davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
IN THE CLOUDS
BY ESTHER BURR REYNOLDS.

THE profession has all gone to
pieces!" mourned old Ezekiel Brown.
Where is genius? Where is talent?
Where is the dashing bareback rider
who thrilled the thousands, and that
big laugh of the universe, the clown.
who made merriment for the mil
lions?"
Where, indeed?' murmured his pc
title and pretty daughter, lola, sorrow
fully, as she stitched away at a tin
seled dress which she wore as a SUI
pernumerary in a cheap theatrical
company.
THE day of the clown is over"
mourned old Ezekiel anew. ITS the
day Of the entertainer now! AS to
the child equestrienne act, | might as
well have trained you for the opera.
Poor child!-our glory is departed and
they pay you, star of the arena six
paltry dollars a week for standing on
the stage with a dozen others in vii
lage maiden scene!"
DO / complain of it, father, dear?"
cried lola cheerily. That keeps the
pot boiling, and times have got to
change, for Merrill says SO, and he is
a rock of strength and dependence,
you know"
Yes, poor Merrill" continued the
old circus favorite determined to
grumble out all his manifold troubles
Look at that boy, the best triple SOM
ersault man in America-once. Now
why the new-fangled equilibrist' has
to invest two or three thousand dol
lars in his act outfit before he gets
vaudeville engagement. And the we'd
ding! Here Merrill thought he had a
settled position as advance agent for a
show, and what does the show do?
Bust! And the wedding put off till he
sees his way clear to support you!"
lola looked little grave Yes, there
was to have been wedding and she
was disappointed Merrill BOYD had
been close friend Of her father and
a lover Of her own lor several years.
Humble people, ard Eoncst they were,
the sawdust CRIME and the t.nscl glare
never having hurt them one bit, for
the circus ring was q family proclivity
on both sides.
There he is now" suddenly cried
lola, and spraag to her feet, all aglow
with delight and suspense The door
opened, succeeding 10 tie quick, nery-
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Proposal Made That Pereerinations of
Hens Be Investigated and
Results Noted.

There is a general sort of feeling
that one fresh egg is as good as anoth-
er, says the Kansas City Star. Who is
it that is ready to ask whether her
weekly supply of eggs is fortified or
not? Most of us are particular to the
point of pettiness on the subject of
pure bread, we will only buy our rolls
done up in waxed paper. we will not
look at anything but grade A milk. In
accordance with our ideas restaurants
even do up loaf sugar in sealed billets
and SO on through the list without
lapse until we come to eggs.
AS matter of fact, egg shells are
not germ proof by any means. From
the moment we realize how it happens
that an egg can grow stale" we must
admit that contamination is possible
A whole group of disquieting revela
tions follows upon this admission, not
the least of which is the discovery that
the garden or farmyard hen is at pres
ent allowed to saunter whittier she
listeth regardless of hygiene. Their
we trustfully gather her product anl
feed it to our babies and invalids, for
getting that unless hens are healthful
unless their food is pure and clean
they cannot lay pure eggs.
When poultrymen realize this, anC
all scientific poultrymen do realize it
the chicken nuisance will be a thing
of the past, and people who want t.
sell eggs will no more want their fowls
to run free than the modern dairymaI
allows his kline to nibble by the road
| side
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
HARD FOR MIND TO MASTER
Figures of Interest to Those People
Who Talk So Chilly Of Mil
lion Years.

Astronomers and biologists habitu-
ally deal in large numbers. 1t is ut
terly impossible to conceive 100000
600 miles, and even the familiar illus
tration of a railroad train going so
many miles an hour for so many years
conveys very vague idea.
1t is equally difficult to form an idea
of the vast period of time with which
biologists deal. What idea can man,
who is limited to hundred years,
form of 100000 years?
Professor Cron tells us how strik-
ing impression of such lapse of time
may be partially conveyed to the mind.
Stretch piece of paper SO feet 4
inches long around the walls of room
somewhat over twenty feet square, re-
call the events of life to give some
conception Of hundred years. and
then consider that mark one-tenth
of an inch broad at one end of the
paper represents the century, while
the whole strip gives place for only
a million years.
This illustration is worth trying.
An even more striking illustration
may be seen IN the works of nature
Could we stand upon the edge of a
gorge a mile and half in depth, that
had been cut out of the solid rock by a
tiny stream scarcely visible at the
bottom of this terrible abyss, and were
we informed that this little streamlet
was able to wear off annually only
| one-tenth of an inch from its rocky
bed. what would our conception be OF
the prodigiou5 length of time that this
stream must nave taken to excavate
the gorge? We should certainly fee
startled on finding that the stream hat
| performed this enormous amount Of
work in something less than millior
| years.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Bulbs Matured En- Route.

