smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

A gentleman of middle age, who had
always been a farmer, had cleared up
and improved one of the best farms in
buildings, reared family, and was en-
joyingsthe blessings with which he was
surrounded, became possessed with the
idea of selling his farm.


Friends told him he could live SO
much easier to go into the village, where
he could have nice house, garden,
keep COW, and, if he chose, horse,
and live like gentleman on the interest
of his money, that he advertised his
farm for sale. He found no want of
purchasers, and the farm was soon dis
posed of for handsome sum. Then
the stock, farming tools, etc., were sold,
and the place that he had wrought with
his own hands, the buildings he had
built for his own convenience, and, &C.
cording to his own notions, the spot
where he had raised his family, and
around which clustered so many associa-
tions, passed into the hands of stran-
gers. For time the gentleman did not
locate, as he desired to look round, find
place to suit him, and see where ne
could he happy for the remainder of his
days. at last he found a place that
suited him, purchased it, and settled
down to life again. But things did not
go right. He missed his old farm and
house, the silent but delightful company
of his cattle, sheep, and other domestic
animals, the scenes where he had pass
cd SO many happy years, and the society
of his old neighbors, tried and true.
He grew discontented, and was well
nigh sick. His wife and daughters,
also, were not pleased with their new
home; it was half mile from town,
with little land, and was what many
would have called a desirable place.
Having remained long enough in his
new place-he could not be said to have
lived OF ALTO become satisfied he
should never be conte ated, he resolved
to have the old farm back again. He
went to the man who owned it, paid him
five hundred dollars more than what he
got, took possession again of his ia.
miliar fields and groves, and, having
learned a wholesome lesson from his
transaction, is now at work again upon
his old farm, happier, wiser and bet
ter contented, if not richer man.


It's moral to farmers and others is,
that when they get discontented and sell
out, they should be sure they are able tc
buy back their old homes and business
when they find they have not bettere6
themselves by the change.
Year: 1876

The Pail Mall Gazette reads modern
wives lecture on the duty of finding
sureties for their husbands. A woman
who was an inmate of the workhouse of
st. George's-i1-the- East applied for per-
mission to leave that establishment fora
day or two. Her husband, who was in
receipt of pension of G33 per annum,
had been sentenced to four months i'm
prisonment, and to find sureties for a
further period of two months for saw
age assault upon herself. During his
Imprisonment she and her child had be-
come chargeable to the parish, and the
guardians had attached the pension, SO
as to pay for the maintenance of the
wife and child during their stay in the
workhouse. The term of the erring
husbands imprisonment having nearly
expired, he had written amost affection
ate letter begging his wife to find the
necessary sureties for him. Her appli-
cation was granted by the guardians. and
the woman was given permission to start
on her singular errand of endeavoring
to persuade some confiding person OF
persons to guarantee that for two whole
months her husband would refrain from
any further attempt to fracture her skull
or smash her ribs.
Year: 1876

A Detroit boy, after finishing the last
chapter of book called "The Pleas
ures of the Deep" pleaded with his
father to let him ship aboard lake
schooner. The old man smiled a grim
smile, took the case under considera.
tion, and in few days the boy was on
the rolling deep, having shipped as a
greenhorn on vessel in the lumber
trade. He sailed to Saginaw, came
down and crossed to Toledo, and next
day he appeared in Detroit, lame and
stiff, his throat sore, one eye nearly shut
and feeling of humbleness running all
through him.


"What back again 2" cried the old
man, as the boy entered the house.


"Yes, father, I want to saw all the
wood for winter, bring in all the coal,
clean out the cellar and paint the barn
and you needn't give me but two mealsa
day."


