davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

"HERE is colored person in the coal
Il Find him if you can.
The man who was ordering eight tons OF
chestnut coal to use in his kitchen range will
have pretty hard work locating the colored
party.
Perhaps Uncle Sam can locate him.
Perhaps he can't
But, anyway, this is what happened to the
man who was ordering the eight tons of coal
for his house uptown.
Hello Is this the Big Plant Coal Com
,pany? Oh, hellol How are you, Mr.. Gettit?
This is the Man-uptown. / want eight tons
of chestnut coal. What's the price to-day"
1--WE can't give you ton. We haven't
got it
why, I'm an old customer of yours; I've
been buying my coal from you-twenty-hve,
thirty tons a season-for more than twenty
years. Surely you can let me have some.
I'll squeeze along with four tons. We haven't
a quarter Of a ton left in the house,
That's just our fix. We're not getting the
coal. They are not producing it at the mines,
and when they do produce it they can't get
the cars to haul it."
"Yes, but | called you up in April to make
my usual April contract with the usual oo
cents ton discount. And you remember you
said then that you could not quote me any
price nor guarantee any time of delivery; and
YOU said the best you could do would be to
nut me on the list, and when the coal came IN
you'd read the list right down in order and
deliver TO those on The list just as fast as
YOU could and at the market price Of that day.
"Oh, yes; / remember all that. But we
haven't got the coal. We can't send 1t TO you
if we haven't got it-can we? Well, guess
not. Why, say, just before you called up
man got me on the wire and wanted to buy
100 tons at SO ton, and said Nope, nope;
haven't got it, and couldn't sell it to you II
Won gave me $50 a tom Let me tell you
something, Mr. Man-uptown. Not two hours
ago offered So ton at wholesale for a car
lead of egg at the dock. Did get 1t! Not
much. got the laugh
But il you had the coal what would you
charge me for it to-day?"
Seven thirty-hve ton for stove and nut
sizes. with the cost of labor of putting 1t IN
added. II we can slide it into your basement
from our wagon chutes, seven thirty-ive
ton. But we haven't got it.
But when will you get it,
Cant say
when do you expect TO get it,
Cant say; I'm not good at guessing.
GLOW high do you think it will go?"
Cant think-thinking makes me dizzy
Then, there is nothing 10 hope fcr!'
no; just pray
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

face and ticket in her hand reading
Jamaica. Good for One Continuous Pas-
sage.
1t is real club with elections and
ballots and dues and cliques and inner
circles and jealousies and frivolous
element. 1t meets once week, after
the last piece of silver is put away, and
to it come masculine admirers on street.
cars and bicycles, and care is flung to
the wind, hearts beating high till mid
night, when the masculine guests in
trusted with the responsibility of open
ing the store must be thinking OF the
morrow.
The club meets in hall arranged tor
bv the citizens of the town, which dur
ing the day serves as a kindergarten,
with a pleasant variety of programme.
One week it is a dance; next motion
pictures to which there is no admission
fee; at the next meeting one OF the good
women who can sing brings her music,
and at following meeting local lady
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

boosting prices and in consequence, making
the consumers coal bills higher. The retailers
also point out that the Sherman antitrust
law is responsible for the Individuals" be-
cause if it were legitimate to form trust
prices would go to the lowest notch. The
Individuals" who are always "bucking" the
big Companies take advantage of the Sher-
man law, they say, and keep prices high in
times of dire necessity, just because there is a
demand and they can get the high prices.
In 1.-The Coal Age" one of the largest coal
publications in the country, the following
wholesale current quotations on anthracite
coal, per gross ton, {. o. b. tdewater New
York, at the lower ports are given:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
The careful man continues:

