Burglars at Bowser's Detected by Night Alarm Fiasco
A Netroit Free Press tale recounts Mr Bowser refusing to arm for burglars while his wife urges security. A midnight intruder robs the house, rifles dressers and safe, absconds with valuables. Bowser's bravado and blame exchange after the raid leads to a sensational newspaper wrap.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Netroit Free Press
Mr. Bowser
Mrs. Bowser
Saget
Old Duffer
Bowser
Marm
Fere
Her Charge Down the Aisle Burdette in Judge
A comic scene follows an elderly woman boarding a car with basket bag birdcage and umbrella. She charges toward the front door, misreads crowd dynamics, and contemplates a feared plot as masked robbers loom behind. The chaos ends with the old lady overwhelmed and defeated by the rear crowd.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burdette
Ely
Sixler
Blac Skened
Raion
Last Journey Mirthful Grief Among the Angels
A fragmentary personal reflection speaks of a beloved figure Granoma making her final journey and being received by angels without envelopes or haze. The tone conveys patient sorrow as mourners await a comforting sign from beyond.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Granoma
Misery and manners in the Parisian set in Puck
Dialogues reveal Mrs Ennui and Mrs Blase in Manhattan society. They discuss travel, fashion, pets, mourning customs, and social fatigue. The witty exchanges capture idle life among young wives, their conflicts, and the implied emptiness of high society leisure.
Not Safe for an Artist to Buy a Granger Cattle Prank
Detroit Free Press recounts Robert Hopkin narrating a tale from a New England sketching trip. A young artist, eager to impress, agrees to paint a farmer's prized red cattle for fifty dollars after a prank involving a tavern request. The farmer uses the setup to trap the painter, who endures a sunbaked march to reach an angry bovine before finally facing exposure and desertion by locals.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
Robert Hopkin
Hopkin
New England
Rainy Day Petticoats and Proud Men in San Francisco
A San Francisco column jokes that envy of men exists in three ways including mens ability to go out at night and wear trousers in rain. It critiques women’s rain gear, noting soaked legs, muddy skirts, and frayed tempers as they navigate puddles and soggy footwear in wet weather.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco
Origin of the Lamp Chimney
In Manchester Union account, Argand the Swiss inventor devised a lamp with a wick in a hollow cylinder allowing air flow on both interior and exterior of the circular frame. A mishap with a bottomless oil flask over the flame sparked the lamp’s flame up the chimney neck, leading to the perfected chimney design.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Manchester Union
Argand
Arran
Paradoxes and Catch Questions in Mathematics
A column explores arithmetic and geometric paradoxes and puzzles. It cites goose weight riddles, snail climb problems, ship wind paradoxes, Zeno, Achilles and the tortoise, and two-part brain teasers. The piece offers playful proofs and ends with a tooth-count pigeonhole observation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Temple Bar
Wringler
Ica
Terefore
Zeno
Achilles
Wisige Seeear
Corsets and Such Collected by Philadelphia Record
A Philadelphia Record excerpt compiles anecdotes on corset use and horseback riding. It features a Toronto letter on corset linked diseases, a woman's defense of corsets across families, critiques of riding posture for women, and a Buffalo News note about a doctor employing corsets with mush and milk to treat broken ribs. The pieces illustrate social norms and medical beliefs surrounding corsets in the era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Record
Tung
Tiss Thistlewaite
Toronto
M. F
Toronto Globe
Jack
Jeanness Miller
Buffalo News
The Irrepressible Tourist Lorite Scene
A brief vignette shows a well dressed woman offering to sew for a ragged tramp. The tramp accepts, saying the overcoat needs society, underscoring social satire through sharp dialogue.
