davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
CHARITY IN THE ORIENT

Crowds of beggars and loafers fol-
low in the wake of the invading for
eigner in China, according to Edwin
Wildman in the Chautauquan. They
crowd upon you as you leave your
chair, though the coolies deftly lower
1t half way into the shop you seek to
enter. The merchant, it might be i'm
agined, would drive them away, but
they are in number 100-200-he is
one. Should he attempt to use force
they would stone his shop, spit upon
his wares and sit like sick dogs on
the threshold of his place, effectually
driving away customers. So you and
| must give him "cum-sha." 1t is ony
a few "cash"-there are a thousand
in a dollar-to placate the ~unfortun-
ates, who, nevertheless, continue in
our train, but peacefully, absorbed
with curiosity.
This condition of beggary, poverty
and disease is not confined to Canton
and China. 1t is perhaps worse in the
native states of India. Once, travel
ing from Jaipur to Amber, in the Raj
putan, and wearied with the everlast-
ing ~imprecations of beggars, l permit
ted a youth to follow me on a run
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

ding ring fifty times around a married
woman's finger the very mex man
she meets is the man who'll propose
and the mar she will marry. It's the
very latest thing in superstitions, you
know"
"Oh!". said the matron, with appre.
eiative comprehension. THAT certain.
ly is more symbolic than the super
stitions of my time"
"Forty-eight, forty-nine, ffty!" con-
cluded the girl. Then she gasped in
sudden alarm.
"Horrors!" she s~huddered. Here
comes that odious Billy Haverstrawl
He'll be the first one to meet me after
the count! No. he won't, either!"
There was a fiutter of white skirts
and the debutante lodged around a
palm, while poor Haverstraw passed
on with burning cheeks, wondering if
he was an ogre. Then as the chosen
Jack appeared the debutante fiuttered
into sight again, and the latest
Gotham girl superstition vas afforded
an ample trial.-New York Press.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
HERE'S A NEW SUPERSTITION

The debutante with the golden hair
rushed up to her chaperon in an al
cove at a Park avenue reception and
without ado grasped her hand and
loosened her fingers from the fan she
held. Then, smiling apologetically,
she took hold of the chaperon's we'd
ding ring and began twirling it around
frantically, After the golden circlet
had spun around the married woman's
chubby finger about ten times this
matron inquired the why and where
fore of the strange action.
ooh, It's Jacks next dance with
mel" said the sweet young thing.
THAT doesn't come near explaining
why you're making a merry-go-round
out of my ring" murmured the other
oma
"Twenty-one, twenty-five. twenty
three!" counted the debutante as the
ring still made the circuit. ooh, it's
the latest superstition of us girls. Not
that | believe in such things-oh. no.
but that | can't afford to leave a
loophole in the occult when Jack is
concerned. After a girl twirls a we'd
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

parliament" which was ordered to be
returned, though the seat was not
forfeited.
A burlesque bill of costs for a
late tory election in the west" print.
ed in the Flying Post for IT'S, con.
tains some very significant items con.
corning old-time English election ex
penses. For roarers of the word
Church. f40," is one; For demolish.
ing two houses, f20O," is another
Others were: For secret encourage.
ment to the rioters, e40." For a
dozen of perjury men, f100." For
breaking windows, f20,' For a gang
of aldermen abusers, e4O," For a
set of notorious lyars ESQ.,"
This was not so much of a bur
lesque, though, as might be supposed.
In the elections of 1921, for instance,
voters Of the opposing candidate were
constantly surrounded by mobs hired
for the purpose, and cut off from the
polling booths, while others were &C.
tually carried off by force and kept
under lock and key until the election
was over.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

some seven miles. Stopping, every
now and then in the middle of the
sandy road, he would bite the dust
and offer a prayer for my salvation.
| wondered how long he would keep
it up. My Interpreter told me that |
might expect to have his company all
day unless | rewarded his persistence
| therefore ordered him thrown a two
anna piece. The youth rescued it
hardly before it flecked the dust. He
fell on his face in gratitude, then
arose and hotly continued the chase,
continually ducking and saluting to
me. rs it not enough?" l asked my
guide. "Oh, yes, your excellency,"
he replied, sit is so much that he
still follows and prays that you may
be rewarded for your generosity and
that he may express to you his graft.
tude.' And, sure enough, until l was
lost in the palaces of Amber, the for
gotten city, my worshipful devotee
Frustrated himself repeatedly within
a respectful distance, however, of my
elephants heels.
So in all the orient it is well to be
judicious in your charity lest you in
spire too much gratitude.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

