The Washington herald., 1921-09-10
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NEW YORK, Sept. s.--A girly,
music play finished for the night!
The foyer eerie In black emptiness.
The heady bead 70 the wine of life
sparkles at the stage entrance in
the dark side street. Old Aggie,
with her basket of cosmetics and
eternal set smile js at the curb.
Idlers form their hyena-like hall
circle to cape.
First out are stage mothers with
their young charges hurrying to
subway kiosks. They know the
value of sleep. The comedian stroIls
out in his modish suit and striped
collar. He scans the curb for his
car. Registers impatience and
walks also to the subway. Always
the comedian.
A prima donna. suggesting
strength and poise, next A white
haired man falls in beside her.
Their greeting liz monosyllabic. Her
husband, no doubt. Young bloods,
whose low cars puff impatiently at
the curb, pace back and forth nerv-
ously in immaculate evening dress.
A swarthy, furtive person edges up
with whispered query. He boot
legs at scandalous prices.
The Morning Telegraph arrives.
The young bucks snatch them.
They know the proverbial ingre-
dients Of the coryphee's breakfast
the Telegraph and a cigarette.
Stage hands. electricians and va
rious minor actors In life back
On alA Al,
the first group OF girls. Life
filled with a punGent perfume.
There are snatches of song. Gig
giles and shouts. Hello Ted,
Where's the car. Irene can't come
Tell you later. In a jam at home"
They pile into a limousine. A whirr
and they are off through town to
the ribbon-like roads that unwind
their way to Westchester road
houses.
A noted beauty comes through
the grilled gateway. Alone. A So
ber-faced man disengages himself
from the crowd. They stand In the
shadows. He pleads. She shakes
her head. He leaves and when an
other group comes she joins them
Get rid of him, Marge?" She mods
Husbands are awful things" they
chorus. OF they go.
A slam of doors. A noise of turn
ing locks. Lights go out one by
one. The venerable door keeper
ambles out, pipe in hand. He scans
the clouds. In front of the theater,
vaguely visible in the starlight. is
the outline of an electric sign
which aflame suggests the friyoli-
ties Of life. Now dead. lusterless and
unnoticed = hangs a mutcly pre-
phetic symbol.
A millionaire shot across a side
street in an imported car far ur-
town the other morning. Another
car was coming south on Broadway.
The millionaire's car hit 1t and spun
il around. Ten feet away a pedes-
trian lay face down with his skull
dashed in. The millionaire drove
with one hand-the other arm be-
ing off below the elbow. And lie
didn't have a drivers license. The
chauffeur Of the car that had the
right of way was handcuffed and
taken to prison. The millionaire
cooled his heels in sherIrf's o!fice
while emissaries brought bail. Such
is justice in { big city.
Things have changed considerab BILE
down in Texas. viii Hogg. son OF
a famous Texas Gove-rnr, was dig
cussing Texas with choice grour
of actors and newspapermen in the
st. Regis dining-room. when a
man reaches for his hip down there
now" he said. you do not know
whether it is a threat or promise"
I see him on the avenue now and
then. His face is leathery and the
saffron sockets of his eyes are shot
with threads of red. He puffs as he
walks. His gouty/ fingers hold a
large gold headed cane. He is a
sort of anachronistic Beau Brum-
mel with pearl gray derby, big
checked suit and sharp pointed
shoes. Twenty years ago, am
told, he was the most notorious of
the spendthrift gamblers. His mid
night parties to actresses were fa-
nous. Now he lives at a Mills
Hotel.