Salutations across the world greet one another in diverse ways
A San Francisco Chronicle observer notes how greetings vary by country from handshakes and hat lifts to bows, kisses, and nose rubbing. It compares Anglo American, English, continental European, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern customs, including courtly manners and military salutes, with examples from Spain Germany France Belgium China Japan India and Moorish and Maori practices.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Chronicle
Lavater
Great Britain
America
England
Spain
Germany
Tastp
New Zealand
India
Gold Coast
Belgium
Choir Drama on a Bob-Tail Car in New York
A Methodist church organist vents about choir tensions on a Twenty third street bob-tail streetcar. She voices frustration with Amelia Sprague Dora Jones and Mr. Hawker while defending Mr. Murphy and Mr. Cheeseman amid rehearsals and role conflicts. The lively monologue ends as the car travels toward the East River.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Graphic
Amelia Sprague
Amelia
Mr. Murphy
Elder Snipe
Sudbu
Mamie Sudbury
Minnie Morgan
Cheeseman
Concresatea
Amelia Lorique
Johnny
Gleason
Mr. Hawker
Man 100 Years Ahead After Missing New Year Letter
A Detroit scene shows a man clinging to a lamp post as he posts a letter dated 11 1987 and mice his year misprint. An officer wishes him a happy New Year and the man jokes about being transported to 1887, fearing his girl would misread the date. He mutters that three beers moved him a century.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
Shay
Memory of Ball Etiquette Spurs Gentlemen’s Notes
A columnist recalls how guests at charity balls are remembered after introductions. One programme labels strangers by distinguishing features of their attire. A visitor sketches profiles, stamping each “lady” with a memorable descriptor as he moves on.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iioneer Press
St. Paul
Inexperienced Mary Tried Housework Task
Mrs. Bagley explains Mary lacked experience in house work. Mary tried to put the cases on the pillows without holding the pillows by her teeth, prompting the decision to release her. Mr. Bagley recalls the prize claim, while Mrs. Bagley reiterates the mishap showed inexperience.
Smiths Talkative Wife Joke From Arcola Democrat
A humorous brief from the Arcola Democrat reports a wife falls into a tub of cream. She emerges unharmed, but her chin supposedly churns 40 pounds of butter before help arrives, prompting commentary on her talkative nature.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Smith
Arcola Democrat
Food for Thought at Sunday Picnic
A minister questions a quiet boy named Johnny at a Sunday school picnic about his reflection. The boy admits worrying whether he had eaten a mushroom or a toadstool, prompting a moment of earnest self examination.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Johnny
Heran
Toddlers Talk Witty New England Children Reminisce
Quaint vignettes from Grace M and Carrie H about slippers Santa Claus and grandpas pensions reveal the blunt humor and stubborn charm of young New England children. Read playful exchanges on weather, manners, and divine judgments in a bygone era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New England
Little Willie asks about Heaven and wings for mother
A Reading reader recalls a six year old boy's question before bed asking if his mother would die and if God would make wings for her with her old dress, reflecting on mortality and faith.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Willie
Reading
Little children seek God in odd places
A three year old girl Mamie kneels by a chair and asks God for help, then turns the chair over to search for God. Her four year old brother Arthur wonders why God did not make people from the clean white snow. Beverly Farms reports from December 12.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mamie
Tam
God
Mamma
Wade
Arthur
Beverly Farms
Childlike Wit From Dover Letters, Dec 20
A father recalls his four year old’s clever remarks about a snake, pound cake, and a thunderstorm prayer. He also recounts a morning surprise when a garment was cut to shreds. Published from Dover New Hampshire on December 20, Mama L., Jr.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Heavenly Father
Dover
N. H
Mama L., Jr
A Little English Girl’s Phrase
A Plainville reader recalls her five year old daughter crying at the prospect of leaving England for America. The child insists she does not want to go to “my papa” but stay with her grandparents and aunt and uncle, calling them her grandset.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
