davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Mayor Mahan Rebuked at Home.

Mayor Mahan OF New London, CT.
has large family of beautiful chill
dren. all quite young. One Sunday
morning the mayor, having finished
his paper. was endeavoring 10 slumber
on the couch in the sitting room when
Norman and George. aged 10 and 8, re
spectively. started heated discussion,
much 10 the annoyance of their father.
who at last ventured to reprove the
boys.
Addressing the elder son. he said=
George. you must not dispute and
quarrel SO over tribes. Be kind TO
your brother Whereupon the lads
subsidized.
Little Dorothy, standing near. quick
ly noticed the mistake. and. walking
over to her father. she demanded with
great dignity and deliberation: Don't
you know. papa. the names of nam
mas children yet?''
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Good Find Of Old Coins.

According to reports from Athens
certain Frenchmen who have been
making excavations In the island of
Delos have come upon 400 large silver
coins, stamped with the heads OF mag.
istrates. dating from the time OF Alex
ander the Great. All are in a state Of
excellent preservation and all exam.
pies of Greek coinage when 1t was at
Its zenith. A considerable number OF
smaller coins. also well preserved.
were found In house laid open by the
excavators.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Expressions Little Understood.

BY the way. how odd it is that good
ladies are shocked at hearing tin
ker's dam" used in this reckless man
ner.
The fact is It's not "cuss" word A
tinker's dam refers not to the spiritual
future of the tinker. but to small
dam of clay used in an old-fashioned
tinker's outfit; hence tinker's dam,
something very inconsequential.
And while we are on t. probably the
most idiotic expression in the world
is: The exception proves the rule
Now the exception to the rule does nol
prove the rule; a rule with an excep-
ton really is no rule at ALL
The expression really means that
the legal exception Ito the ruling of
the courD proves Il. e.. tests old
meaning) the rule of the court when
the appeal is taken.-Los Angeles
Times.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Personality and Popularity.

To his countrymen Hugo appears as
the clear cut exaggeration of the
French type-the average Frenchman
magnified to the heroic scale. Their
attitude towards him was a close like
ness TO that of many Englishmen to-
wards Gladstone. Everywhere we find
some writer exalted to a pinnacle be-
yond his strict deserts because his per-
sonality seems to mirror and to glori-
fy the national habit Of mind. Per-
haps the Scotch reverence for Burns
is to be SO explained. Certainly it IS
because he was so very English-so
redolent of Christmas and plum-pud.
ding-that the memory of Dickens has
a vitality denied to that of Thackeray.
and is kept alive by fellowships and
other societies. The Germans, for the
same reason, are more exuberantly en-
thusiastic about Schiller than about
Goethe.-The Academy.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Ice in the Arctic,

The largest mass of ice in the world
is probably the one which fills up
nearly the whole of the interior of
Greenland, where it has accumulated
since before the dawn OF history 1t is
believed to now form a block about
100000 square miles in area. and av-
eraging mile and a half in thickness.
According to these statistics, the lump
Of ice is larger in volume than the
whole body of water in the Mediter-
ranean, and there is enough of it to
cover the whole of the United King.
don Of Great Britain and Ireland with
layer above seven miles thick. II
ii were cut into two convenient slabs
and built up equally upon the entire
surface of gallant little Wales" it
would form pile more than 120 miles
high. There is ice enough in Green
land to bury the entire area of the
United States quarter OF a mile
deep.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
ODD WAGER is EASILY WON.
Flesh and Blood Leg No Match in
Endurance With Cork One.

1t was in the commercial room and
the conversation had turned on the
topic Of the powers of endurance
shown by men of the past and present.
During a lull in the conversation a
young commercial man said:
Amy man. If he has the will power,
can endure pain or fatigue; know
I can" Silence for moment, and an
"old man of the road replied: "I'll
bet you a dinner you cant hold your
foot-boots on-in bucket of hot
water as long as ! can
The bet was taken and two buckets
OF hot water were brought in and a
kettle of boiling water to raise the
temperature to the point of endurance.
In went a foot of each bettor. The
young mans face began to pale, but
the other called for more boiling wat
or. What the deuce is your leg made
OF, sir?" yelled the former, suddenly
taking his foot from the bucket.
Cork, sir-cork." was the cool an.
swer, and the other gentleman felt
that he had, indeed, lost.-Chicago
Chronicle.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
To DISCOURAGE Suicides.

