davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

will be glad when the birds come
and build their nests In the trees. In
the. summer we find many bird nests
with eggs in them. Some of the eggs
are speckled and some are blue. l
know many kinds OF birds, so will
tell some. The jaybird, robin, SPAR
row and crow build their nest in
trees. The jaybird's eggs are speck-
led and have five in her nest. The
robin has four eggs and makes her
nest out of mud and straws. I think
her eggs are prettiest of all because
they are blue. The robin builds her
nest mainly in the forks of trees. The
sparrow Is not a large bird, but builds
IN a straw shed or in tree. She has
large number of eggs in her nest,
and some times a small number. Her
eggs are speokled. When she builds
IN a tree she puts a top on 1t and
makes 1t look like a little house. She
builds out of straw and feathers.
NOW comes the crow. Her nest is
nigh up~1n a tree and is made out Of
sticks. leaves and feathers. She has
six eggs in her nest. Orioles are a
small bird. Somel are red and build a
swinging nest out Of straws. They
weave 1t round ana long. They leave
a little hole at the side to 20 in. I
know every kind Of bird that lives in
our country and how they build their
nests. know all about their eggs. I
like birds and think 1t Is lots Of pleas
ure to listen to them sing In the trees
over head. / would like to tell all
the birds know. but 1t would take up
too much Of the Junior page.
Ruby Wilson, aged 10,
Moravia, Iowa
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

3r The beautiful flower known as the
.hEastsr lily, holds significant part in
QUART and legendary literature, it being
niEegarded as the emblem Of perfect pu-
Tty. This fragrant flower originated
BY h China, and an interesting tale Is
cabld of It's being transported to other
deAnds Almost 1000 years ago the ce-
detastial land was ruled by the barbar-
9 our Emperor Chow, who was horribly
cruel, sacrificing even the most ia
yored Of his wretched subjects to gain
his ends Fearing the safety of his
lifeS the prime minister, III Chung,
plauned a mode Of escape for himself
4 and lmany of the Chinese. In order to
carry out his purpose successfully he
pyunningly took the emperor into his
* confidence, telling him Of message
that he had received from the gods,
who demanded that a great number of
men, sYomen beasts and a large
( amount of fruit be sacrificed, in return
for which was promised the nations
!, prosperity. This sacrifice was to take
place on a sea island many miles
away
The bloodthirsty and mercenary en-
peror was delighted, and after months
iofl labor the finest ship in the royal
fleet was made ready, with the prime
minister as commander. On this ship
We're 100 Of the most perfect types Of
men and women, and for the feasts
they had brought the choicest food.
among which was the delicate bulb of
the lily. which offered a dainty mnrsal
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
STORY OF A. BIRD.

The king fisher is a well known
fishing bird. 1t, is more common in the
old world than in the new. There are
hundreds Of birds Of this kind. The
is beautiful bird. The
upper parts are blueish gray, the UNI
der parts whitish, with a blush gray
belt on the breast. The head is crest
ed. 1t is rapid flyer, but is some
times seen perched on posts and dead
thees near ponds and quiet rivers. 1t
catches the fish with its strong bill.
The kingfishers make nests in holes
in the banks and line them with fish
bones. There are large numbers Of
these birds in the East Indies.
Mae McShane, aged 8.
Agency Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
JUNIOR STORIES.
WILD BIRDS.

There are many kinds Of beautiful
wild birds. The robin and blue birds
are the first to come back. The robin
is olive gray, the breast a reddish
orange color, the top and sides Of the
head black, and the chin and throat
white with black streaks The upper
part of the blue bird is rich sky blue
color, the throat and breast are red
dish chestnut. They feed on insects
and berries.
The bobolink, yellowhammer, yellow
throat, wren and bee birds are some
other wild birds. The bobolink is some
thing like the sparrow with stiff point
ed tail feathers. 1t Is a little larger
than the yellowhamme r. The bobolink
is black, yellow and white. The yellow
hammer is seven inches long, having
bright feathers. The yellow throat is
a familiar song bird having a yellow
throat and breast. The wren Is four
inches long, being a dull brown color.
Tho bee bird has very thick skin. be-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
SOME BIRDS l LOVE.

