davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-14
These Specials in the Store
ON THE FIRST FLOOR

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 English Longcloth $100 Bolt Specially fine quality Imperial Longcoth, 36 inches wide, worth $1.50 bolt Special tomorrow only
 32-Inch White Madras 15c Yard Nice White Striped Madras, for waists shirts etc., worth 2Oc yard. Very special Monday
 $15O Hemmed Birdeye $1.25 Dozen 27inch extra good Birdeye Red Diamond quality, put up in package, hemmed, one dozen to package Mon day only.
 36-Inch Daisy Domestic Sc Yard Monday only we offer real Daisy Beached Domestic, 36inch soft fnish worth today 15c Special Monday.
 English Nansook S150 Bolt Two qualities one sheer and one medium weight fun 36 inches wide, worth $200. Monday special.
 BOG Initial Pillow Gases 29c Each One big assortment of scaloped embroidered pillow with neat initial, made Fruit of Loom casing
 irst B1oor)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-14
Corns Peel Right
 Off With ''Gets-It'
2 Drops. and the Corn is . ..GonerY,

When you've got to walk on the sldes of your shoe to get away from those awful corn pains, there's only one common -sense thing to do. Put Z or 3
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-14

Made of different high grade materials in sizes from year to years, values up to $5.95, special $1.96
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-14
BURGERS
BURGERS
January I4th, 1917
Weather: Fair and Cold
Decisive Savings in the Burger January Sales


  W N fyn for O
Evening star., 1917-09-30

port the new buffer kingdom Of the
Teutonic powers.
Austria's control in Galicia has been
much milder than Prussia's control in
Posen. There has been a conStdera BILE
measure of home rule conceded, and
Austria has not sought to crush out
the national sentiment among the
Poles in Galicia. This is in accord
ance with the Empress Maria Theresa S
grief when Russia and Prussia forced
her to take part of Poland in order that
the ancient kingdom might be destroy
ed. But it is not because of any senti-
mental regard for Maria Theresa's his
toric sorrow that Austrian statesmen
in later generations have shown regard
for Polish nationality. Their course
was dictated solely by reasons of state.
Yet Notwithstanding the milder rule of
Austria. 1T does not appear that the
Galician Poles have been any more
Jealous in urging the Poles in Polish
Russia to accept the new order than
have the Prussian Poles.
The disappointment of Vienna and
Berlin over the "ingratitude" of the
Poles of Poland would not appear from
a reading of the letters patent lately
issued decreeing the new Polish king
dom. 1t would even seem that since
November there has been indifference
to the evolution or transition from the
limited independence then conceded to
a greater independence in the form Of
constitutional monarchy. The kaiser
aHu ING aus idi emperor, as III appears
from the meager dispatches, did it all
of their own free grace as monarchs
of divine right to dispose of the future
of Poland.
1t has been reported from Copenhagen
and Amsterdam that the submissive
Germans were protesting because
neither the reichstag nor the bundles
rath. or federal council. was consulted
in this grant of "a steady and safe pro-
gression toward complete independence
and sovereignty" The German mill
tary autocracy does not seem to worry
since the two emperors announced that
they would be obliged to continue their
occupation of Polish soil for the pur-
pose Of defending the eastern front SO
long as the war lasts.
The farce of creating this new buffer
state seems to be going forward on
paper in accordance with a definite
program. The form of government fs
to be constitutional monarchy based
Evening star., 1917-09-30

been battered to pieces by our artil-
lery before you reach 1t.
This time there will be no 'barrage'
fire to clear the way for you. and the
enemy whom you will meet will be
fresh and full of fight. You must sur
prise him. Be on top Of him before
he has a chance to prepare. And at
the same time you must reach him in
full possession Of your strength and
wind. for the fight will be a hard one
IT know that 300 meters at top speed
is fatiguing to a man laden with rifle,
munitions, grenades and other equip
ment, and I want you to devote the
next fortnight to acquiring speed and
wind. From now on We will omit the
usual drill"
We heard the captain through with
out comment or enthusiasm. We had
hoped for a rest. and now we were
to spend our "repos" in training.
Chablis and his fellow recruits. how
ever. felt very differently about it.
Here was their chance and they made
the most of it. When the new drill
commenced they ran rings around US
older men, whose muscles were un-
trained to this kind of exercise. Chablis
especially made such good showing
that the captain congratulated him and
gave him a pack of cigarettes as a
prize.
Il thank you. my captain" answered
Evening star., 1917-09-30

