davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
IN AN AFRICAN FOREST

An explorer describes a Central
Africa forest: Ten miles west of
the lake begins the only piece of real
virgin forest me with. 1t is through
out a dense virgin forest, and almost
impenetrable. 1t consists of very
large trees of many varieties. The
upper parts are festooned with a light
grayish-green moss, hanging in long
streamers, and giving to the forest
a very fantastic appearance. When
these long streamers are agitated by
a storm they make the whole forest
seen from n of the hills near, look
like a rough sea. Again, when the
sun is vertical the whole forest an.
pears dark, but when the sun is low
the general effect on the sunny side
is curiously light.
"All the trees are bound together
with innumerable lianas and creeping
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

bound, the frightened animal went
owe into the harbor. The passen-
gers on the boat shouted. and their
shouting attracted the attention OF
Capt. Baker, of the tug Francis c..
Hersey, which was passing.
He put his tug about and pursued
the deer, which was having a hard
time in the water. The little animal
had swan fresh water ponds, but the
salt choked him and the waves smoth-
cred him. He swan fast, but the
tug came faster, and ran alongside
of the struggling animal.
This was a greater terror, this
huge monster, which was swimming
alongside to devour him. The deer
tried to get away, but the sailors Sc
cured him with ropes and swung him
on board the tug, where he lay pant
ing. The men tried to restore the lit
tie creature, but between its terror
and the salt water he had swallowed.
he was too far gone, and died before
they reached Commercial wharf.
The deer weighed but se~venty-ive
pounds. The fish and game commits
sioners took charge of its carcass.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
GHOST JOINED THE PARTY

,uie Martha was put into a trance
IN q corner Of the ROOF behind drawn
curtains and left there alone. inc
snorition eventually came out
b1nd Tho curtains. It was That OF
. dark-complexioned man clad entirely
IN white, wearing a turban' and round
the forehead a band OF some orlght
metal. portions of it being gold. Inc
ret walked mon the spectators
sbook hands with them repeatedly,
bis touch feeling like that OF an ordi-
nary living human being, ana Kissed
Nine Noel. Prof. Richet placed
against his mouth a phial containing
! solution of baryta, which the
gbost,s breath transformed into car
bonate Of baryta, as in the case o.
ordinary respiration. The material
tied nbantom appeared on several dif'
ferent evenings. Once he was seen
to sink through the floor in the mid
die of the room and to arise again
Immediately from another part OF the
aoor FINALLY he spoke, presumably
in French. though that point Is not
sneci6ed. and said that he was "Bien
Poa" formerly a priest in India. Prof
Ricbet himself photographed the phan-
tom bv lashlight, and the pictures OF
the gathering, with the apparition
among them, can be seen.-London
Telegraph.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
SHIPPED THE GENUINE ARTICLE.
South carolinian Had Got Whisky In
tended for ~Dispensary.

South Carolinian Had Got Whisky In
tended for Dispensary.
When a South Carolinian wants
good whisky he does not as a rule
buy it from the South Carolina State
D~ispensary, but orders it direct from
the d%istillery, the whisky being deliv-
cred to him by express in what is
termed in the State -four full quarts"
A week or two before Christmas a
well-known man in the central part Of
the State ordered -four full quarts"
and on it's receipt was surprised to
find out that it was not as good whis-
ky as he had been getting.
Accordingly the man most concern
ed wrote a letter to the distillery, tell
ing them that a mistake had undoubt-
eddy been made. A few days later
he received the following ~self-explan-
atory letter:
Dear Sir:-Yours of the sixteenth
instant to hand, and we hasten to
apologize for an error of one of our
shipping clerks. The clerk in ques-
ton expressed to you four full quarts
of the brand you ordered intended for
the South Carolina ~Dispensary. By.
express to-day we send you four full
quarts of the genuine article. Again
craving your pardon for the error and.
soliciting your further favors, we beg
to remain,
Yours very respectfully,
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

