davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

rooms were evidently in the same con-
dition as they had been left in after
the majors death, though dust was
everywhere. We dragged down a cou-
pie of mattresses, candles and
matches. In the kitchen we found
some bread and cold mutton, and all
ate heartily. Then We went back into
the menagerie to pass the night. AS
We entered the reporter started back
and gripped my shoulder.
Look, look" he said, in half
scream.
The cage Of the macaw on the side
most remote from us was swinging
rhythmically, as though someone were
pushing it, while the bird, with open
beak and expanded wings, was chat
tering-not with fear but with anger.
Brodsky went up and steadied it, AL
most Immediately the cage on the 9TH
er side began to swing in the same
manner. Brodsky stepped back.
We'll, my friend, whoever you are,
we won't grudge you your little pas
time" he said. He turned to us. I'VE
have nothing to fear from such child
ish intelligences that take delight in
these mischievous pranks," he said
with a smile. "And think the three
of us can overcome any manifesto
tions of physical force. Hi! You!
Show me how far you can throw"
There was no answer in deed, ex-
cept that the cage stopped swinging.
Evidently the challenge had fallen on
deaf ears. We lit the candles, for it
had grown dark, and sat down. |
looked at the reporter. He was tremb-
ling violently. Suddenly the candles
went out, one after the other.
Blown OUT" cried the reporter, his
voice resounding queerly through the
gloom.
Punched out" said Brodsky. The
glowing ends of the wicks had been
cut clean as though with snuffers. He
lit them slowly, and instantly the
same phenomenon resulted.
well, they won't put this one out"
he said, lighting the one nearest him
ard carefully conveying it to where he
sat beside the concealed cheetah skin.
He set it down upon a packing case,
close to the ground. True to his word,
the candle flared steadily. He car
ried another to the same place and
lit it from the flame of the first. Moth
ing occurred.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

you would have the goodness to make
of in that direction until I'm gone, I
won't be back hunting for no burglars
until morning. Better keep together.
though, or he'll stave your ribs in
separate, as easy as barrels"
"Who?" Brodsky demanded.
The caretaker jeered at him. mo,
no, you don't catch me in any affida-
vits," he answered. Il done my duty
by the old man and his animals, and
he knows it and lets me alone. He
was always hot-headed, the old major
was, and if he chooses to squeeze your
ribs in now that he's dead, why, it's
just what he'd have done if he'd been
alive" He made a trumpet of his
hands. Polly! Poll! Poll! POLL"
he yelled.
saw a diminutive child come swift
ly out of the house. She might have
been II years of age, from her gen.
eral appearance, though her stature
was that of child half her years. She
came up furtively, taking no notice of
any of us, and stood still, biting the
corner of her apron. The caretaker
scolded her for her absence.
Baby been with Punk" said the
girl in childish treble. "Plunk good.
Baby love Punk. PUNK no love big
cat. Baby no love big cat"
Her father caught her roughly by
the hand and pulled her toward him.
Polly, have done with that nonsense"
he said sharply. "Plunk's dead and
gone and you won't see him again"
He turned to us. Were hoping she'll
grow up like any other child" he said
more softly; but the monkeys deaths
kind of upset her mind little. Now,
Polly, you come home to your Ma"
The girl burst into a passion of
tears and sobbed as though her heart
were broken. We left them there and
set off at brisk pace in the direction
which had been indicated
You really think it's the spirit of
the old major?" queried the reporter,
when we had left the house behind us.
MY dear fellow" Brodsky an
swered, IF / were in the habit of
forming hypothesis without a basis
of satisfactory evidence | should new
er have learned what little / know
about these things. Never be led in
to hypothesis, even in your own
trade" he continued whimsically. Il
can tell you one thing, however, it's
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

