davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
EUening Chat
A Let's-Pretend Neighborhood.

IF we could only have our real
friends for neighbors what lot more
fun we could get out of life" sighed
Molly the little stenographer lady, the
other evening, as she reluctantly got
ready to make the three-quarters of
an hour trip that lies between her
home and that of the Lady-who-al-
ways-knows somehow.
That is a thought which has often
occurred to me, though not expressed
in precisely that form.
1t is a day dream with me, one of
those "let's-pretends" with which I
beSuile tedious moments of waiting
IN any situation where for one rea-
son or another I cannot read. How
our '1et's-pretends'' change with the
years. by the way. Once upon a time
used to pretend that a Iong-Iost
uncle (there was no such parsonage
in the family, but that did not trou-
Die mel had come back from parts
unknown fabulously wealthy, selected
me as his favorite niece and showered
luXuries upon me. Now 1 make for
myself something which would have
seemed very tame then, an ideal
neighborhood into which gather
perhaps a dozen friends from all over
the city, or rather from ali over the
country.
In my minds eye this is always a
country town neiehborhood with com
Portable, unpretentious houses, broad
lawns and beautiful back yards prop
erly fitted foI children's play with
apple trees and bulkheads and hem
houses and even a brook. But the
prime feature is that none of us lives
more than a ten-minutes' walk from
any other, and so the evenings good
time is never haunted by the thought
of long, tedious trip home.
Moreover, in this town of let's-pre-
tend, we do not have to formally plan
our good times in advance, with the
inevitable disadvantage of all planned
good times, that when the evening
comes We don't feel in the right mood.
In this ideal neighborhood, if when
the days work is done, we feel in the
good-time mood, we simply call up a
few friends for a table or two of
bridge, or q little dancing. Or, better
still, two or three folks chance to dron
IN and we find ourselves launched
on a f1rel1Sht voyage of talk, in the
course of which we touch at MANY
fascinating lands, not only those in
tho geography but other countries of
the mind and spirit.
And then sometimes at week ends
we take long tramrs into the woods
and have grown-rp picnics with camp
fires and coffee and bacon and ONT
door appetite and zect
And on Sunday afternoons there is
always candlelight and freight and
music in someone's home
In a neighborhood like this doesn't
| it seem as if ii would be castor to re-
member that sunshine and love and
friendship and books and health and
self-respect are the realities of life.
and that piHng up possessions and
outshining other people and getting or
in society and other things like that
| arc just nusks?
1 am sure it would be. Ard 1 Won
der that we don't make more effort
| to create such a neighborhood in
stead of tamely slumping down in any
place where the air and the social tone
are good enough and other circum-
stances make it most convenient for
us to live protected by The Adams
/ Newspaper Scrvice.l
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

some record breaking import figures.
And it is none other than that pre-
cious metal, gold. The imports of
gold in December last We're valued at
$45. 412,677, as compared with $4.-
109,0 63 in December, 1914. The years
gold imports aggregated s451. 1854. $50,
as against S57,3S7,741 for 1914. Gold
exports for last December totaled $11,-
Ss9, 2S5 and S31, 425,e1S for the year
ending with December. The net in
ward movement of gold for 1915 was
$420, 52S,672 as compared with a net
outward movement of $165,22S,415 in
1914. All of which is only more evil
dence of the extent to which the bal
ance of trade is in favor of the United
States
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
Kansas Comment
FATHER TIME.

This business of representing Time
as a decrepit old man, whitened and
bewhiskered, is all wrong. Time
ought not to be represented as being
old. Time is the youngest thing there
is. 1t is in the beginning and is no
nearer the end than it was yesterday.
Time should be pictured as the merest
infant-in swaddling clothes. 1t has
just started A million years from
now it will be no Older" Nothing
without beginning or without end can
become aged. Time is the one thing
that cannot grow old. The most per-
feet sentence ever written is the first
sentence of the Old Testament. In
the beginning God created the heav-
ems and the earth" 1t is all there.
You can not frame a sentence that will
carry you further into the past. In
the beginning" There is the whole
thing-the birthday of Time. And it
was yesterday. Nor are we any fur
Their away from it than lin the be-
ginning" Yesterday, today and for
ever! One and inseparable. The
same thing throughout eternity Why
then picture this rudy youngster
Time. as already having reached the
zenith of his expectancy? Why bow
him down with age? Why adorn him
in the raiment of maturity? Why hold
him up to the scorn of the centuries
as if the years had Slapped him of
his youthful vigor ?-Marysvill Advo-
cate-Democrat.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

