davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1918-06-21
CELEBRATION OF
GLORIOUS 9TH
BY FL TONIANS
- STATE OF LOUISIANA,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
BATON ROUGE,
JUNE 5. 1918.

Elton will celebrate July Fourth
and Honor Flag Raising day on that
day, and have arranged a program
most fitting to the occasion, having in
addition to the presence here of
prominent speakers, good music,
splendid program, one that will be
we'll worth coming miles to attend,
and that you will be royalty well
coined goes without saying, as Elton
is too we'll known along this line to
make comment on this one feature
necessary; so come, knowing you will
be welcomed as only the town that
does things can welcome you.
Watch for posters for program.
Belts, Belts, Belts, Belts, Belts.
A large stock of Belts for pump
ing plants; same belts we have been
selling for the past fifteen years.
Prices are right.-Armstrong's Ma
chirc Shop.
The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1918-06-21

Fire, Life, Accident and In.
demnity Insurance W. M. Col
bert, Agent, Phone Sc.
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
GIRL RUNS "SHINE PARLORy
Declares That She Has Lots of Gus
toners, Likes the Work, and
Makes Good Money.

AS the man with the dust-covered
shoes climbed into chair in q shoe
shining ''parlor" in FIT. Wayne avenue,
relates the indianapolis News, a neat,
trim-looking colored girl came briskly
out Of q back room.
Good morning." replied the pros
pective customer. "Where's the shoe
Shiner?'
That's me. I'm the sinner"
rs that so? Well, you are the first
girl | ever saw shining shoes. Like
the business?"
Indeed, I do. 1t pays me well and
we are all looking for the money these
days."
"How did you happen to get into
this kind of work."
"Well, it was like this. NY cousin.
who owns this place. runs q transfer
wagon. He is away so much he aad to
have somebody stay here and answer
the telephone and look after the busi-
ness. He tried boys for a while. but
they are all gone 10 war or talking
about 1t and IL was hard TO keep them.
so he gave me the job. This used TO
be shining parlor and so many men
came In asking for shines that l de-
cided TO get into the business myself.
1t didn't take me long TO get onto Ii.
and now have lots OF customers"
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
IMMENSE RED CROSS DEPOTS
Sixteen Large Warehouses Established
in France to Serve Needs of
American Troops and Hospitals.

To serve the American troops and
the hundreds of war hospitals behind
the French firing line and to reach the
thousands of French refugees the Red
Cross commission to France has estab-
lished a system of 16 large warehouses
throughout France.
Six Of the new warehouses have
been located in Paris, which serves as
the center of the distribution system.
Ten other warehouses are located out
side the capital. Approximately 49,
600 tons of materials are now being
distributed monthly from these ware
houses by the Red Cross commission.
Every kind of medical supplies,
drugs and surgical instruments is car
ried in stock for the use of hospital
STATS. Foodstuffs, clothing, building
materials, blowing implements and
tools are also being imported in large
quantities for the assistance of French
refugees.
American college men, many Of
whom formerly served as drivers in
the American ambulance, are direct
ing the work, while the force of work
men is recruited from veteran French
soldiers and Belgian men no longer fit
for military duty.
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

This tabled point, In the case of Pen.
rod, was becoming more and more sen.
sitiye every moment. He suffered from
an unpleasant conviction that he was
surrounded by vital dangers which be-
came the deadlier for each slightest
movement that he made. These dan
gers were all the more deadlier be-
cause they were underlined; the inscru.
tible darkness held Secrets-and, put
ting out his hand TO feel the wall near
the kitchen door. he encountered one
of them. His fingers very, very brief
ly closed upon something that felt
like head of wet, cold hair. 1t sank
from his touch, and there was q thick
sounding thud upon the floor.
"Oofw moaned Penrod, the question
of going out through the kitchen thus
definitely settled, and when he became
again conscious Of his whereabouts he
was on the second floor at the top of
the back stairs.
Mops had driven greater than Pen
rod.
He was sorely shaken, but not dis
posed TO linger In the vicinity of stairs
that led toward kitchen inhabited by
surprises of this kind. He fled into his
fathers bed chamber, bruising him.
self yariously in the passage thereto,
and. abandoning his weapons for the
moment, slid his hand along the wall
until 1t came to q forbidden object
that hung there.
1t was an Enfield rifle, a muzzle-
loading relic. last put TO use by PEN
rods grandfather on a day In the year
1868, ami 1T was truly unloaded Pen
rod got it down, pointed the muzzle
waveringly in the general direction of
the door by which he had entered, and
whispered feebly and TREMENDOUSLY:
"Now let's see whu-what you were
goin' TO do SO mum-much -
He maintained this attitude until the
weight of the extended rifle became
insuppOrtable then he grounded arms
and leaned against a bureau, breath
ing even more vehemently than before.
His elbow touched bottle; he seized
upon it and smelled the contents-spir-
its of camphor. Suggestion was i'm
mediately reused by the memory of an
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

