davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

- HE Merry -Happies were the fun
NEST little people you ever saw.
They lived In a Great Wood, and
- they had no towns or cities. Their
houses were In pretty little caves
under great cool rocks, and their play
grounds were the hillsides and meadows.
But only one Human ever saw the Merry
Go-Happies. They were not fairies, not
at all like them; but they were never
seen by just People. They had way of
hiding away In some secure little nook
or Granny whenever n Human came along
within eyeseeing or ear-hearing of them
So. no one of the Human Family-ex-
cept one-ever saw a Merry-Go-H Happy.
There was a great band of the Merry
Go-Happies, and they lived in the sweet
est relations. No two of them ever got
to quarrelling, for they were like good
brothers and sisters, were the Merry-Go-
Happies If they had been like Ordinary
Children. or Plain Human Beings of any
age and size and station In life, they
would have been discovered by People
long ago, for creatures with Vanitles ana
Faults and Bad Dispositions are always
visible to the eye of his fellows. But the
Merry Go Happies had no Vanities or
Faults of any kind. They were really and
truly Good.
They loved having picnics, SO one day In
early summer-to be exact 1t was the
last of June-the erry-Go-H appies de-
cided to hold such a festivity under a
great spreading oak in the meadow. Now,
In this same meadow roamed those four
legged animals commonly called cows.
do not know what name the Merry-Go-
Happies called them. And to this meadow
of mornings came a Boy, driving the
Cows thither. And of evenings he came
again, to drive the Cows home.
Well, the Merry Go Happies decided to
hold their picnic so early in the morning
that they would be through with their
frolic before the Boy and the Cows came.
But they were just In the midst Of their
funmaking, when 10! here came the Boy,
whistling, and the Cows. They were
quite close to the Merry-Go- Happies be-
fore the latter realized their proximity.
Then there was no time to rush for the
depths of the Great Woods, so the Oldest
of the -Happies (and a very
wise fellow, tool, whispered to his COM
rades: Turn your coats so as to re-
semble blossoms, and perch yourselves on
the tops of the weeds!'
All did as told, and you never saw such
a pretty sight. There, seemingly from
the tops of common weeds, blossomed the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
~ \ LITTI e PRINCE.
~

while. am never, never alone for a
moments am with my tutors every
morning; then I sit with the duchess,
my mother, for an hour. And then l go
for ride In the park with my riding
master. Then l have luncheon with my
French governess. After luncheon l am
allowed to sit on the lawn with some
members of the palace or to go for a
walk with my ever-present Johnson.
This morning ! felt too Ill to go riding,
and begged to be allowed to stroll about
the ground In search Of butterflies. And
that is how I happened to meet with you.
I wish ! might be allowed to play with
you every day. get very lonely. with
only dukes, duchesses and people of the
court circle to talk to-
But don't you have playmatesf" asked
Davey.
Yes. ! sometimes have the young
Duke Of Dandy and the little Princess
Marie to visit me, but they are SO quiet
and stupid. The duke only wants to
read fairy stories and the princess to
play at being queen, for she Is to
marry me when we are grown up. But
l don't care for fairy stories nor for
playing ! am king, for being king will
come soon enough after l am grown.
want to run and romp through the
woods. / want to go to the village on
market days aud to eat my dinner at one
of the noisy, common taverns-to mix
with the people OF every kind and to
talk with them and to learn all the
things they know. We at the palace
know so little. oh, it is very tiresome,"
And again the little prince sighed deeply.
They had now reached the bridge, and
Davey baited the hook and gave it to the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26


