davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Decay Of BUILDING STONES.

The causes Of decay In building
stones are various and depend on the
physical structure of the stone. Its
composition md the nature Of the sur
rounding atmosphere. The most de-
structive agent 10 which the stone is
exposed Is rain or moist atmosphere
and also In u minor degree wind, frost
and smoke. The air of large towns is
usually charged with various deleterI-
GUS acids. These acids are dissolved
by the rain. which penetrates the stone
in a greater or less degree, according
to Its physical structure. and combines
with the constituents OF the stone.
causing 1t to decay. SO that any con-
trivance that will check the admis-
sion Of water will be most likely to
succeed in arrcsting decay.-Building
World.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Commander Peary in the narrative
describing his discovery Of the north
pole deyotes . very long chapter to
the Eskimos. With whom he has had
Intimate dealings for eighteen years.
He tells rs that though they are saw
ages they are not savage: that though
they are without government they are
not lawless; that though they are un
educated they exhibit remarkable
degree Of intelligence. He assures a.
that they have no religion. yet be
describes them AZ destitute Of vice and
ready to share their last meal With the
hungry. he thinks II would be impos
sible to Christianixe them. but they al
ready possess the cardinal graces Of
faith. hope and charity. for without
them they could never survive the six
months night and the other rigors Of
their home"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
A CURIOUS WORD.


Twists That Msy D Given to ga" In
the Chinese Language.
In the Chinese language the same
word may he given several different
meanings by the incubation Of the
voice. The same thing may happen to
the English ..yes." which mny be pro-
bounced 70 a. to mean II assent to
that" or II nm doubtful" or '.Indeedy'
An eminent authority on philology
gives nm amusing illustration Of these
modulations In the Annamitic Ian
guage, a monosyllabic tongue spoken
by the people Of Tonquin and Cochin
China. s
In this language the syllable "ba"
pronounced with grave accent means
a lady, an ancestor. Pronounced with
the sharp accent. 1t means the favorite
Of prince. Pronounced with the semi
grave accent. 1t means what has been
thrown away. Pronounced with the
grave circumfex, 1t means what has
been left of a fruit after the juice has
been squeezed ont Pronounced with
no accent. It means three. Pronounced
with the ascending or Interrogation ac-
cent. 1t means n box on the ears.
Thus the word "ba," in the order CIV
en- above, il said to mean, II properly
pronounced, Three ladies' gave q box
on the ear to the fayorite Of the
prince" Chicago Record Herald.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
oddities Of Color Dlindnssa.

Color blindness, or the inability to
distinguish certain colors, 10 by no
means rare. Incomplete color blindness
Is when a person cannot distinguish
one of the fundamental coiors, red.
green or violet. If person is told to
select colors resembling Violet. he will
II red blind usually select blues as well
ms violets. II he is green blind. he will
select green or gray. with possibly
some blues and .violets Of the brightest
shades. Violet blindness Is rare. To
red blind person the American nag APP
pears to have green and white stripes,
Willie the white stars appear on vio-
let field. To a green blind person the
stripes have the propcf colors. but the
field for the stars il red violet To q
violet blind person the stripes are nor.
mai, but the stars appear to be ~ In 4
dark brownish gray nsid. To a persoa
who Is totally color blind the blue Of
the fiag' appears Hight yellowish
brown. while the red stripes seem to
be d darker brown.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Ih. or,.te,t Hi,.ori.n,

NIL Historians 10 Thucy dldes. the Greek
contemporary of Pericies and author
Of xhe history Of the PeIoponnesian
war. One of the greatest tributes that
can be paid to him II that. according
TO the estimate Of very able critic.
we have more exact account Of a
long and even,ful period by Thucyd
ides than we have Of any period in
modern history. equally long and event
fut. and yet all this Is compressed into
II single volume. For concise. vtgor
GUS and yet intense presentation Thu
cydtdes has never been equaled He
Is easily the king Of historians.-New
York American.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
rhe Poi, star.

