davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

lice jurors and I sgot san order for another roller to be delivered later on at the same ice, but it bothered me to think of tEat nice girl mixed up with those grafters.
 The affair with the clergyman hap pened in Illinois. l had been out "A days and had slept 21 of those "A nights ir a sleeper when l got a message to hurry to a country town in northern Illinois. I lid not relish the trip much but when IFarrived as the hotel l be- came interested Half a dozen of my competitors were in the lobby and as l was signing the register they crowd ed around and asked questions.
 "You here. too, on that road roller contract?' asked the hotel clerk.
 "Yes,' I replied.
 "'But you're too late. old boy" said the salesman -for a Pttsburg house. The award is to, be made in a few hours.
 "'Ill bet hatsthis gentleman gets the contract said the hotel clerk.
 "'T'll go you,' replied the salesman.
 Well I exclaimed. this thing is taking on such a sporty look I'd bet ter get busy or my friend the clerk will be in the hole We all laughed, and then, on the quiet, some of the boys told me everything had been fixed. There were three county commissions CTS. One was a clergyman. He was chairman The boys. of course, wouldn t approach him They had agreed, as they do occasionally, To prevent costly competition, that one of the number should get this contract. It was his turn. never was in the combination. Of the other two commissioners one had been bribed. He was q strong char aeter and dominated the other commis- sioner, who was a milk and water sort If creature.
 With the situation confronting me
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

there only was one thing to do first. That was to get the commissioners to postpone action. It was Saturday. When the com missoners met went before them and explained that my company had not re- ceived advices of the competition until g. late day; that I had hurried to the city, that I wished to put in bid; that there was nothing for the county to lose and possibly much to gain by postponing ac- tion until Monday, etc, etc.
 "The man who had been bribed said he was opposed to delay. It was my fault if I did not get there earlier. The com missioners had studied the subject fully and he moved the contract be awarded.
 T argued some more and so did the others opposed to me, and it was late ill the afternoon when at last the commits sionetrs agreed to let the bids go over until Monday.
 q had studied the clergyman while was talking. He was one of those dull stolid Germans, slow of speech and ac- tlon I knew if l was to win that boards approval l first must win him.
 ''Tle were two exits to the court house one the main one. in front, and one on the side When the commissioners and officers were departing I was on the lookout and as the clergyman started toward the side door 1 followed him. Ton know the salesman thinks he is justified In doing anything to land an order, so went up to the reverend gentleman and told him I wanted him to do me a great favor, was a great home body and detested being on the road Nothing was more trying to me than to be about a strange hotel in a strange town on Sun day. I loved the country, and l asked # he would permit me to go to his home, spend the Sabbath with him, attend Serv- ice, listen to his sermon and eat the good,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

wholesome food his wife cooked.
 q spoke ardently, as I do when m
 doing my most earnest lying, and the old
 chap sort of warmed up. His buggy stood in wagon shed nearby and he invited me to get in. As we rode out of town l set to
 work adroitly to find his weakness. I found it. His ambition was to have good | cattle. He loved cattle. His church was
 poor or he was so dull a preacher that he
 never had prospered His whole life had been one of struggle and stintine. Then
 he told me of high grade calf one Of his neighbors had The clergyman never
 had owned a blooded animal, and he | thought that calf was one of the finest he ever had seen. | It was nearing dusk, and we were not | far from the clergyman's home, which was four miles from town, when the preacher pointed to a field near by and said: There's the calf now I looked and saw the animal. l know no moFe about Hereford heifers than I do of sacred llsmas, but l began to express my ad- mration of that one. 1 asked the clergy
 man to stop the buggy We got out and approached the calf. I declared it surely was a thoroughbred. The clergyman hatinely said he didn't think so But I insisted the calf was thoroughbred, and I
 enthusiastically announced that I intend- ed to buy the animal if I could get 1t for a reasonable price. The clergyman looked doleful, but accompanied me to the farm er5s house. and after little dickerlng I got the calf for s35. We hitched the calf behind the buggy and proceeded
 When we were near the clergyman s | house I told him I would like him to care for the calf for few weeks anyhow. He frightened at this. for in his simple soul he loved that calf That night I lied
 artistically and consistently about the farm I had and the large number of
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

