davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
BY FREDERIC F. VAN de WATER

Then considered the Caliph the matter and
spake at length, thus
And who is it whom We shall select as model
Tor all the civic virtues?"
In answer to which the petitioners replied.
salaaming again: "Embodiment of all civic
and other virtues, this shall be left. if it be
thy will, to the sculptor who shall portray the
figure
Then those who dared raise their evhs to
the countenance Of their Caph saw a cloud
Of disappointment fit across it's brilliance
ct, said he without further delay:
ut shall be as ye wish. For | am the ser
want OF the people and the foe Of the interests
am delighted to see you all to-day. If you
VIII now pose on the steps of my palace with
me, the Photographers Of the Sheik ul Islam.
Wllll lbn Hearst, will perform their customary
service. Let the fountain be erected as We sug-
gest, but, first, command the sculptor of the
CIVIC virtues to stand before me-"
And 1t was as the good Caliph had ordered.
And the sculptor, admitted to the presence of
MS lord, came out after time as one dazzed,
holding one hand to his head and gropinp
feebly with the other. And those who entered
the audience chamber when he had retired
found the Caliph Hy-lan standing before the
mirror, trying various attitudes and pondering
on their artistic worth.
Now, it transpired that the Vizier Sinn-ott
of the Gorgeous Garments, entering one morn
ing the innermost chamber of Hy-lan, found the
Caliph standing before new portal in +ba
wall thereof. And as the freshly starched
kaftan of the Vizer cracked when he sa-
laamed, wheeled the good Caiph about and
laid one hand on his scimetar But when he
saw who it was who had entered, drew he NOT
the blade, but said:
Behold, oh, Vizier, this portal and saw
naught thereof. Neither seek thou to open it
All the doors Of my palace are to swing wide
at thy bidding save this alone This onlv shalt
thou not pass through"
And the voice of the Caliph brought alarm
to the heart of the Vizier and he backed hastily
from the presence of his lord and kent these
sayings secret from all men,
Yet, from that day forth mystery stalked
through the halls of the palace and none miobt
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

1athom It, For men saw the good Calph enter
his lnnermost room, and, seeking audience with
nm there, found him not. And when they
spread the word of his disappearance through
the palace and a hue and cry was raised
scarchers discovered their lord in the room
where he had not been. Wherefore they mar
Veled. And Of them all the Nizier Sinn-ott
alone observed that after this disappearance.
the vsage Of Hy-an shone with more than
usual effugence, so that one gazing on it was
afflicted with swimming green spots before the
eyes for some time thereafter
And the warning of the Caph against the
strange portal in his room ranked in the.
bosom of Sunott, that once when Hy-lan
had vanished and all his palace searched for
him the Vzier tip-toed into the room, and find
ing 1t empty, laid his hand on the knob of the
door. Ihen lear overcame him, and he crept
1ofth AGAIN to see lest some one watched him.
ana, on beng treasured. he returned and
pehold, IN MS room stood the Caliph in
the flesh. On the table beside him Law his
tarboosh and kaftan and in his hands was
towel of Turkish weave, wherewith he scrubbed
his head violently until his hair. STANDING ON
end, resembled Vesuvius in a peeyish mood
Then went forth Sinn-ott quietly again and
SAID naught to any man, yet all night dreamed
he of the portal and the mystery that Law
behind it,
Then it came to pass that one noon tide
vanished the good Caliph again, and SO long
was his absence that the men of his court whis-
pered one to the other:
'Assuredly the djinns and afrites have
SPIRITED HIM away permanently"
linen more rose dosira -, ~ l4
lne Vlzler Snn-ott to explore beyond the for
bldden door, And the urge was as violent az
ever was the lust for speechmakinp IN tho
bosom of his lord, so that at length he cast all
promises and prohibitions aside and went swift
~ TO the nnermost chamber of the Caliph and
laid violent hands on the doorknob Of tho fo,-
hidden portal.
And at the touch of the Vizier swung tho
portal open and revealed flight of stems lead
ing downward. And strange sounds cama nn
'ne stairway, the splash of running water and
the voice of steel on marble Ther foro,t
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
First Aid Is Requested
For Chopped-OF Finger