Ursa Major and Ursa Ainoe ars
known a,so ~ tho triones and - ~
Greater vain and the Lesser Vain. II
d Curious to note thnt the larger CON
steilatieu was given the figure Of the
bear by the Arabs and by the lroquois
red med. The assumed forms are or
dinarily fanciful. and the Identity OF
the names In this instance affords food
for speculation. Homer uses both bear
and vain (wagou, In his references to
these starr. 1t II evident that the
name bear was translation from
some original Aryan language. A. the
constellation u called In Ganskrit
riksha, \ word that In different gen-
ders means both 4 bear and star. OF
course the polar star In the tail OF Ursa
Minor = the consteliation's point OF
glory. In this case We may say fairly
that the tail wags the dog, because the
group Of stars was once called the
dogs tau. or cynosurc. From that We
have our word cynosure. that toward
which NIL eyes turn. as to the dogs
tall for sight of tbs pole star.-Minns-
apolis Tribune.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Al Idol Shattered.

Some one Inns said that people TINT
nre fond Of hero worship should never
mike pilgrimage to see the hero.
Here IL an Instance:
An enthusiastic young lady admfrer
called on her fuvorite author. In
speaking of her visit she said: ~
I'm sorry saw him. He didn't
look at all like nm author-no long,
wavy hair; no dreamy expression: NO
eyes fixed on the starr as II to read
the secrets of the heavens: no musical.
low voice-nothing to suggest the
genius. No. found him leaning on
the garden gate. In his shirt sleeves.
swearing at grocery boy! And bis
hair was close cropped. and he looked
MS II he hadn't shaved In week. He
WINS the most terribly human specimen
l ever saw."-Atlanta Constitution.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16


The coyote in the little brother OF the
Indian. when the buffalo vanished
from the plains the Indian shot bis
rihe into the afr, wrapped his blanket
closer about him and came into the
reservation to grow fat and unpictur-
esque under federal auspices. When
the jack rabbit and molly cottontail
vanish from the plains and foothills
the howl Of the last coyote will sink
into silence beyond the great divide
Until that far day arrives, however,
hang the bacon high. for while the rnb-
bit remains the most skillful four
legged forager the world ever knew
win bay at the moon by night and just
keep out Of ride range by day. The
coyote knows more about traps than a
Canadian "voyngeur," ID an expert on
.strychnine and never falls for the
'deadfaIl. He 10 rather fond Of lambs
and calves. but rabbits are the oat-
meal Of this phantom highlander. and.
an Diamond Field" Jack Davis would
say. where two or three Of these are
gathered together there you will and
the coyote. seeking to stow one Of them
into bis Observation-Disclosures Tele-
graph.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Tn. wIek.d.s. Dit Of See.

Nine out Of ten travellers would tell
Inquirers that the toughest piece Of
water is that cruel stretch In the Eng
fish channel. and nine out Of ten trav.
clers would say what was not true:
As matter Of fact. "the wickedest
bit of sea" Ia not In the Dover strait or
In yachting. for example. from st. Jean
de Luiz up to Pauillac or across the
Mediterranean trace" from Cadiz to
Tangier. nor is It in rounding Cape
Horn. where there is what sailors cali
true" sea. The "wickedest sen" Ii
encountered IN rounding the Cape of
Good Hope for the eastern ports Of
Cape Colony.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
BRASS HORNS.


