davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
A FRIGHTENED ACTRESS.
when NaIibran Ran For Her Life
Ernm Her Father.

Mallhran was an exceptional womap
as well rs II great singer, and she had
IN interesting and spontaneous tenn
perament. The daughter of Garcia,
she hHd Il harsh and difficult master in
her own father.
When she was sixteen he one day
came to her room and without any
kind of preparation said to her you
viii make your first appearance with
me on Saturday in 'OteIlo.'"
1t gave her exactly six days for prep
araiion. The child. terrified nearly into
specchlcssnesS. Stammered that she
could not possibly do it-what he asked
was impps>ihlc But Garcia could take
no contradiction. All he answered
was: 'Eoull make your first appear
ance on Saturday. ana be perfect. II
not, In the last scene, when ! am sup
posed to plunge my dagger into your
breast. I'll do 50 in real earnest"
The frightened girl had to make the
best Of il. Her success was absolute,
but one little piece of realism in her
acting ct the end was delicious
though entirely unconscious piece OF
retaliation upon her father for a rather
brutal method. Her nesdemona had
been exquisite: She had made her what
she was her elf. child. innocent and
submissive and adofing.
But in the last act. when Othello
strobe toward her with uplifted dag
ger. In Malibran. truly frightened out
Of her wits ran away from him and
made for windows and doors. frantic
ally trying 10 escape When her father
at last caught hold Of her, so real had
the whole thing become that. seizing
the hand with which he was supposed
70 murder her, she bit It till it Dled.
Garcia gave a cry Of pain, which the
audience took for cry of rage, and the
act ended in deafening applause for
father and daughter
The incident reveals la Malibran.
She was never, in one sense Of the
word, an actress at all. There was no
studied counterfeit of emotions, but a
woman with an extraordinary power
of losing herself in the emotions Of
others-T. P's Weekly.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
HENRY BELLS COMET.
The First Steamer That Piled For
Hire In Great Britain

Among The curiosities of advertising
may surely he placed the first ad-
yerliscment of the first steamer that
piled for hire in Great Britain-namely,
Henry Bells Comet. Thus ran the adj
vcrtiSemenr in the Glasgow Courier Of
1912:
Steam passage boat the Comet, be-
tween Glasgow, Greenock and Helens
burg. For passengers only. The sub
scribcr having at much expense fitted
mp handsome vessel to ply upon the
river Clyde between Glasgow and
GraenOck-tO sail by the power of
WIND. air and steam-he intends that
the vessel shall leave the Broomielaw
on Tuesdays. Thursdays and Satur-
days about midday or at such time
thereafter as may answer from the
state of the tide and to leave Greenock
on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays
in the morning to suit the tide The
elegance. comfort, safety and speed
of this vessel require only to be proved
TO meet the appreciation of the public,
and the proprietor is determined to do
everything in his power to merit public
encouragement. The terms are for the
present shillings for the best cabin
and 3 shi!iings for the second. but be-
yond these rates nothing Is to be al
lowed 10 servants or any other person
employed about the vessel"
What would poor neglected Henry
Bell have said could he have seen his
humble little Comet, Of whose elegance,
comfort aad speed he was so proud,
alongside a modern ocean racer or one
of the latest palatial river steamers OF
the Clyde or Thames, all so well ad,
vertised 2-Chambers' Journal.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
CUTTLE BONE AND SEPIA.
Where They Come From and What
They Are Used For.

Cutie bone was once made use of as
a medicine, but ii is now used by gold.
smiths as polish and by bird fanciers
as food for Gagged birds.
This cutie bone so called, Is no bone
at all. but n very wonderful structure
consisting almost entirely Of pure chalk
and having been at one time loosely
imbedded in the substance of some de.
parted cuttlcfsh. 1t is an oval bone,
white and hard on the outside, but soft
and friable within, and is inclosed by
a membranouS sack within the body OF
the cutie
When the cutie is living this struc.
ture runs through the entire length of
the abdomen ana occupies about one.
third of its breadth. In weight cutie
bone is extremely light. and if it be
cut across and examined through
lens the cause of the lightneSs will at
once be apparent. 1t is not solid, but
is formed of a succession of exceed
ingly thin floors of chalk, each con
nected with each by hundreds of the
smallest imaginable challiy pillars.
Many persons attribute sepia, or Chi
nese ink. to the cuttletish. They are,
however. in error, for sepia is Il manu-.
facture of SCOT and fine gums. The err
ror may be due to the fact that the
cuttlefiSh has an internal sac under the
throat. near the liver. that contains a
very dark natural ink. When pursued
by enemies the cutie elects this inky
substance and thereby forms a cloud
of darkened water all about it and
hides in this water until out of danger
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
CRUEL PUNiSHMENTS.
The Old Time Use of Torture In Legal
Processes.

