davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24

Rice forms one of the principal art1- cles of diet of the inhabitants of China, and nearly the entire southern portion of Asia, as well as the numerous isl aEds of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and a large portion o1 Africa. It is extensively cultivated also in southern Europe and In most of the tropical and semi tropical countries.
 Rice was introduced into South Car olina in 1894 by a vessel from Mada- gascar which, in distress, sou ught refuge in Charleston harbor. The cap tain of this vessel, having subse- quently formed the acquaintance of a resident of Charleston, presented him wit ha small sack of rough rice This gentleman had it planted ii his gar den and the plants yielding abundantly soon attracted the atteHtion of his neighbOring planters, among whom he distributed the seed, who in turn ex- tended it's dissemination along the riv- CTS farther towards the interior, until in a few years it became by careful culture one of the principal cultivated crops of the colony.
 LILLIAN BRFHAJDT
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
American Moss

American moss as used for uphol- stery stuf1ng and for mattresses is variously known as Spanish moss, Florida, Louisiana or southern moss; it is a parasite growth upon trees in the swampy and rniasmatic districts of the southern part of the United States of America.
 The moss parasite I7ourishes upon trees, as does the mistletoe upon the apple trees of England, with the diff ference that the mistletoe grows up ward, is of a decidedly woody sub stance and grows leaves and berries; moss grows downward in long jointed threads. each joint capable of pro- ducing members of a like nature. The largest outside diameter of this hairy growth will not exceed one sixteenth Of an inch. IT. the center of this is the little thread or fibre, from root end to tip, which when prepared should be black and nair-like. In some of the wooded swamps tons of it will grow upon one very lareg tree, the long streamers will envelop the tree and hang so low thai it can often be
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Robert Raikes and the Sunday School

Tn England in the eighteenth cen tury there was no adequate system of
 education for all the children of the
 nation. Village sehoolmasters on small
 pay taught in rural districts yherevef
 money was provided by individuals or
 churches for such instruction, and
 chariyt schools abounded; but there
 was need of a better organization when
 Robert Raikes introduced his Sunday
 school plan.
 Robert Raikes was a printer and editor in Glouchester, England, in the year 1TS0. He was walking one morn ing in factory district wher he was disturbed by the apparent degradation l of the children in the street, and after musing upon what his investigation l disclosed he planned to open a school for their benefit.
 He found four women who were willing to teach the children on Sun !, days for the wage of a shilling. The children were willing to attend. and ] the plan proved a success. Elementary | instruction was given in reading and l in the Cateenism. The children were l required to appear with clean hands and faces, and those who made most | satisfactory progress were rewarded l with shoes and clothing and with 1 Bibles. A large part of the day was l given up to the teaching and to re- 1 ligiorlS exercises.
 1 After its success was established be- yond a doubt, Raikes published the 1 story, and the scheme was widely l adopted In some cases the school was held on Saturday as well as on 1 Sunday, but with the increase of day
 schools the Sunday school became re- l stricted to religious instruction 1 LILLIAN M. BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
The Harvesting and Storage Of Vego
 tables,

Beets should be harvested before there is danger of injury from frosts. The tops should be cut to within one inch of the bulb, and the small roots remain on such as are intended for late keeping. In pulling and cleaning the roots, care should be used not to bruise or cut off any of the large f. bers. as it injures the quality and in duces q tendency to decay; neither should they ever be allowed to wilt, for having once become wilted or shriveled, they will never recover their firm and brittle texture. In stacking them, they will keep better if the crowns are placed outward They may be stored in a cool cellar and slightly covered with dry earth
 Carrots should be harvested before frost injures them. and in dry weather when the roots will come out of the ground dry and clean. They may be harvested with facility by running a blow on one side of the rows. after which they can be easily removed by hand, but care should be taken not to lnjure or bruise them in any way. as it will cause them to decay The tops should be cut close to the crown to prevent sprouting in winter They should lie a day in the sun, and be- come well dried and a little wiIted be- fore storing. They may be deposited 1 in small heaps in a cool cellar and covered with dry sand
 LILLIAN M. BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
The Merry Nuttina Party.

