davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
1.-THE LOST LETTER."

Once there was a colored girl, whose
master was very cross and abused his
slaves very much.
This girl was ten years old, and had
black hair and eyes. Her name was
Lily.
One time her master wrote an i'm
portant letter which he wanted sent
Immediately. He was very busy so
he had Lilly take it to the postoffice
She stopped her work and took the let
ter. On her way she met two naughty
boys. They wanted to know what was
in the letter. Lilly ould not tell. They
took the letter from her and started to
run. They could run much faster than
Lily.
Lily did not want to go home and
tell her master about the letter, be-
cause he would whip her. 1t was get
ting late and Mr.. Brown (the master
name), was waiting for Lily's return.
1t was getting later and later and still
she did not come Mr.. Brown said
when she came he was going to whip
her.
1t was week before Lilly came
She was almost afraid to say any
thing about the letter. When she did
Mr.. Brown whipped her so hard she
was weak all night and couldn't move.
The next morning he told her to go
and hunt for, the letter and not to
come back until she had found it.
Lily never found the letter, but she
found good, kind master who never
abused his slaves.
Edith Perry, age IL.
Iowa
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
PRIZE WINNER /
MY BROTHERS. DOG.

my Brothers Dog" I am glad this
subject is among the others, for the
other day, little dog came to ou1
house 1t was yellow and white, and
appeared to be very homely at first
1t also seemed obstinate. stubborn and
cross, and went in one corner of the
barn, and we could not make 1t move
If we touched 1t, it would howl. Al
last my 4-year-old brother coaxed and
petted 1t and it came out with him
1t followed him around and it would
not let any one else hardly look at it
One day my little brother locked II
UP in the shed, and went to one of the
neighbors to play. The dog got out OF
the shed, In some way, and after hunt
Ing all around for my little brother
1t came to the door and whined II
then ran around looking again, and
whined piteously. Then my sister took
him to where my little brother was
and 1T seemed to be tickled and wagged
It's tail and barked. 1t has now made
up with the rest of us and is up to all
kinds Of tricks, as all pups are.
We have named him Pug, and II
seems no longer homely. but is very
cunning, so my little brother claims
him as his own dog
Yours truly
Ruth Williams age II.
494 North Benton street.
,(This Junior girl solved the puzzle
and complied with the rules of the con-
test in every extraordinarily
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
DoTTY's KITTEN.

Colly was nice kitten, jet black,
fat and round. She was Dotty's pet
and Dotty helped Collys mother to
bring her up to be wellbred cat.
She was very precious to them both,
and often they both said to her:
above all things, never run away.
Kittens who run away get hurt Re
member Colly" But one day Colly
sprang out of the window and ran off
across the fields. In one Of them she
caught little field mouse. II will be
sure to come here again. said Colly
joyfully.
Pretty soon she came to the woods.
She ran uu a tree and down again.
Surely she was having a good time.
When she went up a third tree, she
found little birds nest. IT will eat
every one said ,Colly. But just then
the mother-bird flew home, and pecked
to the ground. Oh, how she cried and
howled.
And before she got out of the woods
she met dog. "Hello!" he said, you
are wild cat" "Oh, no, not at ALL"
said Colly, II am a tame cat
Tame cats do not live in the
woods" said the dog.
II do not live in the woods"
Yes, you do. I saw you. I am
going to chase YOU
please DON'T begged Colly"
Just then a man came along and
whisked him away.
But Colly was afraid after that and
she dared only go in deep grass and
weeds, and 1t was night when she got
home and her fur was full OF burrs.
She has not run away since but she
Is not as happy as she was before, for
she dreams every night Of cross moth
er birds and big hunting dogs
Irene Ware, age 10.
Bloomfield, Iowa
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
Eldon, Iowa
FRUITS.

There are many kinds Of fruits.
There are cherries, peaches, plums,
apples, oranges, lemons and strawber-
ries The cherries when ripe are red
In the fall there are little brown buds
all over the tree. The leaves and bios
SONS are packed in these. In the
spring the trees bloom, and down in
the middle there is a little green bud
this is the cherry.
The bloom then drops off, and then
the little cherry grows very fast till
1t is ripe and ready to be eaten.
Peaches are nice to eat raw. They
are Of light brown color. I like
peaches raw. Plums are nice to can.
Some plums are red, some blue, and
some green. The red and green ones
are good to eat raw.
Oranges are nice to eat. They grow
in California They are yellow and
sweet. You buy them at the store.
will close for this time.
Yours truly,
Winfred Hunter, age 8.
Blakesburg, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
Sonny Bunny Rabbits Granny.

