smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

The usurpation at Washington -has
gone far enough. 1t is time that the
people should rise in their might and
condemn it everywhere, in town meeting
and by legislative resolves. What was
done in New Orleans on Monday may be
repeated next year in any Of the States
With q tyrant like Grant at Washington
and another like Phil Sheridan in power
ready to do his bidding, no State is safe
Usurpation must be put down, or thI
people will be trodden under foot here
as they have been in the South. Illinois
has already taken action and we hops
her example will be followed by othel
States.
Year: 1875

IELL-TALE LIPs.-I have observed
that lips become more or less contracted
In the course of years, in proportion as
they are accustomed TO express good hu-
NOR and generosity, or ill-temper and IA
narrow mind. Remark the effect which
moment of ill-temper and grudginess
has upon the lips and judge what may be
the result of habitual series of such
movements. Remark the reverse, and
make similar judgment. The mouth is
the frankest part Of the face; it can't
conceal in the least its sensations. We
cannot hide ill-temper with it nor good.
We may affect what we please, but affect
alton will not help us. In wrong cause
it will only make our observers resent the
endeavor to impose on them. The mouth
is the seat of one class of emotion, as the
eyes are of another or rather it express
es the same emotions, but in greater de-
tail and with more irrepressibe tenden-
cy to be in motion. 1t is the region OF
smiles and of trembling tenderness of
sharp sorrow, or of breathing joy /;
Of candor, of reserve, of anxious care, or
liberal sympathy. The mouth, out of its
many sensibilites, may be tancied send
ing up one great expression into the eye
-=as many lights in city reflect broad
lustre into the heavens. .-Let9h Hunt.
Year: 1875

Cold FEER-A great deal of the ill
health of women is now attributed to the
kind of shoes generally worn. DR.. Smith,
in his Treatise on Health, says


There is neither health nor comfort in
cold feet, as too many women know only
too we'll. They are the fertile parents of
no end of discomfort and il-health. The
avoidance, then, of colo feet is one OF the
most direct steps to the Improvement of
the health. For such end to be attained +,
the shoes must be fairly substantial and
not of too soft and porous leather.
Women's boots and shoes are largely
made Of leather tanned with terra japon-
lea, which is far inferior to leather tanned
with bark, especially as regards the
forms the soles OF all cheap boots, to
which class women's boots so exclusively
belong. When, then, such boots are
placed on wet fagstone, or on damp
roads, the leather becomes moist and
then the feet become cold at once. Leather
when dry is very bad conductor Of heat,
and so a stocking and a leather shoe are
sufficient protection for the feet in climates
SO cold that furs are requisite for the
clothing: when wet, however, heat is
quickly conducted off, and so the damp
leads directly to cold feet. Any one who
has lived much in the saddle knows the
difference felt by the wet foot and the
dry foot in reference to the iron stirrup in
cold weather; when the boot is dry the
stirrup is not felt, that is, as regards the
sensation of heat and cold, but let the
foot be put where the boot becomes moist,
and then the stirrup is felt quickly and
distinctly enough. For delicate women
who are very susceptible to cold feet, the
boots should be stout and large enough to
admit Of a cork sole. More particularly
is such precaution necessary where there
is a clay soil this remains damp for days
after rain has ceased, and strikes cold to
the feet when looking temptingy dry,
consequently stout boots are absolutely
necessary on such soils.
Year: 1875

THE GooD OLD TIMEs.-Somebody,
writing of the habits of people Of olden
times, says that washing now bug
bear in every household, does not seem to
have been much of an institution in the
days of our great grandmothers. Indeed
we are forced to the conclusion, mortify-
ing as it is, that they were not cleanly in
their personal habits. Linens and cottons
that can be washed were not popular in
England two centuries and half ago.
Velvets, taffetas and rich silks were in the
middle ages often worn by the wealthy,
without any undertaking. The posses
sion of linen shirt, even with the highest
mobiles, was a matter of note and but few
wardrobes contained them. Under the
Tudors night-gowns were worn, though
they had not been before, but they were
formed mostly of silk or velvet, so that
no washing was required
Year: 1875

Hence the only live business man in
the store, when the old lady from the
country got out of the wagon and came
in, was the errand boy, Johnny. He was
sharp boy, who knew everything.
Therefore he was glad for the opportunity
Of showing his employer what good
clerk he was. The old lady wanted pant
buttons. As he didn't know where to
find them he told her they were out, but
he expected cart load from New York
every day, and asked her to wait day
or SO till they arrived.