trail he followed. was written down
IN the most marvellous memoir ev-
er granted a plainsman. AS a result
years later, when the white men.
bold but laundering, sought the cas-
lest paths over the mountains. lin
Bridger showed them the bests trails
1or their wagons and, when the
chief engineer of the Union Pacific
had well-nigh given up hope of get
ting his rails across the Divide IL
was Jim Bridger who showed an
available pass which he had trav-
ersed years before in his training
days and the existence of which no
other white man knew, A few months
ago TINS chief engineer, Gen. Gran
vile M. Dodge, showed his gratitude
Dy rescuing Jim Bridger's body from
a neglected grave and interring II at
Kansas City, under an Appropriate
monument-probably the first act Of
gratitude ever performed for the man
who had put the whole empire Of the
west in mis- debt.-Arthur Chairman
In Outing Magazine.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
THE EPIGRAM IN HISTORY

contain the essence of the lampoon.
This type of the form was amusingly
defined by DR.. Edward Walsh, a poet
of the latter half of the eighteenth
century:
An Epigram should be-if right
Short, simple. pointed. keen and bright,
A lively little thing,
A wasp. with taper body, bound
BY lines. not many, neat and round
All ending in a sting
The poetical shape vas always pre-
served, since without it an epigram
would scarcely have been anything
at all. A French wit, La Monnoye,
said that an epigram in prose is a
cavalryman dismounted. But a large
proportion of the Elizabethan and
Jacobean epigrams were beggars on
horseback. who, if they had been
turned off their rhyme, would have
been beggars-and nothing else. The
idea was that a joke, or a statement
of fact, whether grave or gay, had
but to be rhymed to become a piece
of literature, worthy to be printed
and preserved in the archives Of a
poets writings.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
tcopyrIght. Loo. by Daily story pub. CO..

Let him go, To hades with his
bloomin' knife. Let the dago loose"
and Tom Bradd struggled to free him
self from fhe grasp of two brawny
sailors who held him. MIR. Buck, the
lean. sinewy mate, had his arms in
terlaced about Nicolas waist utterly
unmindful of the cruel looking ~stiletto
shaking in the powerful Italians hand.
1t was the setting of a tragedy, an
interrupted one it's true, but like flesh
violently chafed the blood was so near
the surface that another touch and
it would begin to flow.
Captain Newton advanced to the
main hatch, his long, ~patriarchal beard
falling to his waistband. His shaven
upper lip twisted as he talked very
like unto that of a dog when he
snarls.
stop it, gall darn we, stop it." he
Numbered. I'm short handed now,
and l won't have any man killing on
this here hooker. Batten down your
~feelin's, you W ~fellers, till you get to
Rio Grande, and then you can chop
each other into bits and devil take
what's left, but there's to be no
chopin on the Apollo"
His words were unheeded and the
two bloodthirsty men still struggled
to get at each other.
Nov mari you." continued the cap
tain, eff you're bound to fight, make
a two-man killing of it, for, by the
Lord, I'll throw the man that's left
alive over with the man that's killed"
| shall never forget hat scene.
Strife incarnate threatened on that
little chip of wood on the mighty ocean
and all around utter peace. The sea
was barely rippled by the soft trade
wind which distended the sails as if
~caresslng them and above a sky I'M
blemished by the tiniest cloud. / was
new to the sea and its ways and mar
veled that Captain Newton did not
iron the men and con1ne them in
the peak, but he seemed to feel a
confidence in his management which
was proved of weight by the result,
for his cold-blooded declaration had
the effect on the two would-be COM
batants of a bucket of cold water on
two fighting dogs. The skipper meant
what he said and would carry out his
meaning to the letter. The law in
those days was all in favor OF the
officers and Jacks statement was as
a feather against an anchor. Captain
Newton would not hesitate to carry
out his threat for fear of legal punish
ment.
The two sailors released Bradd, who
recommended the work he had stopped
to fight Nicola, and the Italian, find
ing himself free from the mates hold,
walked d~ignihedly forward and went
below. The crisis had been passed,
temporarily at least.
What began the feud between the
men no one knew. 1t existed when
they shipped in New York and they
had spat hate at each other during the
voyage, but this was the first time
an actual collision had been threat
ened.
tits only put on" remarked old
Ned. oracularly; "blood1l fly yet"
"If Tom ever gets past the dago's
knife, good-by Italian" said a sailor.
but he's got to get by it," retorted
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