AI1enS- TNAKE a look at Athens of today
 It lies here under the rocky Aero A polls, filed with and surrounded bv ruins. Nevertheless, 1t is the bright est gayest and busiest city of the near east. It has some of the most elegant homes of the world; it's marble buildings vie with those of the best cities of Europe, and it's stores are full of fine goods. The town grows as fast as blackberry bushes on top of the Blue Ridge. About 50 years ago it had something like 1O,0oo people, who dwelt in 900 miserable houses. To- day it has almost 200Oe0 and among them are Greek millionaires whc have made fortunes in Alexandria, Cairo, Constan- tinople and other centers about the Medi- terranean sea. It is the aim of the Greek 10 come to Athens to die and the rich bring their savings and live here in lux ury. They spend so much that the finest of everything may be bought in the stores, and the cost of living is about as high as anywhere else in the world
 A Look Over Athens
 I climbed the Acropolis yesterday and took a view of the city. The Acropolis is a hill of rose -colored limestone which rises to a height of two or three hundred feet out of the plain upon which Athens stands
 It is right on the edge of the town, and from the Parthenon, on it's top, you can see the whole city. Your first glance shows a fiat plain of grayish-white build ings, the chief of which is the palace, a three-story structure of marble, sur rounded by trees. Farther over are the parliament building and museums and schools. and scattered about the outskirts are the massive ruins of ancient temples, such as that of Jupiter Olympus and The seus and also the new stadium, which was erected by an Alexandrian-Greek mil , 1ionaire named Averof. It is now being repaired and repoished, and I am told that it's cost altogether has been about sSoO,oOO
 As I look closer at the buildings below me can pick out the details. The city is cut up by streets which cross each other at right angles. except at the cen ter, where they go in and out like tue
 
 heart of the town is at Constitution Square. right in front of the palace. There the car lines converge and from there go off the chief business streets To the left of the palace are many beau tlful homes. and to the north of it are the chief public buildings, including the university. the library, the National Mu- scum and the Academy of Sciences.
 The main part of the town is made up of buildings of much the same height. They are painted yellow. rose pink sky blue and other gay colors, and their roofs are of gray or red tiles. There are no skyscrapers and no great church spires, as in the other cities of Europe Here and there the blue dome of Russian church may be seen. and occasionally ris- ing out of a garden a clump of tall cy- press trees of dark green. But little nanufacturing Is done, and I can count the smokestacks .on my fingers.
 But let us get down and take ride
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

years ago a French company conceived the idea of retaining the land, and it spent about $2.500000 on canal and tun- ne through one of the mountains. It had gotten the rough work done when it's money ran out, and it went into the hands of a receiver. A Scottish company then took up the concession, and now, after 23 years, it has about 65,000 acres of land ready for farms.
 During my stay in Athens have called upon the manager of the company, MT. J. B. Steele, and had a talk with him about the undertaking. He tells me that the draining was done by making girdle canal around the basin where the lake lay to catch the waters of the rivers and to prevent them entering it. This girdle was 20 miles long and it joined a cutting in the mountain of two miles by tunnel, which was 25 feet high. IS feet wide and 5000 feet long. After leaving the tunnel the water passes through another lake and on into second tunnel and thence on to the ocean.
 Mir Steele says that the soil of the lake basin is rich. It contains the earth washings of centuries and will raise two crops year. Some of the land Will be irrigated and a great deal of 1t has been already leased out to the peasants in small holdings. ranging in size from 10 to 100 acres The company has about 70OO acres under cultivation, and also pasture lands in which are large droves of cattle He tells me it Is its idea to employ the latest of agricultural inven- tions, but so far it has found most of them unfitted to the soil This is espe- cially so of our heavy harvesters and reapers, and as it is now the most of tho wheat and other grain Is cut with the sickle.
 One feature of this reclamation scheme is the peaty soil of the center of the lake. This burns easily, and within the past few months the manage ment has had great trouble from fires started there. These have burnt down the soil so that the level of the earth has dropped over six feet. doing serious damage to the canals, cut for higher level. The peasants find that the burning peat leaves a coat of ashes upon which they can SOW their grain and grow rich crops without much cultivation. They are. therefore interested in having the burning go on.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02