OF all the animal stories which
America, the ,nurse-girl, told to the
children of Broadlands plantation, they
liked best those about Sonny Bunny
Rabbit.
you listen now. Marse Pate an
Miss Patty an my baby child, an |
gwine tell you de best tale yit, bout
doe rabbit" she said, one lazy summer
afternoon when they were tired of
playing marbles with berries.
"You see, de fox he mighty hongry
all de time for rabbit meat; yit, at de
same time, he 'fraid to buck up against
old rabbit, an he always pesterin'
after de young ones.
Sonny Bunny Rabbit granny was
sick, an Sonny Bunny Rabbit nam.
my want to send her a mess O. sallet
She put 1t in poke, an hang de poke
round de little rabbit boys neck.
CHOW, my son, she says. you tote
Ids sallet to .yo' granny. an don't stop
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
IN VACATION TIME.

There's hole in his hat with the hair
sticking through,
And toe that peeps out from hole
in his shoe;
There's a patch on his trousers, darn
in his hose,
And freckle that tits on the bridge of
his nose;
But, oh, in his heart there's the glim-
mer and shine z
Of sun that wish could be shining
in mine.
There's a smudge on his face that is
dusty and dark,
But song in his heart like the song of
the lark;
There's a rent in his coat where the
lining shows through,
But the whistle he tunes to the wild
bird rings true;
And, oh, in his heart, with sparkle
like wine,
Is a gladness l wish could be sparkling
in mine.
There's an imp in his hair that may
keep 1t awry,
DuC q IWluhlS 81 Idl . III IllS Uluc I'll Ills
eye;
There's an uneven slant Of his trous-
ers made fast
With nail through their tops, for a
button won't last;
But deep in his heart lies spring cool
and fine
Of good cheer that 1 wish could be
bubbling in mine.
There Is tan on his cheeks where the
flush of health CLOVIS,
And the skin has all peeled from the
tip of his nose;
His pockets are bulged with tops, mar
bles and strings,
With jackknives and other unaccount-
able things;
But the brooks and the woods bring a
music divine
To his ears that l wish they we're
bringing to mine.
u. w. Foley in New York Times.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
JUNIOR STORIES.
81 4
sF~%&s4f,*.k4.e<.as
"THE ESklMos."

The Eskimos are found in North
America, Greenland and the Arctic
Islands,
They live along the coast, and as
there are only about 10000 known
they are very much scattered.
They are about the height of Indians
and have brown skin and coarse black
hair. They live by hunting and fishing
Their clothes are made of animal
skins, such as the reindeer and seal, SO
as to keep them warm.
Their oil is also taken from these
animals. They put the oil in lamps
and burn it to make them warm.
Their houses are built out of wood or
stone, covered with moss, or sod, OF
snow, with funnel-shaped half un,
derground passage for an entrance.
The houses are warmed with lamps,
and the sleeping places, somewhat like
stalls, arc arren@ai In rarSa alaug the
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
ABOUT THE CONTEST.

Dear Juniors:
Some Juniors have written to the
Courier Junior this week, thinking
! they have chance for the grand
professionally spoons, with the
words Courier Junior" engraved in
the bowl Remember to be in
this contest your name must
have appeared in the Courier
Junior last week. We are sorry tc
note that many Of the Juniors do moi
pay any attention to the rules of the
contest. The prizes are only awarded
to the Juniors fulfilling all the rules
Several Of the Juniors letters reach
ed the Courier Junior Office last Friday
morning, too late for the contest. The
Juniors must have their letters here
before Friday. This page is arranged
by Thursday night and any letter ar
irving here Friday can not be publish
ed that week Next week we will an
nounce another grand prize, so let all
the Juniors who came in too late fol
this contest watch out. We did not
expect to publish all the letters OF
stories of the contestants leach week
but so few of the Juniors complied
with the rules that we find we can
print their letters each week. We have
received over fifty letters the past
week, but these Juniors were too late
for this contest. Watch the Junior
page next week..
We have something very bad to tell
the Juniors this week. Last week the
line on which was printed the age OF
Ethel Dorr, one Of the prize winners
was accidently dropped out. WE'LL to
day we received letter from Junior
finding fault with the result of the con
test because EthePs age was not given
Now, we are not criticising this Junior
for writing about it, but we feel sad be-
cause his or her name was not signed
to the letter. Dear Juniors, never
write any letter to which you are
ashamed to sign your name. We never
publish any item In the Courier
Junior unless the name is signed We
have in a measure broken our rule by
mentioning this letter, but we want the
other Juniors to understand that Eth
els age was given. All the Juniors
who are contestants for the grand
prize must be careful about their let.
ters or stories You must not only
write each week, but your work must
be neat. Remember this contest closes
Thursday, July II.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
house, with often fifty inmates and

