davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
her underground temple.

her underground temple.
 Mining for mummies is said to be an exciting occupation, but it costs money and there is no hope of any real profit. Those who put up the funds and conduct the operations seek no reward except the commendation of their fellow students and the sweet knowledge that they have helped to turn light on the history of Egypt. For instance, all of the priceless treasures unearthed by MT Davis in 1905 were turned over to the museum at Cairo. It happened that some of the smaller articles were duplicated, and Mr Davis was permitted to keep a few of these duplicates as reward for months of labor and large outlay of capital.
 After leaving the valley of tombs We made short cut over very hot and very high hill to the "rest house" winch has been erected far out on the desert by one of the tourist agencies. We collapsed on the shady side of the building, dusty and short of breath, and immediately we wera attacked by most yociferous horde of native pedlers And what do you sup pose they were selling? We landed
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
BY GEORGE AIDE.
Copyrighted. 1906, by
 George Ade.

as that of the man who goes into far countries in search of orchids for the apple blossom buyer knows right where he can find what he seeks, and he goes there straight and dickers with the farmer for what he wants. Sometimes he buys whole trees. sometimes only boughs or sprays. If a farmer has a tree whose fruit Is not of the best. but whose blossoms are as beautiful as any, he may sell the whole tree. if he can get more for the blos- sons than the tree would yield him in fruit. And as to other trees. 1t may be that they will be benefited by cutting away some of their branches. So it Is easy for the blossom buyer to get what he wants for a price.
 He buys and cuts the branches Of apple blossoms while the blossoms are yet in the bud, for the apple blossom in full bloom is a fragile as well as beau- tiful thing which would not stand transportation, while in the bud it can be transported safely.
 In any given locality the season of apple blossoms is short; a week might cover the period within which the blos- sons would come out, to appear in full beauty on the tree for brief time and fall then, dismembered, in showers of white to the ground. But what with cutting the blossoms in the bud and getting them from different attitudes the florist prolongs this season greatly.
 If apple blossoms are wanted before their season here he gets them further south, from the apple bearing districts of Virginia, where'they bloom earlier, and so he comes north for his supply until he comes to the season of apple blossoms hereabouts. For later bios sons he draws on districts further north.
 Thus he is able to supply apple blos- sons not for a week alone, but six weeks or two months.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
UPTON sINcLAIR's FAMILY.
The Author Has Long Line of Distln
 gushed Ancestors.

From the Baltimore News.
 Upton Sinclair was born in Balti- more and spent his childhood days here. Many of his relatives are living in this city today. His parents, who are now living in New York, are Mr. and Mrs. Upton Sinclair, the first name of the son being the same as that of the father. MT. Sinclair, Sr, was for many years salesman for a local firm. He afterward formed the part nership of Sinclair Bros. & Co.,. whole sale liquor dealers. The same firm later went into the wholesale hardware business.
 When Upton, Jr, was 12 years old his parents moved to New York. Be- fore leaving Baltimore Upton, Jr., at- tended the public schools, and on reach ing New York continued his studies and prepared himself at the college of the City of New York for entrance to Columbia university. He paid his way through college by writing for news. papers and magazines.
 MT. Sinclair can boast a long line of ancestors of whom he has every req son to be proud. His grandfather on his fathers side was Capt. Arthur Sin clair of the United States and Confed- crate States navy. His great grand father was Commodore Sinclair of the United States navy. who commanded the Argus on the Great Lakes in the war of 1S12-14. He had several uncles in the Confederate army and navy. John Harden, his grandfather on his
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
BYo4R n ANSS SONSSun SD