"Hurrah! past the old harbor and away we go down hill 10 the silent woods shouted Molly, who was the oldest girl among the merry party of twelve, besides their high school teacher.
 Such a day as this could not have been better chosen; see how the sun makes the yellow and red leaves gilt ter in the sunlight. I think there is not a merrier party than we" re- marked their teacher, who quite en- Joyed the scene.
 Only yesterday it was their duty to study hard on that dreadful subject, as they called biology, but how it made them like it today. for if they never looked at the different animals, trees, and plants to be seen in all woods, life would seem dull to them.
 "Oh!' exclaimed Ruth, There are the nut trees-chestnut, and walnut; lets begin gathering at once"
 All agreed 10 the proposed plan and they had all the nuts they could car ry after two hours had expired. Tn half an hour it would be noon, so they walked farther into the deepest woods Suddenly, a startling sound brought them to a stop. They listened only to learn, from the teacher. that it was babbling brook they would soon reach.
 When they arrived to find it was a brook, it made them excited. as they wanted to find one in order to get some water to prepare the coffee.
 Packages, carried by them, were opened and their contents taken out Cups. sauCers. plates, spoons, knives and forks were spread out on a cloth After wood had been gathered. a fire lighted and coffee, toast and broile6 chops passed around, a Hungry party partook of this delightful meal.
 But, as I did not relate. in my first part of this story, that it was Hal. lowe'en Day." more exciting time awaited them when they arrived nome, for they were to share in the feasts, games and other pastimes O that evening.
 LILLIAN M. BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Blind Mans Buff With Cane.

At one of our socials held at the gymnasium of the Oyster Bay High School, we played Blind Mans Buff D so I thought perhaps some of the Wide-Awakes who do not know how to play it would be interested.
 The blind man. his eyes being se- curely covered, is placed in the cen ter of the room; then a cane is given to him. The players then take hold of each others hands, form a circle, and dance around him at the same time,~ singing some popular song.
 When the song is finished they all stand still. The blind man holds out his cane, the person to whom it is pointed being obliged to take hold of it by the end which is presented to him.
 The blind man then asks three ques- tions ito which the holder of the cane is obliged to answer. Yes" or "No," disgusting his voice to avoid being recognized.
 If the latter does not know how to disguise his voice he is detected and takes the place of the blind man. Should he fail to guess his name, start all over again, until the blind man guesses correctly.
 LILLIAN M. BRE8AUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Riaht Nan1es of Birds.

Meadow lark is an example of one kind of misnaning. The real American representatives of the European 1arks are our horned larI1s. These are much smaller, more quiet and less shoWy birds than tho big starlings; thence they fail to attract attention. But these starlings of the open meadows, with their habit of singing on the wing, sometimes as they circled to aIight, suggested to the people, how ever remotely, their beloved larks, so they were called meadow Iarlzs.
 Robin, as applied to our ruddy- breasted thrush, is another example, but a less serious one. Even to this day one occasionally hears our bird called redbreast, as was done by the early colonists on account of the ruddy coIoring which it had in common with the English warbler which they had known so well as robin redbreast.
 LILLIAN BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Maggie, the Little Slave Girl.