The constitution Of the Ulited States
and the constitutions Of the various
states in prohibiting cruel and unusual
runishments were not fighting an alb
Surdity. The use Of torture in legal
processes was not. when these instru-
menrs were framed, so remote as it is
now
When Sir Thomas Dole came as high
marshal TO Virginia he crushed a con
spiracy by killing the ringleaders by
torture. one had a bOdkin thrust
through lis tongue and was chained
10 tree until hc died. Others were
broken on the wheel. 1t is quantity
stated that Sir Thomas was "a man
Of good conscience and knowledge in
divinity" Eoie's date was 1911.
Tie next notable instance of the use
of tJrturc was in 1892. in the Salem
Vitcicraft excitement, when Giles
cry was pressed to death-the ''peine
dur ct forte" the most horrible of
dea 3s
E-.ecuttons We're in public through
OFT t'n cast Until comparatively recent
tines. |hon Quelch. the pirate and
SIX ot'nr@ wr"e hanged in Boston, Sew
all wro.c in his diary. when the scat
fold was lct 10 sink there was such a
scrc crch Of t!n women that my wife
hea' it, sizing in our entry next to
tie "roiard.' though the gallows was
a IN. ava 81 the wind unfavorable.
Tie use Of .orture to wiring the truth
from witne '.as Is said to have been rec
ogniZed rs lrg2i in Austria until well
within the rAniIry
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
VALUE OF OLIVE OIL.
il Is Good Either Taken Internally
or Used Externally.

Various forms and kinds Of oils form
a large stone in the foundation of
beauty culture. Only the thoughtful
observer realizes their importance and
that they were indispensable to the
bellies Of old time-to the Greeks and
Romans and eastern beauties of an
cient days.
Olive oil was the most luxurious, az
well as the most common. 1t was TAX
EN- internally and externally; they rub
bed with 1t, bathed In it, drank 1t and
used 1t In hundred ways. Olive oil is
still olive oil, though not SO many peo-
pie recognize its value except as an in
gredient of salad dressing
1t is excellent for the digestion and
may be taken in doses of from one to
nine or more teaspoonfuls a day. Some
people find 1t is distasteful taken clear
In that case 1t may be disguised In
wine or lemonade or some pleasant
drink, which Of itself should agree with
the individuals system.
Olive oil is good flesh builder. II
rubbed into the skin, 1t not only accom-
pllshes this with faithful applications,
but makes the skin soft and velvety.
Being vegetable oil, 1t has absolutely
no tendency to stimulate a growth Of
hair.
ways, but the sum of It's virtues lies
simply In thls-it Is gentle in its action,
soothing, nourishing and strengthening.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.
What Happens When Two More
Peers Want to Speak at Once.

What Happens when Two More
Peers Want to Speak at Once.
There is no rule against a dozen
peers, or the entire peerage for that
matter, rising and addressing the lord
chancellor at the same time The lord
chancellor has no power to select the
peer who shall speak. A lord chancel-
lors leg may be pulled, we imagine,
but his eye can never be caught. For
all he can do two peers wishing to ad-
dress the house and refusing to give
way one TO the other could stay on
their feet until one Of them dropped
from exhaustion.
This is no exaggeratIon Within liv-
ing memory two peers engaged in an
adventure which at first threatened to
develop into firing down contest aft
er the manner Of Goldsmith's dancers.
1t happened in 1884 on a warm July
day and was very entertaining while
1t lasted
The two We're Earl Granville and
Lord Cairns. Both rose simultane-
ously to speak The two peers stood
IaClnR e:cn OtIler at tne taDle, ana
each tried to speak, while their partt-
sans kept shouting "Granviller' and
Cairns" in an aristocratic manner. 1t
must have sounded q little like a cup
tie. Lord Selborne sat on the woolsack
helpless. The scene might have lasted
until either Earl Granville OF Lord
Cairns had fallen fainting had not
Lord Beauchamp earned immortal
fame by creating a precedent in the
house Of lords. He moved, In a tone Of
anger, that Lord Cairns be heard, and
Lord Cork, in similar tone, moved
that Lord Granville be heard
A vote was taken, and Lord Gran
Vile won by a majority Of one In a
house of ffty-three excited peers. So
IL the lord chancellor at any time finds
himself confronted by two noble but
obstinate orators there Is a precedent
to fBll back upon which may be found
usefuL-London News.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
ANTIQUITY OF BEER.
This beverage Was First Brewed by
the Egyptians.

