davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

off with s200.00o. Even the rich art gallery in the Yerkes palace was left to the city. And for years the widow spent money and energy trying to get her legal rights.
 Meantime she married flor love" a young man named Mizner. They lived together only one week And a short time ago she died of nervous prostration,
 an old woman at 40
 Never in her life did this woman get what she wanted. Why? Did it just happen so? No. The law of compensation holds. She violated the laws of love when. she
 married for money and social honors. Note this fact: Even handed justice
 punishes in at least two ways: | First-By giving us what we want. | Second-By denying us what we want. | And of the two modes of punishment the latter is often the lesser. Love, which is the greatest thing ir | the world often has been slandered by the proverb makers. For instance Love is blind.''
 Love is not blind It Is acute and oper eyed. More than that 1t has insight. Il
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

tears. It abounds with sparkling wit, and is tenderly pathetic. It is book that will live, and the longer the bet ter for the reading world For, un- der the surface of paper, printers ink and the story itself lies the most hu- mane philosophy.
 Now, comes from the publishers, the Hampers. another story by the writer of Mary Carey. It Is Miss Gibbie Gault something of a sequel to Mary Carey. In it's pages Mary Carey, now graci- ous young woman with the loftiest ideals, figures most benigningly She has all the old charm of wit and in- dependence that attracted us in her sirlhood, and much more. It is not my purpose to relate the story, for there by I should be robbing the reader of this paper of much pleasure that awaits him in the surprising unfolding of the plot of the tale. Rather do intend to call attention to certain sentences, metaphors and original thoughts one finds here and there.
 Before executing my purpose however. remark that the story is located in Yorkburg. What and where Yorkburg is, it is not difficult to determine. I mean, it is not difficult for one familiar with Virginia, to determine. l have trod it's streets; heard the church bell men, tioned and have met Miss Matoaos Brookenborough and her stately sister, though they then bore other names. Miss Gibbe Gault must be brand new crea- tion. I cannot locate her. The story is full of Virginia types. The idioms are Virginian, and there never falls from the lips of Virginia character an idiomatic utterance that does not belong to Vir- ginia. This is not the case always with writers of stories located in Virginia. One of this class of novels appeared some time ago; and upon the lips of one born and reared in rural Virginia, the author
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

the rite to vote on the liquor question. A good sized hefty bunch of voters must first petision for the rite to vote, and when a man signs one of those petsions it is public property. and enny body can find out who he is. and if his wife or his muther-in-law, or of the local W. C. T. U. gets wise, and they have way of getting wise, why then sed signer becums a goat. hence it is easier for Birmingham to get new pitcher than it is to get a man to affix his John Hancock to a petision to hold an elecsion for the sale of booze. I guess aftur all that Alabama has just about as good Governor as sum of the rest of em, and that we'll rock along and newer know the difference until next eletsion time. and then we will be told all about it again bu sum uther feller that's trying to guess whats in the minds of the Nox Populy
 All of which reminds us that if evvery thing the polytislans told us. weer to cum trew, this country would be in helufaix.
 Yours trooly,
 Bill Vines.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

<<NFF with his head" said the
 t Duchess, and according to That faithful and instructive chronicler, Lewis Carroll, the Duchess was wofully free with such pungent judg- ments. Or was it the Queen and not the Duchess? "Alices Adventures" are not handy, and must let the question stand, though haunting memory bids me hold the fatuous old duchess in such affec- donate regard as to make 1t hard to be- lieve that she would behead anyone. even a moth, or even a myth. The same dim memory seems to indicate that be she queen or duchess, her too summary vic tins were whisked away for few min utes, till the she-judge should forget her doom Hence they kept their heads, though she so often lost hers, meta phorlca1y speaking.
 Thus my Northern Presbyterian breth- ren, in full General Assembly, at that giddy center of fashion and frivolity, At lantic City, have issued the same order in the case of a certain Rev. W. D. Grant, D. D. of with his head!' says the judicial commission, and with only a slight rumble of noes, 'the august As sembly so orders. Happily, however, these Christian brethren are altogether too Christian to execute the order save in a metaphorical and official manner
 Why all this bother? This is not the year in which Calvin made his notorious break in the Servetus matter. but the humane and mundane 1911 Annus Do mini. Is it really necessary to the vel fare of the church that she should have
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