Maggie had been secured from an
 orphanage by Farmer Brown to work
 for his wife three years, and when
 this term was up she would receive
 one hundred dollars for her services. In
 the meantime her board and clothes
 were free. Her tasks were very hard
 and many.
 Mrs. Brown thought nothing of mak-
 ing poor Maggie do the work of two.
 The dishes had to be washed by Mag
 and other household tasks, Besides
 these, Farmer Brown always had
 some thing for her spare time, so she
 had little chance to rest.
 Each evening before going to bed this roor girl would read A chapter or
 more of her Bible, as it was the only book she possessed.
 One bright, sunny day towards the end of her second year of hard, tire some work she had been severely
 scolded for breaking some dishes. She
 stood a great deal of scoldings, but they had made her feel miserable and wretched. The farmer and his wife had just driven off in an old carriag ge to visit q sick lady in the village, SC Maggie decided to run away. She made up parcel of her clothes and Bible then she procured some food also, to ! last two days, and was soon lost tc sight in the deep woods.
 After travelling all day. she came to an old deserted, tumble down farm house, which she considered suita- ble spot for safety. She ate some bread and cheese and soon after was off ir dreamland. Early the next morning after breakfast she was up and of again, but this time on the main high way to town. She thought she was safe, but great was her mistake, foI the first person she met was her for |. I.mer employer. He did not scold he1 as she expected he would, but he pitied her, for he noticed how tired she 1 looked. He drove Maggie home and ever after she was kindly treated and | forgiven.
 LILLIAN M. BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Rules for Youns Writers.

I. Write plainly on one side of the paper only, and number the pages. 2. Use pen and ink, not pencil. 5. Short and pointed articles will De given preference. Do not use over 2S0 words. 4; Original stories or letters only will be used.
 5. Write your name, age and ad- dress plainly at the bottom of the story.
 Address all communications to Uncle Jed. Bulletin Ohdce.
 Whatever ycu are-Be thatI
 Whatever you say-Be true!
 raightforwardly act,
 Be hOnest-in fact,
 Be nobody else but you'
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
The Ant Hill.

Jack and May were in a hurry and ran right through a small ant t-hil.
 "Be careful" cried Jack. "Oh, let's stop and watch them!"
 Yes said May. '"They always seem so busy"
 The little creatures hurried in great numbers out of their home. They ran here and there, and did not seem to know what to do or where to go. They may have felt as we would feel if the roof of the house were blown off.
 See, Jack" cried May, some Of them are carrying rice!"
 T wonder if that is part of the food they have stored away for Winter! Jack asked. May did not know; so they asked mother. things they were carrying were baby ants, not rice. The baby ants are very helpless. They cannot walk or crawl. They are called the larvae or pupae. There are certain workers among the ants whose duty it is to care for these them, and care for them in every way until they are well grown and able to care for themselves.
 Som etimes the nurses for these baby arts are slaves. The ants have fierce, bitter. deadly wars with other tribes, and they carry off the young ants that they capture, and bring them up to work for them. The ants that do this are found in South America, and they are called Amazon ants. Some ants in ether countries do the same. When it is warm these nurse ants carry the baby ants up into the sunshine, and when it looks as if it would rain, they haurry them into their homes, as we would care for a tiny baby"
 DO all ants live in houses like theSe?" May asked as she watched the little fellows running here and there.
 Nc" answered mother. Some of them build little wee mounds of dirt about two inches high. The mounds look like tiny chimneys. Others build bigger mounds than that; sometimes their houses are four feet high. These are made of sticks, straWs and bits Ot dirt. The ants build long tunnels or rooms under the ground. Then there are the carpenter-ants, that find a live tree in which the heart has begun tC die. They cut out this heart, anc build fine rooms and galleries in the live wood. The rooms are polished as smoothly as possible, and the walls are almost as thin as paper.
 Some South American ants build houses from fifteen to twenty feet
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Talent Or Goodness.

The great need of the day is not so much more talented men, bright men, shrewd. daring persons who will attempt anything and carry it through; but men of superior worth, sterling character, genuine goodness.
 The type of men that we need to- day are the men who will not yield to temptation and are as true as steel. The times need men who will not do a single unfair thing-even though it may be within the pale of legality. The great and crying evil today is that nearly all business is done on an unsound basis. Each mans aim is to get business by any means possible; to make as much as possible and to give as little as possible. The re- suit of it is that it is exceedingly diff f1cult for a thoroughly honest man to make ends meet.
 We may find it a difficult task but we will serve our day and generation more nobly if we will strive to be good before we strive to do great things.
 LILLIAN M BREHAUT
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
LETTERS TO UNCLE JED.
Hunt;naton Beach.

