davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
PREFERRED TO GO UNTAUaHT
Rather Than Learn Hated Language
Of the Magyars, the slovaks
Remained lIliterate.

Slovak stupidity was as deliberate
as is the sturdy determination Of the
Czech. Forced by the Magyars to
learn a hated tongue or 90 untaught,
the Slovak chose the latter course;
hence he Is largely illiterats today, his
ignorance q tribute to his sense OF
freedom. One Of their number e1-
planned It to me In the cafe Of noun
tain village. he saw me sitting alone
and his first sentence explained why
he came over to speak to me.
"You are lonely, l think" he said.
And as we sat there, In the small
cafe, he told me how, rather than sub
NIT to Magyarizaton under the Haps-
burg regime, he refused to study till
the day when his fond dream came
true and he set out for America.
After his arrival in the United
States he went to night school, and,
judging from the quality Of his Eng
lish. he prof1ted well from the privi.
lege.
"Nobody forced me to learn Eng
lish," he explained; VI did 1t because
I wanted to. English II q very 'prac-
tische' language, and I wanted to be
an American through and through, so
I worked hard at night to learn. l
got my first papers all right, and then
I came back for visit. Then came
the war. and I had to stay"
His number Is legion and he II re-
making the mental atmosphere Of
Slovakia.-National Geographic Maya
zine.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
ANT LION TRAPS HIS PREY
Remarkable Ingenuity Displayed by
Small Creature In Securing Food
Especially Favored.

One Of the most crafty Of insects
Is the ant lion larva. This tiny crea-
ture dotes on ants of all sizes and
species, and as 1t is not swift Of move
ment It must trap its victims. 1t does
this by making cone-shaped pit In
the sand. These pits are about an
inch deep and two inches across.
When 1t Is complete the ant lion buries
itself in the very center, with only its
head and strong-curved mandibles In
sight. It then patiently awaits the
curious ants. Ants are Paul Prys, and
have tremendous curiosity. The lit
tie depression attracts their attention,
and they come to It's edge and peer
down into 1t.
The larva at once starts into q fury
of action. It begins digging opera.
tion and at the same time hurls grains
Of sand In all directions. The sand
thus tossed begins to roll down the
depression and carries with 1t other
grains of sand until miniature land
slide results. The curious ant Is caught
in the slide and goes tumbling down
to the center where the hard, sharp
mandibles Of the lion seize 1t, and the
poor victim Is shaken back and forth
until It Is dazed, whereupon the lion
proceeds to dine with relish. tossing
the empty husk of body outside the
hole, once the meal Is over.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
prodIuls. Of the Past.

Long before the war It was stated
that a man was too old at forty. But
now It looks likely that soon the cry
viii be ''too old at fifteeni"
A small boy Of eight summers re-
Gently tackled twenty or thirty OF the
best chess players in the world, set
ting them all problems they could not
tackle: another child appears on the
scene. who, at the age Of seven or
eight, pens q diary, which the greatest
literary lights describe as wonderful {;
while well soon have quite Q small
library Of juvenile novels.
It was regarded as phenomenon
when Chatterton wrote immortal
poems at twelve. when Mozart COM
posed in his fifth year concerto 30
difficult that only the most practical
artists could play It, when the infant
son Of Evelyn, the diarist could read
Latin and Greek at three and one-half,
when Macaulay had written poem as
long a. sThe Lady Of the Lake at
eight and when Millais carried or .
gold medal for painting at ninei But
now It's becoming quite the usual
thing.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
BELONGED TO MEDICI FAMILY
WsII.known PaWnbrokers eion Once
the HsraldIo Device Of House
Famous In History.

