davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15

revealing the tree in all of it's mag nificence. The doll house complete ly furnished with every conceivable cOntrivance. the cook stove that really cooked, the nre engine appa- ratus that tomorrow would go pell- mell over the house, the au- tomobile with it's horn to warn the neighbors to look out for their lives-such numerous things that grandfather's eyes were bewildered and his head swam. What was there left for the children of the next generation. Were those grati- fled youngsters any happier, any better than the little lad of sixty years ago, whose presents consisted of rosy apple and a stick of candy?
 Then grandfather turned out the lights put up his pipe and slowly ascended the staircase. stepped quietly along the hall to see that all was well. then opened grand mothers door and silently hung a piece of mistletoe on the gas jet for it was just fifty years since he had kissed her and told her the sweet. old story. And in a few hours sine would waken the house would re- sound with merry laughter and grandfather would dismantle the burdened tree. would settle all diff faculties, join in the old time Christ mas carols that were always sung, and dance in the merry circle
 There would be the dinner, with a dear little flaXen-haired grand child on either side of grandfath CT each clamorin@ for a drum-stick: : after that the dear grown-nu chil- dren would say good-by and take the tired little ones home. and he and grandmother would sit ogether and say Another Christmas and our little circle still unbrollen.
 Thank God for that. for it the children that keeps our hearts NOunGo
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15
Where Christmas Trees Grow 
 and How They Are Harvested

In all well regulated families the prerequisite of an ideal Christmas day is the tree, with punches of mistletOe and wreaths of holly to add to the decorations of the room. then, when the tree has been light ed with myriads of tiny candles, and the gifts oi old Kris krinsle are hung about on the branches, the sight is well calculated to transport the average younSster to the ze- nth of earthly bliss.
 But to attain this preamble of a Christmas day it means that thous- ands of persons throughout the conn try must brave the clements, risk limb and osmetimes life and then spending drcary hours in hauling about the streets the product of the forest
 In former years yet in the recol- lection of those who have attained their majority, the most popular and almost universal Christmas tree was the cedar, It grew in endless protuSion in every section of the country and the starting of one was ample assurance that each year lit tie volunteers would spring up and and, in the course of q very few years be ready for the market.
 The Tree Required.
 This class of tree is still frequent ly used. For Christmas purposes the tree must be old and some eight or ten feet high It is cut down, the surplus branches Topped off, and is thrown into the wagon of the merchant. When it reaches the city it finds a ready sale in prices ranging all the way from % cents to $1, according to the demand
 The tree mentioned is used for family publications. but when one is needed for schools, orphanages
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15
Grandfather's Christmas Eve %

night. The lights had burned out in the great front room, hiding the gorgeousness of the tree whose glittering branches bent with the weight of gifts. One by one the family had said good night" but grand father lighted his beloved pipe and sat down by the glowing embers of the grate fire and let his mind wander backward sixty years. And here is what he saw:
 A little lad of 10 in red-topped, brass-toed boots, his first pair. a rosy apple in his pocket, stick of peppermint candy in his hand. his Christmas gifts And he was to be allowed to ride his pony to the chase. Here he waited this crisp Christmas day on the broad pi- azza of the old Kentucky home.
 Afterwards there was a sumptuous dinner, with openhanded and "lole-oOuleu llOSplldlllS, TOT Wnlcn the family had been noted.
 Then there was succession of such Christmases, followed by the gay college holidays, where the mis- tletoe played prominent part in the festivities of Christmas week.
 Next came five years in the war Still one or two Christmases came Vividly to his mind one in New Orleans when the city forgot her irandfathers Christmas eye. TWO woes and even welcomed the fasci- hating young officers who spent their money with such prodigalitv at the bazaars and fairs which were In full blast on Christmas night.
 He touched his silk smoking cap lovingly as he recalled the mother superior who gave it to hinn with her blessing. though she kept a watch ful eye upon the young captain as he promenaded with the pretty con- vent belles. Yes. that Christmas Tn New Orleans was a unique ex- perience
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15
He did as he Was Told.

The boarders were alarmed one running at a tr2menduous gait in one of the upper rooms. However. as it fame from the second floor front room of the new boarder noth- ing was said. The next night the same running noises were heard, still it was thought best to say noth- ing. But the third night the noise differed the boarders huddled to- gether in theparlor as the chande- Hers shook, as the man above ap- parently came dowat at intervals with thump, thump, that fairly shook the house.
 Two were delegated to see what was the matter.
 What in the world is the mat ter, up here?' asked one of the men as the door was opened by the new Doarder, apparently breathless.
 Why, came the answer, be- tween Sasps of breath. "I am taking my medicine
 Medicine?s echoed one of the men.
 Yes, said the man as he drop ped into a chair from sheer eXhaus- tion. Its tougher on me than it is on you. But the doctor said should take it two nights running. and then skip the third night
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15
He Thought it Nasn', {,