 hlooded cattle I owned, and the next day l went to church three times and pre- tended to relish it. It was fearful to a man of my habits. That Sunday night told the preacher I had enjoyed his hos pitaity so much that I thought I should show my appreciation. knew of no bet CTS house, and after a little dickering I
 When 1 said this the old man nearly wept. There were tears in his eyes I am sure and his voice was husky as he thanked me.
 The next morning as we were driving into town 1 talked cattle again. 1 told him I had a far better heifer on my farm than the one I gave him, and then, five minutes or so later, 1 slapped myself on the knee and said, By love, I'll do it! The clergyman turned an inquiring look at me, and I explained the situation to him. You love cattle,' said, and you have only few head. love cattle. and have lot. but I'm on the road so much that I cannot see mine except at rare intervals. l was thinking what a joy that thoroughbred heifer of mine would be to you,. and then I suddenly made up my mind that if l got this contract today I'd celebrate by sending that other heifer to you
 My clerical friend in his stoiid, dull way studied over this half minute and then said I was too generous and I had done too much in return for his small courtesy.
 ",wen,' I said, if it gives pleasure to me that is all right That heifer is yours if I am fortunate today 'I didn't want to be seen riding in town with him. It might occasion comment later on. So when we were in the out skirts of the town I told him I'd get out. He was altogether unsuspiclous, all together innocent and thought 1t. only whim of the odd man who had been his guest, so he let me alight. When he drove off I made my way by trolley into town and got busy at once. The commissioners were to meet fin half an hour. hunted up the third commission er the one under the influence of. the man bribed by my rivals. Beginning with little talk about the superiority of my road roller, I dropped few hints about the amount of money the other man had received and how he had boast ed of the way he could make this one do anything he desired.
 When the commissioners met that man was sore. We salesmen had 10 minutes each to explain our machines talked straight to this .disgruntled com missioner. Occasionally 1 looked out of the tail of my eye at the clergyman. He was noddng approval of everything I said
 When I finished the man who had been bribed moved that the bid Of the firm the combination had selected be ac- cepted. There was no second. Then the commissioner I had been talking to moved that my bid be accepted. I got the contract What has been puzzling me ever since is whether that clergyman has me down, for a liar or forgetful person" Copyright. 1911, by Richard spillane)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

the throne.
 The chief business of Greece is done in the parliament. This is different from our Congress in that there is only one house. known as the boule. This has 235 members. one being elected for every 12.O0O inhabitants. The king dom is divided into Fl districts, and the congressman are elected by districts The elections are usually held upon Sundays. the ballot boxes being kept ins the churches In Athens the chief voting place is the cathedral, the bal lot boxes being arranged in row along one side of It. The boxes are so fixed taat only one man can pass through to vote at one time. The box is a foot square. with pipe hole in it's top about big enough to admit
 the arm of man. This runs down into
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

Constantinople. Today the Greeks, are the chief bankers, merchants and other business men of the capital of the sul- tan. 0 They have monopoized the trade of that country, and the Turks cannot do without them. They have had to work quietly and secretly, but with the new regime they expect Ito hold a high place in the empire and to openly be the nov ing power in all things financial.
 Said Count Mereati. one of the leading officials of the court here, to me the other day:
 "The modern Greek Is the strongest element In the Orient He does more bus mess than the representative of any other eastern nation. He is predominant in Cairo and Alexandria, and in every port on the Red sea. He Is the financier Of Palestine and Syria, and his colonies
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

the railways.
 Parliament makes all the laws ana votes all the money to run the govern ment It is ruled by speaker. who IS elected by ballotA The new members are sworn in by a priest and are sprinkled with holy water during the ceremony At one session not long ago some mem bers grew angry and scuffle ensued, during which an ink bottle was thrown into the holy water basin. discoloring the fluid provided for the opening ceremony. Upon another occasion the speaker of the house, fearing adverse legislation locked the doors and refused to let the opposi- ton in, whereupon a locksmith was called and the speaked showed out of the way
 am told that considerable lobbying is done and that a great deal of money is spent on elections The candidates have to treat the voters and one of them re-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