house, with often fifty inmates and
sometimes 200 to house.
Men, women, girls and boys all dress
girls have pockets to carry their sew.
Ing In their boomers.
The children have many sports in
the snow. l will tell you of several
If the little Eskimo lives near hill
they will go and have the most fun.
First lie goes to the top of the hill and
turns his collar up, so the snow can
not get down his back. Then he rolls
himself into a ball and takes a large
roll and he goes clear to the bottom
of the hill.
The Eskimo children ride on sledges
and let the dogs pull them, which is
great fun.
The women have hoods on their
coats, so as to carry the baby Eskimos.
The ground where the Eskimos live
is covered with snow all the year.
The sledges which l said the chill
dren ride in are shaped like boats and
it is very hard to sit in one when you
first start to ride, but the Eskimo boys
and girls know how, so they ride very
easily.
The Eskimo children see many
sights, such as the northern lights and
beautiful Icebergs. And those who live
in Lapland see the midnight sun.
The Eskimo children have very long
nights and days. The days are six
months and the nights six months in
length, but they don't sleep all the
night, because it is too long, but have
to work. play and sleep in the dark,
and have. to do the same in the day
time.
All the Eskimo boys have to learn
is to fish and hunt and the girls to
cook They don't have nice schools as
we do here.
Their best fishing season is during
the winter months, or their nights.
They use lights to fish with.
This is my second story for the
grand prize.
Your little friend,
Beryl Daniels, Age IL,
Eldon, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03

to play wild none O. dey critters in d.
Big Woods
"Yassum, nanny say Sonny Bun
ny Rabbit.
Don't you pass de time O. day vic
no foxes say Nanny Rabbit.
Yassum, nanny say Sonny Bun
ny Rabbit.
"Dest as he was passin' some thick
chinkapin bushes, up hop a big red fox
an told him howdy.
'Howdy,' say Sonny Bunny Rabbit
He amt study bout what his nanny
tell him now. He 'bleege to stop an
make miration at bein' noticed by
sech fine pusson as Mr.. Fox Hit IS
fine day-an' mighty CROWN wether
Mr. Fox
Hit am dat say de fox. 'Yaas
sub, hit sho'ly am dat. An whar you
putin out for, eff mought AK? he
say, mighty slick an easy
Nov right dar," said America, i'm
pressively, am whar dat little rabbit
boy fergit his teachin'. He act like he
amt know nothin'-an' amt know dat
right good. Stead O. sayin', I s gwine
whar l S gwine-an' dat's whar I S
gwine,' he answer right back: 'Dest
cross de hill, sub. Won't you walk
wild me, sub? Proud to have yo com
pany. sub.
An who-all is you gwine see on t
other side de hill?' ak Mr.. Fox
My granny answer Sonny Bunny
Rabbit. I totin dis sallet to her.
is yo' granny big?' ak de fox. rs
yo' granny old?' he say. is yo gran
ny mighty pore? Is yo' granny tough?
An he amt been nigh so slick an sof
an easy any mo- by dis time-he git
tin mighty hongry an greedy.
Right den an dere Sonny Bunny
Rabbit wake up. Yaas, law! He come
to he senses He know mighty well
an good dat a pusson de size O. Mr.
Fox amt got no reason to ak eff he
granny tough, less'n he want to git he
teef In her. By dat he recomember
what his nanny done told him. He
look all bout. He amt see no hep
nowhars. Den hit come in Sonny
Bunny Rabbit mind dat de boys on de
farm done sot trap down by de pas.
tur fence. Eff he kin git Mr.. Fox to
jump inter dat trap, his life done save
"'O Oh, my granny mighty big he
say; but rat S case she so fat she
can't run. She hain't so mighty old,
but she sleep all de time; an l amt
know is she tough or not-you dest
better come on an find out he boiler
Den he start off on er long, keen jump.
Sonny Bunny Rabbit run as hard as
he could. De fox run after, most nip
PIN his heels. Sonny Bunny Rabbit
run by de place whar de fox-trap done
sot, an all kivered wild leaves an
trash, an dar he le'p high in the air
an over it. Mr.. Fox amt know dey
airy trap in de gress; an, blam! he
stuck he foot squar' in 1T!
'Oh-ow-ow! Hi4hi-hi! Hi-yi! vi.
yi-yi bark de fox Come back hyer
you rabbit trash, an hep me out O. dis
trouble!' he boiler.
dat amt no trouble say Sonny
Bunny Rabbit, jumping high in de
grass. Dat my granny, what l done
told you bout. Amt l say she so fat
she can't run? She dest love company
so powerful we'll, dat 1 'spect she hold
in on to you to hear you talk
"An' de fox talk" America giggled,
as she looked about on her small au-
dience.-Grace, MCGOWAN Cook in st.
Nicholas.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
JUNIOR LETTERS.
Fairfield, Iowa,