During the Middle ages the Lom-
bards made a practice Of lending
money at interest. The Medici family
was the first to turn the practice into
q profession.
Many years before, Averardo de Me-
dici, q commander who served with
distinction under Charlemagne the
Great. killed the giant Mugello. whose
club had three iron balls attached to
It In order that 1t might be more
effective weapon. For this reason the
family Of the Medici adopted the three
balls. gilded, as the heraldic device on
their coat-of-arms, and the appearance
Of this insignia soon came to be rec
ognized as a symbol for money-lend-
Ing.
incidentally. the name Of the Medici
family has been further perpetuated
through the word medicine" q trib-
ute to the skill Of the members Of
this house In the art Of healing.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
MAKE BUSINESS OF SAVING
Wlsa Administration Of Ones Income
10 the Foundation Stone OF
Building Of Success.

Saving part Of the income ought 10
be the rule of every mans life. VI
course, this may be overdone, though
It doesn't happen very often. To make
a business Of saving, profession OF
economizing, trade Of thrift, Is like
ly to develop a narrow nature, even as
reckless spending develops habituai
improvidence. Which state Of man Is
the worse7
To use good judgment in saving and
spending alike-that's the idea. Rus
kin put it In another way:
Economy no more means saving
money than 1t means spending money
It means administration Of house
its stewardship; spending or saving
whether money or time or anything
else, to the best possible advantage.
The man whose wife spends his In
come as fast as he earns 1t keeps his
nose fiattened on the grindstone. The
day will come when his earning capa'
city will be gone and no preserves
will be found on the pantry shelf.
II is the same II the husband Is the
spender and the wife the saver. The
hest plan Is when both follow Ruskin's
idea of administration and steward
ship. saving and spending with com
mon sense and due attention to ap'
propriate living.-MInneapolis Journal
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
fioney.Bee: In the Orchard.

The honey bee is an unqusstionable
aid in the production of fruit crops.
Some trees require cross pollenation, and
in those cases good set of fruit can be
had only when insects are present 10
large numbers during the period OF
bloom. II colonies of bees are placed in
the orchard they will effect widespread
cross-pollenation at period when other
pollen carrying insects are not abundant.
Many authorities maintain that the
honey bee Is more valuable In this ca.
pacity than "a storer of honey.
The Ben Davis apple 10 self-sterile.
Some varieties Of apples more or less
sslt.sterils are Rambo, Roxbury Russet,
Yellow Bellfiower, Tolmsn Sweet, Grav.
enstein, King, Northern Spy, Red Astra-
chan and Spitzsnburg. All Of these va
rieties must be pollensted for the best
production of fruit. If We depend upon
the wild bees or some other agency for
pollepation, especially In rainy season
when the time for insects to work on the
bloom Is shortened. we are quite sure to
meet with disappointment in the setting
of the fruit.
Insects Of many Of the visiting species
stay only long enough to get sufficient to
eat to satisfy their own immediate needs,
but the honey-bees hurry back and forth
from the hive to the blossoms, making re-
peated visits and cross. fertilizipg inuu-
msrsble blossoms, in their efforts to in
crease the colonies stores.
The June and September drop Of ap-
pies may often be traced to lack Of pol
lenation. Apples having only one cell
pollenated will drop first, while those
having two or three cells pollenated
hang on the tree much longer.
II only for the honey produced, bees
would be almost necessity. 1t Is said
that in Bible times fat bottomed boats
filled with hives of bees were moved up
the river Nile With the season of honey
flow, thus gathering honey and polleniz-
ing the flowers along the way. The
same thing has been done on the Missis-
sippi in recent years.-Frank q. Dudley.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26

