The Washington herald., 1920-02-17
New York City
By o. o. Mcintyre

New York, FeD. lo.-broduWdy IN u
snow storm! Cars changing! Autos
honking. Crowds battling through
the drifts to disappear down the
subway kiosks. Taxicabs charge $2
to take fare i've blocks. The army
of beggars come out from their lairs
with new whines. The squads. the
macques and all the riff-rar Of the
Tenderloin flood the hotel lobbies.
Every block has a team Of horses
struggling to RISE, The hot drink
places double their prices. 1t is al
most. a new street OF wonders. Dis
positions sour quickly. Tony. the
fruit man, huddling over his oil stove
snarls at his customers and sighs for
Sunny It.
Old Izzy with his Racing Forms"
openly shines his smoked glasses. 1t
means nothing to him that the pub
lie sees he is not really blind on a
day like this. Caruso comes putting.
red checked. across Broadway to his
hotel from the Metropolitan and not
soul turns to watch. On pleasant
day the hotel detectives have to clear
an entrance for him.
The Palace Vaudeville lobby is
packed with two-a-day performers.
The air is heavy with cigarette
smoke. Clog dancers. acrobats, dane
ing teams. monologue artists and song
boosters are all there. A blizzard
cannot keep them at home. for a bliz-
zard Is preferable to a disgruntled
andlady who is a veritable shrew
always.
Who would think of peddling ear
muffs to Broadwayites in a blizzard? ?
And yet l saw a well dressed man,
looking more like minister than
street hawker, selling ear muffs at q
dollar a pair with the same rapidity
that hot cakes are sold at Childs on
a frosty morning. And 1t is never
too cold for the peacocks!
The Man in White-you've heard
of him-delights in defying a bliz-
zard. Their he goes past the Astor
immaculate in white. linen trous-
ers, white silk shirt, open at the
throat, canvas shoes-and hatless.
He is a singer and somebody told
him to attract managers he must
advertise himself. Poor fellow, he
has been walking around winter
and summer hatless and in white
for three years and so far as
know he has had only one engage
ment. And that was at movie
theater. The painted little doll
comes out too with her skirt to
her knees. Her tam is askew and
her lips empurpled. Who knows?
She may come upon a jovial wan
derer adrift in the snow.
Herald Square will lose a lot of
familiar faces now that the Herald
has been merged with the Sun.
Old-timeTs, who have been with
the Herald for years. and whose
hairs have been whitened by the
snow OF many winters, have sought
new ports in the storm. The "old
ball and chain" went rafting
around the Herald and many got
what is known among magazine
writers as the blue envelope" E"
There was not room for all and as
it is a young mans game the old
boys were let out. Well" sighed
one old veteran. II told my wife
when l took this Herald Job in
1880 that / knew it wasn't going
to be permanent" And he could
not understand the outlaws of
laughter that followed.
Early commuters were regaled
the other morning by the persi-
fiage of two red-capped porters at
the Grand Central Station. 1t seems
that one was lax In his duties and
this greatly peevcd the other who
had secured the place for him.
Why doan' you work, niger?
Look at me. L sweeps a nasty
depot. You ain't got no probation
or nuthin! Lok at you when you
come here and 1 get you this Job.
You wuz so raggedy that you had
to carry your money in your
moufw
"Jes keep on" said the other
rolling his eyes, '.jes keep on.
That's all ak you. I'll fix you SO
jes' one white collar will last you
from now on. The last Niger 1
hit never has come back. He can't
get the bump on his head through
that depot door,"