"Now, my dear madam, )" said Johnny,
smiling and rubbing his hands as he had
seen the clerks do, "let me sell you
new dress pattern the one you have got
on looks like it wasn't built for you in the
iirst place"


The old lady thought the dress was
fright peart."


Well, yes" said Johnny, " it is sorter
peart, but it would look heap pearter if
you was to eset it off with one of our
diamond-cluster breastpins for thirty five
cents.


The breastpin was purchased.


Now" said Johnny, "do you comb
your hair ever ?" The old lady began to
look mad.


81 don't mean nothing" continued
tie young villain some very respecta
BILE people do comb their hair. We have
people in this town who have got so in
the habit of it that they take their hair off
and fasten it to chair and comb it like
blazes every night


And Johnny sold her a jute switch,
and big comb that would have taken
the cockle-burs out of a mules tail.


Then Johnny inquired if any of the
family were sickly, and hearing that the
old man was complaining, persuaded her
to buy some Grape and white gloves to
have ready in case of emergency.


When the proprietor returned from
dinner he found pyramid of young
watermelons on the counter, and peck
of the littlest peaches he ever saw on the
showcase. This was the kind of cash
Johnny had received for $40 worth o
goods. Johnny was in the back yard
dissectng the healthiesL- looking water
melon of the lot. The scene was painful
to listen to from the other side of the
street. If Johnny's wages were raised
as high us he was, he would be in receipt
of about 1000 an hour. For fifteen
minutes an uplifted boot with a boy hov-
ering on the toe of it, in sitting position
was the most attractive feature Of the
land scape in the back yard.


Johnny says that while there is no
sense in all the smart boys being lawyers
and members of Congress, he, too, will
follow the example of the rest, and quit
merchandising as means Of accumu-
lating wealth, if he has got to eat his
breakfast off the mantlepiece for week
after every ten-strike Of bargain that
he makes.-Sdn antonio (Iecas) Herald.
Year: 1875

How A DEAD Hoo KILLED A MAN.
The Pensacola, Florida, Gazeue says
A negro man in the adjoining county of
Baldwin killed large hog in the woods.
He opened the animal, removed the
entrails, and devised method of carry
ing the pork, which was altogether sut
0ene1ls. This manner Of transportation
was effected by tying the hind legs
together, passing his head between them,
and, the heavy carcass being in front,
easing the weight on his neck by lifting
on the fore legs with his hands. 1t IS
presumed that he got along remarkably
well until a rail fence got in his way, and
in order to climb this he needed his hands.
Accordingly he relieved them by lifting
the hog over the top rail and letting 1t
drop on the other side. 1t is supposed
that he intended to follow the hog, but
he didn't. A few days since congrega-
ton of buzzard5 attracted attention to
locality where negro man was iouhd
hanging on one side of "A rail fence and
hog on the other, the weight OF the animal
evidently having pressed his neck down
mon The rail until he was ehoked to
death.
Year: 1875

A NICE-LooKISG girl who graduated
at Vassar College, and now keep house
for an industrious young man, said the
other day that she'd rather have a good
recipe for making sweet pickles than to
be able to read yard of Latin. Out Of
thirty five young ladies who studied all
the branches taught in that popular sum
mer resort, twenty Of them married
poor men, and, of course, good recipe
for pickles or hlckleberry jam lays way
over Greek and mathematics to keep
house with,
Year: 1875

WE have received long and beautiful
poem entitled Autumn. We observe in
il that tomato is made to rhyme with po-
tato, though this OF course does not inter
fere with the intrinsic value of the poem
at three cents pound Nor. Bulletin.
Comm
Year: 1875

