davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

aeom ' by '"t two oasceTs from seotiand
Yard and acting under instructions OF the
Spanish Ambassador whohei previously in
on hi way from the Hotel white he was sta
ying to the Steamship office 1t seems that it
was his evident intention to take passage for
New-York. From information received by
the Ambassador. he had been In hiding in
Spain, where he lived with woman ard
wing in London he had quarelled with ano-
Their Russian. who was mortally wounded by
a revolver shot during the scufhc. and who
only lived hong enough to denounce his assai-
liant.
In an interview, with the Russian Amba-
using in Spain. and which he gave being
being simply an alibi. but after comparing
the prisoner With photographs In his posse
ssion the Russian Ambassador, recognized
him as Petrovicz the criminal banker who
eloped with million OF rubles; he is native
Of ST Petersburg widower 4S years old.
with an only daughter whom he leaft in Spain
on escaping from that country.
On being anrests.d. two OF Manasseina .
or PetrovicZ pOrtmanteaus were seized
but although strictly searched nothing but
personal effects were found in them. In spite
of which. the Russian Ambassador declares
the prisoner ought to have several million
ruhles some where.
The Russian and Spanish Ambassadors
conferred yesterday evening to whether
the prisoner should be conveyed to Spain or
to Russia. and after an interview with the
Home Secretary and. in accordance , With the
Spain it was agreed that the prisoner should
be conveyed to Spain, to stand his trial for
mhnslaughter. and that only after bis trial
can the Russian Government ask Spain. tro-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

these gyrating seeds had perpetrated to
cause them to behave that way. They
hypnotized me. I felt pretty seedy my
self, what with that gorgeful duck dinner.
and the fact that I'd sat up playing poker
and losing-till 3 o'clock that morning.
But every time I'd try to tear myself
away from that showcase wherein the
seeds were dervishing around some I'M
seen force seemed to hold my feet to the
ground and kept my eyes riveted on the
tray, and 1 couldn't get away. Once, by
a mighty exercise of will. did turn my
back on the jumping seeds and walked
five or six steps down Broadway. but l
turned back something seemed to grab
a-hold of me and make me turn back
And so there 1 stood for another fifteen
minutes or so. Intellectually striving to
uncanny picture produced by the mad.
glad. bad Mexican jumping seeds.
FINALLY l concluded that the only way
I'd be able to get away would be to buy
some of the seeds and take 'em to my
lodgings. When 1 made up my mind to
do that l found that I could move my
feet quite easily in walking into the pic
ture postcard shop. Then / concluded
that the Mexican jumping seeds had
been wanting me to buy them all the
time, and that this was the reason why
they sort of chained my legs when tried
to move away from them, and this &C
counted for my ease of locomotion when
1 went into the shop to buy some Of
them.
Il told the man I'd take a dozen. He
tried to scoop 'em out of boxful that
he had In there. But / told him no. I
wanted the seeds that were In the show
case. He mumbled about that. but did
not mind his mumbling: I felt that the
seeds that I'd been gazing at in the show
case for so long a time would never for
give me IL I didn't release them from
their showcase imprisonment, II, indeed,
they would even permit me to walk away
from there at all if I didn't take them
with me.
II paid my 40 cents for a dozen Of the
seeds from that pewter ash tray. and
those that were left behind darted around
angrily when they saw that I wasn't 60
ing to take them along, too. and when the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

thing that this turned-black one sure
must be an extinct jumper But while 1
was watching the gyrations of some of
the other fellows. why. this turned-black
seed suddenly came to with whoop, SO
to speak. and he slid the whole length
of the trap In a perfectly straight course.
cold-bloodedly knocking every other seed
out of his lane: then. reaching the far
end Of the tray. he jumped up to the rim
Of the tray. sauatted down on the re-
pousse work of the rim and gloomed and
rlowered, kind O. like per-turb-ed mud
turtle.
II hated these Mexican jumping, seeds
as I stood, first on one foot and then
on the other. and watched EN- comfort
To me they symbolized the inquietude OF
a bad conscience or something worse
tried to think of what hideous crimes
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

