davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
SCOTCH SUPERSTITlONS.
furious Methods That Were Adopted
In sickness and Death.

furious Methods That Were Adopted
In sickness and Death.
A method much in vogue in Scotland
ut one time of aScertaining whether
sickness would prove fatal was to dig
two holes in the ground, one called the
quick grave, the other the dead hole.
The sufferer was then placed between
the two, and the hole toward which he
turned indicated what would be the
outcome of his malady. Sometimes
piece of rock was broken over the head
Of a person whose last agonies were
painful alike to himself and to those
who witnessed them. 1t was believed
that the heart of the sick man would
thus be broken and his release hasten
ed Windows and doors are always
thrown wide open in order that the de-
parting spirit may have free egress
from the house and escape from the
evil ones that hover around eager to
inthrall his soul.
During the interval between death
and burial hens and cats were kept
carefully shut up A person meeting
lutSc at SuNl a. JuANbulS "NS
doomed to blindness in the future.
Moreover, unless q stream divided the
two houses, farmers frequently refrain
ed from yGking their oxen or horses be-
fore the body was 'laid under the turf
Of truth" Many women preserved,
with the greatest reverence, their
bridal attire to cover them in the cof
fin. Bread and water were placed in
the chamber of death, for during the
night prior to the burial the spirit of
the departed one came to partake of
them. Stillborn children and little ones
who had not been blessed by the min
lister were buried before sunrise. In
this way their admission to the land of
promise was assured. Not to observe
the practice was to destine the souls Of
these BARNS TO wander homeless and
disconsolate.
The fate of the suicide is lamentable.
His body cannot rest in the kirkyard,
for it would taint the souls Of those
who lie therein. Frequently he was
buried in q lone dixie which separated
two lairds' estates, and passersby were
expected to cast a pebble at the rude
stone which marked the place.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
HIDDEN TREASURE.
New ZeaIanders Dig For kauri Gum
In the Ground.

New Zealanders Dig For kauri Gum
In the Ground.
Many New Zealanders find it profit.
able to dig for hidden treasure. That
for which they dig. however, is not
gold or Captain Kidd's Ill gotten
wealth, though 1t has a dull yellow
color 1t is kauri gum, resinous sub
stance which Is the product Of the
kauri pine tree. The gum can be Sc
cured from the trunks OF trees while
they are alive. for it protrudes In
humps. but it is especially profitable
to dig for it in the soil about the
stumps remaining after the trees have
been cut down. Sometimes chunks
weighing as much as 100 pounds are
taken up from the ground,
Digging for kauri gum Is profitable,
for the gum is used in the manufacture
of varnish, and apparently it is one OF
those products of nature whose place
cannot be filled by anything else which
has yet been discovered. 1t has been
found that it can be USED In. certain
enamel paints, and this has had the
effect of bringing the demand up to
point above the supply.
The kauri pine is a magnificent tree.
It rises as straight as needle to
height of from $50 to 200 feet and
attains at times a diameter of fifteen
feet. 1t is noted for its dark, dense
foliage and is much used for masts
for vessels constructed for the British
navy
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
LETTERS BY MESSENGER.
A Postal Law of Which You May Not
Have Knowledge.

a Postal Law of Which You May Not
Have knowledge.
The statement made in an uptown
club one evening lately that the law
prohibits carrying an unstamped letter
past a postoffice and delivering 1t caus-
ed much argument Inquiry was made
at the postoffice, where an official said
that the question had been asked fire.
quently. You may send letter by
messenger anywhere, past as many
postoffices as you please said the OIL
cial, but you have no right to send
your mail that way regularly or at
stated periods. This Is prohibited by
the postal laws and regulations. Sec
tons 1886 and 1137 were enacted to
prevent the establishment Of private
mail routes, because the postofi1ce de-
partment Is recognized as having the
absolute monopoly of the transporta-
ton Of letters and packets or bundles
of letters by regular trips and at stated
periods on all post routes. As to open
letters and circulars, they may be de-
livered by rival concerns, but the peo-
pie who make the delivery of circulars
a business have no right to deliver un-
stamped closed letters. The law shuts
out the milkmen and the tradesmen,
who travel regularly along established
post roads, who would otherwise be-
come rivals to the United States post
office for the purpose Of accommodate
ing their customers. New York Trlb-
mo
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
BIG CARNATIONS.
They Were Cultivated In England IN
Shakespesre's Time.

