davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17
Xhen a Gian+ess Saved a City.

third floor, where the Nursery was. An, he had never dared venture be- yond that door unless invited by the Ruling Flossie. But now he would go in without invitation. So he opened the door and entered.
 The very moment that the Intruder entered the Nursery the woolly poodle began to bark loudly. This was a signal to those at the Barracks that danger threatened Bluebirdville. Gen eral Miles rushed out, sword in hiIt | and looked f1ercely at the Mighty Stranger who was advancing men acingly upon the c, /. The Father of His Country. George Washington. soon followed, his sword in hilt, also. And the one soldier in the barracks prepared to turn the cannon upon the Intruder at his generals orders. All was commotion and confusion. Soon Noah's Ark had turned out the whole herd of animals, and the lion was roaring, the tiger screaming, the bull believing, the sheep bleating. the COW lowing, the horso reighing, the bear snarling and the owl hooting. There had never been such a noise in Blue birdville before In the knowledge of it's inha bitants.
 Whats all the uproar?" Tt was Lady Jane Grey who asked this of the three rubber dolls, Pull, Push and Shove. They had stopped in to call upon her ladyship on returning from a walk In the park, and were shocked to hear the bursting of the noise on their streets. Barkers bark ing kept up without stopping one sec ond, and the other animals tried their utmost to add to the confusion. In vain did the General attempt to get silence, none would stop their noise.
 Pull. Push and Shove ran to Lady Jane Grey's front door and looked out. Its an enemyl" they cried in dismay. ''An enemy has attacked our City while the Giantess is away! Oh. what will befall us? We are ruinedl'
 Now, my friends, don't be alarmed. Nothing could hurt you. You are of rubber, and even though stepped upon by the elephant you would rebound into full size the instant the huge fell low removed his weight. So don't cry out like towards. I am not afraid, and I am breakable, as you know. One blow from fist and I am shat tered. But see--" And Lady Jane walked proudly out of her house and into the street.
 At the same moment the Intruder was coming out of the park where he had disarranged several of the finest trees. He really had had the audacity to pick up the orange tree, examine it's yellow fruit, and then stand 1t over by the window, quite five feet from where it belonged in the Park. Then this Mighty and Ruin ous Stranger stalked through the Con- cert Hall and his Great Heel hit against the piano and over 1t tum- bled, carrying several chairs with it into confused mess.
 Lady Jane Grey was standing brave- ly. head erect, looking at the oncomer, with Pull, Push and Shove behind her, trying to act brave, but their rubber sides quivering like jelly. There Is no knowing just how much ruin would have been wrecked had not the Ruler Flossie come running
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

tracks. More than that,-two or three ties of the track itself had burnt almost through, and lay black and smoking. On the upside of the tracks was the steep bank down which Billy had gone; on the down-side of the tracks was steep incline, and the road curved sharply at that point. Billy proceeded to put out the fire by carrying water in his dinner pail from a creek a short distance off. After the fire was entirely extinguished Billy was on the point of going home when the danger of the situation came to him. The ties in the track had burned through---two of them. A third had been badly burned, and all were together. This would cause a spreading of the rails when the train came laundering along. Billy stood aghast. The curve, the steep decline on the down side, the spreading of the rails This would occasion a wreck at least would derail the engine and tender, and possibly throw them head long down the embankment. The other cars would be dragged along, and human life endangered. Billy sat down to think it out. He was one iiiiic run iloiiiC anu olc iiiile lfODl town. Both places were out of sight, hills cutting them from the view of the spot where Billy now was.
 Let's see, there's through train fast express-at about five. Then there's another-a local-half an hour later. It's now half past four. I haven't time to reach either home or town and get back with help before fAv 1x
 stick 1t out here till the express comes along. They'll send back a man to give warning to the local"
 Billy walked about. examining the tracks. It had been criminal thing to do, that fire-building by those de- spicable tramps. And now Billy must stick to his job" of remaining to give the danger signal. But how can warn them 2" asked Billy of himself. "I have no lantern and 1t will be too dark at five for the engineer to see me waving my white shirt on the tracks-at least, not till he has come too near to the dangerous place to stop in time. I'll run up the tracks and meet the train. That will give them more time for stopping the train. Gee." And Billy looked up at the sky. tits going to pour, and pretty soon, too. Thought all afternoon it would rain before I got home. and now I'm certain of it. An, there's a drop already. But-the rain is not the problem. What or how, rather, amf to signal the on-coming engi- neer2 As 1 say, my shirt alone won't do it. But I'll have to wave it as flag, as there's no other way"
 Billy proceeded to pull off his coat, then his vest and then his collar and tie. Next off came his shirt, and the cold March winds cut him to the bone Wouldn't like to go without clothes. after the African style" grinned Billy,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

