davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
s: You Can't Jolt New Yorker's Conceit.

see is Mamie, the belle of the canning room, walking across the floor to meet her steady.
 " You for me- says Clarence, without waiting for an introduction, and he picks Mamie off the floor and swings her into the first waltz.
 And nobody even kills him.
 Pshaw!" says Clarence. after the music stopped. "I I knew that these things had been advertised Why. down on our east side fin New York man would have been slain for doing that"
 Lamb Ready for Slaughter.
 "I told you to go as far as you like." says l. There isn't anything to this talk about these places being rough"
 knew 1t all the time," says Clarence. Just then Fatty comes up and whispers: i" For the love of my reputation for running Q decent place, take him away! I've got two of the boys locked in the ice box to keep them from coming out and tearing him limb from limb.'
 We'll had got Clarence started right, so took him away.
 wen go on to the next dance" says I; and led him to the hall above Kedrowiczs booze joint where they were having a Hun yak wedding dance. Another one of those fourfiush tough places" I says, contemptu- ouslike. Go In and help yourself Clarence, if you see anything that looks fit to dance with"
 He did. He grabbed the bride.
 go out to see Clarence every evening now. The nurse says he'll be able to go back to New York in another week Every time I come he says: "Who threw the bomb7 And tell him: "There must have been a magazine writer present. and those boys had been ordered to show off"
 He don't know whether to believe me or not. As he says: |" If wasn't from New York I'd actually believe that you were kidding me"
 o. pifiei It must be great to feel that way, what2
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
Mere Cog in the Office.

Charlie found the biz Chicago offices. 2 different proposition from the field work. In Chicago he was merely one little cog in a great big machine; on the road he had ire quently been the directing head of squad of men engaged in an undertaking of some magnitude.
 At this time Charlie looked at all hts work from the purely personal. selfish viewpoint. He was no more selfish than hundreds of others around him; he just happened to be more self-centered than the average, and his first thought usually was; What will this work mean for me-" and not e What will this work mean and how can do 1t the best wayT'
 Charlie was placed under the engineer in charge of a short division. upon which great many changes were being made changes that meant a straighter track, lesser grades, etc. The chief, John Temple-was a man Charlie had worked with In the field and in this work Temple had frequently dele gated important details to Charlie. Scarcely realizing the trend of his thoughts Charlie began to think that he was as well qualified as Temple to have charge of the division.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
'ake This as Straight Tip from One Who Knows: Y

one of the foolish little fatalities that barbar- fans con themselves with when they're up against more civilized race. The rough and uncouth party never can understand that there may be much manhood under good clothes as under a pair of oYeralls. No, Freddy, the fancied superior virility of the west is only baggy trousers. Have another snifter," says he.
 That was a way Clarence had of winding up his knocks. He'd sort of hammer you in the eye. and then spread the saIve over 1t in a way that made you want to forgive him. You're 6 lot of rummies out here," says he, " but have another drink" No, you can't reach over the table and mace guy like that: not the day before payday. anyhow. And yet. 1t did kind of burn, the easy way that Clarence classed us with the Fiji islanders.
 q have heard a lot about your stock yards dances. don't you know" says Clarence. after about the fifth round. Seen articles in the magazines about em. and all thats sort
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

~HE harm that a poor shipping room
 may do to firm Is seldom appreciated
 even by the most careful managers. \ Especially is this true of the small
 house. In such places there usually is one department that is slowed away down in the basement In a dark corner, even under the often damp sidewalk, and that is the shipping department. And yet there is no de- partment which helps much to create a favorable or unfavorable impression on the customer as this one. The customer orders his goods from the salesman's samples The samples always are bright and fresh. and the order is given on the assurance that the goods will arrive in similar condition. Yet there are few houses of any kind that do not find in each days mail one or more com plaints that goods have arrived in bad order,
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
7 Charlie His Own Judge !

..Yes. i'il go.s MT. Potts. though"-his at tempted smile was more like grin-"of course I'd prefer to do something of more importance"
 ..Everything that needs to be done in this office is important. Charlie" Potts replied kindly
 '.oh, know that"-charlie misinterpreted Potts smile of interest for sneer-'but some things are more important than others, and I feel that my work entities me to something more important"
 Maybe so. maybe so." Potts answered. "Pll think about 1t. You needn't bother to do this I'll get somebody else, and see what we can do for you
 Dick Hilton went to the suburb and Charlie sneered when he saw him leave the office on the jump.
 ''Dick's a fool to cheapen himself that way" Charlie commented mentally. He ought to have more pride in his work" r Potts began4to study Charlie a little more closely He had taken a great deal of inter est in the boy when he first came to the office, and had wondered frequently during the re- In talking about him with Temple, Potts said:
 Charlie does pretty good work, but he seems always looking for double meaning in.everything. He's always on the defensive He'd do lot better if he'd quit such tom- foolery."
 A few weeks later Potts discovered an error in the plans for new bridge on the northern Wisconsin division. A number of men had worked on these plans, including Charlie, and Potts, In an effort to discover how and by whom the error had been made. had talk with each of them. When Charlie
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

