The White Lie's Costly Postscript in a Dying Letter
Henry Harris tells of a boyhood lie that delayed a dying father's forgiveness. Alfred Payson sought reconciliation through a letter entrusted to Henry, who hides the postmark truth. By burning the letter in a rubbish pile, the chance for pardon was lost, and Alfred died unreconciled, teaching a lifelong moral of truth. Boston Post.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henry
Merry Harris
Henry Harris
Alfred Pagain
Alfred
Alfred Payson
Woodbine Cottage
Kin Fargo
Ita
Angel of Death
Alm
Weather Observations Across South Africa Show Varied Rainfall
The London Standard notes long running meteorological observations in South Africa with detailed Cape rainfall maps. It reports Cape Town area under twenty inches annually, most regions under ten, some as low as five inches, and Orange Free State near twenty inches. Winter rains are light, rising in southern summer. Johannesburg area shows driest months in July and August, with heavy rain in December and around nine days of rain in that period. Basutoland and Transvaal also experience marked dry spells, with October to December showing rainfall patterns.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Noutny Africa
London Standard
South Africa
Cape Colony
England
Leva Eatin
Transvaal
Cape of Good Hope
Cape Town
Lanedon
Moat
Orange Free Butte
Orange Wrop
Inc
Jobinnedburg
Jwy
Johannesburg
Orange Wee
Basutoland
Storytelling in School Turns Grim in Old Tale
In a northern town a wealthy but uneducated man told local students a Sunday story about two bad boys who coaxed a lad to fetch a bird nest. The branch broke and the boy fell into the river, drowning, as the tale ends with the narrator noting the tragedy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fle
Ani
Insomnia Aid Recalled From Simple Bedtime Routine
A restorative bedtime routine suggests sipping a warm drink, soaking feet, and slow breath training to ease sleep. It recommends gentle head and eye movements, relaxed exhalations through the nose, and imagining vapor to calm thoughts. The method is presented as an alternative to counting sheep.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Amo
Trading of Islands and Samoa Title Dispute Report
A special letter describes a proposed swap among Germany England and the United States involving the Kamoun Diapater and the Samoan Islands. It notes cession of Tonga Savage and parts of the Solomon Islands to England and details island populations and religious conversion. It also mentions German rule in the archipelago and remarks on imperial royalty and fashion contrasts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Germany
England
Laut
Samoan Islands
United States
Tonga
Savage Islands
Solomon Islands
Tonga Islands
South Pacific
Fiji Islands
George II
Savage Island
New Guinea
Talk Is Not Cheap In Telephone Charges For Long-Distance Calls
A historical critique notes that long distance telephone calls cost steeply, citing a Kansas City line at two dollars per minute and two cents per minute for short distances. The piece argues talk feels costly socially and financially, comparing calls to paying cab fares and noting diminished pleasure in casual chats.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fica
Hayling
New York
Kansas City
Prophetic Almanac Foretells Turbulent Twentieth Century
A sanitized recap of Zadkiel’s 1900 Almanac predicts a year of upheaval across the globe. Startling changes in January, disasters in February, unrest in Greece and Bulgaria, and widespread turmoil through the year. The piece notes wars, earthquakes, rebellions, and accidents, ending with Paris fires and rail hazards as December closes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yeaders
Zadkiel
Horace Walpole
China
London Globe
America
Greece
Austria
Germany
Russia
Turkey
Spain
Italy
France
England
Afghanistan
Persia
Paris
Royal Dress Allowances for Daughters of Noble Houses
A fashion writer notes that before marriage the Duchess of Wife had a modest yearly dress allowance around 1500 dollars. Royal princesses must wear costly wedding attire for relatives, yet have access to Jacobean fabrics, jewels, and gowns from royal stores to reuse. Frugal princesses may spend about 5000 dollars annually, while wealthier sisters could reach ten thousand dollars, regardless of age, even for the Queen of Italy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sim
Duchess of Wife
Prin~cea
Slater
Han
Italy
Untitled fragment on value of time and expense
A brief, fragmented line argues that five dollars per minute is cheaper than traveling far, and suggests a tale may be cheaper in time and money, though the text is incomplete and unclear.
Melton Prior in South Africa and a memory of Wenna
A fragment recalls Melton Prior a veteran war correspondent in South Africa and his familiar friend Wenna Polwennat in a shop scene with cherries and powders. The piece transitions to reflections on plaster ceilings porous air and ventilation prompting questions about noise and living conditions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gregade
Lonnon Chronicle
British Medical Journal
Courtroom Call From a Young Spectator
A Springfield lawyer’s ten year old son and his sister, about age twenty, are involved in a humorous scene at the house. The boy, acting as bailiff, loudly calls John Henry Brown to appear in court, echoing a formal courthouse ritual.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hrother
Springfield
Bobby
Brown
John Henry Brown
Mr. Brown
Okly State Journal
Wenna Polwenna of the Cornish Village Shop
A vivid, troubled portrait of Wenna Polwenna and her daughter in a crowded village shop. The narrator visits to buy fruit, observes Wenna’s beauty and temper, and witnesses a tense exchange with a young fisherman over berries and affection. The tale hints at danger, desire, and old superstitions surrounding Wenna the Old One.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wenna
Alice
Nat
Willy
Venna
Weatoe
Trewavas
Nora Hopper
Wenna Polwenna
Wennn
Westoe
Weston
Lou
Daan
Tito
Ime
Also Mentioned on This Page
Naples
Samoa
Islands
Savage OR
Nive I. Om
Uca
Wallis
Tutunat
Ear
Melton Prior
Redvers Buller
Prior
Am Addition
Fee Land
Mr. Prior
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!