The careful man continues:
IF egg coal was bought at wholesale IN
1916 at $3.50 a ton and sold at retail at S6.@
a ton, why, if it can be bought at whoesas
for the same price in 1917, cannot it be SOD
at retail in 1917 at $3.50 ton, 90 cents
cheaper than the current price?
''If stove coal was bought at wholesale IN
1916 at $3.50 ton and sold at retail at 500
ton, why, if it can be bought at wholesale IN
1917 for S5.55 ton, an advance of 70 cents
cannot it be sold at retail in 1917 for $3.50
ton, 30 cents cheaper than the current price!
IF nut coal was bought at wholesale IN
1916 at S5.55 ton and sold at retail at si.W
a ton, why, if it can be bought at wholesale n
1917 for $500 ton, an advance of cents
cannot it be sold at retail in 1917 at $7l5
ton, 45 cents cheaper than the current price!
If the careful man should put these ques
tons up to the Man-uptown the latter weuia
tell him that Manager Gettit of the Big Piac.
Coal Company had explained that this cou'a
not be done because the independent coal pi0
ducers insisted on keeping up wholesale Pre-,
and the Companies" did not have enough CO..
to supply the demands.
What are the demands?
The total amount of anthracite coal PRIV
duced in the United States is approximate
100000 tons year. New York state
the greatest consumer of anthracite coal
the Union, using 100000 more tons IN"
New Jersey, which is the second largest "~
sumner; 100000 more tons than all New L%
land, and seven times more than Illinois, VIM"
is the third largest consumer.
There has been good deal of talk about W.
anthracite coal that is being exported. As
matter Of fact, 80 per cent of the antnrse~
coal produced in this country remains ID w
country. In 1910. the exports OF anthrses
coal amounted to S,584,222 tons. In is's
before the war, the total exports amounteo
4,652,912 tons; in 1914, the year the war =.
gan, they were 4,2S9,S73; in 1915, 3,9oo'1"
tons, and in 1916, 4,l65,679.
In other words, the foreign demands Tor =
thracite coal to-day seem to be about VIZ
they have been for the last four or five yen.
Still the retail prices are soaring and W.
bothers the consumer more than all is thai
cannot get the coal at any price. nor can :
obtain any quotations for future delivery. :.
There is a colored party in the c'ai
somewhere.
Who can dig him out!
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

in the wholesale prices why doesn't the retail
dealer buy his coal from the Companies who
sell stove coal for S5.55?"
Suppose the Man-uptown put this query TO
his coal dealer The answer, quickly forth
coming, would be:
"Why, my dear sir, gladly would do that
but the Companies haven't the coal, and SO
have to go to the Independent who has the
coal, but who is wise enough to know there is
great demand for it, and, consequently, just
boosts and boosts the price to the limit. tie
sees his chance he takes advantage of it. You
and would do the same thing"
But" counters the Man-uptown, why is
there such an extraordinary demand for coal
especially domestic coal-at this time of the
season."
The coal dealer laughs. 1t is the way with
coal dealers when they think they have the
large end of an argument
"It's the war;" he replies. Everybody
thinks there's going to be shortage and every
body wants to stock up. The retailer who
sold 100000 tons of coal last year gets ad-
vance orders this year for $4,000 tons. That
is why he can't give you definite figure and
that is why he can't deliver you coal to-day
Then there is the advance in miners wages
The figures vary for different lines Of work,
but they average an increase of about 20 per
cent"
"Then it is really the indvidual-that is
the independent producer-who is responsible
for the high cost of coal?"
That's the fellow"
Now, when you talk it over with the Man
uptown or the Man-downtown, these questions,
probably, are discussed:
DIS there a coal trust?
eff so, is it confined to the Companies
who sell lower than the "Individuals"? or,
(S)-Are the Companies" and the "Ind-
viduals" in combination, and simply "play
ing horse" with the consumers by "whackng
up" the difference in wholesale prices? and,
(4)-If the Companies" and the "Indvd-
uals" are in a combination, are the big retail
ers in it, too, forming a sort of triple En-
tente" for offensive and defensive purposes?
And these detailed questions within the
greater questions may arise:
(a)-If there is combination among the
Companies" the Individuals" and the big
retailers, do the retailers get a rebate on the
difference between the prices they pay to the
individuals" and the Companies? Or,
(b)-Are the big retailers and the "lnd-
viduals' in a combine with which the Com
panies" have nothing to do and do the big re-
tailers and the Individuals" split this differ
ence in prices and squeeze" the consumers?
Or,
(c)-Ts It all ION the level?
When il is summed up, the careful man
h.. ELo, 10 r,oL. cor,ro ~; eopc will ask.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
Those PIeaSe-Remif Letters from
the Employment Agency

A kitchen was merely social centre.
A girl would hang up her hat, answer
the telephone, pare potato and arrange
her hair for going out. The only time
the front door was used was when the
postman came. And all that ne ever
brought was a letter from the employ
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

they did not want their maids to talk
with other maids, and then it was found
out what these women were paying.
The cat not only was out of the bag, but
had retreated to the fence. The fillbus-
terng was brought to an end and plans
and preparations for the club proceeded
forthwith.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
Bessie's Sister Gets Caught in =
Sudden Shower

