davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
Mrs. Wilson
Didn't CurfSey

Evidently, the visit Of President w.
has been much appreciated. knowing "."'
of your political and other contro'e's''.,,
Britain regarded him simply as the eise1u
representative of your nation ana s''as, ~.
enjoyed his brief, clear and often WV.
speeches. So far as 1 can learn az P's's..
there was no hitch at all in the proceeaA'.
the only sensation being the dec's'o" =,
Mrs. Wilson that as the first lady o. ~
land it was not etiquette for her 10 'u'.',, y,
st Buckingham Palace. This has imnsA's.
interested everybody and has by no |'..
given offence-on the contrary, it Is an w..
secret that the King and Queen nave ~
delighted with their illustrious '''' -,
whose wide view of life and democrs''s ~, ~.
look were greatly appreciated. IN Nv NY
communications l hope to mention ~. ..,.
matters which show how genuine Is n,
aims affection for the United Sts'ss u.
our horizon your country IS now Wv Is
new fact Your attitude toward .r.
watched by every one with care-D' .,t.
with solicitude. by most with entire W. " 4,
dence. A few are so foolish as W AZ,
terms of mistrust and Jealousy rorld
men suffering from nerve strain ~ '..,r
be we'll, think, if more American sp ., b.
were heard in Britain. But they "'
men who understand our resereu .,.s
who will not be chilled by our re''ss' "a.
We are not as good listeners IS !o- s;ns~
sibly We do more independent re' 10,
though this is arguable. Our eiup' l.s
highly developed. Our churches ~. .y
prominent in the national life. ANY s..,ios
am quite sure that our respec',ss, ',,'',om..i..
are drawing closer-that our dp''t ~ u
are working together for the peace n,
world-and that the great desire :.
Roosevelt, an entente, Is on 'a' r roul
would be a mistake to hurry J" ~ for
/ be still greater mistake not 80 Ss'>
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

sell mine for hundreds of pounds more than
it cost to build. Furniture, too is at pre-
MUM. With manufacture suspended and
import difficult, everybody is short Of
everything that wears out Also, after so
many war weddings, young people are want
ing to set up homes. And they must make
use of second hand goods. The demand for
labor is enormous. One catering firm alone
could employ another thousand mattresses.
The mere overdue painting of ordinary
dwelling houses would keep that trade 60
ing for years. Apparently, the state will
find difficulty in ceiling munition fac
tories for conversion into private indus
tries. Great commercial activity is ex-
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

"There used to be more Irish up here
than there are now.''
"Ah, the Irish," I enthused, what Won
derful people they are. You know 1 would
rather go to Ireland than to Paris. There's
little saying: Let you come now, I'm
saying, to the lands of Iveragh and the
Reeks of Cork, where you won't set down
the width of your two feet and not be
crushing fine flowers, and making sweet
smells in the air." said ], quoting. And
then I recalled what an old washwoman
had said to me once: It's demure they
were in them days, looking neither to right
nor to left, and the horses and the dogs
following them, and the doves dying as
they flew for their high envy"
.There are still farmers, though" he
answered, "and farm papers, too
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
On the Trail of
The Fiddler Grab

I shall never forget that ride. 1t was
the most mysterious and formal affair.
Every one was being introduced to every
one else. They seemed to have met for
several years, but in the space between
times they forgot each other, and some
of them giggled on being rentroduced,
saying things like
"Well now, do recall, you are the man
who had an aunt who had water on the
knee, and how is the dear old lady?" or:
John Matthews, John-oh, yes, it was you
who discovered that cryptogamous plant"
And bowling with great pride, the gentle
man addressed would answer: II am"
Finally they all climbed out, finging
themselves like bombs into the landscape.
One gentleman Immediately started a cry of
"Theres specimen" and kept it up for
the rest of the afternoon. Two of them
sat down among the rushcs and began
discussion on the merits of love and hate.
One maintained that love was stronger and
therefore better than hate, and the other
became enraged at the mere suggestion
and said that he had been concentrating on
hate since the hogs had been found dead
in 1900, and that his teeth had only lately
been successful in coming together on edge.
Suddenly the little thin lady screamed,
"Fiddler crabs fiddler crabs!" and John
Matthews rose slowly and menacingly and
approached them.
They were whrling around uneven
claws at the bottom of very shallow pool
almost mud puddle, nothing more.
This caused a great deal of excitement
for few moments; they seemed to have
quite forgotten that fiddler crabs could
hardly be called rare objects real dis
coveries.
One or two of them had wandered away
into the woods, one got lost and only wrote
to another member of the party six months
later that he had reached home safely.
Then there was the stop at the inn. A
-ceilnged house with six mounted deer
heads and a stuffed snake under a glass,
and a barkeeper with an immense set of
whskers.
Here I paused again in my memory say
ing: "Is this, then, what they mean when
they say The Bronx"
And I dropped this memory for one when
I was quite young and sneaked into Poe's
house, and creeping up into the garret
found a little child's boot thrust away be-
hind beam. A dirty, worn little shoe with
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

