davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The spectator., 1918-08-27
The Latest in Ghosts.

Ghosts there have always been since men began to die. They have played their part in disquietlng the world since the world awoke to trouble. Vengeful. prophetic, fantastic, and in- variably de trop, they have come down to us through the centuries, dlscred- tied, but feared. Now our old appre- hensions. our old creeps and shivers, are exchanged for new and reasonable misgivings. Spirits soothing as slrup
 didactic as dominies. prolific and plati- tudinous, are dictating books for the worlds betterment; and never word that can add to ouy store of knowledge
 or stand the dry north light of intel. lect."-Agnes Repplier, in the Atlantic
The spectator., 1918-08-27
GERMAN ARMIES
 MEETING DISASTER
AT EVERY SECTOR WHERE BRIT iSH AND FRENCH ATTACKED
 GERMANS ARE WORSTED.
CROSS ARRAS-AlBERT ROAD
Strongly Held Positions Where Ger. mans Saw Disaster Facing Them If They Fell, Were Stormed and Cap
 tured and British Passed Them.

With the French and British Armies i'll FTance.-Over the 50- mile battle front from the re. zion of Arras to the north of Soissons the German armies are meeting with defeats which apparent ly spell disaster. At every sector where the British and French forces have continued the attack the enemy has been worsted. And the end of his trial is not yet in sight.
 To the British over the 30 miles os fighting zone from the Cojeul river southeast of Arras, to Lihons, south of the Somme, many towns have fatl- en and enemy territory has been pen | etrated to depth of several miles. Where the French are fighting be. tween the Matz river and the terri tory north of Soissons, additional gains have been made in the envelop- ment of Noyon and the maneuver which seeks to crush or drive out the Germans from the salient between the Somme and the Ailette and put l into jeopardy the entire German line running to Rheims.
 Although the Germans brought up large numbers of fresh reinforce ments in an endeavor to stop Haig 8 armies, their efforts were without avail. Where they were able momen. tarily to hold back their foes, the Germans finally were forced to cede the ground. And they paid a terrible price in men killed wounded or made prisoner.
 The entire Arras-Albert road has been crossed by the British. The strongly held positions where the Germans saw disaster facing them if they fell, were stormed and captured and the British passed them, going eastward
 Notably among these places were Aehet-le-Grand, where bitter fightiTg has been in progress for several days; Boyelles and Gomiecourt, northeast of Albert. The taking of Achiet, and farther east of til town of Bihucourt, gives Haig a dominating position over Bapaume from which the rail- way and highway runs eastward to Cambrai. Farther south the old fort ress of Thiepval is surrounded on three sides and its equalization must follow.
 Midway of the battle line south of the Somme, around Rove, there has i'd mander evidently reasoning that with both wings of his offensive-near Ar ras and Soissons-worRing smoothly in the movement which is likely to compel the Germans to seek refuge behind the old Hndenburg line, ground soon will have to be given here automatically in order to say e large numbers of men, guns and sup plies from capture.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
ALL STRIKES HURT
 MACHINERY 0F WAR
THEREFORE THE ARBITRATION OF LABOR DISPUTES IS PRAc-
 TicALlY ENFORCED NOW.
COMPULSlON REALLY MORAL
Senate Must Soon Pass on an Out-and- Out Prohibition Proposition-Nelson Thinks Soldiers Shouldn't Be Cod dIed Too Much.
By ARTHUR w. DUNN.

Washington.-Arb of labor disputes is practically enforced now not quite compulsory arbitration" to which labor has made considerable ob- jection, but it practically amounts to that. Nearly all of the labor of the present day is tied up with the war in one way or another. There can be no strike of any proportions which does not affect the war work being carried on by the government. Con- seQuently it has become necessary for the government to take up and settle labor disputes.
 After these labor disputes are arbt- trated by the commission which was named by the president, there is no le- gal power to compel men to accept the decisions. Employers must ac- cept them, because most of the em- ployers are engaged in doing work nee essary to carry on the war But there is a great moral "compulsion" which is sufficient to make the labor men accept just and equitable conclusions of the authorities. Public opinion in this country would not justify strike which would interfere with the mak- ing of materials necessary to carry on the war.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
CHAPTER xll.-Continued.

