davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13
SCENTED LIKE SWEET CLOVER
able Resemblance to That Of
Summer Fields.
Copyright. 1915, by

A man from the city riding along a
country road breathed the most deli
cious perfume. He said: Where
does that come FROM" Casting his
eye to the left of the road he saw a
large field of red clover in full bloom,
and the bees taking the sweets for
honey. He halted his carriage to
drink in the fragrance. Science has
found bean from which an extract
is taken whose odor is so nearly like
that of sweet clover that it can hardly
be distinguished from it, and is used
in the market in large quantities as
substitute for it. 1t is the tonqua, or
tonka bean, found on the large forest
trees of tropical South America, chilly
in the village of the Orinoco, Cuara
and Cuchivero rivers in Venezuela,
and certain sections of Colombia and
Brazil. The trees grow sometimes
60 feet nigh and are three feet in di.
ameter. In Venezuela the trees are
called sarrapia, and the men engaged
in the collection of the beans are
called sarrapieros. These collections
usually set out for the forests in Feb.
ruary, when the beans begin to ripen.
They go up the rivers in canoes or
skiffs by the hundreds ana gather the
pods when they fall, pull the beans
from them, and, drying them thorough.
ly, they are sent to the exporter and
thus on to the various ports of the
world. BY a chemical and mechani-
cal process the extract is taken.-The
Christian Herald.
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13
APEACHBLOW VASE
BY GERALD FYcE.

The old pawnbroker looked in as
constituent at the object which was
set down upon the counter before his
eyes.
"a peachblow vase, only fifteen
inches high" said the well-dressed
man who had come into the shop.
zone of the only pair in existence,
and valued officially by the American
museum at forty thousand dollars
apiece"
"How much do you want on it?"
inquired the pawnbroker, more from
force of habit than anything else.
1.-TWO thousand dollars" answered
the man.
All the while he kept his hands
carefully about the precious object,
resting in it's velvet case. The pawn
broker stared at it. 1t was worth its
weight in gold, and something more.
Jones had the only pawnshop which
was also an art museum. He had han
died half the private objects of virtue
In collections, perhaps. None knew
but he how often the rich man needs
a large loan. He was cognizant with
the peachblow vases, and he had heard
of this unique pair, one of which rest
ed in the American museum, the other
being the property of some unknown
European.
of course you understand must
have an expert" he began.
Quite So" answered the man.
"Oblige me by signing this receipt
Rld liability, and l will be back in a
week"
Jones signed. The deal would mean
only a small sum, but his curiosity
vas thoroughly aroused. With trem-
bling fingers he locked away the
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13
One on Harvard.


Nick Longworth tells this one on
himself:
when I was travelling in China
met very delightful Chinese man
who seemed to know something Of
America, and as we chatted he asked
me:
"'What was your college,?
Harvard said proudly.
"'Ever interested in rowing in your
day?' he inquired.
"'Quite Bit | replied
What's the length of the Harvard
slide now?' he wanted to know, and
something of the boat. SO we talked
of Craftsmanship and watermen, and at
that l asked:
"'When you were in America were
you ever at New London for the
races?
"'Oh, yes he said softly. for three
years
"'Then you've seen Harvard row.
1 offered
Ono, never saw her. he almost
lisped
"'You were at New London for
three years and never saw Harvard
row? How could that be?'
"T was coxun in the Yale boat, and
Harvard was so far behind each year
that never saw her row."
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13