tIso Way tlsp Thin oAaHeAese Tubee
Are Bent Wftheut lniury.
saxhorns, 20 called after , famous
Belgian family named Sag, Who In
vented and introduced these instru.
,nents about the middle Of the last Gel,
fury, are the mninstay OF all modern
brass banda They are manufactured
IN mnny different sizes. from high 30
prano to the huge contrabass or bonn
bardon, and the most important Of the
lot II the euphonium. which suppfanted
the now obsolete "serpents" and opld-
cleides. The tallest saxhorn ever made
stands eight feet bigh and contains
more than forty feet of tubing.
The advantage Of seamless or 'tsoisd
drawn tubes for such INSTRUMENTS as
trombones and horns Is considerable.
since. no matter how good the join
may be. sooner or later the action OF
the breath will wear away the solder.
To bend these thin brnss tubes with
out splitting or denting the metal was
at one time very dinicult. but. thanks
TO q most ingenious article. The opera
ton 10 now both safe and simple. The
tube II first washed out with chem
ical substance, such as Is used by
plumbers to prevent solder from ad-
herring where 1t Ii not wanted. and 1t
Is then completely hlled with molten
lead poured in from ladle. Thus sup
ported from within. the brass Il easily
and safely bent to the required shape.
the lead being afterward removed by
hsat.-Pearson's.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

70 forget the inveaG5ons = ~ ~
b AZ impossittfity. Thsy are befsse
sos Il svssy snsa. ard many 81 thsm
eoptain pessaeiaiitiss vass dnd wuch
discussed. For that very reason II b
we'll occasionally 70 contemplate some
invsstioo OF the past which works IN
rsmitringiy and iucouspicuousiy for
the welfare Of mankind. Constdef The
air brake. How many when they taks
q journey b. rail ever take thought Of
tho device which stands ready to IN
sure safety from possibls accidentst
All are 90 used to stbiiant noise below
tbs cars that they never consider III
porteptousness. YET 81 this appisra
tiou Of tho power Of compressed air
tens Of Thousands OF lives have been
preserved and railroad travel has been
made more expedition All this y
aSraut tYuism: not word Of Il but
what has been said scores Of umes b.
fore, But we like 70 dwell upon the
air brake 20 one Of those typical in
venftpns which are doing their work
faithfully and humbly while recent
creations GEL the glory and applause
C0llleF'A
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
p,,, -rh..~ Would Work.


-Thon" y the word which has been
suggested for use - an English pro
noun Of common gender. . luxury
which the English language has thus
far had the fortituds to forego. II was
considered suitable for English be-
cause It came from the Greek. Its use
may be illustrated - follows:
II parent desires to spank thon's
this or her. a. the case may be, child
thon The or sheb should take thon (hlm.
her or IT. across thon's knee. Then
thon should remove tbon's slipper. and
after explaining to the child the repre-
feasibility OF thon's conduct thon
should apply the slipper to that por.
ton Of thons anatomy which from
time tmmem0rial hus bs.sn dedicated 10
ihst purposa. q
ihmay saMiy ~ sesn from the above
bow '.thop" s4sets great eiafincation--
UppincottG
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
nenok.re the Iusurieus.

Hougkoug. with IT. luxurious hotels
it, princeiy clubs. it, rich and indu.
entail banks. housed In splendldly con.
strncted and beautifully designed
buildings; its shipyards and craving
docks able to care for the largest yes
sells: its miles Of warehouses bursting
With wealth: it, yellow sailed 0eets
laden with silks. tea. sugar and pre-
cious porceIains: its commerce almost
a. great a. that Of New York: III
botanic gardens hung amid delightful
villas overlooking harbor that n q
city IN itself, and that doats 10000 sails;
Hongkopg. With its wonderful templea
Of ornate teak roofs, tts idols Of
hundred sects, III French cathedral. its
forts, garrison and naval life. it, Hap.
~ Valley race course-ali q the end
Of white mans civilization. Supreme
from the peak CD which It rests. IN
well bred aloofnsss It looks askancs at
sortiid Asia. whence II sprung.-W. j.
Awkward In Harper's Magazine.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Patd For What He al.


