smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

St. SylYestre's Night in Hungary is one
of the most romantic moments of the
year. All sorts of superstitious beliefs
are attached to this night. Maidens of
all ranks and ages throng to the shrine
ofthe excellent saint, who is supposed to
know all about the future husband Of
every unmarried lady of Christendom-
belief which costs him dear. If he
hasn't been driven crazy long ago by
thousands of questions addressed to him
on this one special night at the moment
when the clock strikes twelve, he will
surely become 50 now when the number
of eligible husbands diminishes in the
same degree as the number of unmarried
ladies', eager to change their position, in
creases from year to year. As civilized
saint, whose prestige has outlived that of
a great number of his brethren, st.
Sylvestre gives his attention first of all
to the saloons-that is, to those who
should fill them, but who on this night
prefer to follow the young people to the
kitchen, where the young ladies are oc-
cupied with the manufacture of dump
ings Such 9 culinary exertion in elab-
orate evening dresses must have an i'm
portant cause. The dumplings prepared
by those delicate hands are no ordinary
dumplings, whose destiny it is to be
eaten. Fate has chosen this simple far
inaceous food to be the interpreter of its
decrees. Every young lady of the COM
pany writes the names Of all the eligible
gentleman of her aequaintance upon
scraps Of paper, which she hides in the
dumplings, and at the moment when the
clock strikes twelve she throws them
into boiling water. Now, it is the habit
of dtnplings, when sufficiently cooked,
to reappear on the surface Of the water,
and the first dumping which reappears
on st. SylyestFe's Eve contains the young
lady's doom-that is, the name of her fu-
ture husband The second dumping
showing itself on the surface bears in
yariably the name of the happy lovers
rival while the third contains the name
of the miserable creature who has been
refused by the more or less fascinating
lady. The screaming and laughing OF
the young people, the gbIushing and
frowning on all those youthful faces at
the moment when. the boiling water
sends up the first herald of matrimony,
is such pretty sight that it is not to be
wondered at when the dumplings some
times guess rightly.
Year: 1878

1t is easy, of course, to keep your hus-
bands love. In the first place, never
agree with him. When at home, keep
yourself in "blue" state. Take from
him all the money he can spare, and
even more. Flirt with every man you
meet, if he-the man-gives you q
chance. At the same time, be frantic
ally jealous Of him. Snub him and
tyrannize over him in the presence Of
his bachelor friends before whom he il
solicitous of appearing as the most en-
viable man in existence, and to whom
he is particularly anxious to rehearse the
delights of Benedictdom. The NORTH
cation he will feel at the Illustration Of
his laudable desire viii most assuredly
produce reaction in your favor. Should
all other means seem likely TO fail, be.
come violently attached to your dear
parents, and if they reside in different
city from that in which you live, spend
all the time you possibly can with them,
making life dismal while you are at
home with means because you can't see
your dear parents every day. Should
your husband manifest any dissatisfac.
ton with this, open private deluge at
once and tell him that you never knew
before that you had married brute.
By using all these means, your object
will soon be accomplished.
Year: 1878

An aquarium, which is source of new
er ending amusement to the members OF
a household, can be easily made. In
fact, any glass jar that will hold from a
half gallon to a gallon Of water viii an
sWeF for ehiid's aquarium. The tanks
with fat sides, Of course, are better, be
cause the things within look much larger
than they really are. If you stock it
with fish alone, the water must be
changed every few days, or they viii die I;
but If few water plants be added, the
fish and plants will both do nicely for a
long while without changing the water.
Any common plant such as you will find
in shallow fresh water pond viii do.
The water slat-work has little ehickweed-
like leaves floating ON the water, and
Others Of different shape below. This
and the mermaid weed you will readily
find. Wash the plants, pick away all the
dead parts, and tie in q small bunch to
this fasten stone to keep 1t down, and
put 1t into the jar Keep II from direct
sunlight for a day or two. Get a dozen
or two Of snails, of as many different
kinds as you can, (tl.2y are abundant IN