move to go, but with a lightning-like
movement the young man intercepted
him. His air Of pleasantly was gone.
II was at the next table, behind the
palm. I heard you when you planned
to acquire the stock yourself with
your employers money, and bleed
them for II. I heard you make your
plans-and you were incautious
enough to give the address of the man
who held the stock. / should have
exposed you then, but thought 1t was
better to beat you to 1t. +" but Jew
ons waited to hear no more. He fled
through the door and the partners
heard the outer door Of the office
slam.
"The most thorough scoundrel !
have ever had the pleasure of know
Ing" said the young man calmly. "And
now that we have disposed Of that mat
ter, let us take up the other. Mr..
Hadman, would like to ask you to
step out for moment, If you please.
want q word with Mr.. Gibney
alone"
Hadman left, though with no good
grace. When Gibney was alone with
the stranger he said: II don't know
how I can thank you for exposing that
villain; but I will try. And now, your
price"
"By George!" broke in the stranger.
Look at thati He was pointing out
the window. Involuntarily Gibney
turned to look, and when he returned
his gaze to the room the young man
stood before him-transformed. Gone
was the swathing bandage; gone the
derby hat, and with its going cas-
cade of golden hair fell ripping to the
young mans waist, and Gibney looked
into the face Of
alice" he cried. "What-how-
why"
"Oh, Phil, darling, I wanted to tell
you at first, but you were so cross
and grouchy that l thought I'd give
you little wee lesson. And oh, Phil.
it was such funl Here's your old
stock-I bought 1t with my own money,
and it's-guess what? My birthday
present to you'll And oh, Phil, darling,
kiss me, won't your"
Hadman, impatient at the delay,
opened the door and started to enter.
He got as far as the threshold, then
paused with q look of utter amaze
ment on his face. The look gradually
faded to grin Of understanding,
and he tiptoed out, closing the door
softly behind him.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
Modern Farm Machinery.

The introduction OF machinery has
multiplied the efforts of man and in
creased it many fold. Without the pres
eut day development OF machinery II
would be i'm possible to feed the popula.
ton of the world aud keep it in the high
state OF civilization that it has achieved.
In 1897 about 81 per cent OF the popu-
lation of the UGitsd States lived 10 the
rural districts. At present only about
oue-tbird live on the farms. These now
with the aid of machinery live better
and still feed the whole people. Since
then women have ceased to labor In the
fields, children have been placed In
schools, wages have increased, produc-
tion has Increased and the cost OF pro.
duction has been lowered.
The 6rst cast-iron plow was made In
1895 and the first steel plow in 1888. II
turned only one furrow; now Q tractor
will turn from two to ten furr0ws and
requires but one man to do the work.
Previous to the civil war one mau
with one horse did the cultivation fol
crops; then the two-horse machines
were invented, thus saving the time oi
one man, and in recent years machines
were 90 arranged as TO allow one man BY
using three horses to do the work for
meriy done by three men, doing 1t more
easily and doing It better.
The 18th annusl report Of the Depart
ment of Labor states that the amount OF
labor necessary TO produce one busbel
of wheat by hand wss three hours and
three minutes and now Ii takes but
about ten minutes when modern mscbio-
cry 10 called into service.
The United States Year Book for 1895
stated that formerly IL required eleven
hours TO cut and cure one ton OF hay
uow II would only take one hour and
thirty nine minutes.
The introduction Of the >ensilage cut
ter has had Q very great influence on the
saving of man-labor but by its use has
revolusionizsd the business OF cattle
feeding by making the modern silo
possibility. IL would be hard to meas
ure It's value In terms OF money.
The more recent introduction OF power
machinery has not only made 1t possible
TO save labor for the man but II has In
creased the efficiency OF other machinery
and provided means for getting the worh
done In q more sessonable time.
Depreciation 10 measured by length Of
service. IL 10 calculated on the cost o
repairs and cost of Replacement and II
distributed as per acre cost and charg
cd to each crop on which 1t 10 used
Prof. George Z. Simmons.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
The Majors
Chastenings
By MARTHA M'wILLIAMs