A NOVEL RACE.-Plainsmen will be sur
prised TO hear that there is something In
the world that can run faster than jack
rabbit. As passenger train on the Union
Pacific, heading east, was rattling along
over the laramie Plains the other night,
the engineer, Al. Johnson, looking from
the cab down along the cleaning rails, es-
pied huge Jack rabbit bounding over the
ties about thirty feet ahead OF the cowcatch-
er. The engineer put on more steam aud
the ponderous locomotive shot ahead like
an arrow, but the rabbit prieked up his
ears aud struck out at the rate OF twenty
feet a Jump. Johnson's pride was touched.
His locomotive is one of the biggest and
swiltest on the line, and he was afraid that
if he lei that jack hare outrun him the boys
would find it out, and he would be forever
disgraced. So he turned on more steam,
the engine made bound under cloud OF
smoke which beiched from the smoke
stack, and The telegraph poles danced past
wildly, but jack let ont another section
his legs, aud kept right along down the lev
ell grade, Just out Of reach OF the eOwcatch-
err. For fve miles and quarter the loco
motive and rabbit kept up this speed when
the latter began TO weaken. johnson,
relgnlng in his iron horse, went out on the
pilot and, leaning forward, reached out
and picked up therabbit, asthe engine jolt
ed along slowly.
Year: 1875

The dearest friends are lost to each other
when letters cease to bridge the chasm OF their
separation; and few among Us can afford to
lose our good friends through wanton careless


ness and neglect, since they are not easily re-
Year: 1875

Some time ago goodly number of us
tax-paying women put our heads togeth-
er and firmly resolved that, let people
say what they would, We should attend
the next school meeting. We would
become power in the land, and set a
good example to the world by letting
our light shine, SO that all might see
that We had an influence which was not
silent, aud that we were not afraid 10 use
it either


The long expected day at last arriv-
ed, but about the middle of the after
noon an appalling thought struck me
what if the rest should forget, and be
the only woman present! That would
never do ? So l Immediately made a
walking notice myself, and went about
from house to house proclaiming the
joyful tidings that the time had come,
to be sure to Ee there. ., .-,- Ys.f


Now we are very brave lot of wom-
en-, not easily frightened. We know it
is both right and proper for US to vote.
and are determined to have our rights
in spite of all opposition ard ridicule.
But the men, who are always trying to
oppose us; had appointed the meeting at
the wrong time. Some of the women
..were tired to death" and could not
possibly get there; some were not at
home, and others had neural gia or tooth
ache BY night succeeded in getting
together an army of four, including my
self, and boldly we started forth, deter
mined to conquer or die.


When about half way there, voice
family said, There are not enough OF
us to amount to anything"


Il am afraid / shall have to 60 home
alone" said another feeble voice; and Il
don't want to 60" trembled forth anoth-
er. .,.,.. ..... ...t '


Just as l opened my mouth to COM
bat with these, objections my eyes fell
upon three figures going in three differ
ent directions, and, 10! stood alone on
the sidewalk, with mouth, and eyes both
open, meditating on the uncertainties
and disappointments of life.


Instantly L resolved that II must re-
treat, at least | would do so honorably,
and raising my. VOICE courageously,
said, 'Iadies / want you TO understand
that it was not me that backed out.


There was no reply; they were trav-
cling very fast and probably didn't
hear.


gave one longing look toward the
schoolhouse where the men were vot-
ing for an officer whom J did not want
elected, hung my head and went home.
RHoDA MUNGER.
Year: 1875

A BOY CHARMED By A SNAKE.-A
Gosene correspondent writing from
Whsor township, gives the following
remarkable story of a black snake
charming a small boy. The writer
says: For the past few weeks a sou of
Allen Rodgers aged eleven years, a
wood cutter on the Blue Mountains
about three miles from Hamburg, has
been in the habit OF leaving his fathers
house every morning about nine o'clock
and not returning until noon. The pa
rents of the boy have questioned him
several times as to where he went, and
the boy would reply, to play with a
neighboring boy named Springer. On
Friday week the father watched his
son, and followed at a short distance,
and when about a halt mile from the
house, the boy entered piece of thick
sprout land, in from the road some two
hundred yards, where he seated himself
upon large rock, and in less than ten
minutes the father was Mortified on see
inc a monster black snake crawl upon
the rock and put It's head OIL the boys
lap. The father states that it was
the largest snake he ever saw on the
hills. He states that it was easily fif-
teen feet long and as thick as his arm,
which is well developed. The boy had
taken bread with him and was feeding
the snake, which at short intervals
would stick a large tongue out as if
Kissing for more to eat. Then it would
coil around the neck and body of the
boy, and play with its mouth and neck
with the boys hands. The father had
often heard of snakes charming chill
dren, and if they were disturbed while
in the act, they would kill the child