trophy in his safe. Then he tele,
phoned Smith, the famous expert in
pOrcelains.
The expert arrived that afternoon
and looked the vase over.
IT'S the most brazen imposture I've
ever met" he said quietly.
Its a fake, Mr.. Smith,
mot at ALL It's the vase from the
museum. Stolen, of course, and no
doubt the authorities are keeping it
dark while they hunt down the thief.
III telephone the curator at once. By
the way, was the man who brought
you this a tallish man with slight
cast in one eye?"
Yes" said the pawnbroker. "Why?"
He's the fellow that foisted the
spurious Botticelli on old Campion
last year. Painted it himself, and it
took a microscopic knowledge of the
original to enable me to detect that
e certain sinew of the hand, which
BOtticelli always gets wrong, was
right in the picture. Cleverest thief
in Europe. Hello! Give me the
museum, please"
Five minutes later he looked up at
Jones in amazement.
The museum people laughed at
me-" he said. THE vase is there,
right where it has always been, in a
special case. Let me look at that
again, please, and then I'll go up
there
He inspected the vase. jotted down
some notes, and took his departure.
He returned late at night, bewildered.
THE peachblow is in the museum"
he said. Il saw it with my own eyes.
It's the genuine peachblow. Jones,
/ believe if you look in your safe
you'll find the vase missing"
But it wasn't missing 1t remained
in the safe, shining with all its deli
cate transparency of pink and white.
IN come tomorrow and go over it
inch by inch,' said the expert.
He did so and pronounced the vase
genuine. It's a twin brother of the
museum one" he said. The same
man made both in the time of the
Ming dynasty It's genuine-I guar
antee that. But I'm going to see the
one IN the museum once more"
However, the curator refused to let
him handle the museum vase. He
was suspicious of the critics eager
ness. and thought that he meant to
decry the authenticity IF the famous
vase, for which the museum mad paid
forty thousand year before. Be
sides, ne was not willing to risk the
breakage of forty thousand dollars
worth of proclaim by an unfortunate
slip of the experts hand.
fSmith, standing beside the case, ex
amined the vase. 1t stood IN a case
similar to that in which It's fellow
reposed in the pawnbroker's safe, o.
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13

red leather, lined with vesvet and open
at the front. He compared it with
his notes with the utmost care. He
could see hardly variation. And yet
there was undoubtedly the slightest
variation-just enough to convince
him that the two vases were In
dubitably two.
81 guarantee that the vase in your
possession is genuine" he told the
pawnbroker. But I'm suspicious. II
that fellow is the one who played that
trick on old Campion there's some
thing strange about it"
Once more he went to the curator.
He almost went down on his knees
to him, but the curator was adamant.
He refused in the strongest terms to
allow anybody tn handle the peach
blow vase.
Il guess I've done all that is pos
sible," Smith said to the pawnbroker.
Now it's up to you"
II don't care about the money" said
Jones. But l mean to have posses
sion of that vase for few weeks be-
fore I die"
However, the day before that set by
the stranger for his return Jones went
down to his shop to find the safe
drilled open and the vase-only the
vase-gone.
The Mortified old man sent for
Smith. HE won't come for it," said
Smith with conviction. I'D have
couple of detectives ready in case he
did. The police are still looking for
him in connection with the Campion
affair"
The stranger failed to appear. A
second week passed. Jones had al
most become reconciled to the situa-
ton. Not so the critic.
Since his pleas to the curator
guard had unostentatiously been sta
toned before the peachblow vase in
the museum. The guard did not know
Smith. He watched with only languid
interest the well-dressed, unobtrusive
man who was looking at the peach
blow. Suddenly Smith raised his arm.
There was the sound of splintering
glass. An instant later the famous
peachblow vase lay shattered into a
hundred pieces on the floor.
Now send for the curator" said
the expert, making no resistance.
Less than ten minutes later the
curator arrived. When he saw Smith
he tore his hair; he shook his fist in
Smiths face.
'TII have you sent up for life for
this!" he bawled.
81 took a big chance" answered
Smith. But take a look at your
peachblow.
The curator stopped in his denunci-
atoms. Something in Smiths face
made him obey. Gingerly he picked
up one fragment. He was handling
common earthenware, covered with
thin, skillfully painted canvas.
"Yes, it was a chance" said Smith
to the dumfounded curator "The
man is the most skillful COPPER in Eu-
rope. I shouldn't wonder If you have
been negotiating for the companion
peachblow."
"Why, we have almost arranged to
get it for thirty thousand" shouted
the other.
Eyes. He was selling you your own
vase. He knew, once he got away
with it and left this dummy, it might
lie undetected on your shelf for years.
He planned to get the real vase certi-
fed through a pawnbroker, but got
cold feet when he found 1 was on the
trail You'd better take a detective
to your meeting and get your vase
back"
Copyright, 1915 by W. G. Chapman.)
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13
The Two ErouS,

