davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Story of Horror.

Doubt was expressed in print re-
Gently that many of the present gen.
Grafton had read "Frankenstein." Ger
tainly the knowledge Of that book Is
not too general to forbid a narration
of the circumstances under which ii
was written. Mary WOolstonecraft
Shelley was the wife Of the poet. In
her seventeenth year she elOped with
Shelley to the continent. and he mar
RED her after his first wife, Harriet.
committed suicide. Byron and Shell
ley and Mary. in the summer Of 1916.
were living near the Lake Of Geneva.
Being bored during a rainy week, they
whiled away the dull hours by reading
German ghost stories, and finally
agreed to write limitations Of them.
Byron wrote the 'vampfre" and Mary
wrote "Frankenstein." II is the story
of a man of that name who. after many
horrible experiments. created a mon
ster eight feet high. who thereafter
haunted him. murdered his friend and
and strangled his bride. Frankenstein
pursued his monster to the arctic re-
gions. There he died Of cold and re-
morse. The monster thereupon van
fshed!
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
First Bottled Beer.

One of the funniest Of accidental
discoveries relates to bottled beer. In
the reign Of Queen Mary a certain
dean Of st. Paul's and master Of West
Minister school had to fly to the con-
tinent for his life. He was angling by
the silvery Thames at the time the
warning reached him. Some years
later he returned not only to Eng
land, but to the very spot for the
very same purpose. with rod and line.
Growing thirsty. he remembered that
he had left a bottle Of beer In the
hollow Of a neighboring tree when he
hsd suddenly taken fight some years
before. The bottle was there, but
when he removed the cork IT went
on with such bang as to make him
think it had been changed by the fai-
res to a gun.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Hers a Walters Problem.

A recent BARRIERS strike in England
raises once again the matter of tips.
How and to what extent we shall tip Is
one of the minor problems of life and
one that certain eccentrics have solved
In unconventional fashion. observes the
Manchester Guardian. A waiter In one
Of the New York swell" restaurants
told of a man who on sitting down to
dinner tore a s. bill in half and gave
him one-half, telling him that he should
have the other IL he gave him satisfac-
ton. 81 took pains to serve him poor
ly," said the waiter afterward, ito
show him that I did not care for his
money. / was so careless that when
he was leaving he refused me the
other half. pointed out to him that
the piece he had was no good TO him as
IL was and offered TO buy II from him
for 81. he thought deeply a minute
and declined. Then I offered to sell
him my half for s.; somehow or other
this appealed to him and he bought 1t
and seemed happy. IN bet he hasn't
stopped figuring out yet whether he
won or lost. One thing he's sure Of
he didn't tip the waiter"
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
sCrass WidoWsD

The term "Grass Widow" very like
" originated from the wording Of a
Canon law of the eleventh century,
which ordained that a widow should
remain under Gods protection and
gra.e" for a full year after her hus-
bands death, and then marry II she
pleased. Such women were widows
Of grace" and in later parish regis
tiers they are described as ~Grasse
widOwes." In the time of Sir Thomas
More the term "grass widow" was ap-
piled to unmarried mothers, and In
this sense II was used In most Of the
Teutonic languages. In modern times
the term lost that reproach, and has
been applied to the wives of men long
absent from home. Another explana-
ton Of its origin is found here in the
United States. During the days Of
gold rushes IL was common for men
to board out their wives until they
had made enough to start a home In
the West. and this, in the picturesque
speech Of the time. was termed put
ting ones widow out to grass"
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
4JEwELkY" OF MAsM WOMEN
Telegraph Wire Considered Choice Per.
sonal Adornment by Females Of
British East African Tribe.