ant notifies the ladies that MT Pryor is dead, whereupon Miss Gibbie says, Poor William! Poor William, Lizzie knew he could never eat sausage, and she had it this morning for breakfast
 Mary Carey turns away from Miss Gib- bic Gault, in another chapter. and solilo quizes thus of her home: And I didn't have to take husband to get it. That's such a satisfaction. It's such a pity that so many people still think a home must have a man in it. If a man belongs to you and is nice he might make the home nicer, but Mrs McDougal says there are times when husband is a great trial . The reason that most homes need men is because men mean money, II suppose. You can't sneeze without needing money"
 A splendid bit of composition is the sixth chapter from which I select the following sentences:
 Miss Gibbie Gault observes, '"rhe moon is like ones self. Go where you will you can't get rid of 1t. Spooky thing, a moon One big eye" What idiots we are to go nasquera ding through life. All playing a part-all! Pretending not to care when We do care. FretenulhS we do when we don't. What a shabby little sham most of this thing called life is" Later Miss Gihbie Gault says, "Ev- cry woman has a corner in her heart she keeps covered. And the thing In life that's hardest is to hold your head up and smile. and hide the ache. But it must be held up. That's the woman s part" She speaks of a man whose vul'' garity is that s'He picks his teeth in public"
 "There are times when a woman may be an angel but others when she be- hayes as if her ancestry was in dif- ferent direction. No wizard works such
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

enigmatical changes as that master of human destinies called Love. Lives are glorifed or ruined by 1t, and no man or woman experiences 1t who is not more or less in the process of experiencing some sort of fool They play with hap piness as though 1t were a toy, and learn too late that they've thrown away the only thing worth having in life"
 Mrs. Tate observes: "A girl ought to have pretty things when she gets mar ried, even if you don't think much of her taste in men. When Aylette was married I ran more ribbons in her clothes pink and blue and lavander. I told her she might be widow, and 1t was well to be ready"
 Mrs. Burnham relates: we had beer married six years and I was so happy over it's coming that I wanted to help il everything, and tried to do too much | When we got to Yorkburg I had to b, very quiet and the days were very long | Then the baby come. I was very il for two weeks, and was Just beginning to get better, when suddenly the baby died I had waited so long. and so wanted a child, a little child of my own, that there was nothing I would not have suffered But to go down into the valley of the shadow-and come back empty arms. Even MT. Burnham didn't understand He was distressed and disappointed. but because I got well nothing else seemed to matter much. But he didn't know-no man can know the awful a-e in your heart, the awful emptiness of your arms when your baby is taken out of thn.'
 add few short off-hand sayings that disclose the originality of the au thor of Miss Gibbie Gault;
 What does anything matter. Mary Carey, if you can just look the stars in the face and tell them you've tried?"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

TNODAY John Marshall Harlan is
 7s years old. and the readers of
 \ every newspaper in America are curious to know something of the man, who has handed down more dissenting opinions than any other man who ever sat on the supreme bench of the United States. Born the fourth decade of the last century Judge Harlan was con ericuous among a half score of extra ordinary men Kentucky produced about that period, 1s30-i0 There were John G. Carlisle, J. Proctor Knott. William c. F. Breckinridge, John Young Brown Joseph C. S. Blackburn, George G. Vest, James B. McCreary, John Young, Will liam o. Bradley. Benjamin H. Brlstow' Roger Hanson and there were others, for at that time the old commonwealth was positively riotous in her exuber- ance.
 Harlan was precocious He was grad uated from Center college, then the chief institution of learning of the en- tire Mississippi valley. at the age of IT, and studied law in the equally famous Pennsylvania university at Lexington, and located at the capital of the state to practice his profession. In 1858 he was elected county judge of Franklin coun- ty. He was the whig candidate for con gress in 1859 in the Ashland district He was elected for Bell and Everett in 1860.
 Harlan was born a whig. was raised a whig. and has lived 0 Whig. His fath-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

