds in the world is the wonder
ful rhinoCerous hornDill.
It lives in the high fruit forsests OF
Dorneo, and, although it occurs there IN
lGcks so great that their wings make
i sound like thunder when they are dis
turbed. yet few travellers see them. be-
cause tfeir dwelling places ere S o diff
cult to reach.
The natives call them sungungs, but,
as will be seen from the picture, the
name of rhinocerous hornbill is about as
escriptive a ore as could be devised.
A fine pair of them is to be seen in the
bird cases of the national museum in
Washington.
Despite its enormous bill. the bird is
an excellent and swift flyer. and man
ages to hold its own against the many
serpents, tree-climbing cats and mon
keys of Borneo. But they have so many
enemies that they are driven to great
straits to preserve their nests and eggs
from these marauders.
The way in which they do this is a
fine example of unselfshness among an
imalS.
AS soon as the female has laid her
egg in the hollow of a tree. the male
bird sets TO word to seal her in. by clos
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09

COMPLETED ALARM AND r
points you can CONNECT with other ap-
paratus.
Screw the bell on box in any desired
position. Fasten on switch, the most
convenient place being at N end. Place
battery inside box. To make circuit con-
necter screw a thin piece of board on
back Of box at c. Bore a small hole in
his exactly same height as center of
ring which winds alarm spring on back
of clock. Next screw on a small piece of
iron, n, over hole, and through this put
bolt, k. half its distance.
Screw on board one end of brass piece,
8. so it will just touch bolt, k. On the
other end of bolt place a small piece of
wood three-quarter inch by one and one
quarter inch. Saw a slit across one end
to admit alarm ring. A small hole can
be bored through the wood and the bolt
screwed through, which will hold. Coun-
tersink head three-eighths inch.
Now wire from one pole of battery
to binding post on bell, opposite post on
bell to post on switch, point on switch
to brass, s. on board. e. Next wire from
iron, n, to battery. Now you are done.
When the alarm goes of the unwind
ing of the alarm spring screws the bolt
against the brass and makes connection.
To make a neat job, run wires inside OF
box, with small nail holes at posts to
run through.-E. A. Watson. in Ameri-
can Agriculturist.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
DISPATCHER RUNS TRAINS.
Although One Rarely Hears About
Kim, He Is the Real Railroad
Nerve Center.

We are a railroad-ridins people. and
are so familiar with this mode OF
travel hal it hardly ever occurs to
any one how much our safety depends
on the vigilance of many, but particu-
larry OF one who may be termed the
nsrve-center of the road. He is the
train dispatcher. and OF him and his
work Frank H. Spearman thus speaks
in the Outlook:
The work of this marvel, fixing for
a moment the attention of the world,
is only the work of the train dispatch
er, who. sitting under his night lamp,
blindfolded by four white walls. his
right hand on the key and his eye
fastened on the figures of a train sheet,
forces his mind, when other men are
asleep, to visualize the long, winding
miles of his division-its trains, its
passing tracks and curves, its towers
and stations, its semap.lcres n
switches. AT 20 points in the darkness
of his night, and depending for safety
on the clear, instant working of his
mind. are swiftly moving trains of
Pullman cars loaded with sleeping men
and women whose waking rests with
hiul alone. This man is TO genius; he
is the plain. everyday American that
one meets in the street car or in the
crowd. He cannot choose his days for
playing his games; he plays every day
from eight a. m. till four p. M, or from
four till midnight; OF he takes his
transfer at midnight and sits in his
chair through the last watches of the
night. He cannot play 20 games and
rest; he must for eight hours be ready
steadily for every game that comes
over the wires against him, whether of
of storms, blockades, breakdowns Or
wrecks. He cannot load up with coffee
or with strong cigars for the strain OF
one night, because he must meet the
same conditions on the next night and
on every night. No one marvels con-
corning him; no n coddles him; no
n pays any attention whatever to
him. until, after perhaps, 1000 or 5000
such nights successfully passed, he
makes n night a mistake, a fatal
mistake. and from those people who
themselves never forget anything a
cry fol- vengeance goes up. Other men
may make mistakes; not the dispatch
er. His nerves must be iron and must
never fag, never wear. Sitting in his
den he directs his train movements
every day and his life, burned out like
the electric current at his key, is one
Of the little sacrifices We exact as the
price of u living in the country and
doing business in the city, of crossing
a continent in days instead of weeks,
of getting our letters with the speed of
kilograms and Jul papers and maya
zines wet from the distant press.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
USEFUL COMPASS PLANT.
Its Leaves Always Point Due North,
Hence It Is Highly Valued by
{ Travellers on Plains.