almost always the unexpected that
happens in everything"
That was all that We could get out
of him. We walked on in silence.
The sun went down in a burst of
splendor and by the time we got back
We had prolonged our walk into a
generous half hour. The place seemed
absolutely deserted, but the side door
was invitingly ajar, as the caretaker
had promised.
We passed through the caretaker's
quarters into long, low room, with
lumber, wire netting and bags of an
imal food piled up around it, Instant
ly we were startled by harsh, discor-
dant screams. Four giant parrots, or
macaws. rather, of splendid tropical
plumage, were suspended in four en-
ormous steel cages from the rafters
over our heads. They watched us,
uttering their ill-sounding cries, their
heads bent to one side inquiringly,
their large beaks open. Brodsky,
whose fondness for animals was al
most an obsession, went from cage to
cage, stroking the creatures heads
fearlessly. He had soon established
himself upon terms of intimacy with
them. Suddenly he recalled himself
with a start.
Let's go and look at the cheetah
skim" he said.
We found it in an ill.smelling out
building-a magnificent furry pelt,
newly cured. The animal must have
been a beauty when alive.
We'll take this with us; it may get
cold during the night" he said, lift
ing the skin and carrying it back to
the parrots room. Immediately the
birds saw him enter, his head half
hidden beneath the pelt, they set up
shrill screams of fear and began to
flutter their wings wildly. Brodsky
concealed the skin beneath a couple
of empty sacks and treasured the
creatures.
Now you boys take look through
the house." he said; 'and see if you
can find any bedding and eatables.
I'll stay here with the macaws"
We passed upstairs but found 10th
ing of interest. The plainly furnished
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
CURIOUS MAKEUP OF FENCES
Unique and Interesting Collections
Noted in a Tour Throughout
the Country.

The present age seems to be one
wherein persons vie with one another
to devise curious work. One might
make a unique and interesting collec-
ton by gathering views of freaks in
fence building, in which nothing
should be so commonplace as a
worm" fence.
Not many miles from New Bedford,
in Massachusetts, there stands a solid
fence, with curiously curved upper
line, and here and there a number
painted upon it in white. On exami-
nation it proves to be built of the
pew doors from a dismantled church
In Maine a man attached to life
saving station at Small Point
amassed sufficient number of
swords of the swordfish to build a
picket fence 40 feet in length.
In an old town of New Hampshire
there is house the yard of which is
inclosed with fence constructed Of
the pew doors of the old Brattle
street church of Boston. This fence
once felt the jar of the solid can
non ball that struck the church full
in the face in the revolutionary days.
Some years ago the government
authorities at Washington condemned
a large number of flagpoles in use
on the department buildings at the
capital and on the federal buildings
elsewhere. These were purchased by
a contraction who turpod them, int
pickets for a fence to surround his
country place near Washington. On
these poles, which were sawed into
the proper length for fencing pur.
poses, may be read many interesting
inscriptions placed thereon by vari-
Gus officials of the government and
by tourists who had climbed to the
top of the buildings which they once
graced.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

between the unicellular organism and
man, and is now waiting for its first
appearance in human shape, probably
as a degraded savage-whether it is
this, or whether the poltergeist is sim.
ply leakage from the universal soul
stuff. am not prepared to say. At
any rate. It possesses very limited
intelligence and strong earthward as
pirations, which show themselves
mostly in the flinging of crockery and
the playing OF malicious tricks. This
Is well-known phenomenon; the
celebrated Cock Lane ghost Of DR..
Johnson's day. which perplexed eigth-
zenith century London, was unloubted-
ly a poltergeist. Curiously enough, 1t
is invariably associated with the pres
ence Of an imbecile child, the reason
probably being that this is the intel.
ligence which draws 1t earthward and
furnishes the source Of power.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

to-day well woman. Mrs. WILfII~
AHRENs, 9SS w. 21st St., Chicago. M
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Cor.
pound, made from native roots 49,
herbs, contains no narcotics or harr
full drugs, and to-day holds the recon-
for the largest number of actual emu
Of female diseases Of any similar maj;
cine in the country, and thousands -
voluntary testimonials are on file y
the Pinkham laboratory at LINN
Mass, from women who have BEEN
cured from almost every form ~
female complaints, Inflammation. nj
ceration, displacements, fibroid tun,ors
Irregularities, periodic pains, backache
Indigestion and nervous prostration
Every such suffering woman owes II r.
herself to give Lydia E. Pinkham,s
Vegetable Compound a trial.
II you would like special adyica
about your case write q confiden.
tfal letter to Mrs. Pinkham. A
Lynn, Mass. Her advice is freo.
and always helpful.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