Lucille stiAed a scream. ! Hello. mother. What? Some one is trying the door3 It's opening-hello -hello-mother"-
 Lucille dropped the receiver and sank backward into Vida's arms. I picked up the telephone and held it to my ear, shouting Hello hellov'
 There was no response The wire was dead.
 When Lucille had been revived with out resorting to any of the violent methods suggested by the resourceful Captain Perkins I endeavored to ex- plain away any cause for fright.
 sEven if she really did see a man," said, which seems improbable, he is not going to murder her. Probably he just stopped to inquire the time of day"
 But mother said he had whiskers."
 T know" continued. that is against him, but maybe it is hereditary in his family"
 "Maybe she just dreamed it." Kent offered sensibly. Lets call her up again. She seemed a little dented on top when I first saw her. By this time maybe the attack is over"
 That seemed a fair enough sugges- ton, and I acted on 1t. I asked cen tral to give me Huntingdon's island once more.
 'T'm sorry," central answered, but can't seem to get them. I've been ringing on that line for the last ten minutes. There's another party trying to get them"
 Another partyT questioned. "Who2"
 'I couldn't say. It isn't any one I know. His voice sounds like be was a tall, thin young man from New York" !"
 Cant get them," l told the listen ing group.
 What can we do now? I must go to help mother. I must go. I must go." Lucille began to get hysterical.
 Wait, dear" Vida said, batting her hand. We can't 50 because we haven't any boat" Turning to the rest of us, she asked, "Whom could we telephone to and ask to go over therer'
 "The sheriff is the right man, l should think" Bopp suggested.
 He'd be plumb tckled, too." added Captain Perkins. He ain't had a chance to arrest nobody since he's been swore in."
 That's it, the sheriff." Lucille said feverishly. "Get the sheriff and let me talk to him"
 we don't want the public to know about this." I objected.
 "What do I care about the public If my mother is fin danger?" Lucille very properly demanded.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
Sounds Hafflinq Science.

Mystery still attaches to certain ex- plosive sounds heard in various parts of the world and known to science as "brontides." On the coast of Belgium, says Popular Science Monthly, these sounds seem to come from the sea. and are called locally "mistpoeffers." In the Ganges delta of India similar sounds are called "Barisal guns" Brontides are well known in some parts of Italy, where they bear great variety of names. In Hayti sound of this character is known as the "gouf- fre." while in parts of Australia it ls called the desert sound" Brontides mostly take the form of mufiied deto- nations. of indefinite direction. Prob ahly they are of subterranean origin. Studies of eccentricities in the trans mission of sound through the atmos- phere lead to the conclusion that solne of the sounds hitherto reported as brontides were really due to cannonad- ing or blasting.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

went through various tortureS of the irquisition, such as having my bones broken on the rack and other medieval variations of the third degree.
 My last nightmare was that of being blinded by . redhot iron. Who was 1t had thht done to him? l remember. It was Michael Strogoff, the courier of the czar. Shades of Jules Verne! Any way, it happened to me in my dreams, and the burning sensation was so viv- i'd that awoke in terros.
 Tootles was calmly licking my face. I suppose her tongue had rasped across my eyes. I remembered having been told that this method of awakening a sleeper was one of hsr cutest tricks. If ever have a dog of my own I'm going to spend lot of time teaching him hot to do this trick.
 was about to insist that the pup rest somewhere besides on my head and return to my slumbers once ncre when my attention was attracted by slight noise outside. Some one was cautiously approaching the summer house. Who the dickens could be out
 
 wandering about at that time of night? I judged that 1t was about midnight. The person came nearer. Finally he felt his way around to the door.
 The latch was lifted, and some one entered I silenced an impulse on the part of Tootles to welcome the in- truder. The weight of the man who was there not ten feet from me made the floor boards sag as he walked about He was coming toward me.
 For a moment he paused uncertainty and then lit . match. In its light I discovered that he was . tall. nattily clad young man whom l had never seen before.
 imagine my surprise was inflnites- imal compared to his. was expecting
The spectator., 1918-08-27

