Manchester Democrat. [volume], November 29, 1899, Image 6

About Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
THE WORLD TO-DAY IS BETTER.
(By Ella Wlicelcr Wilcox.)
•h, the earth is full of slnniug
And of trouble and of woe,
But the devil makes au Innlug
Every time you say it's so
And the way to set him scowling.
And to put him back a pace,
Is to stop this stupid growling,
And to look things in the face.
If you glance at history's pages,
In all lands and eras known,
Xou will tind the vanished ages
Far more wicked tilian our own.
As you scau each word and letter,
You will realize it more.
(That the world to-day is better
Than it ever was befoie
There is much that needs amending
In the present time, no douor,
There Is right that utfeds defending.
There is wrong needs crushing out
And we hear the groans and curses
Of the poor who starve and die.
While the men with swollen purses
In the place of hearts, go bv.
But ill spite of all the troul It
That obscures the sun to-day.
Just remember it was double
In the ages pased away.
And these wrongs shall all be righted,
Good shal dominate the land,
For the darkness now is lighted
By the torch in Scieuce's hand.
Forth from little motes in clmos
We have come to what we are,
And no evil force can stay us,
We shall mount from star to star
We shall break away each fetter
That has bound us heretofore.
And the world to-day is better
Than it ever was before.
LITTLE WILLIE.
1
"How I do wish we could have a
ripple of incident In our dally life!"
•aid
Mllllcent More, closing her book
With a sigh.
"Nothing ever happens to us," said
ber cousin Catherine, with a smile, as
•he "bent forward to pick up a dead
leaf, off her pet geranium.
MUUcent and Catherine More were
girls of 22 and 25—"old maids," the
17-year-oIders called them—who taught
•chool and supported themselves com
fortably by their own nnaided efforts.
MUUcent was pretty, with red lips, a
plear, bright complexion and hair
touched with the warm auburn gold
artists copy and poets rave of,
•ad Millicent had not quite given up
hit little dream of love and matrimo
ny, but Catherine never spoke of such
jtjllngs. Catherine was not absolutely
{right, but Catherine was small and
plain, with ordinary gray eyes, hair
like Everybody else's, and not the
Ulghtest pretensions to beauty.
But the two cousins were very hap
py together after their own unpreten
tious fashion, Millicent supplying the
Sentimental and poetical element and
Catherine contentedly devoting her
self out of school hours to the house
keeping.
And upon this particular December
Afternoog, just as the girls were de
ploring the monotony of their daily
life, the. postman tapped at the door
With letter.
"A letter!" cried Millicent.
."For me?" echoed Catherine.'"^
'And tjie cousins' read it, with their
MtB8~twlned about one another and
elr heads very close together.
•'Uncle Georgre is dead in Australia."
gasped Millicent.
'•"Oh, Milly—and he has left «n or
phan boy!" added Catherine, the tears
brimming into hor eyes. "Wo must
adopt him, Milly—we must bring liim
up."
MUUcent drew back a little.
"I don't see why." she said, some
what coldly. "Uncle George never did
anything for us."
"We never asked him to, Milly."
"But he knew we were forced to
support oui-selvos."
"Perhaps, dear, he was even poorer
than we. At all events, he is doml
now—and this child is left alone in
the world. I'll sit down nnd write to
the lawyer this minute."
"StopI" said Millicent. compressing
her Hps. "Do you mean that you real
ly intend tuking a great, rough, lialf
civilized boy Into this house?"
"Certainly I do," saiil Catherine,
-earnestly. "Oh, Milly—a motherless
Child!"
"In that case," said Millicent, "I shall
Hot remain here. If you choose to
•pen a gratis orphan asylum it is no
fMson that my slender income should
bo squandered to feed your fancies!"
"But, Milly, your salary is larger
than mine!"
"And I do not mean to scatter It for
mere chimera. This child has no
tort of claim upon either of us. Let
the Australian authorities provide for
jblm."
And Millicent More could not be per
suaded to take any other view of the
questloB than this. The next day she
told her cousin that she had made ar
rangements to secure a home with
Ulss Keturah Baylcy, who took "a few
Select
boarders," in the next street.
And then Catherine sat down to con
sider ways and means. She had taken
the house for a year—there was no re
ading from the rent question.
"I'll let the lower tory tos Mrs. Hop
per, the milliner," said she to herself.
"I never used to like the idea of living
In half a bouse, but all pride must be
laid aside now. I will take the back
bedroom myself and little Willie shall
have the front room that looks out on
the street. I shall have to do without
my new silk dress and to countermand
my subscription to the 'Illustrated En
cyclopedia,' but I shall not mind that
I'll discharge Hannuh and engage little
Dorcas Brown, ^ylio Is so fond of chil
dren and has such a winning way
with her. And I know we shall get
-along splendidly—though, to be sure, I
•hall have to ask Lawyer Goodale for
copying to do at home In the evenings,
for I must be laying up a little some
thing against Willie's future educa
tion."
For It never occurred to Catherine
(lore that she was doing a brave and
heroic thing in denying herself for the
benefit of one whom she deemed yet
poorer and more helpless than herself
f-nor to Millicent that she was acting
the part of a recreant.
