davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
The Lady was the Empress Sister.
The Art of Walking on Ones Head

You boys and girls have all been to
dog shows and seen trained dogs walk
on their hind legs, and you know that it
required long and difficult practice for
them to learn the trick.
You and I. of course. walk on our two
legs with ease. But you must remember
that the human race had had 5000 years
of practice TO make it perfect in the art
Of walking. Perhaps $500 years ago hu-
man beings found it as difficult as dogs
do now TO walk on two eXtremities.
Suppose l ask you: Is there any other
way for YOU and me to make our bodies
travel than by using our legs2
Most people would certainly say, No. 80
But a good many people in Europe have
found out otherwise, for they have seen
the two young men who are now as
tonishing Paris by going around easily
and rapidly on their heads!
They are brothers, about twenty-five
years old. and were born in Denmark.
When they were tiny little boys they be
gan this practice Of not only standing on
their heads. but walking. as it were, on
their heads: that is. making little hops or
bounds from point TO point until they
reached whatever destination they had
in view. to the great amazement and ad-
miration of their playmates
They kept up the practice as they grew
older and decided to make their living by
exhibiting their skill in it. Finally, when
they came of age, they decided to do"
Europe in this remarkable manner. So
they started out from their Danish home
and walked on their heads from town TO
town. until at last they reached Paris.
Imagine, il you can. the amazement of
the gendSrmes when they beheld Bap-
tiste and Franconi hopping down the
boulevard from the Place de TOpera OF
the Rue Drouot on their headsl
Here. stop that ordered the prefect
of police. Even after the brothers had
explained that they were only walking
in a manner which was second nature TO
them, the Drefect shook his head and
said: You must keep OFF the boulevards
for fear Of accidents, but I will permit
you TO give exhibitions in certain places. "
So every day the brothers good-na-
turedly walk on their heads TO please
crowds of gaping men, women, and chill
dren. doing things that seem to us most
wonderful - reading their newspapers,
blowing their noses, eating, drinking, go
| ing downstairs. operating an automobile;
| in fact. almost anything that you and
l do on our feet they do with equal
ease on their heads
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

The Last Straw.

It was Saturday night, and owing to
the temporary absence Of his wife. it fell
to Mr.. Brown to attend TO the usual proc
ess of giving his eight-year-old son a
bath and putting him to bed He had left
his evening paper with mans reluctance
and had hurried matters along with more
speed than the little chap was accustomed
to. However, he endured it all without a
protest until it came to ahe prayer. 1t
was his habit after Now l lay me, to
ask the Divine blessing upon a long list
of relatives and friends, calling each by
name
Please. God" he began, bless papa
and mamma, grandpa and grandma, and
Aunt Edith and Uncle George, and
A pause. His father, thinking to curtail
the list of benefciaries, softly insinuated
an Amen" Not needing the Interrupt
ton. the little supplicant drew a long
breath, and continued, And Aunt Alice
and Cousin Annie, and-and-" Again
his father said Amen"
This was than flesh and blood could
stand. and lifting his little head. he ex-
claimed, with tears Of indignation, Papa,
who's running this prayer, you or me?'-
| Harper's Monthly.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

TUST 100 years ago this time there
:. lived a little girl of ten, whose name
was PTas-co-vie.
Pras-co-vie's father was a political ex-
lie. and. having been banished from St
Petersburg. was now leading a wretched
existence in cold Siberia. and with him
were his gentle, delicate wife, and little
daughter, Pras-cO-vie.
One day her poor mother after break
ing through ice 20 obtain water, started
to do the family washing, and her fin
gers ached with pain and cold All at
once the father threw himself down on
a log and sighed deeply.
"Oh. my wife, he groaned, ito think
that you and little Pras-co-vie should
have TO 90 through such suffering with
me. and all for no wrongdoing at all"
Pras-co-vie was standing near and
heard her fathers words. then her MOI
theirs patient reply.
Some day, dear, some good friend Will
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
INTERESTING TOM TITRICKS.