melt marshmallows. Or. use the
marshmallow cream, which can be
had at grocers.
Things Worth knowing.
On Wash Day, if the weather is
bad rinse blue and starch your
clothes as usual, fold them up as
small as possible and lay them where
they won't get rusty. When the
weather comes off nice, hang them up
to dry. This also bleaches the
clothes, and you can keep them this
way for three or four days if the
weather is cool.
Can Sourkraut about four weeks
after being made, to keep the kraut
sweet and also to have it READY for
use at any time. even in summer. We
use sourkraut after il has been canned
two years and find it as good ss when
first canned. The kraut must be
canned before it is allowed to get
very sour. Celery cooked with sour
kraut is especially delicious
Onion ard Tomato Souffle-One
pint cooked tomatoes and one pint
cooked onions form basis of this dish.
Make a drawn butter with one table
spoon butter and one tablespoon flour.
When mixed hot in the skillet add
one cup tomato liquid. When this
boils up smooth and creamy pour 1t
over tomatoes and onions, which
have been put in alternate layers in
a pudding pan. Cover top richly
with Drowned bread crumbs ana bake
ten or fifteen minutes. Cabbage and
onions can be prepared the same way.
or cabbage, onions and tomatoes may
be used together.
Use Worn Blankets.
AS the worn part of a cotton blan-
ket is in the center, tear the blanket
down the middle and stitch selvidgo
together. Put a thick layer of cot
ton between. knot firmly and very
closely and bind edge This makes a
very warm and durable pad to use
between mattress and sheet.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

zone thing l have always wanted
you to tell u.s." said Bushy Beaver one
afternoon just before his mother
started out for her evening meal, lis
why my cousins over at the other side
of the woods have such a fine looking
dam in front of their house while we
have nothing of the kind around our
house,"
"A damn" asked Mother Beaver
Don't you know about the dams?'
NO" replied Bushy, shaking his
head, you've never told me a thing
about them and l wsIh we had one at
our house"
well, you needn't wish anything so
foolish as that" exclaimed Mother
Beaver firmly; beaver dams show
that beaver houses were not selected
what do you mean?" asked Bushy
in surprise. Don't every mother
beaver put her house in good
place."
Indeed no." replied Mother Beaver.
many beavers build very unwisely.
sometimes the creeks and streams
change; that of course is nobody's
fault No beaver can foresee what
may happen. And when a stream does
change and dwindle, dam is the only
thing a beaver can do to save his
home"
But what is the good of a dam ?'
asked Bushy, who was growing more
curious with every word his mother
said. What is a dam and why If it
built2''
"A beaver dam is just what you can
see by your cousins home' said
Mother Beaver. 1T is made Of sticks
and stones and grasses and mud all
matted together firmly. 1t is built
across the current of a stream that is
growing shallower and shallower all
the time. Building a dam is the only
way the beavers have of keeping the
stream deep enough Ior their safety"
oh said Bushy, Il see what you
mean. When the water begins to go
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
QUAKER NEGOTIATIONS.

TFrom the Philadelphia Record.l
Half a loaf is better than no day off
at all
Even the best must go to the wall.
Any picture gallery demonstrates that.
Time and tide wait for no man, but
that is no reason why a girl should
be untidy.
The optimist doesn't sigh for the
return of the palmy days. He looks
forward to them.
Some women always want the last
word; others don't seem to know there
is such a thing.
Some men get homesick away from
home, and others are never home long
enough to get sick of it.
The man who tells the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the
truth, seldom talks about himself
First Millionaire-"I began life
without a cent in my pocket" Second
millionaire didn't even have a
pocket when 1 was BORN
How true it is that there is moth
ing new under the sum-" remarked the
Wise Guy. HUH" snorted the Sim
pie Mug. Il guess you've never been
married, or you would know there are
new styles in women's hats about once
a month"
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
Household Hints
Cracker Helps in Entertaining.

