davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

Lick-Spittle Jinlmieis"
 Robbie swallowed hard-he was quite sure it was his heart that had popped way up III his throat
 But l guess you don't know who l am went on Lick -Spittle Jimmie. 'i with hideous grin.
 ''Nnun-no, Sir" Robbie managed to stammer
 Aha. Ah-a, l thought so. And yet you still criticize my work, eh ?'
 Poor Robbie felt that he just must say something; but, much to his re- lied. the strange visitor hurried on without waiting for reply:
 T make spit-curls-o little boys and little girls heads At least that s what you poor, befuddled mortals call them. Now l think they are works of art, and only an artist-such as T. can make them"
 Please sir" asked Robbie, trying his best not to seem frightened, did you make Mary Jano's?"
 Mary Jane? Mary Jane? Let me-see. Oh. yes you mean the Iit- tle girl next door? Certainly I did and-bless my soul-why that's what l came to talk to you about. I am such an absent minded old fellow that l almost forgot, Bless my soull''
 Suddenly Lick -Spittle Jimmie' frowned; In fact, he assumed most ferocious air and glared down at Bob bic. T remember now slrrah You leased little Mary Jane this afternoon about her beautiful, gorgeous, won derful, amazing. heavenly-ah, let me see-yes, pulchrtudinous spit-curl, didn't you. Didn't you, No. no, sir, don't tell me you didn't--for I was hiding behind the curtain and I heard you So I did
 The ideal The very idea. sirrah, To think that you even thought spit curl had to be spit onl The idea It's disgusting, But what else can one expect of a poor mortal, especially boy-mortal?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24
@ His First Case @

urged Daniel.
 As they could not agree, they decid- ed to take the case to their father and hear what he would suggest.
 well. boys,' said the old gentle- man. "I will be the judge" Then he pointed to the woodchuck and said, "here is our prisoner, you Daniel shall be the lawyer for the defendant. Ezekiel's the prosecuting lawyer, and we will soon find out whether our cap- tive must die, or whether we will give 1t liberty"
 Ezekiel opened the case with q strong argument, dwelling on the mis- chief done in the garden by the pris- oner; on the labor in capturing it and of the fool-hardiness in letting a mischief maker live. He further argued that it's skin was of some value to make up for the loss 1t had already caused
 The father was pleased with his son, for presenting so practical an argu- ment, and one to the point. Then he turned to Daniel and said Now son, it's your turn"
 It was Daniels first case and he pleaded like this.
 God has made the woodchnck. and He made him to live, to enjoy the bright sunlight, the pure air, the green fields, and the free woods. God has not made anything in vain. so the woodchucl has the same right 10 live as any other living thing. God gave me, my father and brother. food, He gave us all we possess and surely we could spare a little for the dumb crea ture who has right to his small share of Gods bounty. The animal has only followed the simple. harmless in- stncts it has received from the hands of its Creator. Created by God, we have no right to deprive him of life, liberty and food"
 During the argument. tears sprang to the fathers eyes. and as Daniel end ed his appeal he turned to Ezekiel and exclaimed
 " Ezekiel, Ezekiel, you lot that wood chuck go'
 And so Daniel Webster won his first case
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