"Don't you like sailipg9"


Father, you don't begin to realize
anything about it. The captain sailed
right along on Sunday, the same as any
other day, and I believe he swore even
harder. He wouldn't give me an um-
brella when it rained, he made me sit
up most all night, and two or three times
he called me up at midnight and made
me haul on ropes and drag old sails
around. There wasn't single night
when all of us got off to bed at nine
o'clock, and there wasn't day that he
didn't boss us around and break in on
us every time we got to reading any
thing good like land, father, and
wish you owned farm ~
Year: 1876

Sandy Melville endeavored to swindle
an old man in Omaha by selling him
spurious gold coins in exchange for
greenbacks. After his arrest he at
tempted to escape from the officers and
was dangerously wounded. A lovely
maid haunted the corridors of the Jail
until the sheriff took pity on her and
permitted her to enter the prisoners g
cell and dress his wounds. She nursed
him and gave him brandy and water and
piloted him out of the valley of the
shadow. When she had restored him
to health the courts took him in hand
and sentenced him to five years i'm
prisonment in the Iowa penitentiary


Affecting spectacle justice of the peace
called in; marriage ceremony in the jail
witnessed by all the prisoners /; bride
groom carried off to chew tobacco in the
penitentiary bride returns to her hum
BILE home to take in washing and to wait;
beautiful essay in local paper on
woman's devotion, with appropriate
references to Diana and Mother Eve.
Year: 1876

The Sacramento (Cal. Union has the
following incident: A traveller by one
of the railroad trains brought to the
city porcupine of large size, Gagged in
a roomy box, with pieces of board
placed across the top at intervals of
about an inch and half, in order that
the animal might have as much air as
possible. His owner sat the box down
near the ticket office while attending
some other matter, and it attracted little
attention. By-and.bye young man,
who had got tired of standing up, seeing
what appeared to be an empty fruit box
handy, deposited himself upon it with a
sigh of relief. A bystander who under
stood the situation, stepped up quiet
ly and with his cane begun punching
the porcupine. Tt was but few sec
onds before the animal became "fret-
full, as it were, and he got his "back
up" The reader may at some time
have admired the alacrity with which an
individual has arisen from chair out of
Difference to bent pin which had some
how got there before him, but on this
occasion the man shot up rs though he
had sat down upon full paper of bent
pins, all hot at that.
Year: 1876

There was an artifcer in Rome who
made vessels of glass of so tenacious a
temper that they were as little liable to
be broken as those that are made of gold
and silver. When, therefore, he had
made vial of the purer sort, and such
as he thought present worthy OF Caesar
alone, he was admitted into the presence
of the then Emperor Tberius. The gift
was praised, the skillful hand of the ar
tist applauded, and the donation of the
giver accepted. The artist, that he might
enhance the wonder of the spectators and
promote himself yet further in the favor
of the emperor, desired the vial out of
C@sar's hand and threw it with such
force against the floor that the most
solid metal would have received some
damage or bruise thereby. Caesar was
mot only amazed, but affrighted with the
act; but the artist, taking up vial from
the ground (Which was not broken, but
only bruised together, as if the substance
of the glass had put on the temper of
brass), drew out an instrument from his
bosom and beat it out to it's former fig.
ure. This done, he imagined that he
had conquered the world, as believing
that he had merited an acquaintance
with Caesar, and raised the admiration
of all the beholders, but it fell cut other
wise, for the emperor inquired if any
other person besides himself was privy to
the like tempering of glass. When he
told him "No" he commanded his at
tendants to strike off his head, saying


"That should this artifce come once to
be known, gold and silver would be as
of little value as the dirt in the street. u
Long after this, in 1910, we read that,
among other rare presents then sent
from the Sophy of Persia to the king Of
Spain, were six mirrors of malleable
glass, SO exquisitely tempered that they
could not be broken.
Year: 1876

Night Song.


Over the hill


All is still,
You can scarcely hear bresth,
Mid the tree tops, calm as death,
The little bird is silent in his nest


Only wait;


Soon or late
You, too, my soul, shall one day find your rest.
Year: 1876

President Grants Alleged Losses.


Grant needs rest. He looks careworn
and not quite well. I understand that he
is heartily glad his term is so nearly over,
and that he says this year has been severer
or him than all the other seven. His friends
declare that he never had the least desire
for a third term, and that nothing would
have persuaded him to accept it. Above
everything ho wants rest he is tired to
death of Washington, and expresses an
ardent hope that he may never enter the
city again after his successor has been in
augurated Being President, he thinks,
shakes confidence in human nature. and
nearly paralyzes faith in the possibility of
friendship.