The little room in the front of the
cottage second story was fitted up
prettily for the orphaned Australian
boy—Catherine had sold her cabinet
rgan to buy the furniture—and Dor
las In a clean white apron and rib
ons was bustling around, while Mrs.
opper bad already arranged her
stock of bonnet frames, ribbons and
artificial flowers In the lower win
dows.
vu
It was a lovely .Tune day. with tbe
Se
blue an? %ar as a baby's eyes and
air full \ents from the blossom­
ing
buckwlr ^elds, Catherine More,
fctvJng. notjjfc/ difficulty, obtain
4 tompc" VauhHtltutft in her
school, went to Ktrw York to meet bet
new charge in the steamer Harvest
Lass, which had been telegraphed
from Sandy Hook the day before.
"Little Willie will know me", she
said to herself, "because I sent my
photograph by the last mail. I wauted
my face to seem familiar to him, poor
lone lamb."
She stood ou the pier eagerly scan
ning the countenance of every child
that landed, her face brightening once
or twice as she saw a boy whom slit
thought might be Willie, when all of
a sudden a ltand was laid lightly on
her arm and she found herself look
ing up into a handsome, bronzed face
far above hor.
"Sir!" she cried, starting back
"I beg your pardon," said a frank,
pleasant voice, "I did not mean to
alarm you. Rut is this Miss More?"
She inclined her head.
"I am your cousin William."
And tills time Catheriue started back
In more surprise than ever.
"Sir." she said, "you are mistaken.
William is a little boy."
"Hardly," returned the tall stranger,
"unless you would call me a little boy.
Iear cousin Kitty, no one ever told
you I was a child or poor. It was
your owu Inference. Thank heaven.
I am independent, and wealthy, and as
I have come to man's estate, 1 think it
is rather my duty to take care of you
than to allow you to take care of me."
Catherine looked at her handsome
cousin in mute amazement This
grand upsetting of all her theories
and Ideas was more thau she could
comprehend just at once.
"But. Wil
"But. Catherine. Nay, my dear little
gray-eyed cousin, the lawyers have
told me how willing you were to adopt
and care for the homeless orphan, and
how my cousin Millicent shrank from
the task. And from the bottom of my
heart I thank you for what you are
ready to do."
How Dorcas started wheu she saw
what sort of a fellow "little Willie"
had proved to be. How Mrs. Hopper
giggled behind her bonnet frames
when she thought of the little child's
crib and the picture books upstairs.
"Of course, such an elegant young
gentleman as that will go to the ho
tel," said Mrs. Hopper. But he did not.
He stayed at the cottage, sleeping on
the back parlor sofa until other ac
commodations could be provided for
him. And when Millicent came over
with her prettiest smile and outstretch
ed hand the young Australian received
her with an odd, curt coldness that
made her feel excessively uncomfort
able.
"You see. Cousin Milly," said he,
"you didn't want to be bothered with
me you thought the Australian au
thorities ought to be compelled to pro
vide for me."
And when Mrs. Hopper heard that
little Catherine More was to marry
her rich cousin she wasn't at all sur
prised.
"It's the most natural thing in the
world," said she, "only it's a pity that
Cathie isn't a little prettier."
But Catherine More was satisfied
with her lover's declaration thai
him her plain face was the swn'ii'n
in all the world.
Beachcombers of tbe Azores.
In nineteen cases out q£ .Xwcuty*
beachcomber t)f the 'Xzores is a sailor.
His occupation is considered a legiti
mate one, and every man is in business
for himself, pnd has so much territory
which he can call his own. The lights
of each arc as well defined and protect
ed as in a mining camp. Efforts have
often been made by the authorities to
abolish beachcombing, or to take it
over to themselves but every attempt
has stirred up rebelliou. The man may
have a bent of five miles, or only of
one, according to the trend of the coast.
As a rule he knocks up a shanty of
some sort about midway of his beat.
No capital is required to start in busi
ness. and unless the comber strikes
luck he is hungry and in rags the most
of the time. While the men protect
one another to a certain extent, a
".lumper" is certain to turn up about
so often. Then it is a deadly fight be
tween two desperate meu. The one
who survives takes the beat. The body
of the one who is killed is not found
by the authorities. If a comber makes
a rich find his beat is offered to the
highest bidder, but there are no pa
pers to be passed. The average life of
a comber is only a year. If be doesn't
hit it and retire by that time, he is
pretty sure to be done for by a jumper,
or to meet his death in the surf. As In
tbe cases of brigands, the native pop
ulation stands in with the shore hunt
ers, and whatever of value comes
ashore finds a safe hiding place until
it can be realized on. The average
beachcomber has neither honesty nor
mercy in his heart, and to protect his
salvage will not hesitate to commit
murder.
Looking for It
There is a pateut lawyer* iu town
who has a number of very bright chil
dren, so bright, indeed, that their fun
loving "dad" is invariably forgiven for
telling "what my boy said" to the men
in his office. Here is the latest:
"I've got a tool chest out at my house
that would make a carpeuter sick with
envy. I've been buying tools for it for
twenty years. Of course, I never let
the youngsters touch It.
"The other day my wife went up
stairs and found 'Bookie,' my young
est. two and one-half years old, mon
keying with that chest. He had tho
lid up and his head thrust in under it.