watch and saw that it wanted only quarter of an hour till the train should appear round the foot of a range of hills twenty yards off. Billy quickly prepared his torch by wrap ping the shirt firmly but loosely about one end of the long plank.s
 Billy tucked the end of his torch under the skirt of his coat and hur- ried up the track to meet tho oncom- ing train. He had barely rounded the curve when he heard long, low whistle. The train was probably three miles away, and would soon be there. for it was the fast express and cov- cred forty-five miles an hour.
 Billy fairly flew up the track till he reached good place to stand. This was projecting point on the upside bank. and he quickly mounted there. Then he lighted g match and touched the end of his torch. The flame shot up and at the same instant the engine came in sight round the curve. Billy began madly waving his torch, his heart beating as madly. Suppose he should not attract the engineer. The thought of such possibility was almost too much for the brave boy, and his face paled. The rain was coming down now. and threatened to put out the blaze which was swinging wildly over the tracks from Billy's point of vantage. But Billy kept 1t
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

messenger had departed, with prom ise from Billy and his father to come into town on the morrow and to pay visit to a prominent officer of the Railroad Company. Billy turned to his mother and said: Mother, have I decent shirt to wear on this propitious occasion?" And his mother patted him fondly on the head and said:
 T daresay. son, that after your visit to the officers of the railroad you'll forget your last shirt. They're going to spoil you, fear.'
 "A boy like ours couldn't be spoil ed" declared Billy's father. And he spoke the truth, for Real Hero can- not be spoiled or flattered. And the Railroad Company insisted on doing very handsome thing for Billy, against that modest young fellows wishes. and he might have bought the town out of shirts after that without feeling the loss to his pocketbook.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

certain where 1t would have aimed at the Intruder's bare knees, which showed about two inches between stockings and pants.
 "Oh, Cousinl' And Flossie stood staring at the Mighty Stranger who at sound of her voice had stopped still in the middle of the street. Thus the barracks was saved! And the cannon never went off! "Oh, Cousin Jack! How dare you to enter Bluebirdville without an invitation from me? You know, never allow BOYS to come here-'less I'm here to keep both eyes on 'em all the whilei Come out this instant-now don't hit thing with your great foot! Here-come by this street and step over the Ark, carefully. so as not to touch the roof. It comes off very easily. There, you're outside the town now, and don't you ever, ever DARE to come in here again less I come with you"
 'Oh, keep your ole town to yerself," grumbled Cousin Jack, drowning, and looking quite like General Miles. Even Flossie noticed the soldierly express sion on his fat pink face and secretly admired it. How wonderful Cousin Jack was! He might become a sure enough SOLDIER, and no make be-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17
q "prettv well for a gurl."

did pretty we'll for a gurl."
 And Bluebirdville lay quietly ir| place on the Nursery floor. it's inhab. itants happy and cheerful. Lady Jant| Grey was chatting excitedly with Pull Push and Shove, and even the great| General Miles had stopped to discut with her ladyship the late inyasiof| of their city, and The Father Of His| Country. George Washington, sal smoking his pipe in the shade of the| one tree beside the barracks, recalling his days of warfare long, long agol And the animals mapped or ate on drank or strolied about the park, ad their desire dictated. And the sun| shone in through the big windows| and warmed the whole town, making it look like summer, although 1t wad only early spring and cloud was forming in the northwest which, would bring rain and cold. But it| never rained in Bluebirdyille, so mol one ever felt afraid of clouds and thunder and lightning. Bluebirdville was safe from the clements and in future would be safe from the Mighty Stranger who would not dare to dis obey his little cousin, the Giantess.
 And so ends this story of Blue birdville in ye year 1912. aI
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17
BILLY YOUNG Inc Story of Real Hero.

ID LILLY YOUNG walked two miles N to and from school. Billy's home
 was in the country and he had ~ to go to the town two miles dis tant to get his education-that is, his book education. But many other things Billy learned on his fathers farm. He knew much about plant ing, cultivating, harvesting. and about building, too. He was what is called a handy fellow. But no one had ever thought of Billy as being hero. In- deed, there had been nothing to make people think so. There are millions of heroes in this world who go through life without their heroic na- lures being discovered. This is for want of a chance to show their bray cry and thoughtfulness.
 One evening as Billy was going home from school he saw a slight smoke coming from the bank near to railroad track. Biliy's first thought was that some tramps were preparing a banquet there under the sheltering bank. But after he had walked on for a quarter of mile he set to thinking about that smoke. Suppose the fire had been started in some care- less or accidental way, and that no one was in charge of it. Suppose good many things! Billy turned round and went to the spot where he had seen the smoke. Smoke was still coming up in pale blue streak, hardly perceptible a hundred yards off.
 On going down the bank to the spot Billy found the cause of the smoke Some tramps had been cooking and eating there. had built their. fire against an old railroad tie, which had caught on fire and had burned to the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

