smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

From the Danbury News.


What a frightful sensation that is
when you have Just got home of a cold
Monday night, and pulled your boots
off, to be told that the week s washing
is outon theline and Unjust be brought In.
Now. to do this of dewy eve IN sum-
mer, with the delicate perfume of flow
ers filling the air, and brass band on
the next street, is not exactly a hard
ship: but to do it in the dead Of
winter, with a chilling breeze blow
inc and the clothes as stiff as a rolling
piu. Is something no man can cOntem-
plate without quaking. We don't quite
understand how it is that a man inva-
riably gets his boots off before the
dread summons comes, but the rest OF
it is plain enough. There Is a sort of
rebellious feeling in his heart which
prompts him TO try to entangle his wife
in an argument, and failing IN tins
he snatches up the basket and
goes out in the yard with it, rap
ping It against the sides of the door
with as much vigor as if it were not
Durelv accidental. IL the fond wife IS
any way attentive she can hear ms we'll
known voice cOnsigning various objects
to eternal suffering, long after he has
disappeared. There is no leyity in
Iine-of frozen clothes. Every article
is as frigid as the Cardiff Giant, and
the man who wrenches the pin OFF and
then holds the basket in expectation Of
seeing the piece drop off the
line of its own accord IS
too pure and simple for this
world. But our man isn't of that ma
ture. He catches hold of the garment
with his chilled hand and seeks to pull
it off, but it doesn't come. Then he
yanks it upward and then downward
and then sideways; and when 1t comes
off it maintains the shape 1t has been
all the afternoon working INTO, which
permits it Just as readily to enter the
baket as to be showed through the key
holeo a valise. The first articles double
up with his hands, and there Is
a faint semblance of carefulness
in packing them away; but after that
he smashes them away into the basket
without any ceremony, and crowds
them down with his foot. He uses the
Year: 1874

same care IN taking down a fine cam
bric handkerchief that he does IN cap
turing a sheet, and makes two hand
kerchiefs of every one. When he gets
far from the basket be allows the art
cles to multiply in his arms, SO
TO save steps; and when he gets his
arms full Of the awkward and miserable
things, whose sharp, icy corners jab
him IN the neck and face, be
comes to an article that refuses
to give way on one end. He pulls
and shakes desperately at it, bowling
and screaming IN his rage, until he m
advertently steps ON the dragging end
of a sheet, and then he comes down
fiat on the frozen snow, but bounds up
again, grating his teeth, and hastily
depositing the bundle in the basket,
darts back to the refractory member ,
and, taking hold Of it, iercely tugs at
it, while he fairly jumps up and down
in the extremity of his anger
and cold. Then it comes unex-
pectedly, and with it a
part of the next article, and he goes
over again-this time on his back and
with violence. With the clothes
gathered, he takes the basket up in his
livid hands, thus bringing the top ar
ticles against his already frozen chin,
and, thus tortured, propels his hfeless
limbs into the house. She stands ready
to tell him TO close the door, and
is thoughtful enough to ask him if it's
cold work. But If he's a wise man, he
viii make no answer. IF he is a wise
man, he viii silently plant himself in
front of the stove, and, framing his
frozen features into an implacable
frown, will preserve that exterior, with
out the faintest modification, until bed
time.
Year: 1874

question of increasing or diminishing work
at the National Ar1nory the committee rose
without disposing of the bill, and then the
House took recess till 7:30, the evening ses-
session to be for consideration of the bill TO
revise the statutes.
Year: 1874

JUDGE GIaER once set aside the unjust
verdict Of a jury against an unpopular man
with this remark: "Euter the verdict, Mr..
Clerk. Enter also, set aside by the court
want it TO be understood that it takes
thirteen men to steal mans farm in this
court"
Year: 1874

The National Grange held a brief session
this morning and the different committees
have been busily engaged this evening on
the various subjects assigned to them.