ping a marline spike in his teeth
climbed the weather rigging. Just
as he swung himself over the top he
lost his hold and fell like a plummet
into the sea.
Man overheard" yelled O'Nein,
who was at the wheel, and he flung a
life buoy over the rail.
The skipper was on deck in one
jump.
"Heave her to-" he shouted.
Braces" came sharp and curt from
the mate, and the men hurried to obey,
casting g~lances aft.
The brig was making good Roadway.
The wind was fair and Captain Newton
was making all the use he could of it,
having out s~tudding sails and bringing
her to the wind with all this canvas
flying took time. Two men started to
lower the boat, but it was full of wood
and that took time. / glanced over
the t~affrail, and saw no race of Mic.
ola.
Hes a goner," exclaimed Mr..
Buck.
mo. there he Isl said sharp-eyed
O'Neill, pointing yer the lee quar-.
ter, and there, sure enough, was a
black speck, the head of Nicola. He
was swimming but slowly and labori-
ously.
The brig had been brought to and
the boat unloaded, when a cry came
from the poop.
Hi, hi! Shark, see himi"
Ahaana MOS fha frfonutIor a. 80 "A
shark cutting the water as it made a
straight course for Nicola.
TITS all up" muttered the mate;
nothing a save him now"
There was a splash, and to our as.
constituent Bradd had leaped over.
board n was swimming fiercely. He
lay a course which must bring him
between the shark and Nicola.
Gall darn it," snarled the captain;
two men instead of one gone, and
who'd have thought OF Bradd going
over the rail for the dago."
| never saw a man swim as did
Bradd. He seemed to grasp the water
and pull himself along. but when our
eyes fell on that ominous fieeting fin
we felt 1t was merely the sacrifice of
one mans life to save another's. sHav.
ing laid a right angled course Bradd
gained on the shark, which was
swimming in a straight line for the
Italian and was a cables length
ahead of the fish when he reached q
line with the slowly swimming Nicola
and then he seemed seized with con.
vulsions. He splashed the water with
his hands and legs, reminding one OF
the actions of a duck which has
reached a pond after a long, dry land
journey. His motions were so violent
that the sea frothed about him, and
the shark was evidently as surprised
at these evolutions as was the crew OF
the Apollo. Obviously they were NOT
to his taste, for he darted OFF in an
opposite direction. BY this time the
boat had been lowered and in a hall
hour both men were aboard the brig.
II didn't think you were that big 6
fool to risk your life for a dago who's
hungry to put a knife in YOU" re
marked Ned, reproachfully.
"Riski" exclaimed Bradd: there
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

ptan,s' Between the stems is a dense
mass of lesser vegetation.
me forest stands to a great pxtent
IN me water and mud of the swami
"A singular feature of it is the ahrnnt.
: WIN which it begins and ceases
ON .ne plain The grassy swamp or
open country reaches to the mighty
wal OF trees, which continue IN the
same density from one al 10 the
other' forming a transition from tbe
open plain to the forest.
inside the silence and gloom are
accumulated by the apparent ahsonce
ol animal or bird life. There are
some nerds Of bufraloes that make IL
neauqnarters, elephants visit il oc.
somoti monkeys n parrots are
sometimes seen, and a h-arnessed am
telope o Inc then apneare =, M
cage; but the general imnress,on ,ast
Is one OF lifelessness"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10


The spell of romano oft subsidies.
Goes out from me like ebbing tides,
Leaving the judgment hard and firm,
Like and and shlngle, for a term;
And then with vision clear l see
That Cupid is Propinquity!
There's no affinity win draw
A mile two folks who never saw
Each otherl Subtle influence
That works. Marconi-like. intense
Through wondrous spaces, them between
Say, tell that tale to a marinel
OF all the archers ever known
Dan Cupid less of skill has shown!
His little arrows can not go,
AT most, beyond some yards or so!
He's no long-distance artist. hel
He's but the God Propinquity!
But take a maiden. tender-eyed.
And man. and place 'em side by side.
Bring IN . beach, a moon, a sea,
Or nothing more than a settee,
(We must concede realitiesD
~Propinquity win do the "bizl'
New Orleans Times-Democrat.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
Not Mistaken.

