davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Dangerous Cdor5.

Some smells are dangerous. A SIN
gle sniI OF highly concentrated prus-
sic acid will kill man us quickly as
a shot through the heart. The odor
Of bad egg l. due to the presence OF
sulphureted hydrogen, and the OBJ
jectionable perfumes OF sewers and
bone factories are attributable chiefly
to the same gas. Chemical laboratp
ries are famous for bad smells. Bcr-
Eelius. who discovered the element
called "selenium." once tried the ex-
pertinent OF permitting q bubble or
pure hydrogen selenide gas to enter
his nostril. For days afterward he
was not able TO smell strong ammonia,
the olfact0ry nerves being temporarily
paralyzed. Selenium gas has the OdOr
of putrid horseradish. Tellurium Is
even worse. There Is story OF ply
sician whose patient. lady. refused
to take an absolutely necessary rest
because she was so fond OF being al
ways In society. He gave her pill
containing a small quantity OF tellu-
rum. and her breath was affected by
II TO such an extent that she was not
able TO appear in public for a month
She never guessed what the trouble
was. The yolatillzed essential oil OF
roses is supposed TO cause rose
cold" This peculiar complaint Is so
far nervous in its character that pa
Der roses sometimes excite II.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
His Shave and His Nerve.

A youth with untouched face walked
Jowly past n barber shop, then back
again. then passed and repassed, each
time drawing nearer and nearer. FL
nally. as though he had just reached
determination, he turned In and hand
ed his hat coat and collar to the Off
ciating "shine." When IL came his
turn he got into the chair with an air
OF assurance which was rather out OF
keeDing with his haunted eyes.
"IIalr cut" queried the barber.
"Naw; shave" said the youth. Just
once over and be kind o. careful OF the
neck whisker."
The barber put his hand over his face
TO hide grin and went TO his lather
cup. He turned on the hot water and
passed a wink down the line until ev-
cry barber had his gaze that way.
Then. with ponderous care, he lathered
the face and coolly began shaving his
customer with the back Of the razor.
Does she pull?" he asked after a
biz.
"a lcctle raw" said the customer.
with fine discrimination. Got wire
edge, hasn't itT'
The barber replied by stropping his
own hand violently, then resumed
shaving with the back OF the razor.
"IIow's thatf" he said.
Fine as silk" said the customer,
now grown veteran. IL tell you it's all
in the stropping, Jack. baltimore
News.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
The Poisonous Black Sea.

The Black sea, which IN some parts
has a depth Of more than $500 feet Is
poisoned by sulphuretel hydrogen
wherever the water Is deeper than
1.2OO feet. This accounts for the curl
Gus fact that there Is no organic life
below that depth, excepting perhaps
some bacteria Of very low order, i'm
pregnated with sulphur The causes
for this phenomenon are explained
by the quick outflow OF the fresh wa
ter through the Bosporus. while salt
water coming from the Mediterranean
enters through a deeper current into
the depths of the Black sea. The wa
ters on the surface are therefore, con-
trollcd absolutely by horizontal cur
rents of considerable force, and verti-
cal currents which might carry the
noxious gases from the bottom TO the
surface and fresh oxygen from the
surface 10 the bottom are hardly ever
noticeable. The water at great depths
Is so saturated with sulphuric gas by
the diSintegratiOn Of organic matter
sinking to the bottom by reason Of It's
weight that no fish or other living be-
lng which needs oxygen for its organic
system can exist beyond a stated
depth.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
When Gunpowder Was New.

A curious feature about the evolu-
ton in methods of hunting was the
hesitation with which gunpowder was
taken UP by the great nybles. Not only
did ii take qLi,c a century 10 familiar
iZe hunters with it. but the evidence
that has come down 10 us shows that
the HI ible classes We're the first 10
use it for shooting game. Macmillan,
ardent 81 JrtsAan that he was, tells Us
himself that he could shoot farther
and with greater accuracy with his
croSSbOw than his keeper could with
the fire tube. TO prove this he tells us
the we'll known story of Il certain
ehamoir standing at 200 fath6ms,
vhich. after being pronounced as too
far off by his hcnchman, who was arm
ed with one of the first sporting firearms
mentioned in print, comes tumbling
down. pierced Ak the first attempt by
the emperOr's bot. From other sources
We learn Of strict measures being
adopted TO prevent poachers and wood
loafers" using firearms. and this at
period when princes still used the
cuul brOus croSsbow and spear. II was
only In the last quarter Of the six
tecnth century that firearms had GUST
ed other weapons for certain forms OF
the chase. the deer battue being among
the observation-disclosures Magazine.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Why Elephanto Fear Mice.

