davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Her Last Journey

Many people had lived in the old house since Sir Harry Franhland left 1t, but none of them for any length of time, and now it had been for some years quite abandoned
 In 1t was still much of the old furnt- ture left there by Sir Harry and some left by other occupants. The last occu- pants, it was said, had been a mysterious French family.
 And now 1t Is time to tell how it hap I pened that the ghosts were building fires which sent the smoke out of the great
 chimney of the abandoned mansion. Some miles beyond Oldtown. further on toward the west, an irregular cluster of | farmhouses made the little village of 1 Needmore. Thither there came one day at the time of this story a weary, pale, sick-looking woman. struggling along on foot toward Boston, and with her two children, a boy of and a girl two years younger.
 Before an old red farmhouse on the brow of a hill the exhausted woman sank down to rest. She could go no further and sent the boy to the farm house to ask if she might stop there a few hours until she felt able to continue her journey.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Correcting Mistakes

Two more years of college life passed rapidly for Horace and Harry and im- mediately after their graduation came Harry's marriage
 Although he had once said that hs would never make his home in England he found that circumstances were too strong for him--his duty lay there, and Sir Harry returned with his bride to the home of his ancestors. where he proposed to study for orders in the church of England
 As for Horace, he studied law and es- abolished himself in Boston, where the influence of the kitterys, and others soon secured for him lucrative prac- tice. In hard work he sought to forget Tina-but she was always in his thoughts or at the back of them
 Some years passed, Ellery and Tina returned to America, Tina no longer gay and buoyant, but evidently worried and perplexed. Ellery became moro wild and reckless than ever and at last fell in political duel.
 Of course, after a proper period of mourning, Ellery's widow married the man she ought to have married at first, and Horace and his wife went on their wedding trip to visit Sir Harry and Lady Esther in England. Next weeks one page classic will bs Castle Dangerous by Sir Walter Scott
 Copyright. 1911, bl Irving Ging)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Old Order Still Lingering

The deacon was a man rather liberal fin his religious. views, and in those days religion was something vital in New England. The influence of Jonathan Edwards and Cotton Mather had not passed away They used to say that the deacon was an "Artninian."
 But Grandma Badger was the strictest sort of a. Cafvtnist, though. bless her good old heart! her theory about nat urai wickedness of mankind and her generous sympathetic. actions and words did not at all agree
 And the old social order which had in the later colonial days made Boston an aristocratic centre where titles not a few were floating around. and where the governor held his court as regularly and ir as stately a manner as any yiceroy- this order and its lines of social demark- ation had not entirely passed away.
 We were free and equal" of course, but my lady and Sir John were my lady and Sir John still and my lord was my lord
 In some of the fine old family man sions in Boston His most gracious ma sesty Geofgel III and all the royal family were. stiii prayed for at family devotions
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Working for Their Keen

Now the farmohuse was inhabited by Caleb Smith, a hard-fisted, hard-hearted brute of a man whose character had by popular consent to Crab-Old Crab Smith.
 He had patient, uncornpiainang drudge of wife-as such men are apt to have and old Crab being away from home, Mrs Smith took the poor woman in and, seeing how sick she was, fed her and the children and put the woman to bed.
 When Crab came home he stormed and swore; but even Crab saw that the woman was too III to be carried to the poorhouse just then, and the next day the stranger died, leaving the two chil- dren, as Crab said Thrown on our hands-but I'll send them to the poor house right off"
 However, as the boy was big enough to be of some use about tho farm, and as Crab could get his services for his keep" he decided to put the child in among his farm hands and get all the work he could grind out of him. As for the girl, Crabs sister, Miss Asphyxia Smith, wanted girl to bring up," which meant that Miss Asphyxia-who was a piece with her | brother-wanted a girl whom she could | work the life out of without paying | anything for the privilege | So the girl went to live with Miss Asphyxia and the boy staid to suffer with old Crab Smith.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