The Summon houso Captive. " HERE seemed to be nothing else to do, so l asked the telephone operator to see if she could To-
 cate the sheriff.
 T guess he's down to the railroad station" central volunteered. Its goes down there looking for a suspi- cious character to get off the north bound passenger. I'll ask the agent if he's there"
 She did, and he waa After a slight delay I found myself addressing a strange voice. which I requested to hold the wire I turned the receiver over to Lucille. She told the sheriff in breathless haste that her mother had been foully dealt with on Hunting don's island and offered him limitless rewards to capture her slayer.
 "Is there anything further we can do?" Lucille paced up and down the room.
 Nothing but wait. dear" Vida said I'm sure nothing serious has hap pened."
 Then why doesn't mother call up and tell us that she Is all righty'
 This was unanswerable. No one thought of sensible reason for keep ing Mrs. Green away from the tele- phone.
 We had better do something to oc- cupy our minds until we hear from the sherifr,f Vida said. rising to the posi-. ton of commanding officer in the emer- gency.
 thought of my clans.
 "Come with me-" l exclaimed and led the way toward the kitchen. 'I have a surprise for you"
 "You have found Tooties!' Lucille was radiant
 "No," I replied, somewhat crestfall- en. for I had again forgotten Tootles, but have something for you to eat"
 Never have been so popular as was at that moment-that Is, with all but Lucille. haven't said much about our hunger because there is little to be said. It Is practically impossible to convey to the mind of the well fed reader what 1t means to miss many meals.
 led them to the kitchen.
 "What Is it2" Bopp asked.
 Its a secret" replied mysterious ly, Investigating my kettle of clans, which. strange to relate. had not boiled entirely away. "I'li serve 1t to you and then you can guess what 1t is." found a number of bowls in the pantry, and with a porcelain dipper I ladled . goodly portion of clam broth into each.
 "Did you cook this all by yoursalfr asked Kent Fl did" I aSRsed medest1y.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

From raw materials you found on the islandT" supplemented Bopp.
 Everything in 1t grew right here," explained.
 Its Tootles w screamed Lucille, turn ing pale and putting her bowl down on the table.
 'It can't be-" said Bopp, sniffing "This has decidedly fishy smell"
 q know it," walled Lucille, with tears coursing down her cheeks. That's what makes me think it's Tootles. We have been feeding her lots of fish late ly."
 l started to explain. "Lucile, how can you accuse me of such a thingw
 You never liked Tootles. l know it You cared more for your appetite than for my little darling. Now I see through all the mystery about what the food was and what you were doing all the afternoon while l slept. l suppose you drugged me so that wouldn't hear the poor little things screams. Oh, mother! Oh, Tootles!'
 "Lucile,' I began, 'I'-
 Don't speak to me. I don't even want to see you again, you fat mur- derer."
 That was too much. I might have stood for being called a murderer, but not fat one.
 'Very we'll" replied. Tt certainly will not be necessary for you to see me will go, and I assure you that will never enter your house again."
 went to the door with as much dig nifty as could assume.
 "Goodby," l said as I opened the door.
 There was no particular place to go and apparently no chance of leaving the island before morning, anyway. bethought me of the lattice summer house and decided that it might not be a bad idea to take what shelter 1t af forded.
 After some difficulty I found the summer house and sat under its cheer less shelter listening to the rain drir of from its roof on to the dead lea1es below while l reviewed my situation I had to admit that I could not be in a much worse plight. Lucille was proud and would probably not apol ogize to me any more than I would retract my spoken VOW not to enter her house again. Clearly my love af fair was in bad way and required heroic treatment to put it back into a healthy normal condition.
 Meditating upon that and wondering what could have happened to Mrs Green on the little island just south of us, I gradually dozed off and slip ped down to the floor.
 My figure is not such, however. that I rest perfectly on flat surface. FoI that reason my slumbers were uneasy and troubled with dreams in which
The spectator., 1918-08-27
Pork For Soldiers.

