davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26
Max Schlavvbnsky and his latest painting
titled The Russian Situaton''

8 perpetual exhibition. Sometimes-not
oftenit changes; the pictures are for
sale.
There is the portrait Of a negress, an
angry negress with elongated neck and
q necklace of conch- shells, holding bas-
ket of tired-looking fruit; there is the
picture Of three strange trees with scarlet
trunks and the picture of the writhing
snake with a butterfly dancing on its tail;
and other pictures, painted by Rotstcin and
Brodowsky. At the further end of the room
is the enamelled door spattered with bright
colors in impressionistlc design, by
Leen Avnsky, and the door that leads to
the kitchen, hung in coal-black hangings
cut in openworl design, where chinks
of light peer through.
And then you feel something gentle and
Slavic and soft standing beside yout is
Dora-and you hear your own voice saying,
"I'll have some marinrte herring" and
then the babel assumes component parts.
1t rises up and smites you in the ear
You are at table with Sam, the artist;
he is drawing your picture on plate, in
India ink. It's indelible, too There's
intellectual Chinaman; he is anarchist;
a Yiddsh tailor ((he is eating knishes)
and the editor of q paper called Gree
dom''-he expects it to be suppressed next
issue. There is fat man in Prince AL
bert and checked trousers, and a pretty
little thing from uptown.
"Tell me- said the pretty little thing,
leaning across the table to the tailor, "do
you believe in woman suffrage?"
hat %lo
fessor "let me expound a few of the laws
of nature to YOU"
And the Sirfessor said: personality Is
the producer of progress, for where per-
sonality presides power resides Next, ex-
ploitation is the first law of progress.
Next, self-preservation is the first law of
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

cashire. He breaches the coming of the
supercrat and the superman. There are
seven stages; let me explain.
"The first stage is the SIMPOLEON The
Smpoleon is mass of matter that
doesn't matter-except when exploited
"The second stage is the HOPEOLEON.
The Hopeoleon is one who suffers from in
Illumination of the imagination.
1.-THE third stage is the DEMOLEON The
Demoleon is an ego the half she'll, and
he suffers from perspiration of inspiration
"a semi-developed, semi-sane and hemi-
Matched organism, an underdone ego with
hard boiled beliefs and cross-eyed convic-
lions.
THE fourth stage is the PSYCHOLOGY
He stands on the threshold Of thought,
gazing into the eyeball of ecstasy and eter-
nifty, so to speak, without getting dizzy
"The fifth stage Is the EGOCRAT, one
who has become a self-conscious egoist and
recognizes that psychology precedes all
progress and that enlightened egoism will
make for the higher life
THE sixth stage is the SUPERCRAT.
He is first cousin to the superman- o-be.
He is one who understands the seven won
ders of the ego and the six hundred laws
of nature. All supercrats seek danger be-
cause they seek new sensations New SEN
satons develop wisdom. and wisdom is the
mother of wit and wickednoss
"The seventh and last stage is the So
C1AL ARISTOCRAT The social aristocrat
is one who has developed his social instinct
until he is able to socialize his selhshness.
The surplus value of his ego he gives away
because 1t increases his happiness. In do
ing this the sum of happiness is increased
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

were yellow then-though you can't tell in
picture"
"Well, well." admiringly from Hardy.
"And here he is taken with me when he
was five. He was so proud of that velvet
suit. But, N.Y. how he did hate his curls."
eyes. Hal didn't care much for his"
chuckled Hardy. 1--WE had to cut them off
when he was six
Mrs. Mason clicked her tongue against
the roof of her mouth sympathetcally.
'They're like that-boys are. And here's
Geordie when he graduated from grammar
school"
Always their talk was of their boys.
"reminiscences popped up constantly and
Hardy would have to postpone his potato
spraying to relate that hackneyed tale Of
Halls prowess when he licked the school
bully" at the tender age Of eleven, or Mrs.
Mason would stop in the act of wedding
her pansies to tell Of Geordie's diligence in
achieving a soap order bicycle before he
was twelve, and on, ad infnitum.
Unconsciously their common sacrifice af~
forded both healthy outlet for words too
long pent up. AS the summer passed,
Hardy's lean, tired face, which had mirrored
all the ravages of his sixty-three hard
years, smoothed into its old kindly COM
placency, and Mrs. Mason's faded blue eyes
frightened amazingly AS often as not now,
her glasses would be propped carelessly up
on her furrowed forehead as she vent
about her house and garden duties, little
song on her lips. They grew to watch with
anxious care the coming of the postman,
each harboring a secret fear for the safety
of the others lad: each rejoicing in the
perusal of letters that brought good news.
The summer reached its zenith and began
to wane. Hardys garden fulfilled his
fondest expectations and was harvested and
divided with his next door neghbor Mrs
Mason's pansies and sweetpeas were sue
ceeded by autumny clusters of chrysanthe-
NUNS and dahlias, and the friendship be-
tween the two, which was still thing OF
snatched moments over the fence, grew into
o strong and comforting tie.
And then bronze fall day, Hardy,
coming home from his shop and DOMINIC
garden clothes usual, waited patiently
the length of time it takes to dig and sort
three hills Of potatoes for the appearance
of Mrs. Mason. There was newly arrived
letter from Hal lying next to his heart and
bursting to be made public. For Hal had
been promoted and decorated, and in the
natural course of events, Mrs. Mason should
have come f1uttering toward him through
her flower beds to share and rejoice in tho
good news.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