He was worried as he sat over the
six little bundles that he carried.
They would drop from his arms, OF
roll from side to side. But, being
chivalrous, as all men are, he moved
along when the lady in the white
dress entered the Third avenue ell
evated train.
Now his bundles harnessed him still
more. His endeavors aroused his
friends amusement.
did your wife send you s~hopping?"
he inquired.
20, yes! I've been shopping in
Grand street, but l don't mind that.
All I'm afraid of is losing one of my
bundles"
After the train left Fourteenth
street, he began to count the parcels
again.
There, l knew it," he cried, in a
tone of anxiety. 1--WE lost one"
Anything of value in it?" queried
his friend so%licitiously.
The other paid no attention to the
question.
Zone, two, three, four, five" he
counted. 81 had six, and here are FIVE.
Ones gone" he observed gloomily.
Cant you tell what it contained?"
wait. I'll see. That is muslin,
this is braid, this is buttons, this is
tea, and this is sugar. o, my eye!"
Whats up?" queried his friend.
The man with the bundles glanced
about him nervously.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

prisoner and the victim of this brutal
murder, and in your own words tell
if you saw the deed committed and
just how it happened"
Turning bewildered eyes on the
lawyer, the court and the jury the
woman gave her name and address.
Then gazing straight at her husband
through tear-filled eyes, she said, with
perfect elaboration and emphasis:
Tom and Pete had some words
about some money and Pete got mad
and said: I'll kill you, you low.
good-for-nothin' blaggard; that's what
I'll do and he struck him with a
chair and drove him back into the cor.
ner. Tom was tryin' to defend him
self, and he saw he was goin' to get
his head broke, and there was muir
der in Pete's eyes, n Tom reached
out for the knife that was on the
table and struck at Pete. And it
killed him, And that was all there
was to it,"
During this testimony the prisoner
and his father had leaped to their
feet, the former with amazement de-
picted on his face, the latter with
tears starting to his eyes, while the
prosecuting attorney sat back with
mouth wide open, so thoroughly par
alyzed that he never protested as the
old woman, at the end of her testi
mony, arose and stepped down from
the witness chair.
She never looked at the prisoner,
but walked straight to her husband
and. hand in hand, they walked from
the court room.
Il will ask that the case be dis
missed said the prosecuting attor-
ney. And | will recommend a study
of woman's nature to every law stu.
dent"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
WHY HE LEFT HURRIEDLy

"'Sh!" he whispered. Don't SPEAK
loud. / remember what was In the
package l lost"
What was it?"
"H~alf-a-dozen eggs. You see, my
doctor has ordered me to drink milk
and egg every night, just before go
ing to bed, so | make 1t a RUE 10
bring some with me from downtown.
OH Jerusalem, but I've done 1t noW!'
he groaned.
"Why, what is the matter? Where
did you drop the eggs?"
II didn't drop 'em at all. But
know where | lost 'em. Great Scott!
l must get out at the next station"
"oh, no-you live three stations
farther uptown"
Eyes; but l leave this train at the
next station If 1t costs a leg. I'm go,
ing to skip before war breaks out
He began to edge stealthily nearer the
door.
why are you so frightened" in
sisted the friend.
you see that lady to whom gave
my seat?" whispered the other.
yes"
"she looks smiling and unconscious
now, does't she?"
yes"
"Well, she is sitting on those eggs
l left the package On the seat"
The friend grinned. The man with
the parcels bolted as the train
stopped.-New York Weekly.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
Wild Board Runs Anuok.