empty ones from which you had previous
ly sucked the contents. The one solid
one you should have accidentally dropped
on the table. letting it break so as TO
fool your company into supposing that
the other four We're also solid eggs.
The Bewitched Watch is a trick that
proves puzzling TO many people.
Borrow a watch from any one in the
company. Ask all your friends TO stand
around in a circle Hold the watch 70
one persons ear. and say. 1T is goin6
is that not so2" lie will say. Yes that :
So"
Hold it TO the next persons ear and
say. Now it is not going Isn't that
500" He will say, That's so, for I can't
hear it going"
So all around the circle. one person
will find it going. The next one will find
1t not going.
The trick is-AOne by means of a load
stone which you hold in one hand. When
you want the watch 10 stop going trans
fer it to the hand containing the load
stone. which will Immediately stop the
movement of the works.
When you want it TO so, take if out Of
that hand and shake it gently while do
| ing So 1t win start to going again.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

stood a colossal statue Of Peter the
Great. Here a thought struck Pras-co-
vie. Yes, she would do it,
She toiled up the steep steps leading to
the base Of the statue and there. where
any one passing by would be sure to see
her, she raised her hands in sapplca-
tion TO the dumb figure towering above
her
Presently the iinglIng Of silver sleigh
bells approached, drew close, stopped!
Such a strange place for a child" ex-
claimed a sweet voice Bring her down
TO me. Michael"
A richly Hveried man sprang up to
Pras-co-vie's side and, picking her up,
carried her down to his mistress.
And that was the beginning Of happi-
ness for Pras-co-vie. For what do you
suppose? Why. the lady was the duch-
ess, who was the Empress favorite SIS
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
The Coughing Bean.

We have heard of the pitcher plant that
captures unwary insects and eats them,
and we have been beguiled by the tale Of
the singing tree but we never heard Of
any product of the tropics more strange
than the coughing bean. This bean is not
the product of an excited Imagination
the fantasy of a dream phantasmagori
but a very material coughing fact What
makes the bean cough? Why. that's
easy. L coughs for the same reason you
cougil-to clear its throat. 1 mean its
pores. These pores are very sensitive 10
any irritation. When the pores become
clogged with dust, gas collects within the
plant cells, finally bursting out in par
oxys7n of coughing and sneezing, which
effectuany disDoses of the dust. This res
piratory plant is sometimes cultivated as
house plant, and the weekly sweeping
Of the carpets sets it to coughing violent
ly.-Star Monthly.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

~ AXE an iron tray and set it on top
of four glasses which have been
= wiped perfectly dry.
Charge it with electricity by rubbing it
vigorously with a sheet of brown paper
You viii presently produce sparks
strong enough to leap from the tray to
your finger, although you viii be in no
danger of a shock.
This is called the Enchanted Tray, and
is a nice thing to amUse children with.
Here is an old trick. but perhaps you
younger boys and girls do not know it.
It Is the trick of cooking scrambled
eggs in a hat
You ask the company if they would
like a dish of scrambled eggs. Then YOU
break four eggs in hat. drop in pinch
of salt, place the hat for a short time
over the fame Of a candle and shortly
afterward pour into a dish the scrambled
eggs quite hot.
How is it done? Why, the scrambled
eggs have in reality been previously pre-
pared, covered and placed in the hat. But
when making your proposition to the
company, you hold the hat too high for
| them to see the inside of il
Your eggs-all but One-were really
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

speak 20 the Empress about us. and she
will see that we are restored to home
and happiness"
Il fear not" groaned the discouraged
man.
why the Empress?" asked Pras-co-vie.
Her mother smiled sadly.
Because. dear. your father was once
her tutor and she has a great affection
for him"
Pras-co-vie turned away and began to
think
What can I do TO help?"
At last she decided what to do-she
would go to 81. Petersburg to see the
Empress.
When. in the morning. her mother went
TO the little bed 10 waken her daughter,
behold Pras-co-vie was gone. and on her
pillow was little, scrawly note:
Dear Papa and Mamma:
I have gone to St. Petersburg 10 see
the Empress. PRAS-CO-VIE.'
Many strange adventures the brave lit
lie girl had on the long journey from To
bolsk to ST. Petersburg. Five miles from
home, she had a narrow escape from thc
wolves. and owed her rescue to a trainc5
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
PUZZLES AND PROBLEMS.