AS the father turned TO leave his boy
with bis deadly companion he looked
back, and the snake hearing a noise
at once uncoiled itself and raised its
body at least four feet from the rock
and looked in all directions, then it re-
turned to the boys lap, and the father
returned home, aud awaited the boys
return, which was, as usual. at noon.
When told that lie had been seen play
ing with snake, the boy said the first
morning he met the snake he liked to
play with it, then he took it food,
and lie was so much pleased with his
cutnpanion that something told him he
must meet the snake every morning.
One morning he said he was late, aud
when he reached the place the snake
was standing up, and it came out to
meet him, ;heu it followed him to the
rock. There is something very strange
about snake charming not only chill
dren, but | have read OF adults coming
under their charms. There is certainly
some truth in the fascinating power Of
snakes.


On Saturday morning the father and
two of his neighbors went to the place
with guns, aud at the usual time the
snake made its appearance, when all fir
ed at one time, killing the charlner On
taking it home Mr.. Rodgers found the
above measurement to be nearly cor
rect.-Reading Gazette.
Year: 1875

The LAW on THE RAIL--Some one
who has taken the trouble to post him
self on the laws governing railroad pas
senger travel, says that extra charges
for failure TO buy tickets are universally
sustained by the courts, but there must
be full opportunity to buy offered by
tie ticket seller. Passengers must show
their tickets when asked for. The
courts say passengers cannot stop off
sand resume without the previous assent
of the company" In regard to seats, a
decision says: "A passenger who exhib-
It's his ticket, need not surrender it until
he has been furnished with a seat A
railroad is not liable for things stolen
out of passengers seat, there being
10 previous delivery to compaDy's SER
wants; nor liable for baggage in the pas
senger's own care Passengers who
neglect to look after their own baggage
on arrival at their destination cannot re-
cover it if lost without fault of the car
rier.
Year: 1875

Preserve us from uneeremOniOus peo-
ple-those men and women who never
stand on ceremOny''-whoa are always
perfectly at home in other peoples
houses! Society has many pests, but
few so intolerable as they. Free and
easy" visitors are most thoroughly dis
agreeable. They will infiict themselves
upon you at any time, and expect to be
cordially welcomed because they are SO
free and easy and so 10th to put any body
to trouble. They will come before
breakfast, or just as you are sitting down
TO dinner, and draw up their chairs like
one of the family. Early in the mOrn-
ing they delight to run in," and they
will come right up To your chamber to
save you the trouble of coming down,
and there they will sit and watch you
make your toilet, and comment on how
gray your hair is getting, and wonder
if you are not a great deal stOuter and
redder in the face than you used to be.
They will hunt over your writing desk
for note paper; bathe their faces with
your cologne-water, and scent their
handkerchiefs with the contents Of your
choicest perfumery bottle. They are
always ready for 1uncheOn-'YOu
know I'm too much at home in your
house to go hungry my dear, and
any stray confectionery lying about
melts before them as dew before the
sun. They make no scruple of borrow
ing your latest magazines and novels;
even your wardrobe does not escape
their encroachments; and all this in
science is cloaked by some such empty
remark as this: II never stand on cere-
mony, but make myself at home every
where, so don't put yourself out to en-
tertain mer' Again we pray preserve
us from unceremOnious people,.
Year: 1875

