davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21

given during the Grant regime. which
many of the residents of Washington
today still wildly recall. A gigantic
fir tree, reaching nearly to the ceiling,
was set up in the East room, beaut1-
fully decorated, and on the tables be-
meath it were laid numerous gifts,
most of them costly, which were dis
tributed among the guests. The whole
of the diplomatic corps was invited
and refreshments, including cham
payne and terrapin, were provided.
No children were born to Mr.. Cleve-
land during his first term, but at the
date of his return to the White House
his daughter Ruth (since dead was
two years old. Esther, the second
child, came into the world not long
afterward. Every Christmas Mrs.
Cleveland had fine tree set up in the
play room, trimming it with her own
hands, and experimenting the adjust
ment on it's branches of hundreds of
tiny incandescent lights of different
colors, which took the place of can
dies. Invitations were issued in the
names of Ruth and Baby Esther to
the little people of the cabinet circle,
vino came on the afternoon of Christ
mas day to take part in the merry
making and to share the gifts Incl
dentally distributed.
Mrs. Mckinley used always to make
many Christmas presents with her
own hands, devoting much of her time
to the production of crochetted and
knitted things, embroidered pieces,
baby sacks and socks, and knitted
purses of silk and steel beads. She
was an invalid, and in this way leisure
was employed which otherwise might
have been wearisome. AS a result, on
the morning of the 25th of December
each member Of the clerical force of
the White House received from her a
muff1er and a pair of warm gloves.
Though she had no children, she was
fond of young people, and at Christ
mastide she always had three or four
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21
The RooseveIt's Christmas Morning

don't suppose so. But there isn't
any reason why we shouldn't have a
theater in the White House, if you
are wiling"
Mr. Lincoln was not at first disposed
to take the suggestion favOrably, but
Tad, who was his favorite child, and
at that time II years Of age, was per-
sistent, and at length the indulSent
parent yielded. This was just before;
the Christmas of 1S63-tcc late to
have the theater ready for the holi-
days, many preparations being re-
CURED; but it is a matter of history,
though known to few that not long
after the following New Years day
the boys ambition was realized, a
room on the second floor of the execu-
tive mansion being set aside for the
purpose, and stage erected, with gas
footlights and some simple scenery.
It so CHANGED that Mr.. Grover, the
manager of Growers theater, which
stood on the site of the present New
National theater in Washington, only
a couple of blocks from the White
House, was a great friend of Tad.
Mr.. Lincoln often went there, some
times accompanied by Mr.. Seward, his
secretary of state, and it was com
mon thing for the advertisements OF
the playhouse to announce that GER
tain performance would be given at
the request Of the president.
Grover helped Tad to rig up the
tneater at the White House, sort
OF fence being constructed to shut off
the space to- be occupied by the audi
ence, for whose accommodation plenty
of chairs and sofas were easily OBJ
tainable. For quite awhile plays were
given twice week, the patrons Of the
extemporized playhouse being mostly
boys and girls of the official Washing
ton circle. Frequently, however,
grown people were present at the
performances, and now and then Mr..
Lincoln and his wife. The actors
we're furnished to large extent by a
Pennsylvania regiment of "Bucktails,"
then stationed at the capital.
Christmas with the Grants. s
In the way of Christmas parties at
the White House, none in all the his
tory of that interesting mansion has
been SO remarkable as one that was
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21
The coming Of Christmas is never