Cracker Helps In Entertaining
Crackers lend valuable help when
guests arrive unexpectedly, and a few
boxes of your favorite varieties, sweet
and otherwise, should be kept in re-
serve.
If a hot dish is wanted, butter I'M
sweetened crackers, put in layers In
deep baking dish with grated cheese
between, seasoning each layer with a
very little salt and a sprinkle of cay
enne; cover with boiling milk and
bake until top is brown. The cracl-
ers swell to twice original size and
the cheese melts. An egg may be
beaten up with cold milk and used in
stead of the hot milk. This will form
a delicate custard.
To use as sandwiches. use soda OF
any unsweetened crackers For fill
ing, free sardines from skin and bone,
add equal quantity of hardboiled egg,
rub to a paste and season with cay
enne and lemon juice. Salmon may
be prepared in similar manner. Neuf-
chatel or cream cheese may be mixed
to a paste and chopped olives go well
with cheese; also sweet red pepper.
Any of the ported meats make a good
filling.
For sweets, use graham or any of
the slightly sweetened crackers. These
may be put together after being
slightly buttered. with a filling Of
chopped nuts and raisins; or chopped
dates and preserved ginger; shredded
cocoanut mixed with powdered sugar
and a little sweet cream.
Spread unsalted crackers with
marshmallows cut in pieces. Sprinkle
with nuts and candied fruit finely
chopped. Cover with another chack-
er and set in oven few minutes to
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

Not so long ago British inefficiency
was also pointed out in an interesting
newspaper or magazine story from
Paris that purported 10 explain why
the French capital was not sharing
with London the terrors of Zeppelin
raids. 1t was asserted that France
had developed such an elaborate sys-
tenn of aeroplane patrols around and
above Paris during all the hours of
the day and night that the Zeppelins
would not venture 20 attack the city.
This was something that England had
neglected to do for London. But the
news of recent Zeppelin attacks on
Paris that killed twenty-four persons,
injured as many more and destroyed
much property. would rather seem to
indicate that Paris was safe for a
long while from Zeppelin raids only
because the Germans hadn't got
around to making any against that
town.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
Jayhawker Jots

AS the Pittsburg Headlight defines
it: Ambition is a feeling that you
want to do something that you know
you can't.
After taking special care to get
handsome appearing, fur topped shoes,
some of the women, says the McPher-
son Republican, seem annoyed that
people look at them.
True preparedness of this morning,
suggests the Ottawa Herald of We'd
nesday, consisted in a ralneoat, run,
Der hat, overshoes and disposition
guaranteed not to rip, ravel or run
down the heel.
Willie Wise of the Leavenworth
Post propounds this problem: A
mouse is afraid of a man, a man is
afraid of a mouse. Are things equal
to the same thing equal to each
other?
When President Wilson comes to
Kansas, says the Lawrence Journal
World. he will have an opportunity to
lican party that will convince him of
the necessity of political preparedness,
at least
Worry kills, points out the Leaven-
worth Post. Be cheerful, it advises,
and remember that today was part
of the future just twenty-four hours
ago. You cannot meet the next day
with any more vim, if you lie awake
all night getting ready to meet it.
An lola man has undertaken to
present in an impressive manner an
idea of the losses sustained by the
German armies thus far In the war
He figures it out that if a funeral
train were to transport the German
dead through lola, and the people of
the city were obliged to suspend their
regular occupation until it had passed,
the town would be at a standstfll for
eleven days and nights.
Things were a little different in
Kansas from what they are today
during the winter of forty years ago.
In it's column of that vintage, the
Winfield Courier reports that eggs
were selling at eight cents a dozen,
and also these observations: The
doctors are Offering a premium for a
case of sickness. . The ice house
men are feeling blue, no ice to put up
yet Prairie breaking and stir
ring plows have been running all win
ter in this locality.
Reflections by Joe Heylmun in the
Fort Scott Tribune: We don't know
of anything that will make a short
man long at this time as rapidly as the
picture of a spring scene. A
bullet last night went through a mans
calf and ruined his gait Some bull
let When a tender hearted man
sees a pitiable sight his heart fills
But when he gets the grip, his head
fills, and his heart is closed to every
thing. Some say that a little
preparing saves a lot of repairing,
while others say that the more arma-
ment you have, the more you stand to
lose.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
Globe Sights
BY THE ATCHIsoN GLOBE.

