The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-05-02
Past Orle,at;:
Rooney's
! A Romance of the Under
! World of New York
BY o. HENRY
! Copyright. 1910. by Doubleday. Page
y a. Co
Rv o, HENRY
DOWNRIGHT, 1910. by Doubleday. Page
q Co.


Only on the lower east side OF New
York do the houses of Capulet and
Montagu survive. There they do not
fight by the book of arithmetic. II
YOU but bite your thumb at an uphold
er of your opposing house you nave
work cut out for your steel.
So when Eddie McManus, known to
the Capulets as Cork McManus, drifted
into Dutch Mikes for stein of beer
and came upon a bunch Of Montagus
making merry with the suds ne De-
van to observe the strictest parliament
tary rules. Courtesy forbade his leaV-
ing the saloon with his thirst unsIaked;
caution steered him to place at the
bar where the mirror supplied the cog
nizance of the enemy's movements
that his Indifferent gaze seemed to dis
dain: experience whispered to t1m
that the finger of trouble would ~
busy among the chattering stems at
Dutch Mikes that night. Close by his
| side drew Brick Cleary, his Mercutio,
companion of his perambulations. Thus
they stood, four of the Mulberry bill
gang and two of the drydock gang.
Oyerstrained etiquette at last gave
| way. It is not known who first over
| stepped the bounds of punctilio, but
the consequences were immediate.
Buck Malone Of the Mulberry hills,
with a Dewey-like swiftness, got an
eight inch gun swung round from his
! hurricane deck, but McManus' smile
must be the torpedo. He glided in
under the guns and slipped scant
three inches of knife blade between
the ribs of the Mulberry hill cruiser.
Meanwhile Brick Cleary, devotee to
strategy, had skinned across the lunch
1 counter and thrown the switch OF the
eIectrics, leaving the combat to be
waged by the light of gunfire alone.
/ The cop came and found a pros
trate, bleeding Montagu supported by
three distract and reticent followers OF
/ the house. Faithful to the ethics OF
i the gangs no one knew whence Sc hurt
came.
/ At midnight McManus s.rolled
around a pile of lumber near an east
side dock and fingered In the vicinity
. Of q certain water plug. Brick Cleary
1 drifted casually to the trysting place
/ ten minutes later. Hell maybe not
/ croak," said Brick, land he won't tell,
Of course. But Dutch Mike did. He
told the police he was tired of having
his place shot up. It's unhandy just
now, because Tim Corrigan's in Eu-
rope for weeks end with kings. He'll
be back on the Kaiser Williams next
Friday. You'll have to duck out of
sight till then"
/ This goes to explain why Cork Nc
Manus went into Rooney's one night
and there looked upon the bright.
stranger face of Romance for the
first time in his precarious career.
! It was on Thursday evening that
Corks seclusion became intolerable to
him. Never hart painted for water
fountain as he did for the cool touch
Of q drifting stein. But he must avoid
the district where he was known. The
cops were looking for him everywhere
/ At half past IL McManus stood In a
darkish crosstown street, looking up ri
the name "Rooney's,'' picked out by
incandescent lights against signboard
over second story window. He had
heard of the place as tough ''hane
OUT; with its frequenters and its 10
cality be was unfamiliar. Guided by
certain unerring indications common
to oil such resorts, he assembled the
stairs and entered the large room ovel
the cafe.
Here were some twenty or thirty
tables, at this time about half filled
J with Rooney's guests.
For one brief moment you must ad
mire Rooney with me as he receives
seats, manipulates and chaffs his
guests. He is twenty-nine. He has
/ Wellington's nose, Dante's chin, the
cheekbones Of an Iroquois, the smile Of
Talleyrand, Corbett's foot work. and
the poise Of an eleven-year-old eas
side Central park queen of the May
He Is assisted by lieutenant known
as Frank, pudgy. easy chap. swell
dressed, who goes among the tables
seeing that dull care does not intrude
i McManus sat down at vacant table
4 He paid for the glass of beer that hs
ordered, tilted his narrow brimmet
derby to the back of his brickdus
head, twined his feet among the rung.
Of bis chair and heayed sigh of con
tentment from the breathing spaces o
his innermost soul.
A girl. alone, entered Rooney's. glanc
ed around with leisurely swiftness ant
sat opposite McManus at his table. He
, eyes rested upon him for two seconds
In the look with which woman recon
. noiters all men whom she for the frs
time confronts. In that space of tim,
she win decide upon one Of two thing
--either to scream for the police or tina
she may marry him later on.
n Her brief inspection concluded. th'
girl laid on the table worn red NOR
, rocco shopping bag. with the inevitable
topgallant sail of frayed lace hand
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