fy and hoped to be leading factor in high life, but Chicago society deliberately
 snubbed and repulsed her. She persuad- ed her husband to move to New York. Yerkes built a mansion there, but the so-
 ca doors would not open to the golden key.
 Disilusioned, embittered. Mrs. Yerkes
 shut herself up in the Fifth avenue pal ace
 Yerkes sold his Chicago holdings and
 went to London, where he made more millions in traction. His wife made a third essay to enter society, but in Lon don, as in America, she was turned down by the smart set. There was domestic difficulty, and she came back to New York. | Then Yerkes returned to New York, where he died in great agony at a fash ionable hotel. Mrs. Yerkes visited him on- | ly once during his illness, a few hours before his death. The story is told that Yerkes died alone, his body being dumped into a big laundry basket and taken by a freight elevato tor
 down to the undertakers wagon. | And the widow?
 When the will was read she was cut
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

or has he turned them ovver to those who do not respect the law? Has he permitted
 grog shops to horrish and booze to run riot in "evvery hapllet' of the state as I
 have heard it would? As a matter of fact
 there is less booze being sold in Birming- ham today than there has been cents pro- hibsion went into effect. I don't know
 how it is elsewhere. but daresay not much whorse. if enny than before his electsion.
 I did not vote for the Governor. but, sum-how he managed to get elected enny way, and cents he has been Governor he has 1t appears to me tryed to live up to the dignyty and responsibility of his grate offs. He was elected an avowed focal optionist: he Is one still. and has dun nuthing to make us beleeve or Iced us to think he evver was enny thing else, and local option gives us the rite to say whether we will take our drinks local with sugar fn 'em or by express. Under the local option law passed by the ONeel leg islature it is no gravvy train to evven get
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

THE city of Richmond. Virginia, is
 famous for many things. It IS ! renowned for it's long list of brave men who proved their valor on many a hard fought field of battle; for it's statesmen of lofty ability who suc- cessfully crossed lances with the fore most men of the country upon the na- lions forum: for it's many ancient buildings whose associations connect the living present with a mighty past; for it's monuments, its statues, its parks and it's cemeteries, in the latter Of which lies the dust of presidents, gen erals. well known ecclesiastics, poets and singers of world wide celebrety Of other generations.
 Within the past few years Richmond has added another element to her fame Her glory is not of the past. simply. She has become a center of literature and the source of a splendid literary output The culture of Richmond s women has long been the admiration of visitors, many of whom have come from the lands beyond the sea It IS only of recent years, however, that Richmonds women have given their thought to the world in the form of books This they are HOW uoiH6, " iti most gratifying results, and to the prloe of the people of the old capital
 The three best known authors or Richmond's women are Miss Mary Johnston, Miss Ellen Glasgow and Mrs. Kate Langley Bosher. These women have won for themselves a fame that is most certainly their due. And While each has achieved high praise from the nress of the country, 1t is of the last named. and of her last book. that l de- vote this paper
 Mrs. Kate Langley Bosher is the wife of my dear friend, Charles Bosher, Esq. gentleman whom his fellow citizens
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

and Hindo Idol to the wrtures of the opposision To the yietors belong the cinehes. it has been evver thus and will always be, only moor so.
 It is charged that he has creeated new offises because there was not enough of the old to supply his classy supporters. Well he is fortunate in having so menny trends and if he can pull off stunts like this and get away with it. 1t is sum moor evvidence that he's a big man, that he omitted in his little article in "Notabul Men of Alabama"
 But honestly now? All you folks that sed that the poor old State of Alabama was doomed to bankruptcy-doomed 10 the whiskey crowd-doomed to lawless- ness-forevver ruined: stood discredited before the world and Brooks Lawrence; set back in her progress 40 yeers and then sum- sed all these things and moor: non esuy now, what do you think about it.? Is O'Neel aftur all the "Dragoon" that you painted him? Is he going to ruin the state2 Is he going to turn things ovVer,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11
HEART TO HEART TALKS-By Ed,vin A. Nye