A man who claims to know tells me that
the stories of Grants pecuniary losses are
not without foundation that the President
was partner in large real estate specula-
tions with Murphy in II, 70 and 73, and
that when the September panic came, being
unable to realize or borrow money on their
property, they had to sell it at less than
half they had given. My informant says
that Grant has been worth nigh $4G0 600,
and that now, if his affairs were settled, he
would not have over 100000. Some of
Grants friends. on the other hand, deny
that he has had any serious losses.-Long
Branch Letter,
Year: 1876

Definite arrangements will at once be
made for the meeting at the Opera House
on the evening of the 9th inst, to be ad-
dressed by General Stewart L. Woodford,
ex-Leutenant Governor of New York,
General Woodford has made the appoint
ment positive, life and health permitting,
and has authorized the announcement that
he will reply to the speech delivered last
week by Senator Bayard before the New
Jersey Democratic Convention at Trenton.
at the Convention of the Republicans in
that State, held at New Brunswick, some
fortnight ago, General Woodford was the
orator of the occasion, and made splendid
address his review, here, Of Mr.. Bayard's
theories will undoubtedly be feature, not
merely of the State canvass, but in the
national campaign, for we may speak almost
without reservation in praise of his ability
in argument and his eloquence and skill 90
an orator
Year: 1876

THE FARMING 1NTEREsT.-1t has 5een
stated on good authority, aud can easily be
made to appear from the census returns of
1870, that there are in the United States, IN
round Dumbsrs, twelve million five hun
dred thousand bread-earners. By the fruits
|of the labor of these millions nations are
subsisted. They supply food, shelter and
raiment to the forty millions of people who
make up our own population. Thus it is
Iseen that every bread Garner has to fill, on
an average, a little more than three
mouths. Of the whole number of these
bread earners, there are not less than elk
millions Tor about one halO engaged in ag-
ricultural pursuits, and nearly two miilions
in other rural trades and callings, making
with their food dependents total of not
less than twenty four millions of copsum-
ere.


The man ufacturers, including all classes
Of operatives, earn bread for about two
million people. The commercial classes, in
cluding all that properly belong to them,
support two and a half millions: the rail
road and express companies about half 8
million, and the miners nearly half mil
lion more. Yet while agriculture and me-
chanics taken together feed ten times as
many as commerce, twenty times as many
as manufacturers, and fifty times as many
as railroad companies, yet the least of these
by combination and management, exert fal
more Influence in the country and incom
parsbly more power with the governmen
than the tillers of the soil, and this for the
simple reason that the latter do not exer
the power which they might in the protec
ton of their own interest.-Er.
Year: 1876

At nine minutes to 8, on Sunday afternoon,
September Oath, fifty Thousand or more pounds
of explosives, packed in q mine beneath the
rocks of He'll Gate, New York harbor, will be


fred. The tide will at that moment be at it's
highest, and it is thought the river will be less
crowded by vessels on their way out or into


the Sound than at any other time. There will


be 3 perceptible shaking of the windows Of


the houses in Astoria at the time of the He'll


Gate explosion. After the finishing of the
priming on Saturday morning, the shaft and
galleries will be flooded quietly by means of a
syphon, so as to avoid the danger of the pre-
mature explosion, which might be the result OF
o sudden entrance of the mass of water over
head. This operation of flooding will finish
the difficult and long continued preparation


for blast.
Year: 1876

Poor Carl Schurz! the man without a
party. The oddity of his recent speeches
has been pslpable to every body but himself;
and we fancy that even he must haYe felt
how ridiculous it was for him to denounce
the shameless leaders and corrupt conduct
of the Republican party while advocating
the election of that party's candidates and
the perpetuation of its power. Neverthe-
less he has kept up his speechifyiDg, though
sometimes his hearers must have found it
hard to tell when he was ironical an d when
serious. But though Schurz is willing to
give his peculiar support to the party man
aged by Zach Chandler, Zach Chandler is
not willing that the party shall receive the
peculiar support of SchurZ. Zach's wrath
has been reused against Carl, and Zach has
given orders that Carl must be muzzled.
Carl is needed in Indiana by Hayes, but
Zach has compelled him to Shut up and
break his engagement there. In this RUM
pus, Zseh has the logic as well as tie
power on his side, and Carl hns the power
Hs WeIl the logic agAinst him.
Year: 1876

l


From the Kansas City Times.