Beer is of great antiquity. 1t was
manufactured first by tie Egyptians
and afterward by the Greeks, Romans
and ancient Gauls Beer was mention
ed by the following ancient writer's:
Tacitus, Pliny, Nenophon and others.
The Romans are supposed to have in
troduced the brewing of beer or ale, as
1T was then called. to the Britons, at
the time of the latter'S conquest by the
former. The BTitons continued the
brewing of barley malt, calling it ale,
until about 1924, when the Germans
introduced the brewing of hops with
the barley malt. calling it bier or, in
English. beer.
The history Of the New England colo
nies shows that the Puritans were
great beer drinkers and that for a long
time every innkeeper made his own
beer. In those years beer was the gen
eral and popular drink. In the colony
of Massachusetts its retail price was
fixed 10y law at a penny quart. It's
sale to Indians was not forbidden. A
law of 1919 ordered that every vict-
ualer or ordinary innkeeper should al
ways be provided with good whole
some beer for the entertainment of
strangers
The laws of the colony always favor
ed the manufacture of beer, and even
as late as ten years after Massachu-
sets had become u state a law was
passed entitled, AN act to encourage
the manufacture and consumption of
beer, ale and other malt liquors"
The act freed beer from all taxation,
but it came too late after series of
fiscal laws which for revenue purposes
had made beer dear and led to the i'm
portation of cheap rum from Jamaica.
Kansas City Independent
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
BETTING SYSTEMS.
Their Opponent Says He Can't Fight
Human Nature.

Their Opponent says He Can't Fight
Human Nature.
No backer is deferred by the knowl-
edge that the odds offered are mathe-
matically unfair His faith in the cor
rectness Of his Judgment is setoff
against the restriction of his winnings.
Argument never prevented a man
from rislIing a sovereign on good
thing" Some twenty years ago
wrote in a journal now defunct an
elaborate refutation of the notion that
money can be made by systematic
gambling. | gave an analysis of every
known system" and proved TO the
satisfaction of every mathematically
trained intellect that systems were alb
surd. The paper-rather serious or
CANVAS i'll consequence bought large
ly by betting people, and hundreds
tested the systems l had exposed.
compositOr in the Office of the paper
actually made some $3.50 or $400 by
following one Of the systems and gave
up his case" for the course. He was
back long before the season finished.
The only cure for gambling is per-
sistent run of Ill luck, resulting In en-
tire loss of capital. Even then the
doctrine of chances suggests that "the
turn must come" That is what lures
the man with the gambling instinct.
Some one must win. Why not Ip' is
his unanswerable objection to all argu-
ments. 1t is curious, toe, how the very
arguments employed to prove the fu-
tility of betting have a knack OF fall
ing when put to the test of one or two
experimental trials. l once. by way Of
an object lesson. laid the mathematical
odds against heads turning up five
times consecutlvely. They ran nine
times. 1t is true that l should have
won scores of times If my opponent
continued tossing, but he was satisfied
that my mathematical illustration had
failed and argued If 1t failed once
why not twice? l have decided not to
publish the very elaborate manuscript
PREF ared on The Folly of Systems"
so long as human nature remains as 1t
is.-Douglas Black burn In London Re
view
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
TOUCHING FOR KINGS EVIL.
Extent of the Custom In the Seven
teenth Century.

teenth Century.
Between the years 1851 and 1852 as
many as 92,10 persons were touched
for the kings evil. Each Of them re-
ceived a gold coin, with a hole in it,
which-the coin, not the hole-''was sus
pended from the neck by a ribbon" II
became necessary TO limit the number
of patients to be touched, and at last
no person was allowed IN the kings
presence for that purpose who had not
previously obtained a certificate from
the minister of the parish in which he
or she lived that he or she was suffer.
ing from the disease.
"Hambledon. Bucks, 1885, May II
Mary Wellington had a certificate ia
the kings evil."-Parish Registers,
Page 81. II. f. Chester Waters.
From a proclamation issued by
Charles H., dated Jan. 8, 1888, appoint
Ing the times at which the touch shonld
be administered:
And all such as shall hereafter come
or repair to tho court for this purpose
shall bring with them certificates under
the hands and seals of the parson. vic.
ar or minister and Of both or one OF
the churchwardens. testifyng accord.
ing To the truth that they have not at
any time before been touched by
his majesty to the intent 10 be healed
Of their disease. And all ministers and
churchwardens are hereby required to
be very careful to examine into the
truth before they give such certificates
and also TO keep IA register of all Ger
tificateS they shall from time to time
give. e.'-London Notes aud Queries.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
POINTS OF ETIQUETTE.

