davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31

over that 1 knew it. I could read the
sig Ws IN mar her fac face from long study of it.
and drinking till nobody could eat and
drink more, just as the clock struck
silence and said hushedly: "Ghost time!
s fe mn must De ready for them: Take away
We will read the future
She She save us nuts for naming--we set
hearth, where the heat struck them fair
~. Ii they burned together, the pair whose
names they bore, burning in loves flame,
would end in marriage If one or the
other pulled and flirted away it would be
pam why the match was broken. Then
Relna Hghted her witch caldron-a big
alcohol. 1t fiared up merrily, in a blue
touched unearthIy, even CHASTITY. By Its
light We watched the nuts-few pairs
danced away. there We're shouts of laugh
Ter, walls of mock-reproach. Few had
been named openly, but there were no
caught fire Rick had calamity named
his for Ella Walton. No less than four
good fellows had chosen Reina for mate.
named for me whisk a yard away, with
a reSounding p-ff-f, she cried out re-
planted me?'
Madame's son had not come-Reina had
sent him about his business a week be-
tore For that madame bore her sharp
enough Ill Will. Now, in the thought OF
RICK, she grew desperate, dangerous,
Reina was in charge of the witch light
she would trust nobody else. Now and
again she flung upon it more spirit.
The water and earth test was coming
three bowls, one empty, one filled to the
brim with clean water, one with dry
earth stood ranged on the big table: One
must choose between them blindfold-Wa-
ter meaning happy marriage, earth all
manner of marital i'll luck; emptiness,
single wretchedness. To make room for
the bowls, the witch light had been moved
to a smaller table-of teak, rightly carved,
but easily OVerSet.
folding at firSt-but was deposed
when it was seen that he did the work so
slackly the blind could see-and choose
Squire Bassett proved no more trust
Otherwise-but maybe God knows best.
Reina had just replenished her caldron-
the tall blue flame almost licked her face,
drawing lightly to her as she stood BESIDE
it, laughing, and watching intently while
I led forward my stepsister, her eyes Sc
curely bound. She was turned thrice
about after coming to the table side-I
can see again, when l shut my eyes, her
tine lowering hand, above the bowls. 1t
went this way and that-to settle at last
in the empty one-then snatch Viciously al
the binder, fling it underfoot and trample
Madame. beside herself with anger,
cried stormily to Reina: Put out that
witch lght-else I WILL" darting toward
the table.
I hope it was accident-not design-she
overset 1.-THE flaming stuff within the
bowl splashed upon Reina, soaring hef
white throat, her sweet round prea@-
SCARED OF course we made 1t out acc1-
dent-but my father died month later;
and madame went away, else shoulo
never have had my dear at GreenWays.
We married at once-there was nothing
else to do.-(Copyright, 1913 by the Nc
Clure Newspaper Syndicate)
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
EVENING CHAT
A Hard Thing to Do.
BY RUTH CAMERON

Once upon a time an artist and short
story writer were discussing short story
which had appeared in one of the last
months magazines.
Said the short story writer, w nat puIly
illustrationsi I wish I could get the man
like that. And the story. is SO punk that
it's scarcely worth worth printing Thats just
Said the artist, well I'm glad you like
those illustrations. 1 can mem mem rP Rnf
IL q the story. Thought it was one of the
best 1 had read in dogs age.
Queer, isn't it, how much easier It is 10
forgive merit and success in any line but
know pretty girl who is. always talk;
this or that minnie friend is Indeed
she is so readg to 4bef s6e has
the reputation of having a singua bay
sweet disposition. But try to make neT
YOU will certainly find yourself up agaln:t
it. Not that she will be disagreebale ABOUT
it. No indeed! She is far ta foe far
care to profess her liking for the beauty
candidate but she will most regT nd ,eay
Son Son why the latter just misses being
n On the other hand, 1 know a clever
neWsnaner woman, with no pretence to
nrettiness who is always enthuslng ABOUT
some pretty girl she has met. But II you
fers in the profession is a clever neWspa-
per woman 1 will give you flve ooliar
gold piece. ,, ,,,,,o, 1.,i11ineIv
odnits The good tennis player, but he IS
4ikely to depreciate the Rehrior I,Ieirje5 IS
the best of swimmers. me t mus af the
a m4SJ oT writer, but brother musician
especially in his RartG n anything hf but
DrnGeinp admiration from him. The Wom-
has genius Hzt for o sty abiit goW HndeF
- CIV m her sisters. but she must CON
t tine su to " wonder why they dress with SO
little taste. 49, .,,oro orc sor,e peo-
,,,a ao p;tl enough to be above such petit
hesses yes bnow that's at it. trus som anf
glba ~ one sees too many of the other kind
of people one forgets. ,o and T sin
There are such fine, people ana 20 I hat
c c1aes A Apde vet I suspect that even we
oncas ionalIy Slip over into the other typo
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
BY TIE WY
BY HARVEY PARSONS.