send him home in taxicab. When Billy demurred, he shook his head in a determined way, saying:
 There's nothing too good for you, young feller. and If an airship was to be had we'd send you home in that with flying colors.'
 At about six o'clock Billy's mother, who had been looking for her son for some time, and who was becoming very anxious over his prolonged ab- sence, saw a taxicab turn into the yard. She opened the door and step ped upon the porch just as Billy alighted, smiling but slightly pale. He was now passing the reaction period of his afternoons excitement.
 Why, Billy child!" cried his won- dering mother, how did you come to be in that town taxi?"
 Mother, I've only done a little
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

n NCE upon a time (not hundred
 years ago) young chap in his V teens, and feeling the wisdom of sage (which goes for saying that he was afflicted with the "big head") was sauntering gaily along the street in Washington. D. c. He was the type known as aggressive, and was weighted with self-assurance. He walked with high head. well thrown back, his hat on one side and stray lock of hair placed in the middle of his forehead in a killing" style. In his mouth he carried half burnt cigarette. As he turned corner he saw coming towards him a very well known senator. As the elderly gentle man came abreast the youth the latter halted and said in a loud, confident way: Good morning. Senator. How are you this morning?"
 The old gentleman looked inquiringly at the youth; then reading the ego tism which had prompted the strip ling to patronize him in this bold fashion, he simply looked him sternly and disapprovingly in the face.
 "Oh, I see, you do not know me-" said the youth arrogantly. smile on his face. And then he was on the point of introducing himself when the senator said in low, even voice: ''And why should I know. you, sir?''
 Then the senator went on his way without another word and left the youth standing alone, much embar- rassed. At first the elderly mans question, And why should I know you?" was enigmatical to the taken aback youth, and he only felt humil- lated. But that night, alone in his room, he thought the matter over from another point of view. In truth, why should the senator know him? Who was he-what had he done-that he should be known to men of af- fairs? And had not he presumed good deal to accost gentleman on the street as he had done? He be-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

1LITTLE figure such as is shown in the accompanying picture A may be made to balance itself in a very amusing and mystifying manner. Get a piece of wood, about two inches long, and cut one end of it into the shape of a mans head and shoulders, and trim the other end off to graceful and even tapering point. Next furnish the little gentle- man with a pair of walters, shaped like oars, to take the place of arms; these must be more than twice the length of the body. Stick them In his shoulders-into little holes made for them-and he is complete. Then you place him on the end of your finger, and if you have taken the pains to make the point exactly in the center of the body, he will stand upright, as seen in the picture. Then, by blowing on the walters he will swing round and round like a windmill. Of course, it may require practice on the part of the operator, for he must be quite particular about balancing the figure while 1t is swinging. This Is done by lending the flexible finger to the wooden figure, the finger of course doing the work. Much fun can be had by amateurs in the party trying the trick. They will invariably let the figure drop, as it requires some prac- tice before being able to accomplish the trick.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

their own sturdy trunks; there were cherry trees with eyer-ripe cherries, and one orange tree with rich yellow fruit All these trees were set in rows, and made a magnificent park in which the three rubber dolls often played at ball, and where the Noah's Ark animals roamed at their pleasure, never harming a soul.
 And. over all reigned the lovely, golden haired giantess. Flossie James. And all was peace and happiness, as has already been said.
 But one day the sweet quiet of Bluebirdville was shaken to it's depths. A stranger, a Mighty Stranger. came stalking through it's streets, wrecking havoc. This Mighty Stranger looked something like the Town Ruler, Mis- tress Flossie, only where she wore skirts he wore short pants-just com- ing to his sturdy bare knees.
 It all happened in this way: Flos- sic had gone out of the Nursery and was bearing her mother company on morning walk. Soon after the hall door had closed behind them the Mighty Stranger came shouting into the back yard, for he came from the house on the street back, and always ran through the back way when go- ing to the Jameses. He rushed into the living room, for he always had access to the house without knock ing Che was Flossie's Cousin Jack and never stood on ceremony).
 Not finding Flossie or his Aunt Mary in. he ran through the living room, up the hall stairs to the second floor. There he pounded on his aunts door, and getting no response, pushed the door open. No one was there. Then this Mighty Stranger strode on to Flossie's room and peeped within. No one there. Then he went up an- o+1,ar dipbt of stairs reaching the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

moving so rapidly that the very mo-
 tion created fierce wind which famed the flame and kept it alive.
 Billy's arms were giving out and his heart was in his mouth, so to speak, when of . sudden he saw the engineer thrust out his head, give one wild look and then jerk it in again. Then the great train slowed down. for the engineer had reversed it's action. The train was saved-the lives on it had been spared the threatening acci- dent! Billy dropped his torch which had spent itself and then sat down on the bank. The great car-wheels went past him slowly and more slowly and as the engine passed the man in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

 in at that very precise moment. She had seen the. Mighty Strangers signs left behind him below stairs-his cap on the living room floor and his jacket on the stair banister. and she knew that trouble would come to Bluebird- vile unless she got there in time to save the wrecking heels, toes and hands.
 When Flossie rushed, open-mouth- ed, into the Nursery the Mighty Stranger was about to knock over the barracks and that might have cost him dear. for undoubtedly Gen. eral Miles was on the point of heark- ening to The Father of His Country, George Washington, who was urging immediate action. and doubtless off would have shot the cannon. No one can say where the bullet of the can- non might have struck, but it is quite
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17