Finger bowls are not put on the table
until after the dessert is removed
1t is the worst possible form for a
man to take Il woman's arm, by day or
night
When leaving Il car a man should
preccde the woman. so as to assist her
II necessary
In addressing a newly married couple
at a wedding reception 1t Is usual to
congratulate the groom and to wish
the bride great happiness.
1t is not looked upon as good form
to announce meal by the ringing of
a bell. That custom does very we'll for
a railroad station, but is now seldom
used in private houses.
When taking lady in to dinner or al
any indoor entertainment a man offers
his left arm, but In the street he must
always take the outside, no matter
which arm he has to offer.
The expenses incident to a wedding
are, with few exceptions, borne by the
family Of the bride. The groom's ex.
penses, with the exception of flowers
and souvenirs for the bridesmaids and
ushers, begin with the fee to the clergy
man.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
THE CUPEY TREE.
ne of the Most Curious Grswths Of
the West Indies.

the West Indies.
The cupey, or, as it is sarcastically
called in the English possessions, "the
attorney" IS one Of the most curious,
as 1t Is one of the most picturesque,
denizens of the virgin forests of the
West Indian islands. 1t belongs to the
parasitical family Of trees or plants;
but, terrible to relate, It invariably,
with the basest ingratitude. destroys
all life In the unfortunate tree that
cherishes 1T In its early growth. The
seeds are borne on the wings of the
wind and deposited on the branches
of other trees, when they burst into
roots. which are dropped toward the
ground all around the nurse" tree.
In time these roots reach the ground
and strike into the soil.
From this moment the roots grow
stronger and stronger until they resem-
bic n lot Of rope ladders thrown over
the tree. Next the parasite sends down
great cord, which twines around the
trunk of the supporting tree. at first as
though in loving embrace, but 1t grows
tighter and tighter, eventually stran-
CLING its benefactor out of existence.
The nurse tree thus killed rots to de-
cay. and from the immense 1brous
roots Of the destroyer now springs
great trunk. which rises high into the
air. When cupey is full grown II
presents magnificent spectacle, for
the cordlike root rises often to fifty or
sixty feet and supports In midair the
vast free itself
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
TURPENT TINE.

Moths will leave II 1t is sprinkled
about
Turpentine and soap will remove ink
stains from linen
Turpentine will remove wheel grease,
pitch and tar stains
Clean gilt frames with sponge mois-
tened in turpentine.
1t will exterminate reaches II sprin-
kled In their haunts
A few drops on wooen cloth will
clean tan shoes nicely.
A few drops added to water in which
clothes are boiled viii whiten them.
An equal mixture OF tu;pentine and
linseed oil will remove white marks
from furniture caused by water
Ivory knife handles that have be.
come yellow can be restored to tl.eir
former whteness by rubbing VII trr
pentine
Carpets can be clcl;c.i ;;.,' i..,-i.. :,
stored by going oyer o'cl> e r. i. !.
broom dipI@a III ~l".t - =
which n litti" l1rta r ;--,
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
SERVANTS In GERMANY.

A girl engaged in America is by no
means girl secured, as regards either
domestic service or matrimony. In
Germany, on the other hand, the mis-
tress of a prospective cook and the
fiance Of prospective bride may feel
reasonably secure when once an under
standing has been reached. We'll, /
will engage you, Hedwlg," says the
hausfrau at the close of the interview,
and as pledge Of good faith three
marks rs cents are given and receiv.
ed. By acceptance Of this sum, He'd
wig binds herself to appear at the time
and place agreed upon, aud If she fails
In fulfllment Of the contract. after al
lowing twenty-four hours to elapse
without having returned the money,
she renders herself liable to criminal
prosecution. Needless to say, breach
of contract under such conditions is
rare.-Harper's Bazaar
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
THE SElSMOGRAPH.
How the Earthquake Indicator Re-
cords the Shocks.