ShakesPeare's Time.
\ florist says that we pride ourselves
nov aGayS OH the size of our carna
tiopS but the florists of 800 years ago
gIcN carnations three to four inches
across, as large as any that we see,
ard thOu@ht nothing Of it.
"All through Spain, southern France
ana Italy th" calnatiOn is the favorite
flower ANA has been for hundreds Of
years. but along the Mediterranean
there are few glass houses, for in pro
tectad situations and on southern
slopes of hills even delicate flowers
grow outdoors all winter long and
July.
THE big carnations. however, were
not grown in Spain or Italy, but in
En@lauL outdoors during the summer
tine and before glass houses were
known They may have grown just
as LARGE calmation flowers in Spain as
in Eu-laui ut that time. but in Eng
land there was record made of the
fact nid also of the size, while in Spain
there was not Shakespeare mentions
carnations and gillyfowers. or July
flowers. together as blooming at the
same season. which shows that the
carnation was then Il summer HOVER
whereas in our greenhouses it is now
winter hIo1mer. How the florists of
those days treated the plants to oh
tam blooms OF such size nobody knows
for old time florists grew flowers in
stead of writing books about them. So
all we know is that they had very
large carnations in Queen Elizabeth's 8
time without knowing how they were
grown. st Louis GlobeDemocrat.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
SILK OF THE SPIDER.
The Delicate Machinery That Spins
the Liquid Threads.

The Delicate Machinery That Spins
the Liquid Threads.
The spider is able to secrete at least
three colors of silk stuff-the white,
which forms the web, and the en-
swathement Of captives and the egg
cocoon; the brown mass that fills the
cocoon interior and the hossy yellow
between that and the inside Of the
sac. The glands end in minute ducts
which empty into spinning spools reg
ularly arranged along the sides and
upon the tips of the six spinnerets, or
spinning mammals" or spinning fin
gers" which are placed just beneath
the apex of the abdomen. The spin
nerets are movable and can be flung
wide apart or pushed closely together,
and the spinning spools can be man
aged In the same way.
The silk glands are infolded in mus
cular tissue, pressure upon which, at
the will of the spider, forces the liquid
silk through the duct into the spool,
whence it issues as minute filament,
pIHco IL HdIueHS upOA IOhAaIt Win IHV
air One thread as seen In a web may
be made up of a number of the fila
ments and is formed by putting the
tips Of the spools together as the liquid
Jets are forced out of the ducts. When
the spinnerets are Joined and a mum
Der Of the spools are emptied at once
their contents merge, and the sheets
or ribbons are formed which one sees
In the enswathement of a captive or
the making of Argiope's central shield.
This delicate machinery the owner op-
crates with utmost skill, bringing into
play now one part and now another
and again the whole with unfailing
deftness and mastery complete.-DE
"a c. McCOOk I'm HarDer's
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14

been all the morningf" she exclaimed,
kissing him.
He told her breathlessly, and she
listened to his admiration of the com
modore with rising color.
isn't he perfectly splendid, Aunt
Marjorie? They saw there are ten ele-
pnants ana the lions growl something z
awful. But / won't be afraid with the
commodore. Only wish you were
coming too. Wouldn't you like IL?
I'm sure he'd take you, too If you
asked him"
No, honey, IL don't think So
don't expect to see the commodore
sgain; we've aren't friends any
more
"Oh, Huntie!' exclaimed Willie, in
genuine dismay And he's so good
too"
Willie thought for a minute that his
Aunt Marjorie was going to cry, and
then he was surprised to hear her say
In manneg singularly unlike her
usual gentleness. Maybe some peo-
pie think he is good, but know his
true character, and do not think YOU
ought to 60 around alone with him"
This speech was rendered with all the
dignity that Il woman of the world
"ineteen, could muster.
NJ with him alone to lSts
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
HAPPINESS.
The Difference Between tho Sexes In
This important State.