Washington. - Troops in canton ments within the United States are being issued fresh pork two days in every ten as a temporary substitute for beef, because of the large amount of pork available at this time, when beef stocks are running low and prices consequently high.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
For Women Harvesters.

New York. An appeal to ''wonl. en of leisure" of New York state to save the harvest by volunteering for farm work at good pay was made by the Industrial Commission of the State Department of Labor.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
Idle Curiosity,

T see you have a number of motto cards on your wall. Such timely re- minders as, Be Brief This Is My Busy Day. etc, etc. Now this one over here"
 ''Pll explain that one," said the gen tleman with retreating hair. 'It's the only motto the average bore ever nc tices because 1t is written in Latin ans he can't translate it.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
108 Q73 Machine Guns,

Washington. - Since the United States entered the war and up to August 10. the War Department an nounced that 10S,973 machine guns of all types have been produced in this country and accepted for army use by the Ordnance Department. Of this total 30226 have been of the Browning type.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

Within a few weeks now the sen- ate of the United States will be up against a prohibition proposition, pure and simple. The amendment which has been held in order by vote of the senate and will be attached to the ag- ricultural survey bill, is destined to make the nation bone-dry the last of next January, unless ~omething hap pens. First. the bill can be talked to death, as there is no agreement to vote on it; second, 1t might be vetoed by the president on the ground that prohibition at this time would serious ly interfere with the revenues of the government. The men who are re- sponsible for legislating to raise rev. enue are very much disturbed over the losses which will be entalled when prohibition becomes effective. Look ing ahead as far as 1920, when the pro- hibition constitutional amendment Is likely to go into effect these revenue raisers say that the continuance of the war beyond that time will make 1t extremely difficult for them to find methods of taxation to raise enough money to carry on the government. In view of this state of affairs. the sena- tors who are now in Washington have been looking forward to the coming prohibition contest with great deal of interest
The spectator., 1918-08-27
Huns Attack Hospitals.

With the American Army on the Vesle Front-German bombing ma chimes have made two separate at- tacks upon an American field hospi- tai south of the Vesle, but were driv- en off by anti-aircraft guns.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
Gets His 60th Plane.

Paris - Lieut., Rene Fonck, the French aviator, shot down three Ger man airplanes recently, it is officially announced. This brings his total number of air victories up to 60.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
More Ship Contracts.

Washington. Contracts for 3s wooden cargo vessels each of ,3.b00 lead weight tons. seven wooden barges and three wooden harbor tugs were let the week ending August IT.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
MooneX Loses Anain.

San Francisco. - A petition that the trial court be directed to grant Thomas J Mooney a new trial on the ground that his conviction was brought about through malfeasanoe practiced by the district attorney.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

One day when the senate was dis cussing mail facilities and the neces- sity of soldiers receiving mall more regularly than they have been since they went abroad, Senator Nelson of Minnesota took occasion to utter a number of pointed remarks. The tenor of his speech was to the effect that we ought not to try to coddle the sol diers too much. While it is a good thing for the soldiers to get mail. 1t is not to be expected that they would have letter from mother with their morning coffee each day "I remem- ber when l was in the army" said the Minnesota senator, that we didn't have very much for the chaplains to do when we were in the field and so we turned the chaplains into postmas- ters and they distributed the mail and became very useful. It is a good thing for the soldiers to get mail, but the other business of carrying on the war must not be hampered in order to carry packages containing sweet meats and knick-knacks to the soldiers in France"
The spectator., 1918-08-27

Americans, both civil officials and eXultation they feel over the sue ceSSes of the allies and particularly the splendid work which Americans have been doing on the western front. But all of them feel it necessary to press the soft pedal on their conversa- tion so as not unduly to elate or excite the imagination of the people of this country in regard to future battles. While there are not many officials of the present day who have any personal recollection of what took place during the Civil war, they are historians enough to know that on several occa- slons It seemed that the Union was go- ing to triumph at once, although it turned out afterwards that the Con- federates fought on for long time.
 When Germany cracks. she will go to pieces very suddenly" is the ex- pression l heard from careful ob- server of the progress of the war. But it is very doubtful whether Germany will go all to pieces and whether there will not be many hard-fought battles before the allied armies are across the Rhine. Officials in Washington do not want Americans to become over-con- fdent on account of what has been achieved since the troops of this cOun- try have been participating in the great war.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