'Bookie,' said my wife, 'what are
you looking for?*
"And the youngster, knowing that he
had been caught, looked up, and with a
twinkle in his eye, said:
--Lookin'for twouble!'"
Filipino Swimmers.
Tne courage shown by tbe Filipinos
in unttie with American as well as
witn Spanish troops long ago proved
their natural bravery. An Intelligent
native observer, Ramon Reyes Lala,
who has received a careful education
both in Europe and America, writes
thus concerning tbe daring of his
countrymen in time of peace:
The natives are all excellent swim
mers and are absolutely fearless in the
water. I have seen groups of boys
diving thirty or forty feet for pennies
dropped into the sea by foreign naval
officers. Many swim miles with the
greatest ease, and it is no uncommon
sight to sec groups of naked men
plunging with drawn daggers amoug
a shoal of sharks, with whom they
fight with a fierceness that always re
sults iu victory.
Butter Making in th« United States.
It is estimated that there are 11,000,
000 cows in the United States devoted
to butter-making, and that their aver
age yield Is Y17) pounds of butter a
year, or a total of 1,370.000,000 pounds,
or about eighteen pounds for each
one of t&e population of country.
a
THANKSGIVIN' IN THE COUNTRY
yer coin' to the country, to spend
Thanksglvln' there,
Jest take along yer appetite, an' sharpen It
with care
Pur ther's goln' to be a turkey and a chicken
pte( I ween,
Pertuters, squash an' ouions, too, the finest
ever seen
An' ther's goln' to be a rnlslu' cake, an'
wluce an' pumpkin pie,
An' a puddlti' full o' plums, et with sugar
Bass, oh, my!
An' ye'll cat enough to bust ye, 'fore ye
know what yer about:
An* ye goln* to get the colic,
Ef ye
don't
watch
An* when the dinner's over, on that Thanks
glvtn' day,
An* tne dlshi*a is nil tidied an* the table
cleared away,
When tbe old folks in the parlor by the fire
are settln' down,
An' tbe popcorn, an1 the apples Is a clrcu
latin' rouu',
Wheu the men Is talkin' politics, tbe women
talkln' clo'es,
An' grun'ma in her spectacles haB dropped
off in doze.
While the young folks in the kitchen Is a
frolickln' about,
Ther's goln' to be some sparkln'
Ef ye
don't
watch
out.
An' when it's gottln' darker, an* the fire Is
tmrnin' low.
An' the shaddei-s in tbe corners keep a-wav
in* to an' fro,
When the wind comes round the corner with
a sad an* mournful soun*.
An' ye see outside the snownakeg, one by
one, a settlln' down,
4Ljaw*t**feF chairs up nearer, as the
"twilight's wearln' on
An' speak of them 'twas with ye in Thanks
glvln's that are gone.
When look upon the empty chairs a
standin' round about,
Then ye'll blubber like the dickens
Wh£s"»MMti
y&V'j' "MS v*^
Ef ye
don't
watch
out.
THANKSGIVING DUEL.
IT
was Thanksgiving Day, and this is
the story as it was told by Miss Pop
per, the fine needle worker, at the
woman*s boarding house on Tenth street:
"You see, my dears," said Miss Pepper,
who was like a sweet faded old rose in
the group of eager young women about
her, "the trouble with Jack Brice was
this: He was heels over head In love with
my cousin, Margery Lee, but he was too
poor to marry.
"He lived with bis uucle, Tom Brice, of
the Mansion House—old Squire Brice, as
all the county called him, though he
wasn't more than 50 and naturally when
they both came courting Margery, her
father favored the squire's suit most. But
Margery favored Jack's, and showed it
openly.
"A man may be as rich as Croesus, but
when he's choleric and up in years—none
too good in the bargain—he needn't expec:
to make much headway with a love sick
girl of 20. Long-legged Jack's good looks
outweighed the squire's gold, hut when
her father found out which way the wiud
was blowing he forbade Margy to see him
again. She said nothing, for she was not
a girl to talk. But every night she wrote
him a long letter, that she would hide in
a hollow tree stump, and that Jack would
eotne and take away.
"Sometimes, too, In the early morning,
hardly daylight, she would jump on her
bay mare, Horuet, and dash two miles
down the river to the ford, where Jack
would be waiting, and would swim his
horse over from the other side, just to
have five minutes* talk with her.
"Ah, but they were in love, I can tell
youl And I never saw a better matched
pair—both so good looking both so full
of lifel
"Whether my uncle ever heard of their
goings on I don't know. But he stopped
talking against Jack and urging the
squire's suit. He only told us, Margy and
me both, for I lived with them, that old
Tom had him In his power and could ruin
him, and now that she wouldn't marry
him he was going to take his revenge.
"Then he fell sick, nnd seemed likely to
die, and my poor cousin waa in a terrible
quandary.
"She loved Jack, but she loved her
father, too. And she felt it was worry
that was killing him.
"One terrible night, when we were al-
MKETINQ AT THE FOHD.
most expecting my uncle to breathe his
last, Margy fell on her knees and promis
ed she'd marry the squire, and he at once
began to get better with astonishing
quickness.
"She wrote Jack one letter, one curt,
cold letter, that she sat two days over
and that he tore in half nnd sent back
to her, and then left the county on top
of it.
