The Washington herald., 1920-06-12
New York City
By o. o. Mc1nsyrs

New York. June i1.-rhose queer
little stores dotting Broadway ana
run by gentlemen with orientai
features are amazinsiy prosperous.
They deal In souvenirs. guide books
magic tricks. post cards and sheet
music. Up near the door is piano
where bored looking young men
and rather pretty girls play all day
long. The windows are crammed
with a variety of trinkets.
People stop to hear the music
naturally look In the window ana
at last their eyes rest upon some
thiBE they want and they 60 IN.
And they ind II difficult to get out
without a purchase SO suave are
the statesmen. All work on q COM
mission and q sale means some
thing.
The proprietor of one In the
Times Square district told me that
he made $4,000 above all expenses
last year-his hrst year In busi-
ness. And this year he expects TO
clear s25,0o0. While little shops
run by Americans are all about do
ing only q small business these
places hum with activity.
No effort IL made to make you
buy something you do not want.
The policy is to keep showing you
until the right thing makes Its ap-
peal. For instance q man may 60
in to buy q toy balloon for his BABY
and come out without the balloon
but with a fountain pen or an ash
receiver for himself.
Some of the proprietors are Turk
ish, others Arabs and Assyrians.
They do not remain long in Amer
lea. They get a fixed sum, write 10
some friend in their country ana
when he comes they sell the busf-
ness and go back to take things
easy.
They live cheaply in the foreign
quarters and are able to save. Tine
great expense Is rent. The small
est kind of a shop along Broadway
In the uptown district rents Tor
5000 a week.
Bert Levy. the vaudeville cartoon
list, is the first of the Broadway
since the war. He will play a
Berlin Winter Garden. He insisteu
upon being billed as the American
cartoonist and his friends are anx-
iously awaiting his reception there
He has been playing at the Hippo
drome for two years. Levy Is an
Australian and a born rover. Many
other vaudeville acts have been
signed to go to Berlin and two
Broadway musical shows will go
later in the summer.
The sun was setting and the night
shadows were falling gently over
the Lombardy poplars in little
square in a quiet little section near
Greenwich village. The trees were
family green and the whole thing
was as beautiful as a Corot or the
music of Monsieur Beaucsire. Then
came some street urchins whose
starved souls seemed to gravitate
to the beautiful spot They sat
along the curb. An unusual calm
seemed to come over them. Anc
then one little ragged. dirty faced
lad said rather shamefacedly: Gee.
feIlers, I believe I'll go to Sunday
School tomorrow" And not an
urchin offered a jesting remark.
What Is known as a literary
clip-sheet-one of the inventions OF
the press agent to tempt the sloth
and scissors of an editor-reached
a book reviewer the other day on
Park Row. 1t told of Miss Some
body. who writes those outrageous
novels about-well you know! IT
told about how writing was only
a small part Of her life despite the
fact that she was at her desk from
romantic morn until fervid night.
Her great happiness was to steal
few minutes now and then to min
gle happily with her family. Miss
Some body was just that kind. you
know. The book-reviewer read II
twice and then fired 1t back with
this notation on the back: Miss
Somebody lives next door to me.
Her family consists of an anaemic
husband and a frowzy Pomeranian.
The only time she takes off is to
air the pup and throw book at
her husband. Outside of that IT is
a-good yarn"