Here is an enigma which has not been
solved by anybody, so FAR as Polly
Evans knows.
The enigma is as follows:
Can any Of you puzzle solvers suggest
the answer?
I'm short and I'm tall I'm broad and
I'm narrow;
Like rams horn I'm curled. and yet
straight as an arrow;
I'm not in the water, and yet I declare
That I can't live on earth, and I die in
the air;
And for fire-I am burnt if I ever go
there,
You would faint but 10 see me, 50 hid
eous my face is;
Yet my features are fair as a Juveniles
graces!
My voice is a roar. yet so sweet is its
flowing,
It sets every bosom with ecstasy glow
ing.
Ny youth would enchant cen the stoutest
beholder,
And yet I'm as old as the world is-and
older,
To describe myself further there's little
requiring,
To your patience and mine, twOuld be
equally firing.
Yet, ere I cease rhyming, this hint let
me give ye.
And if such you discover-be sure it is
leave yei
Imagine all opposites, all that most
strange is.
A thing still the same, through a million
OF changes;
Which at once can in New York and Tar
tary be.
And if such you discover-be sure it is
me-"
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

are shown in the act of scaling it with
ladders and hacking away imaginary
burning rafters with fire axes, while 9TH
er boys are seen carrying from the burn
ing building" imaginary inmates whom
they are supposed to have rescued.
Then, in connection with the fire-drill
is the ambulance work which all the boys
are taught to do. This means that they
will know not merely how to rescue .peo-
pie from burning houses, but also how to
restore them to health and even to life,
in case they have been injured or pros
tTated
The boys wear a brigade uniform and
many companies have made a great repu-
tation for fire-drill work.
Wouldn't this organization be a fine
thing for American Sunday school boys
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
An Amusing Answer.

In a recent puzzle contest the puzzle
was an example in pictorial arithmetic,
the pictures consisting first of a weeping
child, second a donkey's ears, third 4
woman. and last a man, a minus sign
between the first and second. a plus sign
between the second and third. and a mi
nus sign between the third and fourth.
The way 10 read il and the proper an
swer were. of course. Tears minus ears
equals T) plus woman equals Twoman)
plus man. equals Two
One young solver, however. although
she read it correctly, thought another an
sWer was the proper one. This is the
answer she sent in;
Tears minus ears Plus woman minus
man equals An Old Maid
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
a jolly Game.

BoOkbinders is a game described by
Mrs. Kingsland
The leader stands in the center of a cir
Gle. Each one holds out his hands, palms
upward, and upon them a book is placed
The leader then goes around the circle.
catching up the books in turn, and try
ing with each book TO strike the hands
that hold it.
Each one tries to withdraw his hands
before they are struck
The same leader continues until he sue
ceeds in striking some ones hands.
whereupon the victim must take his
place
If ones hands are Withdrawn and the
book falls on the ground, through false
movement on the part of the leader. it
counts the same
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

ter. ana when she learned from Pras-co'
vie that the child wished TO see the En-
press. she took her straight into the pal
ace. and there the brave little girl told
her story and made her plea for her ex-
lied father and mother.
The Empress was grieved TO hear ol
her old friends sad fortunes. and imme-
diately obtained his pardon from the En-
peror.
Before many weeks Pras-co-vie had the
JOY of welcoming her father and mother
back to ST. Petersburg, and from tha
time on they were a happy, prosperous
familY
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
4 Novel Report,

From Lippncotts.
The superintendent of streets in
Cleveland recently summoned to his
presence an Irish officer, to whom he
said:
1T is reported to me that there is a
dead dog in Horner street 1 want
YOU to see to its disposition"
"Yis, sor.' said the subordinate, who
Immediately set out upon his mission.
In half an hour the Irishman tele-
phOned his chief as follows:
Il have made inquiries about the
dogs disposition, and find that it was
savage one"
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Dog Puzzles,

What kind of a dog is appropriate for
q teacher?
What kind OF dog is appropriate for
jeweler?
What kind of dog is appropriate for a
detective?
What kind of dog is appropriate for
Wall street lamb?
What kind of dog is appropriate for
car-hog?
What kind Of dog is appropriate for an
explorer?
What kind OF dog is appropriate for a
priest?
What kind of dog is appropriate for a
tOugh2
What kind of dog is appropriate for
| baby?
Apologies to Life.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Slightly Tangled.

From Puck
The COW moose CpetuIantly)-Why were
you so long coming, dear? Didn't you
hear my call?
The bull mOose-My darling. I'd know
your sweet voice among a thousand. but
-er-you know those pesky hunters put
UP some mighty close limitations nova
days,
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
WiIIie,s Ihen of Ii.

William, three years old, was question
ing mamma about the depth Of the water
al the seaShore.
WiHiam-What will happen if l go out
too far2
Mamma-YOuu drown.
William-Will I die?
Mamma-Certainly.
WilIam-And go to heaven?
Mamma-Yes
WilIam-Ugh. I'd be soaked when I
got up there-Mae +. Walsh.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
CUNNING SAYINGS.
Easy steps in Reading.