The coming Of Christmas is never
forgotten at the White House. While
every presidents family has cele.
brated the festival according to their
own wishes, and without attempting
to follow precedent, none have ever
permitted the occasion to pass unno-
ticed.
President Jackson, whose wife was
dead and who had no family, and
whose friends were his political asso-
ciates, made Of Christmas a gala day
for the few servants of the White
House, numbered among whom were
two or three personal attendants from
his Tennessee plantation.
But few presidents have had young
children to make Merry Christmas in
the White House. During the civil
war Tad Lincoln was the White House
baby, and around him centered the
interest at Christmas time. The fol-
lowing true story is told of Tad at
that time:
Father" said little Tad, there is
something I'd like for Christmas, If
you'll give it to me-"
AS the son asked the question his
father looked at the boy over the rims
of his spectacles in grave way he
had, and replied:
What is that, my SON."
IT want a theater," said Tad.
rs that all?" responded Mr.. Lin
coin, laying down the papers "a
lengthy report from one of the gen.
erals in the feld) which he had been
perusing. well, me- boy, 1 don't
know that have any objection.
There are plenty of them, 1 suppose,
in the toy shops"
20, but I don't want a toy theater,"
protested the youngster; II want a
real one"
The president gazed at him in some
surprise. rs Growers theater for
sale?" he asked. "Or Ford's, per-
haps?"
"Of course not. father. At any rate.
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21

MRS. McNlnIey Nnlttln9 stockings.
are received by the average American
family of children, still there is no
extraordinary display of lavishness
and expensiveness in their gifts. The
president does not go to the extreme
in the buying and giving of Christmas
presents that one would perhaps
imagine.
In the afternoon of Christmas day,
after the children have had their gifts
and their romp, they go to two or
three parties. One of these is at the
house of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge,
Of Massachusetts, the presidents life
long chum, while another is at the
residence of Mr.. Roosevelt's elder sis
ster Mrs. Cowles. Here, of course,
jollity and much good fun character
ICES the parties, and every child pres
ent invariably enjoys the afternoon
Immensely.
Gifts from the American People.
Of course, every Christmas thou
reach the White House, and no doubt
such will be the case this year. Al.
though these presents are not want
ed, and the people would do much bet
ter not to send them, still it is way
many of the American people have
of showing their affection for the ma
tons chief executive.
Whenever these presents are of con-
siderable value Gas is sometimes the
case), they are returned to the don
ors; otherwise they are accepted po-
/; litely with note of acknowledgment
from the presidents secretary. Not
one in hundred of them is seen by
the president, and in former admin
istrations they were commonly con-
signed to the attic, where at the time
of the recent reconstruction of the
mansion an immense quantity of old
junk thus accumulated was found.
Cigars Mr., Roosevelt does not
smoke, and liquors are as rule re-
jected. Articles of domestic useful
! ness are handed over to the steward.
Whether such presents are accepted
or refused, they cause embarrassment,
and the tenant Of the White House
! would be sincerely gratifed if appre.
ciative citizens chose some less sub
stantial method Of remembering him
| at Christmas time.
Christmas is now, and has been as
rule, distinctly family affair in
which public or official life has no
part. It is on New Years day that
the president keeps open house for all.
AS in most instances the countries
of the new world have adopted their
Christmas customs from the mother
| country from which their first emf"
grants settled, Spanish traditions pre-
vail extensively in Latin-America. At
tine legations of Chill and Argentina
the German tree, with it's. Kris Krin-
gle accompaniment. Will be charm
ingly combined with the religious OBJ:
servance. of the season as brought
from southern Europe by the Span
iards, who originally settled those
countries.
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21
A Conscientious Decision.

Age, you going to hang up your
stocking on Christmas eve?" asked
the modern child's uncle. - E..
Certainly not" answered the. youth,
as he polished his spectacles. Il feel
that it is time to call attention to the
fact that enlightenment has progressed
so far and these practical problems are
SC pressing that we are no longer
morally at liberty to encourage our
parents in those frivolous and old
fashioned fancies. "-Washington Star
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21

young nieces or cousins staying with
her as guests.
The custom Of giving turkeys to
each married. man Of the of1lcial staff
was inaugurated by President McKin1
ley, and the custom has been followed
by Mr.. Roosevelt. This year close to-
100 fine, fat birds will be required to-
go around. Each one will bear a card
on which will be inscribed the words:
"A Merry Christmas from the Presi-
dent
For several years the White House
did not know the ring of children's
voices, but President Roosevelt
brought an interesting family of little
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21

The four younger children hang up
their stockings as a matter of course.
On the morning of Christmas day,
after breakfast, Mr.. Roosevelt leads
the way to the library, which he calls
the "study," where the gifts are laid
out on the tables. He and Mrs. Roose-
welt distribute them, and after the
distribution a general romp usually
follows.
OF course, while the Roosevelt chill
dren are the recipients of more cost
ly gifts, and in greater number, than
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21
Rac Cause for Joy.