One spring as my elder sister and
had gotten very tired OF staying in
the house all through the long winter,
and mamma said 1t was too early to
plant garden, we thought we would
watch the birds, and see what we
very early that spring. The first we
noticed was a pretty robin hopping
from large maple tree near the house
70 the ground, picking up all the lit
tle SUCKS, straws, feathers and dried
grasses for nest.
we thought we would help them q
little, SO we took bits of string and
sLnali TUFTS OF cotton and suspended
them by twine, from the top wire OF a
renee right in front OF the window SO
we could watch them. One day we
noticed little Baltimore oriole pulling
at one of the balls Of cotton which
was tied little tighter than the rest
were. This was too strong for the
orlole. which after tryinr for at least
the Two pulled 1t loose for the swing
ing nest In a large apple treee, as we
afterwards discovered,
ABOUT this time we got q cocoanut,
ana after eating the meat took the
shell and put it In tree. In a week
or two We noticed that bee martin
was building q nest in the shell. Att
- 49, us wv WcIS particular TO pe9p
In the, nest and had to run nearly ev-
cry .. time because the mother bird
would fly near our heads and snap her
beak as IL she would like to bite cur
heads off
Later in the summer we discovered
that a knocking bird was nearly al
ways In a large plum tree In our front
yard and most likely made it's abode
near by. Every time we started a
song or tried to whistle any tune wa
heard our echo from the front yard.
We were surprised one morning to-
hear what we supposed to be an oriole
or blue bird (both of which are some
Of my favoritesl singing In tree, but
far more surprised to find 1t was a cat
bird. AS soon as he saw us he started
his old song Of initiating a cat, which
was far less pleasing to hear.
have noticed some black birds
first thoroughly fill their feathers with
dust, then fly into clean water, then
into sand or ashes for their bath, after
which they would sit. in {, tree right
over the water and sing.
Lottie Irwin, aged II
618 South Sheridan avenue.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

There are many kinds of birds which
are In the fields and woods about us.
In the warmer climates the birds have
bright plumage and in the warm eli
mates the bright colored parrots chat
ter from morning until night. The
birds of our country are very differ
ent and are not 80 bright colored.
There is the blue jay, robin, red bird,
blue bird and wild canary. The jay
bird is not liked as we'll as some birds.
He is up early in the morning and cry
ing Ego away, give place to me-" He
destroys other birds nests and they
must keep watch for him. He will kill
the young birds and eat the eggs.
The nest of the blue jay is made OF
twigs with long thorns on them, and
now and then piece of paper. There
is some string and grass also used in
making the nest. The nest is lined
with feathers and in few days two or
three eggs are there. They are quite
large and are of dull green color,
spotted with brown. When the eggs
are Matched the little ones are very
ugly. They have great mouths and
have no feathers. The father and
mother must work very hard to keep
the little ones from hunger. The rob-
in is plain bird and Is better spoken
of, as her manners are good Robins
build their nests of twigs which they
break off Of tree as they fly. They
line the nests with mud and grass and
in this. nest the robin will lay
fine, pretty, blue eggs. The
baby robin is smaller than
the blue jay. The blue jay makes her
nest in a hole in tree or post and it
is just bit of grass. The blue birds
eggs are very pretty light blue. 1t
is about two weeks before the eggs
will hatch and in a few weeks more
the birds will be able to fly. The old
birds are very pretty blue and may be
seen almost every where now. The
little brown wren is liked almost
wherever she may be found. She likes
to build near house, as she will be
safe from birds Of prey. She is also
fond OF an old shoe or tin can to build
her nest In. once knew of a wren
which set on thirteen eggs
little more than week when
an old cat destroyed her nest.
She was a very sad little creature. as
could tell by her actions. Soon she
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
SOMETHING ABOUT BIRDS.

The blue bird. Everyone loves the
blue bird. He is so gentle, modest,
brave and useful He Is sometimes
called "The Minstrel Of, April" The
blue. bird is smaller than the robin,
and larger than the canary. His
throat and breast are reddish brown
with white feathers on the under side
Of the body and his back and wings
are a clear, bright blue. 1t does not
care much where 1t builds its nest.
Sometimes it chooses the deserted
nest Of a woodpecker. The eggs are
light blue, four to seven in number.
Here are the names of some more
birds know: The downy woodpecker,
flicker, purpe finch, cuckoo, red eyed
vireo, black and yellow warbler, blue
jay, chewink. cedar waxwing, crow,
red bird. red winged black bird, least
fycatcher. pine siskin, golden crowned
kinglet, boboiink. sea gull, stormy
petrol, quail, hawk. fish hawk, SPAR
row, hawk, owl, vulture and the bald
headed eagle.
Charlton. Ia, r. F. D. No. s.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
Ing q greenish color. They feed mostly
on bees, Wasps and other insects.

