davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

the presence of decaying grease
This comes from the emptying OF
kettles in which meat has been
! cooked into the dish water, and
from the soap. The grease lodges
in every crevice and catches al
every obstruction. A remedy may
be found in the use of the common
alkalies instead of soap, aqua am
MONA in washing clothes, and borax
in washing lawns and laces,
and washing soda in cleaning
dishes. These alkalies prevent
solid soap from forming in the sink
and it's pipes and neutralizes all ef-
fects Of decomposing fat
@. Can 1 enlist in the United
States army or navy at present
VT.
A. No arm of the United States
service is receiving recruits al
present.
O. Who first said "Spare the rod
and spoil the child?"
A. This statement is often erro-
neously attributed to Solomon, 6ut
is from "Hudibras," and is found In
Part II, Canto 1, verse IS. Solo
mons saying was, HE that sparetn
the rod hateth his son, Proverbs
1924. =,
@. Why do some people call
whisky hooch? ". II: u
A. Hoocheno-or Kootznahoo2
was a spirituous liquor concocte4
by natives of Alaska. Il was nsi1
ed after an Indian tribe and LIE
word contracted into hooch LI'
term was afterward used as syn
onym for ardent spirits.
@. What is the origin or the nut
sery rhyme, The House I'hat JsoA
Built?" A. M b.
A. The original of THE House
That Jack Built" is presumen - -
be a Chaidean fable or hymn =.
Sepher Haggadah. It was nl
printed in the christian Reform
er" at Leipsic in 1871. .a
@. Why is the word tresseS uS'1
in speaking of women's hair
A. The origin is uncertain: ~.
is possibly derived from a ule
word meaning three-fold. IL T St
first used in reference TO mar a
vided into three portions and bI-.-
ed together. Modern usage mas
tended the meaning to INCLUDE lO'A
or curl OF hair. -.
@. How did Bar-le-Due Jelly
its name? A u
A The original Barbecue PlS
serves, made OF selected white Gu Gu,
rants, were manufactured IN pc
le-Duc, France. The term now -
cludes, guava. goosebeFfyr sLLs~
berry and raspberry pressi';ts
Barbecue ia usually seFFed
q cream cheese
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28
Frederic Haskin's Letter
L;shfer Than Cork!