Chablis, saluting. but never smoke
when 1 am in training"
Didn't we give him the deuce for not
taking the smokes! We could have
used them If he couldn't.
After a couple of days the captain.
finding out that Chablis had been on
the track team of we'll known
Partisan athletic club, gave him the
rank of "caporal fonctionaire" and ap-
pointed him head coach for the bat
talon. The youngster took his job
very seriously, and got himself disliked
for the severity with which he made
US cut out smoking and drinking. and
the inexorability with which he forced
us to run, run, run every day, until
even our clothes ran with sweat.
At last the two weeks were up and
we started on our forty-kilometer
march to the front. We knew that
many of US would not return, but, nev-
ertheless. most of US were glad to be
rid of the everlasting running.
The regiment we relieved was mighty
glad to get away. They had been
obliged to remain in their underground
shelters most of the time, for the Ger
mans commanded the trench with
their machine guns They had had a
hard time getting food. for the NOR
tality had been great among the
"cuistots" assistants. who had to pass
through the gantlet of bullets in or
Evening star., 1917-09-30

on universal suffrage. but in the mean
time Poland as political power is to
consist of three regents who are to
appoint prime minister who is to
summon a cabinet which is to select
a temporary state council that will be
the forerunner of a parliament to be
elected later by popular vote.
The assurance is given that only ma
tive Poles are to be selected for the
most important positions, and that the
archbishop of Warsaw and the mayor
of Warsaw are likely to be regents.
The influence which Poles who accept
Office and become the tools of the Ger
man military autocracy will have on
the Polish people when the latter come
into their rights is not conjectural. 1t
may be set down from the start as zero.
The course of Germany and Austria in
going ahead with the paper program Of
establishing a Polish monarchy by some
people is interpreted as indicating that
these powers expect genuine peace nego-
tiationS before many months. From the
beginning Of the war it has been known
that whenever peace negotiations were
reached the future of Poland would be
one of the most perpleNing questions.
British and French statesmen found it
bothering them in their pronouncement In
favor of small nationalities. They them
selves put little faith in the cZar prom
Use OF greater freedom for Poland, but
they could give no assurances, for they
were compelled to acquiesce in the au-
tocratic Russian governments blunt dec
iaratlon tnat tne Foilsh question was
domestic one ,and was not to enter into
any discussions among the allies. The
overturn of the autocracy frightened the
situation little, yet it was realized that
whatever new Russian government sue
ceeded in establishing itself there
would still be the unwillingness to con-
cede independence for Poland
Events. however. make it inevitable
that Petrograd yield something on this
point, since no Russian government in
the next fifty years is likely to be
strong enough to reconquer Poland and
make it a Russian dependency. But
whatever Russia there is when peace
negotiations are entered upon when
asked to concede an Independent Po-
land it can hardly do SO if that Poland is
to be carved solely out of Russian
Poland. 1t viii be much easier to con-
sent to a new Poland which will be the
old Poland of Galicia and Posen. as
well as Of Warsaw.
Evening star., 1917-09-30

Germany. from all appearances. will
resist the recession of Prussian Poland
as strongly as the restoration of AL
sace-Lorraine, and Austria will bitterly
contest any proposition to take Galicia
from her. Yet peace negotiators will
be charged with the creation of a
Poland Of some sort. and 1t will be for
them to find a solution to the perplex-
Ing problem.
On the surface the economic diff
ficulties do not appear. but they will
form one Of the chief stumbling blocks.
Poland is not only an agricultural coun-
try which produces rye and potatoes,
but it is also an industrial country.
Industrial Russia in reality is centered
in Warsaw and Lodz, which are textile
and chemical manufacturing centers.
To subtract this economic unit from
Russia with her own consent will re-
quire the greatest self-sacrifice and
will have to be met with compensatory
sacrifices by the central powers-that
Is to say, all this will have to be If
the free autonomous and independent
Poland for which President Wilson
voiced the aspiration is to become an
entity.
Poland will not be free. independent
and autonomous unless she is economi-
cally free and can establish her own
tariff relations with other countries
The farcical monarchy which Germany
and Austria are protesting to create
has no authority to make foreign
treaties or enter into international con-
tracts while it remains under their
military occupation. Theoretically, this
restriction may be justified. but 1t Is
not the Poland that remains under mill
tary occupation which will require the
consideration of peace negotiators. 1t
is the Poland that is to be free and in
dependent.
The kaiser must have had some des-
perate reason or he would not have
gone as far as he did in antagonizing
the views of the ruling military and
commercial caste. but it really is of
little consequence what the kaiser had
in mind in Joining with his fellow
kaiser of Austria in Offering the Poles
of Polish Russia a sham independence.
What the peace negotiators Of 1918 or
some subsequent year may be able to
offer is the only thing that has a genu-
inc interest for the Poles. not only in
Russian Poland, but in the United
States and the world over.
Evening star., 1917-09-30

