davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

In the Bahama islands there -four
isbcs a tree the roots OF which attain
to enormous proportions, often reach
ing to a height OF fifteen or twenty
feet above the surface OF the earth,
spreading IN all directions. under
ground rs we'll, in order to obtain sus-
tenance AMI give support to the trunk
and branches. ON the tree srOw In
numeral le balls Of silky cotton, pre-
sentlng m almost fa.rylike appearance
as thev glistcn IN tic sunlight. Thcy
are I'm great demand for stuhlng pill
lows. being soft az down. The spaces
formed ny the roots are often quite A.
large rs fair sized rooms, and II rooted
over one tree would form a commo
dious dwelling place for n family. In
fact. IL you'd be infinitely superior
10 the average native hut Holes could
be cut in Tie roots to allow of internal
communication. Up 70 the present
however. the natives have not utilized
them ~ houses, though they are fre
quently in request rs stables fol
horses
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

In nothing have the habits Of Eng
lish gentlemen more changed than in
the use Of wine. Time was when each
plate and table was entlladed, almost
surrounded. by an escort or wine
glasses. ranging from sherry to cham
pagne and tapering thence to madeira
and brandy = port, claret, burgundy,
the red alternating with the white
and he was no good man and true who
did not go through the list and survive
II. Today Mt the great houses you may
have what you want, but rarely more
than three glasses are visible, for white
wine, for red wine and for champagne.
Apollinaris Is largely In evidence. The
fine old English gentleman who made
II a merit to get drunk on port and to
sober up on claret has disappeared
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

The physicians Of mediaeval Eng
land. who were for the most part
monks, frlars or Jews, possessed O
large assortment OF remedies, some OF
them borrowed from the byzantine
physicians, others from the traditional
practice Of the people. Christian ply
sicians. however. called religion TO their
aid. None Of their remedies was ad'
m!nistered without ceremonial. While
the medicine was being compounded
the patient would say twelve times
over one Of the psalms, beginning
"Miserere mel, Deus" then several
patcrnostcrs, then drink the dose and
wrap thyself up warm" or he would
sing the psalm, "Salvum Me Fac
Deus" then drink the draft out OF q
church bell, the priest finishing the
cure with prayer.
Or. Creighton remarks that as the
maladies Of the middle ages contained
IN unusual element Of hysteria, the
ceremonial may not have come amiss
rs an aid to the treatment. Physicians
gained considerable fees BY their prac
tlce, which the people appear to have
grudCed them. The satirical writers
constantly accuse them of greed, but
these charges were probably owing tc
the prevalence OF the idea, not YET
extinct. that as medicine IS from the
Lord God" the leech was not entitled
to money payment.-London Spec
tator.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
The IpfPrnreter.

The famous Alpine. climber who at
the solicitation OF the vicar had con-
scented to give short lecture In the
Little Slushborough parish room was
relating one Of his most thrilling expe-
rlences according to the Dundee Ad-
vertlser. Suddenly" he said, Il felt
my feet slip from under me. and next
moment | was hanging over yawning
precipice Had the rope which held me
broken l should have found q grave
midst the everlasting SHOWS" He
paused. and old Mrs. WurZletop who
was as deaf as a gatepOSt, seized the
opportunity to put a question to her
husband. who could hear fairly we'll on
one side Of his head. 'Wot weer zee
a-sayln' Of JOhnY she queried. 80
fur as OF can make owt, Mriar," re-
piled her good man, zee were dared
near 'aEged for pawning summit as
didn't belong 10 i'm, an If the rope
'adnt broke 'ee'd ave bin In IS grave
af0re 'ce cul blow Is nose. The per
leece In them furrin parts must be or
full strict"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
whistler and the Amateur.

When James MacNeill Whistler went
10 VENICE to make those fourteen IA
nous etchings of his he became so In
toxicated with its beauty that he made
seventy pastels first, leaving his etch-
ings till the last few days. These pas
tells made tremendous sensation. All
the art world Of Venice was carried
away with enthusiasm, excepting n
Russian painter, who declared them
tricks. betting a basket OF champagne
he could paint six not TO be distin-
guished from them. Mr.. Whistler ami
ably gave some Of his paper and six
pastels,. which were finally mixed up
with those by tie Russian and submit
ted to Il Jury = no had seen none Of
them MI Wh'st'cr's pastels were un-
mistakablc. md the Russian lost the
wine. 4 few days later the two met
on the Rialto. and Mr. Whistler laughed
q little about The WINE and the bet.
The Russian was furious. You for
get, sir" he said, that I'm a Russian,
and if you scratch one you find a Tar
tar underneath" ooh. no, you have It
wrong" said Mr.. Whistler, you have
1t wrong. I scratched an artist and
found an amateur"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Reaa as AcrObnta.

