davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
NUMBER 80.

him. Philip was now quite collected
In his wits. He held out the pebble,
with more detailed statement.
81 found this" lie said. II thought
that 1t might be valuable, and friend
advised me to bring 1t here. Will you
kindly tell me what It isY
The man behind the counter stared
at him for moment, but he reached
over for the stone. Without word he
placed it beneath the microscope and
gave it very brief examination. Then
he pressed It against his cheek.
"Where did you get itT' he asked.
IL foundit where 1t had fallen on the
pavement"
"Are you sureT
"Quite sure"
Strange" was the muttered COM
ment, and Philip began to understand
that his meteor possessed attributes
hitherto unsuspected.
"But what is iti" he inquired after
pause.
"A meteOric diamond"
"a meteoric diamondT
Eyes"
'Is II worth much"
"a great deal. Probably some hun.
dreds Of pounds"
Philip felt his face growing pale.
That dirty white, small stone worth
hundreds Of pounds! Yet in his pocket
he had twenty-nine other specimens,
many of them much larger than the
one chocen haphaZard for inspection.
and IN the back yard Of his tenement
lay heaps OF them. scattered about the
pavement like hailstones after show
er, while the meteor itself was CON-
pact mass OF them. He became some
what faint and leaned against the glass
case that surmounted the counter.
as that really true;" was all that lie
could say.
The expert vallsfr Of diamonds smil-
ed. His first impulse was 10 send for
the police. but he knew that meteoric
diamonds did fall to earth occasionally,
and he believed the boys story. More
over, the thing was such a rarity and
Of such value that the holder must be
fully able to account for its possession
before he could dispose Of 1t. So his
tone was not un;indly as he replied:
ut is quite true. but il you want 10
ascertain It's exact value you should
20 to a Hatton Garden merchant, and
he, most probably. would make you Il
fair offer. 1t has to be cut and polish
ed, you know, before 1t becomes sal.
able, and must warn you that most
rigid inquiry will be made as to how
1t came into your hands,
1T fell from heavcnw was the Who'll
ly unexpected answer, for Philip was
shaken and hardly master OF his fac
ulties.
"Yes. y.s. know. Personally, | be.
lieve you or you would be in custody
ut this moment. Take II to MessrS.
Isaacstein x CO., Hatton Garden. Say
| sent you-NIr Wilson Is my name.
and make your best terms with Mr..
Isaacstein. lie will treat you quite
fairly. But. again, be sure and tell the
truth, rs lie will investigate your story
fully before he Is satisfied as TO IT,
accuracy"
Philip. walking through dreamland,
quilted the shop. He mingled with the
jostine crowd and driftcd into Far
rington road.
~ diamond-worth hundreds OF
pounds he repeated mechanically.
Then what is the whole meteor worth,
and what am WORTH
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
Keep Out the Weeds.

The food that weeds are allowed to
take from plants is simply enormous.
Weeds in some instances are about as
numerous as the grain plants, and when
they are they certainly take more food
than the plants. A useful plant is no
match for an ordinary weed in gathering
food from the soil. This is evidenced
by the fact that weeds can fight their
own battle and continue to exist even
with the farmer warning against them.
On the other hand useful plants have to
be nursed by tillage and in various ways
protected from weeds. The time will
never come when weeds will be all SUBJ
dued. Like the poor, they will always
be present, but there is no reason why
they should be so much in evidence on
the average farm. There is not one
farmer in 100 whose farm is as free from
weeds as it might be, or as it ought to
be. 1t is not impossible to make farm
reasonably clean, and it is by no means
impossible to keep it thus. Those who
give to weeds the plant food that should
be given to grain stand in their own
light.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