passion remote from mere revenge as
the awful fulminations of the old Hebrew
prophets. The incorrigibe cynicism with
which Germans have sent home our prison
ers, to die on arrival from maltreatment
and malnutrition, simply soidities the
country for stern justice. Men with life
long reputation for gentle behavior and q
merciful disposition talk Of Germany's
moral responsibility in tones of unaterable
resolution, and women--take, for instance,
we'll known and most kindly disposed Chris
tian Scientist-set their faces like adamant.
In his election speeches Mr.. Lloyd George
undoubtedly played on these sentiments,
which are largely responsible for his i'm
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

C's-corresponding to your Child's, are SO 7
undcrstaffed that clerks and typists often
get no lunch at all Tea which means so
much in England, is poor. For coffee many
people use little books of "sweet-leaf' or
prepared paper, the size of postage stamps,
which are supposed to serve as sugar.
Pending the arrival of my ration book l
took vegetable lunch which l think would
have emptied any eating place on Broadway,
but at tea there actually jam in the
cake and some powdered sugar on top. My
wife expressed surprise. Eggs and some
fruit are obtanable, but at prices which
for most incomes are prohibtive.
At London streets was astonished. They
were three quarters clear of traffic. Some
private automobiles are said to be running,
but up to date ] have not seen one. Motor
buses are few and far between and usually
full before they reach you. Occasional
taxis and resuscitated horse-drawn vehicles
complete the picture. Naturally, the side
walks are crowded with people who have to
use their own feet. The tubes also, with
much reduced schedules, are packed with
strapha angers. Yet amid it all the people
90 quietly on with their work, accepting
inconvenienccs as part Of the job to be fin
ished, and supporting the government OF
the day with astounding readiness. Many
of them look worn. Even the young have
left youth behind. But there is no per-
I ceptibe wavering.
OF the women it is hard to write with
out seeming to exaggerate. There is little
obtrusive mourning, but scarcely costume
shows bright color Thousands and thou
sands are wearing old clothes, with stoical
Indifference to feminine coquetry, apd the
entire demeanor OF these subdued, grave
faced heroines suggests that they have no
time and no energy to think of their looks.
They proceed on their errands, quickly, de-
tcrmined to manage things somehow, and
expecting constant perplexity Many OF
them know that the war has deprived them
Of any hope of a husband and home Of their
own, which means that they have become
In n sense brides Of their native land, with
q patriotism more intense than mans be-
cause 1t is the one emotion left For these
women no work Is too hard. The idea OF
saving hands and complexion has long van
ished in the crucble Of war. Rough toll
has often hardened and wrnklcd the ap-
pearance, but unselGshneBs has made hearts
tcndeA which might have been far otherwise
under the former rvalries Of fashion.
There is quite famine in houses. could
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

mense majority. But he did not create
such feelings. They are inevitable. If
Britain had been populated by Americans
their impulses would have been the same.
And I am assured that while the financial
claims of Britain on Germany are S24,-
100000 900, or thereabouts, all our response
BILE leaders are agreed that we stand after
France, Italy, Belgium and Serbia. | don't
suppose that in the end we shall receive
cent.
Americans who still suppose that Britain
is stronger than ever she was" and richer,
must allow me to dissent from their view.
BY every material test she has made an
immense sacrifice and no colonies added to
South Africa or to Australia will be the
slightest economic compensation. I believe
that the nation will gradually recover its
fortunes, but it will be by hard work and
a continuance of strict self-denial. Doubt
less there have been profits made in certain
industries which taxation has not yet re-
covered for the community. Under state
regulated prices OF food the grocers and
other retail dealers seem to have done
handsomely. Where commodities have been
free from rations and selling schedules the
natural instincts Of mankind have led dis
tributers at times to exploit the necessities
of their neighbors. An income of $4,000
before the war is now worth $4,000, and
know of one case where a highly salaried
official has sold his house and his automo-
bile and gone into what Americans call an
apartment dwelling. That instance must be
typical of many others, and journals which
specialize on advertisements of country
estates for sale are full of attractive offers.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
By Djuna Barnes