(0 lSzl. oy Mcclure Newspaper Syndic1ta.l
"Why not be frank, major? It's a
shocking waste of swear wsrds-this
way Of merely thinking them," Mella
asked, her accent intermediate be-
tween amusement and faint contempt.
"Be-because l don't want you to
shut your door in my face. You wom-
en- are so illOgical-aggravate US be-
yond reason, then pretend to be
amazed at-what is your own doing"
the major spluttered. clinching the
arms of his chair so hard his knuckles
showed white.
"As how? Examples, pleasep Mel.
la returned demursly. "But talking
Of examples, while think Of 1t, per-
nit me to call attention to my rise.
think what crouch I'd be-with the
steadfast prOvOcatiOn Of my name"
"Wtat's the matter with your name?
Anyway, you can change It," the ma
jor retorted, grinning. Mella lifted
her eyes. "Mella. M-Ella," she ejacu-
lated. Martha Elinor would have been
bad enough as the penalty Of grand
mothers, but Mella-Mella Murly-why,
l sound like contingent rhyme !"
"YOur own fault-you know you can
change to Mrs. Elliot Jameson when.
ever you have mind to do it." the
major said airily; "Mrs. Elliott Gore
Jameson on your visiting card"
Mella smiled. 1.-The prospect tempts,
but it strengthens character to over
come temptations"
"A heap easier and pleasanter to
succumb to them-witness this" the
major said audaciously. kissing her
full on the lips. the while he held her
close.
Nov, should be wanting to swear.
But I DON'T" Mella said c0mposedly,
wiggling free. "You see I knew there
would be toll to pay whenever l pro
voked you into an outright proposal"
"Sol You were sure you could?"
the major asked. half angry, wholly
amused.
"Dead sure!" Mella flung at him.
"Thank you fora great deal. In
my own name and-Mrs. Jamieson's,"
the major said stiffly, getting up with
motion Of finality. But after step
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
Possibilities In Day.old Chicks.

PossiDiiities ID Day.Old Chicks.
Last year I sold more than 400 day-old
chicks, and some that we're two weeks
old. / could have sold more than twice
a. many II ! had the conveniences t.
work with. This year the orders foi
both eggs and day old chicks are coming
in rapidly. think there is more prof
In selling the chicks than eggs. consider.
ing the work involved. For instance,
eggs at % to $40 per hundred and day.
old chicks from $25 to $50 per hundred.
We Ill an incubator with about 100 eggs
and We get from IS to 80 chicks II Oui
hatch Is good. We get from $1625 to
$24 for the chicks. The difference in the
price of the eggs and the chicks will pay
Tor the fuel, care and labor and leave Q
good profit.
think the best time to ship day. old
chicks 10 after they are we'll hardened of
in the incubator, and just before they
me to batch chicks for them and keep
them two weeks. That involves too
much care, extra brooders and possibly
housing room and would reduce the
profits. One should not put more than
20 to 25 chicks In section of the ship
ping boxes. Have enough to keep them
warm and not crowded.
In order to have the best of success
with the day-old chick business We want
good, strong stock to start with, and to
get the strong vitality we must 60 back
to the parent stock. begin in the fall
to choose my breeders for the second
breeding season. / seldom hatch from
pullets as I do not know their laying Ca
pacity. I watch all pullets as they ma
ture and begin to lay and keep a record
Of each one, showing how many eggs she
lays, the times she has been broody and
II she ever has sick spell. Then can
tell her history at a glance. As I trap
nest / can study the birds as to their lay
ing capacity and broodiness. The latter
am trying to eliminate as far as posi-
BILE.
/ am very particular In caring for my
hatobing eggs. When I gather the eggs
| mark each egg with the hens number,
the pen number and date laid. In the
house place the eggs in case and lay
It on one side one day and on the other
the next day. This is an easy way of
turning the eggs. After the eggs have
been in the incubator ten days test ont
the infertile ones and note from which
hens they came. l do not put away eggs
from that hen in the next hatch or sell
any In my hatching eggs. The infertile
eggs seem to run from certain hens dur.
ng the season. At least that has been
my experience so far.-Mrs. A. W. Childs.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
Green Manures.