When wax is needed certain mum
Der of self elected citizens gorge with
honey and hang up in chains or cur
tains. each bee cllnging by her front
feet to the hind feet OF the one above
her, like japanese acrObats, and there
they remain, sometimes for two days,
until the wax scales appear pushed out
from every pocket. 1t Is not hard 10
understand that. since much honey is
needed for the manufacture OF wax, d
bee after filing with the raw material
would produce much more wax by
keeping quiet than by using any OF the
gorged honey for energy In moving
about and working. But the necessity
of holding hands while this work
goes on must ever remain 10 us another
occult evidence OF the close relations In
the bee commune.-Country Life In
America.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
ComnrOmisfng n Tenor.

car Nicholas l. used to walk the
streets of It. Petersburg alone wrapped
in large gray cloak. 1t was forbid
de % spea1 - him, but the car some
tines forgot that a subject could not
ob.y the prohibition II the empero-
ad resaeL him.
once the car met IN a park the
tenor singer Of the Italian opera and
exchanged few words with him The
moment the car was out OF sight The
police arrested the tenor That even
iug the car attended the opera, where,
after q long delay. the manager an
nounced that the tenor could not be
found. Nicholas guessed what had
happened and sent an aid-de-camp II
releaso re singer.
A few days after the ear again met
the tenor and began with an apology:
II was very sorry
"May | implore your majesty the
italian exclaimed. mot to speak TO me-
Your majesty Will compromise me with
the police"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
DeatIi's yuphemisms.

I cannot tell when the custom arose,
but know that 1t was customary in
New England less than Il century ago
to arnOunce Il suicide in the list Of
deaths by eupheui>m-as, lin this city,
1st inst, \. b. suddenly" 1t was so
common that Oh seeing such notice
any one would understand at once that
the deceased had taken his own life.
Those were the days when newspapers
understood and respected certain de-
gree of reserve is regard TO personal
feeling. whether of Joy or sorrow. In
diyiduals had some privacy.
Another euphanism in regard TO
death is the phrase, If anything
should happen" Persons speak Of
making their will or making any def
mite arrangement concerning their pos
sessions, "In case anything should hap
pen 10 them" The phrase is almost
invaria bly, used Wh,%e death IS hourly
expected, certain things are 10 be done
or CERTAIN persons called, If anything
should happen" meaning that one
thing IS sure to happen.-JOurnal OF
American Folk Lore.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

"Those who are not accustomed to
rain are frightened by it." says a
writer. Il once saw an Arab rained
upon for the first time. He was alb
iectly terrified and demanded to have
his passage paid from the country
Sicily-in which the dread phenomenon
occurred. He had been conveyed from
the Sahara, | think. by a European
whose servant he was, and he evidently
thought his master was behaving abom
inably to him in permitting him TO ge,
wet. BY the first steamer he returned
to his native desert, abandoning excel
lent wages, and shaking the raindrop'
furiously from his sllppered feet"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
An OnPr Declined.

Persons who are enylous OF those
whom they are pleased TO call the for
tunate rarely count the cost OF success
Apropos of this, an amusing story Il
told Of General Lefeyre, duke Of Daht
zic. One day the general had visit
from a friend of his youth, who com
mented. not without feelings of envy
on the dignities and riches which th'
duke, who was born in n peasants cot
tage, had acquired in many battles ahC
by his faithful services.
"Oh, | am prepared" was the re
joinder, "to hand them over to you a
the very price paid for them. W.
will proceed together into my garden
There you shall walk up and down FOL
the space of half an hour while com
mand a company Of infantry TO fir
on you. There were more IN my case
but you shall have the benefit OF alter
ed circumstances. II you are not sho
In thirty minutes all that Is mine shall
be yours"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
A Troubled One.

