Evening star., 1923-12-09
INE out of ten short stories
written In America are
snoopopathic. This Is q word

nj written In America are
snoopopathic. This Is a word
derived from the Creek
"snoopo"--or IL there never was a
Greek verb snoopo. at least there
ought to have been one and 1t
means just what it seems to mean.
In snoopopathic literature. in order
to get its full effect. the writer gen.
orally introduces his characters sim
ply as the man" and 'the woman"
The man Is always detailed as if
he were a horse. He is said to be
tall, well set up. with straight legs"
The woman is always beautifully
groomed" (who these grooms are that
do II, and where they can be hired. /
don't know, and she is said to be
"exquisiteIy gowned."
wear a gown myself-at night.
1t Is made Of flannel and reaches to
my feet, and when / take my candle
and go out to the balcony where
sleep. the effect of it on the whole is
not bad
These people have described-the
man and the woman-the snoopopaths
are, of course. not husband and
wife. or brother and sister. or any
thing SO simple and old-fashioned as
that. She is some one else's wife.
She is the wife of the other man.
The writer at once puts the two
snoopos-the man and the woman
into a frightfully indelicate position.
The more indelicate it is the better.
Sometimes she gets into his motor by
accident after the theater, or they
both engage the drawing room of a
Pullman car by mistake, or else. best
of all, he is brought accidentally into
her room at a hotel at night.
Now, as a matter of fact. in real
| life there Is nothing at all in the sim
pie fact of walking into the wrong
room of a hotel by accident. You
merely apologize and go out. had
this experience myself only a few
days ago. walked into a lady's
room-next door to my own. But /
simply said. "Oh. beg your pardon, /
thought this was No. 543"
"No," she said, this is SAL"
She did not rise and confront" me
as they always do in the snoopopathic
stories. Neither did her eyes flash
nor her gown cling to her as she
rose. Nor was her gown made OF
"rich old stuff" No. she merely went
on reading her newspaper.
"I must apologize" 1 said Il am
a little short-sighted, and very often
! a one and a three look SO alike
that 1 can't tell them apart. I'm
afraid"
mot at ALL" said the lady. Good
evening"
"You see." added. this room and
nv own being so alike. and mine
being 343 and this being SAL, walked
in before / realized that instead OF
walking into S43 l was walking into
341."
CHE bowed in silence. without
- speaking, and I felt that it wa:
now the part of exquisite tact to re-
tire quietly without further explana'
tion or at least with only few
mprmured words about the posi-
hility of TOMORROW being even colder
| than today. I did SO. and the affair
| ended with complete savior faire or
both sides.
But the snoopopaths, man ant
| woman, can't do this sort of thing
las soon as the man comes into the
| woman's room--before he knows who
aha is. for she has her back to him
, he gets into a condition dear to al
snoopopathic readers.
His veins simply "surged." His
brain beat against his temples in mad
rulsation. His breath came ant
went in quick. short pants" (Thi'
| last might perhaps be done by ont
| Of the hotel bellboys, but otherwise
It is hard to imaginel
| And the woman---"Noiseless as hi
| steu had been she seemed to sens'
I his presence. A wave seemed t.
| sweep over her" She turned ant
rose "fronting him full" This doesn
| mean that he was full whom sh,
| fronted him. Her gown--but W.
| know about that already. "It was {
| towards trick" she painted.
| Now the man and the woman gt
through the grand snoopopathi'
scene which is SO intense that /
| needs what is really new kind o
| language to convey 1t.
| "Helene," he croaked, reaching ou
his arms-his voice tensed with thu
] iaanity Of his desire.
s.Rack." sho iceA. And then, why