ing. I could fight DO longer. I sank
down; / felt a fetid breath upon my
throat and the points of brazen fing-
ers that closed on my gullet .
then something furry and soft
fel! over me and our enemy was gone.
lay there, hardly breathing. Long
afterward, 1t seemed to me, the doctor
lit the candles.
NO." said the reporter, thought
fully, next morning. mo, I shall not
write up that story. l shall go home
and spend the weekend in bed and
tell the editor that / fell down on it"
He smiled family through his bruised
and blackened lips. His face was a
mass of wounds.
And so it was the cheetah skin that
saved our lives" / queried.
The doctor nodded. He looked hard
ly more presentable than either my
self or the reporter. "A happy in
spiration, indeed, that led me to bring
it into the house." he said. Surely
some good angel was helping us last
night. Never have l come so near
failure, nor have your lives been saved
so miraculously."
You knew it was not a poltergeist
all the while?" l asked.
1T actually was a pcltergeist," the
doctor answered, ''for it had conclud,
ed its last incarnation before assum-
ing the body of a man, and will doubt
less reappear, some centuries hence,
as human of very degraded order
possibly a native Australian or Anda-
man islander. The majors training
had undoubtedly assisted the beast in
working out the end of it's brute
births.
yet it was no agent of evil" con-
tinued Brodsky. The education it
received, which brought it almost up
to the verge of human understanding,
had kindled in it a world of longing,
of appreciation of it's outcast state.
1t wanted human love, companionship,
by virtue of it's nearly human soul,
consciousness persisted after death,
as is common among the anthropoid
apes, instead of rushing back into the
vast we'll of eternal consciousness
and it fingered near the child who had
befriended it. 1t knew the caretaker
and did not modest him, but when
strangers approached the girl it
watched them narrowly, and harsh
ness or blows inspired it to furious
defense of her. Yes, l suspected the
orang-outang early in the proceedings.
| knew it couldn't be the cheetah, for
the cat family is too low in the scale
to retain any individual memories of
life. l was convinced when it made
no response to that challenge we
hurled at it, which a true pOltergeist
would have understood and taken up
Immediately. And luckily ! remem-
bered that the big cats are the only
enemies feared by these monster
apes; that was why it wouldn't go
near the candles when l set them be-
side the skin. And that swinging of
the bird-cages-it was just what an
ape would do, wasn't it?"
But will it not return" / asked,
land iniure others?"
Not for awhile" said Brodsky.
And meanwhile, l shall make it my
business to see that that child is re-
moved to an institution for the feeble
minded She has lived too long with
the other world; with care and intel
ligent companionship / am convinced
we shall yet succeed in making a fair
ly rational human being of her."
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

rs this light enough for your" he
asked. and We assented. The repor.
ter was making a brave attempt to
stifie the external signs of his obvious
fear, and l was not wholly free from a
sickening sensation in the pit of the
stomach and a certain weakness of
the knees. The low-placed candles
cast gigantic shadows before them,
throwing the floor of the room into
strong illumination, but leaving the
rafters of the roof almost entirely con-
cealed in shadows. The macaws still
screamed and chartered, moving con-
tinually, but always in such a manner
that they faced the same side of the
room simultaneously. The cages were
swinging again.
Our poltergeist friend evidently en-
joys the BIRDS" said Brcdsky calmly.
why does he come here instead of
going home with the girl?" / asked.
Where does he get his power?"
Rrodsky made no rejoinder. At my
side l felt the reporter shaking like
a reed. isn't there any remedy?" he
whispered. Cant you pray it away?"
You can't pray away an elemen-
tal," the doctor answered. 1T hasn't
intelligence enough to understand a
prayer, knowing neither good nor evil.
l might scare 1t away"
Scare it, scare it," the reporter
urged.
by putting out the lights" Brodsky
continued. Though it tried to extin-
guish them in its freakish pranks, this
sort of spirit. unlike those of higher
order, is really afraid of darkness"
The reporter leaped up with a
ccream.
Something pinched me, / swear!"
he cried, trembling.
"Sit over here" said Brodsky, indi-
eating the bags that covered the chez.
tab skin. Now, my friend, stay
there, no matter what occurs, and
nothing will harm you. Draw Closer"
he added to me. "Pll take your place
Now, silence, please, everyone"
Everything was silent now. The
birds had gone to sleep. Sitting there
l was conscious that my own fear
gradually yielded to a sensation of in.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

