The Washington herald., 1920-08-12
New York City
,.rhe Prince and the Pauper.-
By o. o. Mcintyre.


New York. August 1.-THE busi-
est corner in the world-Fifth ave-
nue and Forty-second street
reaches it's full tide of confusion
and hustle at 8 o'clock in the eve
ming. Northward rush the home
goers and eastward the commuters.
Twelve stalwart traffic gods con-
troll the destiny of the thousands.
1t is a pushing. jovial throng that
one does not encounter in the sar-
dine packed subway. Thoughts of
coming dinner and the evening slip
pers and pipe seem to put the am
bulant hordes at peace. On the
library steps are the hawkers. Old
Lavender Joe with his half-opened
grip of ambrosial leaves. One-Armed
Nick and his perennial basket Of
sleeping puppies-s6 a piece.
The toy balloon man who makes
few sales but always smiles, reveal
ing one upper tooth. Prince and
pauper, patrician and sneak, k,-thief
jcstle each other in easy comrade-
ship. Startled folk from the hinter-
lana pause Win lElsHltntu IOOhs
but are carried off in the wave of
traffic and soon they are smiling
and enjoying the experience.
Pretty salesgirls from the nearby
shops, with freshly whitened faces
chatter about the coming gayeties
of the evening. Tired old women in
aprons and shawls are loaded with
kindling on their way to the East
Side tenements. Then there was the
sprinklIng of the Old World.
The Russian patriarch with a long
white beard, who has been digging
into the musty tones OF the library.
The painted olive skinned girl from
some far away bagnio looking for
conquesta in the New worit. The
italian opera sIrger with a feather
ir his Alpine hat. Chic french
maids who wait on tables in the
table de hotes in the fcrties.
Above it all is the drone of bal
derdEsh, the hiss of tires on asphalt
and the sickly fumes of gasolene.
In an hour the noise and confusion
disappear magic like. Save for but
lers in the mansions along Million
aires row locking the iron gates
and the occasional clippity club of a
night cab horse, Firth avenue Il; life
less.
Chorus Girls knowledge.
At Wolpin's where the actors and
actOrines so for tiffin and chow, two
chorus girls SAT at q table discus
sing literature.
Ever lamped any stuff by Rex
Beach," asked one.
by Rex Beach," said the other.
Il thought that was the namc of a
seashore resort"
A Life Guards Salary.
Speaking of beaches. consider for
a moment the high cost OF having
Cne's miserable life saved this sum-
mer. At many Of the beaches II
costs about thres times as mucr to
protect a bather from drowning as
il did before the war. No longer is
the college undergraduate content
to rescue bathers for the sheer joy
of life on the beach. And to acquire
a tan.
Before the war a competent life
guard made S12 a week and had the
privilege of lying around in the
sand all day thinking up snappy
remarks to pull on the boarding
house veranda at night. Now they
are getting from $40 to $50 a week
and work eight hours.
Brighton and Manhattan beaches
are paying $40 a week and Long
Beach where the people from Broad
way go is paying $50 week.
His Good Friday.
Copeland Townsend, the hotel
man, tells of an Irishman who went
into a restaurant on Friday and
asked Have ye any stewed
whale" The reply was No. Then
he asked for fried shark and flying
fish and being told neither was
procurable said: Well. ye can give
me beefsteak. Lord knows 1 tried
to get fish"