Nothing at this writing 6 p. NJ has been
given out for publication by the committee
having the matter in charge, and it is un-
derStoOd nothing viii be furnished to-
Year: 1874

Mr.. Carpenter introduced bill of which
he had given previous notice, to restore the
rights Of the State of Louisiana, and said
he desired to have the bill printed and lie
on the table. Early next week he would
ask to take it up for reference, and would
ask the indulgence of the Senate to submit
some remarks explanatory of the bill.
The bill was ordered printed and to lie on
the table,
Year: 1874

Smallpox prevails extensively in California
and the Californians remark complacently
that it is the best article of smallpox on the
continent, while the deaths it accomplishes
are truly wonderful.
Year: 1874

A PLEASANT two story dwelling House. in good
"A repair, suitable for Two families. situated on
the southerly corner of Pearl and Lincoln Streets
Enquire at the House any time after 10 A. M.


my20 If
Year: 1874

Somebody writes all the way from Paris
to say that the real ladies there don't wear
those long lace scarfs about the neck when
promenading, as ladies do here. This is in
telligence worthy Questionable consideration
Year: 1874

had not Tellnquished hopes Of being
paid for the child; for very recently an
other letter was received by the Ross
family, stating that the child was safe
and could be returned, II the proposed
contract was accepted. The nature of
the contract the detectives refuse TO
give. Among the points connected
uufth
Year: 1874

If every horticulturist aud farmer
would think for a moment on the nature of
fallen leaves. which costain not only the
vegetable matter, but tho earthly salt
lime, potash. etc., needed for the next
seasons growth and fertility, and that,
too, exactly in proportion required by the
tree or plant frJm which they fall; nay,
more, if they would consider that it is ex-
actly in this way, by the decomposition of
these very fallen leaves, that nature en-
riches the soil, year after year, in her
great forests it would hardly be possible
for such rejecting horticulturist or farm.
er to allow those leaves TO be swept away
by every wind that blows and finally lost
altogether. Nor would he give them away,
as many now do. He would collect them
from week to week, the leaves that fall
under each tree, and by digging them un-
der the soil about the roots, where they
will decay, provide 10 the cheapest man.
ner the bost possible food for that tree.
If this plan should be tried, we should
not see old orchards dying out for want of
punishment ; but they would in this SIM
pie manner receive all the enrichiug they
require. Pear trees, and doubtless peach,
would be greatly benefited by this proee-
dure.


In certain vineyards in France and It.
ally the vines are kept in the highest con-
dition By simply burying at their roots
every leaf and branch that is pruned off
or falls from the vines at the close of the
season. Will not some of our farmers Of
minds give this simple process
trial this season? 1t is well known fact
that no measure is more eagerly sought.
for by the florist than leaf manure. 1t
enters largely into the compost prepared
for pottiDg. Leaves collected and mixed
with barnyard manure greatly enhance its
value. Therefore gather up the leaves,
that nothing shall be lost.
Year: 1874

ANCIENT 1NKs-The ink used by an.
cient writer's was formed of lamp-black,
or the black taken from burnt ivory, and
SCOT from furnaces and baths. Some have
supposed that the black liquor which the
cutlle-fsh yields was frequently employ ed.
One thing is certain, that whatever were
the component ingredients. from the
blackness and soldity iu the most ancient
manuscript, from an ink-staDd found at
Herculaneum, in which the ink appears as
thick as oil, and from chemical analysis,
the ink of antiquity was much more
opaque, as we'll as encausitic than that
which is used in modern times. Inks of
different colors we're much in vogue red
purple, blue and gold and silver inks,
were the principal varieties. The red
was made from vermilion, cinnabar, aud
carnine, the purple from the murex one
kind OF which, called the purple encaus-
tic, was appropriated to the exclusive use
Of the emperors. Gold ink was much
more popular among the Greeks than
among the Romans. During the middle
or dark ages, the manufacture both of 1t
and Of silver ink was an extensive and
lucrative branch of trade, and the illum.
mated manuscripts which remain are a
striking proof of the highest degree of
perfection to which the art was carried. -
The making of the inks themselves was a
distinct business another connected with
it, and to which it owed Its origin, was
that OF inscribing tho titles, capitals. as
well as emphatic words, in colored and
gold and silver inks.
Year: 1874