small streams and OF the edges Of ponds
and put these in tie jar also, Put IN
few young tadpoles, if they can be had,
and a couple Of small fish. II, after
while, the hsh come to The surface often,
to breathe, there are too many animals for
the plants. The snails viii crawl along
the sides and eat off the green scum
which forms upon the glass, and if there
are not enough snails to do this, tie bit
of sponge to a stick and rub the glass un-
til Il Is clear. Tadpoles develop very
slowly, and the changes can be watched.
Lizards are very amusing to have in an
aquarium. They are fond of flies II
thrown upon the surface of the water
while living. Small fresh water Holsters
can be found In most rivers, and also
look very pretty. A few white pebbles
and pretty shells may be placed IN the
bottom ofthe jar. Both instruction and
amusement may be derived from this
easily contrived aquarium in miniature.
Year: 1878

I hate a dull, melancholy, moping
thing; I could not have existed in the
same house with such a thing for single
month. The mopers are, too, all giggle
at other times the gayety is for others,
and the moping for the husband, to COM
fort him HAPPY man D when he is alone ;
plenty Of smiles and of badinage for 9TH
ers; but the moping is reserved eXclu-
siveIy for him. One hour she is caper-
ing about as if rehearsing a jig; and the
next, signing to the motion OF a lazy
needle, or weeping over novel and
thisis called sentimentl Music, indeed! +!
Give me mother, singing to her clean,
and fat and rosy baby, and making the
house ring with her extravagant and hy-
periodical encomiums on it. That is the
music which is "food of loYe; and not
the formal pedantic noises-an atecta-
ton Of skill in which is nowadays the
ruin. of half the young couples In the
middle rank of life.


Let any man observe. as so frequent
ly have with delight, the excessive fond
ness Of the laboring people for their chill
dren. Let him observe with what pride
they dress them out on a Sunday, with
means deducted from their own scanty
meals. Let him observe the husband
who has toiled all the week like horse
nursing the baby while the wife is pre-
pairing bit of dinner. Let him observe
them both abstaining from sufaciency,
lest the children should feel the pinch
ings of hunger. Let him observe, in
short, the whole of their demeanor-
real, mutual affection evinced, not in
words, but in unequivocal deeds. Let
him observe these things, and having
then cast look at the lives Of the great
and wealthy, he will say with me that,
when a man is choosing his partner for
life, the dread of poverty ought to be
cast to the winds. Alaborers cottage on
8 Sunday, the husband or wife having a
baby in arms, looking at two or three
older ones playing between the flower
borders going from the wicket TO the
loors is, according to my taste, the most
interesting object that eyes ever behald.
Year: 1878

For the credit of human nature, it is
to be hoped that the men who descend
from their proper sphere to meddle with
the domestic duties Of the household
are few and far between. The male
housekeeper carries the common purse,
which he holds with an iron grip, pinch
ing every quarter that he grudGngly
doles out for family necessaries til the
very eagle on it squeals, and his wife
feels her degTadation to the depths of
her soul Such mans better half" is
an utter nonentity, with far less indie
pendence of soul and body than the un-
tutored servant in the Kitchen whose
wages supply her humble needs, and
who, if she is not satisfied, can at any
time change her condition. How many
wives Of male hoHsekeepers have even
one dollar q week to spend exactly as
they choose aand no questions asked, i"
and who does not know that more gen
uine satisfaction can be gotten out of
ten cents absolutely wasted than from ten
dollars used for mere neeessaFies2 The
male housekeeper always deals with the
butcher and grocer by the week or fort
night, to save trouble, and so always car
ries. that curse to economy, a grocery
OOOAs LA4Alo tAAO viz A1ANC4 ~ tAe-0C
at one or two particular stores, and if
they have not the articles required, she
must do without them. How infnitel.9
better to set aside certain amount, be
it ever so small, according to the salary
of the head of the family, for household
expenses, and let the wife manage it her
own way. Ninety-nine times out of a
hundred she will make it 60 farther than
man can. Then no more pinohing,
contriving and cajoling; no more ebooksS
at butcners and groeers, where one is
continually in debt, often purchasing
what one cannot afford, sometimes pay
ngfor more than one gets, and taking
up with an inferior article when better
could be bought in the market for less
money if one only had cash in hand. A
wife bears her full share of the common
burden by daily cares and thoughtful
management for the comfort Of the fam
lily, end Is entitled to her share of the
common fund, which division should be
Just as cheerfnlly rendered by the head
of the firm as with any other partner.
These are all the srights" which true
women require.
Year: 1878

