smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

Having seen all that there was to
be seen for the time being at the
bridge, l visited the freight-house,


which has been transformed into a
temporary morgue, and viewed such
relics of poor mortality as were there
collected. Having seen other ghast-
ly spectacies, | thought that there was
nothing further could shock me, but
was mistaken. An official admitted
me TO the dead-house, and again the
well-known and horrifying smell of
halfburnt, halfputrified human flesh
saluted my nostrlls and produced a
feeling of nausea. Five minutes af-
ter the fire broke out in the cars piled
against the abutments at either end.
A moment later flames broke from


the smoking car and first coach piled


across each other near the middle of
the stream. In less than ten minutes
after the catastrophe every car in the
wreck was on fire, and the flames fed
by the dry vanished work, and fan
ned by the icy gale, licked up the
ruins as though they had been tin
der. Destruction was SO swift that
mercy was baffied. Men, who in the
bewilderment of the shock sprang
out and reached solid ice went back
after wives and children and found
them suffocating and roasting in the
flames. The neigboring residents,
startled by the crash, were lighted by
the confagration, which made even
their prompt assistance too late. BY
midnight the cremation was com
plete. The storm had subsidized but
the wind still blew, fiercely, and the
cold was more intense. When morn
ing came all that was left of the Pa
cific Express was u winrow of car
wheels, axles, brale-irons, truck
frames, and twisted rails lying in Q
black pool ut the bottom ofthe gorge


The wood had burned completly
away, and the ruins were covered
with white ashes. Here and there q
mass of charred, smouldering sub


stauce sent up a little cloud of sicken


ing vapor, which told that it was
some human flesh slowly yielding
to the corrosion of the fire. On tn,
crest of the western abutment, hal


buried in the snow, stood the rescued
locomotive, all that remained of ths
fated train. AS the bridge fell its
driver had given it quick head o.


steam, which tore the drawhead from
its tender, and the liberated engine
shot forward and buried it selfin the
snow. The other engine, drawn
backwards by the falling train, tum


bled over the pier and fell bottom
upwards on the express ear behind
The engineer, Folsom, escaped will
o broken leg. How be cannot tell
nor can any one else imagine. Their,
is no death-Iist to report. There car
be none until the list of the missin.
ones who travelled by the Lake Shor,
Road on Friday is made up. Their,
Year: 1877

The success of the GLOBE-DEMOCRAT since
the consolidation of which it is fact and in
name the product, has been such as to excite
universal comment. Its circulation has steadily
increased since its first issue, and its general
business prosperity has Kept pace with its cir
culation. Thus encouraged, its proprietors are
determined that in the future no effort will be
spared TO keep it in the front rank of Western
journalism.


Politically, the GLoBE-DEMOCRAT is a sup
porter of the measures of the Republican party,
believing that organization to be best adapted
by its principles and policies to perpetuate our
form of government, and to secure It's admins
tration in q manner best calculated to promote
the good of the country.


The popular demand is not only for an organ
of opinion, but for history of the times-some-
thing that will come fully mp to the poets idea
of "A may of busy life," its fluctuations and
its vast concerns.


In this respect we claim for the GLOBE
DEMOCRAT a reputation second to that of no
journal in the West, yielding to no rival in our
efforts to obtain the news, and to present the
same in an attractive shape.


Our aim Is to publish a newspaper adapted to
the wants, tastes and interests of the people of
the Mississippi Valley. To this end we pay es
pecial attention to events happening in Missouri
and the adjoining States-to watch their pro-
gress, and to assist, in so far as we can in their
developement.
Year: 1877

Comparatively few parents seem to
realize the importance of visiting the
schools in which their children are being
educated. and the result is that their
faces are rarely seen in the school room.
and they know but little about what
their children are doing.