"This loft the field of love open to the
squire, and he made the most of it, coming
every afternoon to our place, spruced up
like a young man, in a light black suit,
and with his hair combed over his bald
spot.
"He would send Margy splendid pres
ents, too. And sometimes a love letter, a
fine, proper love letter, calling her a red
rose with the dew on it, a black-eyed gyp
sy, or some such prettiness, all of which
you may be sure, though, only I ever
md.
"IfaftMwhAle the weddln* AH&iiiflBinti
j1 V* &f
ii a
were going on with wicked hurry. My
uncle seemed like one possessed to have
It over with. And Mnrgy, numb with
misery ,and worn to a shadow with long
ing for Jack, said nothing. Perhaps she
was afraid if too long put off she would
lose courage for the sacrifice perhaps
she was all the time hoping and praying
—as women can pray sometimes—for the
very daring thing that did happen.
"That night, I remember, it stormed.
The wind howled, and all along the coun
try road the big oaks swung their arms
and creaked as if ready to fall on our
rumbling old carriage.
"It was Thanksgiving night^a festival
not in favor in the South in those days,
and we were going to the mansion house
to a family dinner. The wedding was
only three days off now, and the squire
had taken a fancy to keep it in honor of
his coming happiness.
"When we rolled up to the open door
way there he was, magnificent—in a rose-
bud satin waistcoat, and with a flower in
his buttonhole, for all the world like a be
decked old turkey cock!
'Welcome to the Mansion House,' he
said, gayly, as I bundled up the stairs
first.
"And then to Mnrgy, though quite loud
enough for me to hear: 'In three short
days
1'—meaning, of course, the marriage
that was to leave her in his home forever.
"She winced as if he had struck her,
her face as white as her muslin frock, and
I verily believe that if he hadn't walked
ber into the dining room on his arm she
would have fallen.
"What sort of
a
dinner did they have?
glass high in the air, and was echoed by
a dreadful laugh.
'To the devil, you mean to the devil,
you old villain,' said a voice. 'He gave
you money enough to buy a wife, so toast
him deep!'
Why, the best in the world, you may be
sure!
"The Mansion House was the finest
place in the county—for that matter in
n»U South Carolina—nnd the squire knew
good living, and the big mahogany table
fairly groaned under cut gloss and silver.
"Uncle and I were at each side, and
Margy was at the foot in the place of
honor where, three times a day, she was
soon to face old Tom, until death should
UP AND AWAY
mercifully take one or the other of them
out of tho world. None of us talked much
none, even my uncle, who was emptying
goblet after goblet of wine to drown .his
thoughts. And when the squire stood up
suddenly with his chumpagne glass to
toast the bride—a frozen bride thnt look
ed .ready for the tomb—I almost welcomed
the interruption that followed.
'To the bride!' repeated the squire,
"And there in the middle of the floor,
landed by a jump through the flung up
window, was Jack, his clothes covered
with mud and satan in his eye.
"True love poisoned by wounded van
ity, you see, my dears, may sleep drug
ged for a while, but the time will come
when It will fight like a tiger for what it
feels its own.
"Aud this had been the case with Jack,
who was now almost maddened with
thinking over the coming wedding.
'You young puppy,' roared the squire,
'didn't I tell you not to come here again?'
'That for your telling,' said Jack, dia
bolically cool and with the whirl of a long
whip in his hand the squire's uplifted wine
glass fell to the floor cut like a fiowei
from the sluink!
"Then followed a terrible sceue. while
we looked on like people in a nightmare.
"The two men seemed suddenly to turn
Into raging demons, but from the very
first I could see Jacl- had the upper hand.
"He hold the squire, -squirming and
cursing like a trooper, down in his chait
as if he had been a child.
"'Margy,' he called out over his head,
'did you write me that letter of your own
account?'
"And getting no answer beyond the de
nial )f her death-white face and piteous
eyes, his rage knew no bounds. 'Your
friend, the devil, gave you money enough
to buy a wife,' he kept saying, shaking the
squire us a cat would a mouse 'but by
heaven it's only over my dead body you'll
get her!'
'Defend yourself, you old rascal,' he
yelled, 'defend yourself, for, kin or not,
we are one too many on earth.'
"There was a pair of swords crossed
on the wall, slender, murderous dueling
swords, &ud, tearing them down, he flung
one to his uncle, and in a moment they
were fighting like mad, parrying, thrust
ing and feinting, with a dexterity sicken
ing to see.
"For the squire, you must understand,
was an experienced swordsman he had
pinked his man Id his time but, fired by
«»4 mvi vti *1 twutm,
Jack was a match for him. One moment
it was he who was doing the parrying.
The
next it was the squire. And presently,
as if in a dream, I could see my uncle and
Prince, the negro butler, standing on
chairs and putting out the candles that
were fastened to the antlers of the deer
heads against the walls, in the hope that
this would stop them.
"But It did nothing of the sort it only
made them all the more determined to kill
each other and directly in the pitch dark,
after a moment's groping—groping that
sent an icy chill to the roots of my hair—
their swords clashed, and we knew that
the duel was not yet over.
"Mnrgy fell faint across my lap and my
uncle began to pray.