Everybody laughs and has q good
time, and the other night there was such
a nice surprise for Bessie's sister. Bes.
sic is the president. Well, Bessie's sis.
ter was to be married and mighty fine
fellow she's getting, too. Been raised
twice in the last year and so Bessie told
all the girls about it and they decided
to give her kitchen shower. Bessie
pretended that she just had to see her
sister, and so the two got off the car at
Continental Avenue and walked down
the street looking into each others eye
They had to go right by the club and
then everybody popped out and pulled
them in, and while she was blinking
they began kissing her and he was
standing there getting more and more
Jealous, and then one of the girls made
at him and you ought to have seen him
run and when it was over they had to
get two suitcases to carry the things
home in.
Every week the girls club becomes
bit better established and the girls bit
happier. Men can't be taken in, but
you'd think so sometimes if you looked
in about IL and heard them laughing.
And the citizens of Forest Hills, passing
by, listen a moment and go on homs,
feeling mighty good themselves.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
SOLVING THE MAID PROBLEM
Would You Care to Keep a adfu, Years? If &c. Read D"

hind, no longer car
ing to live and laugh
and have men dis
cover the wonderful
effect moonlight had
on her hair. The
organizer put forth
the startling state
ment that just be-
cause a girl carried
a key to the back in
stead of to the front
door she was not
different from other
girls, and on that
idea the girls club
was founded.
And now all the
suitcases that come
to town are inward
bound. No longer
is a girl to be seen
on the station plat
form with a defiant
expression on her
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

There are hundreds Of thousands Of men
uptown and men downtown and men over in
Brooklyn and Queens and Staten Island and
up in The Bronx who in the last few weeks
have had practically the same experience and
practically the same conversation with the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

And what does this difference of price Of 81
ton mean to all the people Of New York?
The per capita consumption of coal in the
City Of New York is 2.06 tons year. That
means, in round numbers, the consumption Of
100000 tons of coal year If, therefore,
one dollar ton could be saved on the retail
price for ton, does it not follow that 100000
900 year could be saved on all the coal con-
sumed in New York City?
But why are there two wholesale prices for
coal?
Because one price is made by the Com
panies," as the coal men call them, and the other
by the Individuals" The Companies" are the
big concerns-the big producers and operators
which the man on the street sometimes refers
to as the Goal Trust" But don't speak of a
Goal Trust" to any coal man. He won't
stand for it. The Individuals arc the So
called Independents" men, the retail
dealer will carefully point out, who are operat-
ing outside Of the Companies" and are always
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

girl would be here one night and the next
in Corona, usually ending in Manhattan
for Saturday night. A worker would
take her place in the kitchen, be In
structed where the carving set was kept
and leave before the steak was turned
over. A blonde would softboil the eggs
and that evening a brunette would
bring in the roast The husband, want
ing another helping would ask Lily to
bring in few more vegetables only to
find that Lily hadn't been there since
Tuesday; Lily, by this time, being in
White Plains.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

"How do the retail and wholesale prices Of
May this year and of May last year SIZE up
Here are those prices:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

To the average coal consumer the question
might come up; IF there is such difference
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

cocktail mixer, for
Forest Hills h a S
solved the problem
of making its dieti-
tians h a p ply. In
fact, when a maid is
now found incom-
petent, the husband
has to stay home
from work merely
for the dishearten-
ing effect of super
Tor numbers. Dis
missing Flora now
demands the efforts
of two souls with
but a single thought.
where once she was
her own incentive.
This happy mil
lennium came about
when it was dis
covered that Forest
Hills was merely a
one-night stand. A
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

When it is summed up, the careful man
who likes to make comparisons will ask;
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
RETAIL.
1871

Prices, current, quoted by big New York Com
pany:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
WHOLESALE (Companies)

Prices taken from Goal Trade Journal Annual;
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20

1877
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27

rapidly eastward from Gemini into Cancer. It is being steadily over taken by the sun and therefore each evening sinks lower in the west, but it is still in quite favorable position for observation. This, however, Is the last month during which 1t can be we'll observed until toward the close of the year, when 1t will again enter the evening sky.
 The sun will attain its highest posi- tion among the stars on June 21 at z hours IA minutes D. m. Eastern stan- dard time, and this will accordingly be the longest day of the present year. At this time the day. from sunrise to sunset, will be 6 hours 12 minutes longer than the following night. The true twilight and dawn will increase this duration by more than four hours, while observers whose northern hor- izon Is unobstructed and who are completely removed from all artificial lights may view the faint twilight illumination throughout the entire night. They may see it move along the northern horizon from the west until it attains a position due north at midnight, after which it will move slowly eastward. continually increas- ing in intensity. until 1t begins to blot out the light of the fainter stars, when the very faint midnight glow will have merged into the true dawn.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27
THE LIFTED VEIL