So slow was the progress of the
Norwegian steamer Mesna. on her voy-
age from Rotterdam to Philadelphia,
that 500 cases of Dutch bulbs and
roots in her hold sprouted and flow
cred. She was delayed by stress of
weather. When the work of discharg.
ing the cargo was begun it was dis.
covered that the warmth of the hold
and the long journey had combined to
cause termination among the bulbs
and roots. Some bore blooms of vari
Gus colors and others had sprouts from
six to eight inches long. Most of the
plants are spireas. They were intend
ed to be matured slowly in green
houses for the Easter trade.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25

why not? 1t was a lonely life, and
there was no likelihood that anyone
would want him at that hour You
know what our country types used to
be. There wasn't much more than
| luck to decide whether a man would
! be prison employee or an inmate.
All came of the same class.
Il stood STILL searching around for
Big Steve. The train was already
within earshot, putting up the grade
on the other side of the hill. looked
around-and then in the moonlight
saw Big Steve's face behind a tree, a
hundred yards away, and his black
features twisted with rage as he
looked along the barrel of his rife.
He had me. OF course fired. But
/ knew couldn't hit him at that dis
lance. I emptied my revolver-and
heard Big Steve laugh. Then l stood
still, waiting for the bullet
Il heard a savage snarl behind me.
but didn't associate it with anything
particular. l was hypnotized, I sup
pose, just waiting for the negro to
fire, and wondering whether he'd kill
me, or whether he would leave me
life enough to fight until the train
came along. But suddenly I heard
Big Steve utter an exclamation. He
half turned his head-and the next in
slant / heard the ping of the bullet,
and the Sound of the discharge almost
at the same moment.
81 wondered whether l was hit. I
couldn't feel anything. was just
concluding that he had missed, and
wondering what had distracted his at
tention, when | heard him yell:
Jump aside, boss! Jump for your
life!'
Il obeyed automatically. There
was something in his tones wholly de-
void of hatred 1t might have been
a trick, of course, but | didn't think
of that. Next moment the body of a
huge mountain lion came laundering
past me-
"The beast checked itself in its leap,
looked up in my face, barred it's great
fangs in snarl, stretched itself at my
side, and died. | saw the bullet hole
behind the shoulder Big Steve's bull
let had pierced it's heart
And the negro sauntered up to
me aimlessly, and stood grinning be-
side me. "A narrow squeak. sure
enough, boss!' he remarked
"I took the rifle from his hand. Big
Steve offered no resistance, / COW
cred him with my revolver until the
train had gone by and my men came
up, but it wasn't necessary
That's all. We never had any trou.
BILE with the convict from that day on.
But the event started me thinking, and
all at once it came to me what was
the matter with Big Steve. He had
never been up against really ele-
mental human situation before-that's
ALL nothing that showed him in his
intuitive personality the fact that men
are brothers. He was the victim of
his environment. When / became gov
ernor | had him pardoned"
The district attorney rose, And
probably he committed half dozen
crimes after that" he remarked.
Il don't think So" answered the
governor, pressing a bell. Bring the
cigars. Steve said the governor to
the negro who answered the summons
Copyright 1916, by w G. Chapman)
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
BIG STEvE'S SHOT
BY FRANK CRAWFORD.