It wouldn't be nearly so far to
Tipperary if the roads were good.
A boy cries for what he wants; a
man cries for what he gets.
dyspeptic is one who regards the
hole as the best part of the doughnut
Anything short of tornado is pref
ty fair weather if one is feeling all
right.
One can be as loyal to his party
as his party is to him, without voting
it straight.
Probably no one ever got enough
milk of human kindness to become
intoxicated.
Generally speaking, it takes two to
make a filtration. same as to conduct
a quarrel.
Villa has about been whipped, but
like T. r. he is apt to be bothersome
for quite a while.
A woman is sometimes slow in MAX
ing up her mind, and slower still in
making up her face.
Cold feet sometimes keep you from
winning, but in the long run they are
likely to save you money.
Another form of preparedness that
should become popular is making it
possible to earn your salary.
The jails would be more crowded if
no guilty man escaped, although a few
who get in may not belong there.
A woman is apt to regard good
looks as more important than good
cooking, and she may be right about
it.
Some of those who complain of
never having had a chance wouldn't
know what to do with it if they had
You are going to encounter a good
many uncertainties in this life, so
there is no use kicking because the
menu is printed in French
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

Health experts of Cincinnati and
Pittsburg are in the throes Of an in
teresting, If unusual, dispute. The
Pittsburg wise men insist that a diet
for infants OF bologna sausage and
beer" has a tendency to make them
bowlegged. while the Cincinnati au-
thorities are of the opinion bottle
feeding" plays this rather shabby trick
on the little ones Old-fashicned folk,
though, will probably stick to their
notion that bow-leggedness IS due to
permitting babies to get on their feet
too soon
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.
[From the Chicago News. ]

[From the Chicago News1
The longer the dogs day the shorter
the cats night
The longer a man does nothing the
more he seems to like it.
If love makes the world go round
it's no wonder lovers act dizzy.
Men who have a lean and hungry
look are nearly always the biggest
eaters.
Shortly after the wedding march
many a man discovers that he's an
April fool.
The traveller wants full fare at no.
tells, but he doesn't object to half fare
on railroads.
The average man would rather lose
IS on a horse race than a nickel
through a hole in his pocket.
Expunge the accounts of mans in
humanity to man from the worlds
history, and small volume would
contain the rest
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
FARM PROFITS.

"The United States Government and
the Nebraska Experiment Station have
completed a study of farm profits. -
says Farm and F'ireside. They Inves-
tigated the management of a large
number of farms in three Nebraska
counties and have come to the con-
elusion that profits come not so much
from spending less money but rather
from spending it more efficiently. In
one county the average expenses on
fifteen farms averaged about $500 per
year more than on fifteen other farms.
D,'t the frs fifteen farms were the
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

do. Bushy. when you pick out the
place Tor your own home, choose a
Spot that Is on swift, deep stream.
Then you will never have 10 botba,
with dam. You will be safe and So
cure. and you can have plenty of doors
70 your nome without worrying about
their showing through the shallow wa
ter. See how safe we are %
Softly Mother Beaver sIfned o,,.
OF the room where she and Bushy had
oeen talking; dcintily she let herssIf
Gown INTO the water that came over the
OUTSIDE uoor; and swiftly she swan
1Way Tor ner dinner, leaving Bushv To
follow when he was ready-Icor,s
rght-ciara Ingram Judson.)
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
KEEP DOGS AT HOME.

According to Miss Covell, the capa-
BILE city clerk. now is the accepted
time for Topekans to do their dog tag
buying early. And there would seem
to be considerable field in Topeka
for increased activities on the part of
the dog-catcher. Any number of un-
tagged dogs are to be seen on the
streets. and their howls and yelps at
all hours of the day and night are
most annoying and a nuisance that
should be mitigated. There might
we'll be provision in the city dog or
dinance compelling dog owners to
keep their CANNES on their own prem
ises except when they lead them
around in leash.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
THE sHARPsHooTER.