"All I could think of was to hope that
Jack would beat, and with my heart in
my mouth I sat staring at the sparks that
flew from their swords and waiting for
the end.
"At last, after an eternity of time, a
time made up of appalling silence and
mad, blind, loomings together—and again
that hideous groping—there was a cry, a
fall, and when the frightened negro made
a light again, there was the squire, pinned
by Jack's sword, through an ear, to the
floor, and there outside the window were
Jack and Margy clinging to each other on
the same horse and ready to dash off into
tbe night
"Well, my dears," said little Miss Pep
per mildly in conclusion of her spirited
recital, "of course, they got married and
lived happy ever after.
"And equally, of course, the squire melt
ed in time aird forgave them, and tore up
the notes he held against my uncle.
"And to tills very day, if any of you
should go to Buck Forest, anybody there
will tell you how Jack Brice won his bride
on Thanksgiving night."—St Louis Re
public.
SOLDIERS' PUDDING.
How the Cook of a Con puny Surprised
Hia Comrades.
"In November, '02," said Judge Lang
bein, who was a drummer boy in the
famous Hawkins Zouaves, "we were in
camp at Falmouth, directly opposite
Fredericksburg, Md., where many of our
command fell a little later. We could
get nothing but the ordinary rations, bat
we liad prepared for that by starting a
company fund several months before for
the purpose of supplying a Thanksgiving
dinner. There must have been somethiug
like $40 in the fund, nnd our cook kept
the disposal of this fund a profound se
cret. It seems ridiculous now, but I
don't believe that any child ever waited
for the coming of Christmas morning
with a keener excitement than we did
for that Thanksgiving dinner. When it
came at last, we found that the great dish
was nothing more nor less than a good
old-fashioned plum pudding, rich and
savory. I'll uever forgot that pudding,
but it was the only thing we had. It
had taken all the company fund to buy
the flour and other ingredients for the
pudding. I tell you, though, it seemed
good to our stomachs, which had endur
ed a steady diet of hardtack and coffee
for weeks. I don't believe that a band
of street ragmuffins ever tackled a feast
with a keener relish than we poor fellows
felt when we devoured that pudding."
Pumpkin Pies.
Of course you'll make pumpkin pies
at Thanksgiving time. It wouldn't be
much of a Thanksgiving without them
—leastways, our folks would think so,
and I find that most people feel the same.
Now, if you want to know how to make
what I call my best "company" pies, I'll
tell you how to do it. They are just
prime ones, that would make your mouth
water to look at them.
Stew just as much pumpkin as you
want to make pies. I generally make' up
six at a time—they do not have time to
grow stale, for they don't last long in
our bouse. Then 1 sift and measure it,
and for a quart of the pumpkin I stir in
a pound of brown sugar, a quart of rich
milk, and six now laid eggs that have
been beaten up till they are all of a froth.
Now I put iu my salt nnd cinnamon,
and ginger—a pinch at a time till I get It
good and well seasoned. That's the se
cret in making them—the seasoning and
the baking. You can't slide them into a
cool oven and have them first class. The
oven has got to be right hot at first, then
after they've been in about six minutes
check your heat and let your oven cool
off a little if you don't the heat will
puff them up, and then they'll fall, and
your pies will come out as flat as pan
cakes.—Exchange.
Tho Farmer's Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Oatcake—What did you thank the
Lord for to-da.v, Silas?
Silas Oatcake—Per th' wheat failure
in Europe.
A Boy on Thanksgiving.
Here is a funny little composition writ
ten by a boy about Thanksgiviug day:
"Thanksgiving was brought over from
England by the Puritan fathers iu the
year 1020. It has staid here ever since.
On Thanksgiviug everybody goes to
church iu tbe morning, so as to have ev
erything out of the way before dinner.
Then you come home and hang around a
little while and get awful hungry smell
ing the turkey. After dinner Thanksgiv
ing is over."
The half of the world thut lives on
the other Is the* half that does most of
mm*mm
SUBJECT OF THANKSGIVINGS,
Extensive and Highly IntereatlngVol
nmc Might lie Compiled on lt»
An extensive and highly interesting vol
ume might be compiled on the subject of
Thnnksgiviug and the events which have
signalize! thorn. For instance, on
Thanksgiving day, 1783, the British army
evacuated New York, while Washington
and Clinton marched into the city at the
head of the continental army and took
formal possession in the name of the
young republic. Festivities and a grand
display of fireworks closed that memora
ble day. Thanksgiving had fallen that
year on Dec. 23, and the combination of
evacuation day and that festival were
long jointly honored in New York.
The Thanksgiving day of 1S1G is mem
ornble as the occasion upon which an
American theater was first illuminated
with gas. This event happened in Phil
adelphia. The. experiment was a com
plete success, and the manager of the
affair was Dr. Ivingler. During the war,
of the battles and skirmishes fought on
Thanksgiving, the most notable was that
of Lookout mountain (1SG3).
A few odd and distinctive methods of
celebrating the great holiday still sur
vive in different parts of the United
States, although the tendency is toward
a uniform manner of rejoicing. In sec
tions of Connecticut, for instance, the
"Thanksgiving barrel burning" is a time
honored institution. For a month before
the day Connecticut boj's diligently col
lect and store iu a place of security all
the barrels, old or new, which they can
find. All barrels are regarded as the
property of whomsoever can carry them
away. On Thanksgiving night the bar
rels are piled in a huge heap and iguited.