pops up as the subject Of discussion. ON.
nix. 1 haven't a particle OF supersti
in nv whole carcass and about TWO
minutes later. maybe, II they Spll, t me
a pinch of the spilled salt and tossing
It over the left shoulder, or II they Smash
a looking glass they go around worrying
themselves about the seven years oau
luck sure to follow, and If SOMEBODY ac,
cidentaliy rests an umbrella on PEG
vou'U hear 'em squeak In alarm as II
an earthquake was coming of. and ali
like that.
"Yeste rday spent half an hour watch
ing tho curves of a whole lot OF folks ana
a ladder The folks made the curves,
that 10 to say. The ladder furnished the
rafson detre for their curves.
.sThe ladder was placed against build
ing on street An awning was oeing
taken down. The feet Of the ladder-it
was a long one-rested about IN the MID
die Of the sidewalk. 1t wasn't much OF
an obstruction Pedestrians had the plain
choice of walking on the outside or the
inside of it. The colossal majority OF the
pedestrians, though, you'd better believe,
walked on the outside Of the ladder.
Which reminds me that it's queer
thing how these antique supersti.lonS a.e
handed down. There's no written book
of superstitions. Superstitions make
sort Of universal folk lore. How does ev-
erybody-as everybody sure does-knoM
that it's rank, rotten bad luck to pass
under a ladder-on the inner side or
standing ladder that is? But every body
does know 1t. It's sort OF instructive for
'em to know it. I don't just remember
that anybody ever actually told me that
IL was bad luck to pass under a iadoer.
7 think we absorb superstitions through
our pores. sort o.
Anyhow, it was interesting and fun
too. to watch the behavior Of the F street
folks who swung along and butted into
this ladder problem
Most OF them saw the ladder when
they lust passed on the outside of IT
without ever thought of doing anything
else. Some Of them looked at the ladder
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

hand you. L don't know why. 1heie
nothing disgraceful in being superstitious.
The most renowned people in history were
mostly superstitious. Julius Caesar was
a. sure enough bug as to the superstition
thing. Charlemagne had the superstition
maggot bad Likewise did Richard OF
the Lion Heart Also Napoleon. SINH
larly Mozart. George Eliot. Lord Byron.
Shelley, Admiral Crichton, Dorsey Foultz
his was the superstition that it's bet
ter to be there than here-and whole
flock of others. l could go right down
the line for a couple of days running
with the names Of big noises In history
who were so superstitious that II they
got out of bed on the wrong side or put
on the first sock inner side out they'd
become so peeved that they'd run around
in circumpolar circles or cut off head
or two, or something like that to exer-
else the punk effect of the faux pas or
contretemps, or things like those.
But I'm not talking about large det-
onations in history. I'm speaking about
ordinary, everyday. common or garden
variety folks of today. Just tot 1t up
and try to think of how many friends
you've got on your own list who'll ac-
knowledge that they're superstitious
Can't think of any?.rI thought not
They're all there with that little bro
midom. when the matter Of superstition
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

ugh diplomatic channels. for his extradition.
Now doesn't II seem almost impos-
sibie that any person intelligent enough
to have saved or inherited or become
possessed In any way or a sum ~
money would have sense enough to
pass up this Spanish swindle thing
But such isn't the case. The Spanish
swindlers, as the State Department
we'll knows, by reason of the hundreds
of complaints that have come to 1t from
American citizens who have been stung
do a land office business in all the
states of the Union-have been doing IL
for years-and apparently In perfect
security.
Anyhow. Mr.. Smith, who keeps the
general store at Berwyn, Md, wasn't
stung. He reads the papers, and he
turned the above letter over 70 tbs
Post Office Department II was about
the umpsteenth handed to them by To-
cal business men IN the last month. and
put 1t on file with the rest. There 10
blamed little they can do under the cir
cumstances.
AS example OF the way conflding folks
are taken in, It is only necessary to cite
the case OF William Moffett, the Anne
Arundel county farmer. who Just the
other day returned from Madrid. where
he had been lured by the above literature,
and where he had handed over hve thou
sand in cold hard cash to the aforesaid
afflicted banker.
Moffett was never much OF a newspaper
reader. I'll bet he subscribes to all or
'em now. IRVING c. NORWOOD.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

