davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
The House That
.. Nan Built

"Please come, Fred" begged.
"You always have gone,' SAID
Helen.
"And we can't go out in the boat
or have any fun unless you DO"
whined Gerald.
Fred scowled and dug up the gravel
with the toe of his shoe before he
answered.
GLOW often have I got to tell you
that our nine plays the Lancaster boys
Saturday? can't be in two places
at once. can I? Besides, who goes to
a Sunday school picnic anyway but
pack Of children?'
There was shrill whistle from the
street, and he rushed off and let the
rest Of us standing on the piazza.
Poor Gerald looked as if he was going
to cry, so I called out briskly, I'll
beat everybody to Cherry-tree Castle
Gerald was off like flash, and
Helen followed close on his heels.
Cherry-tree Castle is really round
seat in the very tip-top Of the old
cherry tree 1t takes skill to reach it,
for some of the way you have to
crawl and push yourself along slen-
der. knobby limb, and then you have
to swing by your hands to the branch
above that. Gerald was up first, and
for a moment he felt better. Then
he looked at Fred's empty place, and
his eager little face clouded over
again.
Il don't see what those great big
boys want of Fred" scolded Helen.
Because he is the best left-handed
pitcher in town." said Gerald, with
gloomy pride. THE manager of the
team said he was perfect wonder.
But say, Nan, can't you think of some
way to make him stay at home q
little?"
He stroked my face with his dirty
little brown hand, and looked wistful.
ly at me with his sober gray eyes; but
shook my head and stared down at
the pleasant garden and our old play.
house. Everything seemed spoiled
now that Fred was gone. Helen stir.
red uneasily and almost pushed me
out of the castle.
The way for us to treat Fred is to
leave him alone. Gerald runs his feet
off doing errands for him, and you are
Just as bad, Mamie. l heard you read
ing the baseball page to him last
night, because he said he had head
ache. And, if you make fudge fol
him to carry around to those big
boys, you must expect that they will
like him better than ever"
you look just like Mrs. Cooks pug
dog when you wrinkle your face like
that" remarked Gerald.
J Mothers bell rang then, SO Heller
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
THE COURIER JUNIOR
Published BY
THE COURIER PRINTING CO.
oTTuMvNA. IOWA.
MATILDA oEv6REAUx.
EDITION.
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS.

Dear Juniors: For the neIt big con-
test we will ask each one OF the Jun
Tors to write about somebody whose
birthday is. or was in November. we
don't want long stories just snort
sketches. The writer's can select some
member ofs their own family or .
friend. or a noted person Of the present
time or some one who formerly filed
an important place in the world.
one Of the prizes will be the same
az oftered Fin last weeks contest, a
box of stationery, including a fountain
pen and twelve stamps. Other prizes
to select from are a doll, book. or q
piece Of stamped fancy work: rms
contest will open today and close
Tuesday, Nov. B.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
King Alfred
and: the
Beggar

There used to be a good king in
ENGLAND named Alfred. One time the
Danes came over the sea and drove
Alfred out Of his kingdom. For long
time he had to hide himself on little
island in river.
It happened one day that all who
were on the island went away to fish.
The king, the queen, and one serv.
ant were the only ones left. The island
was in a far-away place, and was very
lonely. No one could come to it ex.
cept by boat. Soon after all the people
had gone fishing, ragged old beggar
came to the kings door, asking for
food. The king knew that there was
very little food in the house, but he
called his servant to him and asked
how much there was.
my lord" said the servant, there
Is only one loaf and a little>Wine.
"Give half of the loaf and\ half OF
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
WAR OF 1872

During the last ten years Of tl1s
reign Of George III. the poor king was
insane and blind, and his son Georges
w. reigned. 1t was while this trouble
was upon him that the second war
with America began. The chief cause
seemed to be that man born on Eng
lish soil was always an Englishman
and cound not become a citizen Of any
other nation. England declared that tho
English officers had right to search
any ship, met at sea and seize men
thought to be Of English birth, This
was called the right Of search" It waE
said England seized six thousand from
American vessels. These men were
either naturalized American citizens or
else Of American birth, and that she
had forced them to enter tho English
navy.
During this war soldiers from Eng.
land landed in Maryland and destroyed
the congressional library and burned
the capitol in Washington. Americans
won at New Orleans but her greatest
victories were at sea- This was re-
markable because England had been
successful in the warfare with France
Some said she got hundreds Of ships
and lost only five. But after fighting
six months with our American soldiers
she had had six naval battles, had lost
six ships and had taken ono. In this
war Old IronsldeS won her victory and
Perry, he who had never seen q naval
engagement, defeated the English on
Lake Erie and sent a message to
Washington saying, 1--WE have met the
en- ,my and they are ours"
In 1914 the war closed. but the bait
tie of New Orleans was fought after the
treaty was signed because there was no
telegraph and no way Of sending the
news any sooner than by sailing YES
sells, so no one in America knew that
peace had been declared. Sg
Caroline Tout, age II,
521 Ottumwa ST., Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
PORTO RICO.

