The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-24
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

had heard tales about it being hard to get a place to sleep in Montgomery on Saturday nights, but I thought I would have no trouble in finding bed, as pride myself on being able to look out for myself. but I came very near having to quarter myself on one of my friends. thing I never like to do.
 remember one day in the Rotary club when the question was tip about getting crowd to visit Sheffield on booster trip Rotarian Sevier said that it was practically impossible for the railroads to handle comfortably party but this sionists, up rose Solon Jacobs and said that he had just returned from the busy, overcrowded city and had been compelled to sit up all night. Harry Jones, in stage whisper, asked, "Sol what was the limit?' and Sol went into eclipse.
 All of which recalls rather pitiful to New Orleans in the sos looking for a job, and failing and being broke was hard put to get either food to eat or a place in which to sleep. I asked him how he managed to hold on, and he said that he managed to get enough to live on by patronizing free lunches, and as the weather was warm and General Jackson seemed to be lonesome he sat up with him every night. It was his quaint way in telling me that he spent his nights on a bench in the park
 We'll I thought I would have to range myself alongside of hobo, and perhaps have a sparrow cop come along and beat tattoo on the soles of my shoes as I had often seen them do in New York back in the panic, when the great metropolitan city was filled with thou resent in my heart the heartless way in which some unfortunate was awak- ened merely to afford pleasure to Tammany heeler. It seemed to me that man who was willing to labor and couldn't get employment and was able to lliio ODllNioi IIOIH iiS IIiScf HI oiCCP he ought not to be disturbed.
 But I'll get back to my Saturday night in Montgomery. It seemed to me there were enough soldiers abroad to lick the Kaiser. They filled the sidewalks, they overran the streets, they packed the the- atres and the movies, they damned the restaurants, they took possession of the hotels, they filled the rooming houses, they overloaded the street cars, they blocked the depot, they put soft drink places out of commission. they kept the clerks in the stores on the jump. Mont gomery was in the hands of the boys in khaki.
 tried the downtown hotels but the clerks merely laughed at me for daring to presume that I could get off of Birmingham train after o'clock p. m and walk up to the counter and expect to get a room. I went to the smaller ho- tels, where the tired clerks were not even polite. I then thought of Deacon Marlborough, my old Baptist friend. who runs the Melrose uptown, just across from the Court Street Methodist church. got there about 8. but he was not visi- ble and my heart sank within me.
 
 sweet-faced old woman, with kind ly smile, informed that she had one room left with three double beds in it. but if I occupied one of them I might have to put up with a partner. and the thought Of such thing with the furth- CT vision of four more unknown room- mate was too much for me, and I was quite reconciled to sleeping out in the open. as I am something of a fresh-air fiend. anyway. picked up my grip. and thanking the dear woman, started out into the dark.
 She saw the woe begone expression on my face and with woman's heart she said, Wait minute and I'll see if can't get you in a private home.