10 Whom It May Coneern-Greet- ing The bearer, Mahmoud, is a dre- goman of monumental mendaeity an ] commercial Machayellism His aimu- lated efforts to faithfully serve us and protect our interests have had an al together negative effect Any one em- ploying him will find him possessed of moral turpitude and superlative consciousness of his own worth His knowledge of Egyptian history is enor- mously inconsequental, while his Eng lish* voeaoulary is amazing in it's va rlety of verbal catastrophies. We com mend him to travellers desirious of studying the native characteristics of the most geological stratum of society.
 "He has made lot of trouble for us and now we've got even by running him" said MT. Peasley.
 It seemed a joke at the time, but later on, when we thought it over. We felt sorry for Mahmoud and wished we had not taken such mean advan- tage of him. After all is said and done, a man must make a living.
 On our way back to Cairo from As. souan we stopped over at Luxor. Nah moud, by intuition or through tele- pathy, knew that we were coming and met us at the station. He was over joyed to see Us again.
 q showed your letter to a gentleman from the Kingdom of Ohio" said he, and it procured for me one of the best jobs I ever had"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

single handed and without the assis tance of a dragoman, who would come in for ten per cent commission. We told the dealer we would drop around later. So we went to the hotel and dis missed the dragoman-told him to go home and get good nights rest and be on hand at o'clock the next morn ing.
 After we were safely in the hotel MT Peasley confided his plans to us.
 ''I don't want to buy the stuff while that internal Mahmoud is along" he said. Why should he get rake off We didn't go to the shop on his recon mendation. Now I'll go over there by myself, pick out what I want and strike a bargain"
 We offered to go along and assist, SC we started up side street, and after we had gone a block Mahmoud stepped out from a doorway and said, Come I will show you the way" We told him we had just sauntered out for breath  of air. so we walked aimlessly around a block and were escorted back to the hotel.
 Ill go over the first thing in the morning." said MT. Peasley 'Ill be there at 8 o'clock, because he isn't due here until g."
 When he arrived at the shop early next morning Mahmoud was standing in the doorway wearing grin of dev fish triumph. MT. Peasley kept on walking and pretending not to see him. but he came back to the hotel mad all the way through.
 Were up against an Oriental mind reader, but I'll fool him yet" he de clared. When we come back to the hotel for luncheon and he is waiting for us with the donkey boys on the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

wheel, and placed the sauce in the middle in round space left vacant for 1t. This arrangement was always sym metrical. He disliked to see broken point, talked while eating, and ate, one might have thought, enough for two or three laborers.
 All the sons of Louis Philippe were bonnes fourchettes. and, without being tipplers, were fond of the high-cass French vintages. Two of them-Ne- mours and Joinville-exceeded the four score limit of age. Aumale attained his 76th year. The Due de Montpensier lived only to the age of 66, but his early death has been attributed to his habit of sharing the chocolate made for the duchess.
 She required half kilo of chocolate for each person of the petit deJeuner, with toast allowed to cool in toast rack. which she buttered thickly her self
 The Princess Clementine. now the only surviving child of Louis Philippe. has all her life been heavy eater, without, however, Bourbon excess. She is now 86 years of age.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

hotep wore when he passed away con fident in the belief that the Cook tour ist would never discover his hiding place.
 We visited the tomb in company with a bustling swarm of American excur- sionists of the happy, irreverent kind. The fact that they were strolling about in a private and highly aristocratlc sarcophagus did not seem to repress their natural gush of spirits or induce any solemn reflections. They were all steaming hot, but very happy and having a lot of fun with the King. One enterprising Yankee, who carried his coat and vest on his arm, started to climb over the wooden railing In order to make a close inspection of the mortuary remains, but was re- strained by the guards.
 Tn one of the smaller rooms just off inc royal tomb chamber there are three mummies lying side by side with the electric lights turned on them. It is supposed that these were the ser wants of the King, although a very late theory is that one of these is the mummy of the great Queen Hatasoo, brought here for safe keeping. Her tomb never has been discovered. It is the Captain Kidd treasure of the valley. She was a woman of great pride and was busy builder through out her long reign, and therefore it is reasonably certain that somewhere or other in this valley she excavated and decorated a tomb that will make all the others look commonplace. The ex- plorers intend to continue probing aoout in the valley until they discover tne gopher hole that leads away to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