Dear Editor: -
thought I would write about Porto
Rico. q.
four large islands Of the greater An
titles. The most eastern Of the group
thu island Is 1916 miles in direct line
from New York. The forests have been
cleared. but there still remain many
trees that are valuable for lumber.
Among these are mahogany, cedar and
laurel. Bananas are the most common
product. Oranges and pineapples also
grow in great abundance. Large herds
of cattle are raised on the low lands
and many are exported Horses are also
raised Porto Rico has no wild animals
except the Armadillo. There are few
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
Fac HAD A SURPRISE FOR HER
MOTHER.

Dear Editor: "s'
AS saw my letter In print the hast,
time I wrote I thought would write
again. =
October list was my mammals BIRTH
day and we invited the neighbors to
come in and surprise her and they cer-
tainly did too. The neighbours didn't all
come that we invited but the ones that,
cafe brought cakes and We had ice
cream and cake. They an went home
about 1 o'clock.
received the card the editor sent mo
and think 1t is very pretty.
Charlton had home coming recently
and had a fine time. There was no
school during home coming week.
For pets I have a. cat, dog and calf.
The Calls name is Buster and the cats
name is Sambo and tho dogs name is
Shep.
will exchange post cards with any
Of the Juniors.
Fac Littleton.
r.. Charlton, Ia, r. No Z.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
ANNlE's DOLLS.
Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:
I thought I would write about my
dolls. I have three small ones and one
big doll. My big dolls name is Gladys.
She has brown hair and brown eyes.
I cot her for Christmas about four
years ago. make quite a few dresses
for my dolls. go to school every day.
1 am in the fourth and fifth reader
For pets have two dogs and two
cats. Both of my dogs are yellow.
hitch them up to my wagon sometimes.
One of my cats is little kitten. Her
name is Coda and my other cat is mall
tese and white. We have four little
calves They are all red.
Vesta Annie Wrinkle, age 9,
Ottumwa, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

mile from our house.
I ride horse every time I go.
like to ride. ...
We have little colts. Their names
are Babe and Folly. One Of them Is
my brothers. He stays at Bloom.
field. have three sisters and two
brothers.
Two Of my sisters are married.
My school hasn't started yet.
Brother and will 60 to school when
it starts.
For pets I have one dog and one
little chicken and kitten.
I like to play with them.
Johnnie Post, Age II.
Floris, Iowa, Route No. 2.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
hoTHEl
FOR THE CHILDREN

and Roy took his pet dog. Its name ID
Jack. He likes to hunt After while
we heard Jack barking. We thought
he had rabbit in q hollow log, SO Roy
and I went to see and when we got
there Jack had a rabbit by the hind
leg pulling it out Of the log and we
got the rabbit and called Jack and
went hack to the tree and the pigs had
eaten my doll all up. I went home cry.
ing. Mama asked me what was the
matter. l TOLD her all about 1t and
she told me not to worry she would
make me another one.
l will close. remain,
- A Junior friend,
Jennie Brown. aged ID.
Ottumwa, Iowa, r. No. 1. Box SO.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
MARIE'S PETS.