Fairfield, Iowa,
Dear Editor and Juniors:
It is nearly Fourth Of July, and sup
pose most of the Juniors will cele-
brate.
l think we are having just lovely
weather now
We had a picnic the last day of our
school. We had program at ten
O'Clock and then started for the woods.
We reached there about twelve o'clock
and got dinner. We played games and
swung till half past three We reached
the school house at half past four and
then went home. Our teachers name
was Kate Calhoun. We got her souv-
enir spoon with her initials on 1t.
Well, as my letter is getting long, I
will close. Hoping to win prize, I re-
main your friend,
Halo Putnam, Age 10,
R. F. D. No. Z.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
FRUIT.

There are many kinds Of fruit that
grow in our country. We have two
large orchards. We have apples,
pears. peaches, plums, cherries, null
cherries and raspberries now. We will
have apples and peaches to sell. The
apricots and some of our peaches will
be ripe next month think all kinds
of fruit Is nice, but like peaches and
pears the best. We have lots of null
berries ripe now. The birds like them
SO well.
Your little friend,
May Shaeffer, age ~.
Douds Ieando
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03

were very much disappointed for they
thought they were large enough to
take care of themselves.
The day before the Fourth the boys
had purchased their fire works and
fire chackers, and had made up their
minds TO go whether their parents
wished them to or not, and going to
Uncle Sam (who was a favorite with
all the boys) they coaxed him to take
them.
Ned had large tent in his yard,
and he had all the other boys come
and stay all night with him, in order
that they could all be together in the
morning. One of the boys went to
the store and bought a large box, in
this they put their fire crackers. At
4 o'clock the next morning the boys
had stolen quietly away and no one
heard them.
They were riding along in the cool
morning breeze, the sun just peeping
from behind the hills, the birds were
twittering to their mates, and little
brook was gurgling by the road side,
all was peace.
Somehow the boys didn't seem to
have a very enjoyable time, they were
SO quiet that Uucle Sam, turned
around and said, whats the matter
boys, you're all sick, what makes you
so quiet?"
ooh, nothing" came the reply.
But after that the boys began to
talk, and have good time and when
they were ready to drive into the fair
grounds they were all having a real
nice time.
When they were about a quarter of
mile from the fair grounds, Uncle
Sam lit his pipe and threw the match
back Of him, supposing it fell In the
road. But alas, 1t fell in the box of
fire crackers, and just as they went
to turn In the fair ground gate, the
boys heard pop, boom, flss, bang.
They all climbed out as rapidly as
they could, and Uncle Sam remained
in the seat, for his horses were leap
ing and plunging with fright.
Pretty soon man caught hold of
the horses and gave Uncle Sam time
to climb out. All the boys were
frightened almost to death, and after
they aid quieted the horses, they all
decided to go back to their homes.
After they returned home and each
one had told his story, their parents
thought they had had punishment
enough for one day, and after that
the boys always obeyed their parents,
celebration to attend
Josephine M. Shelter,
Age IA years, Eldon Ia
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
APPLES.

