The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-05

When, during the afternoon, she mad
said, Have you ever been homesick
| for place you have never seen2' and
/ went on chewing gum.
In the coupe she was silent. We rolled
/ down the glorious Great White Way.
where flaming advertisements for beer,
gin. whisky and champagne vie with
/ others for dyeing and cleaning estab-
! lishments, patent remedies, anus
ments, restaurants and hotels, IN trans
| forming Americas principal thorough
/ fares into an Illuminated commercial
/ directory, and saving Broadway from
/ being one OF the WOrst-lighted streets,
/ for Its size IN the world. Around bull
[ letin boards opened a frayed fan Of men,
/ discussing baseball. The respiring Sub
way exhaled its dense black breath of
| people. The Il" Numbered. Newsboys
| besieged the cab windows whenever we
were blocked their shrill, pert voices
trading on robberies. suicides, murders.
| The Rubber Neck wagons" were fill
/ ing at two dollars a seat for a night
/ trip through the city. We were in the
thick of life-a life that demanded Van
gle, that had produced and perfected
| her. And yet the girl beside me, hur-
/ rying to her smile and strut Of enforced
/ merriment, was silent as a tomb.
/ Not even in Difference to Vangie could
I sit through that show. Her part is
| best described in her own words: "Six
| changes and a smile that won't come
/ OFF, She was the best of ten show
/ girls, and the work they did was enough
/ to kill or cure a strong man. I met
/ her at the stage door when the perform
/ ance was over.
I'm all in" she gasped. Another
| night like last and me for the nut col
! lege."
/ offered to take her home at once. but
/ she protested that she had made a
/ promise TO show me the sights, which
| she intended to keep. Also she insisted
l that she could never go to bed and sleep
| without supper. Supper! After Muir
/ rays? Well, well, we'll!
4 We got into a hanson and whipped
/ uptown TO a small, IOw-Ceiling, one
/ room restaurant in the basement Of a
/ dwellinghOuse, walled with mirrors, an
] orchestra huddled in one corner. The
/ lights were unmercifUl. White cloths
/ were on tables set for two and behind
/ the cigar counter stood a girl with a
! twisted cable of yellow hair. By the
/ mouth Of the kitchen a thin man sat en-
| thrOned. keeping tab. A husky Greek
/ proprietor and bOunCer, with turned-up
/ jet Curls, smiled and escorted US to a
/ table.
! Here Vangie wilted and drew off her
/ gloves, while a CarrOty, rUsty-eyed
waiter took our order, his head on one
/ side.
See that girl in the corner, with her
/ hat tilted 2" said Vangie. "She dances
/ in our show-the one with the red wig.
! See? She's drinking absinthe fTappe
| And only tonight she put her hand on
/ her heart and promised me sh'd quit
/ up there in the dressing room with the
/ paint on. And the cause Of it all is
that little sissy in the gray suit down
/ there. He threw her down for a rich
| widow"
What's he doing here?"
My dear. this place gets into your
/ blood. A lot Of them just come in to
| look on, and sit here by the hour soak
/ ing up cigarette smoke enough through
the pores of their skin. maybe take a
| glass Of settler; just to be where there
music and 4 crowd and it's cheap. Have
you noticed the orchestral See the in
! sect at the piano; nineteen, married and
a father"
The boy was a pallid, stunted master
Of his profession, with large. loose lips
and wise-weary eyes. The women round
him hung on his music, neglected their
escorts to buy him drinks and cigar
cites. He wore woman's pumps.
''VanEie, you haven't told me the
/ story of your life yet"
/ why should I sit up here and tell
you my innermOst secrets when I've
/ only known you since s o'clock this
morning."
I've known you all my life and aeons
and aeOns befOre! I protested, sinking
my voice.
oh you cute thing, say some more
like that"' And she dropped a piece OF
ice up my sleeve. "Well. Mr. Bones
how d'you count 70 KNOWN me al
! yO'r life an acOTns an aCOrns befO' %
Then: ooh, my word"
It made me jump. I followed her eyes
toward the door The man she had cut
that afternoon had just come in. With
him was younger man. They looked
like brothers. They bowed coldly tC
/ Vangie, giving me a frigid stare.
There's the man you"
Vangie had pushed back her plate and
! sat trembling so violently that the table
| shook. I glanced again at the younger
man. He was richly dressed in browns
and in his scarf was a tiny gallOping
| horse of diamonds. Dark-haired hand
| some, with impulsive lips and brOOding
brows, he eyed me jealousy. It was
/ brutal suppose, at a moment such as
this to think of my own safety, but
| Couldn't helD approaching the possible
irony Of literature in the event Of my
winding up this innocent pursuit OF
material by getting shot. There was
nothing for it, however. but To see Van
gle through which I determined to dc
at all costs.
Her self-pOssession returned slowly
but she was changed. Her gayety was
stricken out as by blow. For the
first time that day she Mustered me and
| asked me to take her home.
! They rose as we approached, and the
older man spoke a word Of restraint to
| the younger. / watched them narrowly
for it did look as though we were in
line to add a welcome excitement to the
evening. The music stopped abruptly
All eyes Centered on VanEie. With a
dignity which was immaculate she
passed the two men with the slightest
! possible inclination of her head. AS she
/ awarded them this curt salUtiOn the
! younger of the two stumbled over his
chair in the effort to detain her with
Outstretched hand:
''Vangie" he begged, but she swept
by unheedingly, and his brother with
lOw-spOken words detained him.
We reached the door the Greek bowed
us out. the music burst forth merTily as
before, and the life and laughter Of tho
little hole in the wall closed over tbs
incident and went fOaming on.
In the coupe her agitation returned
though less distressfully, and when il