Papa, said little boy, is Rot terdam swearing?"
 No was the answer, that is the name of a city in Holland.
 Well, said the boy, Fannie Jones ate some of my candy today, and I told her I hoped it would rot ter-dam teeth Out.n
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-12-15

And the curtain would fall shu:- ting out the long procession of Christmasses, and he and grand mother would begin to plan as they alays did ,'as to what they'd do next year.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
STORIES ABOUT WHALES

pidity thst made the haFpoon-line smoke az
it ran around the loggerhead and out through
the bows of the boat. When he next showed
himself above water the boat was at, han1
(for experienced whalemen can generally tel
which course their prey adopts to ,escape)
and two bomb lances were shot into the crea-
ture beforeSh had time to look about him;
Then he began the usual tactics of struck,
whale He would dive and double on himself
while down, coming up in the direction oP,,
poste to the one expected. Then he would
start off on run, head in air. and all OF a
sudden dive and be out of sight from five to
ten minutes. Once at least his whaleship
treated the men in the boat to a surprise and
fright, coming up from one of his excursions
to the bottom right beside the little craft;
With startling velocity the monster rushed
up from below, not stopping at the SURFACE,
but keeping right on up in the air until fully
thirty feet of his ponderous body was erect
ed beside the boat like leaning tower. Only
one thing could be done. The terror-stricken
men thrust out their hands, so near was the
whale, and pushed the boat away to an oars
length, and then pulled out of harms way;
for had the creature come down to the left in
stead of the right-had he known his power
the little craft would have been crushed like
an eggshell. All the while bombs were being
shot into the whale whenever an opportunity
offered. Ten of them we're planted in va
rious parts of his anatomy before he gave
in, and it was three hours after the first
shot when the leviathan rolled over and was
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

could not swallow baby. Still the harpoon-
er's situation was none the less precarious, as
he might easily be crushed to death. The
whale instantly plunged down into the deep,
but the imprisoned man had not lost his
presence of mind. He mustered his entire
bodily strength, and he was very powerful
man, actually bracing himself in such a po-
sition as to compel the fish to spread its
jaws, and with his sheath-knife cut right and
left. No sooner was there a sufficient open
ing than he forced his way outside and rose
to the surface. Strange to say, he was with
in arms length of the boat when he came
up, and he was soon hauled aboard, consid
erably shaken up, but otherwise sound and
whole After this adventure Leonard was
known as "the second JONAH" and no won
der.
Of all hunting, that for whales is the most
exciting These elephants of the sea, like
their brethren of the African forests, are fear
full in their anger. Their lashing of the water
to foam with their enormous tails, frenzied
divings and leapings, the wild speed with
which they attempt to escape, their circlings
when about to die-all these, added to the feel
ing of insecurity engendered by being in
small boat away from land, gives to the hunt
an element of joy, as well as danger, not
taken as a specimen, hunt: '"The whale jump
ed when the keen-edged barb entered his side,
and then sounded going down with a ra-
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
WONDERS OF. THE MIRAGE

In Syracuse, distant city, remarkable
mirage was witnessed by many persons. 1t
lasted two hours, and was best observed from
University Hill, looking northwest over On
ondaga Lake. Lake Ontario was plainly visl-
BILE, and stretching out at angle of twenty
five degrees of the horizon, it looked like an
ocean.
Professor Comfort says that few years
previous a similar mirage occurred, and it
was so distinct that, by means of glass, he
could discern a town, probably Kingston.
Portions of Rochester, and sections of the
country lying south of it, have been seen out
in the lake six and ten miles distant, as
though the city was standing erect in the air.
Trains of moving cars and other objects were
clearly defined, the aerial phenomena contin-
uing for nearly an hour
A well-known lake captain has also witness
ed a wonderful mirage out on Lake Ontario.
While on his way from the st. Lawrence, up
the lake and near the islands known as the
False Ducks, and while standing at the wheel,
there suddenly burst into view the city of
Oswego, thirty-one miles distant, with the gas
lights in the streets, and all the appearance
town lighted up would present from hill
in the immediate vicinity at night. The
lighthouse at Oswego, as well as others on the
AXE shore below as far as Sackett's Harbor,
were distinctly seen. 1t was a sort of night
mirage. and a rare sight indeed. 1t lasted
for several minutes, then slowly faded away
into darkness
AT Rochester. which is about twenty miles
inland from Lake Ontario, a mirage of the
most SURPRISING character was witnessed by
many. The entire northern sky was lighted
above the landmark with the blue waters of
Lake Ontario, while, refecting from her bo-
som. could be seen the mountains hills, val
leys, bays and rivers of the Canada shore in
land for miles.
The coast could be plainly seen mirrored
over stretch of fifty miles, and so perfect
at one time that the forests could readily be
Distinguished Some idea of its grandeur can
be formed by knowing that country sep
in width was, as if suddenly by the hand of
its great Creator, painted upon the heavens
SO plainly as to be seen from standpoint Of
nearly one hundred miles distant.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
. q . ON THE MONUMENT
Y
q