"The candidate would be interrogated as
to his desire to get to the other terminal and
then he would be hustled to the company doc
tor and given professional once-over. IF he
passed the physical examination he was hustled
into the car and shaved and decked out in
clean linen and put at his task Of cooking or
serving.
* remember that one of these men had
most decided hangover when he went
through all these preliminaries. suggested
to him that he put off work until he had at
least partially recovered from his spell of
ntemperance-wkich had been no minor spell
declared that in half an hour he would be
completely sober and insisted on taking up his
duties as fourth cook, which is cutting bread
and peeling and slicing vegetables. 1t was a
crowded train and there were prospects Of
unusually heavy demands on the diner, so the
new man was allowed to have his way. The
train was pretty well across the state when
the newcomer, in broad Southern accent, re-
tuested first aid.
/" All chopped the end Of my finger off back
theah about eighty miles, he said, and threw
y assay. All expect Ah'd bettah get fixed up
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

We unWrapped his little finger, which he
had bound up loosely, and found that he had
spoken the truth. He had cut off the first
Joint with one of the sharp, heavy knives
that hang in front Of every cook. These
knives are kept ground to razor blade sharp
ness Some of them heavy enough to cut
slice of bread of their own weight
"The man was asked why he had not spoken
before, 80 he could be put off at the town
where the company conducted its own hos
pital for employees
why, that amt nothin' he rejoined
Ah'm from Texas Down in our country we'd
tnger and forget all about it
We fixed him up and then put him off al
the company's hospital on the return trim.
The story got to the head of the passenger
department and he took the mans name and
told us to see that he was advanced at every
opportunity. He proved to have the good
leather and was really anxious to get ahead.
He was advanced and now has first-rate lob
There are terrific fights staged in those
kitchens sometimes and, of course, the public
never hears of them. In summer, when the
mercury is flirting around 14O degrees, as it
does IN the dining kitchens down in Okla
homa, the tempers of men and metals are
none too dependable. The men flare up and
then go after the blades. Soon there NAV be
tlrst-class knife fight going on in swavinp
narrow Kitchen with hot stove as back
ground 1t is the kind of fight a movie
OUTFIT would pay good deal to get, but it
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Waiting on Table Beats
Riding Brake Beams

The individual who supplied the attendant
dining car help was admittedly out of the serv-
ice. He said he had grown fat since he quit
Il was in charge Of the dining car service
on Western railroad" he said 81 tackled
the JOB in war time, when travel was heavy
and labor was hard to get and hard to handle
when you did get it. This railroad specialized
in summer tourist travel, and it wanted TO
feature its dining car servce--in fact, it does
yet, and very successfully But at what a
cost of the mental organism of the man
IN charge!
Our terminals were big towns in adioin-
ing states. In summer about all We could
figure on doing was to transport crews from
one town to another Wed recruit big part Of
the at each end of the line It enconr-
aged sort of high-class hoboing, but what
else could we do? AT the Eastern terminus
we'd find cooks and walters who wanted to 90
West, and at the Western terminus we'd skir-
mish around for cooks and walters who want
ed to go East. 1t beat riding the brake beams,
so Tar as the men were concerned In that
way they could travel the length and breadth
OF the country, getting wages and meals and a
place to sleep while on the way It was even
ahead of the new-fangled kind of hoboinp
that's now going on-~the tagging of passing
automobiles for rides. OF course it NAV be
unjust to class the men as hoboes as they
had TO know how to cook or to prove that
they had some experience in waiting on table
but some of the men we had to pick up in
summer, when the labor shortage was at it's
height, were not far removed from the hobo
CLASS IN appearance and conversation.
ut happened that ! had 81 good platform
man. which enabled me to get through A
platform man is your right bower He is on
the platform before train time to see that the
crew reports for duty and to help YOU fill the
vacancies, in there are hiatuses in the
roll call. We have list Of the restaurants in
both terminal cities. In case of shortage
either the platform man or myself would call
up these restaurants-usua the lower class
places, where the help was made up Of drift
ers, and we'd have em send down ANYBODY
that looked like likely timber
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
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curiosity and discretion in the bosom of the
Vlzler and the former won, that he pro
ceeded on tip-toe down the steps, repeating
texts of the Koran under his breath as he went.
At length he came to the last turn in the
stairway, and peering around it beheld with
his own eyes room such as he had never seen
before. And in the room stood the sculptor
who had staggered forth from the Calph's
chamber. And with chisel and mallet he
hewed at i great statue the personitication of
civic virtue for the great fountain. Then As
he hewed spake he:
The left elbow little higher, oh inetfable
one. And, if it be thy will, compress the dia-
phragm slightly
Then spake another voice from far corner
Of the room beyond the vision of the Vizier
and above the splash Of water:
"Bismillah, must stand beneath the shower
all the while that l pose for thee as the true
ideal Of civic virtue?"
Whereas the Vizier Sinn-ott clapped hi.
hand before his face lest he cry aloud. for he
knew the voice
And he who welded the mallet and chisel
replied: "Since thou hast insisted on posing
Tor fountain, oh, protector of the poor. il is
best that thou posest as much in the natural
state OF fountain possible The run of
the water also bringeth out the high lights"
Then quoth the other voice: "Bv the heard
OF the Prophet, suffereth in silence and IN
known the friend Of the people that they and
their children may know what civic virtue
really looketh like. 1t is the will of Allah and
complain not though it is in my mind to
hamstrng the janitor for the lack of heat in
the water to-day. One thing, OH SCULPTOR
likes me not. Thou hast placed nv feet ON
the necks of two women, and it cometh to nv
mind that these have now votes and NAV re-
sent the pose. Canst thou not alter these into
effigles of, say. the Pasha Untermyer and Maka
Nenm Efendi? B-r-r-r-r-r! This water be-
cometh colder and colder"---
Then took fear hold of the heart of the
Vizier and he fled up the secret stairway and
slammed behind him the door that the Caliph
mad forbidden him to open. Yet, he said
haught to any man Of what he had heard for
ne was Vlzler to the good Caliph Hy-lan of
the Ruddy Countenance and had long since
learned discretion.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