 = HE city was named Bluebirdvilie. and it was builded in a large
 nursery at the top of the James - house. All the inhabitants of Bluebirdville were very happy, and were ruled over by a giantess. There were the animals belonging in Noah's Ark (though they rarely stayed in the Ark, preferring the busy and merry street, and the Japanese dolls, Ninko and Pinko, a gentleman and a lady. and the great wax doll, Lady Jane Grey, and the two smaller dolls, Ethel and Fanny Fern, and the woolfy poodle, Barker, and the brave tin sol- iier, General Miles, and the Father of His Country, George Washington Gin fine new tVelvet hat and satin breeches). and the three rubber dolls, In knitted shirts. named respectively, Pull, Push and Shove.
 And all these nice inhabitants of Bluebirdville lived in peace and happi- ness. and as I have just said, were ruled over by giantess, whom they Ill loved. Her name was Flossie lanes, and she was seven years old, and was an Only Child, which goes 70 show you why she had such a arge assembly of friends in Bluebird yille. Had Flossie been lucky enough 10 have brothers and sisters the town ,f Bluebirdville might never have ex- sted, for 1t Is fact that where there Ire Several Children in the Family here are so many interesting games 10 be played indoors and out doors hat there is no time spent in build ng Nursery Cities.
 Well, Bluebirdville did exist, and 1t vas a Model Town. In the centre was he Concert Hall (where tiny plano itood, surrounded by chairs and benches). and at one of the four cor aers was the Barracks, where General Miles sat in council with The Father ,f His Country. George Washington. And in another corner stood Noahs Ark, and in another magnificent res- dence where dwelt Lady Jane Grey. And in the fourth and last corner vas the park. where all kinds and Nonditions of fancy trees blossomed ne year round. There were toy ap- le trees. with apples half as big as
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

side waved an arm at Billy.
 Then the train stopped-just fifteen feet from the burnt ties. Immediately the train officials and dozen or more passengers were on the ground in- quiring into the reason of the, stop. Billy ran to where the engineer stood and pointed to the burnt ties. Then 1t was that he became a hero. He never quite recollected how it was that he SD suddenly became the centre of an excited group. and why so many men grasped his hand, following the act of the engineer and conductor. He only knew that he was feeling bit cold for want of his shirt, which was now a blackened cinder.
 Well. the conductor took him into the train. declaring that he would carry him to town and from there
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17
= A LESSON FOR BOYS. @

gan to see it all. and the blush of shame came to his cheek for the first time. "He thought me an egotistical fool. presumptuous ass,'' he said to himself. And he treated me rightly. But l shall do something worth while in future. l shall make something of myself yet-so that men will not say to me: And why should I know you, sir?' The lesson has come home to me. I deserved the rebuff for my arrogant presumption"
 And that boy threw away his cig-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

hurriedly putting his coat on again. As he was buttoning his collar about him he felt something hard in his coat pocket. Thrusting his hand in he drew out box of matches.
 Well. forgot I had 'em," he said. Then an idea came to him. He would make a torch out of his shirt and wave it high above his head as the train came bearing down the tracks. He quickly looked about for good stick on which to tic the shirt. This was found at the timberless creek in the shape of board off an old tumble down fence.
 'Ah, this will make fine flag pole" unused Billy. Then he looked at his
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

thing-saved the fast express from a possible accident-and incidentally burnt up my shirt" And Billy open ed the front of his coat to his moth ers further surprise and horror. Come, mother. it's nothing. l assure you. I'll tell you all about it/as soon as I'm dried out" And he sought the kitchen fire.
 It was fifteen minutes later that Billy's father came in and was told all about the brave act of his son, and just as they were talking it over a messenger in another taxicap from town came tearing into the yard. He came from the Railroad Company, and had some very good things to say to Billy, the boy who had at least saved them heavy loss if not the lives of passengers. And after the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-17

arctic, lowered his chin to a norma position and stndiously applied him self to his studies, and when he hal passed his twenty-first birthday eve the gentlemanly old senator wouli have been glad to know him and |
 congratulate him on his earnest en deavor and it's fine results. He had en tered a high profession and stood a the head of his class. And he neve ceased to be grateful to the "gentls man of the old school" for makinl him "see himself as others saw him..