The story is told of a college pro
fessor who was noted for his concen-
tration Of mind.
The professor vas returning home
one night from a scientific meeting,
still p~ondering over the subject. He
had reached his room in safety, when
he heard a noise.
"Is some one there?" he asked.
mo, professor" answered the in.
truder under the bed, who knew of
the professors peculiarities.
That's strange! l was positive
some one was under my bed" com
mented the learned man.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Ned, land it's ten to n he'll have a
hole in him before he does"
Bradd was a stockily built man and
a good sailor. While he impressed
one as a g~ood-natured man, one could
e that hA would make an ugly foe
when aroused. O'Neill very graphical
ly expressed the crews sentiment as
to Bradd. "Tom's a good fellow to
have on the yard arm wild We in a
gale and a bad one to have agin we in
a fight"
IT'S an uncomfortable thing to have
an enemy on shipboard. On land one
can avoid him. but aboard ship ~ne
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

eats, sleeps and works with him day
after day and may feel the knife
slipping into his ribs some dark night.
But Bradd treated Nicola with con-
tempt and made no effort to keep out
of his way night or day, despite the
crews warnings.
There were several days of bright
sunshine, calm sea and cloudless sky,
and on one of these mornings the
mate was watching the washing down
Of the deck from the break of the
poop. The holystoning finished, he
ordered Nicola to some duty on the
fore-topgallant yard. The Italian
looped a line about his neck and grip.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Novelist Howells says that literature
is unremunerative. thus taking a hard
rap at the novelists who are making
riches out of the books which gain
fame as the best sellers"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Here's another Franklin story, Illus
I~trative Of the great mans foresight
and philosophical reach of mind.
Some one said of his drawing the
electricity from a cloud with the kite:
l"But what is the use of it?" Franklin
replied. What Is the use of a baby7"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

The announcement that the new
map of Alaska shows a shrinkage OF
1000 square miles in six years won't
give Rhode Island any burning desire
to be r~esurveyed.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

The anxiety about the drydook
Dewey, now en- route for Manila, is
entirely unJustifable. No self-respect-
ing craft named Dewey would dis
grace its name by sinking.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

An English scientist claims to have
discovered evidence that the ancient
Britons played dice. and loaded dice,
too. oh, the virtue and goodness Of
the "fathers"l
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10
TIE Rose Bush

A child sleeps under the rose bush fair;
The bud swells out in the soft May air;
Sweetly II rests, and on dream wings flies
To play with the angels In Paradise,
And the years glide by.
A Made stands by the rose bush fair;
The dewy blossoms perfume the air;
She presses her hand to her throbbing
breast
With loves first wonderful rapture blest.
And the years glide by,
a mother kneels by the rose bush fair;
Soft sigh the leaves In the autumn air;
Sorrowing thought Of the past arise,
And tears of anguish bedim her eyes.
And the years glide by.
Naked and one stands the rose bush fair;
Whirled are it's leaves on the wintry air:
Withered and dead they fall to the
ground,
And silently cover a new-made mound.
And the years glide by.
From the German.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

A gold brick worth 5000, 900 has
been found under the foundations of
an old mill in New Mexico. Now look
out for the man who will be around
trying to sell its mate at a ruinous dis
count.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Don't think you are poor, and you
won't be" says the gifted Mary Ellen
Lease. There is one get rich quick
recipe that won't impoverish you,
anyway.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Prof. Alexander Graham Bell has
declared that the kite win be the basis
of the flying machine. which is not
only coming. but is already here. The
statement was made, however, after
a good dinner.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