The editor of the Louisiana Mo- Jour
nal publishes a card offering to meet IN
an open field an opponent who mad beat
en- him unawares, ana II ne does not
thrash the coward inside OF hve minutes
will make public apology and admit
that he is no man.
Year: 1878

The Prdirie Farmer thus exposes anew
swindle: "A Chicago firm, which came
from Cincinnati, sends out large num-
ber of agents, each Of whom has pack
age of dry goods made up of cheap Pals
ley shaWls and few dress patterns very
showy and sleazy. The cloths are offer
ed for less than their value, and then the
shawls are shown for the purpose OF
catching tho female eye. For shawl
worth S. the agent asks about $50. The
farmer is told that he will not be pressed
for payment, they are willing to take his
note. One is handed to him to sign. On
the back of it, generally, is form for
waiving exemption of homestead rights,
which the wife also signs. The farmer
is given to understand that these notes
are generally for eight or twelve months,
and is assured that he will not be pressed
for the money before the end of the time.
These notes are taken straight to the
nearest banker, and are sold to him.
Of the proceeds of the note the agent
gets 10 per cent, the firm 10, and the re-
naming seventy-five represents the
cost Of the goods. As a general thing the
agent goes first to q banker at the county
seat, and asks of him the names OF farm
ers whose notes he is willing to discount.
Furnished with this information, he
goes out in search of his victims In
some cases the bankers do not care to
discount this paper. Then the firm hold
the notes until maturity. They have on
hand now several thousand dollars
worth of them"
Year: 1878

The phonograph company have been
long devising and have now devised
scheme of speculation with the wonder
full talking machine. At first they
thought of selling the machines at 500
apiece to all who would buy, to do what
they liked with them. Then the COM
pany changed its mind and resolved to
send out the machines for exhibitions
with obligated agents. These were to
paw 300 for the loan of a phonograph
machine for three months for the purpose
of travelling exhibitions-the agents to
charge twenty-five cents admission and
to give the company twenty five per cent.
of the gross receipts into the bargain.
About eighty agents are now under in
structions and in training for this new
branch of the show business, and we may
expect to have them phOnographing
around pretty soon. Barnum has offered
81 coo cash for a machine and has not
been able to purchase one yet. The
company believe there is big specula-
ton in it as a show and they want to
reap about all the profits.
Year: 1878

The spirit of self>sacri6ce is one of the
great beauties of holiness. Husband
yielding to wife, vile to husband brother
TO brother; sister TO sister; friend to
friend; in great things, but in small,
especially. First and foremost, see that
the spirit is with you at home; then
carry it abroad into the world. It is a
spirit that viii sweeten happiness and
brighten troubles; and when the soul is
ready to wing its flight to its eternal
home, it will have the unspeakable con-
ISOLATION of knowing that it has not lived
TO itself; that it has left the world
happier and better in some degree than
it found it that it has been faithful to
its earthly mission.
Year: 1878

1t would seem that in accordance
with their usual grab.all policy,
the railroad company have COM
menced to choke the life out of this
city. Not content with having
stolen the waterfront, and fenced
10 the place, they now have a bill
before the Legislature authorizing
them to charge fare between sta.
tions on the local trains, that is,
fifteen cents for riding three or four
hundred yards. This villainous
thieving bill has passed the Senate,
and as the entire Legislature is said
to belong to the railroad company,
there is no reason TO expect that it
will not pass The Assembly. We
may hope, however, that it will be
arrested by the Governor, as that
gentleman has some reputation to
lose by a corrupt subserviency to
the corporation. One of the ano-
males of this fifteen-cent steal
consists in the extraordinary fact
that Senator Bones made u speech
In favor OF the bill. and then voted
against it!-Oakland Eoening
Journal.
Year: 1878

