The New York herald., 1922-01-03
HARMONICA TUNES
WIN BACK HIS DOG
Joe Banks Melody Ties Hands
Of Those Who Would Dis
pute Ownership.

Lovers of sound literature and OF the
good and beautiful. and the cognoscenti
OF the East Side generally. rejolced with
the poet and humorist Joseph Bank last
night when II was learned that his chow
dog Dolphin had returned TO Joe's flat
in The Bronx, lured thither-against his
predictions, which are all for the free
and untrammeled life, and opposed ut
terry 20 the hurndrum Of existence In
Bronx flat-by Joe's matchless playing
On the harmonica.
No reader of the newspapers and
other journalistic literature of the East
Side but knows Joe Bank and the stuff
he writes. To live on the East Side
and not to have sobbed with Joe or
laughed with Joe at current space rates
is not TO have drunk to the deeps Of life
as the East Side affords 1t. An uncle
Of Joe's who keeps a delicatessen store
In BAY Ridge warned him often UP to
last November that he was working
harder than ten men should and giving
too much of himself to his public.
Then when Joe. as sort of side line
to his incredible output of literary work.
took up music and began to practice on
the harmonica the uncle gave him Dol
pAiIfl, d mulberry COiOIcu cuoN. IL WIS
the uncle's notion that the dog, by COM
pelling him 10 walk In the park with
him from time to time. would save joe s
health and reason.
Here the uncle reckoned inaccurately,
for Joe gave the creature his exercise
BY teaching him to dance while he dis
coursed on the harmonica. This, as he
told his wife and two-year- child.
gave the chow poise and manners and
kept him At meanwhile. The arrange
nent might have continued indefinitely
were Joes fiat in a house where there
are no other flats. But it is not.
So a week ago, the day after the har-
monican accompaniment to its dancing
lesson had been protracted far into the
night the dog disappeared.
Shrill cries of family delight filled
Joe's donicile at the noon hour yester-
day when a friend called and informed
him that he had seen the chow enjoying
the air on q fire escape few houses
away. Joe went there instanter. lie
was disconnected slightly when the chow
on observing him retreated under sofa
instead of welcoming him boisterously.
Nevertheless, he claimed him for his
own and spoke, indirectly. OF the law.
The woman who had the dog said he
had been given to her as Christmas
Il
City.
Excuse me, madam" said Joe. but
am q litrary man and you are spelling
my day. l came here to get dog and
instead you offer me one of the five
basic story plots"
And thereupon he drew out hts har-
monica and began 10 play on IL. The
dog. emerging from beneath the sofa,
cast at Joe a look In which stark malice
and dumb suffering were blended equally
and began to dance. And the woman
and two grown daughters Of hers who
were in the room began to dance also.
impotent 20 stop It so long as Joe played.
And with them thus helpless he passed
homeward out OF the house with the dog
capering after him, his vlrtuosity in
terrupted for moment only by the
janitor, who charged up the stairs as
Joe went down, yelling that there were
tenants who out OF spite would break
plaster for the love OF II, just to re-
mind the landlord on his day OF rest that
plasterers were getting s12 q day.