ATS off to the man who handles the al freight. He wears no brass buttons.
 rides in no vestfbuled Puilmans, doesn't get on to the first pages of the
 newspapers. and has no handsomely illustrated booklets printed advertising the swfftness and luxury of his trains. He can afford to leave all that sort of thing to hts brothers of the passenger service For he the freight man-is the chap who pays tne bills. In the last year. while the passenger business was collecting 100000 from the public, the freight man poured a golden flood of nearly two billions into the railroad strong box. But for him there would be no diYi- dends, no millions to spend for great ter minais long tunnels through the mountains. and rock ballasted double tracks over the plains.
 The conductor of the flyer" boots pol ished nails rnanicured, uniform spotless. is doubtless handsomer. But Mike and Tom and Johnny in their overafls and blue jeans are the men who make eighteen hour trains possible. When it comes to real railroading the passenger people are ladylike amateurs The freight men are the real thing
 Altogether there were s740O0,000 passen- gers who took railroad trips last year. In the same time 800 900 900 tons of freight went traveling. The average passenger journeyed thirty-two miles. The average ton of freight was hauled PAP miles. Freight trains. in the aggregate, covered almost ten times as many miles as passenger trains. And that gives the passenger serFice creoit for all the fussy little suburban runs that an able bodied freight man would laugh at.
 
 Freight Service Necessity.
 Passenger service Is a convenience and 6 luxury. Men can ride horseback or walk. if that Is necessary. But when 1t comes to moving steel. and flour. and pianos, and luni- Der. and hard coal 1t takes freight cars. and lots of them. The freight train is the real agent of civilization. It is the real creator of wealth. After the explorers and the pio- neers and the missionaries have worked for years and made little impression. the open ing of 6 good active freight line will in a year turn bowling wilderness into a center of sweetness and light.
 In 1890 total of &. 900 tons of freight was laboriously carted over the mountains to the Pacific coast along the old Santa Fe trail Today. running along practically the same rou<e, a single freight train carries 500 tons of freight straight through to San Fran cisco. In twelve hours a single road will haul as much over the naounta aims as 1t took twelve months to transfer fifty years ago.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

I. And. say. Clarence. If you see a good looking girl that you want to cop out, just take her. See? Don't let the fact that lot of rude guys are looking cross stop you"
 Never" says Clarence. 1T understand all about that
 That's right" says I. And now C1ar- ence, you just excuse me for few minutes, cause I've got to run out and see friend You wait right here I'll be back in ten minutes"
 l went straight over and saw Fatty Fla herty who was running the dance up at Mahaffeys hall that eve
 Fat" I says when come up with a friend. tip every body off to leave him alone. no matter what he does, see? If he kills a fiddle player. apologize for having him in the way. Get mel"
 Sure" says Fat. [" You owe me so much money I'm afraid to lose me standAn with you"
 About Clarence and breeze into the wax at Mahaffeys. and the first thing we
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
Clarence Wise All Right.
By HENRY BOWLES.

And Bill. an IS year old boy on $7 a week, who packed the order in a dark hole under the stairway-the rest of the shipping room being crowded with other orders-grumbles and says: "Aw, I packed that all right; sure did. You needn't lay it to me; ain't to blame for that"
 Bill is right; he isn't to blame. The man ager Is, If he is responsible for making the shipping room what 1t Is. In the first place, Bill at $7 week isn't the proper person to brota; in the second, the dark hole under the stairway was no place to pack in; and, third the shipping clerk, at $16 week and work ing overtime every night. couldn't be ex-
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

that they were poorly packed. and that, any how, they weren't like sample.
 The course of business system then runs something like this: The manager hurries into the shipping room with the letter in his hand. ' Here. Smith, look at this. Those goods we shipped to Nelson & Spindt at zum- brota. Minn.. have arrived in awful shape. What's wrong with this end of the house? Huh?"
 Bill packed that order" says the shipping clerk. 70. Bill, come here. How many times do I have to show you how to pack goods? Here's that order for Nelson & Spindt arriving on the bum"
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

blizzard blowing and the mercury 20 below. there are many promenades more enticinx than the narrow, wind swept top of nov ing freight car.
 Now the train Is running up through the mountain country, and the brakemen are con- stantly "out on the roof" ready to rein force the air" with the hand brakes If any thing goes wrong. If the grade is steep two and often three extra engines are coup led on to help the long train over the d. vide
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

of thing. I don't suppose that they really exist as they've been written about. but if it's possible I'd like to take one in, don't you know, old top
 