lighter than cork, but If any fora-
sighted business man thought y,
the wood as commercial nossi
bility he soon abandoned the jde,
when he saw how quickly If IA
cayed and how it gradually h.
came waterlogged.
But finally, a retired sea canta,,
became interested in life-sayfng an
paratus. He recalled the remaTt-
able RATS of balsa logs on wbi.h
the natives of Central Ame-ioa
rode and he wondered if sometbtr%
could not be done to the wood IN
preserve it and make il waterprooS
He sent for some samples and ma1a
a number OF experiments but win
no success. Ia
| Then he heard Of a new VOL
preserving process which had ~
patented and he got in touch Win
/ the inventor. By the process Av-
cry duct and cell in a niece NJ
wood could be coated with a thin
waterproofing substance. This
method was tried out on baIsa
wood and it worked satisfactoriiy
The porus wood was made durable
and its useful possibilities instan;A
! ly became numerous.
Since then, it has been unad in
making pontoons for hydroplanss
and in making parts of airplanes
where a light, easily worked wood
is desirable. Life preservers, RATS
and life boats are being made Of
balsa as a substitute for cork. so
buoyant is the wood that as many
as so people can ride on some OF
the life RATS. Yet they do not take
up much room on a boat and a
number of them can be set af1oat
quickly in an emergency
BaIsa in the World War.
When the submarine barrage was
laid in the North Sea, 10000 balsa
floats were used. 1t was said to
be the only wood available, which
could stand the exposure to water
and at the same time resist the in
pact of depth bombs.
Balsa is being used IN time Of
peace for buoys and surf boards
and other floating things, and even
for making carved toys, where its
softness is a desirable feature. As
a material for making shoppers for
bottles it is replacing cork to a
very small extent
Because of its varied uses, balsa
is now regarded as an important
product. Experts have visited the
American tropics to study the trees
in their native state. They report
that balsa is one of the swiftest
growing trees, that 1t grows so rap
idly that a seed planted shot UP
in a year into a tree 36 feet tall
and about five inches in diameter.
In five years, tree trunk averages
nearly 80 inches across and tho
tree will be from 40 to 60 feet tall.
1t may not grow any taller than
this, but the trunk may reach five
feet in thickness. The leaves Of
the young balEa tree are very large,
sometimes three feet across.
All through Central America and
the West Indies the baIsa trees are
found, generally in swamp land
The extreme lightness of balsa
wood was shown graphically when
a block of balsa was compared in
weight with similar blocks of 9th
er woods. A cubic foot of balsa
weighed rs pounds. Cork, the next
was 1877 pounds, and from
there on in round numbers the
weights ran through Missouri cork
wood IS, spruce 81, hickory "a,
ebony %, and Quebr2cho, the heayi-
est wood known, 81.
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Washington, D. c.. July IA
new exhibit in tho National Muse
Up displays samples OF the light
est wood known-balsa.
A beam OF balsa yard long
three by four inches thick is lying
on the table. You bend to pick il
I'D. prepared for its lightness. fe,
the sensation of finding a beam OF
wood no heavier than fairly
heavy book takes you by sur
prise. 1t recalls the fake weights
which comedians lift with so much
elaborate effort in the vaudeville
skits. A tag says that the beam
weighs 1.6 pounds.
In the tropics where balsa grows
men carry long thick trunks ID
balsa trees without the effort
necessary in hauling other logs
Balsa is only about half as heavy
as cork, which we regard as a sym
Dol of lightness.
Near the beam in the exhibit is
box about foot long and j
little less IN height and width
This box, too, is surprisingly light
But that is not its most interesting
feature. 1t is an ice cream con-
tainer. The label explains that
one quart of ice cream will remain
firm in this box for five hours with
an outside atmospheric tempera-
ture of rs degrees. In other words,
box of this wood is sort of ice
less refrigerator. This is due 10
baisa's insulating properties.
When experts became interested
in the commercial possibilities of
balsa they examined the cells and
found them to be barrel-shaped
with very thin walls. The soft por-
US structure of the wood account
ed for its lightness and also for it's
being a good insuIator against cold
and against heat In a test made
with a freless cooker continuance
OF balsa wood, food placed in the
cooker at night was still hot the
next morning.
Facts learned by the various ex-
periments are being Tut to practic-
al use. Balsa is being used extern
sively for refrigerator Innings on
ships and for ice boxes.
Wood Grows the Year Round.
Still another exhibit in the mu-
scum is cross section of a log
of balsa. The wood is almost white
and of rather silky texture with
light bark. The label calls
attention to the fact that there are
no annular rings such as our tenn
perate zone trees have Here dur
ing the winter months new cells
are not filling out and a thin film
forms inside the bark In the
spring cells grow outside of this
film and the line remains distinct
IN a cross section Of the wood 10
mark a year in the life of the tree.
But in the tropics, except in a
few places, there is no season Of
rest from growing. The cells may
grow irregularly. swiftly in the
rainy seasons and not very much
ir dry weather, but they are stead
lily growing, SO that the rees are
A few years ago, haisa trees had
no commercial value. They were
known as tropical speCi-
mems used by the natives of Cen
trail America for raft material be-
cause of their extreme lightness.
The very name balsa is Spanish
for raft and was given to the wood
by Spanish explorers in America
when they noticed that the natives
used it SO much for water travel.
A number of people could be safe
~ floated on these RATS so much
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28
MR. MOTLEY SEES 1T THROUGH


