davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
WiNrNq coeRAMr TEAM In 0HooT At EDal1a

large standing army becomes at once
superiority, while at the same time the
knowledge. among other nations. that we
have at call such force or trained
Irarksmen must certainly make for peace
and the settlement of International dis
putes by arbitration. yF-,-+
And that is the object, which animates
the National Rifle Associate That is
the purpose lying back OF this organized,
movement for the revival. all over the
land. of rife practice. Full and absolute
preparedness Is the strongest safeguard
of national peace; and that nation whici
is known to have the largest number
Of trained marksmen available for mills
tary operations In ease of war Is the ma
ton which will most certainly be longest.
free from the necessity OF calling upon
it's volunteers. s.
So, while he doesn't realize 1t. perhaps.
that slim-legged lad in knickerbockers,
city blocks of, under the coaching OF
the khaki-clad regular. is helping TO
build up a more potent argument for
peace than all the Hague, tribunals that
could be crowded into hundred years
Of history. He is adding his mite to the
making OF a new era, or, rather. the re-
vival OF an older era-he and his fellows
who have learned already how to handle
the high-powered arm with which Uncle
Sam equips his paid regular soldiers. He.
and all the hundreds and thousands like
him. who have learned, or are learning,
to take care of themselves in the open
country or the woods: who know how, or
are learning how, to take cover and
see the enemy without being seen: who
have learned how to pick out sites for
camps, to observe and understand wealth
er signs, to follow trails. to take every
possible advantage OF natural formations
and at the same time to take capable
care Of themselves, ordinarily or In
emergencies; those boys who have learn
first principles OF rife practice and are
making further advances through the as
sistance and cooperation of oflcers and
men Of the regular army and National
Guard. are the true Americans-the ones
who. in time Of need, can go to the front
and, while taking care OF themselves
and those in their comradeship. render
q capable. efficient and worlkmanliko &C.
count Of themselves. go,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

chevrons on the sleeve Of his long, close
belted overcoat Away across the Held.
where the brown. dead grasses bend in
;.e chilling wind of November. is tar
1t. above which is also displayed the
cure 80 1t is 200 yards away from
line where the lad and his regular
my instructor Standard 200 yards is 1,
stance equal to two city blocks. Stretch
g alongside the No. u target are 9th
ers. five of them, and besides the slim
,ad. little more than q child. in fact, are
five other ladies. of about his size. Each
has his numbered stake and his num-
bered target away eff on the hillside yon-
der: and each has his coach-ohcially
Scorer-wca1 iTIS regular army uni
urin.
The lad pulls his rife, equipped with
ire new Maxim silencer. TO his shoulder.
inns carefully at the black spot in the
enter of the distant target and presses
The trigger. Though the rifle is the reg
u'ar army type, carrying steei-tipped
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
A Good Parry.
DR. CHARLES F. AKED discussing

DR. CHARLES F. AkED, discussing
u his recent good-natured controversy
with Father Bernard Vaughan, smiled and
said:
II have a great respect for Father
Vaughan. He is one of those clergymen
who never lose their temper. 1t Is OF
him, is it not, that the story of the thou
sand year indulgence is told.
"'What will you reply to this. father?'
a controversialist demanded. On my last
visit to Rome I saw on church door a
table of indulgences, and in this table a
remission of thousand years OF punish
ment was promised for 1 Ira
''The controversialist bent forward, be-
lieving he had scored a splendid point.
"'Yes. father he repeated. A thou
sand years off for a single Ira. What do
You say to that?'
g What do I say?' the priest replied.
gayly. Why, I say it was dirt cheap.
What more do you want for your
money!"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
The Compliment.