"Humph!' said Mr.. Henry Peck
this paper has lot of alleged jokes
about women giving their husbands
cigars for Christmas presents.
think that any woman who is fool
enough to give her husband a box OF
vile things, ought to-. Why, where
has Henry gomez"
But Henry was out in the hall shak-
ing hands with himself Baltimore
American.
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21

folks to the mansion, and for the pas,
five years Christmas at the White
House has been Christmas for the
children, and it is celebrated in very
much the same way as is in vogue in
other well-to-do American homes.
Although, as a rule, the Roosevelts
do not have Christmas tree, they
inherit from their Dutch ancestors a
veneration for the spirit and senti-
ment Of Christmas, and the day is
given up by them entirely to festivi-
ties.
Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-12-21
Sir Walter Scott Leads,

OF all tho modern writer's Sir Wal.
Ter Scott has the largest place In
that gigantic work, the British Mu.
seum catalogue. Scott has u larger
number of entries under his name
than any other author ave Shakes.
peare, who has two volumes devoted
exclusively to him.
The San Francisco call., 1906-09-23

the Shahs desire, and urged her to fly
with me beyond his power DESTROYS of
entering the. royal serial. however, she
refused. and so / carried her of by
force. ! drugged her one night. placed
her on a camel and set out for the near
est seaport disguised as merchant"
Was your flight successful?'
Alas, no." replied Alec. in melan-
choly tones "Achmet was on the watch
and had me followed. NY wife was
taken from me by force. but only too
willing on her own part For daring
to disobey the royal command ] suf-
fered the bastinado on the soles of my
feet until l tainted away
Poor Alee.'
Mad with anger. I let the wrath Of
the heart overpower the Judgment of
the mind, and rashiy joined In q con-
spiracy to overthrow the King of
Kings. Again my evil genius Achme t
thwarted and discovered me. / was
forced to fly from Persia to save my
life; and all my wealth was forfeited
to the royal treasury. a goodly portion
OF 1t. however. was given TO Achmet
for his having found out the conspi-
racy. After many adventures, which |
need not relate here, / came to this
land, where | have lived in poverty
and misery for two years. Ny wife
is queen in the serial of the shah;
my enemy is the ruler of province,
and ]. lady. am the exile you see. All
that ! carried out Of the Shah's king
dom was the rig which lie gave me In
exchange for Ky beautiful Ayesha."
He paused. and Hagar waited for him
to continue the story. Finding that he
still kept silent. she addressed him
impatiently: Is that alp
Yes--except that since ] have been
here it has been told to me that both
Achmct and Ayeslla wish TO get me
back to Persia. that they may Kill me.
The Georgian never forgave me for Gar
1ryipg her away, and only my death will
glut her vengeance. AS for Achmet he
Is never free from dread while live.
and wishes me to die also. Ii they
can manage it. these two will have me
carried back TO Persia, and there have
me slain.
They can't take YOU out of London
against your WILL.
Alec shook his head Who knows?"
said he There is the case of the
Chlnaman who was lured into the em-7
bassy to be sent back to China. II this
fered he would have been dead man
py THIS time. always keep away from
the Persian embassy
ou are wise to do So, replied Ha-
gar who remembered the case. But
about the ring. Why did you pawn IT.
and why did Mohommed steal II by
means Of the pawn ticket?
There was a friend of mine in Per-
STA, explained Alec, who saved for me
out OF my property seized by the Shah
box OF Jewels. Knowing that was
starving in this land he sent the Jewels
to me IN charge of servant. | re-
ceived letter from him. in which he
stated that the servant had been in
structed to give up the jewels to me
when ] produced the ring. I foolishly
told Mohommed about this, and one
night he tried to thieve the ring from
me. thinking that he would show it to
my friends servant and get my Jewels.
In fear lest he should obtain it. pawn
ca IT with you for safety until the SER
want should arrive
is the servant here now?"
he arrived last week, replied Alec,
mournfully, and he is now waiting for
me at Southampton. But, alas speak
fooitshly. When I fell Ill after pawn
The San Francisco call., 1906-09-23

