Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-09-23
New York
Letter

NEW YORK-Life Is like that
but it's also like this. For almost q
decade, the st. Regis restaurant had
been . dropping place for the vau-
deville crowd that gathers In front
OF the Palace theater. And since
the Palace theater Is the particular
heaven toward which all troupers
aspire, the mob wds q motley one
Every variety player, whether con-
nected with . tank-time acrobatic
number Of q next-to-closing head
line feature, could expect to find
ONE Of his friends sitting about
the tables.
Hard times overlook the theater
and the crowd Of gents who stand
upon the curbstone increased In
number and decreased In funds.
Some borrowed quarters and some
bluffed q meal out OF q fellow per-
former. Somehow most OF them
managed to get coffee money one
way or another.
The cafe owners were not indif-
ferent to the status Of their GUS
toners. The prices tumbled like
stock quotations. The other day
they had to close shop. The cafe
couldn't stand the gaff. A cigar
store and drug store sandwich
counter wiped out another Broad
way tradition.
And that wa thatl
But It 90 happened that In this
restaurant was a waitress by the
name OF May Stewart.
Every penniless actor that ever
drifted into New York knew May.
May was one Of those heartfelt
gold" characters on the hard-boiled
street that you read about. but
rarely believe. She had q couple of
daughters of her own to bring up.
One married and the other. May
belle, Is a dancer who Is getting
along quite well. There are two
grandchildren by the married
daughter, and big-hearted MON"
Stewart wants them TO be sage folk.
The bright lights have. somehow,
never lost their glow for her.
And after 20 years on the Great
White Wayl
In her own way. May has become
a celebrity to celebrities. She Is
better known to them than they are
to you. The biggest OF them have
had their tough months. During
those voorhees, periods. May would
take the meal check and cuff 1t"
against the future. She would pay
these checks out OF her salary and
tips. And May Is no youngster-
vel past so, II you asked me.
when they're going good. they
always pay back" she once con-
fided when we fell to talking about
her generosity. There's not one
OF them that v-~uldn't give me his
shirt. And this didn't begin yester-
day. Listen. young man, I used to
have Mcintyre and Heath at my
table. I used to help change the
diapers on Eddie Foy's kids. Look
ut them today-all grown up and
making goodl
Maybe you don't even remember
Eddie Leonard. the minstrel man.
He still gives me n wav when he
goes by. I've seen them all come
and go. I don't lose anything. And
I love It."
So II was that May Stewart be-
came something OF a legend. as
sociated with the cafe that snug
gled close to the Broadway vaude-
Vile hangout.
Well. the restaurant Is closed.
Which means that the waitress Is
out OF a job. And so many actors
have been out OF jobs so long that
she hasn't been able to take up all
the checks. Only a millionaire could
have handled such q credit. The
newcomers to the street are more
hard-boiled.
She'll have another job soon. no
doubt. but It will have to be some
where up and down the street. away
from the vaudeville rendezvous.
For, you see, life Is also like that