Men who happen TO own few horses
or pigs viii visit their pastures often TO
see how their stock is prospering. They
are anxious about the kind Of food and
drink their COWS are getting, and spend
hours in simply admiring their fine
stock If they chance TO have tine or
fast horse that they want trained they
place him in the hands Of the groom,
perhaps, but they watch the progress Of
his training; they want to witness the
result of HIS schooling frequently, but
their children, who have not only bodies
to be cared for, but immortal minds to
be trained and Systematically developed,
they carelessly place in the hands Of q
teacher about whom, perhaps, they know
nothing almost and never care enough
about the result to even visit the place
where the training is done. If people
value their children as much as they do
their horses they certainly ought to visit
the schools where they are being trained
for the work of life as often as they
visit the stables where their horses are
ed.
Year: 1877

There is nothing, in our opinion, thai
will contribute more to th) greater eff
cheney of our country schools than the
entire abolition of the summer session
and the consolidation of the two terms
now usually taught each year into one
beginning about the first of October and
continuing six. seven or eight months
after the manner Of our town schools
with a short vacation of a week or two
during the holidays.


This change will do more for our
country schools than county supervision
and all other appliances combined with
out it. Indeed. all other appliances will
fail to bring our country schools to the
standard demanded by the interests of
the State so long as the school year is
divided into two terms with an interval
of months between them, the work of
the one having little or no connection
with that of the other.
Year: 1877

The boat was discovered the next
morning from the ship. All that the
devotion Of the officers Of the Fortuna
could do for their unhappy commander
was done on the homeward voyage.
Restored to his own country, and TO
skilled medical help. the Captains mind,
by slow degrees, recovered Its balance
He has taken his place in society again
he lives and moves and manages his
affairs like the rest Of us. But his heart
is dead toall new emotions; nothing
lives in it but the sacred remembrance
of his last love. He neither courts nor
avoids the society of women Their
sympathy finds him grateful, but their
attractions seems to be lot on him
they pass from his mind as they pass
from his eyes-they stir nothing in him
but the memory Of Aimata-


Now you know, ladies, why the C.p-
tain viii never marry, and why (sailor
a. he is) he hates the sight ofths sea"
Year: 1877

would tell him ana put your life in
peril?9 she asked. MY father felt the
destroyer Of the island in the earthquake;
my father saw the coming destruction in
the disappearance of the lake Her
eyes rested on him with loving IAN
gour. Are you, indeed, the demon Of
the prophecy" she said, winding his
hair round her finger. Il am not afraid
OF you, if you are. | am girl bewitch-
ed; | love the demon" She kissed him
passionately. Il don't care if / die" she
whispered between the kisses, IF 1 only
die with you"


The Captain made no attempt to rea.
son with her. He took the wiser way
he appealed to her feelings.


You will come with me to my own
country" he said. MY ship is waiting.
will take you home with me and make
you my wife


She sprang to her feet and clapped her
hand for joy. Then she thought of her
father, and sat down again in tears.


The captain understood her. Let us
leave this dreary place" he said. we
will talk about it in the cool glades OF
the forest, where you first said you loved
me-"


She gave him her hand. Where
first said 1 loved you" she repeated
smiling tenderly and thoughtfully as she
looked at him. They left the lake to.
gether.
Year: 1877

CHAPTER VII.


The darkness had fallen again. The
ship was still becalmed at sea.


Mr. Duncalf came on deck after his
supper.


The thin line of smoke seen rising from
the peak of the mountain that evening
was now succeeded by ominous flashes
of fire from the same quarter, intermit-
tently visible. That faint, hot breeze
from the land was felt once more.


There's just an air of wind" the mate
remarked. I'VE will try for the Captain
while we have chance"


One Of the boats were lowered into the
water-under command of the second
mate, who had taken the bearings" of
the tabooed island by daylight. Four
of the men were to go with him, and
they were all to be well armed Mr.
Duncalf addressed his final instruction
to the officer in the boat


You will keep look out with lam
tern in the bows. When you get a nigh
the island, you will fire gun and sing
out for the captain"


Quite needless" interposed voice
from the sea. The Captain is here"


Without taking the slightest notice of
the astonishment that he had caused, the
Captain padded his canoe to the side of
the ship Instead of ascending to the
deck of the Fortuna" he stepped into
the boat. Lend me your pistols" he
said quietly TO the second officer, @and
oblige me by taking your men back to
their duties on board" He looked up
at Mr. Duncalf, and gave some further
directions IF there is any change in
the weather, keep the ship standing off
and on. at safe distance from the land;
and throw up a rocket from time to time
to show your position. Expect me on
board again by sunrise.