| there on Friday, and the remnant sale of mummies was in full blast Here are some of the cut prices:
 Head of adult ............ 4 shillings. k oot of adult ............ l shilling. Hand of adult ........... l shilling. Two feet and two hands
 warranted mates) ...... shillings. Arm and head ........... 6 shillings. Special reduction for juvenile sizes.
 Can you imagine anything more disquieting to the nerves, when you are resting and getting ready for luncheon, than to have a villainous child of the desert rush up and lay Q petrified human head in your lap and beg you to make an offer? Within two minutes after we arrived we had fragments of former humanity stacked all around us. And they were unmis- takably genuine. The native swind- lers can make imitation scarabs and potteries, or else import them by the but the mummy heads which they offer for sale are horribly bona fide. It would not pay to manufacture an imi- tation article, inasmuch as the whole desert region to the west of ancient Inebes is a vast cemetery. If the mer- chants stock runs low he can go out with spade and dig up new supply just as farmer would go after arti- chokes or sweet potatoes.
 Our guide co-operated with the ghouls. He rushed about hunting up strange and grisly specimens and brought them to us and begged us to examine them and then pick out few for the loved ones at home. I re- gret to say that we did purchase a few of these preserved extremities. The guide said we could use them as paper weights.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

the end of the tunnel" continued MT Peasley. The four side walls were perfectly smooth and unbroken, but down at the bottom they found pit which had been filled with heavy stones. They supposed, of course, that this was the mummy pit, and that il they removed the stones they would find some royal remains at the other end of the hole. So they worked day after day, lifting out the boulders, and finally they came to the end of the pit and found that they had drawn blank Naturally they were stumped They thought they had been exploring a tomb. but it was only an April fool joke. One of the professors was not satisfied. He felt sure that there must be a royal cadaver tucked in some where about the premises, so he took a ladder and climbed around and be- gan tapping all over the walls of this second chamber. What do you think? He discovered that the wall had a hollow sound just opposite the tunnel at which they had entered. So he used a battering ram and broke through into the real tomb. Yes, sir; these two outer chambers, with their cheap stencil frescoes and fake mummy pit, had been a blind. After the French men got through this sealed-up wall they found themselves in a great big corridor leading to an assembly hall decorated to the limit, from which an- other corridor led to stil another large chamber surrounded by smaller apart ments, and in this last room, in a great big graniate coffin they discover ed nobody more or less than old Amenhotep himself. He had been ab- solutely secure in his privacy since lrJ0 B. c. I will now show you what they've done to him."
 We passed over a narrow wooden bridge and entered the tunnel beyond the second chamber. The whole place was brightly illuminated and one could readily believe that he was in mod ern hallway decorated in the most gorgeous Egyptian style. The border ing frescoes and the historical paint ings were as fresh in tone as if they had been put on only yesterday. One of the larger chambers looked ex- actly like the gaudy Oriental apart ment" of a Parisian New York hotel, and we shouldn't have been surprised or displeased to see waiter come in wltn a tray full of cool drinks.
 At last we came to the tomb cham Der. and there in a deep hollow, with modern wooden railing around 1t, reclined the great King Amenhotep, with the incandescent lamps dangling above him and flooding him in radi- ant light. The original granite cover of the outer case has been removed and plate glass substituted. We leaned on the rail and gazed down at the serene countenance of the once mighty monarch who had been lying there for $500 years. The funeral garlands which had been laid on his breast were still undisturbed, and the shrunken face was illumined by that calm smile of triumph which Amen
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
BIG EATERS HAVE COMFORT.
Some Famous Old Men Have Possessed
 Wonderful Appetites.

From the New York Sun.
 The man with a good appetite has a hard time nowadays. All the faddists are shouting that he eats too much.
 If he doesn't jump at the chance of fasting forty days he is snubbed. And if he doesn't joyously cut out two of his quondam three meals a day he is scorned.
 But once in long while he does get a little comfort. A writer in Truth gave him hope recently by telling about famous old men who had been hearty eaters.
 There was Victor Hugo, who, in the very stronghold of French chefs, kept an Irish cook who herself attended her master at table. She hated messes and gravies, and if she thought a dish unwholesome she refused to let him partake of it.
 She had her reward in the hearti- ness with which he ate of her roast and boiled viands-such as a leg of mutton, rib of beef, ham. gammon of | Wiltshire bacon and greens, dish one hardly ever tastes in France.
 She and Mime. Drouet, the tactfvl friend and secretary of Victor Hugo through the greater part of his liter ary career, were agreed in satisfying to the full his fondness for early spring vegetables and new potatoes. As he insisted on them being passed around the table, which was spread for many disciples, admirers, hangerson, they must have cost him a small fortune. Asparagus, which cost 20 cents and more a stalk, was often served, Hugo always taking a generous helping and then calling for more. He arranged the stalks circularly on his plate, with the points inward like the spokes of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