through the underbrush, the sharp bite in the clear air-these and count less other signs announced that Fall had truly come.
 The little girls were sad. To them it was not like a walk in the Spring time, with the joy of living in the very air itself; or in the Summer, when all Nature was gloriously a7bloom.. On the contrary, they felt (without put ting it into so many words) that this was the season of dead and dying things
 "oh, don't you just hate the Fall!" said Edith.
 "yes." Elizabeth replied, with sign it makes me, feel so sad. The poor leaves-I just know it must hurt them to die, And to think of falling all the way to the ground from way up in the tops of big trees, Did you ever think of that, Edith?'
 Edith looked at her a moment be- fore replying. No, l don't believe l , have" she answered slowly. 'sBut I have thought of the poor flowers dying and the little birdies out in the cold and-and just think how glad we ought to be to have warm houses and fires and snug beds at night"
 "Chestnuts will soon be ripe" sug- gested Elizabeth brightly.
 "Oh, goody-goody, I had forgot ten about themn' exclaimed Elizabeth. And persimmons-and pumpkin pie and, oh, lots of good things. I be- lieve I like the Fall a little bit, don't you, Edith? ?''
 "Yes'' answered Edith with some hesitation, "but-but l like Summer { betterl'
 s q don't. Oh. I just hate, Summer. Will the Fall never comet"
 It wasn't Elizabeth speaking, though , ,as,lizabeth was right beside her. And nl ven more puzzling was the fact that Il was Summer and, all around the ps bwers and trees and bushes were in n loom. It was a warm afternoon and ' 1e drowsy hum of bees was in the .r while the birds chirped lazily from their shelters under the green leaves. It was strange indeed.
 q just. hate Summers. I wish Fall would come." repeated the same small, petulant voice. Here, here am, right at your feet-and l want to talk to you. Can't you see me?"
 Both little girls looked down, and straightway they beheld the queerest little creature they had ever seen.
 She was about the size of small doll, but sweeter and prettier than any mere doll could ever hope to be. She was clothed in white, flowing gar ments that looked like Summer cloudlet brought down to earth and draped about her.
 From her tiny. snow-white should CTS two sillxen wings protruded; wings which seemed to be those of butter
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24
"Lick-Spittle Jimmie" and the Dig Tail Curl

z7 HEN Mamma undressed little
 Robbie for bed the other evening she censured him for ;" the horrible way in which he had leased Mary Jane, aged six. who lived next door and was altogether d very. very nice little girl.
 You mustn't tell her she has a 'spit-curl,' Bobbie,' said Mamma No real gentleman would ever tell a lady that"
 But that's what it is, aint it, Mamma?" asked Robbie quickly
 "Yes-but-please don't say .ain't,' Robbie. I've told you that hundred times this week, I know. You know that Mary Jane is very sensitive about that curl-when you make fun of it. She-and lots of people. too-think it Is very cunning; so of course when you make fun of it, Mary Jane cries"
 Does her Mamma spit on it?" in- quired Robbie bandly
 What Of course not, Where did you ever get such a disgusting idea, Robbie? It is called a spit-curl. but that is just because it looks as though 1t had been mashed flat and then wet down into place But. my dear boy, that is just saying. No wonder poor little Mary Jane became angry if you told her that"
 No. Mamma said Robbie, aiming to be very truthful. q didn't tell her any such thing-I just asked her who spit on her curl every morning."
 Mercy sakes! Is that all" gasped Mamma. Come, you little jacka- napes, it's high time you were in Dreamland."
 Somehow--he wanted to, but he just couldn't stop to find out how it had happened-Bobbiew was up and dressed and in the nursery. Presently there came a rustling over in one corner of the wall and the wall opened and out stepped the queerest looking person he had ever seen.
 He was dressed all in black He wore a long coat such as Papa wore on Sunday morning when they all went to church; and also a shiny black top-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

And another will interrupt, iNol Me first, me first' Really, you have no ldea-"
 Fairy helper?" exclaimed Mamma, ieaning over little Edith's bed and. shaking her gently to wake her. You want to be fairy helper? We'll, I don't know about your being a fairy helper, my dear, but you certainly can, be Mothers little helper today, for the. entire house has to be cleaned. Come. wake up, It is late and breakfast will be ready in less than five minutes. You have certainly overslept yourself his morning." ,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24
@ @OURPUZZLE OORNER-
HISTORICAL CoNUNDRuMs.

HISTORICAL CONUNDRUMS. Who was the Little Corporal Who over France held sway? Who led h.s men across the Alps And won he-.bloody fray? Who played fiddle on his throne And watched the flames rise higher, While Rome, the city of the great
 Vas ruined by the fire? Who on an Easter morning
 While looking for Youths Spring, Beheld the land of fiowers-
 Now Florida's the thing. Who smoked Tobacco long ags.
 TO London took the weed, And for the other Gentlemen The fashion he did lead?
 
 |F'rom Domremy, where she had lived By angels voices lead. EShe went to crown the King of France, And for Frances cause sh9 bled. HISTORICAL CONUNDRtME = 1. Nopoleon. g. Nero. 3. Poncelie Leon. 4. Walter Ralei0h. 5. JOdn o1Arc.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