OF all Africa's many tribes, none Is
more distinctive than the Nasal, that
warlIke race Of British East Africa.
whose women are regarded as the best
looking Of all negroes. They are slen-
der, well formed, and lack the abnor-
NAL hips so characteristic OF many 9TH
er natives Pride In personal adorn-
ment Is shown by ornaments Of a re
markable nature, telegraph wire being
coIled about their arms and limbs In
spiral fashion.
So awkward Is this remarkable jew
elry that the wearer cannot walk prop
erly, nor can she sit down nor rise like
other human beings. Round her arms
she has wire cOiled both above and be-
low her elbows, while still more wire Is
coiled round her neck horizontally, till
the head seems to sit on an Inverted
iron salver. Put on at an early age,
these ornaments must remain unless
they are sawed of. AS a result Of this
compression the limbs remain like
mere stills, the wire frequently be-
coming embedded into the flesh. Be
sides this iron wire, often weighing 80
pounds or more, great quantities OF
beads and iron chains are hung in va
riOus ways round the neck
During the period of engagement the
girl wears round her head band COW
cred with cowries from which hang a
number of strings forming bridal veil.
For the first time she dOns real clothes,
consisting Of an apron in front. sus-
pended from the shoulders behind The
hairs of the eyebrow are pulled out to
further enhance her beauty.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
LIFE RESEMBLES MAGIC VASE
Each Of us May Confidently Rely on
Getting Out Of u Just What
We Put In.

An eastern legend tells Of a won
derful magic vase-known as the vase
Of Iife-which was ever full Of mys-
FERROUS liquid. No one could tell what
this liquid was. No chemist could ana
I'VE Ii or tell what entered into its
composition. The marvellous thing
about 1T was that whatever one
dropped into II would overflow and
run down the sides of the vase. That
is, the original liquid would not run
over, but the thing which was dropped
into 1t would overflow in kind and
amount. The depositor would always
get out Of this magic vase exactly
what he put into IL.
Life is Just such a magic vase. II
viii run over to you only that which
you drop into it-nothing more, moth
ing less, nothing different. II we drop
In love, generosity, tolerance. mag
nanimity, kindness, helpfulness, un-
selfshness-the life vase viii run over
to us the same things in the same
amount and quality. II, on the other
hand, we put in hate, jealousy, envy,
cruelty, selfishness, grasping, greed,
malicious gossip about our neighbors
1t viii run over with all Of these
black devils to torment US and rob us
of happiness and success.-O. s. Mar
den in New Success.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
WHERE FLAPPER is UNKNOWN
Life In Japan Seems Largely q Matter
Of NesatIons for Both Girls
and Women.

In Japan the "fapper" has not ar
rived. The majority OF japanese
young girls never exchange a word
with a man of manageable age out
side their own immediate family.
There Is no masculine audience for
young feminine coquettes and there Is
no masculine eye to admire the little
personal adornments, the choice Of
which fills such q large part Of the
frivolous western sisters exciting life.
1t would seem indeed that life for
the young japanese girl Is mainly
matter of negations, observes the New
East Magazine. She has no real clothes
problem. Her dress has been designed
by some mysterious power long be-
fore she was born. II has been de-
creed that at a certain age she shall
wear certain colors, which must be
changed at certain seasons. Her
kimono shall have longer or shorter
sleeves on this or that occasion. Her
obi shall be so high and OF such and
such colors. She has not even to think
Of how she shall arrange her hair, for
the same mysterious power has decreed
that the hair shall be oiled, stiffened,
combed and twisted Into a given pat
tern. AS this mysterious power has to
be obeyed. a hairdresser has to be en-
ployed regularly for the right fixing
of this couture.
A japanese girl is scarcely an indi-
vidual, but is rather part OF a plan,
and her silhouette must correspond
with the plan. A husband having been
obtained for her. a dowry provided, her
wardrobe filed. she has not even to ex-
ercise originality in the furnishing Of
her home. The same mysterious pow
er has decreed how this home shall
look.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Tim. for PoII.eness.

There is nothing chivalrOus about
the young man who steps aside to al
low woman to enter a car before
hin and then. in his haste, steps on
her heels or on her dress There Is
nothing very generous or kindly In the
fAVor Of a business man who gives
someone an interview, at the same
une making the interviewer feel that
ne is encroaching on the time Of a
nan who earns several dollars an hour.
There is no virtue In the hurried hand
make that is not accompanied by a
welcome light In the eye; no affection
U the kiss that Is given from forcs
VI habit or from custom Every per
sonal touch that does not bear the
sAmp Of genuine courtesy Il akin
% an insult.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
RAT PROBLEM LOOMS LARGE
Writer Gives Reasons Why Humanity
Must Take Steps TO Extermlnats
the Parasite.