turned up toe and worn down heel. shoe
made Of red leather with two buttons miss
ing, and thought of the "Fall of the House
of Usher" and of the "Telltale Heart" and
shuddered with unbecoming pleasure, think
ing: "This is the shoe of that man, who
made my brother scream in his sleep last
night"
But when 1 got home mother laughed at
me and said dozens of families had lived
in Poe's house since his day, and no doubt
it was the shoe Of Mrs. O'Connor's baby,
the one who died of the collie last spring.
And then I thought of the quarries OF
Fordham. Would Fordham be considered
part of The Bronx?
I couldn't quite get away from Fordham
without memory of great and beautiful
negro who used to squat with drill all
day, turning and splitting on his hands, with
a background Of cranes and swinging
buckets and dust.
Up in the trees above these quarries a
black box stood chained to willow, with
the word Danger" written in red across
its tar paper. A box that we used to run
past with frightened breath. box that our
father had told us contained dynamite.
"What for?"
"For the basting.'
And in the afternoons standing on our
porch we could hear the warning cry "Fire!'
as the rumble of torn rock filled the air
with low moan and the odor of powder
drifted up through the ravines.
And could this be called appropriate to
the suggestion?
And there was the reservoir We used tc
walk around the rim of the reservoir wav-
ing our hands to the babies that passed
below on lower and far less exalted plane
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

and children a-growin' up to make mon
vegetables for the bad at heart"
We we're almost back at "the HUB" and
I said that I thought the best thing to do
would be to visit a cabaret-"S "Sennets,"
suggested.
We pushed open a green door and en-.
tered an empty hall, and backing into
another door we peered into the gloon
where waiter was busting the tables.
"Cabaret?" 1 inquired.
Bartender tell you," he answered, and
went back to his busting.
We walked into the bar. The bartender
shook his white head. "At eight tonight
not now"
"No four o'clock teas?"
"No, ma am"
$50 much for the living" I said "Le.
US hunt up my old friend the stonecutter'
"He's gone; they have a young man up
there now who sells the old msus work
at a bargain--hard luck, eh?"
"Heavens, what became of the Old gentle
man."
"He married one Of your Irish women
and keeps a farm"
Back at the cattle chute I ran fer tram
and bumped into q woman reading book
of poetry.
"The days are gone, the fair good days ore
past;
And in their place leisure all distraugh'
With hurry and with unimportant gain
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

round of face, jolly and determined on
specimens. She said, indeed, that she had
not found really good specimen since last
year at this same time, and that it was still
in alcohol, much to the disgust of her
unbotanical parent.
Then stout gentleman, with very tight
breeches and very red face, and who
struggled with three immense volumes, in
which he was going to press his discoveries,
came up behind the lady from South Caro-
lima A fourth and fifth and sixth and
final very thin small woman, ended the
procession.
1t seemed they were going to Clason
Point.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
There's Something Besides the Cocktail in The Bror
They Check Your Baby for You in Front of Depart
ment Store or Carve You Beautiful
Tombstone