During the last few weeks nego.
tiations have been pending looking
TO complete settlement of all the
interests in ex Mission lands. We
are now Informed that full
and complete settlement has
been made and that the title OF
all the land had been PLACED in two
trustees, Mr.. Steinback aul Mr..
Carpenter, who will sell and lease
lands and account to all the owners
for the proceeds of sale. Upon the
receipt of this intelligence there
was general rejoicing in the town
and county. With settled titles
and abundant harvest in prospect,
we have reason to be confident of "a
Curious future. Real estate will
sell rapidly aud at good figures.
Next week We hope to b. able To
give the basis OF set.lement.- - Zen.
turd Signal.
Year: 1878

Unless associated with good teeth, al e
shorn OF half the attractions they may
otherwise possess. Bearing this fact In
mind, use SOZODONT, which will pre-.
vent your teeth from losing their white
ness. and will render them spotless Il
specked and discolored. The tint and
hardness of coral are impaired to the
gums by this incompatible preservativt
and beautifying agent, and the breath Il
rendered fragrant as honeysuckle by its
use. IL Is safe, besides being effective
Sold by druggists.
Year: 1878

The Journal of Chemistry says :- What is smoke It is made up of mi mute particles of unburned carbon; it is fuel thrown away. The torrents of black vapor from our chimneys and smokepipes contain thousands of tons of coal lost because we have not learned how to save 1t. The time will come when this will be reckoned as foolish as we should now consider it to shovel coal into the sea, as we used to dispose of the refuse from gas works, which has become the source of so many useful and valuable products. The chemical lecturer of the next century will tell his audience how long it was before the world learned to burn fuel without blow ing good part of it into the air. He will grow facetious as he describes the appearance of great cities perpetually covered with pail of vaporous black ness. "Why, in that dark ago." he will add, "their railway engines used to drag long streamers of dirty smoke be- hind them, and one could not ride in the cars without having his eyes and nostrils and throat filled with cinders and dust and, incredible as it may seem, this was tolerated for many years, the introduction of smokeless locomo- tives being one of the last improve ments introduced into our railway sys- tenn" And his hearers will say to them selves, "What terrible ordeal a long railway ride must have been in those old times"
Year: 1878

On the day first set for the scull race in Canada the following scene was wit messed by the large crowd assembled :- But what's that shout All eyes were turned in the direction of the Lachine barge, and it was seen that squall con- ing across the water had caught her, and away went her anchors. All was confu- sion, ard the scene for the next half minute was thrilling indeed. This barge is really house built upon two hulls, and fair game for the wind. On her roof were about five hundred of Montreal's fairest daughters and those who saw the speed with which the unwilling vessel was hurried along, anticipated the most serious consequences. In the next in stant she was in collision with the pro- peller Mattawan at anchor astern, and as the barge's float and steps crashed into spl1nters against the bow of the propeller, the barge swung around and made for the fleet of steamers just be- low, moored at the Grand Trunk wharf. As she hurried in that direction the screams of women were terrifying to hear. Men shouted themselves hoarse in giving orders which were never heard, and consequently never obeyed. And see, there is boat containing 8 gentle man and two ladies. It is directly be- { tween propeller and the barge about to collide with it broadside on. The gentleman is cool one and hands the ladies up the gangway of the propeller as if he were letting them out of car riage at Delmonico's. He jumps upon the Lachine barge himself and is safe, but his skiff suffers. Further down the barge was secured, and everyone breathed more freely. The barge was then towed to the shore, and as the squall continued few seconds longer, the steamers stood out to get more sea room.
Year: 1878