sees below the surface. It sees the real, the unseen Where other eyes see de- formity or weakness love sees strength and beauty. It does not judge by ap- pearances. Whereof some of us should be glad, because, having neither come Illness nor grace, keen eyed love finds both It sees that which is worth low ing.
 Another mistaken saying:
 True love is first love
 It may be. Often it is not. Usually first love is sort of Il mushroom grow ing sentiment. It is not inaptly termed puppy love. Ordinarily 1t does not last long. True love is an outgushing foun- tain that freely gives. It will last as long as 1t Is appreciated. It is more than a mere sentiment It is mature affection.
 Another:
 True love never did run smooth.' But it does usually. Why not? True love is harmony. It concerns two per- sons. Where there is adaptation there is accord. If there be outside interference it will not last and cannot avail. A real proverb,is that which says. Love laughs at looksmiths.' It is the false love that does not run smoothly. It cannot by the very nature of things. The rough ways
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

Iconvension of 1901. where our deer eulered frend played the goat Now you Yankee synions who throw a double summersalt and have nine fits a second evvery time you think of the rongs of darkest affri- ca, set up and take dew notice, the Guy ernor of Alabama assumes responsibility for the "Grandfather claus" and is glad of it, do your wurst, and whats moor he is proud of the job, and menny of the rest of us air also proud Of 1t.
 We believe that the Governor is doing his verry best to carry out the polisy of the party he represents, and we beleeve it is his one desire to give the peepul of Alabama a square deal He has been critisized for appointing his trends to offs. But he can do nuthing else, and be trew to himself. I do not blame hm-three cheers l say; if I was elected to an offs and there was enny thing to hand out, you can bet your wad that 1t would 20 to the folks that help put mo there. would try to pick out the most qualifyed among that crowd, but I would be as blind
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

offs of Governor. now you detraetors of His exsellency. I hope that will hold you
 for few minnits, but in case it don't will quote you a few moor jolters, and
 by the time I get through with you. I'll have you under the table all rite. Listen:
 "On May 26, 1908, he was appointed dis trckt atturney by Presidint Cleveland, and held the offs for years" What do you think of that? "He was one of the feeders in the movemint to secure a con- stitusinal conversion in 1901, and-the stu dent of the Alabama Constitusion can see the result of his labors in the prohibision of a large class of local legislaslon and in the elyminasion of the ignorant and illit- terate voter and so Ion in-adfynytum.
 He informs us on the pages referred to that he is the deseendent of a long line of distinguished ancestors, who air unfort- uately all dead. but it is a grate thing to be the syon of a long line of reely grate ancestors, you ought to try it.. But enny how the Governor played the feeding part under John Knox in the constitutional
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

"He who does not make mistakes does not do anything" "Minna Haskins re- membered perfectly the day she was born" T wonder if there is anybody in inc world, anybody, who doesn't dis appoint you If you know them long enough?" "A caterpillar has about as much chance to stand up straight as Mill Lily to meet her ma in argument she's got a pretty complexion and lovely hair, but her nose-a girl with a uose like Lily's aught to be thank full to marry anybody q reckon good many people would like to know what other people are going to have said to them at the bar of Judgment
 indifference slipped off as a garment, and, at Miss Gibbies words. Mary Carey
 stiffened in rigid horror and unbelief." The romantic side of the story ends as
 the reader would have 1t, after which
 follows the philosophy of Mrs. McDou- | gal T-S
 Never did seem to me that matrtnlci,y did much for women anyhow. They have to give up their name, their home, their friends and their kinsfolk and their wages if they work for Twin, and take whats given 'ern for the rest of their natural lives. I certainly would like to have had a beau, though. I never had a beau I warn1 but F when Mo- Dougal asked me to marry him, and, not havin a bit of sense, I said yes. That's all the courtin' there was. If ever I'm widow bet have a beau. A woman does like to have some words said to her every now an then, even if she knows they an't so."
 The chapter following the caption Mid night, especially. Is literary work that cannot be too highly praised My copy of Mis- Gibbie Gault Is of especial value to me. On the fly leaf there is an in- scription that reads. with love of an old friend, Kate Langley Bosher."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