At twenty minutes to the gsntAi
citizen. resplendent In frssh liasas paiis
ed into the telephone booth. II ~ Z
bot day.
AT fifteen minutes TO tho somswhat
less genial citizen In somewhat -
fresh linen finally managed to attfeeS
the attention Of the sweet yotced b9l3o
girl. 1t was, you will recall. bot Aay.
At ten minutes to a gr0uchy ctt&1en
in white linen got his party On &he
wire. 1t was hot.
At ave minutes to 0 the wrsck in
question discovered that he bad ~ -
tire stranger on the line. The nv
grew warmer.
At o o'clock the hello giri informed
the driveiing wreck that be nsuet ~
use the telephone as playthin9.
At little after . there issupd 1x0n
the booth a dilapidated rennaak gho
drew from his pocket q d0alar bal 81
first squeezing from II the nctsleee y
had collected. laid It on the Afu1e -
counter. s r.
K whats thisr'' inquired me haushtu'
drug CLERK.
zone Turkish bath. 81 aid the
wreck. .'Ipay for what gst. :
Oh. the joys Of modern civtlisation!-
Boston Traveller.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
When . BURGLAR Calls at Night,

"U9u = 0utUtUV S2Ne ~ NsUs"
"If burglar breaks into your house
mt night don't try to corner him." sud
an old headquarters policeman. IF the
visitor awakens You make noise
enough to scare him away. but don't
go after him with a gun. Ten to one
he'll get you before you can bit him.
It's better to lose few dollars worth
OF goods than your life. I'm giving 1t
to you straight. The average man.
walked up IN the middle Of the night.
always badly frightened. hasn't q
chance against tbs man with nerve
enough 70 break into an occupied
Acuss, Every burglar IL a potential
nufssses and will shoot to kill II you
~ to catch him. And why not? He's
~ 1 big. long term in prison staring
hun 10 the face II he's nabbed. and
ihs'H take a chance on murder every
tiJne to get AWAY. Leave the capture
n, such gentry to the cops They're
paid to he shot ut; you ain't."-kansas
iCaay Htar. ,5
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
cah Miro

The price that one pays for a taxi
today is just little different from
what was paid for, say. the hire of q
sedan chair In days of old. In the do
nestle accounts of Mistress Nell
Gwyn" We read: FOR chaIring you to
Mrs. knights and to Mrs Cassell's
and to Mrs. Churchill's and to Mrs.
Knights. 4 sbiilings. For chaIring You
yesterday and waiting eleven hours,
II shillIngs Q pence. Paid 18th Oct.
1615."-London Chronicle.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
THE SURE WAY OUT.

/ Marrying an Extravsssnt Wswes
casess . Sensitive Man.
Once upon time there was q NAB
who was sensitive.
" be wore the wrong gloves at
I wedding breakfast and found II sut
afterwnrd he brooded over the matter
for weeks.
II he made an after dinner speech
and s0me one remarked that they bad
heard better one II worried him 20
TINT he couldn't eat
10 he tried to do some public good
aud the local paper came out aud in-
simulated that he was a CRATER be wors
himself out trying to show what bis
motives really had been.
n public servant insulted him be
used up days In getting even BY taking
his cnse up to the heads Of the cor
poration.
n friend was absentminded and
treated him careiessly be imagined
there WINS something wrong between
them and lay awake from IL until In
the mornIng thinking up some plan to
get even.
He was collector OF grievances.
Nothing was too small for him to pass
by.
People began to avoid him. They
were afraid he would resent whatever
they did because they hadn't treated
him any better.
Thus he went from bad to worse.
One day. however. he woke up to his
ncrJltinu M kuouv that nOrnathfH0
was wrong. And 30 he consulted a
| certain philosopher. The philosopher
! piled him with questions, thought for
| awhile and then whispered something
/ In his ear.
| THAT or nothing" said the philoso-
1 pher
Several years afterward the mnn was
Il met by friend.
4 las l remember you," said the
friend. lyon were an impossible sort
/ Of creature-always brooding, always
/ wondering why every one was 70 un-
! Just to you"
Yes" said the man.
4 "But now every one likes you"
/ "Do they?" said the man absently.
! starting to move along.
"Ceriainly. Tell me. how did you
manage it-how did you recoverr'
Easy enough" said the man. ~
consulied n philosopher"
"And what did he advise you to DOR
& He advised me to marry an ex.
sstravngant woman. Since then have
s.sbcep so busy that haven't had ttms
xlO resent -nnyt Life
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
What . Scotsman Wears.