fetch Mother here and let her see for her
self just how beautifully the weeds have
blossomed out; and no two of the bios
SONS of the same color"
Then the Boy ran off homewards, and
the Cows, seeing the tempting tender
blossoms on the weeds, decided to taste
them, with a view to eating them up II
they pleased the tongue. But the first
Cow that put out her tongue met with
a tickling little hand, for the MerryGo
Happy she had tackled decided to make
her let go, and reached out a strong lit
tie hand with sharp hngernails. The
nails tickled the Cows tongue so that
she quickly turned away, and flung her
head in air as If saying: II don't relish
the tickling sensation of that blossom
1t Is not as tasty as a buttercup. Guess
| don't want any more of these Towering
weeds"
Then the Cows, not liking the new bios
SONS that had sprung up In the meadow
since their departure from 1t on the pre-
yious evening, decided to move on to
another spot, and old Brindle led the
march.
After the last Cow was a safe distance
off, the Merry Go-Happies laughed heart
lily to themselves, and one of them said :
WELL this has been a very jolly exper-
fence. But we'd better go home, for
pretty soon the Boy may return, bring
ing with him his Mother. And we don't
want to be obliged to cling here till they
have examined each of us in turn. And
who can tell-the Mother might discover
what we are. Mothers are very shrewJ
and knowing, you know. There Is only
one other being SO wise as they-a Faith
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

But I think your mother will be
awaiting your lordship on the lawn near
the palace advised the attendant.
We'll, she has other company" replied
the young prince. land 1t pleases me to
go over by the bridge for half an hour.
There can be no objection to my doing
so, l hope And Prince Henry looked
hopefully into his attendants face.
"Wel-l-l, l am not SO sure about that,
my lord" replied the attendant. III the
duchess should think 1t out of place for
you to go there in the company of-of-
the gardeners children, should have the
blame cast upon me, you know"
There is nothing to cast blame on any
one" replied young Prince Henry But
If there should be any question of fault
1t is mine l shall take 1t upon my own
shoulders, Johnson"
Every well. my lord" replied johnson
In a resigned manner. Il shall accom-
pany you wherever you say"
Then, to Davey's pleased astonishment,
young Prince Henry asked him to lead
the way to the best fishing place on the
rivers bank, remarking that he would be
glad to try his luck, II Davey would
allow him the use of his line and hook
for little while.
AS they walked along over the park
path, shaded by mighty trees, Prince
Henry talked most entertainingly 10
Davey. But also he drew Davey out OF
his reticence, and made him speak OF
himself. How do you pass away all your
timer" he asked him.
"Oh, go to school during the winter"
replied Davey. "And during the summer
| play In the cottage yard, go fishing or
hunting for wild flowers or go to the VII
lage on errands. And l also work In the
garden. Oh, l know ever so many things
about flowers-the condition of the soil
at planting and how to keep them bear
ing"
"Oh, how free and happy you are,'
said Prince Henry. And he drew long
sigh. Both Davey and Rosey looked at
him questioningly. And they were sur
prised to see how pale and unhappy ne
looked. His face had not the rosy, sun
burnt hue of their own round cheeks.
And he was dressed too fashionably for
comfort and play. His hands were small
and white and looked so helpless. Ger
tainly, Dayey could throw him easily In
a wrestling contest. and could do 1t with
one arm. And he knew he could out.
distance him in a running match.
"You see, although I am prince.
cannot have what want" conhde1
Prince Henry In low tones. johnson
was safe distance behind his young
charge, and the little prince could talk
without being overheard by him. Nov
should love to have your freedom
said Nthe prince. Il should enjoy being
out withn.,t 1nhnson'a arA ON me all tho
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
Brave Mia ROGERS. Story Of Little Heroine:

GUS injury, If not from death.
After the confusion attending the acct
dent had subsidized, and Marie was found
to be unhurt, save for slight scorching
of one of her wrists, the crowd gave Its
attention to the little girl who had
proven herself heroine. II want you to
come to my. house tomorrow, darling"
whispered Mrs Smith, mother of Marie,
to Mia. II cannot tell you how deeply
grateful l am for your brave service to
my little girl tonight, but l hope to
show my gratitude in some way. Will
you come, deare?'
'Oh, Mrs. Smith, you owe me nothing
FOR having put out the fire which had
caught Marie's DRESS declared Mia. II
love Marie, and my first thought was to
save her.
Yes, and you exposed yourself to the
names, dear" said Mrs. Smith.& Your
own froek Is sheer and extremely in
nammable, and you might lave been fred
from Maries dress"
1 never thought of myself" said Nita.
But l did think of those bad lanterns.
ana said to myself, No more torn Ian
terms, even If they are cheap You see,
the wind blew In through one of the
torn places In the paper and caused the
candles flame to flare and catch the
paper. Then all was up with the Ian
term"
And almost up with me, Nita."
laughed Marie, who was now wrapped
up In coat belonging to one of the
boys of the reception committee.
well, | shall have to take Marie
home, l guess, and change her burnt-up
dress for better one" said Mrs Smith.
"Oh, how thankful | am that the dear
child was not hurt"
On, | don't want to go home" de-
clared Marie. Let me finish my recita-
ton. And l haven't had any ice-cream
yet, nor pickles. l don't mind being
In this coat-if Jimmy doesn't mind my
wearing it,
And Mrs. Smith, being coaxed by all
the children, decided to remain at the
party with Marie, just as she was, and
to allow her to finish her recitation. But
before she went on with 1t, sac was
taken into Mrs. Powers house, where
her arm was wrapped in oiled cotton;
for, while the fame had only scorched
a small place on her wrist, her mother
feared 1t might pain her unless it was
attended to at once
Then the entertainment was resumed,
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