Il don't believe in coddling Grim.
inals," said the district attorney,
smashing down his red fist upon the
table. mo, sir! What with your hui
manities, and your movies for Grim
inals nowaday. you're making the peni-
tertiary a pleasant resort for the out
laws of this country"
II don't know" answered the gov
ernor thoughtfully. Il remember when
/ was warden at Salt Lake prison
camp"
You initiated this modern system
in our state, sir" said the district at
torney.
you never heard how came to see
some good in the worst side of human
nature, Mr. Elson?"
1T doesn't exist
$50 l thought" answered the gov
ernor Il used the harsh methods Of
the old days-the whip, the cooler,
and all the rest of it. Well, it was
Big Steve changed my viewpoint. He
was the worst niger Of the lot. Why,
we'd almost scared the flesh off his
back, and then we couldn't do any
thing with him. He'd half killed a
woman-that was why he was sent up
for a dozen years. Savagely attacked
the guards and his fellow prisoners.
But he hated me worst of the lot, and
whenever l went near the fellow he'd
snarl like a mountain lion.
"He got away one night. We went
after him, four of us. | was among
them. You see, a prisoners hatred
tells on the nerves of his guards, even
on those of the warden, and when |
heard the fellow had got away didn't
lose two minutes starting after him.
What made 1t worse was that he'd
managed to overpower a guard and
taken his rifle.
There was a single cartridge in the
rifle. 1t was the practice TO give each
of the guards a loaded rifle when he
went on duty. He had a few other
cartridges, too. but the rifles were not
the modern service ones, and one
cartridge at a time was all they held.
Steve had the rife. Why he didn't
kill the guard l don't know. Maybe
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25

GUS tramp of sturdy footsteps. Hand
looking, Merrill Boyd burst in upon
the homely little room, brisk, stimu-
lating and quite excited.
well. old friend" he cried to Ezekiel,
I've made it,"
you don't say so-another engage
ment?" questioned the old clown
eagerly.
Not in the old line, though replied
Merrill. You see, we are desperately
driven, and l had to hustle for some
thing now and ready In the first
place, my dear" beaming on lola,
we've got to get married, you and l."
"When?" voiced the astounded lola.
Every day for a year to come,
maybe"
why, Merrill" began the old cir.
Gus man, agape.
"Where?" gasped lola.
In a balloon" promptly explained
Merrill. Don't get the jlggers. PEG.
pie. It's a plain, practical PROPOSE.
ton"
Then he told what it was. He had
run across an old circus friend, whose
business had been making show bal.
loon ascensions. The man was Grip
pied, could work no longer, but had
some contracts with circuses for the
season. He offered &c lease the bal.
loon to Merrill for ninety days on an
demonstrating basis. A feature OF
the ascensions was to be prize to the
man and woman who would go up in
the balloon and be married.
You see said Merrill to old Re
kiel. you are licensed minister. Not
many times will strangers go up in
the balloon, SO lola and | must make
the play, and you must marry u.s."
Yes replied Ezekiel, that is a fact
Years ago had a license to preach fol
sect out in Dakota, and it holds
good. Am ] to really marry you two p
he inquired
Once, for good There is no othel
way, and every time the ceremony i.
repeated it will bind US closer togeth
er than ever!" cried Merrill expansive
ly. Surely you are willing, lola"
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25

he thought he'd have use for the rifle
afterward, as proved to be the case.
HE had about half an hours start
of us, and the route he had taken was
perfectly plain. He had, in fact, only
one route to take. That was round
the borders Of the lake in the direc-
ton of the little railroad that carried
the pine products down to the coast.
Everywhere else was nothing but for
est and swamp. There wasn't house
within miles. He'd have starved to
death If he could manage to escape
the quicksands anywhere else. The
prison camp had been built wisely and
well.
I'VE tracked Big Steve. We went
| on foot, couldn't hope to catch up with
the convict before we reached the
line, but we reckoned that he'd have
half an hour to wait before the night
train came along, and it proved to be
the case
81 was clean mad all through. swore
that I'd retake Big Steve single-hand-
ed, If necessary. had only revolver
against his rifle, but the three guards
l took with me were armed to the
teeth. AS it happened. the most un.
pected i'll luck happened to us.
1.-TWO of my men got begged in the
swamp. They were up to their waists
and the rope that we'd brought with
US to bind the prisoner had to be
requsitioned to pull them out. 1t was
near the end of the journey, and every
second was precious to US. You see
there was no telegraph there in those
days. We couldn't warn the man a
the station. We had to go in person
And 1t would be the easiest thing IL
the world for Big Steve to hop on on,
of the cars as they numbered down
hill and go on any distance till h,
chose to drop off and make his wa.
into some of the negro settlement
along the track.
The third man stayed to pull GU
the two who were mired in tn
swamp. It was not a difficult matter
for one of them was near the edge
and when he was freed the two c
them could get Adams free. But
meant ten minutes, and / was SO ma
with hate that l didn't even stop
exchange my revolver for rifle. o
| went, in spite of the mems remol
strances. and. sure enough. | reache
the station little ahead Of the trail
Il called the man on duty. but
l didn't show up. l found afterwar
: that he was drunk. Dead drunk-an
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25