"Facts," said slowly. "My God. have
we come to that?"
"Wel, at least give them little talk
about theatres-there's the Art Theatre,
the Empire Theatre, Miners, the Follies,
Loew's-at least tell them about the Bronx
Opera House and where it is situated"
"Where 2" l inquired.
"Four hundred and thrty-six East 149th
Street." he answered.
"These things mean nothing" I said.
"The real Bronx has nothing to do with
facts, as the real Greenwich Village has
nothing to do with facts, as no real good
has anything to do with facts.
Why. the only reason people consent to
live in cities at all is because there, at
least, you may get away from facts
He looked troubled. "Tel them about
the clubs then-now there's"-
"No!"
"Well, then, the asylums and homes"
"Agan, no."
"Homes for the blind, the irreconcilablc,
friendless, demented, aspiring, incurable,
enraged."
"Do not jest" warned.
"I'm not The banks, then; you must not
overlook the banks"
"No banks"
"Well, at least, then, you must write
something about schools-about the Hall of
Fame"
"Why should 1? I never went to the first
and will never get to the second"
ooh, indeed" he said scornfully. care
vo,, ooino, to he Dl1reIv DerSOna1 ?o
81 am-every one is who writes WE'LL
"What about the convent schools? Are
you going to leave them out?"
"At last" returned, "you have mentioned
something that is almost personal to me.
With a clear conscience I may write about
a convent school, one that stood UP on q
slight rise-quite a grim affair-where a
lovely girl, a red haired creature, was
brought up. All, truly she was lovely
thing SO pure SO white, so sad. She had
the most sorrowful mouth I have ever seen,
yet she was quite gay at times. But off and
on she wanted to die. Sometimes she
thought of being nun; once she wanted to
run away to the West and become a gold
miners bride-'Because they need some of
my despair she would say. All, yes"
continued, 81 could write endlessly about
that Bronx school. I can still see it, quite
a distance away from where I first stood
when I looked at it; few figures, about
the size of we'll used pencil, were walking
around, and my friend of the beautiful rec
hair no longer there"
"Where was she?" he said in an awec
voice.
"Married," | answered, married, and car
be found at almost any mass, dropping pen
MES into the poor box or lighting candle
"Have you seen the mothers checking
their babies outside of the department
stores?" he said, changing the subject.
"Yes," I answered, "but before you go Of
about that ! want to add that she had
head of hair like a murder-you know wha
| mean-t lay all over the pillow like bloc
sort of divine, like Rossetti. What wer
you saying about babies ?"
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
"The Fair Good Days
Are Past"

"And them driving into market" I said,
noddng. "Ah, it's we'll I know them. AS
my washwoman used to say: There they
do be coming in the light of the dawn, with
their fair heads of cabbage and their
waving punches of onions, and them an
hour out of the dear earth only, and
them a-bumpin' and a-joggin' down to the
streets where those will eat them as has
no notion of the great beauty is in the earth
and air before they could taste them at all,
and men laboring and women a-toiling
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
Give EN-
Facts

And Pelham Bay, where Sydney went
when he got in the Marines, and FIeisch-
mans Cafe, where Alex and Courtney used
to spend too much timc-wcll, all Of these
places were supposed to be in The Bronx.
But a man at my side kept saying, as I
walked down Mott Avenue looking for the
Italian gardens that dot the railway tracks:
"That isn't what they meant by The
Bronx at all; it's the Hub 149th Street
the cattle chute the great transfer point.
Give them something about that, about
the floor of Hunts Point Palace; it's the
biggest dancing floor in the world, you know
And then tell them about the Park Hotel,
that would surely interest them; that's
where their business men dine fnnan
haddie and alligator pears; or, if that won't
do, tell them all about the bridge system.
The Willis Avenue bridge, the Third Ave
nuc bridge, the 129th Street bridge, the
135th Street bridge, the 149th Street
bridge and the 155th Street bridge, the
Washington Heights bridge Tell them
about the civic centres at fremont Avenue
I saw man run over on that avenue
by garbage cart"-
"Wait!" I cried in horror, holding up
my hands
"Tell them about OHara's Hall, at 2O0th
Street; tell them about almost anything,
but give them facts"
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
By P. w. Wilson
LONDON, February 4.