he has had to 60 aboard the train himself and
fill in until somebody could be picked up from
a restaurant at the next largo town. The
platform man had worked his way up through
the service and he could substitute for chef
or any one Of the cooks if necessary, and none
could steer a tray more deftly when the train
was hitting it up around the curves in the
scenic region.
Likewise, it has been necessary for TO
go along more than once in the stewards
place. In fact, life in the dining car service
just seems to be one substitution after an
other The service has created restless,
floating lot Of help. In the winter the men
like to hit for the South and in the summer
they all want to work in the North Then,
lots Of them won't work more than seven
months a year anywhere, North or South.
This isn't to be wondered at, as the life is not
the easiest. The men have the privilege of
sleeping in the dining if they wish. Each
man is given cot, and the dining car at
night, with the tables up and out of the way
and men asleep everywhere looks more like a
barracks than anything else. But people
needn't be afraid that account, because
every is thoroughly 'gassed' or vacuum
cleaned before the start is made
THE problem of the man in charge is
never the same 1t varies with the human
appetite, which never can be gagged I've
had people ask me what it is that folks like
best on the diner. There isn't any favolite
kind of food. As matter of fact it's oues-
ton of sight and psychology. We are likely TO
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Large Demand on Diners
For Silver Souvenirs

The waiter proved clever. de psIf
against the woman, apparently by a'e's'
when she was stalking angrily out OF Wv
after she had finished her meal. ohe ui1'
the muff and out of it rolled the SILVER w
er. The steward picked it up anu '0''
woman few things which may OF ih''
have improved her moral status. q"
the hardihood to go to headquarters VIE
case and threaten suit. The general p'''
ger agent heard the stewards eVioeh's
considered it conclusive. He wro'e
woman, denouncing her as thief ana sai
ing regret that no punishment could % ,sI
upon her. Nothing further was heard '
threatened suit. .-.,.sI
II eau in c-aing Ears when l III ~ - IA
but know what to order can 'e" r;
we'll from the menu just what the n
trying to put over out cf the stock .ea n
the previous trip. Some things esns + ) b
over. by law-such things as cream sAs !;
Whatever of those things is left az 'as .,.,s|
a trip is destroyed. That's good pIvm .,,ss
for the travelling public. In fact, the -, u u
public gets looked after mighty Ms s:.;,e
sidering the restless nature OF the olps u
business and the fact that sou can =. - ap;'
home lovers to engage in it. bu. y. ~ Il
got too much for me. I quit ana ~. .ss
life insurance. But now sometimes ~.
in a cold sweat, having dreamed .N|
1853 is about to leave, without
to cook and serve breakfast
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