Sir Henry Thompson Introduced ere
nation INTO Great Britain shorty afte,
the closing Of the American Civil war
Using a reyerberating furnace. he re
duced body weighing IA pounds tt
four pounds Of lime d1st within fifty
minutes. Encouraged u Thompson'i
success. Dr. lie Moyue installed al
improved incinerator in a small, one
story brick structure on a hill over
looking the town of Washington
Three years after his pioneer crema
ton he died and was cremated in hi
own institution.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25

Can you ask" questioned lola soft
ly, her great faith in her lover shin
ing in her beautiful eyes.
So it all came about that the trio en-
tered a new and apparently promising
field of business activity. And so they
ried over and over again, and were
making good Roadway when the circus
people went bankrupt.
1t was hard to find another perma-
nent engagement. There was month
, of idleness, and the profits were eaten
up by expenses. Finally Merrill de-
cided to make a circuit of the county
fairs. There were long jumps, how
ever. The balloon constantly required
repairs and new equipment, and the
prospects we're not alluring.
They had about decided to give up
the balloon experiment, when. one aft
ernoon at a bustling Illinois county
seat where fair was going on, some
thing quite tremendous happened.
No genuine engaged couple appear
ing to go aloft and be welded, Merrill
and lola were in a little tent ready
to make up as bashful groom and
blushing bride, when one side of the
canvas was pressed in and then lifted.
and a quick voice spoke:
Well hide here. am sure your IA
Their is on our track"
"Oh, Gerald, what shall we ever do
oh, dear"
A handsome young man had pushed
into the tent bewitching little
beauty, and they stood daunted and
fearful before the astounded Merrill
and lola.
Their story came out-they loved
one another, but cruel papa was OPP
posed, and they had eloped He was
on their trail. He might arrive to
trace them at any moment.
lola regarded the clear-eyed young
man and the tluttering bird of girl
with moistened eyes. Love and sym
pathy spoke in her rapid suggestion.
Would you be afraid to go up in the
balloon and be married among the
clouds?" she submitted.
80 long as we land again on terra
firma man and wife, float US to Mars
if you like!" cried the ardent young
man.
So in hurry the clipping young lady
fnery and veil that well concealed her
face. AS tc the young man, Merrill
smilingly pasted false mustache on
his lips. Then Merrill went out and
advised old Ezekiel as to the plot. Then
the couple were hurried to the bal
loon and orders given to cut loose.
Just then furious, red-faced old
man dashed up in an automobile. Just
then, too, the false hirsute appendange
on the lip of his wouldbe son-in-law
fell off and the old man shook his
fist aloft with a yell of baffled de-
spair.
When old Ezekiel returned with the
balloon-empty-th hours later, he
beamed all over.
We'll, people" he said to Merrill
and lola, that happy young fellow,
who is junior Croesus, gave me a
wedding fee-look!"
"A check for live thousand dollars!"
cried the astounded Merrill.
"Oh, rapture." chirped lola
They sent the balloon back to it's
owner, bought a growing little bust
ness, and comfort and JOY was the in
evitable outcome.
And often lovely woman and her
happyfaced husband came to visit
thcm-at times, also, a contented old
man = paterfamilias = entirely recon
ciled tic that mad, exciting wedding
in the clouds.
lcnr,.ri..l.. 1nl.. l.. w Z, 1,I...---...A
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
For Intending Builders.