Dear Editor:
wrote a story not long ago but
thought I would write again to thank
the editor for the beautiful post card
I received.
For pets have black kitten named
Trixy and dog named Jack.
I like to read the stories and letters
in the Courier Junior. I also like to
look at the funny Mutt and JEFF. am
cutting them out and pasting them In
nv scrap book.
For reading I have read Dorothy
Daintys" series and a few others. do
not care for reading much. have also
read Dan and his new pony" That is
a good book too.
Have any Of you Juniors ever visited
Colorado and viewed the mountains? l
used to live close to them, about four
miles from Pixies Peak but have never
climbed to the top. You can see snow
on Pixies Peak the Fourth Of July l
have been to the top of lots Of other
mountains. will write a long story on
the mountains some time.
Marie Dible, age 10,
Simpson, Colorado.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

1
home around the huge fireplace.
To reach our destined place 1t was
necessary to cross narrow stream
now frozen over. When we turned the
bend coming to the river, we were
greeted with shouts by some of our
comrades who were all too glad 10
see us coming for as they termed 1t
1.-THE more, the merrier." We did not
intend to stop until we came back but
the sight of the smooth CLASSY stream
was too much for us and 1t was not
long until we too, were skating.
I, not being used to skating, re-
ceived many a severe tumble out
took it good naturedly when SHOUTS OF
laughter went up at the comical sight,
I presented. Skating kept us warm
and it was high noon before we began
to feel the fangs of hunger piercing
US. ~s
Upon the side Of certain little
mound near the stream and sheltered
from the cold wind, was our furnace
where we roasted our potatoes. They
tasted pretty smoky, but what group
of healthy skaters out for good time,
care fro that?
After our enjoyable dinner our
party Consisting of us three) insisted
shat the rest of the skaters should Join
us in our search for hazel nuts. the
rest could not refuse at the mentlon
of nuts"
We played like we were crossing
the Alps" and Of course we had our
guide but fortunately we did not nave
any ropes to tie us together.
It was not very long until our guloe
called back that he had come across
Gust bushels of hazel nuts"
We all ran pell-mell up to MIN
when to our disgust our unworthy
guide presented us with handful OF
cookie burrs. We discarded him as
guide Immediately and chose one more
worthy of the name. Soon our new
guide yelled back that he had 1ouno
whole oceans of EN-
No fooling this time for sure enough
we had at last reached our destlna'
ed place. How merry we all were!
Such a jolly crowd as we were
throwing halle nuts as we'll as lemons
at each other for we did find 'Just
oceans of EN-"
The sun was rapidly advancing
toward the west when we heard the TAR
away little country church bell 1alnt1y
chime the fifth hour.
Somehow the chime was slower tnan
usual. Then the fact that the snad.
ows were beginning to deepen heiped
make everything more solemn ike.
We picked I'D our baskets in hurry
and started on a run down the little
hill.
Our guide who was not 80 sure loot
ed as before, fell sprawhng oe1ore
ha,f wav down the hill and the rest
of us Of course rolled down too. II
was a sight worth seeing, but we were
not in the laughing mood just theil
and jumping up we hurried on.
After the stream was .recrosseo we
felt rather relieved and taking snort
cut through the woods we came upon
the country road leading to our homes.
It was dark when we reached nome
but the fire in the big old-fasnloneo
fren]ace cast a warm glow about the
living room which made things more
cheerful.
We began to shell our hazel nuts but
TO our disgust, found that nearly nail
of them were not any good but we de-
cided that the good time We mad sKat-
ing made up for it.
Vida Whale, age IA.
Ottj,mWa. Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
ELLEN'S MOTHER CARRIED OUT
A SURPRISE.

Dear Editor and Juniors:-My
birthday was the twentieth of October
and my mamma had a birthday sur
prise on me and there were twelve
little friends and school mates at my
surprise party.
They all presented me with a post
card and other presents. Mamma
made me nice dinner and we spent
the afternoon in playing games.
I won't write very much this time
as I am a stranger among the little
Juniors. -.
Ellen Lippert, Age II.
Unionville, a., R. F. D. No. 2.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