1t Is said that the expression There
Is q skeleton In every closet" arose
from the following incident: \ young
italian student, finding he was dying
fearing to break the news 10 his moth
er, adopted the following device: lie
Informed her that he was I'll and that
II had been foretold he would not re-
cover until he had worn a shirt made
by woman who had no trouble. Tho
widow soon discovered II was no easy
task to find such person, but at length
was referred TO a lady who seemed
surrounded with every comfort and
happiness and possessed a husband
who seemed devoted to her The wild
CIV made known her request and for
an answer was shown q closet where n
skeleton hung suspended from Il beam
She was told 1t was the remains of the
lady's former lover, who from motives
Of jealousy had been slain by her hus-
band, and that he compelled her to Wis
1t It every day. The widow concluded
that no one was without trouble. that
there is a skeleton in every closet"
and became reconciled to the approach
ing loss Of her son.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Xash RirfhdaY

The first known celebration OF Wash
ingtOn's birthday was Oh Feb. II, 1884
The old style date was still adhered to.
This was during the lifetime Of the
first president and completed his fifty.
third year. The following Is from the
Pennsylvania Packet of Philadelphia
Of the date Of Tuesday, Feb. II, 1884:
New York, Friday, Feb. 13.-Wednes-
day last being the birthday of his eX-
cellency General Washington the same
was celebrated by all the true friends
Of American independence and constl-
tutional liberty with that hllarity and
manly decOrum ever attendant on the
sons Of freedom. In the evening IN
entertainment was given on board the
East India ship In this harbor 10 a
very brilliant and respectable company,
and a discharge Of thirteen cannon was
fred on the joyful occasion" The OBJ
servance of the day was not confined
to New York city.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
scnwccd Sauces.

The Japanese have many curious
recipes for cooking seawced, when
with fern. Is almost n staple article OF
diet In China, Japan and the Aslau'
archipelago. A number OF species OF
seaweed are eaten. Some are soaked
others are dried. Many OF the Jap
anese and Chinese sauces are made
from seaweed. Under the name OF
"asakusa- -nori." one variety Is put VI
in neat tin boxes and largely sold II
the Tokyo markets.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

Very cruel, says an author, was Ros-
sini's silent criticism of score sent to
him by q young musician. Rossini was
fond of macaroni. The musician, know
ing this, sent him along with his score
a packet of macaroni of unusual excel
lence. In humble little note he asked
the composer to point out the merits OF
his work II he found any there. Ros-
sini's reply ran like this: Thanks for
your score and the macaroni. The lat
fer WINS excellent"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Measures.

A gallon is exactly ten pounds OF
distilled water, so when housewives
say ~ pint's pound the world
around" they are mistaken.
The imperial standard yard, which
is the same as our own, is the dis
tance between two fine lines on a bar
of bronze. measured at 62 degrees
+. The bar is kept mounted on eight
rollers In a special steel safe in Lon
don.
The standard pound IS kept in sil-
yer gilt box contained in Il bronze box,
the top OF which is securely screwed
down and the whole placed IN a spe'
cial compartment Of the same safe.
The German metric system took the
place OF more than twenty local meas
ureS. The HesSe-Darmstadt foot was
les, than ten inches, the Schwarzburg-
Rudn, y" 7 foot more than fifteen.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Shakespeare u Bad Sleeper.

Personally ! should say. writes f.
+. Montague in the London saturday
Review. that shakespeare was a bad
sleeper. Tie well known lines IN
Henry "" suggest the passionate
longing for sleep which only those
who have experienced the long drawn
misery of white night can feel.
Again, what Is more suggestive Of 4
lie awake night In London in Arglst
than
O comfort killing night, image Of hell!
or
o hateful. vaporous and foggy night!
in The Rape Of Lucrece."
Or, again, take u.e twenty seventh
sonnet:
Weary with toll. ! haste me 10 my bed,
The dear roposo for limbs with traycl
tired.
But thcn begins q journey in my head
T work ny mind when body's work
e:9hcd
This seems 10 me the true wall OF
the insomnO.cnt, and the sonnets are
supposed to be autobiographical, l be
iicye.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Novoccan Slave Markets.