temple just around the corner; they serve
free lunch, too, and some one else is try
ing to sell you red ticket to the l. W. w.
bali on Saturday evening, January 25, at
Park View Palace, on 10th Street, you
suddenly realize that the nice little thing
at your table is really very nice little
thing, and you start to tell her SO. but
along comes Esther and she says: This
is restaurant, not private ROOM"
So you tumble around for your hat and
stink out, and, as the door creaks behind
you you feel the warm smell of cooking
following you to the street and the voice
of the sirfessor saying: ~ am the only
one who knows anything about the Mentoid
of Mirth, new science, and you are
out in the clear night air.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

The editor OF "Freedom,' The new maya
zine, spoke suddenly. from another table
Il should be ashamed to edit any sort of
paper that wouldn't be suppressed" said
he. "Read this!" and he handed mussed
journal to the Sirfessor, who read:
Freedom revolutionary journal,
dedicated to human freedom.
GREETINGS
"'Freedom' enters upon the revolutionary
field the only English-speaking anar-
chist publication Of the Western Henri
sphere. For its appearance we offer no
apology; we are oppressed, depressed and
unprecedented we carry our colors majes-
tically amid the turbulent conditions of
Law and Order
For many years America has been void
of q publication whose voice spoke revolu-
ton in every column. SO it is to occupy
this vacant space upon the intellectual ros-
trum that Freedom doth appear.
ats voice will shatter the foundation
stones upon which human society now
stands.
at advocates Destruction
at advocates Construction
Freedoms mission is not to patch up
a WORKOUT system along reform or Social
ist, lines, but to abolish all existing insti-
tutions
Revolution means Revolution--not re-
forml
at is only when Gods, Governments,
Hypocrisy, Tyranny and Slavery crumbie
away into oblivion that man will be able
to assert himself Man, know thysef AS
sert your individuality! Demand-work-
and fight for individual freedom
"a. T."
II voddn't gf five cents for dot" This
was the talors opinion.
IAN anarchist" amended the Sirfessor.
"is the meekcst organism that ever dashed
through space backward" young lieu
tenant in the uniform Of the Canadian Cav
airy came in at this point and stood star
ing at the Sirfessor who got up, and, sup
porting himself against the table in
lachrymose manner, continued: "Commu-
nism is the wild weak wall of weaklings.
cheapGngs, meeklings and groundlngs for
succor, support and sympathy Socialism
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