calling me Sir Sam and Hank and Bill
milod. before We knew what they were
doingw
Would you have stopped theme
II you had been the party with thu
camera, would you have stopped the
girls from paying? OF course not. II
would have hurt their feelings, wound-
ed their pride and taken ali the snap
ana rejoicing out of the ceremony.
Glrl nunltlon workers in France ara
earning from $1-30 to $3.50 and as high
as $3.50 by piece work IN turning heavy
steel shells. per day of nine hours or
thereabouts.
1t is laborious skilled work. Angela
watches power lathe from Cincin-
natl. whose fixed chisel bites into thu
turning steel SO accurately that elastic
corkscrew ''curls that fall into ths
scrap often measures 200 inches long.
without bIHaking. Mary Ann drives =
donkey inc that actions a great
crane AEY so on. The girls never
dreamed ot having so much money.
Put back your pennies" exclaimed
Nellie. with world of gratitude and
admiration mingiing with confidence
ana comradeship in voice and eyes.
We returned to Paris in the urizzle.
Nellie and her friends made for tna
factory, where doubtless they were
docked for lettering and risked to lose
their jobs.
One moment the young folks stood
looking at one another.
Ships that pass in the afternoonfs
said Bill as we hiked for the trolley. az
read about 1t In a book. once"
STERLING HEILIC.
Evening star., 1917-09-30
! 81 A

away? But he only shrugged his shoul-
ders and answered:
81 have an idea"
Suddenly he uttered little cry Of
triumph.
I've have them" he cried, and. max
ing some notes on the back of his staff
map, returned to his battery.
l must admit that I am curious. No
sooner had he left than I took his place
at the observation post, and looked care
fully to see what had so evoked his en-
thusiasm, but. search as I might. moth
ing was revealed save our badly shat
tered field Of wire entanglements, with
here and there a fragment Of human
debris caught on the barbed wire. sway
ing in the wind.
That night when the shadows had
drawn a curtain over the earth's horrors,
Lieut.. Gasparieu returned with a monkey
wrench in his hands.
While we grouped around he explained
his idea to our captain.
To-day l discovered on the ground be-
tween you and the German trench an
unexploded German shell. 1 think it is
one fired by the battery which we seek.
If I can unscrew the time fuse from its
apex. we will have an absolute check on
the distance 1t has Travelled. l am going
to try to bring in that fuse"
The lieutenant stated his purpose calm
ly as though it were an everyday GUS
tom of his to go out on a bullet-swept
field to unscrew the fuse of a defective
shell which would most probably explode
the moment he started f1ddling with it.
We wished him a fervent "bonne
chance" and the captain gave him the
accolade-that brotherly kiss on both
cheeks which rPapa" Joffre always uses
when he pins cross on a hero's breast.
Then over the parapet Gasparieu vaulted
and we followed him with our ears. his
progress through our entanglements being
Evening star., 1917-09-30

rect, for never another German shell fell
anywhere near US for several months.
Gasparieu did not get the Legion Of
Honor nor the war cross for his heroism.
other exploits. But another bronze palm
was added to his ''croix de guerre," and
he was mentioned in dispatches.
When the regiment arrived at Beaupre
after its turn In the trenches we found
''renfort" Of several score youngsters
awaiting US to fill the gaps which the
past months fighting had made in our
ranks. We always hailed the arrival of
recruits with delight. because Of the fun
we had breaking them in. This time we
anticipated more fun than usual, for the
reinforcement was composed mostly Of
nineteen-year-old boys whose ''classe"
had just been called to military service.
and we proceeded to haze them in very
much the same way as the upper class
men do the 'freshies'' in college.
Speaking of college in this connection
brings to my notice the close parallel
which can be drawn between university
and army life. The soldier. like the COL
lege man. has an ''alma mater to whom
his loyalty Is due-his country. He has
a faculty to honor and obey-his officers
He has a tradition making alumni to look
up to-his comrades who have fallen in
battle.
A soldier may be likened to fresh
man. until he has participated in his first
attack: to a sophomore, Junior and senior
according to the years he has spent at
the front, as shown by the service stripes
he wears on his sleeve.
The college man graduates after four
years. Here the parallel ends. The
senior soldier, who has been at the front
since August, 1914, cannot clearly see
when he Is going to graduate. However.
he has great faith in the Importance Of
American Intervention. and prays we will
bring about the shortening of his course
But to get back to my story, Chablis
was the recruit who afforded US most
amusement. He was brimming over with
Evening star., 1917-09-30