Boys and girls then dance around the
bonfire until the very last barrel has gone
up in smoke.
MMget'fl Thanks:.'fvlnjE.
Midget lives all alone with grandma,
and grandma pets him so nnuch that he
thinks she has no right to notice any one
but himself. But at Thanksgiving a
whole flock of children came to grand
ma's house, and grandma kissed them
all, and took Baby Beth on her lap. That
was too much for jealous little Midget
He hung down his pretty silky tail, and
walked Straight out of tbe parlor and up
gurret, and sat down In the darkest cor
ner and sulked. He could smell the big
turkey, roasting in the oven. How he did
want his Thanksgiving dinner! But he
was too sulky to go down stairs until
the children found him moping in tbe
dark. They carried him down stairs and
gave him the turkey drumstick on a china
plate. I think this made him ashamed
of his selfishness, for now they are the
best of friends.—Youth's Companion.
A Thoughtless Remark.
"How often," said Miss Miami Brown,
"hit do happen dat er thoughtless re
mark'll spile de plaisure oh er occasion!"
"Yassendeed," replied Erastus Plnkluy.
"One o' de gues'es at ouah own table
stopped pap right in de middle o' de
kyahvin' tor ax 'im whah he got de tur
key."
In the ontli.
Iu the Ssuth Thanksgiving, as an am
nual festival, remained practically un
known until, in 1855, the curious Vir
ginian controversy on the subject was
precipitated. This controversy, which is
not generally known, deserves a brief
notice. The Governor of Virginia at the
time was one Johns, a patriotic and
broad-iniuded gentleman, who had al
ways entertained a reverence for the
Puritan anniversary which was by no
means common "below Mason and Dix
on's line. Gov. Johns, in a letter to the
State Legislature, urgently recommended
the recognition of Thanksgiving in Vir
ginia, and offered, in case his recom
mendation proved satisfactory, to at once
issue a proclamation.
But the Legislature of Washington's
State did not look upon the New England
holiday with favor. Gov. Johns was ad
vised not to make the Thanksgiving proc
lamation, and, as he did not do so. the
matter was allowed temporarily to drop.
But public interest had been awakened,
and before long a fierce debate was rag
ing in Virginia between the opponents
and supporters of the proposed South
ern Thanksgiving. At last, in 1857, Gov.
Wise—Johns' successor—took the meta
phorical bull by tbe horns and issued a
proclamation setting apart a day for the
feast. His action caused much angry
criticism, and several Southern newspa
pers declared that Thanksgiving was
simply "a relic of Puritauic bigotry." In
spite of this, the innovation was warmly
welcomed. The hospitable Southerners
greeted gladly another holiday, and the
Northern feast soon ranked among them
as second in importance only to the "glo
rious Fourth" itself. In 1858—the year
after Wise's proclamation—no less than
eight Governors of Southern States pro
claimed Thanksgiving In their sections.
The Dinners They Had.
Tomray-4 had to go to bed for three
days after our Thanksgiving dinner.
Jobnny«~Huhl I had to take six kinds
of wedtolAt afftr Y. Tilth.
OOCX)'
mipwaiHW
(X^»CO(000X00XOCWOCK)COC*OC)Cn^
•jjjefte c§
The Chicago and Northwestern Rail
way Company has opened for traffic two
of Its new lines Iu Iowa—the Soldier val
ley connecting road between Mondamin
on the Sioux City and Pacific and the
Bo.ver valley, and tho extension of the
Audubon line to Harlan. The North
western lino from Carroll toward Harlan
has been built for years as far as Audu
bon. At this point construction stopped
on an agreement with the Itock Island
road. Now the Northwestern has extend
edits line to Harlan and the Rock Island
is building from Gowrie into northwest
ern Iowa.
A Sensational Kscapc.
The escape of Yancy, the robber and
would-be murderer, from the sheriff al
most at the doors of tin* penitentiary,
was a sensational affair. Yancy had
been sentenced for five years for com
plicity in the shooting of Conductor
Hicks at Kelly. He was handcuffed to
his partner in the crime aud the sheriff
had brought them to Fort Madison. They
were put in a cab when Yancy suddenly
broke the chain and jumped through the
cab window. The officer could not pur
sue him for fear of losing his other pris
oner and by the time the alarm was giv
en the escaped man could not be found.
A Cane with a History*
The editor of the Washington Press has
received from A. F. Pay of Huron, S. D.,
a rattan cane that has a history. The
stick was carricd by Gov. ICirkwood in
the ICirkwood-Dodge gubernatorial cam
paign. Gov. ICirkwood afterward gave
it to Senator Harlan, who later gave it
to Gov. Gear. By Gov. Gear the stick
was transmitted to Lieut. Summers of
the Fifth Iowa, who passed it on to Mr.
Pay. The latter now gives it to Mr.
Burrcll, to be added to his collection of
curios.
Suspension Bridge Gives Way.
Thirty school children were playing on
an old suspension bridge near Brush Col
lege at Fort Madison, when it gave way,
precipitating' the children to the creek,"
twelve feet below, fatally injuring Bessie
Sawyer, aged 18, and seriously hurting
seven others, while all sustained bad cuts
and bruises.