Far be it from this department to
criticize Hon. Text Book Commisn
Austin for journeying hence TO speno
the summer months and certain state
moneys in Gee-loriouS California, put
we do feel that he should have writ
ten travel letters for the home papers,
so that the expenditure would not pc
totally wasted.
The Topeka gentleman charged in a
divorce suit with having held one
Alice" on his knee, had his nerve
with him, perchance the charge Is
true.
But Topekaons are noted for their
nerve. Some of them have been
known to wear a straw hat with a
dress Suit-and on a street car at
thati
But the moral of the case seems to
be that, before holding one Alice" on
his knee, a man should take his S25,-
600 out of the bank and plant 1t in a
secret place and tomato can.
The department of agriculture re
ports the approach of foreign bug
that attacks onions. He may be some
bug, but we continue to bet on the
onion
The hat pin is getting in a class
with the motorcycle as a Venomous
reptile. A Chicago hold-uppist who
was "stinged'' by hat pin, won fame
as the victim of the first hat pin
fatality.
Hon. Julian Hawthorne, novelist,
says the government owes him an
apology for keeping him in the pen.
But he is liable to find that collecting
anything from the government is
hard matter. What the government
owes him will probably be outlaWed
before he collects the first installment
Considering the price they sell 'em
at, the report that an eastern oyster
trust has failed, doesn't sound reason
able. But mayhap the oysterists play
ed the wheat market during the closed
season on bivalves.
Hon. st. Joe Holland seems to have
a peeve at Topeka. In frisking our
mental history for an answer to his
attitude, we find some dim writing on
page 1907, which seems to indicate
that perhaps Hon. Holland was pinch
ed, in our fair burg, for brutally swat
ting an understood Jump.
The anti-cigarette fans should take
a day off and explain the case of Col.
Goethals, constructor of the Panama
canal. The colonel consumes about
four dozen cigarettes per diem, but
from all accounts, is neither a simp,
physical wreck nor a criminal.
AS one who smokes anything but
soft coal and hop, we care not to de-
fend the innocuous cause of SO much
inane slush-we merely rise to in
quire why Col. Goethals is not a men
tai and physical wreck.
Our idea of a really competent
sassiety reporter is one who knows
the French names for all the doo-dads
worn by women.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
ON TEE SPUR
or TIE NOMENT
NY Old Bill Cat.
K. MOULTON.

I've got a cat whose name is Bill,
1t seems that he just can't stay still;
He simply wanders round the house,
But he amt ever caught a mouse.
L don't know what he is good fer,
Except to hank around and purr
And rub himself agin' my legs,
For that's the way the critter begs
When he wants somethin' fer to eat
His appetite cannot be beat.
Seems like he's never satisfied;
When out he wants to git inside,
And when I let the dunn fool in
He hollers to git out agin.
He's like a lot of folks [ know,
Who don't know where they want to
Not even what they want to do;
I've met that kind and so have you.
He doesn't seem to show no sense,
But sits all night on our back fence
And lets out such fiendish yelIs and
screams,
Just like our college football teams,
Who don't know what he's talking
about.
All folks is queer, it seems, and that's
About the way it is with cats.
I've often thought with Bill I'd part,
But I amt ever had the heart
To chloroform the cuss or tie
A stone to him and see him die
For after all is said and done,
My Bill cat amt the only one
Who hasn't found his mission in
This world, and it can't be sin
When lots of folks with brains like us
Are just as bad as him and wuss.
He may not be no good but still,
Somehow, L like my old cat Bill.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
HU1NOR or THE DIP