In Japan favorite method of com.
hitting suicide is to throw ones self
over waterfall Police are stationed
at several waterfalls adjacent to the
cities. Near one OF them is a conspi.
cuous sign, bearing these words: DO
not drown yourself here! Intending
suicides are warned that Heaven dis.
approves of the utilization of this wa.
terfall for the purpose. This is certi.
fed ON the best priestly authority. and
serious consequences in the hereafter
are guaranteed. To drown here is also
forbidden by the authorities"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Letter by Thomas Hood.

A letter written by the poet Thomas
Hood to My very dear Marianne"
changed hands at public sale in Lon
don the other day for the considera-
ton of $3.50. The letter has the fol-
lowing quaint conclusion: There is a
tale of a little prince who had a ruby
heart, and whatever he wished on t
was instantly granted, but it ia not so
with mine. Neither have | Aladdin's
lamp. or ii should have been scrubbed
bright ere the Chelmsford ball, but
now it is dark lanthorn and the glory
of Fairyland is bedimmed forever.
Only the fiery dragons remain, which
are many and fearful, and the black
cats and the demons and imps and the
ogres. who are the booksellers. except
that they have no eyes in their fore
heads"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
ADDED 70 TOWNS sEAUTY.
One Man Supplied Trees to All Of
TonaWanda,


DR.. Heinrich c. Leonhardt Of Ton
awanda recently supplied almost the
whole city with young trees. At din
ner which he attended he heard the
suggestion made that the city needed
shade trees. Immediately he bought
thousands Of young elm, maple and
chestnut trees, and as soon as it was
possible had them shipped to Tona-
wanda and stored In nursery there.
Then he announced that all who
would might have trees by applying
at the nursery. The effect was WON
derful. Streets that never would have
had trees were soon filled with flour.
ishing young saplings that in twenty
years will be priceless-a magnificent
monument to one man. Two thousand
OF the trees were distributed In an In
credibly short time. There was more
tree planting in Tonawanda than ever
before. The only condition attached
to the offer was that persons taking
trees should guarantee to plant them
for shade purposes and to plant them
In accordance with directions given at
the nursery.-Country Life in Amer
ica
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
AsoUr THE FRAGRANT WEED.
Some FaIIacies Have Strong Hold
Upon Users of Tobacco.


White ash upon a cigar has been
popularly supposed to indicate the ex-
cellence OF the weed, but, as a mat
ter OF fact, its only indication is of
the presence of potash in the leaf.
Tobacco rich in chloride of sodium
burns with imperfect combustion and
with dark ash. AS the value of a
cigar is dependent upon the freedom
with which it burns. a white ash may
be a rough test of excellence, but a
cigar with dark ash, properly rolled,
may burn more evenly than one rich
in potash but imperfectly made, and
at best the white ash" is but rudi-
mentary test.
A cigar which burns freely is bet
ter cigar, no matter what the grade
OF the leaf, than one which is rolled
SO tightly as TO prevent free combus-
tion, but the question of fragrance is
quite another matter.
Another cigar fallacy is that cigar
In a black wrapper Is necessarily a
strong cigar. The wrapper weighs but
one-tenth Of the whole, and a cigar
with wrapper almost black may be
a mild and delicious smoke, while one
with pale wrapper filed with imper-
fectly cured tobacco Is often rank and
unpleasant.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Men and Clever Women.

Men are said not TO like clever wo-
men, but 1t is rather the woman who
thinks she is clever and who faunts
her knowledge on every possible and
impossible occasion that they dislike,
said the woman of the world. An en-
cyclopedia is hardly the thing one
would desire for constant compan-
ion and now and then a man likes to
offer bit of information himself. A
man likes the woman who is cultured,
not book learned. who has assembled
information instead OF swallowing it
whole. Only raw youth will ever
complain that such a woman is too
much OF bluestocking for him.-Ex.
change.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Birds That Do Not Care to FLY.

Many birds do not consciously de.
light in the use of their wings. In
Nigeria. where the bush is continuous.
pheasants do not fly nj all. Partridges
In England move to and from their
feeding grounds; but they love to skim
the earth. to whose tint they are COL
ored. and use their higher flight only
for safety. Moorhens prefer not to fly
at all. The majority Of our home birds
and many OF the smaller migrants
move very small distances OF them
selves. and We look in vain for any
sign that they fly. as lambs skip. for
the fun OF the thing.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Fish With Queer Name.