There is in Leavenworth a tall,


blonde youth, Henry Arnold
Green, who by the use Of his pis'


tol and his wild, drunken sprees,
made himself famous in this city
about a year ago. He is part
lowner of the Leavenworth Ap-
peal. lie receives regularly q
large income from his English es-
tate, which he devotes to the graf
ifcation of his whims. On Mon.
day last Green felt more than u
sually funny, He had seen a fu-
neral procession, and it pleased
him to have a little funeral all
to himself. Having first secured
the services of a hackman, he di-
rected him to drive to an under.
taking establishment, and there he
ordered hearse and horses, and
empty coffin.


The coffin was put into the We,
hicle, but before the doors were
closed the EngliShman said that it
was his pleasure to 'get in there
himself" After instructlng the
hackman to follow a certain line
OF procession at a given distance
from the hearse he crawled In, and
lying down beside the coffin, light
ed cigar. The procession then
moved off TO Cherokee street, at a
funeral pa.e, the hearse in front
and the hack following, AS they
went down Cherokee street toward
the river, the knight Of the black
p!umes produced two bottles Of
whisky which he placed along
side of the coffin, and proceeded
to wind up a two days spree. =
Presently they came in contact
with large crowd, who were on
their way to attend festival, and
who made comments on the
strange funeral procession. The
English corpse, becoming anxious
to know by what authority he
was delayed on the highway, call
ed loudly for the driver to stop,
and while so doing turned over in
his narrow apartment, and, with a
loud crash, forced a portion Of his
body through one of the large O.
val panes of glass on the side of
the hearse. The crowd couldn't
stand a corpse breaking out of its
coffin, jumping through the side
of the heaIse and calling loudly
for the driver to stop further pro-
ceedings. They fled in all direc-
tions. After once more getting ill.,
side, the author of the adventure
was driven to Shawnee street, and
then be returned the hearse aud
coffin to their owner.
Year: 1876

A lin London accident
ally gave her husband a dose Of
Prussic acid, and the mistake
being Immediately discovered,
all that medical skill could do
to save him was done, but in
vain. On his death, a pOst-mOr-
tenn examination was made,
when it was discovered that the
Prussicacid had become perfect
ly harmless by age, and that the
man had died of heart disease,
accelerated by his fright at
having taken what he supposed
TO be a fatal draught.
Year: 1876

The President has issued a Proc
lamation calling attention to the
joint resolution adopted i'll March
last by the Z. S. Senate and the
House Of Representatives, recon-
mending "to the people Of the sew
eral States that they assemble i'll
their several counties or towns on
the approaching centennial ami
versary Of our national indepen-
dence, and that they cause to have
delivered on such day u historical
sketch pt such county Or town
from its foundation, and that a
copy of said sketch be FLED In
print or manuscript in the clerk S
office of said county, and an addl-
tional copy in print or manuscript
be filed in the Office Of the Libra
rian of Congress, to the intent
that a complete record may thus
be obtained of the progress Of our
institutions during the first cen
tennial Of their existence"
Year: 1876

The Norwich (Conn Bulletin
tells of a horse that baked on
Market street, in that city, aud
resisted all efforts to move him
until life insurance agent came
along and began to talk to him,
when he started and went off with
the enthusiasm of a man on his
way to the funeral Of a rich aunk
Year: 1876

you my connection with this mys


terry: On the night the Cubar
came to my fathers house I mark
led his features we'll. Four year.
afterward, when performingin the
ring, | saw the Cuban on the left
hand side as the crowd came in,
seated near the top of the row. -
He wore the same weary, detected
appearance, was dressed in the
same manner as when | first saw
him. For nearly twenty years I
have seen that Cuban two and
three times a season, always in
the same place in the circus, al-
ways dressed the same, and al
ways wearing the same sad and
detected air. l have never en-.
quired after him in the towns
where we have met, but / tell you
that, light hearted as / am, when.
ever | enter the ring and that Gu
ban is there, | feel it in the very
marrow Of my bones. 1t depress
es me; it unnerves me, and l
know that my best jokes fall stale,
flat, and Improbable. l used to
dread seeing him, and to avoid
doing SO always entered to the left
of the ring, and persistently kept
my eyes from where l knew be
must be, if present. 1t made no
difference, however. The coal
black eyes of my inseparable al
ways fascinated me whether | look
ed at them Or no. lie was here
to day. which accounts for my dew
ilish low spirits. l shall see him
to night, as is usual, l know, and
as usual l shall be the laughing
stock Of the dressing room instead
of being the pet OF the boys and
girls of the audience. wish that
old Cuban would find the assassin
of his wife, or else look some
where else for him than in Il cir
Gus. Let's go and get a Soother,
for I'm awfulIy cut up y
Year: 1876

