The age-herald., 1901-10-31
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
RIrnInahamls Unmarked Streets.

enues Of Birmingham are not placed on the corners at the intersection of the va rions thoroughfares and roadways," said a noted physician of Montgomery, whe makes frequent visits to this city,
 Birmingham is q practical, business town, if 1t be anything, and presumably the city's business Is conducted by prac- tieal men. This selng so, 1t is incon- ceivable that Birmingham in the s0th year of its age and maybe the 50oOOdth or It's population should be behind many small towns in marking It's street cor ners with the name or number of the streets and avenues respectively, No per- son who Is not resident in Birmingham can find out his way except by repeated questioning of persons he meets in the street, and I daresay there are thou sands of Birmingham people resident on one side of the city who couldn't find their ways about the other side.
 And on the southside for example, according to the map the streets running east and west are called avenues and are named for the letters of the Alphabet, but the newspapers and the public half the time give to these avenues numbers instead of their actual names. For in- stance, member of my family, recently removed to Birmingham. resides in Av- enue K. How am I supposed to know that nearly everybody knows that thorough fare as Eleventh avenue, south? And even if I did know 1t, how am to find Avenue K-Eleventh avenue, where there a ttpIx etc 1f rlrr x.,1,o the avenue may be identified? Yesterday l set out to call upon this member of my family, but I couldn't find the av- enue In which she resided.
 T wonder the postoffice department doesn't take the matter up and compel the placing of the names or numbers of streets and avenues on the corners as is required in all other cities for the con- venience of letter carriers"
 "The SpickIed Hens Nest"
 This Montgomery doctors complaint is as old as Birmingham, and the confus- ion caused by the absence of names or numbers of streets or avenues which he experiences seems likely to annoy visitors for yet another period of thirty years. : but Birmingham needs 1t not
 The Birmingham City Council seems to assume that everybody who visits the city knows by intuition the names or numbers of the streets and ave nues; and In this the council is not unlike certain woman of the piney woods of South Alabama who gave directions to a doctor as to how to find his way to a certain place.
 The late Dr, Stearns of Ft Deposit was many years ago physician who was personally widely known in the counties of Lowndes, Butler. Crenshaw, Pike and Covington. One day he was riding through a thinly settled district in the lower edge of Butler. far from home. Coming toward nightfall to a small log farmhouse, in front of which a dozen tow-headed children were at play, the doctor. lifted his hat to a slatternly woman leaning In the rude doorway with a snuff-sticlk in her mouth. and said:
 Madam, would you kindly tell me how I may find my way to MT. James Wilson's house?"
 "Who-that lazy Jim Wilson what lives over thar on Jack Creek, bout four mile?" she replied.
 "I presume he is the man." the doctor answered oivilly.
 Well, you jes ride down thater way & hundred yards, turn ter yer lef' then ter yer right, then ter yer lef' then straight ahead. and then ter yer lef' agin, an when yer come ter ther cornder tI,t oVt iaa is keep CT gwine right ahead" she said in rapid speech.
 But, madaml' the doctor said suavely, "how am I to know where the 'ol' spickled hens nest is?'
 ord-hiess-my--life," cried the wo- man slowly and scornfully-"ther littlest chile on ther place knows whar the ol' spickled hens nest is!'
 The Black OK and the Red.
 At 4s minutes past 10 o'clock yesterday morning there was in Second avenue a sharp cracking sound like the familiar firing of a pistol, common in the streets of Birmingham, where men frequently fire at one another to the great danger of innocent persons. Many passers-by stopped suddenly and looked to see who was shot or about to be shot but in stead of a scene of violent crime they looked upon one of the most peaceful spectaeles in the world.
 The loud, sharp sound was the cracking of farmers long whip hurtlessly cleav- ing the air above the broad backs of two fat oxen, one Jet black and the other red drawing wagon.
 "GwanT shouted the farmer fiercely, but really in the best of good nature, as he again cracked his long long-crackered whip.
 The oxen broke into brisk trot down the sunset way. and as they swept by this newspaper workshop they presented an engaging spectacle, On the front seat sat the farmer and his wife, both evi- dently on the best of good terms with themselves and the world. They looked absolutely happy, and the cause of their good feeling was not far to seek.
 They had sold cotton. In the wagon body was a barrel of flour, some bacon, and a number of well-f1lled bags and bulky packages, together with a large tin bucket, apparently containing lard. The bags doubtless contained coffee, sugar and maybe rice, and the like, and the packages contained new shoes and stuff for new clothing.
 And above this collection of "proyisions