nificance Of their name. An or
chestra" was properly a dancing
place-the space between the stage
and the auditorium. where the an
cient Greek chorus went through its
evolutions. Then, in Roman. times,
when the chorus had retired to the
stage and finally disappeared, the
name meant that part of the house
where the senators sat, the front
seat, so that Juvenal even speaks of
the senate as "the orchestra" And
then, when the band took up its place
before the stage, orchestra" came
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
(copyrgAt lS BY Ch.pman Copyright

III / tndt i Dd0 QlIDeTUO lUFeSIl-
Isl gated in the company of
H3 DR. Ivan Brodsky were of
IE1ll'E spiritual possession and the
allied phenomena mat
tiers astonishing to laymen but more
or less commonplace to students of
the science. | was now to witness
one of the darker and more mysteri-
GUS phases of spirit power.
| remember that Brodsky and | had
been reading an account of a so-called
haunted house in a lonely neighbor-
hood 10 or 12 miles distant The
structure. which was a rambling old
place, had belonged to a major in the
army, who had retired from active
service to reside there and spend his
declining bachelor days alone. He
had seen service in the Philippines,
had travelled in India, and brought
back with him an assortment of Gu
rious animals, including a cheetah,
one OF the wild cats of Bengal, sew
eral large parrots of brilliant plumage,
and young orang-outang, which he
had captured in Borneo. He had be-
come greatly attached to this beast
and had educated it until 1t developed
almost human intelligence. The ma
5or had died suddenly, however. the
large ape had refused food and pinned
away until it followed him, and the
old house was now occupied only by
q caretaker and his daughter, who
tended the surviving animals under
the terms of the majors will.
About two months after the owners
death rumors had spread through the
neighbOrhood that the place was
haunted. Pictures had fallen from
the walls, crockery had been seen to
ny violently across the kitchen, chairs
and tables acquired a prediction for
Waiting without the application of
visible motor power. The neighbors.
at first interested spectators o. these
phenomena, had come to shun the
place when it was seen that the play
er OF these pranks was actuated by
some malicious motive. A gossiping
woman had been struck senseless by
a flying tumbler. A member of a
psychical research society, who had
volunteered to pass the night in the
menagerie, where these manifesto
lions mostly appeared, had been found
senseless upon the floor next morning.
his body covered with bruises, and
three ribs broken. He had been re-
moved to a hospital. where he lay
precariously Ill and mentally de-
ranged as a result of his fearful ex-
periences.
What do you make of it, Doctor ?"
] asked, when Brodsky had laid down
his paper
IT'S nothing in the world but a pol.
tergeist" the Doctor answered. Then,
seeing my look of mystification, he
continued:
"A poltergeist is one of those ele-
mental, half human forms that have
never achieved incarnation in human
form. The universe Is a palpitating.
crowding mass of soul stuff, most of
1t discarnate, small part exteriorized
In various highly heterogeneous ply
steal forms. Whether this elemental
being has already gone through the
millions Of progressive incarnations
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
ESTABLISHING HIS VERACITY

about the man who sat right next to
him at another Republican banquet
and put cream and sugar in his con-
somme, thinking it was coffee.
Jaw. rats, Fitz," put in one of his
neighbors. What kind of a bunch
do you eat with, anyhow. There are
still good many yaps scattered
around. but guess none of 'em wear
clover in their eyebrows and most of
'em know the difference between cot.
fee and consomme nowadays. Please
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

same time to two men who were also
friends. A double wedding was ar.
ranged, and seven years ago Miss
Wheetman became Mrs. Pearse, and
Miss Thomas, Mrs. Gotham. Then
they settled down at Beaumont road,
close to one another. The other week
Mrs. Pearse and Mrs. Gotham each
gave birth to daughter, but neither
of the mothers survived, the lifelong
friends dying within twenty-four hours
of one another. The friends were 26
and q years old. respectively. The
baby girls are alive and well.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