BADLY SoLD.-A benevolent fruiterais.
er in Worcester, England was recently
much annoyed by little boys who stole his
peaches. after the mapner Of such small
adventurous. He one day saw a minute
marauder 20 up into one of his trees.----
He was ready for the emergency, for he
had provided large stuffed Cog which
he placed at the foot of the tree. and thon
retired a little to watch the effect Of his
strategy. The little boy having filed his
stomach and his pockets with fruit was
about to descend, when his affrighted eye
rested upon the animal. First he tried
Establishments, viz, whistlug, coaxing.
Then he tried the sterner lodges, viz.
threatening, scolding. All was thrown
away upon the stuffed dog, standing stern
ly there and never moving his stiff tail an
inch to the right or the left. The little
boy had never seen dog like that. and
after q while he understood that the p ach
tree must be his dormitory for the night.
The hours dragged YEARLY on. The
stuffed dog looked bigger and bigger IN
the dark. There was plenty of peach
es, but where was the little boy to find
appetite? In the morning the owner ap-
peared and asked the boy how he hap
pened TO be in the tree. Alas! not in
the least regenerated by his sufferings, he
answered that he had been chased by the
dog aud had assembled for safety! Why
will boys forget the thrilling story Of An
nanias and Sapphira? And what must
have been the mingled emotions Of wrath
modification and legs ache which agitatcd
that boy when he discovered the game
which had been played upon his juyenils'
credulity
Year: 1874

In the spring of 1874 Mr.. S. Goodsell,
of Irasburgh found coat of mail, rolled
together and lying at the foot Of large
birch tree. 1t was much corroded BY rust
upon the outside, aud seem to have lain
in that position very great length of
time. 1t was made of steel rings about
onc-fourtn of an inch in diameter, locked
together ip the way steel purses are made.
but much thicker; and instead of being
brazod, or left open, were all nicely rivi-
ted. The wire was about the size of q
course knitting ngedle. The form of the
article was like that of shirt, reaching
down below the hips, with the celor made
of several thicknesses OF brass wire put
together iu the sane way, the ends of the
sleeves and the bottom being bordered al.
SO with the brass rings. The collar was
open before sufficiently for passing the
head through, when it could be fastened
so as to securely protect chest and throat.
1t was evidently designed to protect the
wearer against spears and arrows, and
perhaps the sword also, but by whom aud
when was it left is open to conjecture 1t
is now in the National museum, at Wash
ington, d. G.


Some twenty years ago, while party
we're at work repairing the Central Yer
mont railroad at Swantoh, one Of the
workmen discovered peculiar white-look-
ing stone, as he supposed in the bank.
He struch it with his shovel and picked it
up. Its heft still further attracted his
attention; and he threw it up to the over
seer for his examination. The overseer
found it to be chunk of lead, much cor.
rodded and covered with spruce gum upon
the end. This he removed with his knife
and found the lead hollow, 10 the interior
Of which he found pager, rough and old
but written over on one side with words
which he could not fully make out, but
which were afterwards read and fac
simile made Of the writing. copy OF
which is now in the State Cabinet, where
the original was placed by DR.. Hall, OF
Swanton, subject to his control, and was
by him taken and the fac-simile left IN its
place, in 1873. understood from him
that the owner is lady in Burlington,
and 1t is to be hoped that she will donate
the same 10 the State Collector. The
written manuscript, being in ancient Eng
lIsh, reads as follows:


NOVEMBER 20, 1854.
This is the solemn day must pow die.
This is the 2yth day since we left the
ship, and oil have perished and on the
banks Of this river | dre So farwel.
May future posterity know our end.


JOHN GRAVE.


Many suppose this the trick of some
insane person or rogue, and that it ought
not to receive credence; but the argu'
mcnts in its favor are, to many minds
conclusive as to its certain thatit was hon
Year: 1874

Br SUSAN COOLIDGE.
The boat cast loose her moorings;


"Good-bye" was all we said.
"Good bye" was all we said, with smile,


Aud none looked back as We sped,
A shining wake of foam behind,


To the heart Of the sunset red
Heavily drove our plunging keel


The warning waves between,
Heavily strove we night and day


Against the West Wind keen,
Bent, like foe, to bar our path


foe with an awful mien,
Never n token met our eyes


From the dear land far away
No storm-swept bird, no drifting branch
To tell us where it lay.
Wearily searched we. hour by hour,
Through the mist and driving spray.
Till, oil in flashing moment,