Not to the folly blinded,


Not to the stepped in shame +;
Not to the carnal minded,


Not to unholy fame
Not IN neglect of duty,


Not in the monarch's crown,
Notat the smile Of beauty


Cometh blessing down.
But to the one whose spirit
Tearns for the greatest good (;
Unto the one whose storehouse
Yielded the hungry food
Unto the one who labors,


Fearless of foe or froWn;
Unto the kindly heai ted,


Cometh the blessing down.
Year: 1876

Severe illness is great teacher. 1t
comes unbidden and unwelcome. Its
stay is often prolonged, as if it were not
an unsolicited visitor. At first we feel
impatient, and submit with very bad
grace to the enforced confinement we
think that business cannot be neglected ;
that people must be seen that not one
of the numerous things can go on well
without US. But this original impress
sion soon wears away. We perceive that
the great machinery of the world moves
steadily on without our help, and even
without so much as noting our absence.
Our anxiety about many matters stead
lily diminish, until after awhile we won
der at the intensity of the interest, which
we once felt in subjects which we have
come to regard as of very little impor-
tance. We grow philosophical. The
days seem longer, because we have at
tanned calm, patient, reflective mood ;
but they also have become pleasanter.
Pain, if we suffer it, we have become ac-
customed to f; and maybe we feel new
veneration for science on account of the
relief which medical knowledge has af-
forded us, If the morning lowers, we
confne our thoughts within doors where
all is cheerful. Its the sunshine which,
on bright afternoon, streams into the
windows of the still sick-chamber, that
awakens the greatest flood of reflections


We 90 back to our childhood and school
DAYS. We think of those whom, per-
chance, we have not thought of for
years before. But how fresh and dis
tinct is our remembrance of them now
When we proceed to reflect what has be-
come of them, and where they are now,
our thoughts wander over many lands,
but they rest mostly upon the church
yards. 1t is to those that, one after
another-it seems, as we summon them
in memory, as if it were nearly all-of
our youthful companions are gone. And
yet it seems but yesterday that we were
playmates together. We become sensi-
bic that, in reality, human life is indeed
but mere span.
Year: 1876

The chief engineer of the Wilmington fire department came over to our town the other day, says Max Adeler, upon 8 visit to the chief of our department, whose name is Jacobs; and it struck Jacobs that it would be frst-rate idea to show the visitor how very efficient our fire department is. So Jacobs got an old tar barrel and set it upon the roof of his stable, and touched it off with match. When it began to burn pretty freely he gave the signal for the alarm, remarking at the same time to the Wilmington man:

 "Youn see that fire put out iu about four seconds by the boys"

 They waited four seconds for the boys, but they didn't come. They waited fifteen minutes, and still nobody came. Jacobs was furious, and as the barrel was burning very near to the roof, he sent boy around to the nearest engine house to ascertain what was the matter. When the boy came back he said the fremen were all out at 8 picnic except ing the members of the Washy Hose, who had gone over to Pancader to fight 8 couple of roosters.

 By this time the roof of the barn was on fire, and Jacobs was pretty near crazy. The visitor wanted to telegraph over to Wilmington for his department, but Jacobs alleged that he'd let the eternal earth burn to charcoal before he'd consent to such thing. Then he sent man on a fast horse to bring the boys in from that picnic, and by the time they reached the engine house the stable was in ashes, and Peter's stable, next door, had begun to burn. So when the engines arrived, Jacobs directed them to play upon that, and then they got to work; but after pumping for awhile without getting any water, Jacobs was just about losing his senses, when MT. McAllister came up and mentioned that the supervisors had let all the water out of the reservoir so as to clean it. Then Jacobs sat down to fan himself, and to try to decide whether to commit suicide or to leave the country. And the Wilmington man went home with the idea that he hadn't much to learn from Jacobs about extinguishing fires.