come for Sunday dinner at a moderate
expense. amid the trees and arbors.
Now, long and narrow frame shack
had been added to supply refreshments
private. with a crowd around US at
short distance. in a quantity OF rfckety
arbors, or tunnels" (of greenery), as
the French call them.
Bread and butter dipped in coffee.
Peaches. as a kind of extra.
Still we fingered. for the previous
sunlight had changed to a north France
drizzle. And the bill ran up.
Hank sang song, as the waiter
went to get it.
"chock-fu1l of feelings" (and he lifted
up his voice thus:)
Oh. the rain comes pitter. patter.
And I'd like to be safe in bed.
Skies are weeping, while the world is sleeping
Trouble heaping on my head!
1t is vain to remain and chatter.
And to wait for a clearer sky.
Hel-ter. skel-ter. I must fly for shelter
Till the clouds roll by, oh, the byi
Sam, Hank and Bill, at the same mo-
ment with a simultaneous movement.
reached into their pockets. as the
waiter came, all smiling and happy.
with the addition"
"Beel sad? murmured Nellie.
Hank seeng sad song" whispered
Lucie.
sam sad for partir." repined Angelo.
"to go now?"
Then it happened, sudden.
81 had SO francs in my Clothes" tells
Sam, that / was going to buy a safety
razor with. and other necessary trifies.
AS reached out for the bill. that girl
just snatched it, and they all five jump
ed up. gabbling, laughing. squealing
and ges-ttic-u-lat-ing. 1 didn't know
what they were going on about. but
they grabbed Hank and Bill at the
same time and simply forced their
money back into their pockets. while
the tears were rolling down those girls
cheeks. That's right. No, not blubbing,
but Just moist and wetful. I felt like a
fool. but. say. those girls were all right.
AS far as I could make out. no hard
working American soldier could pay
their bills while they had money. Yes.
they had 1t. Fetched 1t up in wads: and
the bill was paid and waiter tipped and
Evening star., 1917-09-30
By GERALD BRANDON.

-HE aviator Is the general utility
man of the army. His role Is
not only a leading one, but ex-
q tremely varied in its activities
He serves the intelligence department
by reporting unwonted movements be-
hind the enemy lines which betray Inn
pending attacks
He harasses the enemy by dropping
explosives on munition factories ana
arsenals. and by destroying railroads
over which all supplies must travel
on their way to the trenches.
He undernines the morale of tho
enemy civil population by dropping
over their cities pamphlets which en-
tighten them as to the true military
and political situation.
He participates in infantry attacks,
at times descending to within few
score feet of the enemy. as to bring
his machine gun into play against their
infantry.
He patrols the air above our own
lines and engages enemy airmen VINO
try to do all these things to us.
But his principal job is to act as eyes
for our artillery-to locate enemy bat
aim.
without him our heavy artillery
would not be one-hundredth as efficient
as it is, firing. as 1t does. at targets
many miles distant and always invis-
1ble to it.
Every day in the year our aviators
save us milliors of dollars worth of
ammunition and hundreds of lives.
Every once in a while, however, the
aviators fall down on their jobs. es-
pecialiy since "camouflage" has been
resorted to to hide artillery emplace-
ments.
I need not explain this new science
OF making things seem what they are
lied it sufficiently The chap who
camouhageG that battery OF German
10os was an artist at the game. For
two days our trench was rendered un-
tenabie by its shells. which. with re-
markable accuracy. kept dropping on
US, uprooting our defenses and costing
us hundreds of lives.
A battery of our own northumberland
nfty-fves. situated some thousand meters
In our rear, vainly combed the horizon
with Its projectiles. searching for the
Boche battery which had our range so
perfectly. Groups of our aviators went
up. one after another, only to return
after long flights over the enemy lines
without having found trace of our ag-
gressors.
The officers of our artillery could not
hide their discontinue. Remarks, not at
all complimentary to them, were being
made all over the sector. 1t seemed as
though we would have to abandon our
trench, at least temporarily, a procedure
which would have made a black mark on
the record Of the Fighting Moroccan
Division
Lieut.. Gasparieu, an artillery subal-
tern. came one day to the trench and.
taking his place in an observation post
began to scrutinize the ground imme-
diately in front of us with his field glasses
Our officers chaffed him good-naturedly.
Did he expect to find the German battery
out there in the open, a hundred yards
Evening star., 1917-09-30