ton.
But the Mother only shook her head
YES, you've got a scratch on your wrist
somehow, Son." she said. But 1t did
not come from Weed Blossom. There
are no blossoms here in the meadow. You
were INDUCING in a day-dream. Come,
wake up, and let's go home. Butt
wonder why the Cows have gone away
down yonder to that rocky placel Here
grows the best grass, and here they u.s.
ually remain"
II don't know" said the Boy slowly,
scratching his head And IL / was
dreaming while awake-well, the bios
SONS looked realp' Then he went off
homewards with his Mother, and as they
went along the Boy kept wondering and
wondering, for he knew he had not been
dreaming, and he knew he had not been
fanciful.
And never again did the Boy or the
Cows see the Merry Go Happies, for that
same summer the dear funny little peo-
pie decided to travel to country now,
and they went away towards the Moon,
where, it Is supposed, they took UP their
abode, and no doubt the Old Man In the
Moon knows them well, and goes frolick-
ing with them on the occasions of their
picnics.
And no Human Beings-save that one
Boy--ever beheld the Merry Go Happies,
and no animals-save those cows-ever
saw them, either; and no one would
believe that the Boy saw blossoms on
weeds, and as the Cows could not talk
to verify his statement, the MerryGo-
Happies left the earth without being dis.
covered.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

most comical recitation that was inter-
rupted repeatedly by suppressed laughter
which her cleverness called forth, when
of a sudden a blaze just over her head
caused many to cry out In alarm. one
of the defective lanterns had caught on
fire and was dangerously near to Marie.
Instantly the crowd was on Its feet,
men and women rushing toward the stage
where the surprised Marie stood dumb
founded, for she did not realize that one
of the lanterns was on fire just over her,
and wondered at the commotion and loud
outcries.
But almost at the very moment when
the fame shot out from the ignited
paper of the lantern the flaming mass
fell and struck Marie's shoulder and
skirts as 1t went to the stage beside her.
And before the excited crowd could reach
her, awe-stricken and motionless, her
thin frock flaming abont her, Nita had
leaped from a seat within a few feet of
the stage and had thrown Marie to the
stage, rolling her In the rug on which
she had been standing.
few minutes later 1t occurred to
every one that Nita had saved the life of
been so confused that not one of them
had bethought himself of the rug Sew
eral men had begun to jerk off their
coats in which to smother out the fire
in Marie's frock, but not one of them
could have reached her in time, for Mia
was beside her just at the moment her
dress caught on fire, and her bravery and
thoughtfulness saved the child from seri-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

fine program would now be enjoyed. Then
he called Marie Smith, dear little girl
of nine, to the small platform which had
been erected in one corner of the yard.
But before we go any further we must
tell you how nicely the little lawn-stage
was decorated. Flags were draped most
artistically about it, and bright rug
covered the floor. which was of or
binary boards, and which had been put
In place by the boys of the committee
on preparation" The largest lanterns
were hung directly above the stage and
held very large candles, thus giving an
added luster to the spot where the enter
tainers should stand.
Little Marie made her pretty bow
while the generous handclapping greeted
her appearance on the stage. 'She got
a reception" whispered Jimmy to Laura.
Then the little lady began to recite
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