There is fish in Hawaiian waters
which is known by the native name of
Observation-Disclosures. which
means literally sewing up the nose"
The Hawaiian method OF killing a pig
to be roasted is to smother 1t. not cut
its throat. and 1t Is smothered by sew
Ing up the pigs mouth and nose. This
fish with the long name has spines
which In ancient times were used as
needles to sew up the pigs mouth
Hence. the name more fully means
the fish that provides the needles
for sewing up the nose of the pig"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
STORY FAILED TO PLEASE.
Raeonteur, No Doubt, Wondering al
Americans Stupiditv

Joseph H. Choate since his return
to this country has been telling this
story as indicative of the average Eng
lishman's notorious inability to see tha
point of joke.
"On one occasion" remarked the
ex-ambassador with a smile, II was
propounding the time-honored conun-
drum about the difference in the man-
Ter of death between the barber and
the sculptor-the answer being thac
while the barber curls and dyes, ths
sculptor makes faces and busts.
"One of the party to whom | was
relating this seemed to be particular
ly impressed by it, and a few days
after heard him trying to tell it, with
the following results.
"I heard an awfully good story the
other day about the difference be-
tween a barber and a sculptor It
makes me laugh even now to think OF
it. You see, the barber curls up and
busts. while the sculptor makes faces
and dies. Pretty good. isn't it. bah
Jove?"
And" continued Mr.. Choate. "g
really believe that he is still wonder
Ing why the story didn't make hit.
and attributing his failure to the stu
pidity of his audience" = New York
Times.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
REWARD THAT WAS DESERVED.
Display Of FiIial Affection Lucky for
Fortunate Cadet.


story is told of a celebrated Ger
man general, who was noted for his
great kindness of heart. He was
strolling in one of the public gardens
OF Berlin and met young cadet. who
was walking along slowly, looking very
distressed, and evidently searching for
something on the ground. What are
you looking for?" inquired the general
kindly. I've lost the locket of my
watch chain, SIR" answered the lad.
and l valued it greatly, for it con-
tained some of my fathers hair"
Never mind" said the general; 81
will help you find it," and he began to
hunt about for the lost treasure. A
few moments diligent search and the
general caught sight of the missing
locket, and, picking it up handed it to
the boy, who was so delighted at re-
covering his prize that he could scarce
ly find words to express his thanks:
but when the general asked him what
time it was, he blushed deeply, stam-
mered and had to admit that he did
not possess a watch. Come along
with me, then" said the kind-hearted
soldier, and straightway took the boy
to one of the best watchmakers in
Berlin. and, purchasing watch, pre-
sented 1t to the greatly astonished
cadet, who could scarcely believe his
good fortune. Accept this" he said ::
for he who honors his parents de-
serves to be encouraged"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
SPENCER AS MUSICAL CRITIC.
Philosopher Unable to See Harmony
in Tones Of Violin,

Herbert Spencer's opinions were
most decided on topics which he was
not by nature intended to understand
quite so well as those Of orthodox phi
losophy. His musical heresies are
among the most startling. The violin
is to him the voice of shrew in a
good temper" He finds this practic-
ally perfect instrument has at least
two chronic defects, "the hiss of the
bow and the production of high over
tones as 1t is drawn over the string"
This view leads him to criticise our
orchestras for kissing" for in them
the tones Of stringed instruments SO
greatly predominate. Spencer, who
never attended Wagner opera,
summed up his views of modern Or
chestras, saying: Beauty they can
render, grace they can render, deli
cacy they can render. but where is
the dignity, where is the GRANDEUR"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Agreed About Araument.

Abe Gruber tells this on himself: In
the course Of the last campaign he ac-
costed Democratic friend on tho
street, and entered into a discussion.
maintained principally by Mr.. Gruber,
on the merits of the ;wo candidates
After Mr.. Gruber had attempted un-
successfully for half an hour to elicit
an answer from his friend. he finally
said:
We'll. what do you think of my ar
gument? Don't you think 1t sound?"
Yes" responded his friend thought
fully, that's exactly what 1t is
sound. New York Times.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Troubles Of an Authoress,

Henry Haynie. author of The Cap
tains and the Kings" writes of George
Eliot; That afternoon George Eliot
declared that each time when 1t was
known she was about TO begin a new
book she was overwhelmed with let.
tiers from unknown correspondents
giving her advice as to the best way of
carrying on the plot or of bringing
her characters out OF an embarrassing
situation. Others wrote her when n
book appeared to affirm that they rec.
ognized themselves in her personages
or had found their friends set forth
In her heroes and heroines."
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Superstition About Pigs.