are found as far north as Khartum, where Lord Kitchener said that the Greeks aided him greatly in bringing order out of the chaos of the Soudan. Turkey alone has 100000 or 5,0W,OO0 Creeks
 The Greek Farliment
 But let me tell you something of the government of this little country The Greeks have a king but he is merely fgurehead and a foreigner They do not allow him to have anything to say about politics, and King George understands this and keeps out. It was different with otto of Bavaria, who was king. before George. Otto meddled with public questions and this caused his expulsion. The Greeks tell me that they believe in perfect equality among themselves, and they could not have this it they had Greek king.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

modern Greek is a statesman, and the average man will settle the greatest questions of the world off hand. The chief places for political discussion are about the cafes There are a half dozen news journals. and each man reads his paper as he sips his coffee. The papers are printed in the same characters that you find in the Greek classics, the mod ern Greek language being much like that of ancient Greece Indeed. l find that l can get along with phrase book. l can read the papers, and can even discover the points of some of the jokes in the comic periodicals. Just now the chief talk is about the New Turkey, and as to what place it will hold in this part of the world. Most of the people here think that it will be largely influenced by the Greeks who live in Constantnople, Symr- na and other cities of the Levant. They say that a new Greek empire will gone
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

the middle of the box, where 1t meets a partition, which divides the box in half. On one side of the partition go the affirmative ballots and on the other the negative. The ballots are buck shot and the voter, having put his hand down into the pipe. drops his bullet for or against the candidate as he p1eases, without the possibility of any one knowing just how he votes Each voter is given only as many buck
 shot as there are candidates, and the judge sees that he has only a single ball in his hand when he puts it into the pipe of the box. There are also oth- CT means of preventing frauds in cleo tions and each candidate is usually present to look out for his rights.
 The term of the members of parlia- ment is four years and they receive sal aries of about $500 or s400 per ses- sion. They are allowed free passes on
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-02

through the streets. We can goeseveral miles on the tramway for fare of ? cents. We pass over the ground where Diogenes went with his lantern hunting an honest man and through the streets which Alcibiades traversed in his seven horse chariot. We can take the steam tram and go down to the seaport of Pi- raeus, or we can ride out to the slopes of Lykabettos or to the Areopogus, tha high rocky cliff upon which St. Paul stood when he preached his sermon to the Athenans
 The streets of Athens are wide and well paved and many are covered with asphalt. There is a macadamized road as good as any in Central Park lead ing down to the Piraeus, and this is now being planted with trees.
 The main part of the city is compactly built and the business buildings are four and five stories. The shops have plate glass windows, and the best of them are devoted to dry goods, fancy millinery, jewelry and other such things The shop ping hour is from 3 to every evening. at which time the streets are thronged HllH ldohlOidDle WOfnen.
 Shrewd Business Men
 l have spent some time in the stores talking with the merchants and looking at their establishments. The Greeks un- derstand how to do business They are smart traders, their character being well expressed by saying which is current throughout the Orient. It reads From the Greeks of Athens, from the Jews of Salonika, and from the Armenans every where good Lord deliver us'' It is said in the near east that one Greek is equal to two Jews, and. although the Jews are scattered throughout other parts of the Mediterranean, you will find none in Athens. The storekeepers have no fixed prices and you bargain for everything. You must dicker with your doctor butch CT and baker, and even with your drug gist. There are no price marks in the average store, or, if so, the bargaining is cone all the same
 The Cafes of Athens
 A great many of the people live in flats and dine at the cafes and restaurants. Rents are high and houses are taxed per cent on the rental. If one lives in his own house he has to pay percentage on the rent it would probably bring The cafes are good. They arc full of people afternoon and evening. and many of them keep open all night. At those about the Place de la Constitution you may see men chatting as late as o'clock in the morning. There arc also dairy lunch rooms, where q breakfast consisting Of eggs, rolls and butter may be had at low cost, and afternoon tearooms near the palace and otherwheres. As to hotels, Athens has dozen of fairly good ones at which tourists can stop. and there arc a score more which arc not bad At the hest houses the rates are from S to s5 a day on the American plan, or you can pay for your rooms and order what you please al fixed prices per meal or per cish. Many of the native hotels let rooms without meals. and there are boarding houses where one can get ac- communications from l.50 to s2 per day
 Athens is city of politicians. Every
Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-08-28
He HAD EVERYTHING
BUT THE MELONS
L. A. Vondeyeld Near Willard
Has Crops That Can Not Be
EQualled in Any Dry Farm
ing Community in West,
tWillard ncrrdJ