By Nina Ramsay
! Copyright, 1921, by the Wheeler
Syndicate, Ine.).
| my Dear Miss Landeis: You
will no doubt think me very bold
for addressing you without an in
| PRODUCTION, but 1 assure you I am
absolutely in earnest / have seen
you many times in the neighbor-
hood of your college, and my sin
cere admiration has at last over
come discretion. Can you-will you
meet me at the Plaza Hotel next
| Friday evening, for dinner? 1 will
wear a white carnation, and, if you
wish, my mother can accompany
u.s.
please find it in your heart to
do this, Miss Landers, and my ever
lasting gratitude and devotion will
be yours.
Most sincerely, your friend,
GEORGE SHOTOVER.' -
A short silence followed the dra-
matte reading of this curious let
ter, then shrill chorus of excited
feminine voices rent the air:
Kate. shrieked Wag, her room
mate and bosom friend, how per-
fectly thr-illingi'
My dear, don't you imagine he'll
be a poet or something? Or may
be in the movies. l wonder if he
knows any more nice men? Kate
you Will keep the date, won't you,
dear?"
Kate spoke for the first time.
I'm not SO sure" she said thought
fully.
Katherine Evangeline Landers!"
protested four angry young voices,
why not?''
Kate selected a chocolate cream
from the table, inspected it critical
ly and tossed it back.
why the dickens don't we ever
have anything but chocolate
creams? she demanded brusqueIy.
I'm sick of en-
Kate" Indignantly, "just what is
the matter with that lovely letter."
Well, if you must know, it
sounds fishy to me-too good to be
true. All. ha Billy Williams, what
are you staggering at-are you alias
George Shotover?"
"Ma'am?" inquired the irrepressi-
Bile Billy.
We'll, of all the nasty, suspicious
dispositions" gasped Willy, the
grave and scholarly twin of Billy.
Ito reject the Gift of the gods, Fly
ing in the face of providence, as it
were. l swear, Kate Landers, you
don't deserve a man, if that's the
way you treat 'em!"
I'm not a junior for nothing, old
girl. And anyway, Billy probably
wants to get even with me for vamp-
ing her man at the prom-eh, Bill 81
A too cleverly aimed pillow was
her only answer, and the argument
perforce developed into a rough
andtumble, free-for-all battle, from
which a flushed and laughing Kate
emerged victorious and escaped
with a parting shot:
Better get a table at the Plaza
Friday night and watch the fun,
kids, I've changed my mind"
Nov what" inquired a rueful
Billy, after she had gone, do you
suppose she meant by that?'
A few minutes later Hates slim.
boyish figure could be seen hurry
ing down Everett street. At the
corner drug store she stopped I'M
certainly then turned and walked
boldly in and mp to the telephone
booth. Again irresolute, she poised
the nickel thoughtfully over the
slot before finally releasing it.
Main 600, please. Hello. may 1 !
speak with Mr.. Motley. Oh, lis this |
you speaking. Hugh? This is Kate. !
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28
The DAILY Short Story

No, no, not that, 1 merely wanted to
ask you to help me out of a scrape
! Not that, either; it's like this: l had
a letter this morning, which l am
pretty sure some of the girls wrote
asking me to meet a man at the
Plaza on Friday. He says he has
seen me lot around Cambridge and
would like to meet me. Now, Hugh
| please listen. He said he would
wear a white carnation. Of course
l don't believe for a moment there
/ is~such man, but the girls are
coming to watch me get fooled, and
wondered if you would meet me
| there? White carna1ion and all?
Oh, Hugh, thanks just coolies"
Friday evening arrived at last.
The luxurious dining-room of the
Plaza sparkled in the glow of soft
ly shaded lights, and the subdued
laughter of pleasure seeking
clientele. In one corner a group of
four trinity clad girls seemed in the
best of spirits. Dinner was pro-
crossing leisurely and a continuous
flow of small talk covered their
eager surveillance of the scene.
Kate is pretty sharp" suggested
Billy. What if she suspects that
We wrote the letter-great guns.
kids, don't you hope she comes"
"Methinks she will look in vain
for the white carnation" tittere- an
other.
"Ah-h!" cried Billy rapturously.
revenge will be sweet. Oh, mercy,
here she comes now!"
Sure enough, a stately and non
chalant Kate sauntered easily be-
yond them to small table next the
wall which had evidently been re-
served. She dismissed the waiter
with a careless nod, and. setting
herself comfortably turned to sur
Vey the room, apparently oblivious
of the interested group near her.
The plot thickens," muttered
Wag in stage whisper, and then
she very nearly collapsed in her
chair as her unbelieving eyes took
in the scene before her.
A man approached Rates table.
and not one of the astounded girls
was so astounded that she failed to
notice the sureness of his step or
the way women on all sides turned
TO watch his powerful figure as he
bowed courteously, almost too for
mally, over Hates extended hand.
But the eyes of all four girls were
rlVeted on a single white carnation
IN the coat lapel OF the handsome
stranger.
In fascinated silence they watch
ed the tableau before them. The
man seated himself opposite Kate
and Immediately there ensued a
conversation SO engrossing that an
obsequious waiter nearly coughed
nlmsef hoarue trying to attract
tneir attention. Kate smiled and
dimpled bewitchingly and the mans
absorption increased by leaps and
BOUNDS, even to the agonized eyes
OF the girls nearby.
- HeIp! moaned Billy family.
Let's get out of this. l don't quite
know what the matter isl think
I've been bewitched."
silence being the easiest means
OF consent, four very sheepish-look-
ing girls steaIthiIy gathered nm
tneir wraps and were about to slip
away when a waiter touch-
ed Billy on the arm.
From the gen1man, Miss"
Billy automatically stretched out
her hand to receive a single white
attached to a card. The
girls crowded close to read in STONY
silence:
To Miss Billy and her pals. with
AZ sno compliments of Hugh
Motley, alias George Shotover."
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Army regulations for testing youths eye
sight ought to include trip to the beach.
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Congress has left the farmers to sink or
swim; and they've formed little pool with
the idea of swimming.
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28
Argus Information Bureau