The pig plays a part in many be.
liefs. Mr.. Hickson, who travelled much
in the Celebes and adjacent islands,
found tribe who believed that the
whole earth is borne by u pig belong.
ing to the god Mak-a.wa.lang. who
dwells in the under world. and that
the frequent earthquakes in that re.
gion are caused by the pig rubbing
itself against the trees. Some of the
inhabitants. however. assert that the
world does not stand on the pig itself.
but on II number OF piles. and with
such terrible results, says the London
Globe.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
GREAT MAN HAD vAoARiEs.
Johnson's Peculiar Ideas as to Mat.
tiers of Speech.

ters OF Speech.
While Johnson was In France. he
was generally very resolute in speak.
ing Latin. 1t was a maxim with him
that a man should not let himself
down by speaking a language which
he speaks imperfectly. Indeed, we
must have often observed how in
ferior, how much like a child a man
appears. who speaks a broken tongue.
When Sir Joshua Reynolds, at one Of
the dinners OF the Royal Academy,
presented him to Frenchman Of
great distinction, he would not deign
to speak French. but talked Latin,
though his excellency did not under
stand 1t, owing, perhaps, to Johnson's s
English pronunciation; yet upon an
other occasion he was observed to
speak French to a Frenchman OF high
rank. who spoke English: and being
asked the reason. with some express
sion of surprise he answered: BE
cause | think my French is as good
as his English. London Chronicle.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Old Fences Are Valuable,

The fate OF the rail fence was de-.
clared less than twenty years ago,
when the value OF walnut, oak and
poplar timber increased to such fig.
ure as TO make wire fences cheaper.
In the worm fences still in existence
there are thousands OF walnut and
poplar rails in an almost perfect state
OF preservation. The walnut ones are
valuable. An enterprising Chicago
concern recently made that discovery.
and its Representatives have purchas.
ed many carloads OF the rails.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
As YOU co ALONG.
Good Things to Remember II You
Would Be Popular,


Be helpful, be sociable, be unselfish,
be generous, be good listener, never
worry or whine, study the art OF pleas
ing, be frank, open and truthful, al
ways be ready to lend hand, be kind
and polite to everybody, be self-confi.
dent. but not conceited, never monop-
olize the conversation, take a genuine
interest in other people, always look
on the bright side of things, take pains
to remember names and faces, never
criticise or say unkind things of 9TH
ers, look for the good in others, not
for their faults, cultivate health and
thus radiate strength and courage, for
give and forget injuries, but never for
get benefits, rejoice as genuinely in
another's success as in your own, al
ways be considerate OF the rights and
feelings Of others, have good time,
but never let fun degenerate into
license, learn to control yourself un.
der the most trying circumstances,
have a kind word and CHEEKY, en-
couraging smile for everyone, be re-
spectful to women and chivalrous in
your attitude toward them, meet trou-
BILE like man and cheerfully endure
what you can't cure, believe in the
brotherhood of man, and recognize no
class distinctions.-Success.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
ONE ALWAYS WELCOME GUEST.
Thoughtful Woman Whom II Is Pleas
ure to Entertain.

IL has been said that women may
be divided into two classes, that of the
born hostess" and that of the "born
guest and that neither fits into the
others role with any degree of sue.
cess. There is one charming woman
who is known among her friends as
l. IT,, which mysterious appellation
stands for Ideal guest.' She explains
her unique title Dy saying: "It is so
silly! Any one can be perfect
guest If she only tries. All you have
TO do is to be pleased with your en-.
tertainment. and try to help your
hostess make things agreeable for the
others. Yes, l do visit a great deal,
and make it an inviolable rule never
TO repeat In one house what | have
seen Oh heard in another"
The ideal guest" for instance,
makes the care of her room as easy
for the maid as possible When she
leaves it in the morning the bed is
stripped and the mattress turned to
air. When she leaves it for dinner or
supper in the evening, all her own be-
longings are carefully put away in
closet or drawers, thus making no
picking up" after her-work which
is wearing to the maid and which
takes much time. The Il. G." also re.
members at noon, or when the guest
room has the most blaze of sunlight,
TO close the blinds or drop the avn
ings, thus helping to keep fresh her
hostess dainty urnishings.-Harper's
Bazaar
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Shun the Blues"