II seems incredible that so small ana
harmless an animal as a mouse Is able
TO frighten an elephant almost out OK
his senses. One little mouse In the
hay on which they are feeding Will
stampede al entire herd. In their ma
tive land there are little animals.
known rs chacanas, which feed on q
small sour berry of which elephants
are very fond. They live In settle
ments. something after the manner OK
prairie docs, Under the berry bushes.
When feeding. the elephants trample
the little towns. and the chacanas. In
their fright, run up the tubes OF the
elephants trunks. Their long. sharp
claws catch In the flesh, and they can
not be elected. The more violently the
monster blows through It's coiled trunk
the more firmly the hooked claws OK
the little animal become imbedded In
the flesh. Inflammation and death are
the result In captivity the elephants
think they are In danger of the deadly
chacanas when they see mouse.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
The Letter Gae."

The leader Of psalmody, or precentor,
IN the Church Of Scotland used to read
from his desk in front Of the pulpit the
successive lines for congregational
singing. He was the letter gae'-i. e..
he that let go or started the praise
and his desk was called the "letteron'
(lectrinum). Pitching his voice to the
first note OF each line, he proceeded 10
chant the words In O slow, drawing
monotone, prolonging the last syllable
for little and then breaking at the
head Of the congregation into the mu-
sic set to the words thus delivered.
The effect OF this would no doubt be
frequently more curious and entertain
ing than edifying and solemn, and
strange developments must occasional
" have occurred. The position tested
not only the musical qualifications, but
also the literary attainments, ct the
leader. aud there are passages In the
metrlcal version Of the Psalms as used
In Scotland which must have put rural
precentors on their mettle.-London
Notes and Queries.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Early Baseball Teams.

Baseball teams existed as early as
1S45. but the first league was formed
In 1887, when the National Association
OF Baseball Players was organized.
This. rs the title implies, was an or
ganlzation OF players-in fact, OF anna
teur players. They did not remain true
amateurs for long. however, AMI In
1871 baseball was placed squarely on
a professional basis, when there came
into existence the National Association
Of Professional Baseball Players. IL
will be noted that the players still
governed the sport, and they continued
to do so until 1870. II was In this
period that there grew up the great
abuses which menaced the very life OK
baseball-namely, gambling and the
buying and selling OF games. In 1870
the players were deposed from the
government OF professional baseball,
and they have never since controlled
the game.-Henry Beach Needham In
Success Magazine.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
SolF Winding Watches.

matchmaking Is no longer what II
used TO be-" said n collector Where
will you find today artists making and
selling readily watches worth $4,000
apiece? Brequet was the greatest
matchmaker the world has ever seen.
He was Swiss, but he lived In
France. The watch collector who
hasn't q Brequet timepece has a sad
" incomplete collection. Brequet
watches were the acme OF beauty, OF
originality and Of accuracy. One
played n tune every hour, another had
on It's dial little figures that danced,
third was self winder. They were
very ingenious. those self winding
watches. They worked on the pedom-
eter principle. The motion Of the
body In walking kept them wound. l
have a BreQuet self winder. and some
times, out OF curiosity, l carry 1t for
week. My stride winds It, It never
runs down, and It keeps, after all these
years, fairly good time."-New York
Press
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
"listeners Seldom hear.n Etc.

Two elderly maiden sisters had long
lived together gentle and sweet
the other acrid In temper and forbid
ding in appearance. The former was
taken suddenly I'll. and the other. anx
ious 10 know whether the doctors
thought her sister would llve-as she
was desirous of acquiring the money
she knew her gentle sister had willed
her-hid behind a screen In the morn
Ing room. where the doctors soon after
came down TO consult.
well" asked Or. Harris, what do
you think OF herr"
Think OF herr cried DR.. Brown.
"Of all the antiquated, vinaigretted
old hags ever created / think she Is
the very worst! What is Providence
thinking OF TO infiict pain on that gen
tie soul upstairs and leave untouched
q gaunt. withered caricature Of hu-
manity such as this other? Jump int
my motor with me. and Wen chat
about our patient as we 60"
And they "goed." leaving the caves,
dropper TO come from her hiding place
as they Observation-Disclosures Bits.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Two Tall Ones.