The fog wells rent and flew,
And blithsome South Wind caught the sails
And whistled the cordage through,
And the stars swung low their silver lamps
In dome Of airy blue,
And, bresthed from unseen distances,
A new and Joyous air
Carressed our senses suddenly


With rapture fresh and rare.
cit is the breath of home - we cried /;
"We feel that we are there
q Land whose tent-roof is the dome
Of Heavens purest sky,
Whose mighty heart inspires the wind
Of glad, strong liberty,
Standing upon thy sunset shore,
Beside the waters high.
Long may thy rosy smile be bright
Above the ocean din
Thy young, undaunted voice be heard,
Calling the whole world kin,
And ever be thy arms held out
To take the storm tossed in
Year: 1874

she fed away and quite forgot to live the
poor rose tree the gift of speech.
When the father came home, the mo.
ther asked for the little boy.


"Did he not come home with bundle
of faggots to cook my dinner ?" asked the
father.


NO." said the mother, 'he had not
been here since he followed you into the
forest. / fear the wild beasts have eaten
him" and she wrung her hands and wept.


"No," said the father, II fear the
brownies have carried him away. They
are out in the forest, and their king with
them, to battle with the fairies. Give me
a cup of milk, for am faint with grief
and hunger, and 1 will go and find him it
l can"


So the father went to look for his dear
son, and the mother and sister wept at
home.


The father followed the path until he
came to the place where the boy had turn-
ed out Of it, and there he saw the brok-
en- tree.


"Alas, alas ~ said the father. 'ihe
wicked brownies have carried away my
son; and shall never see him again.
Here is his bundle of faggots, at the foot
Of rose tree" And he wept sore.


When he had told the mother aud sis
ter they wept with him, and would not bo
comforted. Every day the sister took her
knitting and sat by the bundle of faggots.
at the foot of the rose tree, and was com.
forted in spite Of herself and sang sweet
songs.


In the meantime, the king Of the fairies
had fought the king of the brownies, and
had driven him back to his old place in
the bowels of the earth, and the flower
fairies tended their flowers in peace. One
day the queen remembered the boy that
she had saved from the brownies, and
called for her chariot to visit the rose tree,


For SAID she, ''if it withered away
aud was ungrateful for my help, l will
change it back into the boy again and let
him 60. But if | find it blooming and
beautiful, I will give him a good gift"


So the queen rode through the air, ona
road made of sunbeam and at the end
of her journey, she found the rose tree
full Of flowers. although the snow lay on
them. She was very much pleased, and
touched it with her sceptre and the boy
stood before her, and began eagerly to-
thank ber for her kindness.


go" said she, "because you are good
and loving and have thankful heart,
give you the will and power to please, and
the love Of ALL" With these words she
passed from sight and was gone.


need not tell you how the father and
mother rejoiced when their boy came back,
nor how the sister wept with joy as she
had wept with grief before. You can
think what good gift was the fairy bless
ing. But. because there are no good fair.
les to give good gifts to us now, all child
rem must be very good and kind, very un-
selfish and obliging. that they may please
all, and be beloved as was the dear good
boy.
Year: 1874

LET THE Horses RoLL..-Horses that
are kept In the stable during summer,
should be given daily the luxury Of a
roll on the earth. Rolling is the means
given by nature for the animal to rid it.
self of vermin and skin diseases, and it
tends to make the animal healthy. Some
owners object to allowing horse to roll
on the bare earth because it gets dirt into
the hair and makes extra work to keep the
animal clean, but the extra work pays if
rightly understood. Allow horse to
roll in the dirt when he is not moist with
perspiration, and then stand an hour or
two with his coat full of dust before being
cleaned up.
Year: 1874

During the present fine weather the farmers
throughout the island are busy In getting In their
winter grain and timothy seed and gathering
their winter apples and corn crops. The latter
prove to be better than was expected, consider
Ing the long drought last summer.


The coast wrecking Company are ntting out the
steamer Lackawanna to take the winter wrecking
station at Key West, In place OF the lost steamer
Amanda winants. She will sail for her destination
In ABOUT ten days. The lost steamer winants, with
ner wrecking material on board, Is said to have
been valued At about $4,000, on which there was
no insurance.