What" cried the mate. do you
mean to say that you are going back to
the island, in that boat, all by YOURSELF,


Il am going back to the island an
swered the Captain; as quietly as ever,
in this boat, all by myself" He push
Off from the ship, and hoisted the sail as
he spoke.


You're deserting your duty shout
ed the mate, with one CT his lOudest
oaths.


Attend to my directions" the Cap
tain shouted back, as he drifted away
into the darkness.


Mr. Duncalf-violently agitated for the
first time in his life-took leave of his
superior officer, with singular mixture
of solemnity and politeness, in these
words:


The Lord have mercy on your soul
wish Won good evening"
Year: 1877

III.


Alone in the boat, the Captain looked
with misgiving mind at the flashing of
the volcano on the main Island.


Ifevents had favored him, he would
have removed Aimata to the shelter of
the ship on the day when he saw the
emptied basin of the lake. But the
smoke of the priests sacrifice had been
discovered from the main island, and
the chief had sent two canoes with in
structions to make inquiries. One of
canoes had returned; the other was kept
in waiting off the cape; to place means
of communication with the main island
at the disposal of the priest. Thesecond
shock of earthquake had naturally in
creased the alarm of the chief He had
sent messages TO the priest entreatng
him to leave the island. The priest re-
fused. He believed in his gods and his
sacri.ices-he believed he might avert
the fatality that threatened his sanctu-
airy. Yielding to the holy man, the
chief sent reinforcements of canoes TO
take their turn at keeping watch off the
headland. Assisted by torches the is
landers were on the alert lin supersti-
tious terror of the demon Of the proph-
ecy) by night as well as by day. The
Captain would have -risked certain death
if he had ventured to approach the hid
ing place in which he had concealed his
canoe. He awaited and watched. 1t
was only after Aimata had left him as
usual, to return to her father at the close
of the evening, that the chances declared
themselves in the Captains favor. The
fire flashes from the mountain, visible
when the night came, had struck terror
into the hearts of the men in the canoes.
They thought of their wives, their chill
dren and their possessions on the main
island. and then, one and all, deserted
their priest The captain seized the op-
portunity of communicating with the
ship, and of exchanging a fail canoe,
which he was i'll able to manage, for q
swift sailing boat, capable Of keeping the
sea in the event of stormy weather.


As he now neared the land, certain
small sparks of red, moving in the dis
tance, informed him that the canoes
had been ordered back to their duty.
Steering BY the distant torchlights, he
reached his own side of the island with
out accident, and, guided by the boats
lantern, anchored under the cliff He
climbed the rocks. advanced to the door
Of the hut, and was met, to his delight
and astonishment, BY Aimata on the
Threshold.


Il dreamed that the anger Of the del
ties had parted us for ever" she said;
1and l came here to see if my dream was
true. Oh. how have been crying, all
alone in the hut Now l have seen YOU
am satisfied. Kiss me, and let me go
back. No, you, must not go with me-
My father has his doubts; my father
may be out looking for me. 1t is you
that are in danger, not l. 1 know the
forest as well by dark as by daylight.
You ahall see me again at day break"
Year: 1877

Her eyes met his. A half smile trem-
bled On her lips. The Captain yentured
on asking what she meant by the predes-
tined destruction of the island. She
held up her hand solemnly, and repeat
ed the prophecy.


The Holy Island was threatened with
destruction by an evil being who would
one day appear on its shores. To avert
the fatality, the place had been sanctifed,
and set apart, under the protection of
the gods and their priests. Here was
the reason for the taboo, and for the ex-
traordinary strictness with which it was
enforced. Listening attentively to his
charming companion, the Captain took
her hand and pressed it gently.
do feel like demon?' he whisper
ed.


