The Washington herald., 1921-08-30
NeAporkCity
|DaEIBylpsay4


champion at play! At the Paiais
Royal a night or two ago sat two
tables removed from Jack Dempsey.
He drifted in with the after-theater
crowd. A big, self-conscious boy
who tried desperately to be the
suave man of the world. His eyes
glanced about neryously in apparent
fear Of recognition.
He was with q party of eight.
all In evening dress save Dempsey.
who wore the conventional dark
business suit. relieved by a flash
of color in his cravat He has the
winning smile of the courtier but
his face in repose has the black
scowl Of the pilgarlic. - One i'm
Aagines Dempsey as moro than the
casual sulker.
Now and then he engaged in brief
conversation with members>/of his
party. and at such times the light
of sunny smile broke through the
dark glover. His strong white
teeth cleaned. As dancing couples
made their way past his ripgside
table they suddenly recognized him
and In New York fashion stopped
to gape.
When Dempsey's eyes caught
theirs he quickly shifted them away
and pulled the lapel of his coat
and twisted his neck In a half turn
of nervousness. Once or twice he
looked out over the great dance
fioor-recognized some acquaintance
and gave a swift wave Of his hand.
But most of the time his eyes were
riveted upon the table.
He drank from a tall glass of
sparkling mineral water and toyed
hlf-heartedly with a salad Of alli-
gator pear. He danced with all
three ladies in the party. Not a
good dancer in the Broadway sense
yet he kept good time to the music
His big, compact shoulders loomed
up largely as he weaved his way
In and out among the dancers.
1t was evident that he would
rather be elsewhere than in the
smart cafe and when q lady in the
party suggested shortly before mid
night that they depart. Dempsey
was first to his feet. He puffed at
a cigar with 10 show of enjoyment
In the check room a Greek hat pa
drone thrust out his hand Demp-
sey shook it and hurried downstairs
to the street.
Each afternoon at 4 O'Clock comes
the zero hour on Fourteenth street.
Shortly before Big Ben in the Me-
tropolitan Tower booms a quartet
of booms. they begin to appear in
Fourteenth street from everywhere
Strange, furtive men. looking to the
right and left. Silently they bob
up from Union Square. Third ave-
nue.. and points east and take
sphinxish positions against build
ings.
In the moment the cops begin to
assume ar: aspect of verve and
vigor and je ne sails quoi 1t means
they are about to go off duty. In
a moment they have gone and Four
teenth street for one brief spell. is
copless, because the relief hasn't
shown into view yet.
One sees signs of life. The silent.
furtive mer' become loud. bold. ag-
gressive. From their blouses or
pants they extract boxes and bags,
like the trick magician. They step
to the curb. They must lose no
time. They have but one brief mo-
ment. Pss-s-t! The man with pie
tures-from Paris. Men with cigars
that explode at the eighth pun, tod
die tops, cigars that carry a glass
tube capacious enough for one brief
shot OF hooch, and baby dolls that
shimmy.
Broadway actresses send their
first night floral tributes to hos
pitfalls. 1t Is an old custom-a GUS
tom as old. indeed, as the habit Of
stars of spending their first weeks
salary for flowers for themselves.
In the inner circles there is a super
stition that the first weeks pay
should be frivoled away.