The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-30
tconanusd From Previous IsauaD

uanCe a IN this basement under ue
saloon. A fellow with an accordion was
pounding a tune with an old rattle-bang
piano. a few tawdry looking couples
moved with Rrotesque rhythm in the
middle OF the floor. At the tables about
a score Of men sat erect and stupid
some OF them half drunk; others bawl-
ing out harsh snatches Of songs, The
disturbing than the reektng eNtalatiOn
of Its breath.
Porter handed the dirty scrap OF paper
that passed as a menu to the girls.
Their eyes seemed 10 pounce on Il, one
OF them was rather gracefully built, but
50 thin ] had the odd feeling that she
might break at any momknt like an
egg shell, she tried to scan the card
indifferently, but her cavernOus eyes,
their black accumulated by the daubs
Of couga on the transparent cheeks,
were burning with eagerness She
caught me looking a. her and turned
70 h rather short. fatr-haired girl at
Suppose you order. Name There
was no prVtense to Name. She was
h"Nery 7nA she sDotted a chance to eat,
SAY, Bo," she leaned toward Porter,
can ! order what l want"
Porter Asks Girls to Meal,
"I don't think you better You see
ladies', l haven't the price" lie or
dered four beers.
l couldn't follow the drift Of this ex-
pertinent. Porter had picked out these
two from the dozens OF ~tell-tale. painted
faces, He knew his magic circle. But |
didn't like the bore OF hungry ewes,
Name was absorbed In watching a
blowsy, puffy-eheeked woman annually
gathering in drlppy s~poonfuis of cab
bage, II bothered me. | slipped my
purse TO Porter.
49, 1Gu a.. A. go " n.y.
sneaked II back to me,
wait. There's SAD story here" He
paid the bill II was about 30 cents
and spoke = moment to the manager,
Bill was well known here. Whatever he
wanted, the manager was ready to give,
Would you ladies' like to come out
side apd get a square meal?' Name
looked ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the room. She
stood UP, THANK YOU" she said, 1T
would be quite agreeable"
We started toward the Caledonia
hotel, where Porter had his study.
We're making a mistake, Sue. Wen
all get pinched, The instant we step
bulls'll nab Vi. We better beat II
We're maxim an orful mistake"
Fear of Police flushed.
We're nuthin' but mistakes any.
how, II there's a chance TO eat I'm
l KOnnA IHhG IL Su6 = Ihlh WhA "
curious blend of dignity. bitterness and
slang.
You're making no mistake"
Porter led the way a. q quick pace,
Where we are going the foot of a bull
has never thumped."
1t was after I o'clock when w
reached the hotel, Porter ordered 4
salad. He served It on the table whore
so many of his masterpieces were writ-
tan, In that ~outlandish situation, with
Name sitting on a box, Sue In an easy
chair and Porter with a towel over his
arm like a waiter, serving US, ono Of
those, stories came into being that
morning.
do you make much coin" when he
talked to them he was one of them,
He adopted their language and their
thought,
Amt nuthin' 70 be made"
Name was slowing in tne beefsteaN
and swallowing It with scarcely "a pause
IAN vi can git Is enough to pay "
a week for a room. An eff we're lucky
we eat and Of we amt we starNe, 'cept
we meet sporty gents Ike yerselVes,"
You don't know what It is to be
hungry sus added quietly She wal
~iavenously hungry, and 1t vas with az
obvious Jerk OF her win that she KEEP
herself from the greedy ouickness Q
Name, You amt suffered as we have
Girl Tells Sad Story,
II guess we amt" Bill winksd a
me ITS Kind Q, hard 10 get a footing
wei, you guessed 1t mat time. Sprt
is. II you come through with yer skin
you're lucky. And II yer soft, yol
die" Sue sat back and looked at he
long white hands.
That's what Sadie done. Her ant
49, N,,oA ~ frns,a NfaHrnAAt aZEnathAn
We thought we could sing, We got 3
place In the chorus n for a while w
done fine. Then the company laid OIL
and it came summer and there was
nuthin' we could do,
we couldn't get work anywhere.a and
We were hungry everlsstin' Poor Sadie
kept a-meonin' around and thinkin
about Bob Parf'ns and r-avin' he't
turn UP for her like he said he would.
She WAS plumb nutty about him ant
when wo left he sed he'd come ant
git her II she didn't make good.
After a while | couldn't stand Il
nc longer and | went out 10 git som'
grub. ! didn't give a darn how | go
It. But Sade wouldn't come, She sale
she couldn't break Bobs heart. HI
was bound to come. ! came back II
a coupla weeks. I'd made a penny,
thought I'd stake Sad to the fare bach
home, She was gone. Shed give "
HOpln TOT Tpuy anu 1uat Hlduo AWAY
with herself. Took the gas route i
that very room where we lister stay
0'Henry Story Given to Girls,
Porter was pouring out the COFFEE
and taking in every word.
~ guess Bob never showed up, dit
hey"
Eyes, he turned up one day. Sale
he'd been lookin' high and low To-
us. Reen to every boarding house Il
the town searchin' for SADIE. l hatet
to tell him. Gee, he never said a Wort
for the longest time,
'"Then he asked me all about Sad
and II she'd carried or and why sh,
hadn't let him know. | told him every
thing, All he said was Here, Sue. bu,
yerself some grub
He gave me IS and me and Nam
paid the rent and we been eatin' OF
It since. That was a week ago.
Haven't seen Bob since. He was awfu
Tcut up about IT,"
Sue talked on in short, ierky sen
fences, but Porter was no longer pay
ing the slightest attention to her, Sud
denly he got up, went over to a snal
table inc came hack with a copy o
"Cabbages and Kings"
You might read this when you &c
time and tell me what you. think of IT,
Magician Mind Finds Story.
The supper was finished Porte
seemed anxious to be rid Of US all. tn
girls were quite pleas to leave. TIL
little one looked ,regretfu''y at tho brea
and meat left on the table.
You got plenty for breakfast
There was a paper on the chair.
showed the food into IL and tied IT. VI