davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
SOHRAB AND RUSTUM

Cling together in the dragging sand;
now Rustum staggered, almost lost his
feet; now Sohrab yielding to the others
bulk, gave back a pace or two.
Hotter and hotter beat the sun above.
till Sohrab's helm seemed like a white
hot band that scared his skull; lights
blazed before his eyes. A roaring and
the sun was blotted out, and a mad
rush of wind wrapped the two in a
binding cloud of sand, and to and fro
with glaring, bloodshot eyes they
swayed and hacked Now Rustum
Ibreathed in gulps, harsh, tearing sobs;
he lunged, his javelin struck in soh-
rabs buckler and did not strike
through, and as he plucked the barbed
head away the others blade shore off
his scarlet crest and dropped 1t in the
dust Then Ruksh, his battle horse
that stood near by, screamed loud and
the two armies shuddered at that cry;
the yellow waters of the Oxus curdled.
The pride of Persia trampled In the
dust-great Rustum staggered. Sohrab
leaped and swung straight down as
hammer swings on anvil, and the
sword, crashing upon the crestless
golden helm. shivered like glass. He
held the useless hit.
moment both stood dazed; then
Rustum, gathering all his voice and
strength cried "Rustum!" and the youth
heard and recoiled and. starting.
dropped his sheltering shield a flash.
and the short javelin thrust into his
side. Keeling he fell and lay upon the
sand.
But, as he lay stretched at Rustum's
feet, he cried:
"Rustum shall yet avenge me; thou
shalt die! For am Rustum's sonr
And the Persian, starting in fear:
NAY, nay, what talk is this? Thou
art a Tartar-never Rustum's SON.
Then Sohrab, pluclsed the cloth from
his breast. showed pricked there in ver-
million Rustum's sign, the griffin. And
Rustum stared and stared with widen
ing eyes, and tore his hair and flung
himself face downward and sobbed
MY son, my little SON.
But Sohrab took the Scared old hand
in his and, gentle as girl,
Father, twas fate, not thou. Weep
not, beloved-swift as the wind l came
ana sWiit So-anu KISS me, Idtner.
And Rustum took the pale head in his
lap and kissed the lips and strolsed the
beardless cheeks, while Ruksh, the war
horse, stood with head hung low.
Wondering, the Persians watched ana
would have come, but Rustum cried:
stand back; give me my little hour"
And soft they talked, the young man
and the old, while the sun sank into
the west, casting long shadows all
along the sand. Then Sohrab, grown too
weak for any speech, patted his faith
er's hand and wanly smiled, and drew
the biting steel from his white side.
and eased his agony, and as the sun
died.. crimsoning the west, his life
flowed out upon the Oxus sand. And the
first stars that peered through the
gray dusk saw Sohrab lying white and
very still and Rustum with his cloak
about his head crouched motionless be-
side his only son.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
More Demand for Iron

Buyers are a good deal more willing
to discuss pig iron prices than they were
a week ago." says Matthew Addy & Co.'S
report just issued 'They are taking a
decided interest in the market. There Is
more purchasing. right along. AS far as
the tonnage of new business is con-
cerned, May has been a great improve
ment on April. The prospects for the
immediate future are good, for there Is
growing increase in inquiry.
while the general feeling remains
that we shall not see genuine and last
ing betterment in pig iron conditions un-
til the new tariff is actually settled, yet
there are not wanting many who be-
lieve that the recent drop in prices has
discounted the tariff changes and that
within very short time we are going to
have a much more active market. These
look for the turn in June.
lone thing has been conclusively DEM
onstrated of late, and that is that low
prices do not stimulate trade. On the
contrary every time furnace lowers its
prices the buyers are scared just that
much and refuse to purchase. What
business has been done has been done in
spite of the low prices and not by reason
of them.
Coke continues in active demand with
large transactions. The coke market Is
on a higher basis than for years"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
COMFORT ON SHIPBOARD