Mr. Wise-"Our rector preached such an
excellent sermon Sunday against the dam
ger and vulgarity of Haunting of wealth.
Mrs. Worldly-"But, mercy what's wealth
for?'-Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Il suppose that your son is developing
apace. Yes; and a pace that is much
too fast for one of his years."-BuffaIo
Express.
"DoObs says he is a man who takes
his medicine without complaining"
That's true, but he has mistaken idea
as to the medicinal value of alcohol. -
Birmingham Age-Herald.
Nodd-"Can your wife keep a secret?''
Todd-Well, I should say so. She never
lets on how much she orders when she
goes shopping.''-Iife. ~
Gibbs-"How did that rich boor man.
age to get introduced into society?'' Hibbs
He wasn't introduced; he was inset
ed."-Judge.
I'm the old days doctors used tn bleed
patients for most of the Diseases" They
st1ll do, my boy; they still do."-Detroft
Free Press.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
GLOBE SIGHTS
BY THE ATCHISON GLOBE.

"A Womans tears are more powerful
than the rest of the water power.
AS long either side has a chance to
win, arbitration has hard shedding.
Prejudice is so common it is hard to
keep the jury from being exposed.
1t is possibly true that most of the OPP
timists haven't troubles of their own.
Alb Adkins says he might have won
fame as an inventor, had he had all his
excuses patented.
One can learn to like garlic, but there is
such thing as paying too much for an
ed ton.
An engaged girl overestimates the pub
lie surfously when she tries to keep it out
of the paper.
So many who wie7- 10 lead a free and.
independent life made the mistake of be-
ing born poor.
That Soulful Expression may indicate
the need of calomel rather than yearn-
ing for Higher Things.
At least one has to take a good deal less
for granted than in the old days when
skirts were made of sterner stuff.
i ere are a great many artists who
don't wear their hair that way, and fact
is stranger than fiction in several other
particulars.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31

The rector of Asfordsby claims to
nornn and ceremony of solemn exor-
ciSm. 5000.
Archbishop Thomson once accom-
pIished the same feat in very much
simpler manner.
Staying at country house with ira
ditions of a family ghost, he was put
up for the night in the haunted cnaih-
ber."
In the morning his hosts were anx-
ious to know if he had seen anything.
ION. yes" he replied, about twelve
o'clock I heard a knock at the door
I said, Come in, come in And did
he Gomez" yes, an old, sallow-look-
ing man" Yes, that is our ghost!
What did you do?" 'T got out of bed
and asked if he belonged to the house.
He nodded assent. L asked if he were
a parishioner. He nodded again.
Then 1 said, I am anxious to build
some new schools; will you give me
subscription He disappeared, and L
saw no more of him!"-London Chron-
iP1a
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
BlunderS in Print.
please

Notice on door of residence: please
knock the bell out of order"
Sign in a Chicago drug store: Save
your coupons and get an art plague free
Advertisement of institution in South
Dakota: Maternity hospital. Female
patients only"
Manitoba Free Press, quoting Ralph
Connor: II who have never set foot out
side my native Shoes
From New York paper: Emily was
a queer girl, and SO, for that matter, was
her father
western bank announces: 1--WE make
the interest of our depositors our In
terest.''
Newspaper on deceased financier: He
is reputed to have made million dollars
in as many years.
Card of cleaning company: Don't take
the life out of your rugs by beating them
Let US do it in a more sanitary way
Boston Transcript.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
HXHAWKER JOTS

The secret political caucus in KAN
sas is a thing of the past, declares the
Harrington Sun-since women have a
voice in politics.
Eaton B. Going, Osawatomie's most
quoted individual, remarks that many
a train of thought consists of moth
ing except the engine and a caboose.
Even dogs know when to behave,
insists the Mcpherson Republican, and
it explains: A barking dog leaves his
bark at home when he goes out to Kill
sheep.
According to the weather prognos-
ticators at Roosevelt, the snow storm
which fell in Kansas recently was the
presager of nineteen other snow
storms this winter.
Attention is called by the Sharon
Springs Western Times to the fact that
the man who used to holler, 'Ah, there,
my size!' when he was a boy, now
has son who says, "Oh, you kid!''
Wisdom, from the Moundridge Citi-
zen: A man who never has anything
to say about his neighbors may not
be the most enjoyable companion, but
you can put it down that he is
mighty good citizen.
Hard luck for hungry newspaper
man! Editor kellogg of the Engle-
wood Leader-Tribune reports that he
made an effort to secure some of the
details of the wedding that took place
in Englewood recently, but it seems
they were all eaten up
Evolution. Some of our Alexander
girls, reports the Alexander CORE
spondent of the Lacrosse Chieftain
are lucky in getting to ride motor
cycles lately Soon the oId-time buggy
will be discarded and the boys will
have to own motors or be back num-
bers.
Jim Cluke was tried in the district
court at Atchison recently for wife de-
sertion. And the Atchison Globe
quotes Lou Baker as saying: 80 far
as L was able to gather from his own
evidence. Jims contribution to the
support of his family while he was in
Omaha was five postcards"
A Brooklyn school ma'am who is
forty years old, got judgment for
breach of promise in the sum of
$35,O notes the Lawrence Gazette,
and it adds: If the affections of a
maiden, lady of forty are worth S35,-
600 she must have been some peach
when she was twenty-five and there
abouts.
In a wedding writeup in one of the
Butler county papers attention. is
called to the fact that the groom
was dressed becomingly in a hand
some suit of dark blue" And the
wedding spread, consisting of 'vege-
tables, meats, fruits, salad and cakes
is described as a dainty but bounti-
full luncheon
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
QUAKER NEGOTIATIONS.
rFrom the Philadelphia Record