A strong, united effort should be
made In America now to exterminate
rats and mice.
These pests not only mean loss Of
hundreds Of thousands of dollars an
nually, but they carry disease germs,
thus causing sickness and death.
II has been proved that they are the
chief means Of perpetuating and trans
hitting bubonic plague.
1t win require vigorous measures to
rid the country Of these loathsome TO
dents. for their numbers. are growing
rapidly.
One pair Of common brown rats,
breeding uninterruptedly and without
deaths for three years. will be in
creased to 359.709.4S2 rats. Inasmuch
as one rat means q loss Of at least 81
year In food alone, the serious pro
portions OF this menace become appa-
rent. One rat win consume from 40
to so pounds Of food a year. In many
parts of rural America there are ten
rats for every person and the rat popu-
lation In our cities Is quite equal to
the number Of humans.
Sooner or later America will have to
face a serious danger from rats and
mice, as a result Of their rapid propa-
cation. our public indifference toward
their growing numbers and the ever
increasing depredations caused by
them.
They are parasites without one re-
deeming Characteristic and should be
completely annihilated. In these re-
construction days when thrift and eff
ficiency are so necessary to our ma
tional welfare. let us take up the Job
of Kidding this country of its rats and
mice with Characteristic American
vigor and ermination.-Thrift Mag
aZine.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
BLUFF THAT FATHER MAKES
Siberian Daddy Is Supposed to Be In
No Hurry to Get Rid Of Marriage
able Daughter.

Ordinarily fathers Of manageable
daughters are very much awake at the
approach Of a prospective son-in-law,
and are not at all given to being asleep
when the actual request for the young
lady's hand is made.
But in far-off Siberia, among the
Sam6yed, a people who huddle close
about the arctic circle, things are
different, and the father Is, or pre-
ten6s to be, more or less asleep when
the matchmaker arrives, and has to
be awakened.
The girls father always assumes
a pensive, taciturn attitude, a sort OF
drowsy, uninterested air, even II the
terms offered are entirely to his Tx
ing. AS one gift after another Is prof
fered, he still preserves his silence,
and even mods as though the whole
thing made him tired and sleepy.
Finally, the matchmaker, apparently
at the end Of his patience, strikes the
uninterested parent with the ceremo-
NAL iron staff which he carries.
Then the father, thus rudely
awakened to a sense Of his obliga-
tons, promises to consult his SON or
other male relative about the mat
ter. This he does, but only as a mat
ter of form, for when the proceed
ings have reached this stage 1t Is al
ready certain that the marriage VIII
take place.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
HOW DIAMOND CUTTERS WORK
Three Distinct Processes Before the
Rough Stone ls Considered FIT for
Personal Adornment.

Few people who wear diamonds
know the story that lies behind them.
To most Of them the diamond Is an
agreeable means Of personal decora-
tion-something that attracts the eye
In q jewelers. window and Is pur-
chased an hour or so later In its COM
Portable setting Of platinum or gold.
But let Us see what lies beyond. Let
us glimpse the long road that stretches
between the miner and the wearer.
There are three processes in the con-
version Of the rough stone into fash
ing brilliance. The first one consists
In cleaning the course stone Of defec-
tive parts and splitting on the flaws.
The second Is the cutting. which gives
the stone its form and. in a rough way,
determines the number OF faces 1t
shall have. Finally. there is the pol
ishing, which gives to these faces
their clearness and brilliancy.
The sawyer. when he finds a flaw,
inserts the diamond into a sort Of a
cup filed with a fusible cement.
Dg VI ~
nished with recently cut diamond,
the edge Of which projects sharply, he
rubs on one of the stones the pointed
end of the other, after which he strikes
lightly In order to separate the two
pieces.
The cutter uses somewhat similar In
struments TO the sawyer. BE forms
only about One-half Of the faces. leav.
ing 1t to the polisher to form the re-
mainder.
The diamond Is then polished on an
iron plate rotating rapidly and impreg-
mated with diamond dust and oil. 1t
is set In an alloy of lead and tin in the
form of a cone, of which the stone oc-
cupies the summit. The operation, as
described in the Modern Hospital,
takes long time and requires the ex-
ercise Of extreme patience, but the re-
suit is certainly in every sense Of the
word a brilliant" one.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
A LIGHTED Pencil.

