Evening star., 1922-11-05

a friendly beacon. although not one
Of Us could have been lured there on
a bet, The darky quarter on the up
per East Side, witt, its mobs OF MI
Pullman porters and their stylish
Mandy James pouring out of the col
ored movie houses. seemed fami!iar
and honey. Barry Platt almost
whooped as we crossed 125th and n
got a look up and down that brilliant
street where nearly every language
In tho world is spoken and~Engllsh
10 occasionally understood.
Inea saved up her rush of emotion
until we had swung into 5th avenue
while 1 held mine in as far as 57th
street, which somehow always seems
to me as the real heart of Manhattan.
Only Uncle Nels, as usual, had noth-
ing to say. There was a pleased
flicker, though, in his mild blue eyes.
TT was nearly 1890 pm. when Barry
i helped us carry the last of our
luRxage up the three flights to our
studio suite, and we had driven more
than 200 miles since breakfast. SO
we did no celebrating. Barry had
hardly started for his boarding house
when Inez began shedding her shoes
and other things between yarns. I
had already turned on the water IN
the bathtub, and Uncle Nels had
1imped off, stiff -jointed. to his room.
Sleep was what we wanted most
sleep in large chunks.
But by the next afternoon we were
ready, each in his own peculiar way.
TO let New York know that We had
come back
Me-" says Uncle Nels. I'm gonna
take q long walk and see things"
Ines had different program. II
guess TIL go see Louisa, by the deli
catessen store" says she, "and maybe
she'll take in q movie show with
me"
And wasn't a bit surprised when
Barry called up to mako a dinner
date.
"At Tortonrs?' asked.
you've named It," says he. "A lot
Of the old crowd ought to be there"
Lets 60 early. then," I suggests.
80 as to be sure of seats at the
TooterS table and not miss anything"
And until that minute hadn't real
ICED how hungry I was to see and
talk with people-real people! jus
thinki Wed had four months Of L =
on the edge of Chenwick, N. H.. where
We were not even in on small-town
stun. We'd been marooned on a farm,
as you might say. like an inland Swiss
Family Robinson. Most Of my bright
chatter I'd waste on Sairy levitt, our
native cook; on Millie. her husky
daughter, or on Dunk, tho chore boy,
who had wooed and won Millie over
the dishpan.
OF course, there had been occasional
visits from Squire Sweat, and more
regular calls by Jim. the grocery boy,
ana after we had turned the old farm
houses into a roadside inn there had
como to us an assorted lot of motor
tourists. some Of whom were more or
less interesting. But Snone Of them
had been quite our kind - that is.
Barry's and mine. Not in the way
that tho old bunch at Tortonfs had
besn. Especially the Tooters.'
Perhaps you remember how Barry
and helped organize the Tooters and
rot them to gather once q week in
that roof garden room Of Tortonfs? /?
A lot Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. men
who wanted to be magazine writer's.
art students who were budding car
toonists or illustrators, poets who sell
dom got their verses published and
young playwrights trying to edge In.
And my hunch that they should boost
each others work every chance they
got had been accepted with cheers,
and we'd just started the campaign
of In dne shape when that hot spell
had driven 10 out Of town and we'd
loss ~ touch with them. y