Two Frogs dwelt in the same pool.
The pool being dried up under the
summers heat, they left it, and set
out together for another home. AS
they went along they CHANGED to pass
a deep well, amply supplied with wa
ter, on seeing which one of the Frogs
said to the other: Let us descend and
make our abode in this well. It will
furnish us with shelter and food.
The other replied with greater eau
ton: But suppose the water should
fail us, how can we get out again from
so great depth?"
Do nothing without a regard to the
MISREPRESENTATION Aesop's Fables,
Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-10-13

of A. Washington
years the
nearly $50 feet long, below the
fuldress
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
ANCIENTS VERSUS MODERN

fall, and it was an oil trust, too. How ever, 1t did not deal in kerosene and gas oine, but in olive oil. Likewise, were there firms that had a monopoly in per fumes, eggs and bricks, controlling these articles so absolutely that there was much public protest. We know that Cicero had b summer homes besides his Roman pal ace, which cost equal to s250,000. Lu- cullus spent enormous sums on his table, and even dining alone his menu was ex- travagantly large and varied. Nero spent $175,000 on roses for his banquet table. and there is also record, according to Prof. c. M. Coburn of Philadelphia, an archaeological who has just returned from Italy. that another plutocrat of those days spent 100000 on decorations for his home. Hardly less magnificent and mu- nifcent was the manner of living of the Egyptians in the era of the Ptolemies.
 As we learn more and more about the ancients the conviction takes hold that they were just as well off as we are, lack ing only the wireless, the telegraph, the automobile, the railroads, the submarine and a few other modern inventions. How ever, they seem to have done very well without them, and, for all we know, they may have had something silimar or better. If explorers and archaeologists dig any deeper, they may tell us, indeed, that such was actually the case
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
Steele-Smith Disaster

Wednesday, disaster was truly a hor- rible sequel to the Steee-Smith fire of lew months ago." said a spectator.
 T witnessed the fire which occurred in the Steele-Smith building late one night shortly before Christmas and it was one of the most spectacular and disastrous that has ever been visited upon this city. As the flames shot upward hundreds of feet into the air the heat became in- tense, and l expected the walls to crumble at any moment. The west wall became warped and finally fell over the adjoining buildings with loud crash, inf1icting much property damage, but fortunately every one had received due warning and there was no one in the way of the falling brick.
 II would have been fortunate had the east wall also fallen at the time of the lire, for the chances are that no one would have been injured. The wall fell Wednes- day afternoon at about 5:30, three stories Of bricks going over on the stores of the Ham Shoe and Atlantic and Pacific Tea companies, causing death and destruction, the details of which by now are known in all parts of the country
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
Prosperity Spreading

In grain centers in the northwest healthy boom has been in progress for many months, and prosperity that has been prevailing quite generally west of the Mississippi has now spread through the east. And in the south. which suffered severely on account of the depression in the cotton mar ket last fall caused by the European war, business recovery is well in evi- dence.
 When cotton began to advanced in price r1Any farmers sold some of their crop. A great deal of cotton has been sold at g cents, and much is still in the farmers hands that will be held for 10 or II cents. The active cotton market has been worth millions of dollars to the south, and in view of large and varied crops that will be harvested in the coming summer the people of this section are as optimistic as at any time in the best of past years.
 Several weeks ago there was marked improvement in the industrial situation and it continues. In the steel centers there are not many un- employed men. Thousands of wag., workers are making full time. Others are making half time. There are few indeed who desire work who are en- tirely idle.
 The increasing activity in the man. ufacturing districts is being reflected in the railroad situation The trans portation companies, especially those of the south, found traffic extremely light during the winter Idle cars ac- cumulated in the yards and thousands of faithful employees were laid off. Now the railroads are beginning to feel the general wave of prosperity.
 
