Middletown transcript., 1914-03-14
1t Ill Il

You're what?" said Bob
increduIously.
Broke. Dead broke. Are you sur
prised?"
Say, what kind of joke is this?"
Broadway laughed ruefully. Its no
joke to be broke, Bob; but it's even
worse than that with me. I'm in
debit"
'Tn debit"
"To the extent of about fifty thou
sand dollars"
We'll, what have you done with all
your money!"
Put it back into circulation where
it came FROM" Broadway answered.
signing.
'You mean Wall street?"
mo; Broadway"
. Investments gone wrong?"
Il never invested any money. The
only thing ever did was to spend ii"
But you couldn't spend all the
money you had!"
ut was easy Everyone seemed
glad to take it."
But l supposed you had an enor-
nous income"
well, that's what they all thought
and still think. That's why I've been
able to go along and run head over
Aeeiis n dekt. owo t54iiiioF t54iiiioF bbiilllss BILE, keet
bills, jewelry bills. flower bills, res
taurant bills. I've got a stack Of bills
in that room there that would make
Rockefeller complain of the high cost
Of living, and 1 can't pay them be-
cause I'm broke. Flat y. broke!
It's hard to believe, isn't it,"
"Why, you always led me to believe
that you were a millionaire?"
mot exactly that. But did not
deny the stories that, somehow, got to
going round. Maybe lied little. At
that, l would be worth a million by
now If I'd had any business ability.
with the bank roll had to start with.
when l came here to New York
and started to burn up Broadway, five
years or so ago, was worth two hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars. There
was cash, real estate and my small In
terest in the chewing gum factory.
First thing did was spend the cash.
then l sold the real estate, then l
sold my interest in the factory.
"I had no use for anything but cash.
my Uncle Abner bought me out
and cheated me. He paid me just a
hundred thousand, a measly hundred
thousand, for my share Of the prop
erty out of which he's since then made
a dozen fortunes. I hear the gum
trust offered him a million dollars for
the plant and the good will last year"
Jones Pepsin!"
'Yes; Jones Pepsin. made in
Jonesville It's the oldest gum on the
market Ever chew it?"
mo"
Don't. It's awful. It's terrible
stuff"
"wen. go on. What happened.
them"
81 could scarcely wait to get hold Of
that money and get out of that town.
l wanted New York; nothing but New
York. I had heard about New York; 1
had read about New York; I'd been
down here as kid on visits. I talked
New York, I dreamed New York. Why,
from the time I was kid, in knicker-
bockers, to the time I left Jonesville,
everybody called me Broadway
That's where it began"
"I thought it started here"
7 L.
vile. That was my name-Broadway'
just because 1 wore patent-leather
shoes and put on clean collar, now
and then. That's the kind of town it
is.
"Tve lived up to the name, guess.
I know every newsboy, policeman, ac-
tor, chorus girl, wine agent, gambler
and bartender on the street. I've been
to bed just one night in five years be-
fore six o'clock in the morning and
that was when had toothache and
my face was swollen. It was not the
pain that kept me in; it was the looks
of the puffed face"
He drew his breath in slowly, almost
wonderingly. "Oh, what haven't done
to Broadway" he continued. We'll,
you've seen me. You've been with me.
You know"
Wallace nodded. 'T always thought
you were pretty speedy, but thought
you could afford it. The trouble with
you is you've been too liberal"
Liberal! Why, when I go into q
restaurant the walters come to blows
to see who'll get me. In barber shops
as approach you'd think some one
had Just yelled 'Fire!' the way the bar
bers dash for the chairs. Oh, I've been
the bright-eyed baby boy around this
town, all right It's cost me fortune
all had"
His voice trailed into silence; Wal
lace sat looking at him dumb.
But I've had a wonderful time!"
said Broadway finally.
How long have you been broker"