A RMSTRONG DRExEL, the aviator,
- was dining with some family friends
at the Philadelphia Club, in his ancestral
city. A rather doubtful compliment was
paid Mr.. Drexel on his flying, and the
young man neatly replied:
You make me think Of Valma, the
Bond street beauty doctor. A lady from
Grosvenor square visited Valma and the
man said to her:
After three months Of my treatments.
madam. nobody will dream you're over
forty-five'
only thirty.two!"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
Harvesting Oysters on the Potomac

master of a ''slave dredger would make
canvas of low drinking houses along
the water front just before sailing 1or
the grounds" Enticing COUPE y,
"drunks'' aboard. sail would be hoisted
and the unfortunate fellows upon com
ing to- forced to man the winches dur
ing the whole season unless lucky
enough tn escape. Rather dark tales
have been told of outrages perpetratea
on such boats Especially paying Off
in the spring. when the captain would
81 a man if he wanted such reimourse
p,ent for his services and upon receiving
an Affirmative reply. would some dark
windy night order the wretch out On the
main boom foot-ropes to tighten a leech
caring and then suddenly gibe the sail.
hurting him to an accidental death. y
But this is no more and the average
FISHERMAN of today is man among men.
wrestling his bread from the waters by
sheer strength of brain and Drawn and
daring the ever open lid of "Davy Jones
locker
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
A Shameful Monopoly.

John d. ROCKEFELLER, during his
J recent visit to Lenox. said of monopo-
lies:
Beware Of the man who too persistent
ly cries down monopolies He may have
an Interior motive Like the art dealer.
you know.
.Monopolies are the ruination of my
business!' an art dealer cried.
How soT said friend.
Why replied the dealer, "only one
man Is allowed to paint Sargents and
Henners and Boldinis, and they're the
only things that SELL"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
ONR Or TIE; WiNNING TEAMS In
COMPETITION AT EDSALLS RANGE

changed. The National Guard has de-
veloped thousands of qualified marksmen,
sharpshooters and expert riflemen; the
same is true within the ranks of the col
lege and high school cadet corps of the
country. and the hundreds of rife clubs.
scattered from Maine to California, are
developing rifle shots whose work COM
pares favorably with that of any reflemen
in the world.
On November IL over 100 schoolboys
Of the District took part in the second
annual outdoor rifle-shooting tournament
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

OF volunteers and wisely framed laws
will give a healthy stimulus to this
branch of military preparations"
At the outbreak of the war with Spain
thousands of young men volunteered and
enlisted who had never had a high
power rifle in their hands. Indeed many
Of the volunteers were wholly ignorant
of the first principles Of rifle shooting.
knew nothing whatever of the mechanism
of any sort of rifle, and their whole idea
of rifle shooting was that a cartridge
was somehow slipped into the rifle some
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

where, fired in the general direction of
the object it was desired to hit and
trust to luck to do some execution. IT
that war had been real war, II Spain
had been able to put a real force into the
field and offer serious and long-continued
resistance to the American forces the
resultant fatalities on our side would
have been appalling, as in our entire vol
unteer force there was not 10 per cent
Of riflemen who could shoot and hit what
they shot at.
Since that time, however. things have
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
FlRlNa Prone In cHooLBoYS
COMPETITION AT ED5ALLS

shots-"shoots out his string. as tho
scorer says-and steps back from the 1iI
ing line. The scorer totals the number
of hits he has made, and the eager-eyed
boy gives a wlfoop CT delight as ne sees
that his score entities him to junior
marksman's medal. And in moment
he is caperIrg and yelling around the
field back cf the firing line, just like the
kid he is, with perhaps q dozen otnef
shrieking, joyous kiddieS frisking over
The frozen ground with linn:
And thus. all over the country, is the
National Rifle Association helping in the
work of creating rifemen increasing In
terest in rifle shooting and paving the
way for a recurrence OF that period of
our history when American riflemen were
dreaded wherever their rifles cleaned.
and when every young American was
qualified marksnian' long before he had
muscle enough to hold tin old. long-bar-
relied Betsy" or Tar CUTS to his shout
der: when lads of eight or nine years.
shooting from a rest. could hit silver
shilling seven times out OF ten, at dis
lance of. a hundred yards. and when four
out of five America n-born and bred men
could hit squirrels eye with the ami
NAL lurking in the top Of the tallest shell
bark hickory tree in the woods.
For q long time rifle practice IN the
I
seamen-- eunners still ranked head ana
shoulders above those of any nations
navy but. even in the ranks of our regu.
lars craftsmanship was becoming lost
art. Then the National Rifle Association
was organized and rife clubs began 10
spring up all over the land. Militia ana
National Guard organizations fell in line,
college and high school cadet corps took
I'D rifle shooting. and the junior marks
mans organization is the latest develop.
ment of the definite plan for a revival OF
interest In rife shooting that is destined
to make our sodiery. in another war, as
dreadful for their deadly accuracy OF
aim as were the soldiers of an carrier
day-those old Indian fighters who press
ed the western frontier further and 1ur,
ther toward the Rockies, over them anu
finally halted only q the sunset verge OF
the continent.
In his last annual report MI. }. M.
Dickinson. Secretary of War. said: The
encouragement of rife practice among
our citizens and schoolboys IS OIL
the greatest Importance in this couh-
try, where preparedness for war Is largely
based on the employment of an army
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