Wild boar are always a trial during
hard weather in the forest districts Of
France. About thirty of them have
been killed in the Tarbes district dur
ing the fortnight: the other day a
powerful boar absolutely wrecked the
local fair at Arreau.
Somehow it strayed among the
stalls, and its uneasiness at the sur
roundings o o became a furious
panic. The beast rushed wildly at
random, hither and thither. knocking
people down, scattering the fair booths
n their contents in all directions
n before it got clear of the place
II had completely wrecked the fair.
Then 1t plunged into the river TO
swim across, but was pursued By .
crowd armed with revolvers' pitch
forks and hatchets and was overpov
cree n killed before it could clear
the water.-London Daily Globe.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
ONLY PINNATgD GROUSE KNOWN
Flock That Is Carefully Guarded o.
Martha's Vineyard.

F@A
Massachusetts, has in a cover dow
on Martha's Vineyard a colony q
eighty or more pinnated grouse, sciet
tifcally known as the ~tympanuechu
cuspido. Marvellous as it may seen
these are said to be the only Living
representatives of this species in ths
entire world.
Natural history museums, taxideF
mists and students of nature have
been pursuing them for years, unit
now specimens are said to be wort
anywhere from 500 to 5000 each. Re
Gently a bill was passed in the legis
lature putting a close time on thes,
birds until 1911.
The penalty for killing a pinnatei
grouse or having one in ones posses
sion is 500. Hitherto the fine was
$40, which was not enough to dis
courage hunting for museum spec
mems.
DR.. Field, chairman of the Mass
chusetts Fish and Game Association
says: 1.-THE pinnated grouse former
ly roamed all over the country fron
Maine to Virginia and east of the ALE
gheny mountains.
1T is a most delicious food bird, but
it has been hunted to the vanishing
point. The flock at Martha's vineyari
is the only n in the world. | inteni
to put a man specially in charge %
protect it from specimen hunters. =
Springfield Republican.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

"Be We agoin' to swear away the
life of your own on-our son, Mary"
The old mans voice ~quavered and
sunk into a whine.
I'm goin' to tell the TRUTH" re-
piled the old woman with a weary
smile. "He threw it away himself
and killed his brother-my baby. l
saw him do it, and I'm goin' to tell
the truth and let him be punished"
But Toms your boy too, Mary
your Oldest" persisted the old a
Whats he ever done to show it?"
cried the woman iercely. HE struck
me-yes, struck me with his own
hand; not once, but twenty times.
Aye, and he struck you too, Nat. 1
seen him do 1t more'n once. What
comfort has he ever been to us?
What pride have we in him, what
hope for his future? No, no, Nat, we
might as well give up and call u
lives a failure. He's been a bad boy,
and he's a bad man, and he's killed
his w brother, and l won't do any
thin to save him.
But he vas in ticker when he did
it," pleaded the old man. you know
Tom was not very bad except when
he was in Ticker. And he wasn't him
self when he did it. And he feels as
sorry as anybody for it now. Not
the gallows! Ali Mary, not the gal
lowsl" and he slipped from his chair
onto his knees and sobbed before her.
Where's Peter?" demanded the
woman, drawing back her skirts,
which the man attempted to cling
pathetically to-. Where's my Pete,
who never did a wrong to anybody,
and who always was bullied and
licked by Tom? | won't save him, /
tell you l won't"
The day of the trial came, and the
prosecuting attorney arose calm and
confident. Here was an easy case,
and it promised to be brief. He
would get a quick conviction and the
accompanying glory and would hurry
along other cases and show a dispatch
of business which would reflect great
credit upon his Office. The convic-
ton was sure because the boys moth
err was to go on the stand to testify
against him. 1t was a lucky thing,
because she had been the only wit.
ness of the murder, and without her
testimony only the weakest sort of
circumstantial evidence would have
10 be relied on. But he had it from
her own lips that she proposed to tell
the truth and bring the murderer to
justice.
1t had been a brutal murder too
the killing of Peter Harter by his
brother Tom. AS nearly as could be
found out he had been stabbed with
out warning simply because he expos
tulated with his brother for brutal
language used to the old mother.
1t would be a good thing for the
community, moreover, to get rid of
Tom Harter. He always had been a
bad egg, and a menace to ~peaceable,
law-abiding citizens. Yes, it was a
good thing all around, and the prose
cutting attorney was very complacent
as he arose to outline the case TO the
Jury
This case, gentlemen, is fortunate
Iy so plain that it will be necessary
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
THE GOD OF The HAMMER

