The Washington herald., 1919-12-15
NEW YORK CITY
ew York. Dec. l4-A page from the
By o. o. McNTYRE

New York. Dec. H--A page from the
diary Of a modern Samuel Pepys:
Up and through the town with my
wife to do our meagre Christmas
shopping and at one shoppe we saw
a great shoe wherein little children
played and run up ladders and slid
down chutes. And liked the great
doll counters. telling my wife of a
consuming longing to play with dolls
when I was a boy. Yet would not.
Characters like Hercules have such
weaknesses.
In a great jewelry store we looked
at noble gems and golden trinkets and
silly. prating. talking man tried to
cell me q bronze. but 1t was fifty
pounds and he so pressed me that
felt like q knsve not to buy II. Look
ing at this and that we bought not q
thing and SO 10 lunch as Meredith
Nicholson's guest. he being out OF the
West avisiting. and r. Long and ".
Porter there and all In high, humor.
very merry.
Home through the park where saw
J. Morgan. the mighty banker. walk
Ing and talking as though he had not
care and I walked behind getting as
they say an eyefulL All the afternoon
at my scrivening and did well at Il
in my simple way yet I found myself
In poor spirits at eventide. the
weather being misty and windy.
Comes Montague Glass to say fare
well before leaving for his new home
In California to live In plainness and
pleasure and upon his going I made a
hot bath and rested in 1t for an hour,
singing badly but happily as Is my
wont. until the dog howled. And then
to bed In pretty good ease.
Harlem cliff dwellers are greatly
pleased with the strike of pianomakers
and tuners. The piano tuners like the
Russians have gone Bolshevik and as
result the Harlem brigade OF nightly
piano thumpers simply give up in dis
gust and do not Ty to attack a pol
onaise or melt their generous souls
In serenade. Nearly every Harlem
piano Is out OF tune for the tuners
have been out three months and no
Harlem piano will stand three months
beating without giving forth sour
notes. There were times when nifty
pianos would assassinate harmony IN
single block-making Tin Pan Alley
seem like q low-rippling brook.
Over on East Houston street there
is Rumanian restaurant where the
music Is provided by the proprietor
who plays on the cymbalome. The en-
tertainment Is extempore. and ancient
and modern songs are rendered by
the patrons. An old man with q raisin-
wrinkled face may sing some weird
chant to be followed by a rouged,
henna-haired girl who sings The
Vamp." But all are applauded. There
Is black-haired princess who sits at
one of the tables nightly and she de-
lights in talking to the toilers-a sign
of the new order of things. Then
there are artists. a few poets, book re-
viewers and a sprinkling of the intel
ligentia from far uptown who go to
the East Side to absorb color"
1t was in q theatrical managers
office in Times Square about twilight
OF one Of those drab December after
moons. brunette Diana. with smoul-
dering lava in her dark eyes. DASH
ing, blunt. uncompromising without
anectation. and cruel because she is
beautiful. swept into the Office, her
lips stiffly set. Listen" she snarled
at the manager. Don't make those
road engagements for me- Tn through.
Look at these shoes-they are paper
thin soing the rounds. This fur coat
goes to a hockshop tomorrow. This
diamond ring goes tonight. I'm going
to play the game. But II Is going to
cost somebody real money. Today Is
the end. The river Is too cold" Then
she turned and went out-and shut the
door hard
She means that" said the manager
as he bit of the end of q fresh cigar
to smoke and reflect.