and round beds Of nasturtiums; there was
a helf-moon of forget nots and full
moon Of azaleas; there were narrow borders
of sweetpeas, and already fccund Crimson
Rambers were climbing the surrounding
fences and the tiny back porch. 1t was
fairy wish in that commonplace land Of
unbelef.
Allen Hardy grunted little and was
about to let himself down, by easy stages,
into sitting posture, when the keeper
of the extravagant garden appeared,
watering-po in her hand, white apron
embracing her little, stovepipe waist. She
saw Hardy at once looming up there out
Of his vegetable patch and gave him a
bright, neighborly nod before she com
menced her round with the watering pot.
Hardy solemnly returned the bow, noted
that she was little and old and brisk
and resumed his lettuce thinning.
But from that day forward the neighbor-
ly exchange of mods continued. Very prob
ably it would have stopped right there
had she not spoken first and thereby di-
vulged her secret. 1t was on warm August
afternoon that Hardy, ready with his formal
greeting, discovered her bearing down upon
him, stepping carefully over and around her
colorful handwork. At sight of her coming
toward him he swept off his shade hat
and they achieved opposite sides of the
fence simultaneously Her crisp skirts were
gathered cautiously in one hand, while in
the other she he,d a curious, wry object
which she offered to Hardy.
OTIS the mousetrap," she explained,
"somehow it's gone wrong. / can't stand
cats-never could--and they're just run
MIN all over my cellar-the mice I mean.
I thought maybe you wouldn't mind my
askin' YOU
She was all of sixty, with thin, very
white hair, drawn carefully away from
pink part in the very centre of her head.
Her skin was the soft, apple blossom tint
Of an old lady whose womanhood was
achieved before the back pages of the
magazines were crowded with skin food
and powder advertisements.
Hardy's keen glance beneath his shaggy
brows thought her pale, blue eyes held
burden Of incffable sadness which differed
oddly from her brisk step and cheerful
manner He took the trap, hanging his
hat on "A convenient picket.
mighty queer" he said politely, chow
sometimes these things do go wrong. It's
the spring, | gucss."
and It's ncw one. too, almost" che
affirmed Queer about those mice, amt
tin q bran new house?"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26
Ranck

That was his great sacrifice to her loss
That proud letter against his heart burned
rebellious contradiction, but Hardy met the
test Loyalty, and it worked 9 nothing else
could have done. Geordie's mother thought
she detected little note of jealousy
yes, actual jealousy-in her friends voice.
The astonishing discovery brought her
back to herself-threw new light on her
sorrow.
Her emotions, released from their
bounds, began to shake her and sobs came,
racking her body and cleansing her bit
ter heart-great, relieving sobs. And while
she wept Hardy, his rough hand still on
her shoulder, patted and soothed her
Cant you just see him, that bravei
Giving up his life deliberately for us-go-
ing straight to hero's reward with every
other mothers son of them longing to have
the same chance? He knew you'd be proud
and glad!"
Gradually the sobs were subsiding.
why" he went on, deliberately, cant
you just see him-with every officer envy
ing his record-and the medal?"
There was a long silence, broken only
~ HSA ooAS weeping.
"But now Pm-I'm all-alone"-
So softly did the words come that had he
not been very close he would not have
heard them
"Not bit Of It," he protested belliger-
emily, "alone nothngl That medal-weu
hang it in the parlor, shall we? | got a
boy and you've got q medal-and a hero.
The two houses won't be necessary any
more. There's no need of you stavinp
alone here-and I need you, Hal and me.
and maybe my Hal, too-who knows"-
He was kneeling clumsily beside her, and
at last she raised a tear swollen face and
put out shaking hand--not in suppI;ca-
ton, but in comfort.
To an unimaginative onlooker the pict-
ure they made might have seemed almost
ludicrous. phese two, battered and lined
by mora than threescore years of life.
products of the unpicturesque middle class,
OF physical Labor and self-deniaI, finding
again the treasure Of unselfsh love.
We'll take down that picket fence" she
unused softly, her hand upon his rough
sleeve, "then you can grow twice as many
vegetables"-
"Flowersl" he interrupted quickly.
Vegetables" che repeated with finalitv
~I'vc wasted enough on flowers and we'll
hang 1.-THE medal-in your rarlor, Allen"
Our parlor. Agatha" he corrected,
softly.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

the ego, seH-preservation is the second law
of human nature. Now, what have you got
to say, my MANI"
The tailor scratched his head and an
swered, with some thought, 81 belief in
winners suffering"
But you turn to the expounder Of the
laws of nature and ask him to expound
himself and he tells you:
81 am SirTessor. A Sirfessor is a
knight of knowledge among benighted BIZ
peds, peddling pestiferous pifle. I'm an
Englishman by birth and human being
by adoption. don't support myself.
live by r'y wits. Pm the evangelist of the
gospel according to Mathew Seklew. an
English philosopher, called by the Ian
eashire Chronclc,thats the peoples
paper-the laughing philosopher OF Lam
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

