The Washington herald., 1919-10-25
NEW YORK CITY
By o. o. McNTYRE

New York. Oct. c4-There are some
rare characters among the elevator
men OF Gotham. 1 know one who will
still laugh when a passenger tells him
ne has his ups and downs" OF
course in the smart hotels like the
Ritz. st. Regis and Plaza they wear
gold braided. plum-colored \suits and
Jaunty little caps with straps going
under the chin-and they have table
reservations at the gilt cafes at night.
But In those houses where the ele-
vator goes up hand over hand there
are some elevator men worth cuitivat-
ing. Because the car moves slowly
they feel they must contribute con-
versation to while away the tedium.
Generally they talk about the weather.
never knew any class OF men so
partisan about weather as elevator
men.
He can go six floors on a thunder
storm and clear to the roof on a cold
snap. He feels strongly on the sub
Ject. The other night talked to one
after arousing him from a comfbrtapie
pipe down the hall. Upstairs some
young folks were jazzing. A phono-
graph was syncopating wildly.
1 asked him IL he ever saw a chimmy
dance. He had not. I thought II
would please him to be critical OF II
and grew caustic. When we reached
the floor wanted. he threw back the
door. leaned against the wall and
said: well. dunno. They used to
talk that way about the waltz when
was a boy"
Down in a musty ofd publishers
office there Is another veteran hand
overland elevator man who has talk
ed to kipling. Conan Doyle, William
De Morgan and all OF the newer crop
of writer's.
The other day Haywood Broun and
another writer were in the elevator
talking about the French craze for
our national game of baseball Mr..
equivalent for strike was "Un coup
on une prise"
Then he reached his floor Called
out the veteran elevator man: 1T
must be a great temptation to the
French umpire behind the bat to call
everything 'balle.'" Then there was
cackle and a closing OF the door.
In little shelf overhead was a hand
book on French.
AhS oOih-NS TIC E4hLdOcIIldIlS
used to write to ladies' eyebrows were
drab compared to the Palace Theater's
press agent blurbs about NEW shim-
my dancer. Here is about all any one
reader can stand. extracted verbatim:
'She is young prettily upholstered
in the style called 'svelte,' very blonde
and hypermagnetic OF personality.
Her shoulders are the kind that Swim
burne visioned for Faustine in their
white shapelessness.
She makes-her shoulders gesture
with the physical volubility OF a Nea-
politan making love. They have the
subtle suggestion of a sophisticated
wink and the imperious urge Of a
queens beckoning of command. They
hesitate, retreat, quiver. sink into
lethargy only to fire up into the wild
est abandon
Fair enough. say we.
When the wild rumors circulated on
Broadway as to a Presidential proc
lamation lifting the wartime prohi-
bition ban the other week. it was Just
like the first false armistice rumor.
People were beginning to celebrate
and few parades were formed. And
then came the news it was a false
rumor.
Some of the best newspaper report
ers of Park Row. Herald Square and
Times Square-men who had figured
in the great pie panic of 1917 and at
other times in the butter cake strikes
of Broadway-were sent on the job
They soon nailed the lie
No sooner had they reached their
office than a report went out that all
the Child's restaurants were going to
make scent charge for service on
each patron. This means a lot to
Broadway. But it proved to be only a
rumor. 1t was a day Of rumors.