and SINKING III MS
HE u;fa of course. noticed these things
O, once She observed when she kissed
him that his lips were hot and pafcneo'
He did not meet her gaze. There was
q distinct veil over his usually trans
and open manner. His talk. as he huhg
IN his hat and coat on the hall hatrack,
was disjointed, not to the point, random
like. He appeared to be talking merely
for the sake of making talk, as one con-
verses with the purpose of covering up
something.
This, too, his spouse, of course. noticed.
She eyed him keenly out of the corner
of her experienced eye. There was no
aroma of drink on his breath. She mad
taken pains to ascertain that: What.
then. could it be? She studied and
studied and she continued to observe him
sidelongwise. A married woman becomes
extremely. almost uncannily adept In dis
corning it when her man has Deen IN
some sort of mischief. Not only that,
but she becomes weirdly skilled in put
ting her finger, so to speak, upon the
very nature Of the mischief.
But this time this wife plainly was baf-
fled. He continued to avert his gaze
from hers. He looked positively shifty-
eyed-something very unusual in him. He
did not ask her what there was for din
ner: a question which she had learned
confidently to expect from him as soon
as he put foot in the vestibule Of even
ings.
freezing all right. dear:' she asked
.,:!n, eXperimentally.
"Jh-huh," he replied staring oddly at
a little picture that he'd been perfectly
familiar with forl at least fourteen years
Things go all right at the office to-
day." she inquired.
Huh? office? Things go all right?"
he said, absently. What things? Sure
things went all right. Why wouldn 1t
they?'
"oh, nothing replied his wife.
She stopped prodding him. Wives
know. with a knowledge based upon in
side experience, that the husband with
anything on his mind sooner or later
will blurt out something to give away the
The wives hate like fury to wait for the
hour of the hurting out, because Curl
osity deferred maketh the feminine heart
sick; but. in pinch. they will follow
the dope. no matter how hard 1t hurts.
AS she fused around. however. she
decided to try another little lead or SO,
upon the chance that she might accident
ally spring the cause Of his disquietude.
The otlls were little heaVy TINS
month, I'll admit" she said, as il they'd
been on that theme.
At first he scarce seemed to have heard
her observation. After a pause, how
ever, he glanced up at her questioningly.
bills? Oh, yes, the bills" he said.
"Well. I'm not kicking about the bills.
am /? Who said anything about bills?
l don't shrek about bills. do 1? III pay
'em as long as I've got the price. Can't
do any better than that. can I?''
Thus driven back. she turned the mat
ter off with what lightness she could
assume. All the same, the underlying
cause Of his disquietude. his absorption,
his hangdogginess, had begun very de-
cidedly to bear upon her, and for a con-
siderably less sum than two Lincoln
pennies she could and would have shaken
him until his teeth ratified. But she main
tanned her appearance and manner of ex-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
The Wife's Christmas Present

made the creaking. And when he went
to his lodge meeting that night of
course she went smack up to the gar
ret and opened the old trunk and found
the brooch in the jewel case which he
foolishly had thought to hide from her
until Christmas
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