A song. If you please, TO an old Morse god
Who hasn't found sepulture yet,
For multitudes still are needing his nod
And oft at his affairs met;
And the god whom l mean. as perhaps
you surmise.
The one whom this paean is for
who lives through all changes and never
more dies.
Is the God of the Hammer. or Thor.
On. Thor, wonderful Thor,
Whose going we could not regret,
The ages have fled to the ranks of the
But your hammers in evidence yet.
Old odin. the mighty. sank down to his
rest,
And Baldur. the beautiful, passed;
Deaths cup to the lips of mad Loki was
pressed,
And Ty is the peaceful at last.
But though all thy mates are but fallen
and dead.
Dim shades In n fabulous sphere.
The man who now lifts Ger his neigh
bors his head
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

sun feels that thy hammer is here.
On Thor, wonderful Thor.
m mates are a shadowy band.
opine, ~
Does business yet at the old stand.
Does your neighbor do something that
you cannot do?=
Here's to your health. mighty Thor,-
Then get out the hammer, make use of
1t. too. -
And teach him what %neighbors are for
Does he show inclination to mount rather
hight "
Who said. charming Thor, you were
dead2- w
he should lie. f"Oe
Make him eat OF humility's bread
Oh. Thor. wonderful Thor,
Perhaps you are dead as they saw
But IL II is so here's one thing 1 know.
Your hammer descended this way.
A. ]. Warehouse in San Frand yse
Call.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

to detain you but a few moments. In
fact, | think n witness will deter
mine the entire matter. Let Mary
Harter be sworn"
AS the woman took her seat In the
witness box an almost imperceptible
but heart-breaking moa came from
the white lips of the old man, whose
side she left. It caught her ear, and
she turned her eyes upon him. AS
she looked, his drawn face and terror
stricken eyes faded from her sight in
a sort of mist through which she saw
the face of her young lover of forty
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
seeklnn

Il want a diphtheria placard."
The health officer looked up in sur
prise. mo d%iphtheria reported here"
he replied. Who's your d~octor?"
There Is no diphtheria that | know
Of" replied the visitor. That's all
the more reason you ought to be able
to spare a placard. The truth is, |
want to scare a collector away from
the use."-Philadelphia Ledger.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

A former captain in the federal
army recovered recently a copy OF
Paradise Lost" which he had drop
ped on the field of Antietam more
than forty years ago. 1t would be in
teresting to learn whether the person
who has had 1t all these years sue
ceeded in getting 1t read through.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

In McCarthy's III I Were King oc-
ours this sentence: THE processes
of his mind moved easily along the.
lines Of least resistance" How faith
fully win that apply to nearly all hui
man experienced
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
Pipe a verltable Heirloom.

James E. Trickey Of West warss-
Mass, is the owner of a m~eerschauni
pipe which has been in his family
more than sixty years. Mr. Tricke
received it from his father fortyf'e
years ago.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

The Pennsylvania woman who com
mitted suicide because she found one
gray hair in her head would have been
more sensible If she had dyed instead
of dying.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Count Boni de Castellane would
probably be willing to relinquish all
his claims to the children If he could
be assured that pay day would come
with its former regularity.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

A Boston nan was asked whether
he honestly believed in woman suf-
frage. We'll" he said, thoughtfully,
II believe that most women are as
well fitted as many men to vote"
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

years ago. And in her old ears there
rang again the passionate words he
had whispered there in the days long
forgotten. She saw him beside her
at the altar on that day of days when
all the future was bright and all the
sky r~ose-colored.
And out of the mist came the out
lines of the cradle in which she had
rocked her tirst-born-the cradle Nat
had built with his own hands.
Then she heard as in a dream the
SNUG voice of the prosecuting attor-
ney:
Now. Mrs. Harter, tell the jury
your name and relationship to the
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Chicago is going to have a bank
that will be kept open for business
day and night, and It isn't a faro bank,
either; for It is going to be closed on
Sundays. Christmas and New Years
day.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