one source of W0men's happiness is
to be found we think. in their love of
detail. They enjoy every detail Of so
cial life. They love the minutlae of
their work. They do not love it as
man loves his, for the sake of an end.
,hcy look close at what they are do
M. and they do not look forward.
They take pleasure in their children
Is they are \ defect. even though it
be a serious one, destroys their pleas
ure in them far less than it destroys
that of man. They are not constant
ly oppressed by the thought of what
that defect viii mean in the future.
If 4 woman is Is nature apprehensive
he" fears apply FOR the most part to
little things. If Il man is apprehensive
he Gear, whom the fit is upon him the
dg.acia OF heaven and earth For wo-
m"l time goes Il little slower, They
take pleasarn IN each jewel of that
Eus1jc-WhirL makes Up happiness and
are not fretteI because the pattern is
not conp!et" Df this quality they
have. no da..t. tie inevitable defects
m"vh brill!ance. little grasp and Il
tendency to frivolty. They are apt to
friita. away their lives and minds on
little things. They become engrossed
with the details OF play as well as the
details Of work. Men no doubt have
more opportunities of keen pleasure
than v,Een have. hut these opportuni-
ties are short lived. The happiness of
the moment they are less fitted to take.
The difference between the sexes in
this particular might, we believe, be
thus summed up: \ man Is happy
wheneN er he has anything to make him
happy. but Il woman is happy when
ever she has nothing to make her up-
happy London Spectator,
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
Strictly Business.

"The graspinest man | ever know
ed" said Uncle Jerry PEBBLES, was an
old chap named Snoopins. Somebody
told him once that when he breathed
he took in oxygen and gave out car
bon. He spent whole day tryin' to
find out which of them two gases cost
the most If you have to buy EN-. He
wanted to know whether he was max
In or losin' money when he breathed" }"
Chicago Tribune
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
SELF Go.itrol.

A Boston woman was standing on a
street crossing waiting for car when
a box Of powdered charcoal fell from
a passing wagon and broke open. The
beautiful light dress she was wearing
was ruined by the dust The driver,
who stopped to recover the package,
saw the damage and said, Il am very
sorry, ma'am." The woman bowed
and replied, 1T was not your fault,
sir" He that taketh a city is indeed a
small person beside the poSsessor of
such self control as that.-Youth's
Companion.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14

In the stormy part of the year a
steamer encountered rough weather,
and, as often happens at such times,
many sea gulls hovered near the ship
and even came on board. One allowed
itself to be caught, and it was found
that it had fish bone stuck In the eye
in such position as not absolutely to
destroy the sight, but penetrating an
inch into the flesh of the bird and pro-
jecting an inch and half. 1t might
have had fight with a fish or got
transfxed seeking It's prey. The doc
tor of the ship took the bird, extracted
the bone. applied a soothing remedy to
the wound and let it go. 1t flew away,
but returned the next day, allowing it
self TO he caught The doctor exam
ined the wound, which was progressing
favorably. applied more of the remedy
and let the bird go second time. II
few several times around the ship and
then departed ard returned no more
London Sketch
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
REAL RHEUMATISM.
The Causes and Symptoms of Uric
Acid In the Blood.

ne SdASCS uuI SJhlt'1NihS ~ Wv
Acid In the Blood.
rheumatism so called, is probably
as common as any ailment one ever
hears of, and yet if one were to ana
lyze carefully the average case of rheu'
matism the result would doubtless
show that the disease was something
very different indeed from the real
thing Almost everybody when suffer
ing from a slight stiffness of Joint or
q muscular soreness promptly makes
diagnosis of rheumatism when In real
ity the case Is nothing more than what
in technical language Is known as IL
thaemia, sometimes called American
gout
The real disease of rheumatism is the
result of an accumulation in the blood
of imperfectly converted food, prlncl-
pally uric acid. This accumulation Is
due to intemperance in eating and
drinking and insufficient active eXer-
else
Heredity in some cases seems to play
an important part. In the great major
ity the symptoms follow regular or
der, beginning with n feeling Of full
ness and discomfort after meals, indi-
gestion, nausea and an unpleasant
taste in the mouth, followed by throb-
bing headache, nervous irritability and
vertigo. muscular pains which may be
confined to one or more muscles or skip
about them one to another. Lastly, and
In most cases the most troublesome of
all symptoms, is depression Of spirits,
the patient imagining that he has oil
sorts of ailments. Persons suffering
from mental disorder as result of this
disease have been known to commit
suicide Fortunately these cases are
not common, but it should be remem
bered that they are among the possibil-
ities.-A Doctor in New York World.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
B;smarck's Love of Authority.