Harold Christie In Leslie's.
Comfort is the word written in CAPT
tails over the cabin door of a modern
steamship After the ship people, by
means of their cold storage. feed you
and get your stomach at ease with the
world, they look after your sleeping
provisions. Fill a mans stomach and
give him a place TO sleep, and the
smiles clinch themselves on his face,
One of the ways by which this Is OBJ
tained is by giving him a wides COM
Portable bed.
The newest idea In furnishing a city
apartment is TO have a double-deck bed,
one bed above the other, like berths
on a Pullman, so that they won't take
up so much ROOM This was the way the
staterooms were arranged, but the
newer ships are doing away with the
acrobatic bed-that is, where q person
must be something of gymnast to get
his ear on the upper pillow. They are
putting regular bedsteads in their
place in the new ships. In the first
cabins of the modern liner. the word
berth is obsolete; bed has taken its
place, and all travellers are willing to
throw up their hats at the change.
The ship owners certainly insist that
you keep clean when you are travelling
with them One of the recent model
ships has 220 bathrooms. One of the
newest wrinkles Is the Pompeian bath.
II you have a good, well-oiled imagi-
nation you can imagine yourself back
in Rome 1000 years ago, taking off
your toga for a plunge with Scipio
during the Second Tunic war; This
Pompeian bath has pillars marble
staircases, bronze outfittings, and cas-
cades of water shimmering down until
you can hardly stand still for wanting
to get in and try your new overland
crawl-stroke. The pool is 30 feet wide
and deep enough at one end to dive off.
Nearly all the new ships have swim
ming tanks, but without Roman trim
mings. swimming tank takes up a
lot of room, but 1t is something that
can be enjoyed by everybody. This is
one reason why, as ships keep getting
larger, they carry no more passengers.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
AIahama,s Centennial

'I forget what became of the movement
for holding an exposition in Alabama in
1919 by way of celebrating our centenary
as a state. but it is hoped that it will not
be allowed to die," said an old citizen.
''If there Is to be an exposition of ma
tional Importance Birmingham is the log
ioal place for it. If the celebration is
TO be purely historic and without any ex-
position features then Montgomery would
be the place.
"If we have good crops this summer
Alabama will be enjoying a high degree
of prosperity in the fall and in period
of prosperity the people can be easily
aroused on any celebration proposition.
The chances are that the Birmingham
district will have another genuine boom
within the next II months and when
business is booming here everybody will
be in favor of the exposition
but what Birmingham needs most
of all now is the auditorium. This pro-
ject will no doubt materialize before the
end of the year."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
IN PORTAGE DES SIOUX

lark McAdams in the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
IN Portage Des Sioux, where was yesterday.
The spell of the past is wonderful thing;
One feels it about in quaint, pretty way,
And walks in delight where it's memories cling.
the old priests in the name of the King
Far distant in France when the new world was new.
And the river went by with a magical swing
At old Portage Des Sioux
Portage Des Sioux there birds in the trees
That in the sweetest of old-fashioned tones,
the perfumes of clover borne the breeze
From beautiful fields where the humble bee drones
mellow old chimes with their soft monotone.
And odd little streets that go Towering through,
And the wide brimmng river sings over the stones
At old Portage Des Sioux
Portage Des Sioux there Is respite from care
the deep lying shades of the widespreading trees.
And a blest solitude hovers everywhere,
Caressed by the wings Of the sweet summer breeze.
There is rest for day. mid the droning OF bees,
The arch of the heavens Is tendcrly blue.
And river sings its great symphonies
At old Portage pes Sioux
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
Steel Corporations Example

The United States Steel corporation
Is, through its witnesses in the gov
ernment suit for dissolution, making
an excellent impression upon the pub
lie. If there are good trusts and bad
trusts, as Theodore Roosevelt once
suggested, the Steel corporation
comes well under the head of good
trust. 1t has set a good example to
all corporations. Publicity has been its
periodical statements. If trust it has
been it is reasonable to assert that
disinterested observers have never
held the corporation to be in the mo-
nopoly. class and before the govern
ment probe is ended public sentiment
will be as strongly in favor Of this CO.
called trust as it has been against
those which were known to be really
oppressive.
In Chairman Gary's testimony
Thursday there was a fine bit Of
issny. Although there were difficult
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
The City Beautiful

1.-The spaces on the sidewalks between
the curb and the walk-way, set apart for
grass and flowers, should add to the at
tractiveness of Birmingham at this sea-
son of the year, and do along some ave-
nues but on most of them these spaces
are so much trampled upon that vegeta-
ton has little chance said resident of
South Highlands.
I'm front of one of the handsomest
homes on Highland avenue flowers have
been planted, but they do not thrive be-
cause they are not protected. What we
need is a campaign of education in be-
half of the city beautiful idea. Every
little boy and girl as we'll as every adult
should be trained to the habit of keeping
off the grass and off the flowers"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
Uncle Remus' Magazine