"Blues" are unnecessary. They
mean one Of two things-an unhealthy
body or a diseased mind. In either
case distraction is the best remedy.
One must strive to forget self in work,
in rcaaing, or in pleasure. A busy
life. judiciously arranged, will crowd
vapors To the wall. There are wom-
en- who never seem 10 have any re-
sources. Let them cultivate a good
sized feminine acquaintance, with va
ried types to suit ones moods, to sew
with this one. shop with that one. en-
tertain and be entertained. There is
always charity work TO fill up ones
time. even when the social amenities
are not pleasing.-London Answers.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Told by Elijah kelloau,

The late Elijah Kellogg. the noted
Maine author and clergyman. told the
following story on himself: One day
after he had delivered characteristic
Grafton before his congregation. at the
little church at Harpswell. he asked a
little boy afflicted with an impedlment
In his speech how he would like to be
a preacher. The little fellow took a
long breath. and replied: Il w.w-would
l.l-like the p-p-pounding and the h.h.
hollering. b-b-but the s.s-speaking WV.
would b-b.b.bother me-"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
Made Mosquitoes Drunk,

DR.. st. George Gray OF the British
West Indies says that the Culex fam.
lily has fondness for wine. like many
members of other old aristocratic
families. He says: Il put few mos.
quitoes under a bell jar. containing a
couple of drops Of port wine. A few
hours later | found them apparently
dead, and put them into dry bottle.
Shortly afterward. they were all stag.
gering about under the microscope in
a most ridiculous manner-they were
drunk"
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
THE lsRAELlTEs IN cover.
Prof. Flinders Petrie Talks of Recenl
Discoveries

Discoveries.
Prof. Flinders Petrie, the Egyptolo
gist, in his new book on the history
Of Egypt says that one of the most
important and perplexing finds
made in that ancient land is the
newly discovered inscription on the
stele of Merenptah, the supposed pha-
raoh of what is usually termed the
exodus" meaning the coming forth of
the Israelltes 100000 strong from
the land of Egypt. according to the
history in the book of Exodus. Egypt
ian monuments have no record of
Israel in Egypt as an clinical en-
tity. The only mention of the name
of Ysrael or Israel on any monument
is to be found on this stele of Merenp-
tab. But il these were the same pee
pie as those of the Hebrew Exodus
the deliverance of the Israelites from
Egypt is turned into the deliverance
OF Egypt itself from the Lybian con-
feceracy of raiding barbarans, among
the horde of which the Israelites were
hardly distinguishable unit There
is nothing in the inscription to corro-
borate the story told in the Penta-
teuch. On the contrary, the IsraeIitex
mentioned by Merenptah instead Of
going up from Egypt as a conquering
army of 100000 fighting men never
really got to Egypt They were drir-
en- back from the borders of the lanG
in wreck and ruin by the victorious
Merenptah
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
A Child's Wisdom.

Down at the Sea Breeze the other
day was small Miss Margery, aged 4.
walking along the bluff with friend
OF her mothers who had accompanied
the family on days outing. Don't
go SO near the edge" cautioned the
child's companion. us the venture.
some little one frolicked In the dan.
gerous place. and as the advice was
unheeded. added: ut won't be my
fault II you fall over" NO" said
Margery. but you'll be the one
blamed for it."--Rochester Union and
Advertiser.
Gilpin observer., 1905-09-28
THE SEAS ENDLESS HARVEST.
Natures eountifuI Supply Seems to
be Inexhaustible.

The permanence Of sea fisheries is
one of the most wonderful examples
Of natural economics. The North Sea
has been steadily fished for seven CEN
turies by the Dutch and English, and
as early as the days of Henry VII, Eng
lish boats were at work as far north
as Iceland; yet the sea seems mex
haustible. In spite of steam trawlers
and Improved nets, the catch is larger
every year. The "longshore" fishery
for herrings, mackerel and sprats has
surpassed all record during the past
few seasons. and yet no effort is made
to replenish the stock in the sea, and
very little is done to prevent waste.
II only the fishermen could be induced
to put back into the sea the millions
OF immature fiat fish caught in the
trawlers and nets, it seems probable
that the supply would be increased
The Country Gentleman and Land and
Water.