"My!" she said with sudden cheerful
ness "What a lovely garden. Those are
young tomatoes, sure as 1 live! Now, how
sensible to have vegetables"
Out not near so pretty as flowers" he
said Loyalty. "They are beautiful flowers,
doubt Of that. I never saw prcttier."
She beamed back at him.
"I'll pick you little bouquet No
now don't refuse 'em; my nasturtiums need
pickin.'
81 was just going to offer you some of
these radshes," he said eagerly, land il
a day or so there'll be good mess of peas
if you'd like them
The radishes and nasturtiums changed
hands, and each gift held the invaluable
treasure of complete sympathy and under
standing. Each knew the depth of the
others loneliness, and to each the prox-
unity of fellow sufferer was bound
less comfort.
After that the two gardeners, in the late
afternoons, drifted inevitably toward the
fence. Brief little bursts of confidence en-
lightcned each about the other and Al
len Hardy came to know that Agatha
Mason, long widow, had come, little
reluctantly, to the city when Geordie had
been offered partnership in a brisk gro
Gerry business. This venture, under the
magic touch of Geordie, had thrived, the
perusal of real estate pamphlets had ceased
to be an idle pastime, and the small estate
with "the gorgeous view" was finally theirs.
"Those stuffy city flats just didn't agree
with me-" she confded to her neighbor.
"Geordie, he saw that, and it was his last
word that he was glad to leave me situated
here where l could have my flowers like
used to at home.'
"Georde' and HAL" it developed, had
much in common--quiet, retiring natures,
admittedly plodding rather than brilliant
Both had pondered long and laboriously
before taking the final step toward khaki
and the trenches, weighing the need Of
his single parent against that of his coun-
try, and succumbing finally to a conscien-
tious conviction that the latter's was the
greater.
Gradually, so magic was the bond be-
tween them, each grew to feel friendly
intimacy for the others son. Quite uncon-
sciously Mrs. Mason began to speak Of
Hardy's boy as Hal" and Hardy's GUS
tomary greeting for her was: Evening;
any news & Georde?"
This said Mrs. Mason, one late August
evening, hutterng over to the fence her
hands full of various sized squares of card
board, "this is. Geordic at two His curls
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

"Well," he unused, strong, red fingers
hood, you know. They're probably coming
from that old dump over there by the rail
road track"
She nodded brightly.
Just what l thought! But the sales
man told us-me and George, my son
that they'd soon have it filled in over to
that dump"
"Yes," hc said, "they told my boy the
same-before we'd bought"
They were silent for a moment while
Hardy busted himself with the ntricacies
Of the trap.
"You got a son, them" he said absently.
"Away, is he ?"
There was a little pause.
ooh, yes!" she said, and her voice was
deliberately casual. "WhW we'd hardly
got out here-we lived in the city-before
Geordie, he went-to the war, you know"
Hardy raised his head and looked at
her. The faded blue eyes very bright
and dry.
"Well-ll," he calculated slowly. ''Now
that's queer, isn't it? That's just the way
it was with me and my boy, Hal. My
boys name is Harry. He felt he had to
up and go when we'd no more than got
settled"
The two faced each other for a still in
terval, and each penetrated the others
brave Disguise. You, too! the searching
eyes seemed to say; instead, the woman
spoke, very proudly:
"Georde didn't have to go-he was
thirty-four, but he just felt like he couldn't
help it, And so. after gettin' me fixed all
comfortable, he said he guessed he'd try
to enlist, and he did--fibbin' about his age,
though He passed everything fine"
"That's how it was with Hal. Dad he
says to me, 4 don't care if I am over age
something's pushing me. I'm husky and
nobody's depending on me; it isn't right
not to CO. So he did. He didn't look
more than twenty eight. He's fine M
chanic been working with me In the shop
since he was eighteen"
"Georde," she said, ais over there now"
$50 is Hal. A letter came this mornin.',
censored and ALL just like he said it would
be-"
"Well, WE'LL" she said, and her wistful
eyes sought his and smiled bravely.
"Wcll. WE'LL" he repeated unconscious
OF any banalty. For moment their eyes
wandered sadly out over the sultry
meadows, dotted with real estate signs, to
distant horizons. Then hers came back and
rested on her neighbours garden.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26
Lambert
Reiita