Sailors, when they're lost, get their
bearings from the stars said a west
ern miner. Lost landsmen, knowing
nothing about astronomy, must trus.
TO their botanical knowledge tt lead
them home. Ii 1 ever get lost on the
prairies | look for a compass plant.
This plant is a pretty common growth
on the western plains, and its leaves
always point. due north. If yai know
where north is you are sure the south
is behind you. the east on your right
and the west on your left. and there IS
nothing for you to do but push IN
ward in the direction your home lies.
Thus the compass plant has saved
many a lost traveller from death on the
plains.
"Woodsmen tell me that when they
get lost they find due north by exam
lining the tree trunks. On the side of
the trunks that faces north the moss,
they claim. always grows the thickest.
Moss will be found, to a certain ex-
tent, all over the trunks, but on the
north side there will be two or three
times as much of it"-Louisville Cour-
i~er-J0urnal.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
WoMAN's VARIOUS CHARMS
A Clever Definition Of Some Of the
Most Captivating Character
istics Of the Fair Sex.

Animation, brightness, yiyacity are
some Of woman's most captivating
charms. A tear may move pity. but it
is a smile that commands admiration.
Even a witty woman must not be for
ever sparkiing-that is monotonous
and wearying; the perpetual flashing
OF diamonds tires the eyes and the
brain. She must have her sober mo-
ments, IL only to throw into higher
relief the moments when she is gay.
A woman Is most charming when she
Is tender and sympathetic. She may
dazzle when she is merry, but when
she is gentle and full Of sympathy she
enchants a mans heart. When her
voice takes a softened tone. and her
eyes look words that her lips hesitate
to say-then, If she only knew her
power, 1t would be a time of peril for
the world at large! She could do with
1t what she chose; only she never
knows it. Probably she charms the
most when she is most unconscious of
her power. The very Inconsistencies
is a part of the charm. A woman Is
always charming when she is good
natured. Bad temper never charmed.
Sarcasm may amuse when it is di-
rected against some n else, but 1t
does not win anyone's heart. Good
temper Is an attraction even in a plain
woman. When a oma has that in
addition to her other qualities-when
she is natural in her manners, uncon-
scious, lively, tender and gentle-then,
indeed, she is charming to all the
world. Sometimes she possesses a
quality known as fascination. which no
n has eve yet been able to define
a quality outside of and beyond all the
attractions above mentioned, and indie
pendent of them to the ordinary eye.
But with this fascination a very good
substitute may be formed from the
qualities already enumerated, and
many a woman can cultivate these
graces and make herself charming in
the eyes of all who know her.-N. Y.
Weekly.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09

ways been a muzZle loader. By degrees
a breech loader is now being substituted.
To get the best results the gun should be
adapted to conditions Of darkness. cold
and wet weather, which conditions are
directly opposed to the successful work.
ing of the m~uzzle-loading gun, with its
unprotected powder charge bags, its
open bore pointing skyward and closed
at the lower end, forming a natural re-
ceptacle for water, and its open igniting
primer and wooden carriage, which
must be securely tied down to prevent
recoil. Speaking of the new system. the
Scientific American says:
THE improved life-saving gun is
considerably less than three feet in
length, and is built of steel and a special
bronze alloy, which resists the action of
salt air and water. The gun tapers from
the breech, where the greatest strain
comes, to a diameter of five inches at the
muzzle. A special ~self-locking mechan-
ism, at once the simplest and having the
fewest working parts of any yet devised.
closes the rear of the bore In such a way
LAdt any "dbCi hAANihS ~ "ey Ahto an
gun will be instantly drawn out. The
firing hammer with its safety device Is
actuated by a lanyard, ard relies wholly
on the pull of the gunner. all the springs
and delicate latches ordinarily used in
army cannon being entirely eliminat-
ed. To prevent the troublesome and dam
gerous jumping back of the gun when
fired it is provided with simple liquid
recoil checks attached to the t%runnions
and operating very similarly to the
common door check. Instead of having
the powder charge in a loose wooden bag
open to moisture, it is contained. togeth-
er with its primer, in a Theoretically
sealed bronze cartridge core, which slips
easily into the breech Of the gun. After
the cartridge has been inserted and the
breech closed the projectile carrying the
line is inserted in the muzzle and showed
home. This projectile is a cylindrical
shot, rounded elliptically at the inner
end and having means for securing the
shot line at the outer end"
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
A Scrapbook of Real Value

To devote a scrapbook to one subject
makes it much more interesting and
valuable. and when you begin to gather
material on any one theme you will be
surprised at the amount which will
come to hand. Suppose that you want
% know all about some famous person,
either in the public eye at present, or
some n of past times. From maya
zines and other sources can be col
lected articles, portraits, perhaps poems
in relation to the subject, etc. When
matter is clipped. the s%crapbook
maker may copy it neatly with a pen
into her book. The educational value
Of such a book is something worth
while, as we'll as the satisfaction of
having gathered oneself so much in
formation on a single subject.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
HANDY FOR TRAVELLERS.

nimity, and the travellers coat hanger
therefore meets with approval. AS
shown, IL is fashioned just like he Or
binary hanger, except for a slide ar
rangement in the center which per-
mits of it's being reduced to one-half
normal size for packing purposes. Six
of these nickeled hangers constitute a
set and they come in a neat liltle
leather case and will tuck away in a
corner of a trunk without the least
bother.
Another little contrivance which the
traveller is pretty certain to find of ser
vice is the Irvine ball holder, also OF
leather. with a small pair of scissors,
held in place on the outside of the
LAST by a narrow strap Of leather
Brooklyn Eagle.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
TWO HANDY coNTRIvANcEs
Little Things That Add to the Com
fort Of Travellers Cooped Up
in Hotel Rooms.