Eagles and hyenas, If they are
starving. will eat themselves" said a
nature fakir
"Oh, Of course"
ITS the truth. Pliny mentions II
IN his natural history. and ! have
proved It by experiment. | starved an
eagle three days, and he began 70
tear chunks out Of his thigh and eat
them The thing was so sickening TO
me that | only permitted IT 10 20 on a
day got two good photographs Of
It for my last book. then ] restored
the eagles TationS again. The poor
fellow had made a hole In his thigh
as big as your fist, and TO this day
he walks lame.
And the hyena3 The hyena was
worse still At first he was obstinate
and refused to touch himself; but one
night l heard angry growls from his
cage and. going down with a lantern,
| found him eating his hind leg. He
had made great progress. He had
got away with about three pounds.
believe If l hadn't come down in
time he'd have devoured himself COM
pietely. ."-EXchange.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
The Address on the Letter.

at is not spelling alone that has
been smitten 10y the hand Of the de-
stroyer," lamcltel the poStman. Pune
tuatlon has also gone by the board.
When I first began to handle United
States mail ten years ago the direc-
tons on envelopes were punctuated
according TO schoolbook rules. Abbre-
viatlons were finished of with a pc
riod. names were followed by a comma,
and so so. Now the envelope that Is
properly punctuated IS rarity. Some
times, Just out OF curiosity, | take time
to look carefully through a bunch or
letters. Out OK, say. twenty, more than
half will be entirely destitute OF pune
tuation marks. In the few cases where
an attempt has been made to punctu-
ate hyster,cal dashes take the place
OF the periods and commas that once
prevailed. New York Globe.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
a Rigid Examination.

Colonel Alexander Gardner, In his
volume entitled Soldier and Travel
err" says that during a stay In Asia
he was once suspected Of being n Rus
sian spy
This was an accusation Of great
consequence, as Russians were very
unpopular at the time but the traveller
was PROSTATE with fever and almost
Indifferent as to what might befall
him.
Application was made TO the khan
of Khiya, and In great state OF anx-
iety as 10 the travellers identity he
deputed three learned men who had
Travelled over half the world TO ex-
anime him. This was the abstruse
and terrific examination with which
they were satisfied:
what are your asked they.
"An American" was the answer.
Still they were suspicious, and one
man, very enlightened scholar, Of.
fered as O crowning test this deep and
conclusive geographical question:
Gould you go by land from America
10 England"
NO" was the prompt reply, and the
questioncr, "A much delighted at his
own superior learning as at the trav-
elers integrity. declared that he was
G, lyi2ced This was an American In
4 ed
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
out hands this la7nd day OF
TOWN ORDINANCES.
BY Counsel.

(D Ordinance 81 is hereby amended
so as to read as follows: ANY party,
person or firm trading or doing busi-
ness in Woodstock, Va, with the
consumer, at any other than an es-
tablished place OF business or store.
room, shall pay license OF $4,000 per
year or any fraction OF wear and
then the Iicensee shall have privilege
to conduct business at but one lOca-
ton.
It is further understood and hereby
expressly made part of above amend
ment, that same shall apply TO any
person or firms who are nOn-residents
or not doing business regularly in
Woodstock and are selling TO the con-
summer and not applying TO any per-
son or firm having an established place
of business or store in Woodstock.
(2) Ordinance No. Ia changed in
amount to conform TO state law las to
dog taxi
(3) Be it ordained that any person,
or persons, who shall run, Or cause TO
be run, an automobile through this
Town at speed of more than miles
per hour shall be fined cot less than
Is. 90 nor more than s25 90.
(4) Be it ordained, that the Council
of the Town of Woodstock, Va, does
hereby adopt as one OF the ordinances
of the Town of Woodstock, Va, that
certain Act OF the General Assembly
of Virginia which was approved March
| II, 1906, and which is entitled "And
Act to Regulate the running OF auto
mobiles, locomobiles, and ohter
vehicles and convey ances, whose mo-
tive power is other than animals,
along and over the public highways
of this state. to provide for the regis
tration of the same, to provide uni
form rules regulating the use and
speed thereof, and to prescribe penal
| ties for the violation OF said rules"
and which Is Chapter 299, of the Acts
of the Assembly of 1906, subject TO
present ordinance OF Town as to auto
mobiles.
The above ordinances passed by
Council OF the Town OF Woodstock on
Aug. 7th 1907.
A True Copy.
M. w. MAGRUDER,
Aug. 19-4t. Recorder.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
a Queer 6rcumcnt.