The sale OF slaves In Morocco IS a
very remarkable ceremony. When the
buyers have taken their seats In the
market place the auctioneers advance
In line to the center of the market and
offer up a prayer. They appeal FOR
divine favor on behalf OF buyers ana
sellers and anathematize Satan and
all his works. The buyers lnterpolate
"nmen" ut the proper moments. When
the last word Of prayer has been said
the slaves are brought forward. par.
celled out among the auctioneers and
led around the circle Of buyers, who
raise the prices of the men, women and
children they desire to purchase.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

A remarkable case OF an insect sit
ting on its eggs Is recorded by F. Z.
Dodd In the transactions OF the En-
tomological Society Of London" This
strange departure from the norman
habits OF the insect race Is exhibited
by q species of bug. The female Sits
in a brooding attitude over her eggs
for a period Of three weeks. Wheh the
young begin to break through she re-
tires an inch or so from the eggs ana
remains there for some hours until the
last egg ls hatched. She then departs,
leaving the young ones to take care OF
themselves. During the whole time OF
brooding and till all the young are
hatched the mother eats nothing. 1t
is thought that this brooding habit may
be a means of protection against the
attacks Of ichneumon fies.-London
Globe
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

The half inch United States standard
screw thread has thirteen turns per
inch. Mr.. Welsh, the original superin-
tendent of the Westinghouse Air Brake
works. used for the half inch bolt
twelve threads instead Of thirteen.
This decision has proved to be mis-
take and the company would be glad
to change 1t, but the immense number
OF brake equipments which are out all
over the world, the constant call FOL
repairs and extensions make 1t impossi
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
The st, BERNARD Pass.

The examinations made at the Great
st. Bernard show that the pass was
not only used by foot passengers, but
by horsemen IN Roman times. II
seems that IL was u safer route in the
time Of Vitellius than until the last
few years. Excavations demonstrate
that there were two buildings, much
farther apart than Is the present road
There was q temple there. and some
fifty votlve tablets have been found
It must always have been a place OF
refuge. though often subjected to at
tack. Signs Of violence are demon
strated 10y the fact that votive tablets
have been discovered broken and
thrown into the swamp below. IL was
In the eleventh century that ST. Der
nard of Mention founded the modern
hoSpice.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
TheLungs
Daily action Of the bowels is neceS.
sary. Aid nature with Ayers Pills.
CfcPrO's Wives.

Cicero had shrew named Tcrentia
who made him do as she pleased. He
was under great obligations to ClOdius
but when the divorce suit Of Caesar
against Pompllia came UP for trial Te-
rentia compelled Cicero to appear
against Clodius. Tired Of Terentia, Gle
ero got divorce and married rich
gin named Publilia. left her and lived
alone until his death
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
4 Vegetarian Danger.

In some respects vegetarians suffer
more than meat eaters from uric acid
poisoning. seeing that beans. peas, len
ills and peanuts contain twice as much
Of the poison as meal. The natives Of
India suffer greatly from uric acid dis
cases owing to the quantity Of dahl
0cuuls) they eat. Other natives who
avoid dahl arc almost entirely free
Dr. uaig in London Mail.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

Under the rule that the initial letter
of word Is sometimes doubled to sig
Nifty the plural, bb would be proper
abbreviation for barrels. Probably
some one, unfamiliar with the rule and
thinking the abbreviation too concise
as 1t might be mistaken for an abbre-
Walton for boxes, bundles. bags or
butts. made 1t bbl. for one barrel, and
then, still ignorant of the rule, added
an for the plural, making 1t bbls. Tor
more than one.-Boston Transcript
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
His Ambition.

Uncle Horace (who is something OF
sage and philosopher)-My boy. 1t /
time for you to begin to think seriously
Of the kind Of future you intend to maj
out for yourself. To sum 1t up in
word. what epitaph are you ambitious
to have engraved upon your tombstone
Nephew Dust beginning his career)-H'
got his share.-ChIcago Tribune.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
The scos.mfu Caddie.