To anyq by writing The ArEusn
ton J. C Give full and
eanRde 10 each Inh
paid to OBVIOUS
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Over one million seals have been caught
this year. from which over nine billion seal
skins will be taken
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Scientists say man came from Va monkey
and women say they have hard time keeping
him from going back
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28
PAEN OF REJOICING.


Yesterday 1 wrote hummer OF knock against
the summer
And all of my objections 1 explained.
But today wondrous feeling over me has
come a-stealng-
1t has rainedi
Since the sun has ceased his shining I nc
longer am repining
And the woes OF yesterday have quickly
waned;
am full OF pep and go. sir would you know
why this is SO, sir?
It has rainedi
Now my brow's longer burning and my
souls no longer yearning
For happiness that yesterday was feigned.
Do you wonder why I'm voicins all this glad
ness and rejoicing?
It has rained!
Let us sing a song together on the wetness OF
the weather,
Let us MARBLE in a manner unrestrained;
Let our voices gladly mingle as We sing this
little jingle
It has rained!
'Haps we'll be among the legions who'll de-
scend 10 hotter regions
When life is DER but let us, unrestralned,
Give the whole wide world an earful as we
shout in accents cheerful:
cit has rained!"
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

Perhaps the man who reads movie titles
aloud isn't allowed TO talk at home.
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

PERHAPS those who were boosting the
booster day" at Douglas park yester afternoon
do not feel like Joining in our song about the
rain. We are indeed sorry the moisture let
loose at time not pleasing to everybody;
sorry that the elements put, as twere. the
boo" in booster. Nevertheless, we are glad 1t
rained.
NEVER have we designated any one who
brings his offerings to this Shrine of Sapldlty
as the Perfect Contrib, but now, without hest
tation or equivocation, hang the P. c.
wreath around the neck Of Solomon Piffe. Not
in recognition of any of his printed connections
tribution reposing at this moment on the table
in front of us-a box of fragrant and mellow
cigars as ever "soothed the savage breast.
We thank you, Solomon. And long after these
cigars have returned to ashes cur gratitude
will prove to be the brand that "age cannot
wither nor custom stale :"
The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-28

/ The midnight moon makes more men wise
Than the midnight oil
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
CITY or SQUALOR
Filth and Vice Chief CharaCteriS-
tics of COnStantinopIe.
According to British Observer, the
Turkish Capital Is an Excellent
place to Avoid.

Constantinople is not pleasant
place, to judge by the account Of +,
Holmes, writing from that city in The
London Daily News.
"Oflcn in my dreams" he writes
"there comes back again suddenly the
strange sickly odor, and | glide again
over the thick. oily muddy waters
dotted with the blouted bodies of dead
oxen and 0Sses, with here aud there
two,legged corpse instead. We land
again in Tophaue quay ana plunge
into what l verify believe and sincere
~ hope to be a scene which, for filth,
sordidness sQualor misery and fla
grant and outrageous vice has no
parallel elsewhere in Europe.
The rough cobbled streets are
thickly strewn with decaying garbage
of every description, and upon TINS
filth the vegetable vender heaps ms
wares Passing the butchers shops IN
summer the handkerchief flies inStinc-
lively and in mere self-defense to the
nose; the color Of the meat, so far as
it coulG be discerncd for flies, was
green Every second shop i'm the Rue
de Gaata is a so-caled Bier hauS'
where the more fortunate sailor is
merely dragged, robbed of all he pos
sesSes and flung out into the street to
be picked up by the patrol The less
fortunate is not flung out and is never
heard Of again.
"a verminous, villainous multitude
of every nation under heaven passes
continually up and down these streets,
Squabbling eternally. Women of all
nationalitieS, united only by the com
mon bond of universal vice and uni
versal disease, Turk in their thievish
corners. Disease Of every kind RACES,
Of course.
Looking mt the city from the sea,
the eye is generally caught by certain
curious slate gray patches. They are
the hurnt-out areas Two or three
times a week during summer the city
is lit by a huge blaze. As nearly all
the houses are of wood ana the FIRE
brigade is q bad joke these fires usual
ly destroy five hundred buildings on SO
government has now created q hous-
ing problem Ivy forbjddmg the cr"a-
tion of any more wooden houses. The
population solves it after its man
ner: The Turk sQuatS in the ruins Of
his burnt house--in The cellar If it is
/
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
Safe From Traffic