The magazine that Chandler Harris
founded several years ago might have
been retained in the south if the la
mented author had lived longer. His
death before he had reached the age
of 60 rendered the sale and removal
of the magazine inevitable, and there
is nothing now to do but to accept it.
For some reason no magazines pros
per outside of the big eastern cities,
and few indeed get along well unless
they are published in New York. One
would think that commercial center
need not also be literary center but
that seems to be fate not only in this
country but in the countries across the
sea.
There is therefore nothing to do but
to bid good-by to the "Uncle Remus"
magazine, which is to be swallowed
up in the new Pulitzer magazine that
is to be issued in September. The
south, like the west, is not the home
of magazines. They do not prosper
even in Indiana, and surely Georgia
should not be expected to outdo In
diana
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
Indeed 1 cannot think, IL 1 would
think my heart out of thinking.
Much Ado About Nothing.
The Strike Ended

The men who have been on strike
in Birmingham for nearly two weeks
will return to work today.
The adjustment of the trouble came
as a result of negotiations between
the recently organized Independent
Building Contractors association and
the Building Trades council.
The General Building Contractors
association stands firm, however. 1t
issues a statement in today's Age
Herald in which it says: I'VE still
contend we are right in the stand
taken April / and expect to continue
our work on an open shop basis and
employ whom we please regardless Oh
the Building Trades council
What is of particular interest to the
public at this time is the fact that
the strike is over. Building opera
tions have been very active in Biz
mingham for year past and 1t was
a matter of general regret, of course,
that the strike caused cessation OF
work on many large buildings that
were pressing for completion. But
the adjustment which has just been
brought about will result not only In
a revival of activities in the building
trade, but a buoyant feeling in busi-
ness circles generally.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
The Grand Jury Report

The grand jury of Jefferson county,
which has just finished its work and
submitted it's report to Judge Samuel
E. Greene, has evidently been diligent
in the discharge of it's duties, and yet
there is nothing whatever sensational
in it's statement.
Former grand juries have been dill
gent, too, but their reports were so
overweight as to leave the impress
sion on many minds that Birmingham
was reeking with iniquity.
. Birmingham, like all large cities,
contains many lawbreakers. There
will always be much vice in large
cities, but no reasonable effort should
be spared to minimize the vice. It
may be that morals in Birmingham
have improved in the recent months;
that vice is less in evidence. All good
people will hope that such is the case.
At any rate, it is relief to read
grand jury report that is condensed
and to the point without any yellow"
features.
Judge Greene is to be heartily COM
mended, for it may be assumed that
his conservative and wholesome charge
to the grand jury resulted in this
business-like rather than sensational
report
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City star
MUSTERED along the sandy
river oxus the army of the
~ Tartars swarmed, blaclxbearded
horsemen striding among black tents
spread out in wide array to block
their march, the fighting men of Per-
sia. 1t is early morning; thin blue
spires of smoke mark where break
fasts are preparing, and the hot Per-
sian sun has not rolled back the gray
fog blankets from the Oxus stream
But in both camps men are astir and
talking. For today Sohrab. youngest
and most terrible of the invading
chiefs, is to meet Rustum, Persias
champion, the grizzled victor or
thousand fights. The Persians know,
but Sohrab does not know He only
knows he is to fight while thousands
watch. And perhaps-perhaps the ru-
NOR of the fight may reach great
Rustum, sohrab's father, whom he has
never seen. If Rustum could be there
to see it, though!
And in the other camp, the Persian
camp, whilst all the tongues of Iran
buzz of war, Rustum is sitting In his
tent alone. A grizzled man he is near
middle agea battered and Scared with
80 years of fighting. But today, wait
ing the hour of battle. the mans
thoughts have gone blackjack to a
summer in his vanished youth when for
a little while his sword was sheathed
and in mountain valley to the east
he dwelt in peace, forgetful of the
world and found his heaven in a girls
bright eyes. All, the soft fragrance of
her-and her voice--her little hand that
clung upon his arm. Well, that was
two and twenty years ago. and now
she Is old If she be not dead. and the
child-is a child no more. Thus Rustum
unused, girding himself for battle.
They met in great, sandy open
space, the armies ranged apart to see
them fight. A slender youth, this
Sohrab-almost it seemed a shame to
slay the boy. Then Rustum's spear
drew back, he flung, savage and quick,
but Sohrab leaped aside and the short
javelin quivered In the sand. Then
Sohrabs spear rang loud against his
shield and Rustum, angered. snatched
his heavy club and swung to crush the
dancing Tartar boy-swung wide and
missed and stumbling fell headlong.
Furious and soiled he lay full length
a moment; Sohrab might easily have
slain him then. But he paused. smiling,
and:
Tell me thy name; my heart Is
moved by thee. Persian--thou art not
Rustum?"
But Rustum, raging, clambered to his
feet, his eyes agleam with fury. and he
choked:
Eight Let me hear thy hateful voice
no more! Laugh not at me, thou cursed
dancing boy!"
And straight they rushed together
like two bulls. Shield Changed on shield
and they fought breast to breast, strug-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
SOMETHING DOING, AFTER ALL