Bill was just that and nothing more, and it had been arranged that one of the unoles should have Bill for a farm hand-Bill was older than Horace, big and strong.
 But Horace and his future was a problem to the whole family.
 He had that old New England gift of seeing visions. and when he had blown out his candle and gone to bed at night the whole air around him sometimes seemed palpitating with faces. Some times when he was alone in grove or by brook a spectral boy used to come and play with him.
 He at first used to tell his, mother of his visions, but Aunt Lois said: That boy will be an awful liar, Shsy, if you don't keep a strict watch on him."
 Seeing he could not be believed, Hor- ace kept his visions to himself there after
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
In the Haunted House

Horace was all interest whe en their in vestigating expedition arrived at the Dench house. When they had found the unlocked door, had entered and found the wandering children there, Horace thought he saw the vision Of the boy who used to come out of dreamland and play with him.
 He always called this phantom play fellow Harvey, and as soon as he saw Harry he ran up. to him saying, Are you Harvey?"
 No" said the stranger boy. T am Harry. and this Is my sister, Tina, and immediately pair of dark eyes looked over his shoulder.
 Well. we have come to take you to my grandfather's house."
 And so the Percival children became inmates of the deacon's household, and Horace, having a real playmate now, saw fewer visions and became more like other boys.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

out of books. for which that young lady showed little liking.
 On Easter a great thing happened in the lives of the three who were so inter twned in all their thoughts and affec- tions. Lady Lathrop invited them to go up to Boston with her in her great state coach and attend Easter services at the Old North church.
 Grandmother Badger was rather re- luctant to have the children visit among '"tories and Piscopalians,' but Aunt Lois declared that it was time they saw some good society" With all her scrubbing and securing, Aunt Lois did have a han kering for the aristocracy.
 Sc the children went to Boston and stopped with Mrs. Kittery. Lady Lath- rops mother, in whose house they met a power of fine company, old Lady Widgery and others with titles.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Sitting in Judgment

''On the day of the great earthquake Sir Harry was riding with a lady of the court when the shock came, and they found themselves buried beneath the ruins of a house they were pass ing Sir Harry wore a scarlet cloak, and Agnes, searching for him among the ruins, caught sight of the cloak and found him nearly dead, the court lady dead by his side.
 Sir Harry was a changed man from that day and married Agnes as soon as they could get a priest Then he took her back to England, where all his relatives received her and she was presented at court. But l do not think such things ought to be-she ough. never to have been received
 "Whatr' said Miss Mehitable. 'is there no place of repentance for a wom- an? Christ said, Neither do I condemn thee; go in peace'"
 There was something in Miss Mehita- bies voice which made Horace aware that she was speaking from some inward depth of feeling.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Faded Glories

The weather was raw, with gusts of wind and rain. The children had, just before they came to the house, paused by dying fire, evidently left by some Indians who had camped there and then gone on
 70, here is fireplace and here is wood" cried Harry. T will go back to the fire and get a brand" He did, and at Tina's request built his fire in what had, evidently once been fine lady S boudoir.
 The walls were hung with tapestry of dark green ground. on which flow CTS, fruits and birds were represented in colors that yet remained brilliant
 The fireplace in this room was of white Italian marble, and upon it stood specimens of Venetian glass in quaint and strange shapes By the side of the fireplace stood a couch with many cushions. covered with faded brocade
 Harrys fire was soon cracking on the hearth and this caused the smoke Sam Lawson had seen issuing from the chimney of the Dench house.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Horace Becomes Jealous

Ellerys visit made a peculiar effect upon Tina. At first she would not see him and then, when she finally came into his presence, seemed fascinated by every look and word.
 After he had gone Horace coupled "the world, the flesh" and Davenport together In a bitter jibe. Naturally-he was young and in love with the same girl Davenport was.
 The news that Colonel Davenport's wife had died insane, that he was now a free .widower, did not Increase Horace's liking for the dashing soldier.
 And now the days of Cloudland came to an end The three pupils from Old town were graduated, well founded in the classics and in English literature.
 Greek and Latin. Shakespeare and Milton were not scorned in those days by institutions of learning. The scien- tific systems of noneducation so popu- lar in these days were, thank heaven unknown to our forefathers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Tracing the Children's Family