I not been held by my belt, I should have
been instantly flung into the boiling surge. l
no longer considered whether or not l was
likely to escape. Whether the tide was rising
or falling L neither knew nor cared. was
only conscious of clinging desperately to the
staff. =,
The wind died out, the tide fell, and the
waves went down. The clouds disappeared
from the sky, and the moon shone out clear
and calm in the west.
Of all these things was dimly conscious;
still, did not loosen my hold. | seemed to
be passing through terrible dream.
At last L was sure that all danger was over
My limbs refused to hold me up any longer
/ dropped down. still clasping the staff with
my arms, and tainted dead away. :,
When | next came to my senses, IT was
three weeks afterward. / was in bed at home,
Just getting over sever attack of braln-tever.
had been seen the next forenoon and tax
en- off by the hght-keeper. During my illness
was aq the time raving about my boat, tne
Monument and the storm, so that my family
were able to guess at most of my adventure,
even before l got strong enough to tell II my
self.
1t was long time before / recovered from
the effects of that terrible night. For months
afterward my sleep was haunted with fright
full dreams, from which would often wake
in cold perspiration, with the boom OF the
breakers sounding in my~ears.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

por, that shone with faint and sickly light.
The worst of my ordeal was at hand.
Sick and despairing, turned away my head
and fastened my eyes in an intent and longing
gaze on the few feeble lights that still gleam-
ed from the village.
| felt that l should never see home again.
All my courage, all my determination, was
gone. l chung weakly to the staff and cow
eripgy waited for the storm to break.
So swiftly had the dense clouds risen that
half the sky was already covered The thun-
der, which had first sounded at distance,
was now rolling nearer and nearer The, wind
came in furious gusts and again the rain be-
gan to pour down.
Then there came dazzling blaze Of light
ming that lit UP the whole scene. For mo-
ment l could see the foaming harbor with its
black shores, the white houses Of the village,
and the dark mountains in the back of the
town, sharply outlined against the northern
sky.
The next second everything was wrapped
in pitchy darkness Then came a deafening
crash of thunder. and the storm burst in all
its fury.
Blinded by the lightning flashes, deafened
by the roar of the storm, drenched and buff
feted by the driving spray, / clung breath
lessly to the staff. l felt that l was mere
atom in that raging sea of black waters.
The waves that swept the summit of the
Monument often carried me off my feet. Had
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

schooner sailed on for two days and nights
with her unwelcome visitor frisking around
her, and not a man dared close his eyes.
BUT the great animal was either merciful
or ignorant of its strength At any rate,
it finally dropped astern after giving the
Cecilia two terrible whacks that nearly cap
sized her.
Another whale story, with more of the spice
of danger, is told of an American sailor nam
ed Leonard, who was one of the crew of the
ship Mystery, whaler in the North Pacific.
One day he was stationed in the bow of a
whaleboat, long distance from the ship, in
hunt of large whale. Our hero was the
harpooner, and when within proper distance
he threw his harpoon, striking the fish hard
and deep. The line began to run out, when
suddenly it caught the body of one of the
men in such way as to haul him overheard
As the man sank, the harpooner transferred
his line to a boatmate and sprang into the
ocean in aid of the drowning sailor, and just
at that moment the whale, maddened by the
wound, made rush for the boat Remark
able to relate, Leonard's friend managed to
regain the boat in safety, but Leonard him
self was caught by the whale between its
jaws, his position being inside the monsters
mouth, with nothing protruding but one Of
his arms. If it had been shark Leonard
would have instantly been swallowed alive,
but whale has very small gullet, and
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

the tide must have reached its greatest height.
All at once I remembered that it was on
the full of the moon, and that the tide would
rise much higher than usual. Even if the
night were calm. very little of the Monument
would be out of water With the gale that
was now blowing, it would probably be who'll
ly covered.
need not explain to you my terror as l
realized what this increased rise of the tide
meant to me. Life or death might depend
on few inches more or less.
l had grown so weak that l could hardly
keep myself from slipping down again upon
the granite. Such thing, however, was now
out of the question, for the waves were al
ready beginning to sweep over the top. Moth
ing was left for me to do but to cling to the
staff and wait for the worst
So busy was l with these thoughts, that at
first / hardly noticed lul in the storm.
Finally l saw that the force of the wind had
lessened and that the rain had almost stop
ped. The clouds. too, seemed to be break
ing away overhead and the light of the moon
struggled feebly through them. The thought
that the worst of the gale was over brought
me some little consolation.
Suddenly above the crash of the pillows
heard deep rumble in the south. l turned
my head and saw dreadful sight. Across
the southern horizon stretched cloudy wall
black as ink. swiftly rising and spreading ovH
the sky. Upon its edges rung masses of va
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
CHASED BY GRAY WOLVES