unpleasant experience in the past. He
recorked the bottle, placed 1t under
his arm, and muttered:
You betcha Guess they won't like
this so much Sprinkle it in their ole
eyes!'
1t now became his purpose to make
his way cautiously to the front stair.
way, descend to the front hall, and
thence, by the front door, reach the
outer air. So, with slow and noiseless
motions, lie put himself once more In
possession Of his ak and carving knife
thrust the latter in the breast of his
jacket, and, though encountered to the
point of difficulty by the ak, the gun
and the camphOr bottle, returned TO
the upper hall and began an advance
in force.
He went forward @ dozen steps with
some confidence, then halted alb
ruptly.
What stopped him was something al
together inside himself. In the dark
ness green vapor appeared Though
not at the other end Of the hall, where
he thought 1T did) and there emerged
from 1T the shocking figure OF an
old man lying in the rain at the mouth
of wind-swept cavern. The vision Of
the sawdust box-spiteful, like all
other visions-chose this particular
moment to recur to the author Of
Harold Ramorez."
He was standing by the portal of his
own bedroom. Gasping. he hoped
across the threshold kicked the door
shut, and maintained possession of
his armory, though. perhaps, not of
his faculties. huddled himself upon
the bed and buried his face in the pill
low.
1t is not altogether discreditable to
a boy in the dark that he sometimes
initiates an ostrich. But it is unfor-
tunate, because, when one is already
in the dark. very little relief can be OBJ
tanned by closing the eyes.
Penrod. burrowing into his pillow,
could see the old man rather more
plainly than If he had allowed his eyes
TO remain open. He saw him through
the pillow and through the wall; it
seemed that the old man was lying
on the hall rug just outside the
closed door. and that before long he
would get up and come into the bed
room and bend over the bed and
But the imagination baked in ultimate
horror.
Without lifting or turning his face
Penrod managed to sQuirm inside the
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

strawberries In the yard took curious,
changing shapes, and Penrod kept q
wary eye upon them as he threaded
his way to the kitchen door.
1t opened to his hand, revealing
nothing save by reminiscent odor: but
there was a dim light In the dining
room. Thither he proceeded. his IN
nerved condition being at once i'm
proved by the sight Of viands and vege-
tables, for there was a plate upon the
table at his accustomed place. and
food plenteous, though grown cold.
A conjunction of suggestions. oc-
curing as he ate, recalled something
like an echo of Della's voice: gradu-
ally he became susceptible to an i'm
preston that his father and mother
and sister had not dined at home.
Then abruptly it struck him that he
might be alone In the house.
"All alone in an empty house," AS
the words formed in Periods mind. II
was as If a husky voice had uttered
them somewhere overhead. He was
grievously startled
"An empty housei"
AT the upper end of the table was
part of a cold ham, beside which Law
large. horn-handled carving-SnIfe ::
and Penrod, after swallowing dryly
once or twice. lunged suddenly at this
implement, grasped 1t, and stood anon
the defensive. He remained In tense
attitude, listening; and there was no
sound either within the house or with
out; nothing could have been more
ominous. Finally. carving knife i'm
hand. he went back to the kitchen.
where he had left the ak. and returned
TO the dining room doubly armed.
Again he stood to listen.
Suddenly Penrod whirled straight
about, with ax and carving knife both
lifted TO strike at something behind
him.
Nothing was there except the side
board, so he 'bout-faced suspiciously
again. Then, laying the Ak upon the
table, but keeping the knife in his
right hand, he stepped upon q chair
and extended his left hand to the gas
fixture, meaning to turn the jet on
full. But he pressed the key in the
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

