Smyrna times., 1918-01-02
A Night in a
Metropolis
By ALAN HINSDALE

In the great city of New York there
is no night. There is darkness in
spots; there is artificial Illumination;
but the great living current does not
cease to flow.
One night I lay awake listening to
a clock in a church tower strike the
hours. There was also a confusion of
sounds, the principal one being the
passing of elevated trains some dis
tance from me at intervals of a few
minutes.
When the clock struck two 1 rose,
dressed myself and went out on the
street. The ongOing was the same as
at monday. In my wanderings l
reached an embankment of the Hudson
river that had been made into a park.
Sitting on a bench I gave myself up
to meditation. Years ago savages had
looked down on the black stream as
was now doing. A time would come
when not one of those who made up
the stream of life behind me would be
alive. And yet the human current
would roll on. Where? Who knows?
The day may come when the waves Of
an ocean may roll over Manhattan is
land as it rolled ages ago.
was conscious Of someone sitting
at the other end of the bench on which
l rested, and turning my head saw a
woman. There was lamplight enough
for me to tell that she was a girl,
onA
twenty years old. l did not like the
close proximity with a woman at that
hour and was about to arise and move
on when she addressed me.
Don't CO." she said. 81 haven't a
friend in the world. l have come from
the center of that city of sin and sOr-
row, of good and evil, to find rest from
suffering. 1 find you here alone, and
you fear ME"
She bent her head down, concealed
her face with her hands and mOanPd.
There was no acting in what she did
or said. Such grief as hers was not to
be cOunterfeited. I asked her to tell
me her troubles. She said that she
was one of the many tributaries to
| the great human stream ever moving
on the island. The flow of country
girls to the city like the current it
feeds never ceases, despite the count
| less wrecks. She had wandered all
day looking for work and found none
She was tired and hungry and when
night came she had no money with
which to buy food or a place to sleep.
She had come to the river far from
the mad thrOng, where she could at
least suffer alone.
you mean," said shuddering, that
you have come to the park embank-
ment where you may find a bench to
rest on"
She made no other reply than means
and tears. I took money from my
pocket and handed it to her. She re-
fused it.
at will avail nothing now," she
said. 'It would have availed nothing
had 1t come sooner. When day comes
1 would have been doomed to go from
store to store, from factory to factory,
looking for work. 1 am not able to
| continue lllC lAdlllBs oCOIuCSi
1 have reached point where anything
seems more merciful than that merci-
less flow of humanity"
With this she leaned back on the
bench and was silent, mOtiOnless. II
occurred to me that the most practica-
BILE thing to do would be to go for one
of the citys men appointed for such
work. Rising l told her to remain
where she was and 1 would return
with someone who would take care OF
her during the night, and on the NOR
row would interest myself on her be
half.
left her and going a short distance
found a policeman whom I told that
had found a despairing woman who
needed the city's care.
"The towns full of EN-" he said. d"
wouldn't advise you to get mixed VI
with one Of them. You'll only ge
yourself in trouble"
"Tll lookout for that" replied. "It'
your duty as a policeman when 1 cal
upon you for aid in such a case t,
give it."
He reluctantly came with me. w
had not far to go. I had kept my ey
on the figure on the bench, and whel
we started for it 1 saw it plainly
But as we advanced it seemed les
distinct instead of clearer.
"Where are you going?" asked tn
policeman.
ITO that bench" pointing.
'I thought you were taking me to
woman"
, $50 am, don't. you see her leanin
against the back Of the bench?"
: "There's no woman there"
looked again. The policeman wa
! right; the bench was vacant.
was too astonished to reply.
: stood staring at the point where ha
{ left the girl.
"She's given you the Slip" said tn
cop. "It's the old story. AS soon q
she saw you come for me, she lit ou
You're not the first young innoceI
, that has been fooled that way"
1 had nothing to say, but 1 was nc
!, | fnfuopaod nv hf0 words I yyanf fo m