 Traffic is increasing steadily. Idle cars will soon disappear, and the pros poets are that all the railroads will enjoy increased earnings the rest of the year.
 With the improvement in railroad conditions comes an improvement in the coal mining business. Coal op- orators have been more encouraged this week than at any time since busi- ness depression set in last fall.
 With conditions rapidly approach ing normal the building trades will receive sudden impetus. Everything hereabouts points to a good summer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
The Belgium of Today

Interesting data has been compiled and published by the National Geo. graphic society on the present status of Belgium as compared to what it was before Germany made her famous "drive" to France. At present all but three hundred square miles of King Alberts territory, with a population of about 100000, is in the hands of the invaders. The peace population of Belgium was 100000.
 But the contrast in other ways is equally great. All the Belgian cities, all of the country's commerce, indus try and resources are controlled by the Germans. The Belgium that is still independent is strip of land in the French department of Pas-de- Calais. This area consists chiefly of sand dunes, is low lying and sparsely StlblCQ. All Ol llClSlllill llltlI 10 Wol LII having, and it was in times of peace tremendously wealthy and prosper ous country, is held by Germany. There are but ten small towns in the district still ruled by Albert.
 The coal fields of Mons, Liege and Charleroi formerly produced 22,000,- GOO tons year. Iron, zinc, lead and manganese mines, rich quarries of marble, granite and slate, forests, textile industries and many other manufactures which made the Bel gians prosperous are lost to them. Belgium was sixth among the coun- tries of the globe when the war started. This commerce has been com pletely crushed and not one free port remains. Belgiums capital, her uni versailles, her schools and in fact prac- tically all of Belgium but the name itself has been lost.
 To consider the fate that has over taken their beloved country and not lose heart requires a high order of courage among the, Belgians. People fight stubbornly on their native soil but to keep on fighting after one's country is little more than memory is heroism unsurpassed in history. It is predicted that the map of Europe will suffer little change as a result of the present war. The Belgians will doubtless regain their country, and what homecoming that will bel
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
Bad News From Russia

When absolute prohibition" was forced on Russia by what is popularly known as the "iron hand of the Czar," glowing reports were sent out over the world of the great improvement noted among the formerly drink-sod- den Russians. The peasantry were better fed, better clothed and were more industrious. Their home life had shown transformation and they were not only working steadily, but were putting money in the. bank
 More recently stories less flatter- ing to the "dry" cause have been get ting into the newspapers and in cidentally causing concern in England where nationwide prohibition has been proposed, but which, by the way, will never be. A we'll known cor. respondent writes that in spite of "total" prohibition, there is great deal of drunkenness in Russia. Denied the liquors they formerly drank, oi which vodka was the most widely con- sumed, the Russian peasants are now depending on methylated spirits fo, tipple. Huge quantities of the stuff are sold. That the government is alarmed by the situation is shown by the fact that large cash prizes have been offered for methods of rendering methylated spirits undrinkable. Total awards of $350,OOO have been pro- ,ided for the chemist or chemists who can solve the new drink problem that
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
The Educational Rallies