patriotism, enthusiasm. good will and
credulity. He was always willing to bite
at any bait we offered, fell for the Oldest
gags and stood chatting good
The day tho recruits were assigned to
their squads Capt. Metz, our acting bat
talon commander, gave us a little talk
at parade.
tMes enfants," he said. ''in a couple
Of weeks we are going to occupy a place
Of great honor where several of the best
regiments Of France have lost great
part of their electives. 1t is a trench
which is dominated by an enemy posi-
ton but 300 meters away. The topography
Of the surrounding country is such that
we cannot receive any help from our ar
tillery.
II want you to take the Geramn trench
by assault" he went on. 'It Is not an
easy job. for they have many machine
guns. To do this efficiently you must
forget for the moment everything you
have learned about attacks.
Usually you crawl forward slowly
behind our artillery curtain fire, taking
advantage of all possible cover. until
you are practically on top of the en-
emy. Generally the German trench has
Evening star., 1917-09-30
Aviators and Sprinters of Foreign Legion in Franc

them with grenades, and II they at
tempted to como out and nght they
would be cut to pieces by the machine
guns.
The relief was effected without undue
noise, but not without casualties. We
were ordered not to answer the Ger
man IRE. and, with the exception OF
the necessary sentinels. were packed
into the shelters to await morning.
At Q o'clock Capt. Metz gave the sig
nal.
En- avant les glrs.' he cried, ~ he
leaped over the parapet and dashed
toward the Germans. We followed to
the best OF our ability. hurdling over
fragments of wire, stumbling over rot
ting corpses. falling into waist-desp
shell-craters.
slung over his shoulder and his rine
held horizontally across his chest, ran
as he had never run before. He over
hauled the captain. passed him. ana. y
a big blonde Boche advanced to meet
him. he thrust hts bayonet into his
chest without hardly pausing.
The captain had slowed down little
that the mass of the men might hit
the trench at the same time. but. see
ing Chablfs leave his gun sticking IN
the German and continue toward the
trench, he started forward at top speed
to help him.
It was unnecessary. chablis. a gren-
ade in his hand. charged at a macnins
gun, and. throwing himself fiat, threw
the bomb right in the middle OF the
group of gunners. Then, lying on the
parapet of the trench, he kept on
throwing grenades to right and let.
until the mass of the men came up. ana
the fight became a hand to hand one.
AS always. the Germans could not
stand up to our steel. and, after few
minutes. they retreated through tneir
communication trenches. We imme-
diately started reorganizing the cap
tured trench. shoveling the dirt from
one side to the other that the parapet
face the German instead OF the frencn
lines. We also dug commun1cetin8
the dugouts for prisoners. OF courpel
we turned the eighteen machine gun1
we had captured against their former
owners German coffee mills" AZ We
call them. are very effective. Not 20
ralleuse." but less prone to become
jammed.
The captain called for volunteers 70
explore the "boyaus" leading TO ene
enemy lines. Chablfs was among tnose
who came forward.
You have earned . rest. my boy
said the captain. "I had my eye ON
you. you will have a medal for todays
work"
"a medal" repeated Chablis wonder.
ingly. why. did you time met did
think that 1 had beaten 1t. but I was
not sure?"
What are you talking about? Beaten
what? Or. rather who? The Germansf
You certainly helped beat them with
your timely grenades." returned the
captain kindly.
Il mean my record for the hundred
meters" answered Caablis. II think
that I got over the first hundred in .
good deal less than twelve seconds,
which Is the best I had ever done be-
fore"
Chablis got his medal. not from the
athletic club. but from the war de.
partment.
Copyright, 1917. By ne Bell Syndicate. Iss.D