The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-05-24
When Twelfth
Street Loves
II
By JEROME G. BEATTY
tCopyrIslIt.)
By JEROME G. BEATTY

Everybody who was anybody on
Malone got 10 he a dealer Oh the l.. c.
Way, Mary Uonohue would stop max
ne out checks AT the Antitrust laun-
Try subStation and begin light house
keeping in Il three-room fiat on Four
.eenth.
Terry had been capper on the Il. {.
Way three summers, and there never
was better capper than Terry, ac-
,ording to Honest Bill" Canaan, who
owned the gambling privileges on the
pleasure steamer" For two dollars
day Terry sailed with the steamer
every afternoon and every night. and
On each trip won from 500 10 $1,000
at the roulette-wheel, the spindle, and
the klondike game. And at the end
Of each trip, before Honest Bill would
et him off the boat Terry would give
back all the money he had won.
| Terry'S first knowledge Of gambling
had come when he was lookout for the
poker game in the rear of his fathers
saloon, and was known to the big gam
olerS as a likely kid. The dealer at
The spindle game on the l.. c. Way
was going to quit to run a handbook
and Honest Bill had promised the Job
% Terry.
It paid five dollars day and was
easy work-for battery on a spindle
s not difficult to operate and after a
Few moments practice even an anna
teur could make Honest Bills whirling
arrow do things a self-respecting, we'll
behaved arrow would not think Of do
ng.
Twelfth street was proud of Terry
and his employer, for Twelfth street
had a code of morals all its own. It
labeled Terry as an honest. hard-work-
ing young man-fOr, as far as Twelfth
street knew, Terry never had robbed
1 house or dragged an intoxicated man
down an alley. With Twelfth street
gambling was an honored profession
I contest of wits.
Torrance Malone was proud of Mary
and who wouldn't be? Her dark
brown hair always was dressed just
so. and her ewes hughed continually
at her little Irish nose. Her mouth
was little impairment. perhaps; but
Twelfth street itself is impairment.
The young men brought their laun-
dry to Mary's office, and stopped to
talk fashions and actors and baseball
with her. Mary was an expert on
all three subjects, and was willing to
chat and smile with all of them-for
she was paid on a percentage basis.
But to all invitations to dinner or to
theaters she had the same answer:
Sorry, but there's no chance" And
she would flash in their eyes the two
and one-siXteenth carat engagement
ring that had cost Terry S7.S7 at Bra
lillian diamond emporium.
Then came the New Deal" as the
newspapers called it. A cyclone of
civic righteousness swept the city, driv
ing out the chief of police and the com
missioners that had appointed him. The
ariminals were notified to leave town.
nest Bill and his friends We're
assed right in with the second-story
workers, much to the honest indigna-
ton of both parties concerned. The
l.. c. Way was turned into a picnic
steamer and Terry was out of a job.
Honest Bill saw what was coming,
and got from under. He settled down in
his fiat. began to become acquainted
with bic wife apd family op1 y,rpparad
TO run for alderman of the Second
ward.
But Terry couldn't stay.
I'll be back soon" he promised
Mary. bravely sitting desire to take
A long, deep breath and crowd down
that was sticking in his
throat
"And I'll wait forever, Terry" Mary
vowed.
Terry went to Chicago where, his
friends told him, the going was good.
But it wasn't. He wrote every day
or several days He became discour-
lged in a strange city, and he longed
'or Mary and for Twelfth street.
Mary's letters were as cheering as
hours of editing could make them. She |
lept him informed as to the cleanup, |
md warned him that, although she |
would give anything to see him, he'd |
,etter keep away. Several of the boys |
Who had stayed were in Jail awaiting |
rial.
I'D rather be in Jail in Kansas
lily than be mayor of Chicago" was |
'errys answer But he stayed in Chi
ago.
Everything was all right until Mr..
pike Kelley. first baseman and cham
ion hitter, began crusade against
Operations by taking his shirts and
ollars to the Antitrust laundry.
Mr.. Kelley, who was distinguished by
he fact that he never wore the same
ecktie twice in the same week, al
rays brought and called for his laur-
ry.
He was especially proficient in d.
lting upon the good times that come
, baseball players wife. who sits
! q box at the games and always trav-
Is with the team.
Mary's letters to Terry began to
ontaln more and more warning of