A clever little invention for. report
ers or any one who wishes to take
notes at a lecture or jot things down
where the light Is poor is a pencil
with an electrical torch attachment.
A tiny fiashlight battery Is attached to
IT by q length Of thin wire and. the
battery thus remains In the pocket
when the pencil is In use. The bulb
Is inst back of the lead and the switch
Is operated by the movement Of the
forefnger while writing in an entirely
natural manner. Also the attachment
may be moved along the pencil to
allow for sharpening, or 1t can be
changed from one pencil to another.
and the tiny lights In the reflector
throw q strong enough glow for what
ever Is written to be seen distinctly.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Waste Of Good Timber.

Many complaints are heard because
Christmas trees were 50 scarce this
seesOn that only a few could buy them.
Railroads could not haul them until
the eleventh hour. and high prices, as
Wen as the small supply. barred trees
from many homes.
Trees adapted to Christmas use have
survived the Ills and perils OF infan=
life. Barring accidents. they are sure
to 1--we. grow and freshen. II Is saw
sgery. If one views 1t rightly, to de,
strOy them Yet men who would not
hsr1n fuIl-grown tree hack down tree
lirgs without pity or remorse. But
II we are TO have trees for all time.
young trees must be saved.-MIl-
Waakee Journal.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
DO YOU THINK IN PICTURES7
According to Men Who Have Studied
the Subject, Most of Us uneon-
seiousIy Have That Habit.

A writer SAYS: "a good many men
and a larger number of women AMI
children think In pictures without
knowing 1t. If some one speaks OF
tree, an oak or an elm, or a pine-do
You see a composite tree Of your own
design, or a particular tree you knew.
perhaps, In childhood? Do you see 1t
bare or in full leaf? II you are one
Of those who think in pictures, you
will find that you always see the
same picture for the same words" Prof.
Francis Cation, F. r. s., Is the
expounder of this belief, and after
all. Is II not merely a return to
the very origin Of our written Ian
guage, the hieroglyphs Of Egypt? In
that primitive time it Is possible that
a word brought so clearly to mind a
mental vision of an object or an action
that IL could easily be summarized INTO
an telegraph. In our more complex
life pse have. of course, lost sight OF
The fects and no longer realize that the
worI stree" means TO us well-de-
fined object probably fixed in the brain
by one of the minute lesions-or its
cicatrix-which science tells US are the
sources of memory.
We unconsciOusly assemble these va
rsous memories and uncOnsciOusly form
of them pictures which, If we are sud-
denly brought to ourselves, we mighS
still retain on the minds retina for a
time. lust as we retain dream images
vIyidIy on suddenly awakening.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
puttino n Plainly.

Among the many good stories con-
tanned In the private papers OF Adj
miral Sir William Hotham, Is one
about Gen. OHara, who, as governor
Of Gibraltar. discovered that an OH
Ger who had lately Joined had come
on parade with an umbrella
The wind that day was easterly.
and the general perhaps was unduly
affected by this circumstance, but In
very u3measured terms he ordered the
delinquent to throw away the offend
ing implement; and after adding other
comments. concluded thus: And pray,
sir. In future understand that you are
not to appear upon this parade with
an umbreIla-no. not II II Is raining
pixies with the sharp points down
wards i"-Lond0n Tit-BltaL
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
SUPERSTITION AN OLD ONE
. An Ages the Belief In -crystai
- Gazing" Has Been More or Less
Strongly Held.

cxstal gazing, or "scrying," as writ
an the subject term II, has been
e-.ctjced pretty well over the world
- ancient times to the present. In
.srlv fines they used to scry In springs
"a bowls Of water. In the British
.,useum there is a crystal bali said
= have been used by DR.. Dee. a wizard
= the time Of Queen Bess. CagIiostro,
.hst sublime humbug Of the eighteenth
..ntury, used to place pail OF water
on the stage and request some child
- come out Of the audience and gaze
,rto II. The child would babble Of
costles. pageants and other marvellous
uIrtures he could see In the clear
Rouid. The society for psychical re-
soarrh. certain Of whose members, one
rould almost conclude, are ready TO
srsIlow whole superstition In any
shspe. has done some crystal gazing
and at last accounts had glass balls
Ear sale at its headquarters In London.
me late Andrew Lang stated his be
Bsf that some people have the faculty
sf seeing faces, places. persons in
notion in glass bah, In water, ink
r any clear Deep" but scouts the no
don that scrying can accomplish any
ming in the way of finding lost prop
erty or in foretelling the future. as has
heen claimed for II by crystal gazing
enthusiasts. As a crystal ball Is not
absolutely necessary, by all accounts,
and a glass pitcher of water win do
lust as well. almost anybody may make
experiments in scrying. The liquid first
turns black. it is claimed, then come
the pictures. Some Of us may feel that
II would require a wait of at least a
hundred years before anything could
be seen.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
LIFE suobouse for Him.