Ing seeds again. 1t was only by taking
a hard clutch on myself that I managed
to yank myself into my bedroom and re-
move my clothes and scatter 'em around
the flooT-I was too nervous to hang
them up. as 1 usually do, believe me.
81 did not dare trust myself to return
to my sitting room and take another look
at the squirming seeds. although some
thing invisible. but with immense
strength, seemed to do its flendishest to
drag me back to where the seeds were.
resisted with all my strength. however.
and slipped into bed and switched on the
light after I'd got into bed.
'Then / tried to compose myself for
slumber. But nix. The thought of those
squirming seeds was with me and
wouldn't let me sleep. The jumpiness.
the restlessness. the wriggliness. the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

invented flying machine. What IL more
he has an application pending among the
3oO-odd others in the patent Office down
on G street, and some time soon. when the
bubble buyers begin to blow in and the
fall tipping season opens in earnest. he's
going to build one on his own plans and
fly around in it.
OF course. everybody is more or less in
terested in aviation nowadays and there
are all sorts and shapes Of flying ma
chimes under construction in attics and
woodsheds and back yards all over the
city. Young and old, rich and poor. edu-
Gated and ignorant. are seeking knowl-
edge. and as a result some new light is
hound to filter. sooner or later, through
the darkness that now circumscrfbes the
possibilities of sustained mechanical
flight Only last week was announced
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25
plan the bes' monoplane; have invent
the Flying Mushroom"

TT is astonishing. The years may come
and the years may go, tariff bills may
be born and die, north poles may be dis
covered in rapid succession and govern
ments may flourish and wane. but the
Spanish swindle goes on forever. Even
allowing for the natural bone-headedness
of the American public, it seems aston
fishing that this Spanish swindle thing,
older than the green goods game, better
known than thmblerigging, more trans
parent than window glass, should still
prove remunerative to its operators. 1t
is also worth unofficial comment that the
Spanish government doesn't appear ever
to have torn its shirt as result OF the
energetic measures it has taken to locate
the swindlers, all of whom operate from
the Spanish capital Madrid.
This discussion OF the Spanish sWindle
is apropos just now because of the fact
that of late Washington business men
have been deluged with letters in the
ancient form Offering large wads OF
money for just a little help. Here is a
letter-they are all the same-received the
other day by S. F. Smith. who keeps
general store at Berwyn, Md.
Madrid. August IS 1909.
Dear Sir: Although know you only from
good references Of your honesty, my bad eitua-
ton compes me to reveal you important ar
fair in which you can procure a fortune. saving
at the same time that Of my darling daughter.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

hand is dead? Well, dear me. sakes
alive. 1 s'pose pretty soon you'll be say
ing that ALL my hands are dead! You'll
be calling me Dead-Hand Della pretty
soon. do believe. Well, I certainly do
hope and pray that nobody here thinks
that would CHEAT! 1 guess I could
be trusted to throw away cards that did
not improve my hand, even If 1 did look
at what I'd drawn before l threw away
my discard. Mercy on us you'd think
we We're PLAYING one OF those REGULAR Old
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