wrong direction, and for the second
time within that half-hour Penrod's
light went out. To a person In his
condition it was q disaster, and, ut
tering an exclamation of horror, he
stumbled and fell from the chair with
a light crash.
! He was up again in an instant, cut
ting the air in all directions with the
carving knife; then he CROPPED for the
ax, found 1t, and stood still once more,
on the defensive, listening intently, ex-
pecting the worst and painting, with
an effect, upon that stiffness, almost
uproariouS.
He moved about, and cautiously felt
his way round the table and debauch-
ed to the mantelpiece, where matches
were sometimes to be found in a small
porcelain slipper, madly believed to
be decorative.
A chill struck to his sYine at q verit-
able sound behind him. This one was
n faint creak, the result of some cap
Hilary action in the wooden floor, but
so far as Periods nerves were con-
cerned it might have been shot.
Wheeling, he struck q frantic blow
with the AK. which, completing a fine
curve, miraculously failed TO ampu-
tate the wielder's left foot at the
ankle. but, as an incident, permanent
" relieved all members of the house
hold from troubling to put any more
matches in the porcelain slipper.
Thereupon Penrod decided to go
outdoors. The decision itself was a
simple matter; action upon 1t was de-
ferred because of extreme hesitation
TO move at all. But after a gruesome
period of inertia he began to tiptoe
backward in the direction of the door,
keeping his eyes, AK and carving knife
warily toward where the villainous
creak had sounded. Thus retrogress-
ing, he presently found himself In the
side hall. which separated all the front
part of the roomy, old-fashioned house
from the dining room and kitchen.
The doors leading to the forward
rooms were closed. and the thought of
opening them filled him with horror;
in his minds eye he saw them, gaunt,
huge. full of black shapes of furniture.
lurking places that might conceal
An empty house in the nighttime
has few attractions for a boy. In
closed darkness sickens his soul and
has discoura ging physical
effect; climaxing in the pit of his
stomach which Is the seat of courage.
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

all the empty rooms and vacant halls
and passages. Burglars had opened
the door and looked OF him.
Stopi Had they only looked az himf
Had one OF them come in the room
when the door opened? Was he there
now?
Or was IL the old man?
That finished Penrod.
With n SCATTERING yell Of terror he
sprang from the bed. clutching all his
armory somehow and anyhow: got the
door open, plunged blindly through the
hall and down the front stairs TO the
landing. where he tripped over the
stock of his gun and fell all the rest Of
the way. believing outrageously and
accompanied by the rife. the camphor
bottle and the carving knife and the
ak.
1t sounded like the Eiffel tower fall
ing downstairs.
He came TO pause In n sitting pos
ture at the foot of the newell. The
hall was brightly lighted. So were
the rooms opening from II. and out OF
these rooms issued sounds of sudden
confusion and disturbance. His moth
er rushed to him through the near
est door.
"Penrodl What on earth"
Then through the open front door
came Margaret and four young men
who had been spending the evening
with her ON the front porch.
Then. following Periods mother.
came three of Periods aunts. one
uncle, and eleven other alarmed ladies
and gentlemen, most of them holding
cards in their hands.
Then through the door of another
room came Penrod's father, three OF
Penrod's uncles. one aunt and the
eleven remaining members of the
Thursday Evening Bridge club, the
hospitable superintendent of which
organization had occupied most OF
Mrs. Schofeld's time that evening aft
or her return. with her husband and
daughter. from dining with an elderly
relative
Over the banister above leaned
Della Tin extreme negligeel, and Della
likewise demanded 10 know. What on
earth! Then, by means of the back
hall and the back stairs. Katie and
an alleged cousin, who had heen sit
ting quietly on the back porch. joined
Della. Katie also wanted 10 know,
What on earth
what is the matter. Penrod?" his
mother walled
Penrod coughed, gulped,. and an
swered feebly:
"Just-playing"
''But what made you get up?" his
mother cried.
"Get up-where?"
"Out of bed | slipped away and
looked in your room awhile ago and
you were sound asleep. What did you
get up and dress for and
II was just pretending"
pretending what?'
"Just pretending"
He answered absently and I'm n pre-
occupied tone, his mind having some
what centered upon the number Of
human beings in the circle about him.
AS his mother remarked afteward,
there were more people in the house
that evening than she had entertained
for years. Including the family and
callers there were 33, she
said.
At that she forgot to count Penrod
and Della and Katie, and Katie's
cousin.
Altogether there were 81.
"Mom-muh?" Penrod began as he
rose from the floor.
"You put those things away!' COM
manded his father
''Mom-muh?"
"And then you go straight TO bed!"
his father concluded sternly.
"Mom-muh, aren't you going to
have ice cream?"
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31