The first reader class was reciting. One
little fellow spelled out fish, which
proved 10 be too much for him. 1t hap
pened that the teacher had seen him fish
ing before school. and she said.
What did you catch in the creek,
johnny
His face frightened at once
oh I know. chub,"
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
THE SEISM0GRAPH.

This IS the picture of the seismOgraph
the earthquake foreteller-which was
first put into use by the japanese in 1897.
and has since been adopted by all nations.
Every oscillation Of the earth, no mat
ter how slight, causes the needle in this
instrument to scratch a line on plate of
glass, whose surface is covered with a
thin film of iamphlack
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
BOYS LIFE BRIGADE.

a very original and useful organization
for boys which Is making great headwsy
in the Sunday schools of Great Britain is
the Boys Life Brigade.
This picture shows a company of the
brigade boys at fire drill A temporary
house has been erected. and some buys
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Not a Local Hero.

During a third-grade recitation in a
country school there came up something
about the physical exercise
The teacher asked. How many have
heard Of a gymnasium p
Jim who?" said one little girl.-Little
Chronicle.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Flower Anagrams.
Answers to December 2 Conundrums

l. Attics. ?. Adder 3. Bicycle. / The
earth. 5. A walk in life. 6. Pharmacists.
:. A LamppOst. s Skye terriers. 9. A
spider. TO- Spring. II. Sweetening ones
coffee. L. A brickbat Is. a wide-awake.
A. The sewing machine. Is. The weather
cock. Is. Because it stands to reason. Il.
Elevator winding. IS A clock run down
l9. Because il is fun of wards 20. Your
photograph. 2I. Money lenders. p Be
cause it's all the colors of the rainbow.
q A feather. "a Because their first duty
isAto mark time. 25. Those that are new
er found out.
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
botanical Puzzle.

Answer the following questions with
the names Of plants:
/ What plant is a body Of water?
> What plant is found on a ship?
g. What plant is found in a kings
cap?
T. What plant is found in a watch?
; What plants are found in the alpha
hnt7
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
One of His size.

A little boy went TO the barn to see
his father milk the COW. After a few
minutes of quiet watching, he said:
Let me try"
When he had made several unsuccessful
attempts. he s0lemnly remarked:
y guess / would have to begin on a
calf"
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
spoke n Different Tongue.

We have a neighbor who talks very
rapidly.
The other day my little niece asked:
"Auntie. is Mrs s. an American
why, certainly I replied
well" she said I thought she was
some different species"
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Musical Puzzle.

Answer these questions with musical
terms:
!. What IS the earth?
2 An old mans friend?
8. What do the weary need?
l. A useful article TO a cook?
3 Found plentifully in most rivers?
6. Part of fish?
/ An important part Of letter?
s. What title is coveted by military
men2
g What do all public speakers do
sometimeS2
TO- Not served in barroOms?
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
In n Paris Art Gallery.

From Punch
American tourist (suspiciously3-Say
Guide-Oh. no, monsieur.
Tourist-Well, see here. We want TO
see everything, but We don't want to see
anything twicei
The Washington herald., 1906-12-09
Riddles.

l. A word Of three syllables is the an
swer to this riddle: First refers to
the first syllable; second, refers TO the
next two SyIlables together
My FIRST some men will gladly take
Entirely for my SECONDS sake:
But very few. indeed, there are,
Who well together both can bear.
?. A word Of two syllabIes is the an
swer to this riddle-one Of the eIeveTest
ever made:
My FIRST is everything,
So is my SECOND.
My third IS also.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26