Although the rural public school will not come fully into it's own until after the special school tax amend ment to the constitution. is ratified by the people at the general cleo tion in 1916, great work can be done in that direction and is being done by the organized efforts of citizens in- terested in education and by the in- telligent and energetic work of State Superintendent of Education Feagin. When the counties and school dis tricts shall have the right to vote spe- cial taxes for school purposes, every cross roads will in the course of time have as good school as is now found 1 in the average town. There will be modern school buildings-large, well | lighted and well entilated--through- out the rural sections. There will be full school terms and the barefoot boy and the barefoot girl ip remote localities will have virtually the same advantages as are now enjoyed by the children of the cities.
 In the meantime the public is be- coming aroused to the importance of education as never before. At no time have so many people in Alabama been ready to cooperate for the wider ef- ficiency of the public school system as now. Every enlightened person is deterhlined to aid in some way the work of extirpating illiteracy.
 Along this line Superintendent Feagin is planning a series of educa- tional rallies for the different coun- ties. One of these rallies was held at Rockford, in Coosa county, last Tuesday. It was we'll attended and enthusiasm ran high. It was gratify- ing to learn that the people came from all parts of the county to encourage by their presence the leaders in the school improvement movement. The meeting was called on short notice but the attendance was probably as large as if it had been extensively ad- vertised; all, which goes to show that the people are deeply interested in the cause.
 It is reasonable to expect that the educational rallies in other counties will be as successful as the one held at Rockford.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
now confronts the Russian govern

now confronts the Russian govern ment.
 Another favorite tipple, used prin- cipally by the upper classes, is eau de cologne. There is no doubt that prohibition of the usual alcoholic drinks is enforced in Russia, as shown by the pernicious substitutes being used. It is thought that the sale of beer will be permitted to compete with the sale of methylated, which is doing tremendous amount of harm in Russia. Even furniture polish of certain sort is said to be in demand.
 The Russians fondly hoped that they would not have to face "drv" Christmas, but they were disap- appointed, another factor which doubtless helped to increase the con- sumption of eau de cologne.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
COTTON COMING BACK

From the Wall Street Journal
 There is one sure way to make u
 market for cotton, and that IS 10 use It,
 The census bureau report Of e2S,ses
 bales of, lint cotton consumed III the
 Tinted States in March of this year,
 shows a satisfactory foundation or the
 market, when all circumstances are
 taken into consideration.
 Last August the consumption was
 only 3s8,632 bales, nearly 20 per cent
 less than that of August. 1913. since
 then there has been steady improve
 ment. every month showing gain, with
 the exception of February which IS all
 ways below q January. The improvement
 culminates in the consumption of Marcn
 overlapping that of the year before by
 20 900 bales, or approximately per cent
 The consumption of the last cottoi' year was placed at 5,5S0.000 baies' eN- elusive of linters. Comparing the month- ly figures with those of the past two years. and taking all present conoitlons into consideration, there is everything to justify the prediction of many cot z ton men that the total consumption or the United States will approximate G ,ooo, ,0oo bales of all kinds. The mills do not manufacture cotton unless the ultimate consumers are likely to want it. and evidence ofDncreasing consump- ton Is an encouraging sign.
 Exports are already approximately |6. 727, 900 bales, compared with 7.952,- 900 a year ago. Last week 137,471 bales went out. In the same week of last year the amount was about 5O,000 bales less. Evidently people on the other side are using cotton also. or at least providing for covering from the low price to which it sank with the out break of the war, and is now only about 2 cents below its selling price prior to that time. To the business man wh1 watches trade and market conditions.
 1t may be a barometer.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-23
ChiIdren's Aid Society

s. E. Thompson, president of the Chil- dren's Aid society, writes this letter which will nc doubt receive a generous response from those who are able to contribute tc one of Birminsham's most deserving causes:
 We had hoped to avoid an appeal al this time for funds with which to care for the poor children of our city and county. However, the conditions are SC urgent and we are having so many appli- cations for help at our receiving home dhe DeBardeleben place) that we feel that some way must be found to meet the situation at once. It has now been year since our last request for help We would greatly appreciate any as- sstance to this cause which you may see fit to render The need is urgent, and we therefore hope to receive an early re- sponse"