II Is often urged that elOquence and
affectatlon arc inalIenable, but main
tain that the peculiar pronunciation OF
certain words-if that constitutes af-
fectatlon-ls q pardonable fault. OF
which many eminent orators are them
selves guilty. In vast cathedrals ana
large halls where the acoustic proper
ties are Of an unusual order 1t Is clear
Iy manifest that some pronunclations
are preferable to others. for some
words by the very composition OF their
syllables are not so far reaching In
their sound as others. so that II ruse
Is adopted to gain the desired effect
surely II IL detrimental to no one
London Academy.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Strained the Jar.

a little old woman with Il sharp nose
and sharper tongue was In the country
grocery store buying supplies. Among
other things she brought In from her
cart was battle SCARED jug which
she ordered 10 he filed with treacle.
At last. when her purchases were
completed. she began looking over the
account, item by item. before paying.
Whats this" she exclaimed "Yod
have charged me for two gallons and
a half Of treacle."
"Yes, ma'am."
But that jug holds only two gal
Ions
You must he mistaken. | measured
the treacle carefully. and 1t took two
gallons and half 10 fill II"
"Well," said the old woman with a
sigh. II don't 50 much mind having 10
pay for the treacle. but do object TO
having the old jug strained by your
putting In half gallon more than II
will old."-Strand Magazine.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Whv He Let Them Wed.

Dean Pigon had quaint old verger
whose name was Sagar Imagine him,
venerable figure with gray hair.
skullcap, gown and verger's staff. In
ignorance they had married a man to
his deceased wife's sister. Sagar,
whose business II WAS to settle the
matter about the banns, was at once
cross examined. "Oh, yes, vicar" sail
he. "I knoved right well. | knowed
parties" but why did you not tel
me? ! should have forbidden them. y
"Well. vicar II was just this way. do
you see. One OF the parties was eighty
four and tother eighty-six. ] says to
myself: Lord, il can't last long. Let
'em wed. and bother the laws! -
London News.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
gte:Iun Dcrs:ictJ.

In every station one may find those
who do not take trains or meet them
nor attend those who do. Some come
TO the waiting room only TO wait-re-
spectacle derelicts still hoping that
something Will turn up. and wrecks
who have given up hope. 1t Is a
warm place In winter, the seats are
comfortable, and thoughtless passen-
gers often obligingly leave newspapers
behind them. 1t makes good waiting
There are so few other places TO walt
so cruelty few for women adrift. but
not yet foundered. Sometimes. to de-
ceiye that meddlesome busybody. the
station detective. they carry in travel
ing bags and pretend to be pulled
down with their burdens. emptied
long since at the pawnshops.-Jesse
Lynch Williams In Century.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Accidental Success.

"ln literature" said a publisher,
popular success frequently comes by
accident. \ remarkable case was that
of ]. III. Shorthousc This man, "A poor
chemist, spent some years writing a
book called John Inglesant.' But the
publishers would have none Of John
Inglesant,' and-iinally Mr. Shorthouse
printed 100 copies at his own eX-
penSe.
only forty Of these copies sold, one
purchaser being a photographer The
photographer took Mr.. Gladstonc's
picture some weeks later and the old
man chose a studious pose, sitting with
volume in his hand. lie bent in
absorption over the work. which hap
pened accidentally 10 be John Ingle-
SAINT and I'm the thousands of copies
of the photograph that We're sold by
accident the books name was plainly
TO lie made ont.
"Mr Gladstone was regarded as II
great critic, and the people thought he
desired 10 recommend John Ingle-
SAINT. What was the result? Within
the year 100000 copies Of John In
glesant' had been sold, and Shorthouse
was a made man."
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
When TO Shoot a Critic.