HEN Marjori down to breakfast the day she
w years old, there big covered basket
sitting the floor by her chair in the dining ROOM
Marjorie cautiously lifted the little Bit but be.
had peep something pushed hard and
out dear little fox terrier.
'oh, you cunning dog!'' cried Marjorie; ''where did
you from9''
sThere seems be card his colar,'' mother re-
marked.
Why there ISL! answered Marjorie; ''and just see
what says my is Towser, and heard that
wanted dog thought would come to live with you,
she spelled out slowly.
tEoh I'm so glad you came you dog!' cried Mar
jorie, ggng the wrigglng little body close Weu
have lovely times together.
And they surely did They took long walks
Marjorie with fathers help taught him to sneeze for
his dinner shake hands, and to sit and beg for bone
Of course, when they went out to Aunt Ezabeths for
summer Towser wen too The week after they had
rived there Towser morning. and tho the whole
family hunted and called and Marjorie cried and cred
be found Poor Marjorie wandered out to the
and sat down with fororn little face She
liked living at Aunt Elizabeth 8 WELL
there little boys and girls to play WITH and
gone she thought she d ask mother they
couldn' 90 home.
then she spied thru the trees little boy coming
with dog Oh, s Towser'' she cried; 'my
dear, dear Towser Where did you find hima"
''Why, you see' the boy explained grandmother and
driving live to spend the summer at grand
mother we'd gone long distance when this
dog following He was so tired that grandmother
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26
WILLIAM, MY CA 7
VV LILLIAN cat and tho to have to
w indeed In the first place


w tho
w eat indeed the first he
he dspleased with
his
third fault the refig
where out of reach and a picnic all by himself
biting
ready William ang
a
Upstairs William pursued indignant
Duke spaniel lodging dashed into
yelling and snufng exeitedly.
In get out said Jones' getting
annoyed.
move sideboard'
when at the first of the sideboard William rushed at her. his tail
erect his glarng fright and let him
Upstairs the chden' flew William with Duke Mr.
cook
into the but when there he nowhere be They
looked the beds under the children
helped hunt After while they found him outside the window the
SILL 'tHod said
and carried him down to the back yard The said to the
trouble enough for day won't come back here again
But all upstairs Wla
back to the kitchen stole the fh-Children's Magazine
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26
A PAGE FOR THE LFTTLEST JUNIORS
7HETTY'S CURIOSITY

teeth into them To her dismay there was left
the marks staring up at her in telltale fashion.
What could she do! She tried to smooth the dis
fgurement away with her fingers, but it only
seemed to make the matter worse. 1T is wax
don,' she argued, "and I guess I melt it
back' So she went down to the library fire, and
held the doll close to the flames, hoping the wax
would soften and run back to place.
The fire was so hot she had to turn her own
face away from it, and after moment, when she
looked again, the wax streaming down the
pretty pink dress, and every vestige of expression
was gone. Hetty threw herself down upon the
library floor, and gave such cry of distress that
nurse came running to see what was the trouble.
Just at that moment the door opened, and her
mother and Dorothy came in.
When the story told and Hetty had been
punished and afterward forgiven mother said,
cit shows you, Hetty, how your curiosity leads
you into doing wrong, and into suffering Now
this disfgured doll is to be yours, and the one in
the other drawer, exactly like it, is to be
Dorothy's. If you had only waited, see what
happiness you would have had!''
Poor Hetty never forgot this lesson, and after
that she seemed to feel curiosity about things
that concealed from her.-The Youth g
Companion.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26

told me to take him in, and we found
your name on the collar. When we
reached home grandmother said I'd bet
ter bring him over.'
"Oh, I thought he'd gone forever.
Let 9 go show him to mother"
Mother gave them some bread and
butter to feed him, and Towser dis
played all his little tricks for the chill
dren, and very soon Marjorie and
Harold were firm friends.
~ IN almost glad Towser ran away"
Marjorie confded to mother few
weeks later, for perhaps Harold and I
never would have known each other if
he hadn't, and I'd been lonesome all
summer. 1.-THE Sunbeam.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-26

III ETY. sat alone by the fire. She had
amused herself by watching the hands OF
the clock travelling round and round until
her head bobbed sleepily. Mother and Dorothy
had gone to the village. She could hear Robbie
teasing for stories, and and then the low
voice of nurse. She began to look round for
amusement. It seemed to her that just then
little voice said to her, ~ wonder what it in
mama's bureau drawer She said it was for
sisters birthday. wonder if it would be any
harm to just peep!'
Now when hears or thinks he hears things
of this sort it is best to run away at once and
forget all about it. Hetty did not do this, but
kept thinking how nice it would be to see that
package before sister came home
She went cautiously and opened the
drawer; slowly she drew out the package and I'M
tied the wrappings. She not prepared to
find anything so lovely! dainty dol! lay
before her. This happened long ago, when wax
dolls first made, and Hetty had never seen
one. She held it close against her face and
pressed her lips to the rosy cheeks.
dorothy will never Know that loved you
frst!' she said.
Hetty very curious about the soft, round
cheeks-she thought they looked sweet enough to
bite, and before she thought she had pressed her