Veteran recalls horned toad tale from east to Texas incident
North First Street resident John W. Stauffer of Jeannette Pennsylvania near 87 believes a horned toad story from Eastland Texas is true. He recounts a 1858 find in Indiana County when splitting sandstone revealed a spotted toad the size of two fists emerging from between rock slabs, then hidden again.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John W. Stauffer
North First Street
Jeannette
Eastland
Tex
Stauffer
Westmoreland County
David
Smickburg
Indiana County
Mr. Stauffer
Tuneless Pianos Wastes Music Education Dollars
The president of the National Association of Piano Tuners notes that eight tenths of pianos in the country are out of tune. He warns that tuning faults waste thousands of dollars spent on music education each year and that a students ear can be harmed when instruments are out of tune.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
National Association of Piano Tuners
Popular Mechanics Magazine
Clay Saddler Enters Fifty-First Year In Harness Trade
Edwin H. Wealand of Clay begins his fifty-first year as a harness maker and saddler. Apprenticed under Harry B. Eberly near Mt. Airy, he later founded his Clay shop in 1884 and has handmade harnesses, performed repairs, and shoe work with minimal sick days, often working from dawn till evening.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edwin H. Wealand
Clay
Mr. Wealand
Mt. Airy
Clay Township
Harry B. Eberly
Eber
Language roots flood English with borrowed words
A long reflective piece catalogs how languages mix in English, naming sources from Sanskrit and Greek to Italian and Japanese. It cites a multilingual sentence and notes cultural exchanges from history through modern times, praising global linguistic influence and word origins.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
National Geographic Society
Java
China
Russia
Raphael
Holy Land
New World
Commodore Ferry
Japan
Nippon
Gardening Tips From An Odd Source
A quirky note suggests feeding geraniums with cold tea occasionally and hydrangeas with weak coffee. The advice mentions pouring out at the roots only and hints at unusual plant-care folklore.
Believed Dead Return to Lancaster After Three Years
Harry A. Blankenmyer, 87, returned to his Lancaster home after three years away. He says he was penniless and homeless, walked to Reading, joined the navy, and was sent to South American waters. His mother, Mrs. Charles Baldwin of Philadelphia, always refused to believe he was dead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harry A. Blankenmyer
Lancaster
Reading
Navy
South American
Charles Baldwin
Philadelphia
Cashmere Shawls and Domestic Wool Attempts
The article notes that fine cashmere wool comes from goats in high regions. Napoleon Bonaparte imported goats to France and Sussex County, England, to supply domestic wool for shawls, but the wool deteriorated and the goat populations died out in both locations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Napoleon Bonaparte
France
Hussex County
England
Retain Colonial Uniform The Connecticut Hoot Guards
The Hoot Guards keep colonial era attire with uniforms matching those worn in colonial days. The City Troop of Philadelphia remains another colonial organization still active.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Nose Joke Turns Sunday Lunch Into Quiet Snicker
A Mary Roberts Rinehart piece in the Saturday Evening Post recalls a boy named Johnnie who is warned not to stare at a financier guest with a very large nose. During coffee, the boy is excused and the mother asks the guest if he will have sugar and cream in his nose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Saturday Evening Post
Johnnie
Mr. Blank
Birthday Cake Tears Over Anniversary Plan
Lois laments uncut cake given by her father. Mother insists the cake be saved for the Annie Versary anniversary. The girl sobs and asks who Annie is, prompting a playful misnaming that echoes a Boston Transcript item.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lois
Annie
Boston Transcript
See Ourselves In Others View Of Our Folly
Fragmentary pondering on self image and how others see us. The text reflects on choosing our own “others” including sweethearts and mothers to shape perception. The piece reads as aphoristic meditation rather than a reportable event.
Jail Joke Pitched Pranks Between Two Irish Prisoners
Two Irishmen in jail, one jailed for stealing a cow and the other for a watch, trade a joke about time. The first asks Pat the time, and the second replies that he is unsure but guesses it is about milking time.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat
Distressing Error Causes Auditor to Demand Prompt Report
A cashier explains the auditor found a large accounting mistake and fears exposure. The friend asks if the error was reported, and the cashier reveals the need to share the information with the auditor, highlighting anxiety over disclosure.
Donkey Expression and Jack Look Alike
Marie notes the donkey and Jack share the same expression. Lois hushes him, saying he might hear you. Marie jokes that she did not think donkeys understood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marie
Jack
Lois
Grumpy Gauge Liza and Path Finder Exchange
Grumpy Gauge asks Liza about new employers and she says they are refined. Jane reports starting work this morning and noting only five grumbles from the new employers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Liza
Jane
A Poor Memory First Monk Dialog Card
In a playful exchange a First Monk asks why Mr. Giraffe has a knot in his neck. The Second Monk replies that it is so he can remember the errands he must run in town for Mrs. Giraffe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monk
Mr. Giraffe
Back to Sleep Hlow Sweet Poem Fragment
Fragment of a short poem contrasts sleeping through dawn with brief wakefulness and a return to rest as daylight creeps across the world. The verse suggests a dreamlike pause before rising.
Fragmented seaside dialogue hints at distant acquaintance
A man and a woman converse in a tranquil seaside setting. She murmurs about a past encounter in the town where she believes he lives, and he confirms thinking of her, recalling the name of the person who lives there. The tone suggests lingering nostalgia and unnamed proximity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John
Grown Up
The only son, long sent to London to study, returns home for a few days. His mother treats him as a child while he ponders the daytime sky and where stars go. He replies indifferently that most people he knows sleep until noon.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Paradox on being thrown on your own resources
A wry Boston transcript notes the trouble of relying on oneself when no help remains, a bleak insight into independence and self sufficiency amid scarcity. The quip frames self reliance as a trap that appears when support runs dry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
Transcript
Missing Girl Recalled In Vague Family Memory
A fragment recalls a missing girl described as lively and musical who used to sing while helping her mother wash dishes. No dates or locations are provided, but the note references a second disappearance within a family.
In for It Dentist Comic Exchange
A quirky dialogue unfolds as a new patient identifies as a comic story artist. The dentist grimly responds about living up to the profession, delivering a dry, darkly humorous exchange.
Also Mentioned on This Page
J. Albert Hall
E. Main St
Lititz, Pa
CLARK
S. B. Ennis
S. Broad Street
Lititz Gas Company
Lottie
Buick
F. C. B. Flint
G.M.A.C
Thomas Steffy
North Broad St
Lititz
Ford Motor Company
Henry Ford
Ford
Detroit
Michigan
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