What Scotsman Wears.
A Scottish correspondent, signing
himself "Haggis," writes to us as fol-
lows:
Dear sir-P1ease state in your column
that Scotsman wears kilt, not kits.
Thus Harry Lauder went to amuss the
king clad in a kilt. not In kits.
We regret to say that we and our
selves unable to accede to our CORE
spondent's request. Respect for truth
compels US to state TINT Scotsman
almost invariably wears neither kit
nor kits. but characterization News.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

A very silent old woman was once
asked why II was she Ind so little to
say. She replied that when she was
a young girl she was very III and could
not talk for long time, whereupon
she made vow that II speech were
given her once more she would never
axain say anything unkind of any
body. And thus she was as they found
her.-Exchange.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

One Of the most striking features of
modern golf Is the variety Of clubs
used to persuade the ball into the hole.
Ar matter Of curiosity kept count
OF the different putters used by my
partners and opponents in the course
OF fortnights play. The total num-
Der Of species observed is over twenty.
London Post.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

An Irish school inspector was exam
lining class In geography. He had
propounded question regarding longi-
tude and received correct answer
from the lad undergoing the ordeal.
".And now" he said. what is lati-
tude!''
After brief silence bright young.
ster. with merry twinkle in his eye.
said:
"Plcnse. sir. we have no latitude In
Ireland. Father says the British gov
eminent won't allow US any"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Youth.

1 was started on train Of renec-
zion when saw him devouring her
5with hts eyes. f
IF he knew how she disagrees with
(people." unused. would be fletcher
l5xc her moref'
4 Probably not. had to confess that
l1eliberation Is not of the character Of
ihnthlnking youth. Puck.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
WY Ii. judo. sympsshlssd.

NJ. Barbour. the eminent French
lawyer. was well known n an after
dinner speaker and had wonderful
fund of good law court stories. Per-
haps the best of them Is the CONVEX
sation which NJ. Barbour declared that
he overheard in the lobby outside the
divorce court one afternoon.
well. how did you get orr
"spIendidly:. ! got my divorce and
care of the child. The Judge was ON
my side. you know"
"A friend OF yoursy'
"Well. not friend exactly. He used
to be my wife's first husband"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

AbsentmInded Professor-My tailor
has put one button too many on my
vest. must cut 1t OF. That's funny
Now there's buttonhole too many
what's the use Of arithmetic? -sourire.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

/ Tencher--I can't tench this young
putchnnn to talk English.
|. i'rlncipal-R why!
/ Teacher-Tve been working an hour,
IND | can't make him see the differ
fne between dathead and level
Beaded man!-Cleveland Leader.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
A Drsar, and q Reality.


An lrishman md Scotchman once
went travelling through a western prai-
RE. 1t happened that one afternoon
they shot single quail. which would
do for the breakfast Of one Of them ON
the following morning. Knowing that
the bird was not enough for two. they
agreed to have 1t eaten by the one who
should have the best dream during the
night.
When they woke early In the morn
Ing the lrishman said to the Scotch
man. AN phwat did you dr.ream.
sandy?"
SWELL" answered the Scot. 81 dream
ed that saw q beautiful basket de-
scend from heaven. and then got into
It and was borne up to paradise"
"An' 1 dr-reamed.' said the Irish
man. that ! saw you goin' up an
thought you wouldn't come back. an
10 ! got up and ate the quail"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

ChoI,y-The dentist told me ! had .
largs cavity that needed nilinE. ethel
did be recommend any special course
Ut stuuy2
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Maa4Ix Rsfans.