An East side Italian woman, mother
Of three small children, has invented
a way to prevent her offspring from
playing in the middle Of the street,
thus keeping them away from traffic
dangers Every day she takes them
down to the front door Of the tene-
ment house in which they live slips
moose around each waist and neck,
and then ties the end Of the rope with
about five feet lceway to an iron rail
Ing in front Of the house, and the chill
drcn play among themselves. She
slips a small paddock In between the
knots Of the rope ana the bars Of vne
iron railing, so that no one but herself
can unite it--Dctroit Free Press
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
HauIstorms.

The starting point of a hailstorm is
a layer of air laden with water-yapOr
This passes rapidly through varying
degrees of temperature, which first
freeze the particles Of water and then
melt them and re-freeze them, adding
other particles as the journey cOntin-
ues. Hailstones, in falling, are some
times carried below the central part
of the storm which gave birth to them
through successive layers Of rain or
snow, which, accounts for the fact
that the resultant stone Is formed of n
number Of distinct coatings, like the
skins of an onion. 1t frequently hap
pens that considerable quantity Of
this frozen vapor is whirIed by the aC.
tiOn Of the storm into the center Of the
tornado. Then, when the force ceases
abruptly or the PARTICLES become too
heavy TO be supported by the wind,
they fall TO the earth i'm an almost sol
id mass, The connection between hail
storms and thmdcrslorms is because
of the rapidly shifting degrees of tenn.
perature which accompany the latter
fact which also explains why hail
storms occur usually in the spring or
summer when the majority Of thun-
derStorms take place.
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
EIectrifyinq Water.

Plain water can be made to taste
like champagne, is the claim Of the
inventor Of new device. .ho in.
venton consists of an electrical ap-
paratus comprising a small circular
tank that contains an electric cell
from which two electrodes extend.
one eectrode is placed IN the glass
Of water and the other * pressed
against the drinkers cheek A slight
current passes through the water Civ.
Ing It q sparkle similar to that of
sparkling wiuesat feast SO the in
yentor says.
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
Safety and Safety Zones.

Her parents had driven up to visit
her and they were driving about to
see the city, They wished to do IA
few minutes shopping, so they hunted
for parking space. Finally they found
it in front of department store.
Returning few minutes later she
heheId "A sticker notifying her to ap-
pear in court next morning. She
turned to the corner tranicman:
What what had she done to vio-
late the rules? They'd only been gone
ten minutes and she had been very
careful to see that they parked right
in safety zone, and SO she had
felt safe-so indianapolis
News.
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01
Wanted to Re socIahle-

Smith had been offered a really
good job in Australia So he threw
up his clorkship in London ana made
arrangements to leave for the land Of
kangaroos,
While passing through Liverpool on
his way to the docks, he was suddenly
hailed by Il friend from Manchester,
who inquired:
Hello, old man. Where are you
off to-"
australia" was Smiths blunt re-
ply
"Right-og' said his friend. TN
walk part Of the way with you'll"
The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-09-01

Judge Horace Flanagan of Duluth
was praising the fortitude Of the hun
ger striker.
Hunger is a terrible thing" he
said, 81 remember one evening when
my wife sent our eldest boy to bed
without any supper-punishment, you
know, for some slight misdemeanor.
well, after my own supper | got
to feeling sorry for the little fellow,
so | tiptoed upstairs to his room and
whispered through the door:
"'BilL could you eat some honey
in the comb?'
Daddy said the boy, I could eat
it in the brush"