At . p. m. we took tea with the king.
/ was seated opposite him when foot
man came and whispered In my ear
that Bismarck desired TO see me. Great
embarrassment! Puckler having told
me | might leave the table, | did so.
The king inquired what was the mat
ter and permitted me to go, Bismarck
had nothing Of particular Importance
to tell me and | suspect that he only
wanted to show that he had the right
to send for his employees even when
they were with the king.-Hatzfeldt
letter.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
THE WORD FELLOW"
Its Honorable Beginning and Its Lat
ter Day Decline.

ter Day DECLINE
The degeneracy of a good word was
illustrated in a case at Branksome
Dorset, in which a witness spoke OF
the defendant as this fellow and was
ordered by the bench to substitute
''this man" Fellow began very
honorably by meaning person who
put down money with others in
Joint undertaking, its component parts
being akin respectively to fee prop
ertyD and to "lay" and Flaw" To this
day it Is dignified to be fellow of
college, and nobody minds being called
fellow citizen" a "fellOw Chris
tan" or good fellow"
But ordinarily fellow" alone ranks
now as In the painful scene in which
Mr.. Tupman said, "Sir, you're fel-
low" and Mr. Pickwlck retorted, "Sir,
you're another" In the fourteenth
century 1t was customary to call
servant fellow" in kindly condescen-
sion Perhaps that explains the words
decline, though it may be due to the
use of "feilow" in the sense of boon
companion Companion" and mate
also were cOntemptuOus at one time.
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.
There's lot of foolishness to keep
out of.
Genius is not rare, but plain COM
mon sense is.
Great things can't be very difficult
or an ordinary man couldn't accom-
plish them.
Every one naturally dislikes those
people who are 50 good they suggest
the top line in copy book.
Re content with your air castle. The
chimney ia an air castle never smokes.
ana the windows do not rattle in every
wind.
Doin. business without advertising
is like WnEing at girl in the dark
YOU know what YOU are doing, but no
y..'y a.sn ,"rs.
pcrna, yJd GaNc noticed that chill.
drea re more willing to work for the
neighbors than at home; also that some
of them never outgrow the habit
Atchison Globe
There are some truths that are per
ceived less 10y the intellect than by the
heart. ana the mau who is devoid oil
this heart perception is lacking IN
much. Terrell trcYD Transcript.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14

81 amt got no doubt" said Hitler,
"but what | kin git that there job as
consul in that place in England. It'd
be cinch too
"Oh, yes" replied Peppery, ''if you
can learn to speak the lsrguage."-
Philadelphia Press
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
Ire Return.

II believe" said the CHEEKY philoso-
pher. that for every single thing you
give away two come back to YOU"
That's nay experience" said Pham-
ley. "IaSt June I gave away my
daughter. and she ana her husband
came hacl, tc lis in August"
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
A RARE BIRD.
Why an American Snowman Could
Not Get Il For His Museum.

Not Get II For His Museum.
When the eminent French writer
Ferdinand Brunetiere visited the Unit
ed States some years ago. lecturing at
Harvard and other leading universi-
ties, he had an amusing experience,
which he described in the recollections
Of his American tour which he after
ward published. The great litterateur
devoted much attention to the life and
works of BOssuet, who was often styled
the Eagle Of MeauX," on account per-
haps of his lofty flights of eloquence.
This fact, with others pertaining TO
his literary career, was mentioned by
come daily papers during his stay in
this country 1t caught the eyes of
Rhrewd American Snowman, who, how
ever, got somewhat mixed over the
meaning of the allIsion. Tie wrote the
following letter to the French author:
Sir-I have just heard that a certain
Meaux eagle, very celebrated it appears,
in your country, has become your ex-
elusive property. Now, ! am the man.
ager of a museum In one Of the largest
cities In the States This MeauX eagle,
whose reputation has been enhanced BY
your eloquence would certainly not fail to
excite the curiosity of my public. If you
will let me have the rare bird and tell me
how to feed it, YOU can quote your own
figure.
Brunetiere politely explained that the
"rare bird" had been dead for nearly
Onn
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
Causes Of Headache.