bedclothes and 20 cover himself COM
pletely, as far as the top OF his head,
for the old man was but one OF the
monsters that threatened.
Burglars
Burglars were creeping through the
halls upstairs and downstairs; the
air Of the whole house became MUIR
murous with the whispers and rust
lings.
Penrod, still not moving his head,
pulled the ak and the camphor bottle
beneath the sheet; slid the gun off the
coverlet, and pushed IL as far under
the bed as he could. Burglars might
be more merciful If they believed him
but a little lonely sleeping child in
tending no resistance.
He gulped lamentably, and poig-
nant bitterness began TO form no in
considerable part of his condition.
What kind of parents were they Che
asked himself). who could GO blithely
off and leave little lonely child TO
be found by burglarS-and other
things-in n great, horrible, hollow.
empty house? Probably his father and
mother were somewhere with n whole
crowd of people, in brightly lighted
rooms; no doubt at this very mo-
ment they were both talking and
laughing.
Laughing!
the cases of his nineteen-year-old
sister Margaret, and of Della. the
cook, and Katie, the housemaid Most
likely all three of these marble hearts
were also somewhere, talking and
laughing!
Big, strong. old grown people
every one of them-well, maybe they
would be sorry tomorrow Besides,
he would get even with them-if he
lived.
He was making up his mind in what
manner general revenge should be
accomplished upon the household
when the handle Of his door clicked
family. and vet distinctly; was softly
turned, and the door opened n little
way.
Periods heart did not stop, but his
breath did. He lay motionless.
The door was closed again, gently.
Then heart and breath both bound
ed. There was no doubt about ii;
something had certainly opened his
door-and had looked at him. He had
felt It.
1t was too much for closed eyes
Penrose lifted himself on his elbow
and stared whirlingly about him until
his gaze became fixed i'm utter hor-
ror upon the threshold of the door. A
thread Of light glimmered wanly along
that threshold.
Shaking to the verge of spasms, Pen
rod gathered his weapons again.
Then the light disappeared, and
there was darkness-and silence, and
silence, and silence!
And whatever the color of the CLEAN
beneath the door, the thread that re-
manned upon the fixed retina of Pen
rods eye, after the actual light had
gone, was green.
Now, indeed, out of the darkness
over the frenzied boy did Chimera
peer and monster hover! The green
thread broke and twisted into shapes. |
faceless eyes came closer and |
closer and closer, while animals |
breathed hot upon his cheek.
The silence grew tenser with noises |
just about to burst forth; the dark |
ness became charged with unthinkable |
visions just ready to make themselves |
raw heads and bloody bones, |
phantasm and ravening |
bugbear, bugaboo, mummy
and nightmare, CHASTITY thing that had
ever got into Penrod's head was issued
forth and now hung over him.
And outside the door were the bur-
glars. There were burglars rampaging
all through the house by this time, in
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
Exercise.

"Don't you think every man should
devote some time TO physical culture?'
mot in my particular field of ac-
tivity," replied Senator Sorghum. IF
all legislators went in for physical Gull
ture as well as intellectual develop
ment some Of these debates might end
In a personal encounter that really
hurt somebody"
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
Ead Marksman.

"Wh9t is the chief aim of Jobllng'.
existenee?"
Making money"
But he's always hard up"
"Quite true. His aim is POOR"
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
War Economy.

Sandy and Pat were discussing the
economies Of their respective land
ladies. "Indade." said Pat. 1.-THE other
day 1 saw that wumman O'Grady
countin' the peas 10 put In the broth"
'Och," replied Sandy. where am
the landlady melts the margarine an
paints IL on yer bread WI a brushl''
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
Very Much So.