night. He used the sacking to block
up the window, replenished the fire,
set his coat to dry and dragged his
mattress from the bedroom to the front
of the fire. The warmth within and
without the house had made him intol.
erably drowsy, and he fell asleep while
murmuring his prayers. "a practice
abandoned since the hour Of his moth
er's death.
In reality Philip was undergoing q
novel sort of Turkish bath. and the
perspiration induced thereby probably
saved him from dangerous cold. He
slept long and soundly. There was no
need to attend to the fire. Long ere
the coal IN the crate was exhausted
the presence Of the meteor had pene-
trated the surrounding earth. and the
house was far above It's normal tenn
perature when he awOke.
The sun had risen In a cloudless sky.
A lovely spring morning had succeed
ed night Of gloom and disaster, and
TIC uist SOuilI EiVttCu Noh'
dering ears was the twittering of the
busy sparrows on the housetOps. or
course he owned neither clock nor
watch. These articles, with many 9th
ers, were represented by a bundle Of
pawn tickets stuffed into one Of the
envelopes Of his mothers packet Of
letters. But the experience Of even
few weeks had taught him roughly
how to estimate time by the sun. and
he guessed L.. hour to be o'clock or
thereabouts.
His first thought was Of the meteor.
His toilet was that Of primeval man,
being mere matter Of rising and
stretching his stiff limbs. While lac
Ing his boots he noticed that the floor
was Uttered with tiny white specks,
the largest Of which was not bigger
than q grain Of bird seed. These were
the particles which shot through the
broken window during the previous
night. He picked up few and ex-
amined them. They were hard, cold
to the touch and dull white color.
On entering the yard he saw hun.
dreds of these queer little rough peb-
bles, many Of them as large as peas,
some the size of marbles and few
bigger ones. They had evidently
flown on all sides, but, encountering
lofty walls, save where they forced q
way through the thin glass Of the
window, had fallen back to the ground.
Interspersed with them he found
pieces of broken stone and jagged
Jumps Of material that looked and felt
like iron.
BY this time the meteor itself had
cooled sufficiently to reveal the nature
Of its outer crust. 1t appeared to be
an amalgam Of the dark ironlike min
eral ard the white pebbles. Through
one deep fssure he could still see the
fiery heart Of the thing, and he i'm
agined that when the internal heat
had quite exhausted itself the great
ball would easily break into pieces,
for 1t was rent in all directions.
His first exclamation was one Of
thankfulness.
II am jolly glad that thing didn't fall
on my head" he said aloud, forgetting
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
On to Stay.

"The smile that won't come off" is
the smile the farmers in this section
South Vassalboro) are wearing at the
present time. Crops are looking fine,
and all the world looks good to them.
If some of the fault-finders about the
hay crop could walk through the fields
here they would cease their cry OF mo
hay this year" The grass is looking
fine and is growing at the bottom and
thickening up 80 nicely that bountiful
hay crop is assured. Growing and
grumbling can't stop it. 1t is coming
right along at 2:l0 clip. Early stuff is
just humping and peas and potatoes
will be ready for market soon.-Cor. in
Maine Farmer.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

that had It's advent been delayed
second or two the precise locality Sc
lected for its impact would not have
mattered much to him.
81 wonder what II is." he went on.
rs it worth anything? Perhaps If l
dig 1t out may he able to sell 1t as a
curiosity"
A moments reflection told him, how
ever. that he would not be able to dis
inter 1t that day, even II he possessed
the requisite implements. On its lower
side 1t was probably still red hot.
Through the soles of his boots, broken
as they were, he could easily feel the
heat of the ground, so the experiment
must be deferred for twenty-four
hours, perhaps longer. At any rate,
he was sure that his mysterious VS.
itor represented realizable asset, and
the knowledge gave him sudden dis
taste for coffee grounds and stale
crusts. He resolved to spend his re-
naming three halfpence on a break
fast and at the same time make some
guarded inquiries as to the nature
and possible cash value Of the meteor
itself. Evidently its fall had attracted
no public attention. The fury OF tile
elements and the subsequent heavy
rain were effectual safeguards In this
respect, and Johnson's News, marked
out for demolition fortnight later,
were practically deserted now day and
night.
Philip did not then know that Lon
don had already much to talk about In
the recorded Incidents of the two
storms. The morning newspapers were
hysterical with headlines announcing
fires. collapse Of buildings, street accl'
dents and lamentable loss Of life in all
parts of the metropolis. AS the day
wore and full details came to hand the
list of mishaps would be doubled,
while scientific observers would begin
q nine days wrangle In the effort to
determine the precise reason why the
electrical disturbance should have been
WHOLLY COHuucu W tuC hCNhoPoiAeoh
area. Philip Anson, a ragged boy Of
fifteen, residing in Il desolate nook OF
the most disheveled district in the East
End, possessed the very genesis Of the
mystery, yet the web Of fate was des-
tined to weave spell that would deft-
ly close his lips.
Meanwhile he wanted his breakfast.
He gathered thirty fair sized, white
pebbles and few jagged Jumps Of the
ironlike material. These he wrapped III
a piece of newspaper, screwed up the
small package tightly and placed it In
lis trousers pocket. Thinking deeply
about the awesome Incidents Of the
previous night. he donned his coat and
did not notice the packet Of letters
lying In the chair. Never before had
these documents left his possession.
The door was locked and the key in his
pocket before he missed them. 1t was
In his mind to turn back. In another
second he would have obeyed the i'm.
pulse had not a mighty gust Of wind
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
Putting Corn In the Silo.