A FTER twelve months of absence
"a from England noticed at once how
~ severe had. been the final strain
of war that country and how
slowly the people are recovering from it.
At Liverpool there was no boat train for
London, no taxis from the landing stage to
Lime Street station, and we had to pile our
baggage on d horse wagon, which happened
to put in an appearance.
Our journey "to town" was one-third
longer than usual and quite devoid Of
eating facilities. Beyond q piece of war
cake I had nothing from $50 a. M, on the
boat, till 4:30 p M, when l reached home.
In all the compartments Of the train people
were standing, and also in the corridors.
The distinction between first and third class
quite obliterated. 1t was like six hours
at the crowded period of the New York
subway. Nobody complained Passengers
shared sandwiches with soldiers. Children
were cheerful, and apparently l alone had
influenza.
At Lime Street station woman porter,
who had been at it three years, handled my
bags. She good humored and capable.
When reached Wilesden Junction an
other woman took the tickets. There was
no nonsense about her and she tackled the
Tommies with equal frmness. Khaki was
everywhere Streets, restaurants, stations
are crowded with troops, drifting hither
and thither, many of them, l suppose, on
well earned leave. Their faces arc patient
sunburnt, strong and aged by endurance
Many Of these men have fought continu.
ousIy for years. With the pressure lifted
they, and indeed the whole nation, have te
find their bearings afrcsh. Demobilizatior
is proceeding, but only at a prudent pace
for peace has yet to be signed and the worlt
ie restless. Broadly, | should say thai
Britain, and Europe doubtless IN WE'LL il
like man in hospital sitter severe
operation in surgery, whose wounds tent
20 be septic and to give him temperature
IL is case for careful nursing.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

~OME ONE said to me the other day:
SA "Now, there's The Bronx; so very
\ few people think of The Bronx even
those who live in it, aside from the
occasional fact absorber, who doles out
statements that it is sixty-four miles
square and that it is the city of babies"
And something further that ne said
brought back to me suddenly memory of
when I also lived in The Bronx.
Funny, the first thing l recalled was
stonecutter an artist of his kind, who
worked in tombstone yard all day long
with hammer and chisel gray-haired
man with keen, melancholy eyes, who hardly
ever raised them from his stone, save occa-
sonally to speak to me, lamenting the
change in peoples taste in carving. He used
to say:
"There were days when tombstone en-
craving was as much an art sculp-
ture I have carved many a superb
leaf and cut many weeping figure and
child; none seemed to be weeping in their
souls as mine seems to be weeping. One
cemetery keeper told me that a certain
monument the sod was never dry; this was
the one on which stood my yelled figure.
That may be exaggerated, but you get the
feeling; now"-he would make a slight
movement with his chisel-"they only want
fancy lettering, ugly and deformed and in
bad taste. / shouldn't say only, but it is
in the majority"
He was a good man, and clever man.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

Unemployment is slightly increasing 'a'
this fact is due to momentsry failure 10
organization rather than to actual iscS u
work. In any event, the percentage OF PER
sons out of work is low. Some ~o@s4'
hitherto employed on munitions, seem 's'''
to reconsider their former domes1ic So
vice, but, taking the country as "n,'S
maids are still scarce, which means 'a'
many housewives have to do work TO WIN
before the war they were entirely uhs'
cuStomed
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

| remember all he told me
One night in London grill
But one thing will haunt me forever;
And he looked so old and i'll.
When he said it, this young lad,
(And 80 simply it was said):
l have lost all my friends
Every one is dead
Do you wonder remember2
Do you wonder his eyes are old2
Only youth of twenty-four.
But his youth all told
His boyhood gone like a shadow
On garden WALL
Nothing of his school days to clutch at
Nothing at all.
| tell you, War is youths game;
That is an old, old truth
Play it, and perhaps you VIM
But always you lose-your YOUTH
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
No Sugar Yet
For London

There is, suppose, enough food, but.
after America, diet here suggests privatlon.
The popular restaurants-~Lyons and A. Is.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
The Youmg-Old Soldier
BY Charles Hanson T0wne

T MET him in London
A lad Of twenty -four;
He had been in the War three long years.
And he looked much more.
He told me his adventures
In Flanders, and on the Marne;
How he had slept out in the seet,
Or in a filthy barn.
He told me- when questioned him.
OF the sad sights he had seen;
OF the long hours of fighting,
And the brief waits between.
His face was lean and tragic
His eyes looked far away,
AS if he still saw Something
That haunted him night and day.
"
He had been gassed at pres.
And wounded at Bethune;
He recalled their carrying him in
Under a suen moon.
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

T.: ;::' L: ::':: {: % !; ;:;::;: E:
NJ us,I hor
New-York tribune., 1919-02-16

~ ONE ONE said to the other day:
S "Now, there's The Bronx; SO very
few people think Of The Bronx, even
- do frorr tho
The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-04-29
Up to 75c Papers

For living rooms. halls and
dining rooms; blends, grass
cloth effects and brocades in
tan, brown, green and gray
shades, for
The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-04-29

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