[From the Philadelphia Record.1
stubborn man is simply one who
doeS~'t think do.
The scandal monger is all ears, but the
egotist is all Is.
She-''Pm Just devoted to archery" He
LET me be your beau
The aviator would probably rather be
hard up than down and out.
Some people are quick to take offense
who don't know what to do with it.
One thing the average woman always
thinks should be looked into is a mirror.
If you want to keep a cook. try to dis
charge her. Then she'll stay just for
spite.
Many a woman who doesn't even do her
own sewing can ruffle her husbands tenn
per.
The race is not always to the swift.
Many a fellow runs into debt and then
tries to crawl out.
The saddest part of being thrown on
your resources is whe~ you find you
haven't any.
Muzzler-'I thoroughly believe, that
variety is the spice of life Guzzler-'I
prefer cloves, myself
Wigg-""That fellow Bjones is generally
spelling fer a fight" Wagg-"He always
seems too fresh to me-"
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
SAVING TIME IN EDUCATION.

There is a waste of at least two
years in the present plan of American
education. This is the conclusion
reached by a committee of prominent
educators in a report on Economy of
Time in Education" just issued by
the United States bureau of educa-
ton.
This conclusion follows an investi-
cation lasting nearly ten years by
committee of the National Education
association, of which President James
H. Baker of the University of Col
orado is chairman. The committee
has endeavored to form a plan that
would do away with the two-year loss.
They propose that six years be as
signed to the elementary school in
stead of eight as at present; that the
high school period be from age IL to
IS, divided into two parts, of four
and two years each; that college work
extend from Is to 20, or 16 to 20, &C
cording to the method of distributing
the last two secondary years. and
that graduate or professional work
at a university cover the years from
20 to "a. This would enable boys and
girls to get ample vocational training
after the age of IL; it would enable
those who go on to college to get
through their college work at the age
of 20; and it would save the profess
sional man from having to wait until
81 to start his professional career.
The report insists that the present
elementary course is too long; that
the ground now covered in eight
years can be covered just as efficiently
in six, allowing secondary work to
begin at the age of IL. To save on
elementary schooling they urge:
Choose the most important subjects
and the most important topics; make
a distinction between first-rate facts
and principles and tenth-rate. Con-
fine the period of elementary educa-
ton to mastering the tools of educa-
ton. Include the last two years of
the present elementary school in the
period of secondary education and
begin the study of foreign language,
elementary algebra, constructive
geometry, elementary science and his
tory two years earlier than at pres
ent.
Emphasis is laid on the necessity
of concentrating on a few valuable
studies: THE great mistake of our
education is to suppose that quantity
and strain constitute education. Ed
ucation is a question of doing a few
essential things well and without
overstrain. The college has commit
ted a grievous mistake in demanding
ever more in quantity than in quality
produced under condition of healthy
normal development"
The report takes up the problem
of saving time in education from the
point of view of the college, the
school and society at large, as we'll as
of the individual pupil; and it con-
tains opinions on every phase of the
question from representative school
men and the general public.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31