Not everybody can prove his claims
rs a truthful citizen right at the mo-
ment his veracity is questioned.
But listen to this: Attorney w. s.
FITZGERALD and a number of other To-
cal Republicans were sitting at the
banquet table down in Dayton not
long ago, on the occasion of that big
Republican harmony thing.
The crowd had run shy of small
talk while waiting for the first course
and FITZGERALD was telling the story
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

don't spring any more of that MUNICH
hansen stuff of yours"
FitZGerald was unable to convince
them that he was giving it to them
straight Just then an act of Provi-
dence came to the rescue of his veraci-
ty. He nodded in the direction of the
man directly across the table. The lat
ter was in the act of putting sugar
and cream in his consomme.-Cleve-
land Plain Dealer.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
Business Before Pleasure

81 see that you have been reading
political economy"
"a little" answered Senator Sor.
ghum; "but l had to give it up 1 got
SO interested l was in danger of neg
lecting the appropriations demanded
by my constituents"
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
On the Senators,

On the Senators.
The wit OF Bishop Seth Ward
amuses Nashville frequently.
Bishop Ward, in company with two
senators, came forth from Nash
Vile reception the other day and en-
tered a waiting motor car.
"Ah, bishop" said one of his COM
panions, you are not like your mas
ter. He was content to ride an ass"
YES" and SO should I be-" Bishop
YES" and so should be-" Bishop
Ward answered, but there's no such
animal to be got nowadays. They
make them all senator's"
There's many penitent man in the
penitentiary.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

to mean what 1t does to-day. 1t is
not the only word from which the
dancing associations have vanished.
Chorus" itself originally meant
dance and ballad" was a dance
song, "ballare" meaning in late Latin
to dance.
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
Romance of Life and Death.

The story Of a remarkable friend
ship which death itself failed to break,
comes from Beaumont, Plymouth,
Eng. Bessie Wheetman and Beatrice
Thomas were devoted school friends.
They became engaged at about the
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

tors said l could -
get well unless 4
had an Operation
l knew I could M
stand the strain =
one, 80 I wrote q
you sometime -
about my heslk
and you told ~
what TO do. Az
taking Lydia n
Pinkham's Vepef
BILE Compound M
Blood PurifierT-
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
Cruelty.

Cruelty.
"This poem" said the confident au-
thor. belongs, might say, to the
earlier school of composition"
YES" replied the harsh editor; "the
kindergarten"
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

Real Meaning Of Orchestra"
Modern "orchestras" never revert
10 the genealogical and historical sig
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09
OWES
HER
LIFE III
Lydia e. Pinkham's
Vegetable COMPOUND

Chicago, Ill.-"I was troubled ~
falling and Inflammation. And ~. ~
Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-12-09

penitentiary
The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-06-18
BANKERS BIG Meeting
All in Readiness for State Convention
at Valley City-SpeciaI Train
to Yellowstone Park.

Everything is in readiness for the
meeting of the North Dakota State
Bankers association which will be held
al Valley City. July and 8 and one
OF the best meetings ever held by the
association is anticipated.
An effort is being made to secure
special train for the bankers to
make the trip from Valley City to
the Yellowstone Park, and w. c. Mac
fadden who has the matter in hand, be-
lieves that there will be enough bank
ers that will agree to go to insure a
train. However, If there is not the
Northern Pacific has promised to have
sufficient humber of Pullman cars
ready for this party and to hurry the
members through on the fastest trains
According to Mr.. Macfadden every ar
rangement can be made for giving the
bankers Of North Dakota the biggest
time of their lives and he feels that
rms IS an opportunity that none of
them should overlook. It is the pres
ent intention to have the special, but
as stated above if this arrangement
cannot De ma de then the Pullmans will
be utilized The train win leave Val
ley City the morning after the big con-
Vention is over. Is is expected that the
largest crowd that ever attended the
state bankers meeting will be at the
coming one next month.