ing greenish color. They feed mostly
on bees, wasps and other insects.
Tho cuckoo, red bird, brown thrush,
woodpecker, nightingale and hooking
bird are some other wild birds, The
nightingale and mocking birds are
two beautiful singers. The bill of the
nightingale is straight and slender. It
is a rich brown color above, the tail
reddish and the upper part grayish
white. It begins Its song at night,
singing with plaintiy eness and ecstasy.
The hooking bird is about the size Of
a song thrush. The upper part is .
dark brOhwish ash color, the wings and
tail nearly black. and the under parts
brownish white.
The black bird, COW bird, meadow
lark, chimney swallow, blue jay and
oriole are other wild birds. The oriole
has q beak coming to a point. 1t Is
yellow. the males being much brighter
than the females.
Yours truly,
Myrtle Anderson, age IA.
1920 p. Main street,
ottumwa, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
ESSAY ON BIRDS.


Birds are very funny little creatures.
They 20 south every fall and come
back In the spring. They are very
happy and have many songs to sing.
They build their nests during the sum-
mer. / will tell you how the robbins
build their nests. They first take some
hay or grass and lay 1t In q circle, then
they take some grass or moss and
weave 1t with sweet song. When
this is done she lines her nest with
mud. In a few days there will be four
or Ave pretty green eggs In 1t. The
little birds soon hatch. When they
are about halt grown their mother
teaches them how to fly. When the
birds have done this they can rest the
rest of the summer. Most all Of the
little birds have big mouths. The
head Of little robbin Is bigger than
all the rest Of the body. The sparrow
comes very early in the spring, 80 1t
will have time to build four or five
nests year. The young sparrows are
very ugly. They have no feathers at
all. The sparrow likes to build in a
barn or In a hollow limb OF a tree.
There is a very little bird called the
wren. 1t is not afraid to build
its nest near the house, like some
birds are. 1t is brown. 1t does not
come until summer, or after the other
birds are here. When it is fall they
gather together Ind sing their fairwell
song to us, for they are going south to
pass the winter.
Lena Long, Aged 10.
Dahlonega, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
THE SOUR TEL.

A little red squirrel lives In a tree
near our home and we are getting to
be quite rood friends. When first
saw him. he was on "a limb OF a tree
just over my head, and what a noise
he did make. think he was trying
to tell me to go away.
] put two or three nuts on, the ground
near the tree and he soon came and
picked them up. You ought to have
seen how funny he looked with two
large nuts In his mouth The next
day I went and left some more nuts
in the same place, and he came and
picked them up, while was standing
nearby.
In a few days he would come and
take the nuts from my hands, jump
upon my shoulders and then leap into
the tree. Now when ! go near his
tree, find him watching for me. He
will run to meet me, jump into my
arms and look into all my pockets for
something to eat.
Hazel Morrison, aged II.
r. F. D. No. l. Box SO.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

when prepared. The second night had
passed when Ii Chung told the youths
and maidens that they were to inhabit
the beautiful island to which they were
coming to live happily as his subjects.
And the story that reached old Chow
was OF the sad wreck Of the royal yes
Sci carrying the men. women and
beasts who were to have been sacri-
heed to the gods. Thus Japan was
people.
The lily grew in beauty and in time
was exported in bulb form to Europe
and later to America, where it is now
proudly appreciated and chosen as the
queen OF flowers in the stately decora-
lions OF the church at Eastertide.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

built new nest under the porch and
here the little ones were Matched.
was watching her feed the little ones
and was astonished to see her go away
and return SO SOON Each time she
came back with worm or bug for
them. She does much good for. us as
to getting the insects Of the plants as
other birds do. She is very sweet
singer and all birds should live and be
happy, for nobody has a right to rob
and make them sad.
Reta Long, Aged 10.
Dahlonega, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
Birds.