Dear Uncle Jed: Last Thursday my sister and I and two other girls and their mother took the train from Slosset to Huntington. It was about 15 minutes ride From Huntington we took the trolley to the beach. There were three sisters and about 20 little orphan girls or the trolley. Most all the little girls were dressed alike. We soon arrived at the beach. There is a park there and tables and benches for picnicking. We sat in the park and ate our lunch. After lunch we took a walk along the road and we saw a lovely mansion which resenIbled a castle.
 When we got back to the park it was high tide so we went in bathing
 We went home about 5 o'clock after having a lovely time.
 LILLIAN BREFIAUT. {
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
THE BLUE INITIALS.

You must be sorry to part with the picture" said Celia, standing before the canvas.
 NO" the artist said, smiling, "even though someone buys it, still it is mine"
 Caroline wondered how that could be.
 T have put some of myself into it, haven't I? My name is there in the mine. No one can take it away from me. Why" he wheeled about and faced them, did you ever think of that? You sign your name to the work that you do every day"
 MT Preston had sent a brand new idea scampering through Caroline's mind. It was such a noisy idea, for this is what 1t said: You signed your own initials on those dusters! c. w. Careless Worker. Aren't you ashamed! Don't you hope that your mother hasn't seen them and the crooked hem?"
 Since every day your work goes out with your name attached to it. oughn't you always to do your best ?"
 MT. Preston then opened the door, and they passed out into the rose gar
 Caroline slipped softly down the garden walk, lifted the latch in the gate. and once on the road. she ran for home.
 When Celia came back, she found her little sister on the veranda, bent over her sewing. You see, grandma" |" she heard her explain, as she shipped away at some crooked blue stitches, q wouldn't want to do something badly and then sign my very own initials to 1t, would ]? Don't y0u think people ought to do their best? Then they'll be glad to have folks. know that it's fTeiW zzyork This c w is going fo stand for Careful Worker"
 And grandma calmly crocheted in the big willow chair, and smiled over the top Of her spectacles In pleased and contented approval. TFeceTrrr T-- prohr1HA TIT
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Dot and the Portmantsau.

A lady and gentleman were in the habit of leaving their home for a months trip to the seaside. During their absence their favorite terrier Dot, a sharp little fellow. was left be- hind. Dot always showed his veXation at the departure of his master and mistress by whining and barking. Un- til the carriage was out of sight he was not kept indoors without some trouble.
 One summer when the lady was get ting ready for the usual trip she no- ticed Dot seated in the portnanteau which was lying open in readiness to be packed. Dot refused to leave the portmanteau, and remained ip it dur ing dinner time. No offers of food could tempt him to get out, and it was not till he had fallen asleep that he was removed.
 Every year Dot thus took possession of the portmanteau, which he evidently thought was the cause Of the departure of his master and his mistress.
 LILLIAN BREIAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
STORIES WRITTEN BY WIDE
 AWAkES.
Oranges.


 The portion of the United States best adapted to the production of oranges in Florida, together with a considerable portion of the states bor- dering on the Gulf of Mexico. and Southern Calofornia. many of the groves in some of these sections yielding as large and profitable crops as any in the world.
 The orange groves of St. Augustine and other portions of Florida are be- coming quite noted for their excellent products.
 An orange tree will arrive at bearing age In about eight years from the seed, or five years if grafted or budded on to the wild fruit. At eight years from seed they will, with good care, be from ten to twelve feet high. The bearing will of course be light at first, the product being increased year by year with proper care. Orange trees are long lived, and have been known to bear for more than a hundred years.
 A tree in full bearing will produce annually from 2.000 to 10000 oranges. From 4S to 100 trees are planted 10 the acre; the latter number, however, renders them too crowded. The wild orange is frequently used for graft in the better varieties upon, since the latter are thus made more hardy. The orange is much more dehclouS when pertecuy rlpeneQ upon tIle u % than when gathered before being full ly ripened. as all of the oranges of commerce are, in order to pear transportation.
 In Florida I saw a hundred acre orange grove heavily laden so that the branches were hanging on the ground. I also wept in the packing house at Lakeland and saw bins full of oranges that had to be sorted and then pack ed.
 I also have a cane that my father cut from the branch of an orange tree which I keep as a souvenir.
 JESSIE L. BREHAUT.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Loves to Watch the Rinda.