across the Nile in funeral barge MT. Peasley on the other hand, gave us an insight into the character of the willy Amenhotep.
 "Now, look at the entrance to this tomb" he said, as we started down tle new modern steps. ''It looks as if some one had been blasting for lime stone. The walls are rough and un- finished. Old Amenhotep figured that if any one ever came across the open fig of the tomb he would size up this ordinary hole in the ground and con- clude that it was either cave used as storehouse or the last resting place of some cheap two dollar off cial."
 After descending some twenty feet we came to a small chamber which was rudely frescoed about half of the way around.
 Do you know why he left this job unfinished?" asked MT. Peasley. "He knew that some day or other an in- quisitive foreigner would be prowling around here trying to uncover ancient treasures, and he put his measly little antechamber here to throw MT. Ar chaeologist off the sent. He wanted 1t to appear that the man who was buried here had been so poor that he couldn't complete the decorations. And now I'll show you something more foxy still. Come with me down this second flight of steps to the second chamber"
 He led us down another flight to tall chamber about the size of freight car stood on end.
 When the French explorer opened this place in 1898 the chamber which you are now inspecting seemed to be
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

and buying on our own hook.
 but we hated to acknowledge our selves beaten. At dusk that evening We started toward the shop, in a half hearted and experimental spirit, and presently We observed Mahmoud fol- lowing along fifty feet behind us. We went to the garden of a neighboring hotel and sat there until II o'clock. When we came out Mahmound was at the gateway. He said it was not al ways safe for travellers to be about the streets at night so he would protect Us and show us the way back to our hotel
 we found it impossible to get away from him. No Siberian bloodhound ever followed a convict's trail more closely. If we ventured forth, early or late, we found ourselves shadowed by that smiling reprobate. When it came to the last day in Luxor MT i Peasley did the bold thing. He per. mitted Mahmoud to escort him to the sLop, and then he said to the dealer: This man Is our guide, but he Is not entitled to any commission because he did not bring us to your shop. If he had recommended your shop in the first place we would not have come | here all. He Is bluff He is trying to ring in. l want to buy few things here, with the understanding that he doesn't get anything out of it. We have already paid him two salaries for guid- ing us and he isn't guide at all-- he's a night watchman."
 The dealer vowed and protested that he never paid commissions to any one. Mahmoud, not at all ruffled by the attack on his character, said that his only ambition in life was to serve the noble gentleman from the famous country known as Iowa. So Mir. Peas and Mahmoud looked on and then carried the parcel back to the hotel, walking respectfully behind the noble gentleman"
 Well, blew myself" reported MT. Peasley. And I'll bet thousand dol lars that Mahmoud gets his ten per cent"
 Whereupon Mahmoud smiled-the pensive, patronizing smile of civili- zation five thousand years old look { ing down on the aboriginal product of the western prairies.
 | On the morning of our departure ] from Luxor Mahmoud came around for his letter of recommendation. I had I worked for an hour to write something evasive which would satisfy him and rot perjure me too deeply. When he came to the hotel I gave him the fol | lowing:
 1 To Whom It May Concern: The l bearer, Mahmoud, has been our drago- l man for four days and has attended us faithfully at all hours; also, he has shown us as many temples as We wished to see.
 He looked up at the paper blankly and said, 'I do not read English At that Mr Peasley frightened up. He read the testimonial aloud to Mahmoud | and declared that it was incomplete and unworthy of subject matter. In ten minutes he completed the follow ing and the dragoman took 1t away wllh him, highly pleased:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