think birds are very nice. There
are many, many kinds. will name a
few of them. The little wren almost
always builds very close to some
house or barn, They lay six little
pink eggs, with specks on them. They
are very small. The pee-wee lays
four EGGS in a little moss or soft nest.
mostly Of moss and feathers and mud.
Her eggs are white as snow. Some
people think the pee-wees bring mites,l
but II do not think II. Is right to rob-
them anyway. b The robin is very
pretty. She is my choice. She always
tells us when spring Is coming. She
builds her nest Of sticks, rawlings and
mud; also hair. and lays four green
eggs. She has a red breast. The
blackbird builds her nest of sticks and
straw in a tree. She lays four or five
speckled eggs She Is very pretty.
The cat-bird builds her nest In a!
gooseberry bush and lays four little
green eggs. She news just like
cat, The robin sings, Cheer UP for.
spring Is coming"
The hawk builds its nest in a high
tree 1t lays two eggs. They are
white and about as large as small
hen egg. The owls egg Is just az
sound as marble and as white as II
can be. When the king bird sees a
hawk or a crow 1t will fly at 1t and
nghc II. They build out OF sticks and
straws and lay four white specified
eggs. They are very pretty. They
are called either King bird or Bee
Martin. There are very many differ
ent kinds of birds. / can not tell all
of them and their ways. will name a,
few of them Canary, oriole, sparrow,
blackbird, bluebird blue jay, brown
thrush, shink and many others that ]
cannot think of.
Edna Wilson, aged IA.
Morayia. Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
HOW THE BIRDS

The most remarkable ng about
birds to my mind is the wonderful
way they sail In the air. here are
all kinds Of birds, There pigeons.
crows iaawits, =. ti 4 faagHts lgis
bird, cat bird and the canary, We
have two old canary birds. About three
weeks ago there was four eggs ii, a
nest There are four little birds In
the nest now. We feed our Hfds
bread and milk, bird seed, red pepper
water and other things, when they
aren't mating. We give them bath
each morning. The nest we make our
selves out of pasteboard. Tho mother
bird when she feeds them. gets up to
the nest and puts the food in their
beaks. The old father bird will get
his mouth full and then hop up to the
nest and puts 1t into their beaks.
They always open their mouths
when she comes. The little birds have
commenced to fly Just as am writ
ing this letter. One has jumped out
of the nest.
Donald Bunk, aged II.
Ottumwa, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
wha+ Have We Done Today?


re shall do so much in years to come,
To But what have we done today?
law, De shall give our gold in a prlncely
sion II sum,
packe4But what did we give today?
yesterk shall lift the heart and dry the
81 prof. tear,
have Je shall plant hope in the place OF
givens fear,
decisise shall speak the words Of love and
erss II cheer,
goyeT But what did we speak today?
court
Tor We shall be so kind in the after while,
Y II But what have we been today?
year ye shall bring to each lonely life a
acte9 smile,
rlgheI But what have we brought today?
pony shall give to truth a grander birth
e 6 nd to steadfast faith a deeper worth.
i - shall feed the hungering souls of
~, ~ earth,
is III But whom have we fed today?
meme fhall reap>such joys in the by and
asome by,
800. what have we sown today?
s.N iGhall build us mansions in the sky,
3uss 1T what have we built today?
= Mrooa fsweet in the idle dreams to bask,
M indhere and now do we do our task !?
~ 90 ..-9f this is the thing our soul must
ask,
what have we done today?"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
AN EASTER DISPUTE.

An egotistical rabbit had formed the
bad habit
OF Boosting to all who would hear:
More eggs can lay, in one single day
mhan hen can produce in year"
Very true" said the hen, Exactly,
but then
claim mine are best on the ground,
You lay yours, my dear, but once in a
year
round"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
THE BIRD PAGE.

The bird essays sent In by the Ju-
4 liors are certainly excellent. The
Juniors who have not written stories
will learn a great deal about the birds
If they will read carefully all Of the
Is beautiful stories on this page. Some
Hebf the Juniors sent in essays that
on would fill up two columns each. or
HGourse these stories were thrown In
lakihhe waste, basket Always write short
mmStories.- Next week we will establish
torM fixed rule about the length OF the
Stories. The Junior editor wishes all
Ttahe Juniors joyous Easter We want
voc kou all to read the little poem, What
y stSIave We Done Today" The juniors
rimTnust always cd something good eacn
low hay.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

bird and likes to buildsits nest close
to houses. The humming birds are
the smallest and brightest birds.
There are good many different kinds
We should always be very careful not
to harm birds or disturb their nests,
as God put them in this world to
make 1t more beautiful and happy.
Alice Moon, aged II
VI OttumWa. Ia r 4 u No
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
BIRDS.