Tumbled Into a Cellar*
At Columbus Junction, by tho giving
way of a sidewalk 100 people who were
watching a parade in honor of the re
turned Iowa volunteers were precipitated
into a cellar, filling it with a struggling,
screaming and moaning mass of human
ity. No one was fatally Injured, but all
were badly bruised.
Brief State Happening**
The Catholic Church at Buffalo Center
is almost completed.
John J. Daly has been appointed a let
ter carrier at Burlington.
A free dispensary has been opened at
Des Moines for deserving poor.
Clarion has two damage suits against
her an account of defective walks.
Chickcu thieves stole over 300 chickens
from one man near Clarence recently.
During the month of October there
were forty-six deaths iu Des Moines.
The Illinois Central has begun work
on a new $200,000 bridge at Dubuque.
The W. T. U. ladies of Toledo will
place a library in the Tama county jail.
The 3-year-old daughter of Frank Ly
man of Ames fell and broke her shoulder
blade.
Anthfox, or malignant ulcer, (s preva
lent among cattle in parts of Plymouth
County.
Fish Warden Delavan has just plant
ed a carload of black bass in West Oko
bojl lake.
Zttch Middleton had his right arm torn
from his body by a corn shredder near
Thornburg.
A rich coal vein has been struck at a
depth of less than 100 feet at the town
of Savanna.
Dry wood, sawed, is selling on the
streets of Harper for 10 cents per hun
dred pounds.
Jacob Wolff of Council Bluffs had his
right foot crushed recently at the Peavey
elevator there.
The commercial club at Muscatine is
considering a proposition for an opera
house for thnt city.
Rev. J. M. Morris of Buffalo, N. Y.,
has accepted the call of the Christian
Church at Glenwood.
A co-operative creamery company has
been organized in York township, with
capital stock of $3,700.
An Illinois Central passenger train ran
into a herd of fine cattle near Dunlap,
killing thirteen and injuring five.
Andrew Eckels of Dubuque, aged 0
years, was run over by a wagon aud kill
ed while on his way home from school.
Wm. G. Lyon, well-known business
man of Victor, has been adjudged insane
and taken to Mt. Pleasant for treatment.
Mrs. Elza Lorenzen of Muscatine nar
rowly escaped death by asphyxiation by
breathing gas from a coal stove while
asleep.
It is reported that the B., C. R. & N.
is surveying a route for a proposed exten
sion from Germania to Albert Lea and
Minneapolis.
Fire broke out in the sheds and barns
on the fair grounds at Grinnell nnd five
valuable horses were burned. Total loss
about $3,000,
A laborer by the name of James
Barnes, working on the new railroad at
North Buckingham, dropped dead. He
was buried by the county.
The Burlington has granted an in
crease of $10 a month in wages of
switchmen.
W. Phillips lost several large barns and
machinery by fire on his stock farm near
Washington.
Grain men throughout tbe State are
complaining that cars which should be
used for their shipments are Impressed to
haul coal for the railroads.
Weighmaster Kinney was killed at the
West Cleveland coal mines near Charl
ton. He fell down the shaft, striking at
landing No. 2. and died In fifteen min
utes.
Fort Dodge sportsmen report that quail
are scarce in the vicinity of that town.
Monticollo has expended about $4,000
so far this season on street improve
ments.
A negro laborer at Fort Dodge was
run down by a train and it is believed
that he will lose both legs in consequence
of the injuries received.
A. G. Libbje, a telegraph line man
working between Ontario and Jordan,
was thrown to the ground by a pole
breaking, bruising him badly.
A derrick used for hoisting beams at
the collegiate building at Iowa City
broke and in falling struck a workman
named Long, severely injuring him.
C. J. Fosselman, principal owner of
the Waterloo and Cedar Falls street car
line and prominent in various financial
enterprises in Iowa, died at Waterloo,
aged 35 years.
Tbe doctors who examined the body of
R. C. Crawford, exhumed at Middleton
on suspicion of foul play, declare that
death was due to apoplexy. The stom
ach will be submitted to chemical analy
sis.
Mrs. Dr. Iloff of Des Moiues has sued
that city for $1".0(K) damages. Hor Jiorne
ran into a fund hank on a street and
'reniiug, oillitb'd with a passing street
car, 1.' win-, he severe in*
iurlep v.,'
Wilkes S. Lcntz has been commission
ed postmuster at Percy.
The new Christian Church at Zeat
ing is almost completed.
The new opera house at Iowa Falls is
iu the hands of the decorators.
The plans for the new opera house at'
Muscatine contemplate a $30,000 struc
ture.
Newton is complaining of the increase
of cigarette smoking among the young
boys of that place.
The Iowa, Minnesota and Northwest
em Railway will put in a depot, stock
yards, etc., at Irving.
John Dettmer, a farmer residing near
Lowden, was struck by a Northwestern
train and instantly killed.
The Clintou packing house has started
up and expects to kill from 500 to 1,000:
hogs daily during the season.
New Sharon hopes to secure a free
reading room and gymnasium for the
young men and boys of the town.
Appanoose County has a bonded in
debtedness of $50,000 and has paid off
$20,000 within the past two years.
