The Washington herald., 1920-05-01
New York City
B, o, o. Mcintyre

VIEW tofk, April oV. 4hcre 70 -
new cafe In q, quiet littlc street
OF of Fifth avenue which has all
the elegance of the Ritz in London
or ciro's in Paris. The room is in
heavy mahogany relieved by soft
indirect lights. Flowers are in pro-
fusion and the soft purple carpet is
so thielxly piled that every sound
is. deadened.
From an invisible orchestra con-
cealed behind "A canopy Of palms
comes the delicate strains of q
harp, violin. cello and piano. Tho
head-waiters and captains have the
correct clerical air. half compla-
cent, half dignified. When the opera
and after theater crowds seep in
the place is perhaps one of the most
cosmopolitan in the world.
There are beautiful women in
marvellous toilettes, handsome men
in the exactly correct evening
dress-herc and there a famous
actress and leading man, diplo
matists. men about town and uni
formed officers, all giving distinc-
tion and color to the tout ensemble.
The other night I sat there with
a high police Official " no had picked
me up for a bite after the theater.
NSt one of the conspicuous tables
sat a squat, gnomelike man with Il
swarthy face. hook nose and big
ears. Across from him leaned a
beautiful young woman in the early
thirties. She wore a gorgeous
black evening gown and large
ilagreed hat, relieved only by q
rope of pearls at her throat.
I'm watching that bird" my
friend told me nodding toward the
man. Then he told me a rare tale
of how this unattractive lookins
creature had for years been able
to make himself popular in the
homes of men of wealth. On ac-
count of his forbidding appearance
perhaps he even escorted rich
mems wives to the theaters and to
the cafes. Then there was always
a mysterious robbery at the homes
and the police invariably struck
dead trails for nobody would talk.
not even the victims.
The man himself lives in splendor
on the avenue surrounded by soft
stepping Japs, costly bric-a-brac,
rare tapestries and other luxuries
that can only come with wealth.
But who is heT I asked.
Fifteen years ago" he said, che
ran a secondhand clothing store on
Baxter street. His place was a
fence. But he was never caught"
He named him.
am able to tell this story. be-
cause just a week later the news
papers told of the mans death
from pneumonia. So the mystery
will never be solved.
They came jazzing into one OF
those marble table places where the
flap jack jugglers perform in the
windows. He was a snappy dresser,
belted coat, highly slashed and ev-
erything. She wore a rakish' tam,
skirts to her knees and white spats.
Both had had something stronger
than 2.75 per cent. He was scowl-
ing after they were seated, and she
had a little quiver to her lower lip.
Finally she burst out:
"Hit me with p plate. kid, and
make me love your
They gave a party to Big Bill
lHISTndI revenue COl-
lector. the other day. 1t was a cos
tune affair and Mrs. Edwards came
decorated with one hundred dollar
bills. Before he left they were all
missing from his back. But it
didn't matter. They were stage
money. Every year his friends give
Big Bill a party. II is a joyous af-
fair and the biggest men in town
come and don cap and bells for the
evening. He is perhaps the most
popular man in town and history
has never recorded that he had a
crouch.
High rent is imperiling the New
York boarding houses-the most
democratic and interesting institu-
tions in Gotham. Boarding houses
have had their peculiar niche in the
real estate situation in former
years. They have almost always
been established in a neighborhood
which had fallen somewhat from
grace and have been rented by
women who saw commercial possi-
bilities in the large and once ele-
giant residences. Now they are be-
ing made into apartments.