The author Of "The House of a
Thousand Candles would have got
more readers if he had called it "The
House of a Thousand Scandals"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Some persons do not really appreci-
ate an ideal" prize chicken until IL
has been baked, roasted or fricasseed
and placed on the dinner table.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

In New York a wife of 76 has sued
her husband of 80 for an accounting
of the 100000 she let him have. An
accounting of why she let him have it
would not be amiss.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

People are asking the explorers how
they are going to tell the pole when
they see 1t, as the compass will not
be working about that time. Is 1t
possible that there is no sign In large
letters on the pole?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

The pianist Gyoengoeshalaszy-we
forget whether he is mentioned by
Przubszewski-has taken a studio in
Manhattan. We do not expect to re-
peat this announcement so long as it
costs as much to set type as it does
now.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

] athletic reserve fund has
grown to nearly 800, 900. Maybe this
is proof of sport for sports sake.
but 1t looks like business.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Hon. Joseph II. Choate IS still pay
ing glowing public compliments to his
wife. That's the way to live happily
when married.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Ecuador rebels are reported to have
Won, but the world generally is in
ignorance as to what was in the pot.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Says Margaret Deland. 1T never oc-
ours to a boy that he is not wanted"
Office boys of course excepted.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

New York is to have a beer trust.
II this means a long slate some of the
plain people will not object.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

An English scientist declares that
laughter is a form Of temporary in
sanity. So, girls. just repress that
tendency to giggle.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

In n weeks mail Miss Helen
Gould received requests for money
calling in the aggregate for $1,500,00O.
This may explain why your letter
wasn't answered.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

II Senator Clark thinks sawmills
and mines T so nearly equal in
value we can find him a sawmill or
two to trade on for his United Verde
property n time he's ready.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

1t is odd that China should send
commissioners here to learn our
ways. II was supposed that WI Ting.
Fang had learned everything about us
that was to be known.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Saints in Society" is the title OF a
new book. 1t is not descriptive Of
New York's 400. however.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

An aeronaut who fell 300 feet with
out being hurt was evidently born for
his job.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Somebody explains the present high
prices of pretty much everything by
saying that gold is getting cheap.
Have you tried lately to purchase any
gold?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

Richard Mansfield says all the
worlds a stage and every mans an
actor. The critics have doubts about
some.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-04-10

London complains of slippery pave
lments. Yet the liberals have made a
good run there.
The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04
WEST POINT, VA.

''7i'r-4tAl W Wv ! 'illASTl'lSiphLt4l-J
WEsT POINT, VA, February 3. Mrs.
VIM II Bell and Mrs. w. $. Eastwood
0a.d IN tho home OF Mrs. Bell "a basket
p9i'iB on Wednesday, night, for the bone
ITS of the Woman's Aid and Missionary
SVeictF. a good sum of money was real
l2ed AND 4 delightful evening spent.
aiia y L. Srutther entertained u num-
bre ~ friends on 'rhuratay evening Mt a
4titlS'' pafiS Dainty refreshments We're
$s9Yrl and much enjoyed
Ma Austin. mother of Mr., James Aus
tn. near Oak IN New Kent county
Wiis Knocked down aud badly bitten by
a hoa Il few days ago,
cabbage stalk grown ON tho farm
Known as Pleasant Yiewn contained
eighty complete heads.
Mr.. u, b. Goddin has Just completed a
nice barn on his farm, elm Grove.
Mr. Tom Garland. who has been con.
Quoting tho mercantile business at Holly
Fork. New Kent, has closed out business
TO Mr.. G.P. Riehardsn-
The public roads, all through the country
are in "A terrible condition, almost bottom
less.
AIessrs. Thornton and Coleman Jones,
who are returning 20 their homes In
Hereford Tax, after completing q course
ot study ut n college in New York, were
ths Gussts Of their aslnt, Mrs. ". r,