Robbery. 1t made me mighty nervous.
can tell you. After I'd gone block
out the cigar case and opened it up. and
there were the jumping seeds, lying as
quiet as could be in the bottom Of the
case, and SO I thought l must have been
mistaken about the way they'd been be-
having But they must have been play
ing possum while l was looking at Them
or else my imagination was beginning TO
work overtime again; for just as soon as
replaced the cigar case in my pocket
why. that humping and banging and bat
Ting of the seeds began all over again.
concluded that maybe the seeds were
smothering or something in the cigar
case, and SO I decided to beat 1t to my
lodgings and spread EN- out on an ash
tray OF my own to give 'em air. hopped
aboard car and got to my lodgings IN,
was to dump my dozen Mexican jumping
seeds out on the white china ash tray,
with buffa1o's head In the center that
somebody sent me from the Buffalo ex-
position Well, maybe the buffalo's head
scared 'em or something. but. anyhow,
those seeds no sooner landed on the tray
than they began to. cut up capers the
like of which I'd never seen anything
alive or dead cut up before. They popped
straight up into the air like dolphins
flying fish, they swayed and SUNK along
like drunken men, they trembled like
growly automobiles. they teetered around
like nautch girls, they turned somersaults
and backflips. they did every doggoned
thing imaginable except play the viplon-
cello and eat Camembert cheese. and
maybe they'd have done those things II
there'd been any violoncellos and Camem-
bert cheeses handy.
IT sat there and watched 'em for what
must have been hours and hours. When
finally snapped myself out Of the daze
in which they'd got me. and discovered
that it was past my bedtime. I had a
hard time getting up from my chair to take
my clothes off. The jumping seeds seemed
to hold me in my chair. Several times
tried to rise, but each time 1 sCrt of tot
tered back and fell to watching the jump
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

horrid. nasty old job, anyhow. shuffling
the embarrassing 'em, as you call 1t
right after you've dealt 'em. I don't see
the sense of playing with two decks, any
how. 1t makes the game too rapid. I'm
hurried almost to death. And whenever
wash up the cards. 1 have to almost
break my neck to see the hand that's be-
ing served for fear you'll all pass me
out, right now, for instance-pul-iease
wait. won't you. till l have chance to
look at my hand? My. these are stubborn
cards to shuttle. They're so sticky and
now, wait! say. I haven't even picked
my cards up yet!
ooh, dear me, 1 can open it! Well.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25
THE WOMEN"

Man Greenhut games Of poker that my
husband is always talking about though
who in the wide world Old Man Greenhut
can be I'm sure 1 don't
''Oh, am I shy again? Well, it's mighty
funny that I'm always the one that's
picked out as being shy. Doesn't any
body else in the whole world ever go shy
in a pot, I wonder? l am perfectly posi-
tive that 1 put white chip in. there. the
very first one, but if you all say How's
that? I was too busy washing up the
cards to ante? on well. OF course I've got
to believe what you all say. This is a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

think / was drawing to a straight or a
flush after I'd opened the pot. would
they? But they might think I was draw
ing to two pairs. But don't believe
everything that my husband tells mel
should saw not. I think person should
draw lust as many cards as are needed.
and Oh, l know very we'll that you all
think I'm giving my hand dead away, but
I'm only talking in a general kind or
way Anyhow, 1 notice that these men
that are such terrible sticklers for the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

hould say I could open it! La, la!
should have been the angriest creature in
the whole world If you hurry-up folks had
passed me out this time. deed
should We! And here I've got But
guess I'm not going to tell you what I've
got, smarties! Wouldn't be the
Let me see. how many cards shall
take? My husband is always drumming
at me to take only one card. when I've
got a good set of threes so as 10 create
the impression that I'm drawing either to
two pairs or to fill straight or flush.
butch, of course. thouh, nobody would
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

up and looking at the cards that I've
drawn? Well. the idea. AS II didn't
know that. How? 1 haven't thrown
away my discard yet, although I've pick
ed up the two cards that I've drawn?
Why, 80 haven't. But how can you ex-
pect me to do things right when you ruff
fe and fiuster me SO? Oh. well, I'll
throw two cards away now. What? l
CANT? Why, this is perfectly out
rageous! haven't had much more than
a glimpse at the cards that I've drawn,
and they don't help my hand anyway.
That doesn't make any difference. my
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