Prosperous Publisher-Do you write
hsfore or after eating? Foet tfaintly)
Always before uniess have some
thing to eat.-Judge.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
IL Did.

do you know anything. DOCTOR"
said Mrs Finnikin. 'that will put =
little color into my cheeks: l am 20
dreudfuily pale"
well. madam." replied DIR. Blunt.
perhaps II | tell yon that you have
hole In your stocking about the size Of
quarter 1t may have the desired ef-
feet"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
tn. soft Question.

Mn. Nuwed. ST.. ito son after fam
ny jar,-Don't forget. son. that "a soft
anawer turneth away wrath" MI.
Nuwed. Jr.-WelI. l know soft ques-
ton Of mine brought a lot Of 1t on
mes-6Mart Set.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

"Do you expect people to believe ev.
efything you tell themi" asked the
constituent 5fs-h
Certainly" answered Senator Sor-
ghum. 80 long as am careful not to
tell them everything ! beilsvs."-wsshr
ington Star.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Etella-l hear that Lizzie H. talking
Of getting married again. Beiia-l
didn't know that she had been married
once yet steila-She isn't said she
was talking of It again.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
aanaruua.

Tattered Terry-There goes a kind
man. The last time went to him
didn't have cent and he gave me all
DO could. Weary Walter-What was
thatf Tattered Terry-Thirty days
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Quite Of Her Opinion.

"Oh, l did SO want to have talk
with you! I'm simply mad to so ON
The stngev exclaimed gushing young
lady to q. popular actor.
Eyes, should think you would be,
my dear young ladyr' remarked the
great hIstrion. IL
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

What men want h not talent. It b
purpose: not the powers to achieve.
but the will to labor.-Bulwer-Lytton-
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
-War,nelI,

"she told me that might hope"
Better look out! I've known girls
to say that when they intended to &C.
cept chnp"-Puck.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Diversity Of optuioe pFoves that
things are only what We think thsm.-
A0utaigpe.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Consistent.

why do you wear a yachting cap.
denh boyf It's your brother that owns
the yacht
"yery tue. old chap. This is me
brothers. cnp"-Cieveland Plain Dealer.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Revenge 10 . naked sword. VI
II has neither hilt nor Guard
wouldst thou WELD this brand Of ne LeF1f
II thy grasp than hrm and hard
But the closer thy clutch Of ths .bae1e.
The deediier blow thou wovldst deA1s
Deeper wound in thy hand - made II
II II thy blood rsddens tbs stsel. :
And when thou hast dealt The blow,
When the blade from thy hard has
fowu, ~
Instead OF the heart Of the fos.
Thou mast ind II sheatbsd y Ahine
-chariss Henry wssA
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Beauty Is part Of the finished lan-
guags which goodness speaks.-Eliot
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
He Know.

Look here" said one of the jury
men after they had retired, ''if l un-
derstand Alright. the plaintiff doesn't
ask damages for blighted affections or
anything Of that sort. but only wants
to get back what he's spent on pres
ents. pleasure trips. etc."
Tint Is 80" agreed the foreman.
"well. then. vote we don't give him
penny said the other hastily. IF
all the fun be had with that girl didn't
cover the amount he expended 1t must
be his own fault. Gentlemen. court
Cd that girl Once mysslf"-Housekesp.
q.
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
A Riot In coIor.-

.Soakwell's nose looks as II he had
1orn n mustard plaster on IT,"
"Yes. I'm 80 sorry for his dear wife.
ohc had just ordered her spring dresses
= p,lie blue and green"
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Oh. JOY!

Zion you love to see the happy
HE children going to the beach?"
"YeA, especially II they are the noisy
sH who live next door. Buffalo Ex-
$ezs
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16

Applying the Hest.
"My supports cold"
He swore with vim.
And then she made
II hot for him.
--cathoiic 6tNn4ard ard TimA
The Meeker herald., 1911-12-16
Grace.

II Grace.
||;..aas he any saving grace?"
yes; he has penurious daugh,
= Of that name" = Cleveland PLAIN