Apple trees make nice shade. The
blossoms smell sweet before they have
apples on The blossoms fall off of
them, then the tree bears apples. First
they get green, then in three or four
months they are good to eat
There are different kinds Of apples.
Apples are nice to have. You can
make apples pies, apple sauce, baked
apples, and have apples raw The kind
of apples like the best are sweet APP
pies.
Nellie Johnston, age 10.
Fairfield. r. r. N. s.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
APPLES.

You plant the apple tree on Arbor
day. and let 1t grow a year or two,
then 1t will begin to bear. First 1t has
blossoms, and then they turn into lit
tie green balls. Then the green balls
turn to red and in the fall you pick
them, and put them In the cellar.
There are different kinds Of apples.
will name some sweet apples,
Duchess, Ben Davis, Wealthy. Grimes
Golden, June apples, and Wine Sap.
Rachel Roop, age 10.
Ollie, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
APPLES.

Iowa is a good state for apples.
have seen some very large ones. once
upon a time there stood an old apple
tree. For years it did not bear any
apples. The father told his boys to
dig up the apple tree. The boys begged
for the tree to be left while longer
which 1t was but did not bear any APP
pies, so at last they went to work
digging 1t up, and what do you think
they found at the root Of that tree
Forty bushels of apples
Ansel Hem, age 9.
Eldon, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03

Apples begin to get ripe the last OF
July. 1 am always glad when they
come again. They are used in so many
different ways, and are good most
every way. They can be ground into
cider and vinegar can be made of them
and apple butter, spiced apples, etc
And are so nice to eat just as they are.
My favorite kinds to eat are Grimes
Golden, Rusty Coats, and Whitney
Crabs.
Yours truly,
Gretchen Denning, age IL.
DOuds T,eando
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
DOllds. T.
THE PARTY THAT HAD PLENTY OF
FIRE CRACKERS.

1t was one hot Fourth Of July that
Ned Jones. Henry Smith, Roy Handle,
Dick Harris and Jeo Carrot, had asked
their parents if they could go to the
celebration which was to be held in a
neighboring village.
None of the boys were over twelve
years of age, and their parents would
not give their consent All of the boys
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03


MAX Won SCHRADER.
MADGE BARRETT.
JENNIE RUPE.
NAOMI e. ROBERTS.
EDNA ALTMAN.
BLANCHE ZENTZ.
LULU BLOMGREN.
NORA MAE DALEY.
HARRY FREED.
ESTHER FREED.
LESLIE BENSON.
MARGARET GUTHRIE.
ETHEL DORR.
RUTH WILLIAMS.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
Ottunwa.
Dear Editor.

Dear Editor:
will try again this week I wrote
last week, but did not see my letter
in the Courier. My school was out
last week, our mammas all came OUT
with we'll filled baskets, and we had q
good dinner and picnic. Last Sunday
was childrens day, and eighteen of US
little children sang Scatter Roses.'j
There were five little children baptized
and the pastor told US to see how
many bees we could find in the Bible
have not received my San Francisco
card yet. am going to try for on1
of the spoons. Goodbye Juniors.
Your friend,
Edith Carr, age 9.
r. F. D. No. 8.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
Seymour, Iowa.

Dear Editor:
was very much pleased to see my
story In the paper, so thought would
write letter this week.
Our school was out June 16.
am going to school in another dis
trict. This school will be out Friday
We are going to. have picnic with
two other schools. put some work in
the specimen book When school is out
I am going to take music lessons and
cook and help mamma do the work.
Your little friend
Veda Phillips, aged TO-
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
ottumwa, Iowa.
Dear Editor:

OttumWa, Iowa.
Dear Editor:
1 am a little girl, 10 years old.
have pet chicken. l have two sis
ters and brother. Well must close
as my letter Is getting long.
I thank you for the card.
Yours truly,
Marguerite Morley
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-03
Lovilia. Iowa.

Dear Editor:
AS have never written before,
thought I would write a few lines.
am a little girl, seven years old. go.
to Sunday school every Sunday. MY
teachers name Is Mrs. Keeton. We
had children's day exercises Sunday
evening, and had nice time. have
Fern Roll.
R. F. D., No 1.