ID ETHER get your toys in before
 it rains." called grandpa who
 had been sitting on the porch
 - beside the rubber plant. "The sky is getting black and the eat is. licking itself"
 Now Bobby was quite sure that grandpa knew when it was going to rain for once when they planned a picnic he said the sky did not look right and he'd much rather stay at home. Everybody laughed but later when they all came home soaking wet grandpa laughed loudest of all.
 So this time when grandpa said 1t was going to rain, Bobby hurried and got his coaster wagon and other things right into the house.
 And sure enough, the rain came down ever so hard.
 "Of course" said Bobby with his little nose flattened against the win dow pane as he watched the chickens hiding under the hedge. "Of course grandpa knows when it is going to rain. but I can't see why old puss should know more than little boy. Why does she lick herself, anyway?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

Now, just for that, I'm going to give you what I call my pig-tail curl. And it will take your Mamma a long, long time to comb it out of your hair tomorrow morning-and the combing Is going to hurt you something awful ' Yes, sir. something awful You will yell and twist and squirm until tears run down your cheeks-and I'll be hiding right behind the bed and laugh ing at you. Now'
 ''Lick-Spittle Jimmie'' snatched the top-hat off his head, whirled it around
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

nat. His shoes were immense and his goggly eyes stared straight out of a round. fat face, right through pair of huge spectacles which gave him somewhat the appearance of an owl. His nose looked like the end of a big dill pickle and-thoush Robbie didn't see it at Understanding straight out from the back of his head was a pig iail' curl Or perhaps it looked more ike the tail of q puppy-dog.
 Anal Ah-a.' said the queer crea- .ure. "So--so you don't approve of ny work, do your"
 Poor Robbie gasped for breath. He couldn't imagine what this strange person was talking about and he couldn't utter so much as a sound.
 IT. said the visitor proudly. 'I am
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

T was Octoloer---a glorious day il
 that month of months when Nal
 ture is dorrning her sombre ga,p
 of russet and brown and goH, and the green. living things of tie earth are wrapping the mantle Of Fsll around them for their long Winte''s sleep.
 Edith and Elizabeth were walking in the woods. Underfoot, the first of the dying leaves hustled and cracked as they trod. Overhead waving branches were showering down upon them. one by one, their contributions to the leafy carpet with which old Mother Earth covers herself each year ere the snows and the cold descend upon her. The shrill cries of the wood-fols. the scurry of rabbit
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

Now. Now you have it. Right in front--where everyone can see iti morning and you will see for yourself
 It is an even better one than the one l have on the back of my head In fact, my fine fellow. don't mind tell ing you that I just now snatched it off my own head and stuck 1t on yours See. another one has grown out on my head, all ready for the next bad child who needs one. And the funniest part of 1t all is that tomor-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

s-Your life will run on evenly. NO great ups or downs will befall you.
 a-Your companions will. be true. and your occupations will be agree able.
 1o-You will do much charity and the poor will rise and call you blessed. 2 11-Yon will make 1t your lot to bear the burdens of others. and you will like 1t.
 I 12-You will inherit large fortune and others will share your good luck.
 Fun can be had by writing one of each of the above sentences and past Ing il between the empty halves of walnut she'll Pass a dish of these ."Fortune" walnuts around, and ask each guest to open hers and read her paper aloud
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

in the air very dexterously and sud denly .--brought it down sharp 1y on the amazed Bobbie's head. Then he snatched 1t off again and, lowing very low. exclaimed.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

enough the little creature was tempted by the bait, and was caught.
 Now we can kill the pesky little animal said the elder brother.
 "No let 1t live, the poor little thing"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

~ ANIEL WEBSTER, the eminent
 lawyer, statesman. and orator N died on October 24, 1852. His 1As% skill as a lawyer was well known all over the world and many and were the cases he pied for and won, but the one most interesting to him was his first ease. Daniel was then a boy of 12 years of age, and his brother Ezekiel was a few years older. Their home stood in a garden. and this garden was suffering from the gnaw- ings of a woodchuek, that lived near by.
 one day Ezekiel set a trap. and sure
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

of the
 
 
 
   doing you each other hemseIv
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24
TheFibbingBoy

~ HERE was once a little fellow N Who could never tell the " truth. He would tell hb to Johnny. And to Milly and to Ruth
 :, When he started in to hbbing. Goodness gracious me he thought. Now I'll have to tell another So the first ono won be caught. ]
 d Then he had to tell third one And fourth onc-oh. how sad r or we really came to know him As the STORYTELLING LADl
  So you d better take this warning When a hb Is on your lips. Simply bite your tongue little Then it stops before it slps
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

one day Ezekiel set trap and sure
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-24