your wares through the streets and
"a ~ bazaars of Bagdad, draw near
Voyagers Of the desert who bless the
sight of the oasiss palms; all We who know
the true value of the fluid that Mahomet
hath decreed shall be the sole drink of Islam.
give ear to the thousand and forty second tale
OF the Sultana Sharazad which delighted the
ear of her lord Shahryar. king of kings: even
the tale of the Good Caliph Hy-lan of the
Ruddy Countenance and the Fountain of Civic
Virtues that was set up before his palace
For 1T came to pass that in the fifth wear
of the Profit, the good Caiph returned in
triumph to his own from wars fought in the
far land Of Al Bany. And his countenance
was proud, but modest, and in his heart dwelt
both satisfaction and humility For at Al
Bany he had met upon the field Of tournament
the doughty warrior Maka Nenni Effendi. and
had vanquished him utterly with the blade of
wisdom and the shaft Of knowledge.
For though Maka Nenni had assailed hin,
hoty and had smitten the good Caliph with
the TWO edged statistic and buffeted him with
reports of great weight, the valiant Caliph
had stood his ground And when the assault
OF his adversary had slsckened had cried
aloud is that so?" and when the enemy had
reeled Then had pressed Hy-an his advantage.
crying: How about yourself?' and had left
ms antagonist speechless and inpotent.
wherefore in triumph returned the good
Cahph Hy-lan to his city, hailed by the faith
tul and guarded by such of his Mamelukes as
were not at the moment incapacitated by gun
shot wounds. And when the tumult of his
arrival had died away and he had retired to
his palace, came certain OF the city to him
saying:
Protector of the People and Foe of the
Interests, it is the desire of thy subjects to
raise in the court Of thy psiace fountain to
honor thee and thy works. And it is the desire
also of those whose ruler thou art to nace
upon the fountain a great statue embodvne
all the virtues of citizenship Therefore
salaaming, we crave thy permission that tbi.
work may be accomplished
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Never Send a Dish Bach
For Recooking-Eat Hi

"The steward has to get rid a. H..
hand. He may start out with 81 500 wo..t =,
food Of all kinds in his car. Travs,
extraordinarily light, and be resehs. ~. j..
Of the run with a big stock left on hand 4
the return trip he has to dispose ~ th.. -.
linen the chez earns his salary by zs.tn, :.
all sorts Of conabinstioA dishes, vh,c, -
sold at reduction from the regular w..
Most Of such combinations are alt rss. =,
none the less, they are leftover ms.ss,
Sometimes economy is carried too "a, D..
that reason no one should send bask a,v ,...y
that Is left uneaten. Break it. in small ,;..
or soak it in coffee-anything to dey.,,, !.
In that way is the bread pudding outur. =,
down. Also. never send back dish :, a
kitchen for recooking Il your steak !, I.
rare eat it without protest. Perhaps tia, !
vice holds good for any public dining room
wheels or stationary. But It Is peculiarly +
in the dining car service. The chef can't al
an eye on all his cooks. II the weather al
and they are working hard anyway, such cold
lose their tempers when their dishes con-
back. So take what the waiter brings and f.
no protests or criticisms.
"All kinds Of tricks are worked for ssvsn.s
ment in the service. At headquarters We us.
to be getting constant recommendations fl
q certain steward. We found that he was /
the habit of asking patrons to drop a line i
the company extolling his services. Under ii
influence Of well cooked steak and appetili,
coffee, amid pleasant surroundings, trsyeg
would respond favorably to his pleas. Fin
ly the man was told that we were on al
the steady flow Of compliments ceased. Sa=sf
times we get such things, Of course-hons
tributes from honest souls who have had :ssYf
lives frightened by Unexpectedly good eoon7
and service. But, more than likely, By e
time we get the letter we've lost all that s
ceptional combination Of cooks and walters
The disappearance Of silver and linen +
always a problem in the business, but It /
especially trying or scenic line, where MAJ
tourists seem to be keen for souvenirs ouI
average loss per trip during the tourist season
was Sc in silver and linen. Mostly spoons
knives and forks were taken. but the ENS
creamers were objects which the bolasf SSs
tomaniacs simply could not resist. One o. u
stewards saw woman put silver cfsaa
in her muff He accused her of taxing II "
she denied it. The steward called sslos Y
of the walters and said:
That woman has silver creanes =
muff. When she leaves the car want ".
jostle her, apparently in an secldens ''
SO she'll drop it.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
JTTIN(1 THE SERVANT PROBI EN- ON wheel
Some of the Behin1||
he-Scenes Difficultis,l
That Hedge Abo,l
That Magic First co1l
to Dinner in the Diue,||