Henry Pentecost of Panora, aged 10,
is missing, and his friends have asked
the police of Des Moines to aid In the
search.
Ehvood Ratcliff, while shredding corn
at Ewart, had the thumb and fingers
torn from his left hand and the hand
fearfully lacerated.
Because J. S. Carter's dog was shot
for trespassing in a cemetery he has filed
a claim with the city authorities at Des
Moines for $200 damages.
Rev. Paul Talbott has resigned the
pastorate of the Episcopal Church at
Anderson and has accepted the rector
ship of the church at Mapleton.
The weighing of mails at the Marshall
town postofUce for the month of Octo
ber showed nn aggregate of 43,322
pounds. This included 203,000 letters.
Fire originating in a gasoline explo
sion destroyed the building at Fort
Dodge occupied by a mllllnvry establish
ment. The loss amounted to about $5,
000.
William Williams, residing near Hud
son, was attacked by three men at Wat
erloo and severely bruised. Valuables
on his person were not .taken, and the
affair is a mystery.
A Council Bluffs man is preparing a
suit to be brought in the Federal Court
which will test the constitutionality of'
the present method of assessing special
taxes upon the "front foot" basis.
Burlington sportsmen, who have
brought test casos in the Federal Court
to try the constitutionality of tbe Illi
nois game laws have been decided
against by a ruling of the court at Chi
cago.
A man named Farmer was run ovev
and killed by a Milwaukee switch engine
in the yards at North McGregor. The
engineer said he first observed the man
lying on the trnek just before the engine
struck him.
A. M. Bryson, a prominent attorney of
Iowa FallB, died suddenly at his home.
In apparent good health, he was sudden
ly stricken at the dinner table and died
a feW hours later, the cause of death
being apoplexy.
The 2-year-old son of Andrew Pearson
was Bcalded to death at Denison by fall-.
ing into a wash boiler half full of boiling
water. The cover waB partly on the boil
er and the title fellow climbed up to sit'
on the cover and fell in.
G. W. Beck's barn, two miles west ot
Highland Center, burned. It contained
sixty tons of hay and several hundred
bushels of grain. But little of the con
tents was saved. The insurance of $700
will not cover half the loss.
E. S. Riggs, Bon of I. S. Rlggs, an old
resident of Eddyvllle and a member of
the firm of Riggs & Son, was fatally in-,
jured by being caught in the main belt
of the engine room of the mill, passing
between the belt and fly wheel.
Charles Kelly, 47 years of age, was
killed at Des Moines. He was riding
horseback when the horse became un
manageable ou account of spurs and ran
away. Kelly's head struck a tree at the
side of the street and he was instantly
killed.
Webster County voted on a proposition
to build a new court bouse at the recent
election. The proposition carried by a
good majority. Now the question of its
location has come up. Many of the bus-'
iness men and ethers are in favor of a
new location. The talk of its removal
has raised the question as to the right
of the Board of Supervisors to sell the
present site. A search of the records
shows that the ground would revert to
the original owner or his heirs in the
event of being used for purposes other
than the erection of a court house and
jail. The matter may be taken into the
courts.
It is probably not generally known in
the State that there are four private In
sane asylums In the State that have with
in their walls about 400 insane persons.
These institutions are located in Du
buque, Council Bluffs, Davenport and
Iowa City. The Davenport and Du
buque asylums have nearly 150 patients
each, the one in Council Bluffs about 125
and the one In Iowa City only 25 or 80.
There has never been any trouble about
these institutions, no scandals or sensa
tions have appeared in the newspapers,
but there is nothing to prevent snch
things except the good character of the
management of the institutions. There
is no law allowing the commitment of an
insane person to a private institution.
Columbus Junction gave its returned
soldieps a barbecue, at which two oxen,
two sheep and one pig were eaten.
The Dubuque iron works has three
boats on the ways and is making every
effort to complete them sufficiently that
they may be taken to Southern waters
before the river freezes up.
The annual report of the commissioner
general of Immigration at Washington
shows that of the immigrants who were
destined for Iowa, 10 were professional
men, 228 skilled mechanics, 404 with mis
cellaneous occupations, and 760,Including
women and children, with none.
Fire in the office of the Fort Madison
Democrat threatened for a time to de
stroy the building, but was extinguished
with but little damage.
Samuel Mcpherson of Waterloo waB
found unconscious in his bed and though
medical assistance was summoned he
died died soon afterwards. The attend
ing physicians say there were signs of
morphine poisoning.
John G. Price of Skaguay, Alaska/
who has been chosen as the delegate of
Alaska to Congress, Is an Iowa man,
having been born of farmer parents In
Guthrie Center in 1870. He is a gradu
ate of the law department of the Uni
versity of Iowa.
Frank Morton, a fireman, was struck
by a passenger coach while leaning ou(
of his cab hi the yards at Fort Dodge
and fatally injured.
William Evans, aged 8 years, and the
only son of David Evans, residing two
miles south of Walker, was instantly
killed while hunting iu tbe timber a
short distance from his home. His com
panion at the time of the accident, a boy
one year older than himself, says that
Evans had set the gun against a tree,
and was walking about gazing up Into
the branches. In runio uuuiuer the gun
was discharged. i»»!l entering under
the 1
..ai
u}l. buck of