The methods of ensilaging corn vary.
win you kindly describe what is general.
y considered the best?
TRUxrUN CRAVEN.
Answer by Prof. Clinton d. Smith,
The methods of putting corn in the
silo do not vary widely as far as the con-
dition of the corn in the silo is concern
ed. Some farmers use one kind of en-
silage cutter, others use another, but in
the main the best practice is as follows
The corn is harvested with binder
built for the purpose, which binds it In
bundles of sizes suitable for easy handl-
ing 1t is pitched on the wagon, the
butts all in one direction, and the side of
the wagon on which the butts lie goes
next to the ensilage cutter. The bun
dies are thrown out on the platform of
the cutter and are usually forced into
its throat by man who stands there for
the purpose. The cut ensilage is thrown
or elevated into the silo direct. The
man in the silo keeps the ensilage fairly
level and tramps it in such way as to
prevent unequal settling.
Resort is had to various devices which
are hung in the top of the silo to dis
tribute the ensilage over the surface of
the silo. This avoids a great deal of
work in pitching the ensilage and in
tramping it as well. The aim should be
to keep the surface about level and the
grain and stalks evenly mixed. At sun
dry times corn has been placed in the
silo whole with fairly good results. 1t
is not very easy to take it out of the
silo, and this seems to be the worst OBJ
lection. All things considered, it seems
to be best to cut up the corn as fast as
it is hauled from the field. The time
when ensilage corn should be cut has
been fairly we'll settled. 1t is good prac-
tice to let it stand until it is nearly ripe.
until at least the grain is fully glazed
and approaching ripeness. 1t should
then be hauled with convenient speed,
taking perhaps three or four days to fill
silo, where it is large. The wagons
should be arranged for this work In or
der that the corn, which Is heavy, may
not be lifted more than is necessary
Country Gentleman.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

eyes was exhibited q startling panO-
rama Of the familiar objects Of his
lonely abode. The brightness, so sus-
tanned and tremulous, startled him
back from the very brink Of death.
81 will wait" he said. when the
thunder comes, then I will jump"
Even as the thought formed in his
mind ball Of fire so glowing, so
iridescent, in Its flaming heat that 1t
dominated tie electric waves futtering
in the overburdened air darted past
the little window that looked out over
the tiny yard in the rear Of the house
and crashed through the fagstones
with the din Of ten inch shell.
Philip, elevated on the stairway, dis.
tinctly saw the molten splash which
accompanied its impact. He saw the
heavy stones riven asunder as If they
were tissue paper, and from the hole
caused by the thunderbolt or meteor
came a radiance that sent spreading
shaft Of light upward like the beam Of
q searchiight. The warmth, too, Of the
object was almost overpowering Were
not the surrounding walls constructed
of stone and brick there must have
been an immediate outbreak Of fire.
As 1t was. the glass in the windows
cracked and the woodwork began to
scorch In the same instant dreadful
roll Of thunder swept over the locality,
and deluge Of rain, without any fur
ther warning, descended.
All this seemed to the wondering boy
to be very long time in passing. In
reality it occupied but very few sec
onds. People in the distant street could
not distinguish the crash Of the fallen
meteor from the accompanying hun
der, and the downpour Of rain came in
the very nick Of time toEprevent the
wood In the house and the neighboring
factories from blazing forth into dis
astrous fire.
The torrent Of water caused dense
volume Of steam to generate in the
back yard. and this helped to minimize
the strange light shooting up from the
cavity. There was mad kissing and
as the rain poured over the
meteor and gradually dulled its bright
ness. Pandemonium ragged in that Gu
riously secluded nook.
Amazed and cowed, not by the nat
ural phenomenon he had witnessed,
but by the Interpretation he placed Oh
1t, the boy unfastened the rope from
his neck.
every well, mother" he whispered
aloud. "If it Is your wish, will live.
I suppose that God speaks in this
way"
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
V.lue of Skim MIX.