the wine to this poor man." said the
king; and he gave thanks to God for
what food he had.
The servant brought out the bread
and the wine for the beggar. The poor
man eat eagerly. When he had fin
ished, he thanked the king for his
kindness and went away.
:, Afternoon came, and the men who
had gone fishing returned. They came
back with three boats full Of fish.
I'VE have caught more fish today"
said they, than in all the rest Of the
time that we have been on the island"
This pleased the king greatly. 1t gave
him more hope than he had had since
he had been driven from his kingdom.
They all ate their supper, and went to
their beds very happy.
That night the king lay awake a
long time. He was thinking about
what had happened during the day.
As he lay there and thought, it
seemed to him that he saw great
light, as bright as the sun. In the
midst OF the light, he beheld an old
man with black hair, holding in his
hand an open book. The king did not
know whether it was a dream or
whether it was real. It seemed very
real indeed, and he continued to look
at it wonderingly. Yet he was not IN
the least afraid. It rather pleased
him.
Who are your" he asked of the old
man.
ALFRED, my son. said the man,
"haye no fear; for I am he to whom
you gave this day half of your little
store of food. Be brave and strong and
light of heart. Listen to what I say,
and all shall yet be will with you. In
the morning rise up early, and wind
your horn three times, as loudly as
you can-so loudly that the Danes
will hear it. BY 9 o'clock at least five
hundred men will come to you, ready
to be led into battle. Be brave, and
fight well; and within one week you
shall drive your enemies before you.
And you shall go back to your king
dom to reign in peace"
At these words the light faded, and
the man was no longer seen. The king
rose early the next morning, and
called for his boat to go over to the
mainland. Then he blew his horn very
loudly three times. The sound filled
his friends with great Joy, but 1t filled
the Danes with fear.
The king sat down and waited quiet
". In a short time men armed for bat
tie began to appear. More and more
followed. BY o'clock he found him
self surrounded by more than five
hundred soldiers, armed and eager for
battle. He spoke to them, telling
everything that he had seen In his
dream. This pleased them greatly, and
they sent up great cheer for him.
They said that they would follow him
and fight his battles as long as they
lived.
They went bravely into battle and
beat the Danes time after time. Final
ly, all the Danes were driven out OF
Alfred's Kingdom, and the good king
ruled in peace. He was always wise in
his doings and kind to his people, CIV
ing freely to all who needed help. He
never forgot how his kindness to the
beggar had been repaid.
Adapted by G. M. S.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
STILL SEND POST CARDS.

W. want the Juniors to continue
to write letters to the juniors anu "
each other through the Junior ,pass'
Yves have some splendid stones ~ luu ~
We will send out post cards g. an ne y,
writer's whenever their %'letters : "
storis APPEAR. .,,..,, -, s,,h.
short stories on the following SUP 10.
+ects will also entitle' the writer 70
beautiful post cards: l%
A BIRTHDAY PARTY. (HeaaII y Or
Imaginary
NUTTING PARTY.
MY PETS.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
SEVEN RULES FOR THE JUNIORS

I. Use one side Of the paper only
. Write neatly and legibly, using INK
or a sharp lead pencil.
8 Always sign your name in full anu
state your age.
4. Number your pages. .a
< Do not copy stories or poetry ana
send us as your own work.
Always state choice of prize on
; separate piece of paper, with name
and address in full. ,.+ou
I Address the envelope to Edltor
Courier Junior, OttumWa, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
MILE MADE HER DOLL wv
DRESSES.

Dear Editor and Juniors:-1 thank
von for the beautiful doll you sent
me. Last Tuesday when l cams
home from school I looked In the
mail box to see if there was any mall
and found my new doll. l was very
glad to get her.
She has brown hair, brown eyes
and white slippers and stockings
Che will 90 to sleep when lay her
down. Her name is Lucille.
We have made her two new dresses:
NV friend Leora Dawson IS mere ano
we are having good time playing
with the dolls.
Millie Huffman,
Floris, Iowa, Route No. 3.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
FESTIVALS OF THE YEAR.

AS last weeks contest does not close
until Monday we will again run the
rules: ,,.,+,d
You all know that IN the United
states we have a great many holidays.
Well, we want the Juniors 10 use lor
the subject of big contest "FestlVaIs
OF the Year and Why we Celeoraee
Them" Commence with the new year
and finish with Christmas.
The prize will be box OF STATION,
ery including a fountain pen ana
twelve stamps
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
EARL LIVES ON A FARM.

Dear Juniors:-I am a little boy
seven years old.
live on a farm near Soap creek.
I have two brothers and three SIS
ters.
Our school hasn't started yet.
When papa goes away I have to
help my brotheF feed.
/ have horse; his name Is Barney.
He Is broke to ride.
Earl Post, Age Z.
F1oris, Iowa, Route No. 2.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
eERTHA's FIRST LETTER.