HEN Mamma undressed little
 Robbie for bed the other evening she censured him for the horrible way in which he
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

Then came The Merchant Of
Venice" rather ambitious; THE Blot
on the Escutcheon," "Enoch Arden"
a sombre fancy; Lines OF White on a
Sullen Sea-" all OF which led up to
"Oil and Water" written by Mr.. Crit
nth himself. A little more ambition
and then came "a Corner in Wheat"
the first pictures Of which were
modelled directly on Millet's Clear
ers." and the audience liked that.
"Just about that time" he put in.
at came to me that "a wonderful thing
could be done with The Life Of Christ
The divine tragedy has n universe.
appeal, and adequately done with rev.
erence it could not fail Of approval"
He laughed. II submitted my idea
and 1t was approved. but when I got
to talking about details. Palestine and
Jerusalem, great cast. for l had
chosen two OF the foremost actors in
the world-an initial expenditure of
thousands-the thermometer dropped.
Il was madness" He paused. do
you know II is a little gratifying TO
me now that within the last few days
! have been approached by syndicate
which has asked me to do that very
same thing. and they have said that l
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

need not worry about little thing like
100000 or a 100000 II I need it.
BY this time II is apparent Griffith
had swung into his stride and a year
ago or a little more came judith"
using about 1000 people. where they
built forty foot concrete walls. wide
enough 30 have a battle on.
Then came THE Clansman." II
seems that the chief producing d.
rector. as Mr.. Griffith was. changed
from one company to another. and ac-
cording to reports he did so at a salary
that would pay the Presidents yearly
salary Of $4,000 and more. He
wouldn't talk about that. In any
event he had not worked long before
he had the Dixon book handed over To
him to read. He read it and lost in
terest in about everything else.
II read the book he says. "and I
saw 1t. Not the book entirely, bu as
an opportunity for me to set forth,
first. the birth of the South following
the travail of the civil war.
Il saw a chance to tell the story Of
how they suffered through what l be-
lieve to be the most dramatic period
in the history of the country-recon-
ruction. There was a chance TO
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

show what the South thinks Of Lin
coin: there was n chance to show
that the negro OF the South did not
of his own volition degenerate into the
human being who made the Ku kiux
Khan necessary. but rather he was
seduced by the inscriptions adven-
turers. who exploited a situation for
their own selfish ends.
There was nothing OF race in my
idea. and may l say there is nothing
of race antagonism in my production.
1t is Simply the pictorializing OF an
epoch
Taking the book. reading ii and
dreaming about II, however. did not
do the work. There were eight months
OF incubation. First three men. and
they were professors Of colleges, were
asked to work out the correct his
torical data. There were interviews
with veterans Of the civil war on most
important points, recourse to maps
and reports down at Washington and
finally a patient county by county
tour Of Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala
bama and North Carolina until Pied
mont was discovered.
Then came the location Of the
attlefields. after which the veterans
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

