The Washington times., 1925-09-09

of the tenement was the only
visible thing that reminded one
there was green world outside,
somewhere. Helen informed me
she called it the witch tree"
and when asked her why she
pointed to the ragged remnants Of
many garments that had broken
away from their clothes line moor
ings from time to time to be
caught in the stark. branches.
There rags were black with SCOT
and dust and waved in fantastic
shapes as 1 looked.
Sometimes at night when /
look out Of the window they give
me the creeps,'' said Helen.
'They make me think of the
people who once wore them.
bound for the same end, decay
and blackness. / love my poor.
dead tree
Involuf1tarily 1 shivered and
suggested q drink. Helen pro-
duced a bottle from under the
couch. There was but one glass
and we took turns. She then
took me upstairs, where 1 met
the frail Italian mother Of
large faSnily. and was informed
that I could. have the hall room
for 50 . Week.
This room was directly over
Helen's. and she soon learned to
call me by knocking on her cen.
ing. / lived there. as nearly as
/ can remember, for five weeks.
CHAPTER LIX
At first. after joining Helen In
the East Side tenement in the
slunns of New York. I spent my
semi-sober hours studying people,
more especially the hordes Of
dirty but sharp-eyed littlel chill
dren, who We're everywhere, on
the streets, in the Railways, on
the stairs, the fire escapes, the
roofs, the dingy back yards.
No one seemed to pay the Sigh.
est attention to me, and found
it difficult to engage any Of the
natives in conversation. They
were Jewish. with sprinkling of
italians and other Latins. Eng
Iish was spoken very little on
Avenue B. It didn't take me
long to reach the conclusion that
only person born and raised
in that atmosphere could hope to
know it wen enough to- write
about It's intense reality.
Cheap Liquor
One OF the first things I learn.
ed was that I could buy bonded
whiskey in any OF the nearby
saloons, many OF which sold
spirituous drinks at or cents
a shot" This was, Of course.
before prohibition, yet some OF
the stuff served over the East
Side bars had our modern bootleg
whiskey backed off the boards for
vileness. In order to get the
Canadian Club Helen insisted
upon, I was obliged to 60 three
long Blocks, over to Second
avenue. Canadian Club at that
time was S1.25 a quart. and our
average consumption was three
quarts a day.
My own money was soon gone,
but when suggested to Helen
that / couldn't remain any longer
because 1 was broke, she pleaded
hard for me to stay anyway. I
had quickly acquired the practice
of spending most of my time
m her small room, drinking and
eating an occasional meal there.
1t was very -sordid, almost too
sordid to write about. Two or
three times each week<we ven
tured out together at night. go.
ing up town and eating in queer
back-room places on the West
Side.
Helen knew where number
of such places were located. places
where a bottle Of cheap wine
which we never touched-and a.
bounteous French or Italian din.
rier could be had for % or 80
cents. She was konwn and well
coined in all these places as the
Queen OF Spades as we'll as to
the taxi drivers and policemen
everywhere.
rnarveled that she could have
made so many acquaintance in a
few months and, also. at the de-
gree of Difference accorded her.
/ could see no reason for it;
couldn't understand it. She would
stop and talk for half an hour
with a taxi driver or policeman,
while 1 usually stood at respect.
full distance. She never said so,
or even intimated IL, but l knew
she considered these talks conf
Dental.