At the fourth hili of potatoes Hardy be-
gan to worry At the fifth he grew embar-
raised at the thought of invading her little
territory and making inquiries But her
absence so unusual the absolute quiet
of that house next door so ominous, that
when he did finally let himself through
her front gate and approached the tiny
back porch his self-consciousnes was for
gotten in his genuine concern.
He knocked softly on the back door. find
ing nothing incongruous in the thought
that in all these weeks he had never
thought to pay her social call; had never
before crossed his neighbours carefully
scrubbed threshold. After second futile
knock he tentatively turned the doorknob
and it yielded to his touch entered eau
tiously.
The room was twin kitchen to his own,
but excruciatingly neat. Beyond, he knew,
was a small square dining room and to the
right of that a small, square parlor That
IS where he found her, sitting on rne edge
Of a chair with her head lying upon the
golden oak centre table. She was SO quiet
that at first it frightened him, and then
he saw long envelope with broken red
seal-and he understood
He went up to her very softly and laid
a hand on her lean shoulder
There, there" he said, cropping for
words; "there. now, you mustn't take 1t so
hard It's just one more thing to be
proud Of"
She raised her head at last and her face
was terrible in its dry-eyed immobility
There must be some mistake" she said
harshly. at says that Geordie-my Geor-
She reached for the envelope and thrust
it weakly at him.
Hardy read the brief letter, feeling ap-
pallingly inarticulate, and then typewrit-
ten phrase gave him inspiration.
why" he said eagerly, "why, Geordie was
hero. You couldn't have read it-they're
going to send you his medal The bravess
man in his regiment!" Surely a little ex-
aggeration at such time could be ex-
cused. Decorated for bravery and died
heroic DEATH Why. that's different, all
right-who wouldn't die for that!"
He glanced sharply down at her, saw that
her eyelids were twitching painfully and
went on:
"Goshl" he said, with eager admiration.
That's wonderful, all right Your Geordie
out of so many, while my Hal-hos got TO
be satisfied being just one Of tho ordinary
ons&"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

VT WAS one of those little blockhouse
suburbs, so adequately covered in the
real estate pamphlets "wthn easy
committing distance of town, invigor-
atng air, all modern conveniences, gorgeous
view; why pay rent when you can own
your own home"--
Little homesteads were beginning to pop
up at regular intervals along the newly
guttered streets; scrubby fields resigned
themselves to the rolling and hedging of
enthusiastic investors, and the scattered
cluster Of neat, unimaginative little houses
gradually took on some semblance of their
owners personality.
Allen Hardy's house for example, spoke
entirely Of its master. In spite of its sound
ing-board walls and inadequate flooring, it
had an air Of rugged substantially. Only
The two tiny grass plots on either side
OF the front walk were conceded to the
decorative scheme devised by the architect.
The plot back of the house, neatly fenced
In with white pickets, was wholly devoted
to less beautiful but more nourishing prod
ucts Of the soil. With the exception Of
narrow path which ran down the exact mid
the garden was fourishing mass of vege-
tables. Every possible variety was rep
resented there By small but select group
Of delegates.
II was here that Hardy was to be seen
after the arrival Of the 5:48 on weekdays,
the l:26 on Saturdays and all day Sundays,
MS large, somewhat STOPPING, figure in
eased In overails, his shaggy, grazing head
protected by huge garden hat, wedding,
hoeing and clipping with indefatigable
patience
At first he had had eyes only for those
idolized rows of his between the two sides
Of picket fence. and then one day. stretch
ing restfully after long hour Of lettuce
tanning, his eyes wandered inquisitively
INTO his neighbours garden on the left
h's cole ncighbor at present, although the
building lot on his right had already felt
'ns hrst pick on It's knobby breast. He
stood gazing a moment at that other gar
asn--as lovingly cared for al his own. and
d'tdaInful smile twitched his ragged
mustache.
fiowers~9in war time, and not veg
s'aolel" was his comment. laden with limit
less scorn.
ana II mas quite true beyond the fence
"as sister plot Of his own whose pos
s''i''s'es a. uscfulness had been smothercd
= p,oeato gaudy and ezquisitcly fragrant
SAAs'' There were square beds Of Dangics
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-26

the sound of splitting, purrng Russian,
Yiddsh in all its fifty-seven varieties, and
the soft gliding syllables of pidgeon Eng
lish, and over all the deep boom of the
Sirfessor telling the world Of his phioso-
ply. He has come from Chicago via Eng
land and says he is friend Of Bernard
Shaw.
And then you will relax onto long,
low, running divan, and lean your elbows
on rickety table. You will not notice
the fresco of violent green and yellow
mattress ticking that is behind you, but
your eyes will travel to the opposite side
Of the room from the peacock blue curtain
on the window across the fly-specked door
to the wall where the pictures are. 1t is