The New York herald., 1922-05-14
SAVED WAITS HONOR
CHINATOWN CERTIE
Rescued Bowery Derelicts Sing
Nearer My God as Her
Pastel Is Unveiled.
TEARS AND MELODY MIX
Henry Recalls Old Days in
Chatham Club Before He
Reformed.
TEARS AND MELODY MIX

After they had silenced the two
hurdy- -gurdies that were making Doyers
street hard on the ears and had quieted
Henry who sat by the chubby stove and
grouched all evening, they unveiled
q pastel enlargement of an old photo
graph of Chinatown Gertie Merritt last
night in the Rescue Society's quarters
in the old Chinese Theater.
They had to silence those hurdy-
gurdies and subdue Henry because Tom
Noonan. who was leading the meeting
lad called for Nearer My God To
Thee and had asked everybody to
turn toward the flag covered portrait
when the last verse was reached
"Just close your eyes for the last
verse" said Noonan. You don't need
the books. God knows you don't need
to read the words of that last verse,
we've sung it so often"
The picture of Gertie hung over the
chubby stove, about over Henry's white
head 1t was hidden beneath some
what frayed Stars and Stripes and
Henry let it be known that he was
somewhat peeved because it was he who
had rugged up the concealing flag and
had thought out the system of strings
that were to be pulled in order that the
flag might drop right.
strings growled Henry. Got kid
because he was the last guy Gertie took
to Jesus before she died and me, the
first guy she saved after she found
salvation herself twelve years ago, they
let me sit here under the picture. There
air't no man who knew Gertie as ! did. =
At the Pine Bible stand.
In the first two rows of benches sat
a dozen men and women that Chinatown
Csertie Merritt had dragged out OF the
gutter and fetched to their knees at the
foot of the yellow pine Bible stand IN
the Rescue Society room. Henry sat
apart from them in q spirit OF vast
sIperiority. They were mere parvenues,
while he was the old aristocrat OF the
Gertie alumni.
There was Alice, who was BoWery
cruiser until Gertie showed her how
foolish It was of her to waste her time
like that. And there was Snow Peters
Rismarcl, Jubal Burr, the big black
boy from Natchez; Race Street Mary
from Philadelphia and Molly the Num-
Lizzie Markle, Joe Kinderman, Judge
McSorley and the Bleater sat nearby
wet with tears every time Gertie's name
was mentioned.
They all belonged to Gertie. They
sang The first verse OF Nearer MY
God TO Thee with great vigor but not
much melody When Tom Noonan held
up his hands and called for the last
verse. 'and remember, close the eyes
and sing from away down deep where
Gertie still lives inside you they raced
the yelled frame over the chubby stove
and shut their eyes.
They may know the words OF the
last verse in ordinary circumstances
l.. .feyJ, n
ordinary. They hummed and la-.aed
II. making q somewhat sorry mess OF
the air, too Everybody in the room
and.it was overflowing-faced the RAG
and what it covered. Everybody except
Henry. Henry took the privileges of
the first born OF Gertie's spiritual life
lie stood beneath the picture resotute
and scowling. Let him see ono man
~. one woman with eyes OPEN Henry
was ready to batter respect for Gertie
into any such. He kept his own eyes
oucn SO that he would be sure to see.
Roy Grabs Wrong string.
Then the Bowery Boy came down the
oisle and took hold of the strings
you got the wrong one. Coy.
rroyled Henry "Pray for brains and
pray hard. Pull the string on the left,
hoy. and don't pull the whole thing
down.
The Bowery Boy pulled the right
string and there, when the crowd had
ceased singing that last verse and
opened it's eyes, stood out the pastel en-
jargement of Chinatown Gertie Merritt.
There were paper roses around the PIC
ture--white, red, yellow and green ones.
Gertie was seen in high neck dress
and her hair in vast pompadour. Must
have been taken fifteen years ago, that
picture. E
Some of the Gertie alumni began to
rry and some began to pray in voices
and words of various strength. Damn
drunken bum was and CRATER and
lush worker" sobbed Bismarck. shes
beautiful. God, she's beautiful" said the
girl from Philadelphia. 1t was difficult
to disentangle the various phrases.
Henry arose.
IF there's to be any talking about
Certie I'm the guy to do it," he said.
~Gcrtie saved me and I'm the guy who
taught Irving Berlin to be the best
sliding waiter tho Chatham Club that
used to be across the street ever had.
He could slide all the way craoss the
dance floor at in the morning with
tray with fourteen glasses of beer on Il
and never spill drop. That's how good
Irving Berlin was and ! taught him.
Irving Berlin mas served me ana
Gertie beer in the Chatham Club and
she and me knew Jimmy kelly's like
book and Niger Mikes and Paddy
Mullen's. Me and Alice who used to be
n cruiser like Gertie was and Gertie used
20 get soused together In them places
and we used to como inc the mission
and wait until they would sing When
the Roll is Called Up Yonder' and then
we'd drown them out with Has Any
body Here Seen Kelly?
They sang "Safc In the Arms OF Jesus
and That's why / Love Him So" A
big chap with the remains of an 1896
straw hat In his hands uttered prayer
that ended "And God XIII me where |
stand IL ever l go against Gcrtie, Amen"
And then Tom Noonan yelled:
TELL those hurdygurdies they can hit
hor up on high now IL they want TO be-
cause we're going TO laugh and be happy
like Certie from now on