America
Vita
Florry
Ernest
MRS. E. M
Plainville, Mass
Thirsty Boy Tries Neighbor's Kitchen For Doughnut
A four year old named Stevie, forbidden to ask for food at neighbors, visits a distant relative where he finds sustenance. He lingers with a hopeful look until blurting out I am awful thirsty Aunt Jane and adding I could eat a doughnut, revealing his craving. The note ends with a cryptic line 8, B. Merrimac, Dec, 20, i oe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Stevie
Jane
B. Merrimac
What Grandma Was Doing
A child named Sally C. of Salem traveled on a steamer to Nantasket with adults. Sally climbed the rail despite warnings, prompting her grandma to warn of a fit. When asked where gamma went, Sally quipped that she had gone inside to have a fit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sally C
Salem
Nantasket
Sally
Gamma
Grandma
Lancaster
A Suggestion to Old Maids and Little Allie Birthday
In Attleboro on December 7 a brief note records Little Allie celebrating a birthday and answering a question about her age with a playful line I am just next to what I was. The quirky remark marks a small community moment in local life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Allie
Apiary Question Sparks Family Laughs In Rhyme
A playful verse shows Jack asking what an apiary is and Sister Bess answering with a misheard joke. The scene ends with a moral about honesty as Little Neddie faces fibbing after a learned parental warning.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jack
Truthful Neddie Denies Doing It
A mother questions her son Neddie about an alleged act. Neddie insists he did not do it, declaring his innocence to his mother and even to God. The brief, dated December 20 from Boston, captures a child's firm denial.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Neddie
Mamma
Boston
Dire warning on foibles and papers in BRIC-A-BRAC
A terse notice styled as a judge’s admonition urges cessation of frivolous foibles and overbearing papers. It laments the bustle of printed matter and hints at a looming fate while a personified she tests skates.
Morning Compliments. Sydney Dayre in St. Nicholas for January
A light morning zephyr wakes the scene as a rose bows to the lily and the lily to the rose. In a soft whisper the flowers compliment one another, noting brightness and fairness in a playful, poetic exchange. The verse mirrors delicate seasonal charm and verbal sparring among blossoms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sydney Dayre
St. Nicholas
Zephyr
Lily
Rose
The Face We Once Loved Stays With Us in Grief
A meditation on seeing a dead friend's face and seeking peace beyond pain. The speaker contrasts memory and love with the horror of a friendship reduced to a silent, unliving body. Death, memory, and the hope for relief frame a somber reflection.
Miserly virtue and wagered love in campus lore
A fragment from a 19th century verse collage features Mr Strait a moral man whose honesty is praised though tested by temptations while a Cornell era scene depicts a flirtatious campus moment between a Junior and a maiden as they discuss secret societies. A humorous New York Sun note satirizes scales at a ferry landing weighing entering maidens while a poem mocks gendered wit and machine driven dating dynamics.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
Neve
Pepita and Breeches In Lippincott Verse
Read as a reflective piece from Carlotta Perry in Lippincott's Magazine, the poem voices the hunger for artistic achievement and the blush of youthful freedoms. It trails through Pepita’s imagined grace, dawn imagery, and a swinging memory of first breeches and chastened childhood. The speaker weighs art’s power against memory and joy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carlotta Perry
Lippincott’s Magazine
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bowser’s
Mrs. B
Philip H. Welch
Puck
Mrs. Ennus
Jeannette
Mrs. Blase
Mrs. Ennui
Mrs. Blace
New York
London
Paris
Riviera
Blase
Ennui
Mr. Ennui
Fido
Arabella
Ellow
Babette
Mss Ennui
Mr. Blase
California
Paches
L Om
Lom
North Pole
Iceland
Fort Point
Grace M
Georgie
Gracie
Pat Falion
Carrie H. M
Santa Claus
Cleveland
Bessie
Charlie
Diddie
C. W. K. Holyoke
Bess
Belle A. Mundy
Beauty and
Beas
John White Chadwick
Mr. Strait
Cornell
Ana
Art
Pepita
Frank Dempster Sherman
Dawn
Araby
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