Dear Editor:
This is the first time have ever
written to the Courier Junior. l go to
the Eldon high school. I am in the
fourth room and in the fourth grade.
MY teachers name is Agnes c. Belson
I like her awfully well. I went to school
last year without missing day and
was not tardy. My mamma is dead. She
died when was a baby. I live with my
grandma and grandpa and papa. My
papa's name is Lew Bishop and he
works at Harry Wiest's meat market
Bertha Bishop, age 10,
Selma ST., Eldon, Iowa.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

Dear Editor:
AS I have never written to the
Junior before, thought would write.
I am little boy seven years old.
l go to school every day. My teachers
name is Fac Erskine. I like her very
much. My playmates are Alva loops,
Willie Hart, Howard Brewer and
Eddie Hart.
For pets I have little shepherd
dog. Her name is Jessie.
Well, I will close, so good bye
From your little Junior friend,
Teddy. Canny aged Z.
Agency, Iowa, r. F. D. No. 1, Box 26.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
MYPETs

Dear Juniors:
For pets I have two white rabbits,
a colt, a dog, two red birds. My rab-
bits names are Bon and Bonny. My
colts name is Billy. My dogs name
is Ring, and my birds names are
Dick and Billy.
4 am little boy ten years old. 60
to school. 1 am in the fourth grade.
MY plamates are Max loops, Herman
Wing and Roy George. '
Well, | will close, SO good bye.
Lacey Canny, aged 10.
Agency, Iowa, R. f. D. No. l, Box rs.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
MAMA READS THE LETTERS TO
PAULINE ., ..... .-

Dear Editor:
I thought I would write again.
I received your. card and thank you
very much for it. ..
My papa takes the Daily Courier.
Mama and papa read the letters to
me. I would like to get prize.
I have big doll. like to play with
It. I had two other dolls and l broke
them all up.
I remain, -.tt-
A little Junior friend,
.. Pauline Bextille, aged 2.
Ottumwa, Iowa, R No. 1, Box SO.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

Dear Juniors:
I have never written before, so am
going TO write about the Japan island.
It is an island northeast of Asia. The
Japanese have brown skin, black hair
and eyes, The men are short ana
sturdy. The women Ak their hair up
with wooden pins. They can weave
rapidly with their toes. The Japanese
father tells his sons to be brave like
the carp, while our father tells our
brothers to be brave like the eagle.
Lucille Crop, age IL,
sos Mill ST., Ottumwa, Ia
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
RONALD AND HARoLD,s PICNIC.

Dear Editor:
This is my second letter to the Oour-
Ter Junior. received my post card and
thank you very much for it.
Sunday was my brother Harold's
birthday. He was 13 years old. Harold
Tyler came home with us from Sunday
school. After dinner mamma fixed our
lunch and. we went to the woods and
had a fine time. We found poles and
made tent and covered 1t with leaves
and called it our wig wan. Then we
hunted rocks and made a foundation
and built little log cabin from poles.
Then we ate our supper and came
home.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
JENNlE's FIRST DOLL

Dear Juniors:
When / was 6 years old my grand
mother made me rag doll I thought
it was nice It was the first doll I
ever had. l went in meadow where
some people kept hogs. My brother
Roy and I went to play under big
elm tree and took my doll with me
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
THE PRIZE WINNERS.

iris Mccormick is awarded the
nriza in the contest, United States"
e 81 GLADYS Jones, Buelah Van Dyke
and David Hammond IN the Posl CO..
album contest. Several OF tue 49,.
prize winners have not acknoMleus..o ~
their prizes. If we nave laiie1 ~. ~
send any Junior his or;her prize please e IS ,
let us know. sf%fss$s FIf.3,5 ..z25>. ! +" !.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
EARL LIKES TO HELP HIS PAPA.

Dear Juniors:-I am eleven years
old live on a farm of 103 acres.
We have nine head of horses and
three COWS and little calf.
I like to help my papa feed. we
have been cutting corn. We nave TO
take our stock to well about nalI
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26
MAE A NEW JUNIOR.

Dear Editor: EH
AS have never written TO the Cour-
Ter Junior I will write now. For pets
have a calf and little kitten. The
calfs name is Mag. And the kittens
name is Big Eyes, because she has such
large eyes. She can climb a tree. She is
very playful and I have lots Of fun
with her.
Mae Belgard, age 8,
Agency, Ia. r, No. I.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-26

schools and colleges under the control
of the Roman Catholic church.
Reva Shields, age ii,
Bear Creek, Iowa..
,r... froptinued on Page ~