A London doctor declares that the
night air is free from microbes and
beneficial to those who breathe 1t.
Perhaps he is In the habit of staying
u late and has used up all the other
xcuses
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Now that somebody has called Mr..
Edgar Saltus the Bernard Shaw OF
of America. Mr.. Saltus seems to have
a case.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

From the action of the Russian
voters who elected a pet dog to the
douma II "a only be inferred that
the douma is not a popular hit in
Russia.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Speaking of adding new stars to
the flag, how many people know that
when a new state Is admitted to the
union the star Is not added to the
flag until a year from the Fourth OF
July following the states admission?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

In Philadelphia a big black cat
aroused the inmates of a burning
house and saved all their lives. This
is an instance of the cat coming back
to some good purpose.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

the passing boat turns in toward the
bank and before it has %slackened it,
pace a long bamboo stick has beer
raised and leaned against its side, and,
spry as a monkey. the Egyptian is
scampering up it's side. Toes strong
as steel and supple as rubber, an eye
as clear as crystal and a head ant
neck of prodigious strength are the
main qualifications of this Egyptian
for the load he balances on his CRAM
UNI is heavy and the hold he has OF
his single stick ladder must needs
be sure.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Count Boni De Castellane is sick.
To see a great fortune get away be-
yond all possibility of recovery would
make a stronger man than Boni Ill.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

j. G. Phelps-Stokes thinks 1t spells
boys to tell them, zone day you may
be President. Still, most of them
would rather be Jim Jeffries than
President, any way.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Jerome X. Jerome says that Ameri-
ca is o~versupplied with humor. But
is it really possible to have too much
of so good a thing?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Witte, the Russian premier, says
Dournovo. minister of the interior,
could have him hanged by merely
requesting 1t. Merely Dorssnovo the
job to some one, so to speak. Help!
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Manchuria will be wholly evacuated
by the Japanese in a few days. The
natural presumption is that the Rus
SLAMS have already gone.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

George Bernard Shaw is an advo-
cate OF spelling reform. He says he
wants his English naked. Have the
Boston reformers ever thought Of it
in this light?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
Uses old.rIme Methnds-

r, II. Wilson of Embden, Maine. ]
evidently a farmer OF the old schco
Using an old-fashioned fail, D.
threshed out eighteen bushels OF csp
in four hours.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Consul Wood at Ceiba, Honduras,
writes that there Is y great demand
for talking machines there. Now
then, married men, all Keep quiet.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Amelie Rives is mentioned in a
libel suit brought by her former hus-
band. Is 1t possible that Amelie is
contemplating a new book?
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

President Qulntana of the Argen-
tine republic is dead. and Vice Presi-
dent Alcorta takes his place. Correct
your almanacs.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

THE advantages of wealth are
triiing,' says Mr.. Carnegie. But
think OF the disadvantages of power
ty, Andrew,
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

In Mississippi a man is accused OF
killing his wife with sardlnes. This
sounds ishy.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05
PLY THEIR TRADE AS or O.,
Eovptlan Water Carriers on the M
Are Expert Climbers. ~

ARC ENPSsh ShfffSSins
Few travellers on the Nile h,,.
failed to note the native Egypt,,
water carriers who ply their la.
along the great waterway Of 4.
pharaohs. Whatever changes hsvs
come to pass, whatever innoyatlo0,
Of modern methods have taken ulaes
tbe Egyptian water carrier remains !,
he was a thousand years ago. Tai
Ione of limb, agile and athletic. chi
black. wearing nothing but his turba,
and his breech cloth. he halls ever
RAISING craft. If they need a iress
supply Of water that is fit to dripI
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Just to show that it is not wholly
lost to good impulse the New York
assembly has passed a bill prohibit
ing the docking of horses tails.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

You may be good and still not bd
happy, but you will have more peace
of mind.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

This is surely the age of miracles.
Fifty doctors called in n day on a
Philadelphia girl and she still lives.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

Castro seems to be in tough luck.
Every time he gets a ~frst-class power
buttonholed somebody of Importance
steps up and claims its attention.
The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-05

A German subject has expressed the
wish that the kaiser might have
corns. Three months.