New England Joke Lore: The Tonic of Yankee Humor

One of the strongest potential arguments in favor of the so-called “back to the farm” movement, is seldom appreciated by city dwellers, _viz._, the opportunity thus afforded for...

It must be regretfully stated that the old time folklore of the supposed supernatural has apparently vanished from modern New England. Skepticism has seized upon the present gen...

When the young business man or girl stenographer who has grown up in one of the innumerable thriving towns or cities of the broad Mississippi Valley, scans the morning paper on...

The fact that there are many amusing fiascoes in running through the regular grist of rural court cases should not in any way reflect upon the personnel of the members of the le...

There are probably few better schools for the development of thrift than the small New England farm, which although necessarily limited in its capacity to produce an income, sti...

In the light of present day happenings and with the echoes of rage, despair and lamentation filling our ears, it would be hard to imagine the incredulity with which many worthy,...

The New England pioneers who penetrated the unbroken, trackless forests searching for suitable locations for future homes and who spared no physical effort in establishing these...

When it gradually dawned upon the country merchant that by dealing via the mails with responsible wholesalers and jobbers of the cities, it might not be necessary for him to spe...

The impression may be easily acquired by the reader that the collector of these authentic reminiscences is inclined to look with favor upon those whose personalities are exhibit...

Those sections of rural New England which have possessed natural advantages sufficient to restrain the young people from their common propensity to emigrate to the cities or to...

The capacity of New England housewives for self-sacrificing devotion to family has been made evident by many a biographical history of favorite sons. When the father and mother...

In the ordinary processes of trade the Yankee is a firm believer in the old Roman Law of “_caveat emptor_” or “let the buyer beware.” While there may be occasional instances of...

The unusual mental twist which frequently escapes notice in the crowded city, is often the center of interest in a rural neighborhood. Those who thus excite morbid curiosity in...

The farm employer who does not make a careful study of how to get the best service he can from his help, and at the same time retain that good will and cheerful co-operation whi...

Overlooked by Tourists--“Year Before Last Winter’s Snow”--The School Master and His Snow Grave--Drifted Roads and the Right of Way--The Post Holes in the Ice--The Man Who Took C...

The Litigating Horse Dealer--The Attorney Who Scorned Divorce Business--The Murderer Who Was Not There That Day--A Celebrated Arson Case--The Attorney Who Justified “Assault and...

The Story of the “Raised” Biscuits--The Small Boy Who Scandalized the Congregation--The “Driveling Idiot”--The Love-Cracked Suicide--“There is a Lion in the Way”--The Man Who Bo...

“Am I Ben Jackson, or Am I Not?”--“The Farther You Go the Better They Are”--“Say, Put the Doctor Ahead”--The Scrambled Eggs in the Highway--The Story of the Rebellious Horse--Wh...

The Story of a Wandering Sheep--The Young and “Self-Centered” Ram--The Sudden Enlightenment of the Young Pup--A Hen Heroine--The Story of the “Lolling” Horse--The Farmer Who Bor...

The Ghost in the Milk Dairy--The Spook Story of the Runaway Horse--Table Tipping and a Victim--The Story of the Ouija Board--The Unreal Arrival of Uncle Mark--The Locked Door Wh...

The Old Friend and the Load of Hay--The Man Who Worked a Confidence Game on His Cows--“Stew ’Er Down”--“Never Mind, I Can Cut It”--The Empty Flour Barrel--The Town Pauper Who Ma...

“You Don’t Have to Yell at Me”--The Story of the Stolen Bundle of Hay--The Raid on Jim Green’s Pork Barrel--How Lote Platt Beat the Thunder Shower--The Tale of the Old-Fashioned...

The Hopeful Young Beginner--The Sick Engineer in the Next Room--What Happened in the Hotel Barber Shop--The Salesman Who Was Given a “Warm Room”--The Story of the Itemized Expen...

The Young Man Who Had “Speerit”--The Lady Who Secured a Wardrobe--The Story of “Lafe” and the Livery Stable Man--The Man Who Wanted to Fight a Year Afterward--A Rural “Trademark...

The Hand Mowers at Murray’s--The Sporting Venture of the Country Editor--“I’ve Found the Spring”--The Expert Who Repaired the Fences--The Man Who “Arrived in a Great Hurry”--“Wh...

The Story of the Eccentric Cow--The Remarkable Incident of the Cart Wheels--The Thrilling Experiences of a Mountain “Doctress”--The Expedient of the Cow Buyer--The History of a...

The Return of a War Hero--The Motorist Who Was Good To Antoine--The Tale of a Rescued Keg of Whiskey--The Prohibition Whale Oil--The Righteous Wrath of “Marm” Hooker--“Poor Kell...

Why Dave Left Home--The Discouraging Matrimonial Experiences of Bill Jordan--Another Tale of a Confiding Husband--“Putty Bur-r-ds”--“Seven Wives and Seven Prisons”--The French-C...