The San Francisco call., 1908-08-30


mesticity" she said. reaching
out her cup for another lump
of sugar I don't seem to have the
staying qualities necessary for a sue
eessful wooing of fame and fortune"
Tell me all about it, / urged. and
begin at the beginning"
We had all wished her bon voyage
and bonne fortune when she made up
her mind to go east and try to obtain
recognition for her undoubted gifts on
the Gotham papers and magazines
She knew most OF those who. hailing
from San Francisco, had found place in
New York rather above that which was
theirs IN their home town, and in her
buoyant, youthful health and enthusf-
asm she had felt that 1t was in her to
DO as well as they had done. But she
came back last week, smiling and eci-
IDENTIFY happy. telling US how glad she
was TO get home. giving us the latest
gossip about mutual frinds now in the
east, but not a word of her own success
or the reason why she had come back.
over the second cup Of tea. however.
she made her confession.
I was homesick." she said. lust as
homesick as a person could be. Two
years OF that big. cold city, full OF life
as it is. gave me the worst case of
nostalgia that ever was. felt myself
q stranger in this town when I left, for
could scarcely find my way about
without asking q question at every
corner. but I was more of a stranger
there 1 felt so tiny, just the way you
do when the train is passing through
the Rockies. Ny little self seemed like
8 drop in the ocean. Even the people
who took fancy to me. new friends,
though they were as cordial as they
knew how TO be, seemed cold and dis
tant-and so busy making money Oh,
you can make money, in New York IL
you just get a start. / may have been
TO blame myself that I didn't make
much-perhaps I spent too fast
I hope you won't have to undergo
such an experience as / had hunting a
lodging. I got list of places from the
Y. W. c. A, after giving references as
to my character. Funny, wasn't it, be-
ing asked for ones character creden-
tials? 1t was upstairs and downstairs
and in my lady's chamber for me about
a dozen times before I finally landed
myself and my trunk in a hall bedroom
in Irving place. 1 traversed deal of
the city before I found the hall bed
room. One place looked inviting from
ha ~
dark, the only ventilation a barred slit
in the wall Besides the elevated ran
along that street and the noise nearly
stunned me. I felt that my muse would
die speedy death if tried to write
with that accompaniment.
Ny hall bedroom was narrow. 1t
contained folding bed, a washstand
a bureau, a table and chair To get
about, perform my ablutions and dress.
1 had to close up the bed. II you ever
saw Jimmie Powers in A Mad Bargain
you can appreciate my room. Only,
Jimmie kept his stove in a hatbox
when it wasn't in use; l didn't have
stove. There was gas, a big window.
and the heat came in from the hall.
I paid $3.50 for it in advance; it was
on the third story.
Silence in a City
Alone in New lork-yes. my saear.
it's the great sensat tion. Cf coarse. /
fancied-yes. qat to4st is lo.e.y. /
don't mind hating anotaei s..cs-l
should be at once embl.-e-a by hun
dred editors when approached them
with my literary works In the mean
time / got so tired having no oae to
talk 10 that I struck up a chat with
the waitress at my restaurant. a Quick
lunch place in Sixth avenue. It's a
frightful tax on patience to hold your
tongue. I thought I'd forget how 20
make the sounds if / didn't use my
voice a little. IL was so dreary when
/ got back 20 my room-the silence |
mean-that / started to talk TO the
busy janitress. She'd seen better days.
she told me, and the way she ran on
] was pretty sure her tongue needed
practice as well as mine did. She lived
In the basement. 1t was one of those
typical New York houses. tall and slim
and brown; just a block from Four
teenth street, with Tammany hall and
some old fashioned theaters near by.
The old Washington Irving house.
where Elsie de Wolfe and Elizabeth
Marbury. the play broker. live. was a
stones throw away, and beautiful