How the Earthquake Indicator Re-
cords the Shocks.
In its simplest form an earthquake
Indicator might be tray with notched
edges so filed with mercury that a
shaking of the earth would cause an
overflow In the direction of the move
ment. In the instrument used by sci
ence the pendulum is employed, verti-
cal by some Italians, horizontal by the
japanese, English, most European and
American observers. A movement of
the earth affects everything but the
pendulum, which is so freely hung as
to remain stationary, and recording
device makes the result visible. Of old
with the vertical pendulum a sharp
point drew the profile of the move
ments on n blackened surface. Photo
graphic paper In moving strips serves
the modern instruments.
The horizontal pendulum turns on q
vertical axis and carries at its extrem-
lty heavy weight which earth shock
does not reach. In the Milne seismo-
graph platinum sheet attached to this
weight has a slit intersecting at right
angles slit In a second sheet under
meath. In times of quiet reflected light
passing through both Sits makes one
point and prints a straight line on the
moving bromide paper. When the
earth shakes the lower slit moves and
the line becomes crooked, according to
the strength of the shock, A clockwork
arrangement with shutters and a light
times the disturbance.
The instruments are so delicate as
sometimes to indicate shocks which no
men have felt-New York World
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
Snow and Hail of Queer CoIers.

Storms i'll which red, yellow and or
ange colored SHOWS fell were recorded
as long ago as the sixth century. Hum
boldt mentions hailstorm which once
occurred in Palermo in which every
hailstone was as red as a globule of
frozen blood. On March IA. 1913, there
was hailstOrm in Tuscany in which
the individual stones were each of
bright yellow color. In 1908 at Carnio-
la, Germany, they had fall of Grim
son snow which was nearly five feet
In depth. Snow of a brick red hue fell
in Italy in 1916 and in the Tyrol In
1S47. In some sections of Iceland
snow seldom falls to any considerable
depth without being composed of al.
ternate layers of frozen crystals of
different colors There are arctic banks
of red snow which are so well known
to explorers that they are called the
crimson cliffs"
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Member May Drink There, but IL
Not Allowed to Eat.

The British house of commons has
IT'S own code in regard to the partak-
ing of liquid and solid refreshments.
A member making a long speech may
take a drink, and the house Is liberal
enough not to care whether the color
Of the contents of the glass is white or
brown or black, whether, In fact, the
glass holds water or whisky or beer.
Mr. Gladstone's egg fips, which his
wife carefully compounded for him
and he brought to the house in a bot
tie. are classic.
But woe betide the man who scorns
drink and must have meat Contempo-
rary recollection only recalls one mem
Der rash enough to disregard this rule.
1t was a number Of years ago, In the
stormy time of the home rule debates,
that an Irish member, in the small
hours of the morning, produced from
his pocket paper bag and drew out a
bun, which he proceeded calmly to
eat The house was instantly in an
uproar There were loud cries of "Or.
der Order" and that bun was never
finished.
No member maF read newspaper
In the house If he had the temerity to
smoke, the sergeant at arms would
quickly place him under lock and key.
-Appieton's Magazine.
Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-04-04
WALT WHITMAN.
Ways of the Poet Who Was Loved by
All Who Knew Him.

All Who Knew Him.
This is the Walt Whitman who was
known and loved by those who met
him daily:
after some conversation Whitman
proposed walk across to Philadelphia.
Putting on his gray slouch hat, he sal
lied forth with evident leisure and, tax
Ing my arm as support, walked slow
ly the best part of mile to the ferry.
Crossing the ferry was always a great
pleasure to him. The life Of the street
and of the people was so near, SO dear.
The men Oh the ferry steamer were
evidently old friends, and when we
landed on the Philadelphia side we
were before long quite besieged-the
man or woman selling fish at the cor
ner Of the street, the tramway con-
ductor, the loafers on the pavement-a
word Of recognition from Walt or as
often from the other first; presently
q CHEEKY shout from the top of dray,
and before we had gone many yards
farther the driver was down and stand
Ing in front of US, his horses given to
the care Of some bystander. He was
an old Broadway 'stager,' had not seen
Walt for three or four years, and tears
were in his eyes as he held his hand.
We were now brought to standstill,
and others gathered round. George
was III, and Walt must go and see him.
There was a message for the children,
and in his pocket the poet discovered
nT1n
ones. But for the most part his words
were few. 1t was the others who
spoke and apparently without reserve"
Whitman as Carpenter Saw Him"
In Craftsman.