Her slim brown fingers closed frankly
on his hand. you feel soft and friendly =
she said, with the fearless candor of a
child.


Squeeze me again. like it.
The next moment she snatched her
hand away from him. The senses of
his danger had suddenly forced itself
upon her mind. IF my father sees you" !"
she said, "he will light the signal light at
the Temple, and the people from over
yonder will come over here and put YOU
to death. Where is your canoe? No 1t
is broad daylight. My father may see
you on the water" She considered for
a moment, and, approaching him, laid
her hands on his shoulders Stay here
till nightfall," she said. MY father
never comes this way. The sight of the
place where my mother died is horrible
to him. You are safe here. Promise TO
stay here till night time"


The Captain gave his promise. Freed
from anxiety so far, the girls mobile
southern temperament recovered its
native cheerfulness-its sweet gaiety
and spirit She admired the beautiful
stranger as she might have admired q
new bird that had flown to her to be
petted with the rest. She patted his
fair white shin and wished she had a
skin like ii. She lifted the great glossy
folds of her long black hair and compar
it with the Captains bright curly locks,
and wished she could change color with
him from the bottom of her heart. His
dress was wonder to her His watch
was new revelation. She rested her
head on his shoulder to listen delighted
ly to the ticking as he held the watch to
her ear. Her fragrant breath played on
his face, her warm, supple figure rested
against him softly. The Captains arm
stole round her waist, and the Captains s
lips gently touched hers. She lifted her
head with look of pleased surprise
Thank you" said the child of nature
simply. kiss me again; like it. May
| kiss your The tame turlle-dove perch
ed on her shoulder as she gave the Cap
tain her first kiss, and diverted her
thoughts to the pets she had left, in pur
suit of the truant dove. Come" she
said, ''and see my birds. keep them
on this side of the forest There is no
danger SO long as you don't show your
self on the other side My name is
Aimata; Aimata will take care of you
Oh. what beautiful white neck you
have, She put her arm admiringly
round his neck. The Captains arm
held her tenderly to him. Slowly the
two descended the cliff, and were lost in
the leafy solitudes of the forest. and
the tame dove fluttered before them, Il
winged messenger Of love, cooling to his
mate.
Year: 1877

THE IGNORANT BALLoT.-Rev. Joseph
Cook, the celebrated Boston preacher, saws
in late address that it was his fnrtune-or
misfnrtune-to lie born in New Yolk, and
that it is Il griveous thing to him to know
that that vast Commonwealth which, above
and west of the highlands of the Hudson.
Is only prolongatiOn of New England, is
politically under the heels Of New York
below the highlands, and would not be if
the reading test, which it used to have,
had been retained in the popular suffrage.
Mr.. Cook eXclaims with holy horror that
eighteen or twenty thousand voters in
every municipal election in New York can.
not read or write, and "they are a
make weight sufficient, in the hands
of a few astute and unscrululnus men, to
determine the result Of any ordinary roliti.
cal contest in that city. Drop out her
twenty thousand ignorant ballots and New
York city. politicians say, could with no
great difficulty be restored to the control of
her industrious and intelligent classes. If
New York were London, and if her ignorant
ballot were large in proportion to her size
not merely New York State, but ] fear New
England would be under the heels of the
lower half of New York CITY,"
Year: 1877

one sunny day Love chose to stray


AdOwn rosy path forbidden
Where Mischief deep in ambush lay,


And watched his snare meath flowers hidden:
Love tumbling in began to shout


For MischiefS aid. lest he should smother:
You little demon let me out,


Or I'll report you to my mother"
said Mischief, IN not set you free


Unless you share your power with me
And give Ofevery heart you gain,


One-half to joy and half to pain
Love struggled but in vain, alas


He was not born to prove martyr.
And, sad to tell. it came to pass


He gave in to the little Tartar.
Love flew TO Venus in pet,


And cried when he had told his story;
o! Queen of Beauty, never let


That little imp wear half my glory"
The goddess with look sedate,


Replied. Il cannot alter fate.
But you shall conquer still. my boy,
I'll make loves pain more sweet than Joy
Year: 1877