4 very pOmpQus, self sufficient hhu
very bad golfer was once playing over
an Irish course He had rs his caddie
a battered old Irish peasant, with
very knowing twinkle In the corner Of
his eye. After each strickland each
stroke was cruel hard on the green turf
Of Ould Olreland-the vnnglOrious one
said to his c0ddie In the most lOrdly
fashion, Replace the turf. caddie"
Quietly and patiently the caddie went
through the performance, thinking vol
unes and saying nothing at all until
the eighteenth was reached. Then, as
the last dufred shot stumbled its way
to the putting green and Replace the
turf, caddic.' rang in his ears for the
last time. he turned with look Of in
effable scorn upon his august employer
and said: "Arrah. IS It replacing the
turf you'll be bidding me to do? By
the holy fly, it'll be returning the place
We'll be all doing when you're gomez
London King.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

Tongs were said to have been IN
vented In China B. c. 1122, but repre-
sentations Of them have been found
on the Egyptian monuments B. c.
300 In India they are claimed as In
use since B. C. 800. and their principal
employment In that country. where
fires during the most Of the year are
superfuous, was to facilitate the han
ding Of dead bodies In the funeral
pyres. Seventy pairs Of tongs, some
bronze. some iron. have been taken
from the ruins Of Pompeii.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
The Hope OF Rascals.

Our newspapers might be much bet
ter. They could easily be made more
to the taste of the people Of taste. Bu'
their unlovely crying Of crime, disa
greeable as 1t Is. Is an exceedingly I'm
portant public duty, and In their faith
fulness and veracious fortitude IL
keeping 1t up lies really the biggest
part OF our hope Of higher STANDARD
of honesty in public and private life
There is hope for any kind of rascal
ty as long ss 1t can be kept out or th'
papers.-IIarper's Weekly.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

"Jack Ardupp tried to borrow q do
Lar from me Just now. but he didn''
get II. I told him I hadn't SOU"
wasn't that stretching the trutl
considerably"
"Not at all. never saw one, In fact
It's q French coin. isn't itT'-Pittsburi
Post
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06

London sunday CtOSAnG biOAH'
London had Its troubles with Sunday
closing laws when in 1855 there were
riots caused by Lord Robert Grosven-
or's bill to put down Sunday trading.
A crowd hostile 70 the measure went 70
Hyde park Ito sec how the aristocratS
kept the Sabbath" rs n newspaper OF
that time put 1t. Carriages taking the
afternoon drive We're greeted with yells
OF Go TO church" ana with hOotlng
that scared many horses into running
away. \ week later the police prohib-
tied a meeting that was announced.
but tens Of thousands Of people ap-
peared. and there were Vigorous strug-
giles with the police. On tho third sun
day pure rowdyism superyened, foot
men were assaulted. and windows were
smashed Wholesale through the aristo-
cratic districts. Then the trouble died
out and so did the bill
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
A. nJJ Master.

Mrs. Parvenue-That picture In the
corner Is by an old master. Mrs' SWIFT
leigh-Indeed. would never nave
guessed II. Mrs. Parvenue-Yes. Ihe
man I bought 1t from gave me VIII
ten guarantee that the painter was
past seventy -flre before he did stroke
on ~
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Pity the WidOver.

From the Cork Constitution: "The
friends of n respectable young widow
want TO Get her housekeeping in Il re
spectacle WldOwer's family. Under
stands her business" There seems q
certain want Of flnesse in this latter
statemcnt.-LOndOn Punch.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Pretty Certain.

A we'll known millionaire was saying
10 his confidential clerk one day. NOW
I've arranged those papers for my wife
and children all right, so that II /
die
"If you dle?" interrupted the secre-
tary. "Say when you die; there's no If
about dying"
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
What Happened.

Counsel - Well, after the prisoner
gave you the blow what happened
Prosecutor-He gave me third one
Counsel-You mean second one
Prosecutor-No, sir. / landed him ht
second one.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
A auhtle DiaffnCtiOn.

Mother Of Parvenu Financier Ito Wis
itor)-All these are photographs of my
son. Here you see him as a child
there as a man and there as baron
Journal Amusant
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
She Told Him.

De Bore - Is Miss Lillivhite in?
Truthful Domestic She's ont. Do
Bore-Hum. Whom is she out with ?
Truthful Domestic-Out with you.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
Clevcru ess.

whats q clever joker
lone that makes you laugh when you
know absolutely there Is nothing to 1t
Judge
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1905-10-06
An Awful Dig.

"Oh, dear, I'm going on the stage
next month. Aren't you surprisedT
why. no. I'm sure you will have no
trouble In getting position"
"Why do you think soT
Because there are very few women
who are willing to take the grandmoth-
er parts. ."--Dallas News.