When Davenport heard Harry's name he looked at the boy intenty, and when the children had left the room and the story of Harry and Tina was told him he said . T once knew a British officer named Harry Percival. He visited me once at my country house-the old Dench house which I still own, you know-and left sf me papers there for safekeeping.
 His brother and father are now dead and he is Sir Harry Percival. He is mar ried again and has son-but the son Is a weak boy, I understand, not likely to live. l will examine those papers,
 Soon after the children had returned 70 Odtown it was suddenly discovered by their guardians that they were children no longer-Harry and Horace were get ting to be young men and Tina rapidly becoming a young lady.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

It was one of the strictest rules that the boy and girl should never see each other Miss Asphyxia was not goin to have no boy botherin' around her place" and Old Crab want agoin' to have no idle girl loain round his place. This was especially distressing to Harry, as his mothers last injunction had been that he take care of "Tina'-the girls get name.
 One day Harry resolved that he could stand his present condition no longer--he would see Tina and with her run away lto-somewhere, he did not care where, | Being sent on an errand to the village he went instead to Miss Asphyxia's and hid In a haystack until he could ger word with Tina. The girl was overjoyed to see him and readily agreed to fly with him. | That night she got out of her bedroom window and the two children started on their pilgrimage.
 1 They suffered from hunger; they got lost in the woods and an old Indian wom- an took them into her hut and relieved their wants
 Then she gave them some cornbred to
 carry with them, directed them the way lto Oldtown and told them to ask for
 Deacon Badger. The Indian woman knew
 that any creature fin distress had only 10 bind Deacon Badger to be happy again.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
With Miss Mehitable

Tina's stay in the badger household was not long-Miss Mehita ble adopted her-the lone. lorn old maid wanted something to love and found 1t in tho beautiful girl.
 Miss Asphyxia, hearing that fhe chil- dren were with Deacon Badger, made a warlike expedition to Oldtown to de mand back Tina, but was routed with great slaughter by Aunt Lois and re. turned to Needmore saying, 70, well the child aint much to fight over and hate children, anyway"
 Horace and Harry and Tina were sent to the village school and every body spoiled Tina. Miss Mehitable spoiled her-everybody at school ano at home spoiled her.
 The life of Miss Mehitable seemed cheerier now-but still there lurked in her breast the old grief.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Water Cups in Far West

From the New York Times.
 Men who are connected with the Union
 Pacific and Oregon Short Line railroad offices in this city are laughing among themselves over the newest problem of railroading in the wild and woolly west" Instead of relating to brigands and des- peradoes and assaults upon the express car safes, this latest trouble has to do with wild and wooly ways of taking a drink. The drink is of water. and tha
 water is that which flows from a spigot in the corner of every we'll regulated Pull
 man car and day coach. In Idaho 1t seems. the last legislat ure
 passed law against the suse of common drinking cups in public places. Under plea of complying with this law the col- ored attendants of the Pullman cars and
 the conductors of passenger trains re-
 ceived instructions to remove all drinking cups at the Idaho line on westbound traans
 and to replace them only when the Ore gon line had been passed. | What was intended by the lawmake,u was that the presumably affluent rail. | roads should supply individual drinking fountains, or would even do better and furnish souvenir cups of aluminium. | But the railroads actually furnished no cups at all except that the train boys offered some of aluminium for sale at 25 cents each This price the natives If Idaho sheen ranges far from relished, and so they took their drinking water after the manner of the mountains. They mere llv stooped over the spigot, turned 1t on. drank till they were filled and then turned lit on again, The plan sufficed for the atieep men, but travellers from eastern points bound for points farther west had
 another opinion of 1t. They hardly liked
 to draw for their individual cups, for
 which they were willing to pay the traln boys, the sparkling water that flowed from a spigot over which the teeth of native mountaineer had just been cIamped.
 The railroad is still debating the mattey
 of devising a spigot that will prevent cup.
 less drinking, according to the version of
 the affair that has reached the raifroaA
 men here, while the problem Is cou1plt,
 cated by the fact that Oregon is about ta
 follow haho's lead in the matter of aelaW
 prohibiting the use of cups.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Oldtown's Social Grades