My head sank upon my breast as l waited
that fatal spring, when 10! column of sparks
and flame shot twenty feet up into the air
and scattered the frightened wolves, who fed
bowling in dismay. l was saved!
A pitch-soaked root had blazed up in the
nick of time and now burned merrily. Pre-
sently the whole resin-covered trunk of the
tree caught fire and became a veritable pill
lar of flames, and then knew that my hour
of peril was indeed past.
The wolves hung around until morning, but
the 6rst-beams of the rising sun scattered
them to their lairs among the mountains. You
can imagine how my heart beat with joy as
watched the last one stink away.
As soon as it was broad daylight, / started
on foot for Gottheb's cabin, where l found
my father and brother making eager inquiries
concerning me. My absence over night had
made them SO uneasy about me, that they had
started out bright and early to look me up.
we were joyful party as we rode home
ward, where the story of my adventure
brought tears to mothers eyes; and even yet
l never think of that without shudder.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

Some forms of mirage are lateral as well as
vertical, arising from unequal density of two
contiguous vertical bodies of air Thus, on
Lake Geneva, boat has been seen double,
the two images some distance apart.
Persons have been duplicated in the same
way. Any one on hot day. by placing his
eye near to a heated wall, may see lateral
mirages of objects at distance and nearly
on line with the wall.
Mirages are very frequent on deserts or the
large sandy plains which abound in the
Southwestern States and Territories Many a
painting wagon train has pushed on in joyous
haste at the sight of green grove or limpid
lake, only to be cruelty disappointed at the
fading away of the vision. Is it any wonder
that the natives and Indians regard the phe-
nomenon as the work of evil and tantalizing
spirits?
Lake Ontario is famous for beautiful and
wonderful mirages, during which the opposite
(Canadian) shore of the lake is plainly vis-
BILE.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
CONTINUED FROM PAGE FOUR

pretty small. could only hope that my fears
were groundless, and that the wind would go
down before morning.
Up to this time had not thought much
about the height to which the water came on
the Monument. / knew that the top was
generally five or SIX feet above at high tide,
and even with the waves running so high as
they were now. l expected nothing worse
than bad wetting by spray. In my condi-
ton little water more or less couldn't make
much difference to me.
l knew that it was now nearly midnight,
and that the tide must be about high, so
patiently waited for the waves to fall. But
so far from showing any signs of going down
they beat against the granite with more force
than ever.
The masses of spray were now dashing over
me with such violence that / could lie still no
longer Choking and gasping for breath l
stood up. Unbuckling my belt with numb
fingers, l managed to pass it around the staff
and my body. then felt safe from the force
of the wind. My change in position, too, gave
me some relief.
Ten, fifteen. twenty minutes passed. and
still the waters showed no signs of abating
What could it mean? Surely by this time
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21

Not long ago perfect mirage was witnessed
from Oswego, in the afternoon. 1t extended
from a point nearly opposite Oswego City to
Cape Vincent, at points on the Jefferson coun-
ty shore.
Whole blocks of the city of Kingston were
visible and localities distinctly defined. From
Sackett's Harbor, Point Peninsula, ten miles
distant, has appeared not more than two or
three miles away, and so plainly in view that
the limbs of trees were visible.
Stony Island stood out plainly in view, and
far beyond it could be seen Gallop and Duck
Island. Even the Canada shore in the>vicin-
ity of Long Point and Prince Edwards Bay
was at times plainly in sight.
A vessel has been seen sailing along the
horizon with the hull uppermost, visible at
Lake Bluff. Accompanying the appearance of
the ship was that of mountains and hills, as
though the Canadian shore was coming into
view. A puff of wind apparently caused the
whole phantasmagoria to melt away as if by
magic.
Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
CONTINUED FROM PRECEDING PAGE

a group were forced within the circle of fire
light, and shuddered as | saw their pitiless
white fangs and glaring eyes.
But the savage animals soon tired of ,rend-
ing each other and returned to their old occu-
patton of ceaselessy tramping around my
ire-lit space.
Thus the hours dragged YEARLY past, until,
from the position of the stars l knew that it
lacked but two hours of daybreak, and now
the fire began to burn low. Every cone and
twig from beneath the tree had been heaped
on the Goals. ,,
'1f one of those pinons were just a little
higher I'd make dash for it," l thought,
over and over again, as l watched the flames
sink lower and lower, while the circling
wolves came closer and closer.
And now there was but a bed of glowing
embers left. The gaunt leader of the band
had crept up nearer and still nearer, and as
the flmy ash began to form upon the ruddy
Goals. he crouched to leap upon his prey.