People ge' headache because they do
not take sufi lent active exercise to
keep the blood circulating actively, be-
come e."ited and often about things
that do not concern them at all, neg
lect daily action of bowels. battle in
cold water without wetting the head,
Slee nn . ,1v' pillow. take too much
alcoh Il. allow the feet to get cold, take
iron and quiniee when the e drugs do
not agree with the system. Pittsburg
Press
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14


1t is the duty of the clerk TO be zeai-
Gus. The low spirited has no place in
a bank Neither has the frivolous,
The man who works for bank Is re-
spected in his community because 1t is
known that the character of his work
is important and particular He must
not only be direct and speedy in what
he does, he must not only be faithful
and constant in all that he does, but
he must go a step further and do what
he does with a will, and a good will
at that Zeal requires interest and en-
thusiasm. One of the troubles with
the bank clerk is that his senses and
his buoyancy are apt to be dulled by
the endless repetition of details There
is no way to shirk it. No bank clerk
can 20 home at night with his work
unfinishel.-C. w. Stevenson In Bank
ers Monthly.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14

1t often takes Il LOT Of common sense
to get man out of trouble a little
nonsense got him into Beaver (Oklal
Herald
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-14
|. ON WlLLIE'S
ACCOUNT
By BEATRICE STURCES

Copyright, 1905, by c. IL. Sutchffe
The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-05
ORDERS NOT NECESSARY
For First Time in History of !. e. E.,
Every Car on the Road Was on
Schedule Time.

For the first time in the history of
the Indianapolis and Eastern Traction
line the cars on that road ran without
train orders Sunday. The record is
phenomenal as each and every car
along the line from Richmond and In
dianapolis during the entire day, was
on time at all points. According to
the statement of a traction official at
the station yesterday, the trainmaster
on all inerurbans usually has his
hands full 800 days in the year. as
some of the cars at some points along
the line are always behind time or run
ming against schedule. The Dayton
and Western cars during the day ran
somewhat off schedule. Notwith-
standing the bad weather, the interur-
bans are running almost on the dot,
but very few of them arriving or de-
parting from Richmond off schedule
time.
The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-05

A three .,l..s 80. schooner or Boston
put into port leaky. On her voyage
from Mobile she was suddenly found
to be taking in water fast. The crew
were set to the pumps and found that
they were able to keep down the wa.
ter, but that steady work was required.
The hands therefore shifted the cargo
and at last found the hole. which was
caused by the sword or horn Of a
swordfish. 1t had passed through the
copper sheathing Of the ship. through
the outer planking. four and q half
inches in thickness: through nine
inches space between that and the
lining and then through the inner
planlling. another four and half
inches thick.
The force required to send q blunt
weapon like this through nine inches
OF solid wood must have been i'm
menSe.
The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-05
Is CHARGED WITH BIGAMY
Elmer e. johnson Married a Woman
at Shetbyville When He Already
Had Wife.

Elmer E. Johnson, son of George w.
Johnson, of Lewisville, is an inmate of
the Shelby county Jail, on a charge of
b1gamy. Johnson went to Shelby
vile in 1905, and secured from the In
dianapolis e Cincinnati traction COM
pany, the contract for building a &C.
ment abutment over a creek near that
place. He made the acquaintance of
Miss Grace Jackson, a daughter of
Thomas Jackson, ex-commiss oner of
Shelby county. and finally induced her
to elope with him. The couple were
married, but instead of doing the for
giving stunt, Mr.. Jackson was very
warm under the collar, and looked up
the record of his son-in-law. AS a
result he learned that Johnson was
married to Cora E. Hartman in 1904,
and had never gone through the for
mality of procuring a divorce from
her.
The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-05
hop.
Did you ever pay "Flopy'

Did you ever pay .FlopY'
Well, If not. try It. You will find il
one Of the jol,iest little games yor
ever participated in. Invite your
friends - about a dozen Of them - to
spend an hour with you on the lawn
Place your chairs. one for each guest
in a circle, allowing the backs to be
outside. thus letting the guests face
the inside of the ring. Have all the
guests but one take the seats. The un
seated guest. boy or girl. will be asked
to take up his or her position inside the
circle. When all is in readiness the
game is begun by the hostess crying
Flop whereupon each seated guess
"flops'' to the chair to his right, the
boy or girl in the center trying to take
possession Of tie vacant chair during
the movement On account Of the con.
fusion which follows upon the signal
Flop the standing one is at dis
advantage. for he cannot see the chair
which is to be left vacant one time in
half q dozen.
The Topping continues till he or
she is seated, however. and then the
boy or girl at his or her right takes the
center of the circle, and the game be
gins again.