There are many kinds of birds,
some Of which ID will try to tell you
about. The common migratory birds
are the robin, wren. black bird, blue
bird, oriole, king bird, lark, red headed
woodpecker and the whip poor will
In the spring they come from the
south to the north and in the autumn
they go back toy the south, as 1t is too
cold for them to stay in the north dur
lac. the wintari The nanaaa of anrsa
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
PRIZE WINNERS.
04$3~esfIs4.*&&%sR~se 4 aaAA

The prizes this week are awarded to
John Belgard. Agency, and Cleo Dulin,
Selma. These Juniors complied with
the rules OF the contest in every parti-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
The +.
Courier Junior
Published by
THE COURIER PRINTING co,
OTTUMWA, IOWA.
MATILDA pEvEREAUx.
EDITOR.
ROLL OF HONOR.

ROLL OF HONOR.
MARY ELIZABETH wELLMAN
MILRE SCOTT,
BERYL DANIELS.
JENNIE PREvO.
MAE CHAMP.
ZULU M. TAYLOR.
GEORGE ROLAND.
FLORENCE PATTERSON
EMMA DAVIS.
JESSIE SCOTT.
RHODA DAVIS.
AGNES ASKLOF.
ADDIE CHENEY
EDITH VAWTER. :.
ARTHUR SWANSON.
AIDA GAME.
BERYL DANIELS.
CHLOA MULHOLLEN.
EMMA DAVIS.
DOLPHIE LAIN.
JULIA WARREN.
MABEL SPRAY,
ANNA CARNES.
ELSIE TERRILL.
MARY ENTLER.
BRUCE MELLIS.
MARY BELL.
ANSELM HEM.
NORMA DANIELS.
DALE ZENTZ.
BEATRICE LYNCH.
MYRTLE MILLS.
MAE. THOMPSON.
ERIE WILSON.
BLANCHE MILLER.
HELEN DEACON.
LLOYD KEPHART.
Z ANNIE VINCENT.
EDNA LEWIS.
MYRTLE ANDERSON.
MAY SHAFFER.
LIZZIE HILLERY.
ELIZABETH REEFS.
JOHN BELGARD.-
CLEO DULIN.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
ESSAY ON BIRDS.

Dahlonega, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
BIRDS OF OKLAHOMA.

Dahlonega, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
i eoend Of the Easter LILY,

"What have we done today?"
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-02
BLINDNESS FATE OF ALL
Experts Say Electrical Devices
Will Make This a Blinking
and Blind Nation.

Chicago, March Universal blind
ness is to be humanity's tribute to
electricity is the theory expresses by
DR.. H. Preston Pratt, X-ray and Their
apeutic expert in a trial of a personal
injury suit in Judge Windes' court
yesterday. The Union Traction COM
pany is being sued for $50, 900 damages
in behalf of Ruth Bostrom, who is
declared to be partially blind and par
alyzed from an electrical current which
passed from the atmosphere through
her body April 10, 1902 Eye specialists
have been the first to discover the cor
rOding effects of the electrical cur
rents being generated by millions of
dynamOs in every corner of the civil
lied globe. explained the witness. Day
or night we are never free from its in
hUence, he said. The eyes, the most
delicate portion of the human body.
will suffer first. DR.. Pratt cited the
increasing prevalence of falling eye
sight. Later viii come a gradual SEN
Sitting and burning of the hands.
The wavering Of the incandescent
globe, the Sputtering brightness of the
vacuum tube were specified as the
agencies which already had made the
Americans a specialized and blinking
nation" The shock from a telephone
battery, the spark of a Jumped troll
ley pole the snap and crackIe of the
power station dynamo and motor were
cited as stronger but ever contribu-
tors to the same effect.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-02
COAL BARONS HOLD BACK
Anthracite Miners Patiently
Awaiting Reply to De-
mandS From Baer,

New York, March John Mitchell,
president Of the United Mine Workers
of America today said that he had not
yet received a reply from the operators
regarding the demands of the anthra-
cite miners which were forwarded to
George F. Baer Tuesday.
w H TruesdaIe, president of the
Lackawanna railroad, said that there
would be no meeting of the operators
committee for several days. This COM
mittee was appointed to receive and
consider the miners propositions, and
Mr.. Baer is its chairman.
The subcommittee of seven OF the
anthracite coal operators, appointed to
confer with a similar committee of the
miners regarding the coal situation, will
meet in this city early next week TO
consider the demands of the miners.
The call for the meeting was sent out
tonight The date was not disclosed.