with their maps went forth to lay
out a battlefield just as 1t was at
Petersburg and just as it was in
part during the march OF Shermans
army from Atlanta to the sea. Where
approved territory was found the ex-
perts went to work upon 1t.
II a road wound this way. IL there
was brook or river. or house
or a barn, that road, brook. house and
barn were found or put in. II a town
was needed along came an architect
with his corps Of builders and they
put 1t up just as some gray haired
old man remembered it.
They remembered burnings, and a
town, two towns were put in-five
altogether We're built. one man re-
membered the burning Of a town by
night. Something must be done about
that. A fireworks man said he could
build bombs which exploding in the
air would give enough light for the
camera to work at night. incidentally
II may be added the bombs cost $50
apiece, but they did the work
Was ii difficult TO get the actors?"
NO" replied Mr.. Griffith, mot diff
cult. but tedious. You see we adver-
tised in the newspapers that We
wanted so many persons. men. women
and children. We established employ
ment bureaus, so to speak. and made
our selections"
How about the negroes"
They We're the easiest. The negro
is natural actor. and | do not mind
saying that among the $500 of them
We took out of the fields. out Of the
shops and from every other place we
found some with remarkable talent. \
producer some day may put forth the
tragedy Of the negro ON the film
he will find men and women Of that
race fully competent"
OF course. it was explained. they lid
not use the $4,000 persons all the five
or six months they Were actually
photographing the drama. While it
is true that by the time he had
finished his long term 81 study Mr..
Griffith did not Use a scrap Of paper
a book or scenario, Yet he had ar
ranged 1t all in his mind.
The great multitude for the flight
from Atlanta and the town scenes
Were not actually under employment
longer than TWO weeks. Then 1t may
be added that the expenses ran far
up into the thousands every day.
The only way We could handle
them was 10y military discipline" sad
Mr. Griffith. w. laid out camp fol
the whites and IA camp for the blacks
We set NJ two Commlssarles. Then
we divided our forces into sections
each section commanded 10y Il captain
who had his staff under him That :
how the picture was worked out.
Every section !. adler in the biz
battle scenes or the town scenes kept
his section. rchcarscd il and luokrt
after it. Complete telephone syst, m,
were Installed for every section aut
the orders deiv red from hcaduuar-
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25
D. w. Gri&th's Great Idea and How
He Worked Out Historically Accu-
rate Battle Scenes With $4,000
Actors and 5000 Horses

when he went out into the world he
gravitated to Louisville and very
promptly applied for a position with
a modest little stock company which
was giving everything from Shake
speare to Charles Hoyt at local thea
tire.
He was engaged. as he says. because
they needed somebody. Then there
were seven years of the stage. now in
road companies, now in repertoire.
all the time getting up a little. He
played with Gertrude Coghlan. Walker
Whitesides and finally Nance O'Neil,
in the last year a leading man.
Something else happened. In an
odd moment on the road the young
actor had written a short story or two
and some verses. He came back to
New York and sent them to a maya
zine. which promptly accepted them.
Then he wrote play. THE Fool and
the Girl and James h. Hackett took
it. Another great romantic drama was
begun, and its acceptance promised.
This was in the latter part Of 1906
and the early part Of 1907.
THAT ended the stage for me-" he
was going to be an author and
draw down royalties. woke up in
about five months.
THE Hackett play failed and I have
always had "a little bit OF sore spot
over that. l know a little bit more
about stage management now, YOU
know. Then shor, story writing was
not extra profitable and I came back 10
New York from the country and
found the moving picture game grow
ing"
He began writing moving picture
scenarios then at S. and $40 apiece.
That was all right if you could turn
out enough of them. There are limits.
however. to the physical capacity OF
even such plots as they used in those
days and the young man added NOV
ing picture acting to his other work.
He went into the company If cor
poration the first one mentioned,
studied the game as 1t was then, saw
that IT might be made an art and
bided his time until the officer heard
him make the suggestion to the pro-
ducing director, whereupon another
era was born.
There is no doubt the young man
ager grew a little more ambitious
about that time. The corporation for
which he worked had not been par
ticular.y prosperous, although to-day
it is worth millions, but there was
somebody in it wise enough not TO i'm
pose any rules or regulations on the
new director.
perhaps the reader will remember
a modest, haunting little film, "Pippa
Passes" the representation of Brown
!ng's poem. Griffith did that and all it
was was n day of young girl with
her ancient Italian guitar singing her
little song ending: Gods in His
Heaven; ais right in the world"
Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-10-07
BEWARE OF CHIC KEN
scaiciToRs FOR ORPHANS

a
A man and a woman dropped into
q small town Monday and put up at
the best hotel. The next morning
they secured a rig eaen, and started
over the country asking the farmer
folks for a chicken fol an orphans
home in st Louis. After two days
begging they sold the cffsckens to a
local produce nnan for $50 and left
sowTf Their loot included several
cash donations.
A variation Of the scheme is for a
man, wearing some sort of badge, to
call on the farmers under the name
Of the department Of health and de.
niand to see his pota.ry After sx-
anana ton he condemns twenty or thsr
ty hens and tells the farmer they viii
have 10 be killed because they are
diseased. He very kindly offers to-
take the chickens and do the killing
himself II the farmer consents the
man takes the chickens to the nearest
commission merchant and sells them
The scheme is being worked ali oyer
the country # a man or woman calls
oa you with demand that looks sus-
picfous, call up your focal authorities
and ask By what right they are ask