Herbert Spencer ill the Popular Science Monthly, says of the sensations under chloroform II began to be terri fled to such a wonderful extent as I would never before have guessed possi- ble. l made an involuntary effort to get out of the chair, and then-sudden- ly became aware that was looking at nothing; while taken up by the !confu- sion in my lungs, the outward things in the room had gone, and was "aIone ln the dark" I felt force on my arm (which did not strike me as the sur geon's hand," but merely as an exter- nal restraint) keeping me down, and this l was the last straw which made me give in, the last definite thing (smell, sound, sight, or touch) I remembered outside my own body. Instantly I was seized and overwhelmed by the panic inside. I could feel every air-cell struggling spasmodically against an awful pres sure. In their struggle they seemed to tear away from one another in all direc- | tions, and there was universal racking torture, while meantime the common l foe, in the shape of this iron pressure, kept setting down with more and more irresistible might into every nook and crevice of the scene. My consciousness was now about this was not aware of anything but an isolated scene of tor ture, pervaded by hitherto unknown sense of terror (and by what I have since learned is called "the unity of con- sciousness this never deserted the scene, even down to the very last inau- dible heart beat) Yet I call it scene, !" because I recognized some different parts of my body, and felt that the pain in one part was not the same as that in another. Meanwhile, along with the increased intensity of convulslon in my lungs, an element of noise had sprung up. A chaotic roaring ran through my brain, innumerable drums began to beat far inside my ear, till the confusion presently came to 8 monstrous thud- ding, every thud of which wounded me like club falling repeatedly on the l same spot
Year: 1878

Just as an Irish gentleman was about to step into a ferryboat the other day retriever dog that he had never before seen seized him by the panta- looms and prevented him from entering the boat, which an instant later was run down by a steam-v vessel. The gentle man tried, but vainly, to get rid of the dog during the day, and finally estab- hshed the animal as watchdog at his house, @ position which it has faithfully HlInd
Year: 1878

VERY NEAR.-A St. Lawrence priest came near marrying the wrong couple. Arriving at the church, where wedding was to take place, he found a young man and young woman waiting, and, sup posing that they were the persons to be married, called them down to the altar, and began the ceremony before their confusion would let them object.
Year: 1878

GRAPES. for tall and winter use should be picked as soon as ripe, and when perfectly dry packed in dry sawdust. Select your boy or jar, cover the bottom with sawdust, then layers ol grapes and sawdust alternately until full. Keep them in the coolest place you can find, free from frost, until wanted for use.
Year: 1878

HIN. and the knowledge that he WIS dealing with
very thorDY question. may fairly hope that he mas
not done But In any we shall have the satis
faction of knowing that whatever di credit there iny
Dc IN this talk of keeping money back or IN suadehy
springng diplomatic mines ut an awkward time, IL Is
uOf fnupa
Year: 1878

II never but once, said the Colonel,
was in what I call a genuine quandary.
Tt was during my electioneering for
Congress, at which time I strolled
about in the woods so particularly pes
tered by politics that I forgot my rife.
Any man may forget his rifle, you
know; but it isn't every man who can
make amends for bis forgetfulness by
his faculties. I guess. 1t CHANGED that
I was strolling along, considerably deep
in congressionals; the first thing that
took my fancy was the snarling of some
young bears, whichlproceded from the
hollow of a tree; but I coon found that
1 could not reach the cubs with my
hands, co I went feet foremost to see if
could draw them up by the toes. l
hung on the top of the hole, straining
with all might co reach them, until at
last my hands slipped, ard down went
more than twenty feet to the bottom of
that hole, and there I found myself al
most hip deep in family Of fine young
bears. I soon found that I might rs
we'll undertake to climb up the greasiest
part of rainbow as to get back-the
hole in tree being so large, and its sides
so smooth and slippery from the rain.
Now this was real, genuine, regular
quandary. IF so be was to shout, it
would have been doubtful whether they
would hear me at the settlement, and
if they did hear me, the story would
ruin my election; for they were quail
ity too cute to vote for q man that VEN
turcd into place that he couldn't get
himself out of. Well, now, while I
was calculating whether it was best to
shout for help, or to wait in the hole
until after election, I heard a kind Of
grumbling and growing overhead; and
looking up,I saw the old bear coming
down stern foremost upon me. My
motto is always go ahead ! and as soon
as she lowered herself within my reach,
I got tight grip of her tail on my lift
hand, and with my buck-bafted pen
knife in the other, I commenced spurr-
ing her forward. III be shot if ever
member Of Congress rose quicker in the
world than I did She took me out
in the shake of lambs tail."--F3ontien
Life.