SLENDER. knick-
erbockered ! a d.
hardly taller than
I h e II e " m o 4 G !
Springfield rife in
his hands, stands
beside a. small.
white-painted stake
bearing the figure
%" Beside the boy
is a regular" in
cavalry uniform.
with sergeant's
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

terror calm. They shine at this main
tanning the appearance stuff.
Continuing to observe him out of the
left-hand corner of her eye. she noticed
that quite occasionally, If not oftener. his
right hand would sort of Involuntary
reach up and feel of something that made
a slight bulge in the right-hand inside
breast pocket of his coat. She noticed that
hang-doggier than ever. and quickly
dropped the tell-tale hand
Whereupon a great, glowing light illum-
ined her. and she would have laid as
high as 20 to !, in money, marbles or
chalk. that she knew.
Suddenly he ran his fingers through his
hair, yawned phonily and said to her:
How about the eats? I'm starved"
Are your she replied, just ordinarily
like that We'll, I'll run down to the
basement and hurry Hilda up with the
dinner
He watched her as she traipsed out of
he listened, with his head cooked to one
side, while she battered down the stairs.
Then he gazed hurriedly all around the
room. as If seeking some hiding place. not
for himself. of course, but for that which
made the slight bulge in the pocket of his
coat.
Then, listening again. and even going
to the head of the basement stairs to as
sure himself that his spouse still was
downstairs in converse with the maid of
all work, he tripped with the greatest
lightness and stealth to the stairs leading
to the second floor, which he took two
at clip. and going so sinkly that he
scarcely creaked the stairs as he went.
He did not stop at the second floor land
ing. but beat it right up to the garnet,
still going with such ease that he wouldn' t
have made any sound had he been walk
ing on a flock of base drums instead of
stairs.
Reaching the garnet, he looked wildly
and hurriedly around. like some one at
bay after being pursued. His eye fell
upon an old trunk standing In dim
corner of the storeroom. He tippytoed
over to the old trunk. undid the clasps at
the side. found that the trunk wasn't
locked and raised the lid. AS he did so
he thought he heard a creaking on the
stairs. and he looked up guilty and
kept the trunk lid poised in the air. held
by one hand, as he listened. Obviously
attributing the creaking sound to imag-
nation, he thrust the trunk lid back as
far as it would go. Then he burrowed
into the trunk. which was filled with old
papers, books and the like. He tossed the
litter of old stuff to one side, making a
neat little hole in one of the rear corners
Of the trunk.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

Then he reached into his right-hand
breast pocket with hand that trembled
visibly, while his breath came stertor-
ously, and he pulled UP a small black
leather jewel case and he jammed the
jewel case into the little hole that he
had made in the back of the litter of
papers and things in the trunk. AS he
did SO he imagined that he heard another
bunch Of creaks on the stairs. and again
he paused and looked up wildly.
Once again treasured as to the creaking,
he covered over the jewel case with the
papers, let the trunk lid fall gently put
the clasps up again, and then. standing
up and brushing the dust from his
clothes. he tippytoed out of the store
room and went down the s stairs to his
flushed but relieved-looking. he fixed his
necktie and combed his hair and emitted
a phony whistle to sort of ease his mind.
Five minutes later his wife called up the
stairs that dinner was ready, and when
he went down to dinner his manner was
easy again and all Of his hangdogginess
had disappeared.
But he hadn't merely imagined that
creaking on the stairs. Friend Wife had
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