L TOIl June IlpplHCOlL ).
Mr.. Underdone Sutlets, proprietor of
the Speedy cafe, was notoriously hard
hearted. The most weeping widow VINO
ever graced a melodrama couldn't have
wept a slice of stale bread out of his
restaurant without the price. So, when
a pale and timorous bum approached
the desk and made faltering appeal,
it was no surprise to the lunch fiends
to hear a curt Nothing doing. Beat It,"
I'm not beggar," retorted the hun
cry man. I'm willing to scrub floors
or wash dishes. I'm just out of prison,
and nobody will give me work. I'm
starving"
The proprietor betrayed faint in
terest.
What were you in for?" he asked
idly.
'Ill tell you the truth" explained
the ex-convict. "I was kind of
counterfeiter. l used to take a hundred
dollar bill and split 1t in two with a
razor. Then, I'd take a one and split
that and then paste the halves together,
SO I'd have two centuries, If the sucker
didn't look on both sides. 1t took 'em
five years to catch me-"
Mr.. Outlets beckoned the ex-prisoner
behind the bar
Order what you like on the house."
he whispered I've got a steady job
Tor you. I'll give you thirty week to
slice the ham for my sandwiches"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
HAsTY JUDICIAL DECISION

From the Chicago Tribune.
"Officer, what's the charge against this
MANI"
'Dhrunk an disordherly, yr amer"
We'll, my elderly friend, what have
you to say for yourself? Are you guilty
or not gulty?"
Not guilty, your honor"
HIN! Appearances are against YOU
What is your manner"
m. V. B. Gopp.nger. your honor"
How old are your"
Forty-seven, your honor"
We'll, sir, you've lied to me either
about your name or your age. If you
are only AZ your name is not NJ v. B.
Goppinger If your name is M v. b.
Goppinger you are more than Al. They
quit naming babies after Martin Van
Buren 60 years ago. I think I'll give you
about AZ days in the workhouse. Call
the next case!'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31

ties and obstacles among us as 10
how labor and our competitors should
be treated" said Judge Gary, for the
last eight or nine years our admins
tration has been successful and every
thing very satisfactory except that
the government does not seem to think
we have done as much or as little as
we might, whichever it is.0
Here. in the Birmingham district
the Steel corporation has set high
example through the Tennessee COM
pany and later through another sub
sidiary company, the American Steel
and Wire. Not only has it spent many
millions on improvements and expan-
sion in this district, but it has volun-
tarily advanced wages and has carried
on welfare work in a broad and sys-
tematic manner. The housing OF It's
employees has received close attention
and everything looking to the COM
fort of families occupying company
houses has been considered from hu-
name point of view.
Of course, the Steel corporation
does not pretend to be a philanthropic
institution. 1t is simply a vast busl-
ness concern. But along with its busl-
ness it has done an amazing amount
of welfare work for which the pubic
must in time give it due credit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
HOBsON MUST EXPLAIN