THAT singers voice has great carry
ing power. hasn't it?'
1T ought TO have. He supports his
own and his wife's family. too. 0n It"
The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-05-31
The Empty House
Penrod Encounters All Kinds
Of Hair Raising Experiences
By BOOTH HARRINGTON

copyright 1917. wheeIer syndicate, Inc.)
The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1918-09-06
SPENCER

Did you notice what short month
September is this year? Five Sun
days and one holiday out of 30 days.
Our residents were not in want for
amusements Labor day, with a base
ball tournament at Homerville, La
Dor day celebration at New London, a
family reunion at the lake, and fair
at Elyria. It looked as if a general
exodus had commenced here from 8
to 12 o'clock.
Saturday there will be a ball game
on the school grounds between Spen-
Ger and some other good team.
The program at the free picture
show, Saturday, Sept. Z, will be q
hummer. There will be 5-reel
"Blue Ribbon" feature. The leading
stars in this picture are Corinne Crit
fiths, Mary Anderson and VIM. Dun
can. "Shells and Shivers" will also be
presented, which is big "V" comedy,
guaranteed to make you laugh.
Maynard Hyland left for his home
in Columbus Tuesday morning.
DR.. Carl Brown sustained sprained
ankle Monday at bonneville, while
playing ball in the large tournament
held there.
Mrs. E. r. Weidrick went to the At
lantic coast to visit her son, Morton,
the latter part Of last week, but was
disappointed in seeing him as he was
The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1918-09-06
SPENCER NEWS

already on his way to France e'er she
left town. She visited the capital
city. Baltimore, Md, and several other
eastern cities and, aside from the dis
appointment in not seeing Morton, had
a fine trip.
George E. Roberts has commenced
work on the cellar for his new home
on South Main street. to be erected
this fall.
Spencer base ball team won $4.0S
at the ball tournament at Homerville
on Labor day. What are you going
to do with the money boys!
Spencer residents obeyed the request
of the Sunday traffic request by not
running their autos for pleasure on
Sunday. Very few machines were
out.
Roy Stroup has sold his tractor out
fit of plows, harrows, etc. to Mr.. Cop
ley of Sharon.
Homer Fisher and family are taking
their vacation, attending the State
fair. and visiting friends and relatives
in their home town Of Salem, o.
Have you purchased your War Saw
ings Stamps as signed by you on the
pledge cards? If you have not done
so do so at once and save the collector
the pleasure of dunning you or send
ing you a dun by mail. :,
Several of our boys will be called
to the colors on Sept. 8.
The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1918-09-06
S2.2O WHEAT PRICE
FIXED FOR 1919

Two dollars and twenty cents a bu-
shell is the minimum price guaranteed
by the government for the 1919 wheat
crop, by proclamation to that effect,
issued by President Wilson on Monday.
Justification for an increase above
that price later will be determined by
a disinterested commission to be ap-
pointed by the president in the spring
to consider the farm labor and sup
plies situation with their relations to
costs.
Possibility of peace before the mid
die of 1920 was indicated in memoir
andum written by the president and
accompanying the proclamation, as a
factor in determination of the presi-
dent to maintain the present price for
the 1919 crops.
"In giving a guaranteed price for
wheat one year in advance { the only
industry guaranteed by the govern
ment) there is involved a considerable
national risk" the president said. "If
there should be peace or increased
shipping available before the middle
of 1920, Europe will naturally supply
itself from the large stores of much
cheaper wheat now in the southern
hemisphere; and, therefore, the gov
ernment is undertaking a risk which
might. result in such an event in ma
tional loss of as much as $500, ,000, 900
through an unstable surplus, or in
any event, in maintaining high level
of price to our own people for a long
period subsequent to freedom Of the
worlds markets."
The proclamation fixes as reason
able guaranteed prices for No. 1
northern spring wheat and its equiva-
lents at the principal primary markets
the following:
New York, $2.39 1-2; Philadelphia,
$2.39; Baltimore and Newport News,
$2.38 ga; Duluth, 1922 IL; Mime
apolis, $2.21 1-2; Chicago, $2.26; st.
Louis, 1924; Kansas City and Oma-
ha, $2.18; New Orleans and Calves
ton, $2.28; Tacoma, Seattle, Portland,
Astoria, San Francisco and Los
Angeles, $2.20; Salt Lake City, Great
Falls, Pocatello and Spokane, So.
If the president had accepted the
advisory committees suggested price
of $246 at Chicago, wheat would have
been on basic minimum of $2.40 and
the differentials now in effect for the
various markets would have been plus
this figure, making the price at New
York $3.50 1-2.