go anywhere alone-like an ordinary boyl
1t was not so fine being a prince. after
ALL
Just then johnson looked at his watch
and reminded his young lordship of the
hour, remarking that luncheon would be
awaiting him.
With sigh young Prince Henry arose
from the log, handed the fishing rod to
Davey, saying: II shall remember this
half hour in your company with the
keenest pleasure. and II the opportunity
comes, I shall repeat It." Then he went
Off toward the palace. his face serious
and sad
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
The Merry-Go-Happ

brightest little flowers you ever beheld.
Each Merry Go-Happy hid his face under
his coat so as to prevent the Boy and the
Cows from looking into his face. And
how tightly they hung on to their re-
could not have blown them Off
When the Boy entered that part of the
meadow where the Merry Co appies
were decorating the weeds, he looked
about wonderingly. "Why, on my word,
IL the weeds haven't burst into blossoml
Whoever saw such a miracle? l must
pick some of them and carry them home
to show to Mother. Won't she be amazed
to see flowers growing on weedsr'
Then the Boy tried pulling one of the
Merry Go-Happies from the stem to which
he so tenaciously chung. But he soon let
go, for little Merry Go Happy had sharp
little toenails, and he scratched the Boy S
hand whenever 1t grasped hold of him.
So the Boy gave up, saying: II must
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
BY MAUD WALKER.

~ AVEY was the gardeners son, and
lived in a pretty, Uncovered cot.
tage in the grounds not far from
~ the palace. Any time that Davey
went into the yard in front of his
house he could see the great turrets of
the palace rising among the trees, and
a fve-miunte's walk would take him to
the rear gate which admitted one to
the private grounds about the very pal
ace itself.
And Davey had n lovely little sister
two years his junior. Dayey was IL
years of age.) And he and the little
sister, whose name was Rosey, played
SO happily together, going all about the
big backgrounds belonging to the pal
ace. And If they wanted to go fishing
In the clear, pretty little river that ran
half n mile from their cottage, they
could do So Indeed, Davey and Rosey
had a most delightful time. And they
had kind, loving parents who INDUCED
them In anything that was good Tor
them to do or to have.
But at the palace lived young prince
who would some day be a king. And
this young prince was Dayey's envy.
How he longed to be a prince himself
living in palace. The young prince
had private tutors, and never went to
the public school as did Davey and
Rosey. And Davey envied him such
privileges.
One. day while the young prince-whose
name was Henry--was about in the pal.
ace grounds, catching butterflies with a
ba
and Rosey happened to meet him In the
path leading to the river. Dayey re-
spectfully raised his cap to the prince
and Rosey bowed and smiled sweetly.
The young princes face flushed with
pleasure, for he had often envied the
moor gardeners son, though Davey did
not know it.. ace M
/. "Good morning. said Prince Henry.
Are you off fishing on this beautiful
morningT'
should speak to him, and became con-
fused and could not reply at once. But
Rosey, who was always at her ease,
said: Eyes, brother and l are going to
fish over there by the BRIDGE
Just at this moment the princes at
tendant came up and asked his young
lordships pleasure in remaining longer
in the park or returning to the palace.
He cast a questioning eye ON Davey and
Rosey. What right had the gardeners
children to be III the princes company.
he asked himself
II wish to 60 over by yonder bridge
and watch this young boy catch FISH,"
said young Prince HA---
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

er. SO we'd better go home at once 10
avoid discovery"
The other Merry -Happies agreed
with the speaker, and all hurried out of
the meadow. They had scarcely reach
ed the edge of the Great Woods when
the Boy returned to the meadow, bring
ing with him his Mother. And she. look
ing all about her, said: why, Son. see
nothing unusual about these weeds. You
must have been dreaming, to fancy they
had blossoms them. They are just as
common and ugly as ever. What could
have taken possession of your imagi-
nation2'
The Boy looked about in a dumfound-
ed way. well" he said, ~ did see
blossoms on these weeds, hundreds of
them, and l tried to pick one of them off,
but 1t scratched my hand so that I let
1t alone. See, here's the place 1t scratch
ed me. too" And the Boy held out a
scratched wrist for his Mothers nspee
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
DIAGONAL.
AN EASY REBUs.