sell out Of the kind of food ~.
first. For instance, the first man in ~
orders steak. 1t looks appetiziny - ~, ~'N
one who comes in, and he or sbs o,d. "'1
Or it may have been fish, with tbs .a ''i
suit. If it looks good it's goios >. ' %
order on the menu. We may have o4,.. -. -, ''
that are better, but that one tb, ,,' sr'D'
ordered until it is exhausted. WA %
'In summer it's hard to keen s.o,,.,
with lettuce. The people 90 in for ,.,. ~
moro salads. We may start out viii - 49, 80 'A'
large stock Of heads Of lettuce and v.t s -N'''
recorder before we get to the end - 49, y
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26
Keeping the Cooks and
Walters on a Dining
Car Calls for EUery-
thing From Finesse to
q Bali and Chain

"HE difficulty OF keeping cook is by no
means rare subject Of conversa.
"A ton. One can get details from almost
any housewife. BUT such stories run
to sameness Besides, they lose their effect
from the fact that the listener is always i'm
patient to cap the tale with better one
or at least it seems better, for the reason
that 1t grows out Of her own experience.
But suppose one had house on wheels
and were confronted with the difficulty at
tendant upon engaging four or five cooks and
4 corps of walters. And suppose this house
wheels travelled from one state to another
end at each terminal there was desertion from
the ranks of the cooks walters Such are
the difficulties with which the employers of
dining car labor must contend, year in and
year out. Theirs is no Old Wives Tale about
the individual quitting of cooks. 1t is story
OF desperate remedies under conditions that
arc packed with disastrous possibilities. 1t is
not in the records that diner has ever left
a station with no cooks or walters aboard.
There have been times when the crews have
been assembled with only seconds to spare
but the travelling public has never known that
it was not being served by attendants who
were entitled to Pullman service stripes With
the doggedness of the maiden who would not
lei curfew ring, the dining car boss reiterates
that no diner must go out without a crew
aboard, and his grim insistence always carries
the day, even when it is ten minutes to train
time and things look hopeless.
New-York tribune., 1922-03-26

y, + water vendors, who daily cry
your wares through the streets and
II N bazaars of Bagdad, draw near.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-06-06
Blanche Sweet Is
Speeding Over u. ).
To Wed NeiIan Here
Film Actress Hurrics From
California for Marriage
Friday to Producer She
Met in Brooklyn Studio

blanche Sweet and Marshall Neilan
are 10 be married in this city Friday.
The famous blonde screen actress is
speeding here from her homo IN Los
Angeles. The wedding will lake place
Immediately after her arrival Neilan
refused 10 make known further de-
,ails.
MY marriage will be no different
from any other" the film producer
said. You know how those things are.
You just.cet license. have = eere-
mony and then you begin 20 fght'
Nelan met Miss Sweet eight year,
ago in the old Biograph studio In
Brooklyn. They played swsethearis in
hlm called classmates" produced
there. Their friendship WAS eemsnted
when Neilan directed Miss Sweet IN
her last success. filmed just before her
retirement because NJ illness two years
ago. That was Tho Rupert Hughes
riav. The t'npn rdonable Sin"
n is likely that Dorothy and Lillian
Gish will be- members Of tho wedding
party. James QuIrk. editor Of a motion
picture magazine. will he best man
Only n few Intimate friends will be a.
the ceremony. i' was said. while the
probable setting will he the inner Of
free ~ the license clerks suite In the
Municipal Building
The marriage will be tho first for
Miss Sweet. according 90 James z.
Granger. Mr Neilan's represenfnfivc.
The former actor and now producer
was divorced last ysar from Gertrude
Bamhrck. an actress. Mr. Nsilan is
thirty one His hride-t0-be is about
tvenfy-sir. snid Mr.. Granger
Neilan left his Hollywood studio
month and q half ago for business
TRIP in Europe he arrived IN New
York on tho Olympic Momorial Day and
Immediately got into communication BY
telephone With Miss Sweet In Los
Angeles She lef' there yesterday.