To avoid disappointment in the
workmanship of the interior trim the
homebuilder should familiarize himself
with the terms good" work, extra
good work. "super-extra" or "cabi-
net" work.
In houses of moderate cost it is not
customary unless so specified to use
cabinet finish in putting the interior
trim in place. In cabinet" work
every joint is dcweled and glued like
furniture, and if this work is desired
it must be called Tor In the specih'
cations.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Handkerchief Nem.pansrs

Pocket handkerchief newspapers
were issued in England in the early
part OF the last century while journals
were subject to the stamp duty. The
editor of one of them. Bertholds Po-
litical Handkerchief. suggested that
after six months wear, IL the INK
washed out. he would buy the kerr
chiefs back again from his readers.
The price of this noval newspaper
waG fourpence.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
MOVEMENT FOR PURE EGGS

Copyright. 1916 by w. G. Chapman.)
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Spreading the Scriptures.

1t is estimated that the Bible. or
some part of it, has been published
in 600 distinct forms of human
speech. Since its foundation in 1904
the British and Foreign Bible soci-
ETY. has issued over 253,OO0,00O copies
of the Scriptures. of which more than
IS, O00. 900 have been In English
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Mushroom Huntina panasrs.

The advantage of rattlesnake hunt
ing over mushroom hunting seems to
be that you know the snake is poison
Gus. As near as can be made out there
seems to be one sure way of telling
the character of your find, and tn t
was described by a foreigner who
asked If gathering mushrooms was
not risky: IAN right, most every day.
Bimeby somebody die. then we not eat
for a week"
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Moore Teeth Of eres. Value.

The tech of gigantic moose skull
found in the sand Of a Wisconsin
creek bottom have an estimated value
of $50 apiece.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Auile kanuaroo.

species. can sometimes leap as much
as 20 feet The male kangaroo stands
from six to seven feet high.
The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-25
Both Imaoinsry.

Some of the cures for human all
ments are imaginary. but SO are a
lot of the ailments.
The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-03-19

Fully as important as the growing
of sweet potatoes is the protection Of
them from disease while in storage.
Sound potatoes only should be stored.
In particular any tubers affected with
black rot should be thrown out to
prevent the spread of the disease
to the other potatoes in the bins. The
storage rots, of which there are a
number of kinds, such as soft, rings,
and dry rots. can be controlled only
by the adoption of rigid methods of
sanitation in the bin and by handling
the potatoes with care to prevent
bruising. Regulation of temperature
is also important.
Sweet potatoes should be handled
with as great care as the apples or
oranges. They are especially suscep-
tible to bruises, which open up the
skin and allow the entrance of dis
ease spores. They should be dug
before freezing, well dried in the
field, and put in crates from which
they should not be removed at all.
Storage in crates prevents the spread
Of potato diseases to great extent,
by permitting of better ventilation
and more oven temperature through
out the storage bin. When the po-
tatoes are first stored and for ten
days thereafter, the storehouSc snould
be kept at a temperature of from So
to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This viii
drive off much Of the moisture. and
sufficient ventilation, therefore should
be provided for its escape. The tem-
perature should then be gradually
lowered to 90 to 30 degrees Fahren-
heit, and maintained at that point
After the potatoes are taken out
of the storehouse, and before the next
crop is put in, bins and crates should
be thoroughly disinfected with a So
luton of copper sulphate. This is
made by using one pound of copper
sulphate to twenty-five gallons or
water. It will be necessary TO apply
the solution twice, with an interval
of twenty-four hours between the two
applications.
There is no doubt that careful
storage will enable the farmers OF
the United States TO market much
larger percentage of the crop of
sweet potatoes in the winter when
prices are good.
The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-03-19

Tailored skirts are bell shape, with
pockets and smart belts. Dressy
skirts are being shown in silk, some
with side cascade drapery, chenille
trimmed while others are shirred.
For tailored garments, serge, gaber-
dine and jersette. Also taffeta, voile
and poplin are featured in blige and
gray shades, blues and greens.
For dressy afternoon suits, white
and mauve are used. The dressy suits
have the jackets embroidered in
bolero effect, or short box coats with
a stand-out effect in the back.
Among the jacket trimmings are
Dresden China buttons, cOlored fac
ings and Innings. Some of the blue
serge suit models are piped with
rose shantung, coin-spotted and strip
ed foulard shantung dresses and suits
are seen in the collection, together
with some fine surah, georgette fig
ures very prominently and many of
the dresses are trimmed with broad
gaberdine bands.