The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-05-27

- WICIG UG was q pIOUl1LGAL anu II
We'd person.
Now, the Chelsea district is in New
York, and it is not as silk-shirty as its
name would indicate. 1t is, in fact, that
rather indeterminate area bounded On
the east by Eight avenue, on the south
by Fourteenth street, and on the north
by Thirty-fourth. But it's chief n most
interesting boundary is the western line,
which is marked by a great gray wall of
steel and concrete piers jutting out into
the waters Of the Hudson.
These piers are OF West street, a broad
and rutty th~oroughfare, which by day is
urgent with profane and Sweaty trafic
and by night is quietly sinister. Abov
the roofs Of the piers one may glimpse
the multicOlUred tunnels of majestic lin
steals across the city there emerge from
these pier entrances little men and big
men, staggering men and furtive men
sailors from the ports of Europe n the
Near East. Some of them are fine, up
standing fellows, out for an evening Of
honest ribaldry; others are Of an APP
pearance which is decidedly non-Nordic.
They cross West street and disappear up
one Of the narrow cross streets Of New
York, headed vaguely eastward, where, if
one goes far enough, the bright lights of
Broadway are encountered. But between
the waterfront and New York's main
thoroughfare one traverses a district
where it is extremely wise to mind ones
own business.
This is the Chelsea district; canyons
Of red tenements and grim warehouses.
All of the streets are paved and black
with children struggling to extract hap
pineSS from their gaunt environS. There
are narrow little doorways leading into
halls palely yellow with light. On GER
tain corner saloons-ostensibly dispens-
ing V~olsteadian brew, but actually thriv-
ing most amazingly on the sale of beer
which is very genuine, and wine and
whisky which kindly and acquisitive
stewards have managed to smuggle under
the eye of customs officers after their
ships v been safely berthed.
Chelsea is a hard district; not quite so
hard, perhaps, as its northern neighbor,
which bears the delicate title Of Hell's
where uniformed policemen much prefer
to work in pairs nj under bright lights.
And that Jimmy Lynn should have be-
come a figure Of prominence in his ma
tive habitat waS a considerable tribute
to his Drawn n his brain.
Such gods as Jimmy worshipped were
false gods. When, shortly after his
twentieth birthday, he vanquiShed in de-
cidedly unfair fight the bully of the dis
trict, he considered that he had achieved
the ultimate of all goals. When he quail
flied as longshoreman n participated
in an extremely neat bit Of waterfront
pilferage which was not u"naccOmpanied
by physical danger-his was the thrill
which came in days of old to young men
who won their accOlade on the field OF
battle. When the ward boss publicly
patted him on the shoulder and called
him Jimmy, he thrilled to his very toes
and yearned for the chance to slug SOM
enemy Of that pompous n portly poll
tician.
Only from his mother did Jimmy with.
hold the chronicle Of his iniquities. TC
others he boosted, but with her Their
xrrac a fon1fV1n wr1fnIN Tn. did NOT nffnV0N-
to analyze, that the clear eyes nigh
possibly cloud and worry and Jimm,
felt a sense Of responsibility toward hi
mother. So once or twice he warned
gentlemen friends Of his that if thei
mothers, VINO were familiar with his
Jimmy's-mother, happened to mention
that Jimmy was inclined to augment hi
income by participating in stealag
along the waterfront-thOse loose-lippet
mothers might shortly find themselve
: mourning the loss of certain favorit
sons.
At twenty-one years of age Jimmy fel
|. that he had successfully and commend
I ably deluded his mother into a o con
? fdence in his honorableness. But short
!. " thereafter something happened tina
nearly wrecked his good intentions an
T resulted In one Of the most picturesqu
{ battles Of his career.
|. That great event occurred when Kat
announced that, now hat Jimmy was
grown man, she was going to get ma
u ried. Jimmy was Surprised-but Willing
i He knew that his mother was young an
> decidedly attractive, and he felt that Sh
: was entitled to a husband if she wante
= lone. But when she told him that he
. hance was John Shane, Jimmy lost cor
y troll of himself. He took her in his arm
and held her close for a moment. The
: he expressed himself.
= my Godl mom-he's a watchman!'
Sure" Kate didn't know that til
very word was anathema to such a Ions
shoreman as her son. That's how
= happened to meet up with him"
"Yeh-but a blasted cargo guard"
" Nov, Jimmy-you're just ~prejudiced
you bet your life I am. Honest, mo-
a. there amt no sense to you hooking L
with a Waterman. Whyn't you pick
decent ~feller?"
r. Honest. Gohr, yes! And dumb! A
- watchmen are dumb! I amt got a lie
4 of use for them. And'-he mourned-
IL "whatIl the gang say when they he'
9 about it?"
ST don't see," she responded a bit prin
/, ly, why my affairs should bother Il
: "Hmphl" Then his teeth clicked. "Thr
% sure had better not"
But the affair did bother the gan
= which had watched the courtship wit
m tongue in cheek. 1t remained for a lar
eE and red-necked gentleman who W
= known as Firehose Riley to comment il
vidiously on the announced engagemer
3. What happened Immediately thereaft
= was interesting to all-and particular
to FirehOSe.
~ They were in the rear of Mulcahy
N saloon when Firehose became indiscreI
Hey, Jimmy, I hear you gonna get
= cargo guard in your family"
- Jimmy's eyes lost some Of their sol
tn ness. "Didja, Firehose?"
"A, "Uh-huh." Mr.. Riley became embol
ened nv ,Jimmv's quiet answer and f.
est Mandatory grins of the gano "May
,,st you'll be applyin' at some agency for
watchin' job yourself, huh?"
ny Cant tell" Jimmy moved a st
o., closer.
STARS I can see, your old lady is tt
'oX
les
'ed STANLEY q BAKER, Architects, 512 Fl
Natl Bank Bldg, Great Falls, Mont.