The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-07-30
From the Chicago Herald.

Kill ERE, lady, cut out that Mexi-
can rough stuff" the jolly
= policeman sang out as the
beautiful young thing swcre in terri
BILE impotence through the electric
horn of fathers new 70.
The beautiful young thing flushed,
but the jolly Irish copper Modified her
with the parting words, 'well behaved
cars don't make all that noise" and
fastened on to quiet the endless line OF
nervous engines and drivers fretting
at the delay caused by the open bridge.
For it was 5:45 on the great avenue
and all engine driven Chicago and the
states around seemed concentrated in
one vast procession. Down the canyons
of the cross streets the lowering sun
poured floods of color, making magic
with the windows and the smoke
stained fronts Of the outstanding build
ings, adding the iridescent hues of the
prism to the reflective surfaces of the
newer type structures. The working
day was ending and comfortable folk
had mounted their motors. boisterously
hurrying from the grind
The traffic officer climbed back on the
slight eminence of his isle of safety the
better to hold in leash his straining
charges. He knew them all. For
months he had cherished a clean record
of not a mishap to the excitable thou
sands depending for their very lives
upon the well-timed motions of his
arm and the intelligent blasts of his
high-keyed whistle.
He knew them all, and what a pic
ture they presented. The beautiful
young thing, so exuberant in the mas
terry Of the throbbing engine in front
of her. Her fingers twitched on the
wheel, her toes danced on the pedals,
power action. luxury, these were hers
Life must be moving She could not
endure the hating advance of the great
stream. Make way; the princess must
be on! The jolly Irish traffic cop
smiled indulgently.
Behind her another elaborate ma
chine purred softly. No sign of fever
nor perturbation there On the front
seat sat a man in middle life, CARRIED
in gray livery, blank faced, intent on
the work of the moment. The police
man looked past him to the passenger
| resting easily on the deep cushions.
The passenger, too, was known. He
was the great uncrowned of the com
| munity.
Silver possessed his hair, his smooth
shaved face was crow-footed, his eyes
had the fixedness of deep thought. He,
| too. had sensed the immensely of the
great current and he had looked be-
yond to the scurrying thousands of
pedestrians. People. people. hordes OF
them. what did they signify; what role
| was this great mass to play with him
and his plans? He thought Of his kins-
| ship, of the barriers he had erected
| here and there, of the unrecognized OBJ
structions by which he had diverted the
| river Of human need and desire to his
own profit and power. How would they
| behave when the new plan was an
nounced? The king was uneasy, but he
remembered to nod in friendly fashion
to the man on the isle of safety.
The boat cleared the bridge. The
long line crawled forward. A below
elsd. overfed woman. eveloped in un-
necessary adipose, attempted to dart
down side street zigzag fashion in
/ her wabble electric. The traffic Of
ficer knew her. too, and she halted sud-
denly and backed into position In her
own manner she was an anarchist, but