N F all the unusual things we saw Il in Egypt probably the tomb NJ of Amenhotep turned out to be the most interesting.
 One morning we rode across the Nile f.on, Inxor in broad and buxom sail hoat climbed on our donkeys and rode to the west. We followed the narrow road through the fresh helds of wheat and alfalfa until we struck the desert and then we took to dusty trail which leads to a winding valley, where the kings of the eighteenth. nineteenth and twentieth dynasties are being dug up.
 This narrow valley, with the steep bills rising at either side, is sure enough bitterness of desolation; not g tree. not a shrub, not blade of grass, not even a stingy little cactus. No wonder~the old kings picked out this valley for a cemetery. Life has no cnarm in this dreary region. Eternal sleep would seem to effer peculiar ad- yantages. After winding through the sun baked gravel for about a mile we came to a settlement of houses and a high fence thrown across the road way. Also there was an electric light plant buzzing away merr1ly. Ihe tombs of the kings are now strung with incandescent lights. Can you beat that for sacrilegious enterprise
 All the important tombs clustered together here in the valley have been opened within the last century. The drifting sands and the landslides of rock and gravel had buried and con cealed the entrances to these wonder ful subterranean apartments, and the work of the explorers has been to clear away the accumulation of centuries and lug out the hidden treasures. It is said to be fascinating game. When MT. Davis, the American, made his rich find in 1905 and first crawled into a huge chamber stocked with magnificent treasures of mummy cases, chariots, gold incrusted furniture and rare potteries 1t is said that he was 50 overcome that he fainted away. Wo could we'll believe the story, for we very nearly tainted away just from Itramping around through the various lsubways to inspect the endless array iof inscriptions.
 There are forty-one of these royal tombs that have been discovered and bopened to date. The less important Iare not lighted, and are mere tunnels Heading back to one or two bare cham tbers Those really worth visiting are I0ug far back into the hills. The halls are spacious and brilliantly decorated, anu before you get through exploring lone of them you think that you are lpretty we'll down toward the center of the earth.
 MT. Peasley had read up on the Tomb of Amenhotep Third and when i've entered 1t he pushed the regular guide out of the way and gave us one of his own vivid lectures. The native guide lacks imagination. His idea of showing the traveller a frolicsome time is to point out a lot of paintings ,in which the deceased is seen travelling
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17

N F all the unusual things we saw Il ! in Egypt probably the tomb
 NJ of Amenhotep turned out to
The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-17
APPLE BLOSSOMS.
Florists Way of Making Season Las
 Six Weeks Instead of One.

From the Washington Post
 Apple blossoms are among the few things that the florist does not raise himself. He gets the supply he needs for decorations at weddings and other functions from farmers and orchard ists.
 As the season of apple blossoms ap- breaches the florist sends out into the surrounding country prospector look ing for blossoms. His is neither so doubtful nor so dangerous a mission
The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-27

center, who is trying for an end posi-
ton, and is showing up well; Wilkin-
son, end for two years, who will play
at the same position; Batson and Pick
EFT, two guards, who are showing i'm
proved form this year; Penton. another
guard, who is fast developing into a
tackle: and Ware, who is playing well
at end.
OF the new men, Harris and Mcclure
are lighting 1t out for quarter. Har-
iris Is faster but Mcclure gives signals
better CAN'T is fighting hard for a
line position. and will probably make
good at either tackle orr guard. Davis
seems to have. the call atfcenter, as he
is passing well and showing. consid-
cradle aggressiveness. Woodruff Is
playing good game at end; and In the
back ffeld, Watkins. Sparkman, Hill,
Riddle. Gibson, Howell and Lacey arc
all fighting for a place.
Manager Wright has announced the
following schedule for the season: Oc-
tober s, Marysville College at Auburn;
october. 10, GAINESVILLE College at Au-
burn: October 81 Sewanee at Birming-
ham, November 3, SGeorgia Techs at At.
lanta: Nov. 10, Clemson at Clemson;
November II, Alabama at Birmingham
November 20, University of Georgia IN
Macon.