1t has been decided that man can
legally kiss the hired girl, if he can prove
that he mistook her for his wife, but how
shall that profit the man when he finds
himself with one eye closed up and no hair
on his head
Year: 1877

A circus elephant eats two bales of hay
per week while in winter quarters, and you
can figure from this how necessary it is for
the man at the door to cast murderous
glances at dead-heads
Year: 1877

While Gov. Jewell was our Minister in
Russia he visited the tanneries of that
country and found out the secret of the
Russia leather, beloved of hook devotees.
The secret is the result of the use of birch
bark tar with which the skins are dressed
IN place Of tallow and grease, the latter
substances being so largely used as food
among the lower classes. This tar. which
Is carefully saved as it exudes from the
wood when burned, was first used as n
substitute for wheel grease in Russia. as il
Is to this day, and then for the filling and
dressing OF skins. BY system of careful
inquiry, and literally following his nose
during his visits to some of the great Rms.
ian tann"ries and curriers' shops. Mr.
Jew"lI found this compound in a crcat
Kettle ready for use, and thus the mystery
was solved. 1t is not expensive. cost.n
about $40 barrel, and he immediately
ordered ten barrels and sent them to various
leading leather manufacturers in this
country with instructions and the result is
that genuine Russia leather goods are now
made in America, and doubtless will soon
be sold at nearly fifty per cent below former
prices.
Year: 1877

While he was sitting on the wood.b
and chewing the bitter cud of reflection,
a man with brass watch chain and a three
dollar set of glass diamonds entered the car,
and six of the women lifted their satchels
from the seats beside them and moved close
up to the side of the car. Such things
are not right, but they always will be done.
Year: 1877

the tn, gods, but they pray by machinery.


Ihey have square post eight feet long,
and near the centre is fixed vertically a
wheel, which can be reached by the hand.
and which moves in an axle passed through
the post. On each of the three spokes of
the wheel two small rings are strung.
Every person who turns this wheel as he
passes by is supposed to obtain credit in
heaven Tor as many prayers as the number
OF revolutions which are marked on the
post The object of the rings is that as
they jingle they are supposed to secure the
attention of the Deity, and the greater the
noise the more certainty that it will be
listened to. Some of the inscriptions are
worth knowing. One is, wise men and
fools are in the same boat whether pros
porous or afflicted, both are rowing over the
deep lake; the gay sails lightly hang to
catch the autumnal breeze; then away
they straight enter the lustrous clouds and
become partakers of heavens knowledge"
Still another: " As the floating grass is
blown by the gentle breeze, or the glancing
rlpples OF autumn disappear when the sun
goes down, or as the ship returns home to
her old shore. so is life; it is smoke,
morning tide
Year: 1877

Every farmer should keep cash account
from which he can easily separate the
amounts received on account Of each crop,
and can at any time refer to il rs Il voucher
Tor moneys paid to hncd help, and for
other expenses, and on looking over il he
might often see where he has spent money
which could have been put to better use


The old farming lands of Maine are said
to be nearly or quite worn out beside. the
summers are short and the winters severe;
still we hear reports of more than one
hundred bushels Of corn having been raised
per acre IN the State the past summer,
which show that the northeast corner of
Uncle Sans farm is worth something vet.


Mr.. Montgomery Sears is the young Bos.
tonian who has much money that he
doesn't know what to do with it. After he
has been graduated at Yale he is going into
Il lawyers office to learn how to take care
of his property. He has just bought a
beautiful house in Boston for about $780,.
600.


French tourist, on visit to the Cen.
tennial last summer, wrote home: "Ameri-
cans live well up to their income, and
insure their lives for the balance"


The Nebraska legislature sits during the
winter in order to prevent its members
from attending the sessions in their shirt
sleeves and bare feet.


little California girl wanted the doctor
to vaccinate her pet white dog, because she
dill not want its complexion spoiled by the
mall pox.


1t is easy finding reasons why other folks
should be patient.