Oidtown had its social distinction-hel aristocracy At the head of 1t stood the minister, Parson Lathrop, a quiet scholarly man, a philosopher who had married a wealthy widow of Boston. She was always spoken of as Lady Lathrop and. kept her coach.
 Then there was Capt. Browne, retir- ed British merchant who wore a scarlet cloak and white vest and knee buckles, and shoe buckles sparkling with what looked like real diamonds. an imposing man with his well-powdered hair in a o1eue.
 Next to these came Miss Mehitable Rossiter, daughter of a line of ministers, an old maid living alone. with one old family servant and limited income
 Squire Johnes, who in the days of the kings reign had been high sheriff, came next, and then the others struggled along, Deacon Badger taking high place, not in the house of lords, as 1t were, but In the house of commons.
 Away. down in the social scale was Sam Lawson, the village neer r-do-well 8 thrift1ess man with a shrew of wife and several children-as was natural.
 Then there was Uncle Eliakm Sheril brother to Grandmother Badger, curi- ously nervous and sprightly old fellow of some substance, who delighted in trotting about the country with his im- mortal india rubber horse and rather rickety wagon, going on other people errands and carting indigent and in- valid old women to church on Sunday
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
By Harriet Beecher Stowe
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 everywhere and recalling the first time she had entered those walls. The house. keeper told her there was woman in the drawing room who wished to see her.
 Ellery and Tina went down together. There stood lady dressed in black.
 70, Ellery," cried Tina, it is she--tn. woman of the pictures,' and sank dow. pale and half fainting Ellery turneo pale, too.
 Emily he cried.
 "Yes, Emily" answered the woman. here is your letter offering me money. You did not know me? live on your bounty"
 Who is she who is she?' cried Tina frightened.
 You might have spared this poor child. said Ellery.
 The truth is the best foundation for riarred life, replied the lady. and then briefly she told her story.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Crab Sets A Yisinn

Now Old Crab Smith and Miss As phyxia had lost no time when they dis covered that their charges had flown in publishing the fact abroad
 Crab was not so sure that he wanted Harry back. Once, when he had been about to give the boy thrashing, Grab ina gined that he had seen an appari- ton guarding the boy-the apparition of the pale woman who had died in his house-Harrys mother.
 Crab was so much impressed that he got very drunk and staid so for sey- eral days. And now he was not anxious to have Harry back
 But Miss Asphyxia did not see visions. She would have back Tina or know the reason why.
 Sam Lawson. of course, brought the news of the runaways to Oldtown, and Deacon Badger, who had his doubts concerning ghosts, shrewdly suspected that the children might have found a refuge from the storm in the old Dench house. So the next morning he drove o~sr with Uncle Ely and Sam Lawson to investigate.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Their Pitiful Story

Their story was this. Harry Perci val, the younger son of an English baronet, had married the daughter of a country curate, and when he had come with his regiment to America at the beginning of the war of indepen dence had brought her and their two children with him.
 He was a absolute fellow, soon grew tired of his wife, and after boarding her in remote part of the country on the pretext that the country air was better for the children, had heart lessly abandoned her when his regi- ment was ordered home.
 She. having exhausted the money which he had sent her upon his depart ure, was struggling toward Boston with the hope of finding friends, when she was taken sick and died in the house of Crab Smith. The boy was named for his father Harry, and the girl was called Eglanttna
 The boy was old enossglysAo know sorne- thing of the story. but he felt his lips eealed regarding 1t and contented hirnself with telling the name of himself and his sister.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

1 patronizing air which they had about them Horace was jealous without real izng it.
 Then one day came Colonel Davenport on visit to Cloudland and revealed to Harry the fact that his father was now Sir Harry and that Parson Lathrop had the papers which he had discov- | cred. ,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Just After the War