 Time Needed to Recover. sat kind of still for three or four seconds after that. letting those words seep In with out letting Clarence see how they d joNed me "'' How have they been written about, Clar- ence?"sa says T, soft and ignorant like. '' Decidedly picturesque. you know he yaps. Fierce rivalry for the favors of the ladies. Primitive attitude of the men toward their rivals. Fierce jealousies. disorder, and all that"
 I kept lamping steadily at the floor and looking foolish. .'.-@ Anything about riot murder, and sudden deathY' says l.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
Thinks Chiefs Ae.in.. Him.

Charlie's interest in himself and his desire to advance made him do good work. however. and he did not manifest any of the symptoms of sensitivitis until six months later. He had been sent out in the summer to take charge of the work on a stretch of track that was being changed to avoid a steep grade The work had been well done. the chief en- gineer having praised it, and Charlie was somewhat miffed when he was given the old place under Temple upon his return to the office.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

entered his private office Potts tried to speak kindly.
 Charlie he said with smile. "it looks like you're the goat"
 "What Is ity'
 ''why these Rawton bridge plans. There's s an error in the calculations. I've asked all the others who worked on them but you, and it looks like it's up to you"
 Goods" Found. on Charlie.
 Charlie bristled. T didn't make any error in my part" He thought another attempt , was being made to humiliate him. 5hg aSt Lets look 'em over and ses," rotss re piled quietly. 5ys
 The two went over the plans ana presently found wherein Charlie had forgotten to com plete plus sign, leaving It minus. He ad- mitted the error was his f |
 That's caFelessness, Charlie Potts re- marked. but carelessness at times Is just as bad as ignorance" sSs charge of a division, with Charlie under him. One of the other men in the offlce. who knew of Charlies attitude toward Potts and Dick, said: Charlie, that's not fair You're en- titled to that place. wouldn't stand for it." I'm not going to-" Charlie answered in dignantly
 That afternoon he went to Potts.
 '.See here, MT. Potts" he began belligerent- ly. don't you think I'm entitled to some consideration when you're making promo tions?' :. ..certainly, my boy [ always consider you when there is Higher piece 70 bs tiiied and I think you are competent ste All tt.y
 
 Time for " Plain Talk
 "It doesn't look that way" Charlie sneer- ingly replied. I'm a good workman. I've done a lot of work in this ofice. I've put in a lot of extra time, have come down at night. worked late in the afternoon, done odds and ends when I was asked to- filled in half a dozen places when men were absent. I've always kept myself free to answer any call from the office. I know I'm competent" Charlie = Potts spoke slowly -" I'm going to talk plainly to you. It may hurt. but 1t will help if you're the kind of man think you are. You are a good workman,
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
By STOCKYARDS FREDDY.

Yes. yes. And distinctly tribal custom of assaulting stranger on the scene"
 Yes?" says I. still looking foolish.
 Yes" says Clarence. but of course I know it's all bunk. These magazine writers go around and tell the police captains what they want to see, and the police fix up the show for them. All made to order"
 Sure" says I. By this time was feeling happy inside. and 1t wasn' t the drinks either Nevertheless, wouldn't mind taking in one of your celebrated balls, if convenient" says Clarence.
 70, there isn't much to 'em," says I. {" Hardly exciting enough for you"
 Clarence Wise All Right.
 "I understand" says Clarence. But mere curiosity, you know
 "Then we'll drop in on one tonight" says
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

When his engineering course was completed Charlie applied for. and was granted, a transfer to the engineering department He worked on the road for a couple of years
 gaining practical experience as a surveyor and engineer and at the end of that time was brought back to the Chicago office
 His salary at this time amounted to $lU0 a month and he felt we'll pleased with himself
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
n Who Handles the Freight Is the One "