Nineteen trials with separator skim
milk, fed in conjunction with cornmeal
at the Wisconsin experiment station,
show that where not over three pounds
skim milk are fed, with each pound
cornmeal, 1927 pounds skim milk are
equal in feeding value to 100 pounds
cornmeal. When feeding one pound
cornmeal, with three to five pounds
separator skim milk, 448 pounds skim
milk saved 100 pounds cornmeal. Whom
feeding as much as seven to nine pounds
skim milk, with each pound cornmeal
1t required 552 pounds skim milk to
equal 100 pounds cornmeal.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
Hens Running In the Orchard.

There are good reasons for permitting
poultry to run in the orchard. / find 1t
a good plan to get enough wire to run
around dozen apple trees and confine
chickens and hens in the yard thus pro-
vided. Let the old ones 60 to roost in
the trees and provide coops for the
smaller ones under the trees. If hawks
bother, shoot them. Crows are also apt
to bother, not only in the hen yard, but
in the corn field. / have scattered corn
on the top of the ground and they have
left that and gone to pulling the corn.
/ set steel traps for them and If one gets
caught, I let him yell.-J. L. Hersey in
New England Homestead.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
Outside Light on New England.

According to the department of agri-
culture at Washington, New England
farmers should engage in dairying on a
more extensive scale, because this Sec
ton of the country furnishes exceptional
advantages. As q representative of the
government, G.. NJ. Whitaker, with
whom many New England Homestead
readers are acquainted, visited sections
of New England and has made an in
teresting report to Secretary Wilson.
He says the strong, retentive clay soil of
the New England hillsides is excellent
grass land, and many hills too rough
and rocky for cultivation will grow wild
grasses II the ever encroaching bushes
are kept back. In these pastures of low
priced land many cows and young stock
get their summer living at very little ex-
pense.
The crop of second importance men,
toned by Mr.. Whitaker is the corn
plant, which is grown more for forage
than for grain. 1t grows we'll in almost
every section of New England and re-
spends readily to fertilization and cul-
tivation. The government expert dwells
at length on the remarkably good mar
kets New England farmers have at their
doors. A point is made of the fact that
the purchasing public in New England
is we'll to do and has money to pay for
that which pleases it.
1t is the opinion of Mr.. Whitaker that
the needs of New England dairymen are:
l. improvement of methodist, elimina-
ton of cows that do not pay their board;
3, more attention to the details of clean
illness; and 4, more of spirit of CO.
operation, particularly in the matter of
selling milk. More legumes should be
grown and better care given pastures.
Speaking of the outlook for the future,
the government expert says that as long
as business is prosperous and population
continues to concentrate in the cities
and towns, the market milk business
will crowd back the making of butter
and cheese, especially of the ordinary
grades, and factories will be abandoned
in order to sell milk or cream to the
cities. Therefore, the market milk
business is regarded with favor. The
greatest question is that of price. The
farm labor situation is acute aud the
cost of grain feed is high and increasing.
Mr.. Whitaker says: "The eastern
farms, for inherent beauty, for all that
goes for home making, for possibilities
in the range of crops, and for good mar
kets, are without rival in the world"
New England Homestead,
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

A Morgan mare for which John Null
queen of Rutland, Vt, four weeks ago
paid $3.50, became frightened at an
automobile and ran away, breaking a
leg, which uecessitated her being shot.
On the blackboard to which Mulqueen's
horse was attached was a box of dyna-
mite and crate of eggs. Neither was
thrown to the ground.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

There is always more clear money In
raising good colt and raising 1t right
than In raising half dozen mongrels
and not raising them as they should be
raised.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

More corn can be raised in three ways:
better seed, better soil preparation, bet
ter cultivation. These three factors
worked together will reduce the acreage
and increase the yield.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."

correspondence on practical agricultural topics
10 solicited. Address all communications In.
tended for this department to HENRY d.
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocrat. Paris, Ne.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
ULTIMATE FATE OF FISH.
They Never Die Natural Death, Says
an Obseryant Fisherman.