By Basil King. Illustrated by James
 Montgomery Flagg. Harper Brothers,
 publishers, New York.
 Basil King, whose story, The Inner Shrine" as well as all the others he has written, was numbered among the Best Sellers comes now with another story, probably the best he has ever written. The Lifted veil''
 Its action is not so swift as other stories he has told, but it is decisive and appealing, and there is plenty of emo tional suspense to hold the readers in terest.
 The scenes of the story are all laid in New York and its people are the par lshioners of an old wealthy, and Iasn- ionable church whose assistant rector IS the hero. To him comes one day a woman heavily yelled, but evidently or refinement and distinction, to ask Tor spiritual guidance. and in order to make plain her need she had to confess that she had sinned, but that her sin had been Kept very secret. 50 that none knew or IT, and that it had ended and she was re- pentant. Later on tms woman, without his recognizing that it is she, comes im' portantly into his life. So does the man who had been her lover and hts wire, and the man whom she might have mar ried but for her sin. MT. King ms woven the threads of their destinies into an intricate web, and the reader cannot pc quite sure how. it is going to worh out, what the answer will be to the des-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27

motion then quickens, it passes Jup- tier (HV) on June 8, and overtakes and again passes Mars (RS) on Juno II. One hour later 1t reaches the point T, at which time 1t Is al its greatest distance from the sun.
 During each of these three con- functions of Mercury the two planets are unfortunately rather far sepa- rated in the sky owing to Mercury's path lying so far to the southward among the stars. A far more striking sky figure is that afforded by the close approach of Mars and Jupiter Cat the point VI on the morning of June 8; the two planets will then appear separated by but 41 minutes In the sky.
 To observe these most interesting motions the reader should turn toward the northeastern horizon in the very early dawn. On June 1 the three planets will rise about 1 hour 10 minutes before sunrise, while by the end of the month Mars and Jupi- ter will rise two hours before the sun The dates of the conjunctions are: Mer- cury with Mars. June and June II; {; Mercury with Jupiter, June 8, p.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27

m. Jupiter with Mars, June 8, a. m. Mercury reaches its greatest dis tance west of the sun on June II. The contrasting colors and appearances of these three worlds, so near to- gether in the sky, will be observed to much better advantage if the reader will use a small telescope in their observation.
 PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN
 The third eclipse of the present year will occur on the forenoon of June 19. This Is a partial eclipse of the sun. but it will unfortunately be invisible from almost the whole of the United States. The only part of our country from which anything of the eclipse can be seen will be from stations lying north of the line MN, Figure 3. From practically all of Alaska, western British North America, northern Greenland, Russia and northern Siberia the eclipse will, however. be visible.
 Observers above the line MN will see the intensely black lower edge of the moon cover a small portion of the upper part of the bright suns disc, the eclipse beginning soon after sunrise at a very few minutes before or after 2 o'clock a. m. (Eastern standard time). The exact instants of beginning and ending cannot be stated as these differ for every sta
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27
"IN Al LITTI,E TOWN D

By Rupert Hughes Frontispiece. By
 James Montgomery Flagg. Harper
 Brothers, publishers, New York.
 Rupert Hughes, one of the most popu- lar of present day American writers, gives his large clinetele a new book of IA short stories entitled Tn Little Town" each or which Is a gem of purest ray serene"
 The Hughes explains in a very attractive
 Preface that all have their scenes laid in imaginary small towns in the region round about the city of Keokuk, la, a region familiar to his youth. They are written with a tenderly sympathetic un- derstanding of the souls of the people who live there and he shows how rich in beauty and in happiness the humblest of them may be. Sometimes he empha . sizes the lines of his picture in a way that suggests the effect of a kindly caricature. but when he does so it is for the purpose of making 8 shy and reticent and seemingly colorless soul give up It's secrets. He finds vices as well as virtues among the people of these village streets, and the stories of their lives show pathos and comedy and tragedy, meanness and nobility, gentleness and aggressiveness. But MT. Hughes writes about them all with that tenderness of touch that comes of full comprehension.
 "In a Little Town" contains a delicious recital of typical middle western life in the small town as seen by MT. Hughes, when all the humor, comedy and pathos that go to make up the drama of life. The author writes the epic of each little existence of rural life with the same sympathy and fidelity he has shown in his stories of metropolitan life.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27
THE BOOK SHELF
By THE BLIOPHILE

perate problems of life which presently confront these people. Love has much to do with the solution, but not entirely love in the ordinary sexual sense, al though 1t is an important factor. But the love which means active god will to- war dothers. the desire of their happiness and the willingness to take effort to se- cure it is equally important and as a part of the hero's philosophy and prac- tice Of life becomes pivotal part of the machinery of the tale.
 Many aphorisms, quite quotable and apropos to modern life, are found in MT. Kings clever story, as. for instance. one of the observations of the hero when he tells an inquirer:
 But people don't start out to do good as they might to take singing lessons or do parlor tricks" There Is an under standing analysis of the effect upon a newcomer to New York of the city's hurly-burly and of its transformation to his inner sight upon better acquain- tance. Bainbridge the hero. accustomed to life in the well ordered, stratifed life
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-27

he had known in Boston" at first thought that 1t was harder to have faith in spiritual life in New York than In any other spot in the world"
 The Lifted Veil' is distinctly different ard very readable and entertaining.