Tho latter part OF hsf week. we
were nu, CO., and were shown over
tH' ranch of g.. a. Noui,tcld, which
be- about Sis miles northwest uf town.
u. has planted seventy acres uf frI-
SOLOS. twenty acres of corn. twenty 90
potatoes uNr acres goo dwarf milo
mH'1,, three Goo barley two to mol.
ons. and two o. trucR The beans are
uuu nearly mIlurrd. auI Mr. Vaudt-
'rlu WIIl start harvesting anUut sep-
temhrr ISL Tho quality 81 splendid.
ana tnr yield vll nr o. little over 400
pounds per acre. Ma Naudoyald has
juW purchased bonn harvester.
which cuts thc beams close CO. tine
ground ana w.udroWs them. thus IA
r'taiug the huryo-iing of the crop
ll' also states thut "a regular bean
t1roshcr win boz needed 60 thrvsh the
beams n DIS ucighboTho0d With such
800 nreago as the valley has this
wear. the old mrthod ~ failing and
WinuouIug ig Inadequate ma imprac-
tIral Mr Noudoyold has medium
fIrc pumping plant which he operates
successfully THIS year, the engine Boz
I'VE horse power W,bhpr Tho
pump o. of tho claim ana bucket type.
and lifls about two hundrcd SALONS
rcr minute Tho Santa Fe Railway
'1mpInN presented Mr. Vondcvcld
with enough sterling White Don't corn
~ plant two acres. This H thr finest
corn wr hrNc seen this season. and
Wiu yIcld ut least twenty-five bushels
per acre. This corn only averages
about i've foot ,u height bat tho
ttHlk ie largo ami the oaf good size
end perfectly nll "a. Eve body knows
Mr. NondDfold alwnyf raises lots Of
fiuo melons. and We ronily expected
20 hc invited 10 partako but when
nskcd about tho mrlpus hc replied la
lis faceiious day. "Cal r. few days
later aud ven chump en-"
Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-08-28

that grown In humid sections where
the rainfall o. rNccssiyc. ana tho am
swor is simple enough "a those who
understand the philosophy Of such
things a. De- evident. that when the
moisture rs controlled and the soil
ana weather conditions viii develop
thc fine flavor ANA qualities found IN
our rtui1luupo that the Same condi-
lions Will in measure lend an influ-
"nrr Co mature the seed with suprr-
Tor terminating power. vignr uf
growth ANA strong Inherent tcndcn-
ri's over mat produced in less favor
ed localities. rhus Il Is that points
m Colorado are destined Co continue
'ts superior ountaioupc seed GROWING
c"utcrs. provided tho growers viii re-
Bort 90 the proper methods OF seed
breeding thut VIII insure the improve
mont at the rnuialuupc in an itH pos
sihlilics, \ large amount of tho seed
that has been saved IN tho past was
not carefully selected. for much of
II mas been saved from uumnrketnhle
cantnlouprs or 10 WIS saved too late
IN tho scason from immature after
FROST has destroyed tho Ninos Inn.
proyement under such conditions
would hardly ho excepted and doteri-
Grafton would ho almost Inevitable.
However. there are growers who
have boon Interested iu producing
choice cnntalouUc seed. but even at
best their ststom of selection has
been too indefinite aud lncouploto GO
Insure the best results