A Teller never knows how many good
friends he hasn't got until he tries to
sell 'em something
One lucky thing is that very few of
the aviators seem to have the habit of
chawin' toba cker.
1t is getting so nowadays that Teller
kin stir up a financial panic unless every
body is willin.
Most any Teller would rather be right
than be president of Mexico.
What has become of all them good"
six-fer-a-Quarter seegars?
wear better clothes than the guests.
Now that a Teller kin send milk by mail
the day may come when he kin send it
in the original package, the COW.
Elmer Sphinx says the ideal huskin' bee
is the one where every ear is a red
Eyeglasses always help Teller to look
innocent when he wants to.
Hank Tumms says the socks are get
tin so Shoddy he can't make one of 'em
last moren two years.
It is getting harder and harder fer a
Teller without brains to git by.
Fifteen different fellers have occupied
the hammock on the front porch of
Deacon Stubs house. but the season is
closing and his daughter hasn't seen any
thing that looks like a ring. The deacon
has bought a new hammock every year
for the last two decades.
After a Teller learns to like his wife's
cookin' there amt no affinity who is
ever goin to get in between 'em.
Hank Tumms is always looking for
work and when he sees it he goes up a
back alley so as to avoid it.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
KANSAS COMMENT
OUR NATIVE FLOWERS.

Visitors to these western Kansas
prairies have often remarked about
the great variety of wild flowers
which come with the early spring and
change from month to month with the
advancing season. At present we nave
an abundance of the little purple
daisies or asters-the little Hover
with blue petals and the yellow cen
ter. Have you ever studied this little
flower? 1t grows in hard baked
ground along the roadside and blooms
from the first of August until the late
fall. 1t is a symmetrical flower,
dainty and attractive in form and col
or and as beautiful an ornament for
your flower garden as one could de-
sire. Has it ever occurred to you to
take some of these little purple asters
into your garden and domesticate
them? With proper culture and con-
t1nual selection of the best for propa-
CATION, you ought to be able to de-
Velop large sized specimens which, for
hardness and beauty, could not be
excelled. We spend too much money
importing seeds and bulbs for our
Flower gardens. We do not spend
enough time in our gardens and
among our native plants studying their
haplts and possibilities. Instead of
spending so much money in trying to
acclimate plants and flowers imported
from the eastern localities, why not
spend few hours and some brain
energy in demonstrating the flowers
Whlch spring up from the ground I'M
DER our very feet This is a task for
the girls who are studying botany
hamilton County Republican.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST.
The recovery from an exhumed
school in Babylonia of little clay slate
peleVed to have been used by
schoolboy 1890 years ago adds a touch
OF human interest to the usually dry
SUBJECT OF archaeology. Toward one
corner were the queer pictures which
FORMED the writing of that ancient
time. The youngster had done well a
part OF his exercise in composition, but
IN turning to another corner of the
tablet to continue, his stylus slipped,
ne wet his thumb and tried to rub out
the mistake; it wouldn't rub, and, in
anger, he tossed the slate away. And
now, after 43 centuries, curious white
1olks from far away have dug it up
and deciphered what the lad was try
ing TO write. Aeons ago he went back
70 dust; but his writing was eternal.
from discoveries which the Egyptolo-
g1sts have made in this exhumed
school-the Temple School at Nippur,
the excavation of which has been I'M
DER the care of the University of Penn
syIVan1a-it appears that the Babylon
ian lads of that long ago day studied
pretty much the same subjects over
which young America pores nowadays.
Ihere were lessons in history, gram
mar, geography and geology. If the
Dust of 43 centuries should settle upon
our clVlllzat1on and diggers from a
distant land, knowing nothing of our
speech or ways, should come to un-
earth our story, do you suppose that
our newspaper files would be pre-
served and our states and parchmantS
spared ?-Wichita Beacon.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-31
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.
[From the Chicago News.l

IFTOIm IIt OHICdgO NtWS.I
A stitch in time beats two in the side.
And stinginess is the stepmother of dis
honesty
The worry germ causes a lot of I'M
necessary trouble.
If a man is seasick it's natural for him
to want the earth.
Most women have an idea that men
couldn't get along without them.
The man who quarrels with his bread
and butter is likely to dine on scraps
If you don't owe dollar you can look
any man in the eye and tell him to go to
work.
Nothing seems to surprise some people
So much as the failure of the unexpected
to happen.
The longer the days the shorter the
nights, but many a man shortenS his days
by lengthening his nights.
When the rooters applaud the umpire s
decisions it means that the visiting team
is getting the short end of it.