And when 1t comes to real head work and good management, the passenger men are mere children in comparison. Here's single city freight yard more than five miles long. All told. 1t has couple of hundred miles of track. and there are nearly 1.20o separate switches to be operated. Into that yard on busy day 250 big freight trains may run. bringing 5000 freight cars. loaded with mil- lions of dollars worth of goods, bound east and west and north and south. Every one of those trains may have to be split up Into its units and the cars bound In the same direction united again into new trains. The man who has that work to do Is the yard master, and his job is one that ouid drive any passenger person into an insane asy ltirn.
 Inspection at Rush Speed.
 As each new train .puffs into the yard 1t is run first Into that division set apart for the kind of freight 1t carries--west bound forif- stance. Its engine goes snorting away to the roundhouse for a cleaning up It's caboose, with the crew aboard, is pulled on to the caboose tracks, where it lies until the yard master Is ready to tack 1t on behind newly made up train bound back east. Meanwhile the inspectors are busy booking after the con oition of the loaded cars, Is their running gear In good shape? Is there anything to prevent their being sent on towards their destination? Here's a car of L-C-L Hess than carload lot--freight. with wheelin bad condition. It Is cut out instantly and sent hurrying down to the transfer house to be unloaded
 The inspection must be over in fifteen min utes-fifteen minutes in the. middle of the night, with a bowling blizzard blowing. When a new train backs into the yard every six minutes there is need for haste switch engine couples on to the cars that have passed and away they go down to the end of the yard and up on the 1" hump. The hump Is a high grade sort of artificial hill, with a gentle incline leading up to 1t. All the tracks which spread out Nike a fan on the floor of the level yard below run 10 a point at the " hump" By changing switches a car can be sent by gravity down the hump Ion to any track desired. A single dumpy little switch engine operating on the hump " will spkt a long freight train into It's component parts and redistribute the cars on the proper tracks in less time than 1t takes to describe IL.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

xHE worst part about Four Eyed Clar- ence was that he was from New York.
 Not permanently from there. you know. old top he says. Just for a
 little stay. A fellow can't really live any other place you know. after he's lived there once"
 "or twice" says L "The second time ought to finish any decent, respectable sou. for good.
 70. now" says he. that's old stuf1 However I will order another one of these vile Chicago drinks, If you will permit"
 ' will says l. for as l say. the worst thing about Clarence was that he was from New York.
 Outside of that he was almost as decent as If he'd been born just east of the yards. Me and him was getting acquainted. Clarence had come out west to how we ran the stocky ards, and they'd called me into the office and told me to take Clarence out and show him how the loading gangs worked didn't take him out the first day because it was near o'clock. and I saw that Clar- ence was there with a wad of spending money that never had been used. That was how We came to be sitting in OLeary's back room, and Clarence was asking me did we ever have any good shows out here? and all those sort of questions that we spring when we get out at Sandy Point. Wyo
 
 Hospitality Allows Nc Break. 70" I says. "I admit that you're per. fectly right in looking at this mans town as a second hand shanty town, populated by lot of cannibals. We're far from being civi- lized and alLthat, but you will admit that we have got backbone and sand out here We don't keep our pants as well creased as you do Clarence. but won't you please own up that we do grow men?"
 You see I had to be nice to him. You can't rise up and murder Q gick who's ordering faster than you can think of ways to get rid of 'em.
 Dear boy" says Clarence. that's only
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12

The assistant engineer had charge of the details of the office management and Charlie at once decided the assistant chief did not like him In his own thoughts on the sub ject Charlie said to himself:
 'old Potts [the assistant chief has got 1t in for me because won't get down on my knees to him. He may be a lsod engineer all right, but he's not . little tin god even if he does think he Il"
 when Temple was transferred to the head of another and larger division and his place was given to another man Charlie wasicon- vinced that Potts had 1t in for him." A few days later extra work necessitated hay ing some of the members of the force work at night for a week. Mr.Potts asked Charlie to be one of these, in company with several others who were unmarried
 "Huh," Charlie said to himself, The wants to rub 1t in now and make me eat dirt-ask- ing me to come down here at night to do work that the newest man in the office could do."
 From this moment the onesided case of antagonism developed rapidly. Potts was not aware that Charlie felt himself sighted or abused but this did not prevent Charlie from nursing his grudge and twisting all of Potts words and actions into an intended slight.
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
Bx PHILLIP R. KELLAR.

lie and Dick were the only men in the ofiice who were not engaged at the time on more important work. Charlie didn't like 1t. He thought the work was beneath him, and that Potts was simply trying to rub it in" How ever. he quickly decided that he wouldn't give old Potts an excuse to hre' him and said with what he thought was good effort to be facetious:
The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-12
Bosey Now Fully Developed. :.

,A'feiiow employe Dick Hilton, who had entered the ofices at the same time with Charlie, began to forge to the front. Dick was quick. courteous, always willing to do whatever he was asked to do. and appeared anxious to do even more. Charlie, his sem sitivitis being fully developed thought Dick was a syeophant.
 He'd lick old Potts hand if they told him to- Charlie thought Well, he can get along that way if he wants to. but none of 1t for mine. I'll not knuckle down to any body just because he happens to be a little higher up in the business world-I don't care who he is."
 One day Rotts asked Charlie to go out to one of the suburbs and help make little survey. It was an easy task one that was usually delegated to the beginners but Char