There was man called Achmet, whs
hated me very much" continued Alec
his eyes lighting up fiercely at tn,
was rich and favored by the King o.
Kings. SO he set his wits to work t.
ruin me. Having heard OF my beautifu
wife Ayesha, he told the Shah of hel
loveliness, which was that of a hour
in paradise. Fired by her description
my sovereign visited my home and
received him with due splendor. He saw
all my treasures-among others. m,
wife
I thought you Turks never present,
ed your wives to strangers?
we are Persians, not Turks cor
rceted Alec, quietly. and the Shah 4,
no stranger in the houses OF his sub
jects Also, he has the right to pass
the forbidden door to the abode OF re-
licity."
What is the abode of felicity?"
The harem, my lady. But to tell
you the story of my ruin.
The Shah saw my beautiful Ayesha
and her burning glances were as ar
rows. of delight in his heart. He re-
turned to his palace with desire Il
possess my treasure. Achmet. who has
right of access to the person Of the
Shah, strengthened this desire and de-
clared that l was unhappy with
Ayesha.'
And were your"
Alec sighed After the coming OF
the King of Kings was. he confessed
My wife wished TO enter the royal
haTem and herself in the glors
OF t''e royal ssta. She was silent ane
nelane'i,,s, 81 cross and aercc. did
what could to console her. but shs
refased TO listen to me, treated me a.
dirt beneath her fc1t and sometimes
she even s,note me on the mouth with
her pearl cmbroidefod slipper. Tales
Of our constant auarrels were carried
TO the Shah by the perndious Achmet
who declared that 1 il-treated my
beautiful Georgian. At last Achmet
told the King that had wished were
rid of the woman II only for the mean
est jewel worn by his august self"
Did you say thatg'
In III of rage one day | said some
thing like IL" said Alec, dnrkiy; but !
never intended my foolish speech to be
taken seriously However. these idle
words were reported to the Shah, and
he sent for ME. Alec said he it has
been said thou deemest the meanest
thing worn by US OF more value than
your wife Ayesha. II that be so, take
this ring. which we give thee freely
and surrender thy lightly valued wife
to dwell In the shadow Of our throne.
Thou hast my leave to CO. Lady, /
bowed myself to the ground, took the
ring you know of, and / went
Did you not say that you wished to
keep Ayesha?" ?"
No; the word of the Shah is law.
Had / expressed such wish / should
have lost my head: as it was. 1 lost my
wife. Returning home. l made known
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29

The test Of superiority has taught the careful
mother that buying ARlOSA Coffee not only
means money saved but that she is actually
supplying the best coffee for the coffee drinkers
of her family.
By the original Mother" process patented
by this firm. the pores Of the coffee are hermeti-
calIy sealed after roasting with coating OF fresh
eggs and granulaied sugar which holds the
goodness in, and preserves TOR You intact
wherever you may be, the delightful aroma and
flavor due to our skilled blending and roasting
which arc not to be compared with crude and
primitive methods on smaller scale.
Buy package, take ii home and grind it as
you want to use it. That is the way to get the
best results. Coffee deteriorates after being
ground or exposed to the air. two reasons why
you should refuse to take loose scoop coffee
and there arc others Of importance. Warming
ARlOSA slightly makes the grinding easy.
II your grocer tells you he has no Arbucklos
ARIOSA, send to us direct. For $l.60 We
will send 10 lbs. in wood box. ranspotatou
paid to your freight station. Prico Of cofse
Huc,uates and cannot DO guaranteed for any
period. Tho coffee will be sent In tho orgina
/ mappeu bearing the signature Of Arbuckls Bros.
which entities you to presents. Now Book viii
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
SCHOOL OF TRAINEDWHALES