held here under the auspices OF the Ma
tfonal Rifle Association. The range at
Edsalls. Va, used by the regulars at
Fort Myer, was the scene of the tourna-
ment, and four of the Washington high
schools were ACKNOWLEDGMENT. West
ern. Eastern and Technical. Schoolboys
from other schools in the District also
took part. the boys ranging in age from
eleven years up to twenty. The day was
q poor one for good shooting: heavy.
gusty gale. cold and raw, blew all day
directly In the faces of the shooters.
numbing fingers. bringing tears to the
eyes and causing shivers that spoiled the
aim Of almost all the participants. In
spite of the drawbacks presented by the
wintry weather, however, the boys showed
that they knew something-nore than a
little-about rifle shooting.
Instructed by representatives and Of
ficers of the National Rife Association.
officers of the District National Guard and
officers, ''non-coms' and troopers from
among the regulars stationed at Fort
Myer. not many Of the lads. even the
smallest among them, failed to make
the score necessary to qualify them as
junior marksmen and to earn Tor them
the little bronze medal authorized by the
Secretary of War. And even those few
who failed to make the required score
showed that they knew how to handle
rife: there was very little elementary
coaching done anywhere along the fir
ing line. Nor was the meet merely a
lOC0l CsShl, II "Vo PSAe ~ O. AAs~eAoAAs~~
movement.
Since the inception Of the junior marks
mans organization a few years ago over
100000 schoolboys have taken up rifle
practice. Among the Boy Scouts, the
Seton Indians and other similar organl-
cations rifle shooting is also being prac-
ticed. In cities, towns and villages. as
well as in rural communities and neigh
borhoods. boys. young men and older
men as well. have organized and are or
ganizing rifle clubs. until it is entirely
safe to say that within half q dozen
years, or even less. the United states
I'm case the nation Is forced again into
war a million or more trained rifiemen-
all of them first-rate marksmen. many
of them sharpshooters and not Few ex-
pert riflemen. Under such condiCons
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

was q sly. furtfve look
in the mans eyes as he entered
the vestibule of his home. Also
there was something hangdog
and sinking in his manner.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

To see some of the disheveled old boats
that amble into Washington with torn
and tattered sails and hulls threatening
to fall apart one would think the game
hardly worth while, working in opposi-
ton to many fast and weatherly lit
tie vessel capable Of standing harder
knocks. AS in every other calling, there
are tricks, honest and otherwise. On
large private beds. which. by the way,
are planted with seed oysters, just as a
farmer sets out his wheat or corn in the
spring. the owners have to erect small
blockhouses ON spiles, from where q
nighttime marauder can be presented
with q fusillade Of lead. Then in the
closed season. those months which In spell.
ing the letter "R" does not appear. the
law-bteaking skipper will persistently
work the public rocks, dumping his catch
on his own beds for future use, until
one fine day black speck on the hor-
i1on will without warning evolve into a
Maryland state police boat before he has
time to make a getaway.
II the skipper does take a chance on
reaching a Virginia creek where Mary
land has no jurisdiction-a puff of white
smoke, report, and four-pounder
sends shell whistling across his bow.
II he still keeps on. his sail is the next
target, then his boat and sometimes him.
self. But the majority of times. II his
catch is all on deck. he will quickly
shovel them overheard. together with
tongs and dredge. and the inspector
boarding him finds nothing to warrant
an arrest though he might have plainly
seen the subterfuge. Only recently has
the practice Of "shanghaiing' hands beer
abolished Eight or ten years ago the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

"Wer, you see that there's no other
way out Of it except fight He's adj
vancing upon you and you can see that
he's clinching his hands to lash out at
YOU The thing is past fixing UP by talk.
In very short time you know perfectly
we'll that he's going to swing on you
We'll. Dye know what you want to do
then. even If that fellow is good deal
huskier than you are? Why. this:
Just pull off your cap or hat suddenly
with your right hand. like this, see" and
Fitz illustrated the movement with cat
like quickness. ''Then you dash the cap
or hat quickly into the fellows face. I'M
derstand? You've got to do 1t quickly
the quicker the better, Of course.
THAT will confuse and amaze and stag
ger him, that thing of having the hat
dashed into his face. Also it will blind
him for minute, and he wort exactly
know where he is at. Let go of the hat.
then; let it roll on the ground or any
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

NATIONAL Rifle Asso-.
~ citation Is Organized
With 100000 Members
Small Lads Qualify as Ex-
pert Junior Marksmen-Dis-
trict Boys Hold Match Under
Ewes of Marksmen of Fort
Myer-Rifles Are Equipped
With Maxim Silencers, and
Guns Have Little Recoil-
Plans of the New Organiza-
ton.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27

I met Bob Fitz-
simmons, the renowned old
pugilist Of the passing era, on
a. train. The talk veered around
to the subject of sudden fights