XUTHEN Horace HolYoke fatner w died @ disappointed s.,1. ss,ns.ss, nss. mar, nv poverty and never getting that college education for which he longed. con- demned to be all his life a country school master-Horace went with his mother to dive with his grandfather, the much respected Deacon Badger
 The period was that just succeeding the war of the revolution and the place was the characteristic New England will lage of Oldtown
 Deacoin Badger was a prosperous farm CT. whose great farmhouse was refuge for all who wanted, advice or charity black, white and Indian There were many Indians still lingering about Massa- chusetts in those days, remnants of the trit,es,stfat- Elliot had preached to and ,,,e,raar lsss-sa art ,-<i ,f5
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Refuge At Last

But the way to Oldtown seemed long 10 the little feet, they said to each other that now they were like those children their mother used to tell them about who were covered with leaves by the robins
 But now they saw before them great house. mansion with neglected fields around 1t and a tangled and neglected garden before h. They went to the back door and knocked-they would ask food land shelter and directions for their fur their way.
 But there was no answer to their knock ing. At last they found a door which was insecurely fastened, and Harry, now bent upon getting into the house some way. finally forced the door open.
 The children found themselves amid the faded and deserted splendors of the Dench house, once the home of Sir Harry Frank land and Agnes Surridge
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Not An Average Boy

Horace begged ito go along with them and was allowed; to do so Horace was, as has been said. a rather exceptional boy.
 He Was not in fact. at all what an axegAge= =bcz, eugltt zto, ebs.: 1: lIissbspt1ez
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
"Oh Enough To Be Her Fatherw

Sir Harry, over in England, made an allowance for the support of Tina and Harry. which they felt justified in ac- cepting Tina's education was looked upon as finished and she, after a brief stay with Miss Mehitable, visited the Kitterys and went into society where she at once became a belle.. ,.
 As for Horace and Harry, they en- tered Harvard in the sophomore class.
 q would to heaven, Horace said Harry to him one day, that l was sure that Tina loves you as I am that Es- ther loves me- ..t1
 She does love me with her heart replied Horace, but not with her inn agitation. The trouble is that she is woman that can truly love man as a sister. or as friend or as daugh- ter, and she Is a woman that no man can love that way long. Did you ever notice what a singular effect Ellery Davenport has on herr M
 No replied Harry starting.- why, he is old enough to be her father.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
Discussing the Dench House

Near Oldtown stood a great house known as the Denk house. One night when a company was gathered around the great fireplace in the kitchen of Deacon Badg- CTS house the Dench mansion came uI for discussion.
 Miss MehitabIe was there. and Major Broad. who had just returned from the convention which had ratified the con. stitutition on the part of Massachusetts Grandfather and grandmother sat ir state in their favorite chairs
 Aunt Lois, the energetic, scrubbing securing, scolding old maid aunt-kind of heart after all-sat busy with her sew, ing. Mild Mrs. Hoiyoke, the widow, sa, looking n1ournfully into the fire.
 Two Indian women who had strolled in and Sam Lawson, who had also strolled in. had just been regaled with a good meal and had taken their places on the further side of the ingle with old Black Caesar. the daacons ''property." Out side the weather was windy and foul.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20
At Cloudland Academy

A consultation was held and 1t was decided that the three should be sent to the academy kept by Miss Mehita : ble's brother in Maine-he making the terms easy and the boys partly work ing their way through"
 Their school life at MT. Rossiters S academy, which he called Cloudland was the usual school life of young peo- pie of that day and generation.
 MT Rossiter, having learned from his sister how everybody spoiled Tina, held himself rather aloof from her, and Tina, determined to win his good graces as she had the good graces of every body else and seeing that the only thing to do so was to be proficient in her studies, set to work with a will and energetically made up for lost time. Ii was good discipline for her. ~
 Of course. every day Tina grew dear CT and dearer to Horace. As for. Har- ry, he formed friendship with Es- ther Avery, the daughter of the local clergyman at Cloudland. friendship that by the time he was graduated had ripened into a still tenderer feeling
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-20

For my part snapped Aunt Lois, tI never had much opinion of Sir Harry or Lady Frankland. either"