From the Huntsville Mercury Banner.
When Captain Hobson said in his
Huntsville speech: The interests OF
corruption and subsidized press knee
deep in Alabama cannot defeat me-
I belong with the stars of the forces
of the universe, and will win, because
I am right" Did he mean that he was
starring among the forces of the uni
verse? He has had the entire force
star gazing since that eventful speech
trying to work out his meaning. That
sentence about the Subsidized press
being knee deep in alfalfa Is all right
but what we are bothered over is will
his standing among the stars of the
forces of the universe" make him a
better senator than he was congress
man?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31

From the diary of Charles Eliot Norton,
in Scribners Magazine.
Friday. January II, 1s7s.-After lunch
went to Carlyle's and found him sitting
alone in his study, smoking his long clay
pipe. He gave me a pipe and we sat for
an hour by the freside and then went
for a walk to the park. He was in a
most pleasant mood: as l grow familiar
with him. and certain intimacy unites
us, his character necomes more and more
open and delightful and I feel a real
affection for him. The sincerity and SIM
plicity and modesty of his nature are
than the originality of his genius, the
liveliness of his fancy and the geniality
of his humor. He is one of the most
sympathetic of men.
1--WE not had much sleep since I last
saw ye. It's an old complaint and I'm
wonted to it. That dinner at Forster S
gave the finish strike; was as prudent
as man could be, but I did not get to
sleep till O. the clock the next morning.
And ones troubled with all kinds O.
whrln' thoughts in the long nights;
specters and hobgoblins that won't be laid
by any exorcisms. dance a wild reel
through ones head. We were talllin'
about prayer the other day-well-I re-
member one night I'd been lyin' awake,
tossing from one side to the other, and
at last l turned over on my back, a
posture l don't often take IN bed. and
all of a sudden the Lords prayer flashed
before me, an I saw 1t all plain written
out from beginnin' to end I don't think
Ia used it officially for so years at least,
but there it was-Our Father which art
in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Try
kingdom come-and I thought to myself
that it was just the varra best COM
pendulum of everythin' that man had
need to say If he desired to make e
prayer-and as was thinkin' I fell
asleep.
YES with a laugh) as you say, 'twould
not be a bad notion to issue a tract en-
titled, Remedy for Sleeplessness. ad-
dressed to Sinners by Thomas Carlyle
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31


Only in the class of torpedo boats,
whose radius of action is short, is the
Japanese navy superior. In striking
power it is far outclassed.
Japans war debt is already crushing
The average laborer of Japan, earning 20
cents or less day, must work more than
one month every year to pay his fam
ily's share, of the $71000,O 900 it costs to
carry Japan's debt of $1,271, 745, CO., The
average American workman, at 10 times
the wage, need work but little over
half day to pay his share of the $22,-
100000 interest on the debt of the United
States.
The contrast between the two nations
in financial resources is strikingly ex-
pressed in other terms. Our commerce
up to May l was s4,254O00,000 in a year.
Japan's in 1911 was s495,O0o,0O0. Japan's 3
per cent bonds sell below par. Her 41ss
are 10 points below those of New York
city. No more money could be borrowed
upon such terms in case of war. Japan's
credit would be dead. ~
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
Good Trade Conditions

II have returned from quite an extern
sive trip through Kentucky. Tennessee
and Alabama" said Hugh NJ Brown Oh
Birmingham. the popular representative
OF Cincinnati shoe manufacturers.
Two weeks ago was In Paducah ana
notwithstanding the fact that there haa
been much damage from the Ohio river
flocd prosperity prevailed and everybody
in that section was optimistic In Ken
lucky and Tennessee everybody L met
when l asked about business, said that
trade had been good-better this spring
even than last.
"The entire south I think is partlcu-
larly prosperous at this time. l am satis-
fled that the three states which l 'trayel'
are enjoying solid prosperity
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-31
THE EDITOR
From Life.

=
BY an Unsuccessful Contributor-A
malignant person, utterly devoid of
literary discrimination or taste. A
player of favorites An unjust Judge.
BY Interest" He Opposes-A dog in
the manger. A mule. A pinhead. A
fathead. An ignoramus. breeder of
popular clamor.
BY Rival Editor-An accident A
personification of conceit
BY His Wife-An absent minded
genius, who requires her public praise
and private discipline.
BY successful Contributor-A keen
but amiable man. who holds the key to
the treasury. A friend in need. A good
fairy. The hope Of the future