When travelling around the land and
particularly when taking a vacation
jaunt in summer, the average individ-
ual does not expect to enjoy all the
comforts OF home at the hotel or
boarding house by the shore or inland.
The increase in numbers of the travel
ing public has in these later years
brought about q diminution Of discom-
fort for the tourist, and ingenious
mortals rack their brains and sit up
nights evolving c~ontrivances hat shall
help to make the travellers way more
agreeable and pleasant. Scarcity Of
closet Don is the cry all over the land
where summer tourists seek temporary
quarters. and the coat hanger devised
tor the use of the traveller fills a spc-
cial want. The most placid minded,
even-tempered woman does not view 3
crumpled frock or jacket with equa-
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
BIG JAPANESE OYSTERS.
One of Them with an Ostrich Egg
Made a Full Meal for
Nine Men.

The strangest meal / ever ate" said
a sailor, according to the Washington
Post. twas dished up to me in the Yellow
sea nine years ago. This meal consisted
of an ostrich egg and a Japanese oyster.
There were nine Of usfellto. and the
egg and the oyster made enough for all.
The egg was hard boiled. Cookie had
shelled it, and it came on looking fine, all
white and glistening, with a tart yellow
sauce in the bottom of the dish. We
sliced it down with a knife, the same as
you would slice a turkey. 1t wasn't bad
"a little eggy, that's all.
THE Japanese oyster was nearly two
feet long. Jap oysters, are, you know.
the biggest in the world. 1t was
served raw, and when the boatswain
stuck his long carvin' knife in it, 1t shiv-
cred all over, and it seemed to me a kind
of low groan escaped it. It tasted fine
and there was enough left for a stew"
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
B MANNERS.

The blueiay is a greedy bird: I often watch
him eat,
When crumbs are scattered from our door
he snatches all the treat,
lie drives the smaller birds away, his man
nerS are so rude
It's quite a shocking thing to see MIN goo-
BILE Gown bis food.
And sometimes VIXEN I'm not po.ite, l near
my mother say:
why, now I see u little boy who's eating
biuejay way
The sparrows are a noisy set and very
duarrelsome,
Because each hungry little bird desires TIE
biggest crumb.
They sccid and night about the food, al
chirping Me! Me! Me!
And sometimes when VIZ children are IN
clined to disagree
About the sharing OF al treat. my mother
says: why. YOU
Are acting now the very way the silly spar
rows do!'
The jolly little ctickadecs are perfectly po-
HE,
They never snatch. they never bolt, they
never. never fight,
They hold TIE crumbs down daintily with
both their little feet,
And neck off tiny little bites-we love to
watch them eat!
Ard vixen my sisters good at meals, my
mother says: II see
A little cir. who's eating like a uarihS
chickadee!"
Hannah c. ternald, in Good Housekeep-
.np.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09
Better Off at Home.

Calculating the cost of raising a per-
son in Ireland at $200-and this is me
fifth of the supposed cost in the United
States-emigration has cost Ireland
since 1851, when the statistics were first
kept, about $500, 600, 900. Al anti-emigra-
ton society has been started in Dublin,
and is doing what it can to stem the tide
of emigration. It's plan of campaign is to
show that while some Of the emigrants
do better their condition, many of
them do not, and that these latter al
most Invariably reach a lower state of
misery than is possible in Ireland,
where the worst they have to face is
poverty, but poverty without the moral
degradation common in large cities.
The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-09

ing the hole up with dirt, tree-gum and
everything else that will hold together
tenaciously. He does not cease till he
has absolutely walled his mate in. leay-
ing only her big bill exposed.
This. of course. makes her absolutely
safe, even against such huge reptiles as
pythons and the mighty tree-climbinS
monitor lizards, which live on birds al
most entirely, None of these, however
large. can achieve much against the say
age beak of the rhirocerous hornbill.
OF course. the p%enned-in bird cannot
feed herself, so the male is kept busy
throughout the brooding season in car
cylng food to her; and it has been OBJ
served by naturalists that the faithful
and unseIfsh husband will not only feed
his mate before he satisfies his own hun
ger. but that he will always select choice
particles for her out of his own food
Boston Globe.