They never DIE Naturdi Oeatn, Gays
an Observant Fisherman.
Fish never die natural DEATH
said an old fisherman who has OBJ
served MS he fshed. 'If they did.
bodies of dead fish would be floating
on the surface Of the water about all
the while, because such bodies II un-
molested would have to float.
II mean. Of course. fish In nature
never die natural death. not fish In
captivity. And perhaps it should not
lie called natural death that fish In
captivity die. Their environment in
duces mortality that fish In their ma
tive habitat would escape, and these
causes might be properly classed as
among the accidents that carry the
captive fish off.
IF fish I'm their native element were
never nolestcd | believe they would
never die. If they had sufficient food,
which would he impossible II they no
longer preyed on one another. there
would be no reason for their dying.
1t was to prevent such uninterrupted
tenure OF life that all fish were made
fiercely predatory II not remorselessly
cannibalistic, as many kinds are.
"a fsh's life Is constantly siren
uous one and one entirely selfish.
fish lives only to eat and TO avoid be-
Ing eaten."-New York Sun.
A Literary Month.
April has been generous month In
regard to the gift Of writer's Of the
first rank. To begin with, there are
Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Swinburne.
among the poets, and Fielding. Hans
Andersen, Charlotte Bronte, Hobbies,
Gibbon, Kant, Froude and lola are
among the number Of other notable
April born. On the other hand. the
month of showers proved fatal to
Shakespeare, Wordsworth doth on
April 29, Goldsmith, Otway, Rossetti,
Matthew Arnold, Byron, Chaucer, Tas-
SO, Racine. to name only the principal
among the poets who have passed
away In April, while among other
writer's that April has taken away have
been Bacon, La Fontaine, Humboldt,
Darwin. Franklin. De Foe and Emer.
son.-Dundee Advertiser.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

, The methods of ensilaging corn vary.
Win you kindly describe what is general.
ly considered the best?
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
CHAPTER III.

~ HILIP descended the stairs. He
- was almost choking now from
another cause than strangula-
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06
CATARRn
A Positive
CURE
ElI'S Cream Balm

Taste and Smell. Full size 80 cts, at Drug
gsts or by mail; Trial Size 10 cts. by mail
Ely Brothers, Sc Warren Street. New York
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-08-06

VI u ouOpNuihcl.'
"Now, boy, what do you want hereT'
The unconscious stress In the mans
words was certainly borne out by the
contrast between Philip, social pariah
In attire, and the wealth Of gold and
precious stones cut off from him by
panes of thick glass and iron bars.
What, indeed, did this outcast want
there?
Confused by the sudden demand and
no less by It's complete obviousness
Philip flushed and stammered
"I-er-only wished to obtain some
information, SIR" he answered.
Like all others, the shopman was
amazed by the difference between the
boys manners and his appearance.
'lnformation!" he repeated In his
surprise. what information can we
give your
The wealth OF the firm oppressed
this man. He could only speak in ac-
sents of adulation where the shop was
concerned.
Philip produced his white pebble.
"What Is this" he said.
The directness OF the query again
took his hearer aback. Without a
word. he bent and examined the stone.
Professional instinct mastered all 9th
er considerations.
"You must apply to that depart
ment." He majestically waved his
hand toward side counter. Philip
obeyed silently and approached a
small, elderly parsonage, n man with
clever, kindly eyes, who was submit.
ting to micrOscopical examination a
number OF tiny stones spread out on
chamois leather folding case. He
quietly removed the case when his
glance rested on the boy.
"Well" he said b!ankly. wondering
why on earth the skilled shopwalker
had sent such disreputable urchin tn
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-11-17

secured passage on the first trip of the new ocean giant will be whisked through the seas at a speed of thirty miles an hour
 The MauretaDia, like the Lusitania, is equipped with turbine machinery While the old style reciprocating en- zines still have many champions, the success of the Lnsitania would seem to indicate that their days are num- bered. Economy of fuel, greater speed and the absence of vibration are the claims of superiority for the turbine engines. The only important disadvantage of this type of power for ocean liners is it's nonreversbility The use of turbines allows of great division of power, and advantage is taken of this in the Mauretania by equipping it with four propellor shafts. As about 10000 horse power is necessary to drive the boat at 26