This diagonal contains eight words OF
eight letters each. If the words are
rightly guessed and written one below an
other their diagonal letters. beginning
with the first letter of the first word and
ending with the last letter OF the last
word. will spell the name of very sweet
flower. The cross-words are: !. People
who journey on foot to some sacred place.
q Meaning sociability. 3. One who lives
In close proximity to us. 4. A country
laborer. s. Certain boards used In
house. 6. A liquid distilled from WOOD
which IL used to preserve timber. 7. A
ANAL fresh-water shellfsh. 8. A human
being.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

young prince, who sat down on a fallen
log and began angling for inny. Pretty
soon he caught one, but Davey had to
show him about pulling 1t from the wntef
and removing 1t from the hook. 'Oh,
isn't 1t wonderful that I should catch Il
fsh-just like any boy?" cried the prince.
"Oh, isn't it nice to be just boy-and
not a prince?'
Davey looked at the prince and won
dered at his words. And he-Davey-
with all his freedom, had longed to
change places with the prince. who, after
all, was not happy, and whose life would
be guided by others, and who could not
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
HIDDEN NAME PUZZLE.

The name of an English poet is hidden
In the following sentences. Each SEN
tence contains a one-syllable word whose
initial letter helps to spell the name. Find
the words and write them one below an
other-in the order of the sentences in
which they appear--and the poets name
will appear before you spelled by the ini-
rial letters.
!. A king is not always happier than
an ordinary man.
2. To live long one must eat with eau
ton.
3. Art is a goddess who makes many
demands of her lover.
4. A catchy tune makes popular song.
8. The warmth of the sun brings bios.
SONS into being.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
Why Sea Shells Murmur.

nNE is often perplexed by the MUIR
muring sounds that come from a sea
" shell, but really there is no reason
for this. The sound Is not the echo Of
the waves. The hollow form of the shell
and its polished surface enable 1t to re-
ceive and return the beatings of all
sounds that chance to be III the air
around the shell. There are many super
stitions regarding the murmuring Of the
sea shells.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

and everything passed off pleasantly; and
at $50 o'clock all wended their way
homeward. And II little Nita could have
overheard the many fine things said in
praise of her that night she would have
gone to bed with a beating heart. Not
that 1t would nave made her foolishy
vain, for she was made of finer metal
than that; but the many words of praise
would have added to her happiness, no
doubt. md for long time she was
known as 'Nita, that little heroine"
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
PRIMAL ACROsTIC.

This acrostic contains six words OF
four letters each. If the words are right
" guessed and written down it Will be
found that their initials will spell that
which we like to have on the floor. The
cross-words are /. A kind Of SOIL 2.
female relative. 8. A garden tool 4.
delicate color. s. That which means
wickedness. 6. A part of a wagon wheel.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
zIGzAG PUZZLE.

All the words contain the same number OF
letters. II the words are rightly guessed
their zigzag letters, beginning with the
upper left-hand letter and ending with
the lower lleft-hand letter, will spell the
name of one of Americas greatest gen.
erals. Cross words are: !. An alcoholic
beverage. @ The form In which metals
are taken from the mine. 3. meadow
or grassy plain. 4. A small. busy insect.
g. metal
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
BEHEADINGs.

I. Behead something used In digging
and leave a poor shanty. 2 Behead a
male harnyard fowl and leave garden
Implement 8. Doubly behead little
bird and leave q weapon which was used
- the savage Indians.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26
CURTAILINGs.

l. Doubly curtail a place where mer.
chandise Is sold and leave to enumerate.
2. Triply curtail to link closely together
and leave an ornament worn in ladies'
hair. 3. Triply curtail body Of troops
and leave a sailing vessel.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-26

- HE girls and boys were preparing
for a lawn fete. There were six
on the committee of preparations.
- Harry Dean, Laura Brown. Mia
and Charlie Rogers, and Maude
and Jimmy Powers They were all nearly
of an age, ranging from II to IA. Harry
was the chairman of the committee. for
he had served in such capacity before.
I'VE must have plenty of Chinese
lanterns" he said one evening during
COMMITTEE meeting" which was being
held in Charles den.
Then he appointed Charlie and Maude
as a committee of two to look after the
lanterns They went the following morn
ing to a little shop where Chinese goods
were for sale, and got a fine supply of
pretty, gay-colored lanterns
That same afternoon the committee met
again and approved of the purchase. all