1ERE were al.
ready seven in the
little two-bit-limit
poker game at the
Gitapps' apartment
when this man, a
stenographer. got
there. SO this man,
the stenographer,
didn't sit in. In
stead. he amused
himself Sitting In
the next room and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

rules OF the game are always the ones
that lose their money to we women.
How? How many cards do l want?
Why, I want two-it seems to me that 1
said I wanted two hours and hours ago!
lis 1t my bet? How does 1t happen 10
the pot. didn't I? HIM. it's SO rare that l
get a chance to open a pot in this game.
what with being passed out all the time:
and Now, please don't say that again!
Don't 1 know that it's my bet? Give me
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

have hardly opened my mouth since we
sat down to play. and I have wanted
to say a lot OF things, I can assure you.
especially when these grumpy men folks
make people play q regular old profess
Oh, well, then: won't say another
word. don't care II 1 keep so quiet
that I'll feel like screaming. I won't say
another word. deed won't. I won't
say
How is that? I must always throw
away my discarded cards before picking
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

! = a n e r v 0 u 3,
freaky, hysterical
world. Yesterday I
met an old friend
under whose eyes
were the purplish
pouches of sleep
lessness.
No. he said in
response to my
glance Of inquiry.
ITS not rum. It's
not the Cook-Peary
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

worst case Of combined st. Vitus dance
and palsy that ever I saw. And there
that each OF the quartered seeds acted on
his own hook. None Of the seeds was in
the least bothered by or interested in
what the other seeds did. When one Of
the seeds got it into it's head-if seeds
have heads-that it wanted to squirm in
certain direction, and if another tempo
rarily quiet seed happened TO be in the
would-be squirmer's path, why, the
sQuirmer 'ud just dart at the obstructing
seed and nudge it out of the way as
he wants to have better look at the
passing parade himself: and that's all
there was to 1T. A little later. perhaps,
the seed that had been pushed out of the
way would wake up and begin to squirm
and dance and wriggle. and then this one
would lay a straight course for the seed
that had done the pushing little while
before, and shoulder the dickens out Of
that one. just by way Of revenge 1t was
perfectly plain that 1t was all a matter of
getting hunk.
Some Of the seeds were buster squirm-
ers than others, but all Of em took their
regular crack at the hula-hula business
sooner or later. l thought differently for
awhile, but I found out my mistake.
There were four of the seeds heaped atop
Of each other at one end OF the tray, and
they hadn't made move for themselves
for fifteen minutes, and I said to myself
that these must be dead ones; l figured
that the restlessness in those four had
expired or cured itself or something. But
ali of a sudden. comp! the very bottom
seed of the heap took a notion that 1t
was sick Of having bunch Of lummoxes
piled on top Of 1t, and what did it do but
pop right smack up into the air. tossing
the other seeds aside as II they were just
nothing; and then for five minutes or so
that seed that'd been on the bottom of
the heap sashayed all over the tray, ell
bowling the rest of the gang out of the
way. and behaving like perfect bully
into corner all by itself and sulked.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25
HERE Is a waiter

HERE Is a waiter
at a local hotel,
whose name is Ro-
maine de Boscow or
Brochettes or De
Brosses or some
thing like that-his
| a n d Ia d y pro-
nounced It all in a
bunch and 1t would
not have been po-
lite to ask Romano
10 spell it-who has
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

NE Of the bromid-
IONS that's an
cienter than the
Hyksos Kings of
Egypt gay dogs
that they were!
is this: oh, I'm
not a bit super
stitious!' " observ-
ed the man with
fungus fumero per-
fecto. That's one
that they'll all
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

time to take a long breath. won't you.
please?
How many cards did you all drawn
No, I wasn't watching at all. because l
was SO frustrated over How? Only the
dealer Is obliged to state the number OF
cards he's drawn after the cards have
been served? Well. isn't that perfectly
ridiculous! Oh OF course I've heard that
before, too, but deed I think you all
might tell me. for II isn't often that"
At This point the stenographer's paper
ran out. CLARENCE L. CULLEN.