Iu planning this years crops why not
plan for next year as we'll? By seeding
clover with the grain crop this spring
the crop grown on the ground next year
NAV be increased ss much as 80 per cent,
at least such have been the results Of
several years work at the central expert
mental farm at Ottawa, Canada.
At this station wheat, oats and barley
we're seeded with and without clover ;
the grain was harvested and the next
spring the ground was plowed and oats,
corn and potatoes planted on each piece.
10 each case the plot having the clover
seeding yielded an increase of from 10
to 25 per cent in oats, Is to 40 per cent In
corn, and 10 to II per cent In potatoes.
Price conditions would certainly have to
be abnormal II such practice were not
profitable because the only extra cost
was the clover seed, which could have
been seeded at the same time the grain
was drilled, with no extra labor.
This 10 only one, though probably the
most economical way Of making use of a
green manure crop for building up the
soil. BY this method not only do We
have the green plant material to plow
under as . green manure, but we get the
benefit of cover crop on tho ground tn
prevent leacaing and erosion during the
season when no other crop 10 growing.
Other ways OF taking advantage of the
value of green manures are seeding some
crop with tho corn or grain, to be plowed
under 10 the fall or spring; blowing un-
der the second crop Of hay or rowen or
growing some rank crop, as buckwheat,
sweet clover or mammoth clover, for the
sole purpose of plowing under.
The two last methods, OF course, are
more expensive and the financial returns
may not warrant the practice. However,
with pieces of land not included In q
good rotation or not accessible for appli-
cations of barnyard manure; this 10 about
the only method of keeping up the fer.
tuity and productivity Of the soil. For
not only does the green manure add or.
ganic matter, which 10 essential in keep.
Ing the soil In good physical condition,
but 1t also brings plant food elements
from the subsoil, and In the case OF leg.
umes adds large quantities Of nitrogen
from the air.-B. G. Helmio.
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26

Dancy place. And at the psychological
moment In Passage Three she refused
Billy for the fatal third time. When
he asked: "Do yeu mean It; cross
your hearth she nodded mournfully,
whispering more mournfully: " have
no heart Billy. A bad. bad man has
taken it-and run away" Then some.
how, as women will, she shed Billy
upon the Dancy piazza and whirled
triumphantly away. but not until she
had said privily to him: II ought not
to tell-but Joey loves You dearly. II
would make me mighty happy to see
you happy with her."
So she was not surprised when Billy
doomed joyously next morning: mel.
la, you're a witch for guessing-and
other things. Sure, I'm engaged to
Joey-day's set and everything. Old
folks gave me their blessing. Made
me feel about seven feet high"
When she had said all the proper
things several times over, she got rid
Of the exuberant lover, who went out
beaming like the sun. The major,
coming for what he told himself
would be a final good-by, encountered
him halfway down the lawn, misread
his face, and passed on with the brief
est icy greeting. The Ice had melted
when he came upon Mella, looking out
Of the window with eyes Of lamb.
like innocence.
$50 glad you came In time to see
Billy" she said smiling softly. "His
face is like the morning. real
poem"
"Naturally-as becomes bride
groom" the major said bitterly.
"Why, who told your Mella asked
artlessly.
Intuition" the major snapped, glow.
ering down from his height Of six feet
two.
"And did it tell you the lady's
Mella asked.
"No-I have known It since yester-
day." the major said hoarsely. "Mel-
la, Mellal Why do you do thisf
could bear to lose you better-to
real man."
Better not know 80 many things
than to know 50 many that amt so,"
Mella quoted with twinkle. Il real
ly know things-for instance, that
Billy Is to marry Joey Dancy; also
the girl who Is going to marry you"
Her blush said the rest-as the major
smothered her in his arms she whis-
pered: "You ought to have guessed.
/ wouldn't have taken such trouble
with you-if I had not meant to keep
you for good"
Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-04-26
r. Tai, 1,ms with Your Hands.

t0tl uuS WV
Hold your thumbs touching one an
other horizontally and extend the fore
fingers perpendlcularly. Now hold
the hands toward the sun 30 the
shadow of one finger falls upon the
other or upon the thumb Of the other
hand. Where the thumbs join is
twelve o'clock. the tip Of one finger
6 a. m, that of the other g p. m. The
shadow will tell you what time 1t is
with more accuracy than you can es-
innate It from the suns position In
the sky, after you have learnetl
through experimenting what are the
approximate "hour marks" on your
Improvised "clock." However. II
should be remembered that these po-
sltions will change with the seasons.
according as the days are long or
short.