Why should people read? and what


is the real, solid value of printed
matter? There are three good solid
reasons for reading and we can think of
no others. They are-tO be made wiser,
to be made nObler, and to be innOcently
recreated. Books which neither confer
information which is worth having, nor
lift the spiritual part of us up to lOftier
regions, nor, by judicious diversion,
refreshen the mind for further serious
efforts, are bad books, and the reading
of such is invariably idleness, and not
unOften the most dangerous kind of
idleness. Reading is not, as 80 many
people nowadays seem to suppose, good
in itself, as so many things are which
are by no means as highly thought of.
All energy that is not injurious, waste
full, or subtracted from some other effort
incumbent upon him who puts it forth,
is good, as walking, riding, boating end
the rest. But the reading of which we
speak cannot, under the most favorable
construction, be regarded as energy.
On the contrary, it is the very LATEST
form of laziness. People fly to it when
they think they have nothing else to do,
and they fatter themselves that by read
ing they are really doing something /;
and thus, nine times out of ten, they
exonerate themselves from the obliga-
tion of performing some duty which is
distasteful to them.-Ienple Bar.
Year: 1875

The water is very clear at Hommer-
fest, in Lapland; you may see every
thing that goes among fish. A few feet
down you may see the young cod snap
ping at your hook, if you have one; a
little lower down the coal fish, and the
huge plaice and halibut, on the white
sand at the bottom. In other places are
the star fish as large as a plate, and
purple and green shell fish of all sizes.
The plaice is taken in the following
manner: In calm weather the fisher
men takes strong fine rod, to which he
has fastened heavy spear, like a whale
harpoOn. This he holds ready over the
bow of the boat while another person
paddles it forward slowly. When the
fish is at the bottom the boat is stopped,
the harpoon is suddenly dropped upon
il, and thus it is caught. In two hours
the fishermen get boat load. The
halibut is caught with the hook. They
sometimes weigh five hundred pounds,
and if drawn up carelessly will overturn
the boat In many of the mountainous
districts the rivers swarm with trout,
the habit of which is to conceal them
selves beneath boulder rocks i'm the bed
of the stream, yenturing out only at
night to feed. Men, each with heavy
hammer, will enter these waters and
strike one or two blows on the stones,
when the fish rush from their lurking
places partly stunned, and are easily
taken.
Year: 1875

Thinking, not growth, makes perfect
manhood. There are some who, though
they have done growing, are still only


boys. The constitution may be fixed,
while the judgment is mature; the limb
may be strong, while the reasoning is
feeble. Many who can run, and jump,
and bear any fatigue, cannot observe,
cannot examine, cannot reason or judge,
contrive or execute, they do not think.


Accustom yourself, then, to thinking.
Set yourself to understand whatever
you see or read. To run through book
is not difficult task, nor is It very


profitable one. To understand a few


pages only is far better than to read the
whole where mere reading it is all. If
the work does not set you to thinking,
either you or the author must be very
deficient. -4 IL ......
1t is only by thinking that man can


know himself: Yet ali other knowledge
without this is splendid ignorance. Not
a glance merely, but much close exami-
nation will be requisite, for the forming
Of q true opinion of your own powers.
Ignorance and self-cOnoeit always tend
to make you Overrate your personal
ability-ss slight degree Of knowledge
may make timid mind pass upon him.
self TOO humble Judgment, 1t is only
by thinking, and much impartial Obser-
vati0n, that man can discover his real
Year: 1875

simultaneously with the breaking up
of winter and the increased power Of
the sun, comes to mankind a malady
denominated spring fever but for
which the term of constitutional lazi-
ness would be quite as appropriate. The
complaint attacks all alike-it spares
neither the high nor the humble; the
nobleman and the peasant, the million
aire and the beggar all feel its enliven-
ing influence. a general spirit of list
lessness and inertia also pervades the
brute creation, and even our mother
earth seems to participate therein.
Animals begin to loathe their food, and
10 search along the hedge rows for tufts
Of grass, Men and, women, too, get
tired of bread and butter, pancakes be-
come a burden, and even beefsteak
loses its charms. Appetizers are sought,
found and indulged in-yarieties used
depending ON the taste of the user.
Horse radish does for one, lager for an
other, onions and vinegar for a third.
Canned fruit slightly favored with tin
is brought into requisition, but after all
the efforts, made to 'cook up an appe-
tite,' eating like labor becomes irkssme.
But warmer and more settled weather
brings us around all right, for though
burdensome, the complaint is not dan
gerous.