love to watch the birds and think they are such good company. l often throw out scraps from the table and then watch the birds pick them up.
 have never studied them very closely but always like to read any article I found about them.
 Birds can be identified by compar- ing the specimen with a description or picture of it in a bird- book, or by someone who knows birds. In either case the observer must be able to an swer certain questions and he must know beforehand what these questions are likely to be.
 Where was the bird seen? Some prairie, others in the woods. Some inhabit remote places, others come near the house.
 'EWhere did you see the birdP' is one of the first questions that you will be asked by the person who seeks to help you with your Identification. Woodpeckers are usually seen on the boles of trees, and warbIers fitting about the smaller branches. Brown thrushes sing from high treetops. wood thrushes from inner middle branches. In marshes some birds "teeter'' on rushes, others skulk low in the grasses.
 The size of the bird is of the utmost importance and should be expressed not in inches, but in terms of we'll known birds.
 The color of the bird is very impor- tant. Birds are roughly described by color masses. The mantle-upper i parts-of the wood-thrush, for exam l pie is brown, that of the king-bird, 1 dark sIate-color. The breast of the
 robin is chestnut, that of the nuthatch 1 white. The body of the scarlet tanger is scarlet, it's wings and tail et-black. | The head of the Baltimore Oriole is | black, it's body orange its wings black with white markings.
 1 This is only a little about birds. It
 would take quite a long time for any one to study enough about them to 1 know them at a distance. JESSIE L. BREHAuT-
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Sugar.

I have noticed that several of the Wide -Awakes send in recipes for making candy but perhaps do not stop to think where the sugar or mo- lasses used in candy making comes from.
 Sugar is obtained from sugar cane, sorgo plant. beet root and the maple tree.
 Sugar cane grows in nearly all parts of the torrid zone, and in some of the warmer parts of the temperate. It needs rich soil and hot even climate, with plenty of rainfall.
 The sugar cane Is cut and taken to the mills, where the stalks are ground between iron rollers to extract the juice This is boiled several times to make it thicker and sweeter and at last the sugar forms as brown crystals in the vats. The dark liquid remain ,ng in the vaEs nftec the s!,re. l.es
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Ffowerpots Ornamented With Sea
 Shells

The making of f1owerpots from sand and cement in which sea shells. pick ed along the ocean front, are imbed- ded is a pleasant occupation, especial ly for campers when they do not know what to do. With the many kinds of shells picked up 0 great variety of effects are produced. In some cases the shells may be left sticking to the outside of the f1owerpot, and in others they may be sunk into the compost tion, so that the rims are flush with the surface. Ordinary dishpans may be used as molds, and some novel and attractive patterns may be worked out.
 T-uTTTAN 1r RRFHATTT
Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
kite-BaII.

Here is a way for girl to earn a little extra money that is by making 'kite-baIis," for small children. To make one, take a circular piece of stout cloth about twelve inches in diameter gather the edges with strong thread, stuff rather hard, draw the edges tightly together. and fasten se- curely. Next take a strip of gay col ored cloth about one yard long and three inches wide, fold lengthwise two one end of the strip firmly to the gath CTS on the ball.
 To use the ball, hold the free end of the streamer in one hand. swing the ball around and round a moment, then let go when it swings up. It will sail to an astonishing height and distance, but the bright streamer makes it easy for even very little people to find it. The balls sell for ten cents apiece.
 JESSIE L. BREHAUT.