It's not so bad to kill in the dusk
OF a growing Winter day.
When a man is tired, and stiff as a husk,
1t seems merciful way
To end it all, perhaps. From my tree
Where l watch the road below,
l send pale peace-an eternity
OF peace in the pitiless snow.
But Spring. All, what about SPRING."
| think.
When the little leaves are green.
And buds hold dew for the birds to drink.
Then-when i have to lean
Against white blossoms and blaze away
At a lad with the sun on his hair.
And red in his cheek from the kiss of May,
God but it won't seem fair!
Florence Ripley Mastin, in New York
Times
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
Journal Entries

People who are free with advice
generally pass out poor quality.
= r =
Too many folk expect large rewards
on efforts that are not worth little
ones.
Nor is any one fond of the lime
light when he is forced to play the
role of goat"
+ + +
There wouldn't be SO much applause
going the rounds if it were passed out
only when deserved.
= +
No man has any idea as to just how
mean he is until a thoroughly angry
woman undertakes to tell him.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

want to tell you yet, but here it is. You
know Walt and 1 are distant cousins
and his greatuncle is mine, too, but
my father was his favorite and he has
left me $4,000. 1 went away to see
mothers lawyer and arrange about
the estate"
Bob was silent for a minute, holding
her hands as they lay on his shoulders
Then he laughed.
''Will Walt survive the shock ~
Copyright, 1916, by Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
On the Spur
of the Moment

BY ROY X. MOULTON.

We Have Sworn Off.
Knocking the street cars.
Buying books on the installment
plan.
Relating Ford stories
Listening to same.
Eating breakfast in bed.
Spending the winter in Florida.
Buying automobiles
Reading Sunday papers that are
printed Thursday.
Worrying about the war.
Looking at pictures of Mrs. Wilson
and Shadow Lane
Getting sore at Bryan.
Signing subscription lists
Eating devilled eggs.
Watching Charlie Chaplin.
One-armed cafes.
Rhum
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

most profitable, and the other fifteen
were the least. This is not surprising.
The problem of good investments is
as important on the farm as in any
other line of business No hard and
fast rules can be laid down, but good
land, good seed. good live stock. and
good farm equipment are nearly al
ways safe and profitable investments"
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

No doubt now about the sense and
wisdom of DR.. DeVilbiss. You can
reform anything else under the SUM-"
says the head of the child hygiene
department of the state board CT
health, except the woman who is
bent on being fashionable" This OBJ
servation was made by DR.. DeVilbiss
in the course of a issertatlon on the
barbarity from the health standpoint
OF the high collar that Dame Fashion
has again decreed to be in vogue.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

This shaft of stone that IS to be
erected in Ell Paso in memory of the
eighteen American mining men who
We're massacred recently at Santa
Ysabel by Villa bandits, will also be
an. enduring monument to the watch
ful waiting policy.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

Reports from Washington state
that the chief issue on the rural cred
its legislation before congress is as to
Whether it will be framed in the in
terests of the farmers or the bankers.
But there surely shouldn't be any
such issue in the question at all. What,
pray tell is the use or need of rural
credits legislation il 1t is not to be
primarily in the interests of the
farmers
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

What boots it, if you please. if the
secret diplomatic codes of the United
States are known by all foreign gov
ernments? The newspapers of the
United States usually print the gist OF
all the nations important diplomatic
notes long before they are officially
made public, and often even before
they reach their destination.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01

This is a free country, is it not?
Yes, it is not Cyclone" Davis, one
Of tho distinguished congressman from
Texas. has been ordered to cease bel
lowing Amen" whenever something
is said in a speech in the house of
representatives that is in tune with
his sentiments.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-01
TELEPHONES.
FULL LEASED WIRE REPORT
OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The State Journal is member Of the
Associated Press and receives tn full day
telegraph report of that great news or
E1nization. for the exclusive afternoon
publication in Topeka.
The news is received in The State jour
mel building over wires for this sole pur-
pose.