The work Of improving the channel around the
corner stake In Newark Bay. between Elizabeth
Year: 1874

A writer in the Rural Ner Yorker,
who has been remarkably successful tut he
cultivation Of wheat as u farm crop, says:


1t has been my practice for the last
eighteen years to run my wheat for seed
over very coarse seed screen, 50 as to
SOW none but the largest kernels. BY so
doing | have improved my wheat so that
have sold nearly all my wheat at home
for seed. But in 1871 hit upon a new
plan. l had a piece of Treadwell wheat
that was injured by insects in the previ-
GUS fall and killed by freezing in the win
ter, so that there were spots not worth
cutting. After harvest | observed few
scattering heads of unusual size. 1t oc-
CURED to me that there was wheat that
had withstood the rayages of the insects
and the rigor of the winter. | gathered
enough to sow one rod square, from
which | realized twenty pounds of wheat.
of unusually large, even berry, which was
at the ratio of over fifty bushels per acre
last harvest had twenty bushels which
weighed sixty pounds per bushel. 1t is
my opinion that we realize the best crops
from the best and most perfect seed in the
vegetable as well as the animal kingdom.
Another good plan is to select the longest
heads for seed The wheat can be great
ly improved in this way. Try it.
Year: 1874

If any one has any doubts in regard to
the importance of summer pruning of his
grape vines, be has only to take a look at
them at this time. From the old stocks
near the ground and from the smaller
canes hundreds of tender shoots will be
found where not one tenth of the number
should be permitted to grow. If all the
shoots which appear in spring are allowed
to grow unchecked, there will be mass
of small weak canes upon the vines next
fall, few, if any, of the number large
enough or sufficiently ep-developed for
bearing fruit. Next year, consequently.
early summer is the time to commence
breaking off, close to the main canes, all
shoots not required for fruit another year.


This operation is fully as important as
the regular annual pruning, and no ylne-
yard in this or any other country ever
continued healthy and fruitful for any
length of time unless this summer prun-'
ing was carefully attended to, no matter
what any body says to the contrary. Gull
tivated grape vines are not wild vines In
the forest, and we expect more and bet
ter returns from them, therefore we must
treat them accordingly. Later in the sea-
son a little pinching off of the ends of Wig
orous shoots in order to check their growth,
and direct tho strength of the stock into
those that are feeble, is also frequently
necessary and it is thus that the careful
vinyardist aids nature in bringing him
bountiful crops. 1t is waste OF valuable
materials to grow cords OF grape wood,
which has to be pruned away in autumn.
exhausting the soil unnecessarily, when
by judicious summer pinching or pruning
the production of superabundance Of
wood might be readily avoided. Theo-
ratically, it may be all wrong to remove
branches and leaves in order to strengthen
the growth and insure the health of any
plant; but in practice it brings just these
results, which can not be secured by any
other known process.
Year: 1874

LAZY FAEMERs.--Laziness prevents
man from getting off his horse to put on
the first rail that gets knocked off the
fence, and through his lazy neglect
whole field of corn is seriously damaged.
Laziness keeps man from driving one
nail when one would do, and finally costs
carpenters bill for extensive Repairs
Laziness allows gate off the hinges to lie
in the mud, or stand propped up by nails
or barn to leak and damage hundreds Of
dollars worth of provender. Laziness, in
short. is the right and proper name for
nine-tenths of excuses given for bad farm
ing. But far the most prolific of tho
many wastes that are due to laziness is
the waste of ignorance.
Year: 1874

Roor CRors. Preparations for these
ought to be begun. If every farmer who
kept any COW or sheep at all would raise
few roots for their use in the winter, we
are very sure the satisfaction he would
derive from seeing the enjoyment and the
advantage with which they were censum-
ed would make him convert to the ne
cessity of ever afterward making them one
of his regular crops upon ever SO small
scale Far beyond their intrinsic yalus
is the good they do in furnishing at the
time when they most need change from
dry fodder to palatable food, health giving
and preserving. For the growing Of
roots, deep plowing and thorough prcpa-
ration of the soil is essential. Make your
ground rich if possible with perfectly rot
ted manure.