Shadow Etiquette and Law Jests Across Narratives
A sailor recalls a Kaffir chief insult turning into a fight over shadows. The piece shifts to a Kansas City Times anecdote about a lawyer overloading his office with law books while a southern-born colleague jokes about having no case. It closes with Alexander Brice’s 1765 snow to rain experiment from the London Chronicle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Game Army
Kunnel
Kansas City Times
Alexander Brice
Kirknewton
London Chronicle
Lengthy Adder Described as Two-Headed Fallacy Debunked
The article explains a full grown adder grows about two feet long with a six inch girth. It notes its movements are slow and disputes the superstition that its head can migrate along the body every six months. The tail is stumpy and resembles the head, making distant observers mistake them for a two headed snake.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Honeer
Parvenu Demands Truth From New Butler
A pampered patron pleads for candor while hiring a new butler. The professional servant declines to express judgments about the predecessor, offering a courteous refusal and a formal bow. The scene unfolds in comic fashion as table manners and etiquette clash.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James
Puck
The Wings of Time in Yarper’s Weekly
Methuselah remarks on a new blossom on a century plant and recalls plucking one yesterday. He strolls to a 200 year old oak he nurtured from an acorn and muses on how time flies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Methuselah
Yarper
The Larger Class Seeker Quotes on Language Use
A dialogue quotes a seeker and editor on the usage of thee and thou. The editor suggests those who think they are poets mainly use archaic pronouns. The exchange reflects a quaint editorial jab about language pretension.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Catholic Standard
Times
Prudence and Mahoney Discuss Cavity Fillings
In a humorous exchange a dentist promises to fill all cavities with care and accuracy. The patient replies with cautious humor, suggesting even marginal issues will be addressed, underscoring their collaboration in dental treatment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mahoney
Puck
Don't Jide a Man by His Failures in Mfe
Editorial from Arkadelphia Arkansas Southern Standard advises against judging men by failures, noting some fail due to excessive honesty preventing success.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mfe
Arkadelphia
Ark
Southern Standard
Luck and Reputations in Business Real Estate
A discussion on how luck shapes reputations in business cites Will Payne and a Chicago real estate tale of Mr. Jennings. He pioneered ninety nine year leases keeping rents fixed through a downturn, then saw values soar and his foresight mocked as shortsighted after prices later rose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Will Payne
Jennings
Chicago
The Road Drummer’s Hard Earned Lesson
A tall New York youth on the road meets an aging drummer who has spent thirty years roaming. The drummer urges quitting the road to seek a stable home, recalling his distant wife and children and the absence of a steady domestic life. He says there is value in a real home over a life of travel.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Notable errors in Westminster memorials caught late
Observers note odd inaccuracies in London landmarks. Cromwell statue boots wear upside down on Westminster Abbey. a window sword shows Prince of Wales. a Mayflower fresco in St Stephen’s shows the ship hoisting the Union Jack, a flag centuries later.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cromwell
Westminster Abbey
London
Westminster Palace
St. Stephen’s
House of Lords
Ringers' Jug Remains A Suffolk Belfry Oddity
A six gallon red earthenware jug in Beccles Suffolk once fed ten weary ringers as bells weighed over six tons. The jug bears a quaint inscription urging each man to drink once and ding dong while warning not to overindulge lest he forget to make the bobbs. Maker Samuel Stringfellow Votter is listed on the reverse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Beccles
Suffolk
John Pattman Beccles
Samuel Stringfellow
Votter
London Strand
Scallop Anchors Itself Against Incoming Storm
The scallop can anchor itself like a ship and drops its anchor when rough weather nears. It extends a tough elastic cable from near its hinge to a nearby rock and holds fast in bad seas.
Men of War on Paper and a Jest of the Bachelor
The London Graphic notes ships are planned on paper with details of displacement speed and coal use before any steel. A witty exchange shows an old bachelor recalling the moment a jeweler took back an engagement ring and offered sleeve links instead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Graphic
Hold Up On Way Home Prompting Stern Exchange
A Baltimore American snippet shows a terse dialogue where a woman questions a late arrival and the man replies he was held up on his way home. The exchange highlights friction over lateness and responsibility.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore American
Twice Two Foreheads Joke Quips in Ledger Cartoon
A light humorous quip appears in the Philadelphia Ledger joking that two heads are better than one and suggesting they would not amount to much without foreheads.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Ledger
Also Mentioned on This Page
Crimus
Lepetherin
America
New Orleans Times-Democrat
MacLafferty & H Street
Heron
Sons
L. L. Maley
Aberdeen
Patterson & Locke Co
General Insurance Agents
G. W. Ninemire
Pres
A. E. Hoefer
Sec. & Treas
Ninemire Packing Company
Butchers
Ninemire Packing Co
Montesano
South Aberdeen Grocers
Tie
Herald Printery
East Wishkah ST
TEL
H. L. Cook & Co
E. Heron
Anderson
Cooverghe
Transcontinental Machine Company
Park and Oak Streets
Portland, Oregon
W. W. Wrenn
East Market Street
Harper
Ryef
Kentucky
Fred Hewett
Humboldt Saloon
South F Street
Aberdeen, Wash
R. W. Bryan
Albert Hanson
South C St
Lumber Exchange
Palm Theatre
Billy McDonald
Pacific Coast
Shelly Brothers, Grocers
Market Street
the Herald
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!