there amt no end to the possibilities.
Remarks about whaling big proposition
and all that we don't want"
The skipper paused, refilled his pipe and
smoked for a time in silence. Then a
great light came into his eyes.
Young fellow" said he, Il have been
lying to you all this time. I own that
school of whales. The business is on II
paying basis. and l came here on the
Gussie to charter a 1850 ton steam
yacht. l won't let anybody have any
stock in the company. At present I am
only showing the whales off hotels but
we have agreed to kill so many of the old
whales each year and cut them up for the
blubber and bone, to say nothing of the
ambergris and such like It's one of
the younger whales that saw into that
end of the business. We are going to
have rehneries and a system of subma-
rine pipe lines to carry the oil into all
the big cities. 1t will be so cheap that
persons will use it instead of gas and
electricity.
a"But don't you let any one tell you
that whales amt fsh-they Is suckers and
suckers of the biggest kind, else | never
could have got EN- in the combine.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
THE RUINS OF ANCHOR.
Cambodian Monuments UnsoIved Sc
crets of History.

From the Correspondent of the London
Globe.
Since King Sisowaths visit to Eu-
rope we have had from time to time
various revelations concerning the sin
gular country and people which he
rules-but as to the origin and exact
meaning of the word Khmer. the an
cient name of the Cambodians, Cam
bodia being name of Siamese origin,
1t seems that no one can tell. When
the Cambodians speak of their ances-
tors they style them Khmer-dom, and
their ancestors country as Nokor
Khmer; but nothing is known Of its
history. its civilization or its aspira-
tions. There is no country in the world
whose past is more mysterious and no
people whose traditions are more nebu-
lous.
But of that old mysterious civiliza-
ton there remain in Indo-China monu-
mental buildings SO grand. Of so mar
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
INDIANS AS FISHERMEN.
They Gig Bass With Marvellous Pre-
cision and Seldom Miss.


Tahlequah q. To Cor. st. Louis Republic.
The mountain streams of Indian Terri
tory, which abound in game fish, princi-
pally blaci1 bass has been as clear as
crystal for the>las ten days and the In
dams have been having great sport gig
ging them.
In a mountain stream In the territory
when the water is clear the bottom can
be seen through six feet of water, and
this makes gigging a great sport for the
Indians. They are experts with the
canoe and the gig and spurn the finest
fishing tackle In the way of rod and reel.
as it is too slow sport for them.
1t is interesting to watch a couple of
Indians gig fish. With the long, slender
reed tipped and barbed with steel, one
Indian leans over the Prov of the canoe
while the other with his paddle gently
and noselessly let's the canoe slide up to
the big rocks and around the logs in deep
water. where the bass and catfish lie. The
Irdian carries his gig uplifted and ready
to strike at any time.
With his face not six inches above the
water, his keen eyes scan the bottom
and he will locate a bass or catfish lying
partly under a rock or log that would
never ne seen by uie average HSHei man.
The stroke of the dexterous arm Is like
lightning, and in a flash the fish is speared
through and lifted into the boat
There is no struggling to land him, no
excitement of winding In the line. for
the Indian hunts for game and not for
sport.
An Indian seldom misses his fish when
he throws the gig, And his motion is so
perfect and his balance is so even that
there is scarcely tremor in the boat,
while the amateur is likely not only to
miss his fish two feet but stand on his
head In the water besides.