The Red Cross has been reaping n golden harvest from sources that prob ably do not contribute as cheerfu,ly as does the ordinary citizen. When food administration officials were figuring on what punishment should be infict- ed on dealers in foOdstuffs who trans gressed the administrators rules someone hit upon the idea of fininc the guilty ones and turning the money over to the Red Cross, or some other branch Of war work. This scheme is working splendidly One firm not long ago was invited to turn over S2O GOO and $1,000 assessments are quite com mon.
 While there is reluctance on the part of quite number of mem bers of both senate and house to accept the new suggestions of the war department extending the draft ages, there is no doubt that the Iegis- lation will be passed. In fact, the age limit would have been reduced to nine teen or twenty when the army bill passed the senate if it had not met with opposition from the war depart ment. Provost Marshal General Crow der then as now favored the reduction to eighteen years, but did not receive the support of his superiors Discus sion in the senate showed that great many men favored lowering the age limit, while others preferred that old CT men be taken and that the young men remain exempt.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

What is q luxury? The ways and means committee of the house is hay ing time of it deciding what articles shall be included in the new revenue bill and taxed as luXuries Some hard problems have to be figured out and queer distinctions drawn. For example, silk socks have been classified as n luxury. but cotton or wool or lisle socks seem to be considered necessi- ties. So with pipes; meerschaum and amber. the aristocrats of pipedom, are placed in the luxury class, while the briar, clay and corncob are branded as necessities by the great taxing commit. tee of congress.
The spectator., 1918-08-27

Will congress be considered an es- sential industry? That question will be very interesting to 13 senators and no representatives who are not yet forty-five years of age. When the first draft bill was under consideration a number of members of congress, led by Speaker Champ Clark, tried to have the age limit extended to sixty years, and all the way down to the figure fin ally agreed upon. At that time quite number of men vociferously an- nounced that they were willing to take their chances in the draft. It will be interesting to notice whether the boards will decide that senators and representatives are engaged in an es- sential industry. But then it is more than likely that most of them will es- cape by being put in what is known as the deferred classification list
The spectator., 1918-08-27
l 100000 of the 100000 soldiers in

100000 of the 100000 soldiers in below the age of twenty-one. Such an d Civil war soldier as Senator Nel- son of Minnesota is very insistent that the boys from eighteen to twenty-One be given an opportunity to get into the war. He and others who believe with him will strenuously oppose provision which will be offered to the new draft law providing that the boys from eighteen to nineteen must not be sent abroad until after they have had years training. Instead of taking year to make soldier, 1t has been demonstrated that the alert young men of America make good soldiers In six months. Army officers with experience believe that far better results will be obtained with the men below twenty one than with those over thirty-one.
 Nothing is quite so persistent as the German propaganda. If the Germans had given as much attention to legiu- mate industrial and agricultural pur- suits as they have to war and propa- ganda they could have made greater progress in the conquest of the world than they have by war and the auxil- iary methods they have used to pro- mote that war. In this country all manner and kinds of propaganda are constantly cropping out. There is no business, industry or vocation in which the Huns have not made some attempt to cripple the government by their in. sidious propaganda. For instance, there has recently been circulated story that there is scarcity of glass jars for canning foods, which when traced to its origin proved to be Ger man propaganda for the purpose of hindering the preservation of foods.
 It must be that the Germans, their sympathizers, the pacitists. and every other faction of that ilk, have raised and maintained an enormous fund to carry on all sorts of propaganda which could in any way tend to hinder the United States in the prosecution of the war.
The spectator., 1918-08-27
CHAPTER XII.
? House Captiv,

Tho Summon House Captive. n HERE seemed to be nothing else to do, so l asked the telephone operator to see if she could To-