A stockholm man relates the follow
ing: 81 married q widow with a grown
daughter. Ny father. who often visited
rs, fen In love with my stepdaughter
and married her. Because OF that
marriage my father became my sor-in-
law and my stepdaughter my mother
in-law. Some time after my wife gave
birth 70 a son, who became my fathers
brotherin-law and my uncle. Then my
fafher's wife, Chat IS. my stepdaughter.
also gave birth TO q son. ] therefore
had q brother and also nephew.
Summed UP, my wife Is my grand
mother, as she Is the mother OF my
mother. am the husband Of my wife
ana ut the same time I am her step
nephev-in other words I am my own
erandfafher. Really. II b too muen
Tor cns man to bear.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
HOW ROMANS GOT THE NEWS
Bulletin Boards Furnished information
to the Citizens Of the capital
of the World"

Caius julius Caesar knew the value
Of publicity. As far back as when he
was consul eco B. CO he ordered the
publication of senate acts and discus
sionS These "Acta Senatus" were
published on a whitened wooden board
called album" the neuter of "albus,"
which means white. In imperial days,
at least as early as % A. D., there was
an Official publisher. Curator Actor
Um" This news corresponded to what
We get In our Congressional Record,
md cOntained-as our record once did
the interruptions and the applause.
b 60 B. c., Caesar also ordered pub
Ned Gin aIbo" the private news Of
neral interest, "Acta Diurna Popuh
IOmani."
The bulletin boards of the modern
newspapers had their precursors In
these white tablets ordered to be dis
played publicly by Caesar. In New
York there are men who haunt the bull
Ietin boards Of the metropolitan dali
les, jot down the news displayed there
on, and later telegraph the items to
the daiIies in small cities which do not
support so extensive a news service as
that furnished by the United or the
Associated Press. So In Rome, the
writer Of news letters or circulars cop
led the news published ain albO" and
sent the most important items to his
subscriber out Of the city. Scandal
was featured in "Acto Diurna," and
society news, in modern fashion, was
furnished by families concerned
From the Quill.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Frost Foresta

One beautiful use his window had.
one glorious use. one enchantment.
In the depth Of winter sometimes Of
mornings when he got out OF bed and
went to open the shutter. on the
windowpanes would be forest Of gilt.
tering trees. The first time he beheld
such forest he stood before IT spell
bound; wondering whether there were
silyery birds singing far or amid the
silvery boughs. and what Wild crea-
lures crouched In the tail. stiff frost
grass From the ice-forests on the
windowpanes his thoughts always re-
turned to the green summer forest ON
the distant horizon--James Lane Al
len, IN The Kentucky warbler"
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
me EnhemeraI.

nan loves the thing that doesn't
-A he lives on the ephemeral. BIS
aewspaper, with its passing quips and
p. p,oiy fading scenarios. Is his daily
naole reading.
Inc death Of an actor. who win be
socten the week after his burial.
.0ses a people profoundly. Thousands
- Up all night to read 4 book that
scrap" the next day.
-. IN does not seek truth. but va
he seeks sensation. not perma-
.: 80. Bis health lies In his incon-
encies For to be ephemeral Il
but to be eternal b to be dead.
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15

An ordinary gas reading lamp can
be made over into satisfactory cleo
uric fixture at very moderate expense.
The burner and attachment for gas
piping are removed and socket and
electric light bulbs substituted. the
electric wiring being passed up through
The standard Of the lamp. Tai can
dlestieks may be also fitted with cleo
tie bulbs and such candlestfcks. with
snail lighted bulbs instead Of ordl-
nary candle flames. are used at either
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
simpIe Tast>a

Il suppose you wfn use q few ag-
ures Of speech"
NO. replied Senator Sorghum; -fhe
people haven't much liking for rhetor-
zeal figures What they want nov II
plain arithmetic
The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-03-15
Where HoyIe FasIa

Those who continue to amuse them
selves with cards win agree that Hoyie
explained everything but how to win.
-Columbus Dispatch