I.you shall be miracle.-Phillips Brooks.
 What ought to be can be done.
 It can be done only by working al the doing of it. In the doing of it shall be discovered the power to accomplish. l Which is the miracle Phillips Brooks speaks of. In the full exercise of ones | faculties in attempting the difficult task we shall be surprised at oneself | An instance: | A young man apparently could moi learn mathematics. He did not like the study and lodged it. Then the miracle occurred. | After leaving school he wanted to be | a civil engineer He had a natural ap- titude for mechanics, but could not study engineering without mathemat- ics. He took up the study again, be- ginning with the simple problems ol mental arithmetic. Seven years afterward he entered the technical school fully prepared. In desiring to do and trying to dc he found the power to do Another instance An impatient. restless. loud talking young woman determined to be q trained nurse. Her friends said sht could never succeed. It was difficult almost pitifully difficult, but At the end of her hospital training sae developed patience, boise, a vel modulated voice, quiet ways. The will is king
 JUS tremendous, almost divine, power 10 urge the faculties of both mind ano hndW a aG I dom.
 You can do what you ought to do if you heartily want to do it. Yon can be what you want to be if you sincere ly try to be.
 Desire, coupled with effort--persist ent Seslre and persistent effort-will accomplish the miracle. Choose, therefore, the difficult taslr and pray-and work--for the strength to do it.
 The miracle will not be the accom- plishment
 The miracle will be you.
 A great painting, 'The Pursuit of For tune,' shows a woman on horseback, rid ing at breakneck speed to catch up with the goddess of Fortune. Behind her rides grinning Death.
 Which fitly symbolizes the career of the late Mrs. Charles T. Yerke.s
 Yerkes was cold blooded, money mak- ing genius, who early in life got into the penitentiary for embezzlement After ward, going to Chicago, he made big fortune in the street car business.
 His faithful wife stood by him when he was sent to prison. When he got rich he rewarded her devotion by divorce and married Mary Moore, a beautiful young girl aged 2S. He was then 30.
 The second wife was ambitious social
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

of true love are mostly the invention of the romancers.
 And still another:
 True love cannot de.''
 It can. It does die-daily. IL may be wounded so that it bleeds at every pore. And it may be murdered outright. Most ly it is killed by neglect or indifference or lack of response os inattention. You can easily starve it to death. Like life | itself, love grows and thrives by what 1 it feeds on. And on the contrary, you may feed and pamper false love to sur felt, and it will surely die. The seeds of death are in it. l I submit that true love is so precious a thing it should not depend upon proverbs, even though the proverbs have never been 1 challenged.
 | True loVei
 1 Without it earth would not be
 Without it there could be no heaven. 1 An American publisher speaks of ] Alexander the Great as "history's most successful young man." No In the name of decent young manhood and right ideas. nol
 What is greatness? What is sue cess?
 Greatness is goodness successfully employed Success is the realization of noble ideals
 Well, then, how can it be said that a wholesale highwayman, a despoiler. a butcher of men. is either great or successful? And is 1t not a little less than criminal to hold up Alexander of Macedon as an example for young men?
 When he came to the throne he was af 11oH h;v fo ther Philip, to death.
 Great?
 This egH Hgious tyrant murdered with his own hands some of his most faith full aids. In a drunked spree he kill ed his most intimate friend and shed crocodile tears over the body.
 Successful?
 He was successful in crushing the people of all Greece. successful in de- stroying many gated Thebes in fit of rage and selling the inhabitants of the city as slaves: successful in destroy ing another city, the most beautiful in the ersepolis--because a lewd woman who joined him in drunken revel asked him to do it.
 Great and successful?
 He overran Persia and desolated it. And when he was only 32 years of age he died in fit of deli-ium tremens.
 Let us quit calling him great. In all which should become a man he was deplorably small.
 Greatness? Success?
 Greatness is of the quality that ere ates, discovers, succors, uplifts. Sue cess comes in the doing of things real ly worth while Greatness and sue cess--real greatness and success--are impossible without goodness. One may do big things without becoming either great or successful.
 Put Alexander alongside Columbus.