At supper party ut the Garrick
club In L0nGon some years ago the
atrical manager wound up humorous
speech by declaring his conviction tha'
Il would be TO the advantage of the
drama II muster were made OF all
the theatrical critics and they were
shot onhand. Joseph knight. the crit
ic. called upon to reply to this playfui
structure. rose aud in Ills richest tones
spoke as follows:
"GcctleEcH. have not tAe falntes'
objection. understand re. 10 the course
proposed by Mr.. Y provided that IN
mercy we are shot before beng invit-
d II witness such entertainments as
,ur dear fricld las rccenly PRODUCED
4 his theatr'
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30

Her voice I'm the midsummer gioam'
ing had a plalntive sound.
"T haven't any thing new to sing 10
you tonight. Cyril" she faltercd.
"Thcn sing mo one OF the old songs,
love" said the man tenderly.
High, thin and little cracked, her
soprano rose In quaint sweet melody
OF "Ovcr tho Garden WALL When
the song was ended her lover laughed
and said:
THAT was indeed an old one, Clara.
Two hard lines formed about the COR
ners Of her mouth.
~Yes. Cyril" she said quietly; Il
sang that song 10 you the night we be-
came engagej"-New Orleans Times
Democrat
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
proof of His innocence.

A southern negro was brought into
the courtroom, accused OF stealing
neighbor's chickens.
Mister George Washington Shin
tonn cid YOU steal those chickens?"
asked the judge pointedly.
"No, sab, jedge. All Is toe spectacle
TO dat"
But II is stated on good authority
that a bundle OF feathers was found
In your back yard the day before
Christmas"
dat 'sinneration. jedge. des proves
NAH innocence. COZ how could de fed
ders be found In nah back yard de
day befo' Christmas when nah vile
didn't pluck dose chickens until de day
after Christmas |-Circle.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Pretty Useful Shoes.

II would be difficult to realize what
the Frieslander would do without his
klompen, or wooden shoes, for they
have a hundred uses. With them he
balls out his boat. corrects his chill
dren and scoops up a drink Of water
wherever he may be. lie places In
them his worms for fishing, uses them
as missiles in a free fight digs with
them. measures dry goods with them,
and hundred other things. The
klompen are cheap; they cost about
fifteen pence pair. mans size. and
Dutchmen's feet are not Cinderella
like by any means.-Wide World Mag
aZine.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
A Contrast,

Mr. Dappcr is one of that class OF
men who are scrupulously neat In their
personal appearance. but who never
fail to leave chaos behind them in the
scene OF their preparations. a neigh
Dor recently called on Mrs. Dappef
and remarked:
zone rarely sees a more well kept
man than your husband. He always
looks as IL be had just come out OF
bandbox."
"very true" returned Mrs. Dapper,
"but"-with n sigh-"yOu ought to see
the dbox."-Pearson's Weekly.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Plane Sailinq.

All plain sail.-g. This term Is so
spelled even in nautical works Of some
age, but pl!Ic :liling is the correct
form. Before Mercator invented the
sea chart which GOES by his name all
charts were Cl plane projection. In
using these the ships course was treat
ed as an angle and the distance. diff
ference Of latitude and departure as
the sides OF q right angled triangle.
There were very large errors In plane
charts, yet all the world was charted
on them and all the great voyages OF
discovery made before Mercator's pro-
lection came into use Plane sailing
was the, simplest Of all sailings, and
thus came the present meaning Of the
term.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
plain livind.

How totally different is the effect or
plain, rational and nutritious diet up
on the man who eats TO live. His ap-
petite requires no pamperinG. and yet
he enjoys his food, and at the sane
time-what Il gormand Is deprived OF
he is thoroughly alive TO all the pleas
ures OF life and able for Its duties
DR. Robert Bell In Health Record.
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
r.. GO .t That.

They were holding down the parIoe
sofa together.
women he remarked to the dear
girl by his side, "are not good listen
ers."
The dear girl said nothing.
And the Gcae girls mother, who was
doing an eavesdropping stunt at the
keyhole, was not In a position to con-
tradict him. Chicago News -<
Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1907-08-30
Tn. EederaI Convention.

There were sixty-two members OF
the convention that framed the con
stitution Of the United States. Or
these the men who welded the great
est influence were Washington, Fral K
lin. Hamilton and Madison. Was1-
ington's devoted patriotism, Franklin's
unfailing common sense. Hamilton's
passion for nationality and Madison's
uncomfortable democracy. fused at
last TO form what Mr.. Gladstone called
''the greatest riece Of work that ever
spranc from the human mind"