Smyrna times., 1935-09-12
SIDE LIGHTS OF
NEW YORK CITY
Told By L. L. Stevenson in
His Own Immical Way
of DOings in City
INTERESTING SKETCHES

For so long has it been the Gus.
tom to shower with gifts friends
fortunate enough to take an ocean
voyage that the origin is hidden In
mystery. The presents for the de
parting ones usually take the form
Of baskets of fruits, flowers or the
latest in best sellers. Right up to
the moment of sailing, messengers
come aboard with boxes and parcels
and the result is that staterooms
resemble greenhouses or corner
fruit stores. More than likely, the
voyager, if he is at all popular, not
only finds himself loaded down with
fruit and flowers, but the possessor
of five or six copies of the latest
novel If the crossing is at all
rough, the odor of flowers doesn't
help in keeping the stomach steady.
Fruit is unnecessary because stew
ards pursue passengers with it and
catch all who are not quick on their
feet. AS for the best seller-well,
there are usually several copies
available in the ships library. New
ertheless, it is a pleasant custom
and the traveller, by holding onto
the cards and notes, may even things
up when the donors in turn, sail.
This being New York, the custom
of presenting gifts to ocean travel
ers has been commercialized. Many
stores specialize in steamer baskets
that start with $40 with quite a
nifty number at $50. Then, too,
there are boxes of candy which run
up to $40. A fair showing of the
seasons blooms, done up in one of
those big boxes and delivered to the
ship by messenger, costs about $40.
For those who forget-there are
flower vendors right at the pier.
Also vendors Of flags of various ma
tions, books, magazines, etc. As
a matter of fact, 1t is rather hard
to get aboard to see friends off
without Juggling something. In the
old days, the personal deliveries
were largely bottles-to keep the
traveller cheered up until the bar
opened.
Bud Fisher, the famous Mutt and
Jeff cartoonist, when he was leav-
ing for Europe some time ago, re-
ceived a novel gcing-away present
from a young woman who was a
great admirer of his work. 1t was
a portable phonograph with several
torch song records intended to re
mind him of her whenever he played
them. He was very much pleased
with the gift until he arrived in
Southampton There he learned that
the duty on the phonograph was
more than it had cost. Just as the
customs agent was about to collect,
the cartoonist fooled the British gov
ernment by stepping to the edge Of
the pier and dropping the machine
oyerboard-a fact he has carefully
kept from the one who gave it to
him.
Walter Huston, Just before he
sailed for England to play the lead
in the picture, "Cecil Rhodes" told
me Of the time he returned to his
home town Of Toronto in 'Dods-
worth" During the entire week he
attended teas and various other
functions and after the theater hur-
ried to parties. Day after day, he
was mentioned on the front pages
of the newspapers. And 'Dods-
worth played TO the poorest weeks
business of the entire tour. Incl
dentally, on his return from Europe,
Mr.. Huston win start on a coast to
coast tour in "Dodsworth" which
will keep him travelling until the
middle of next year. 1t might also
be added that Sam Gcldwyn paid
100000 for the screen rights to the
play which is something of a record
In these times.
A visitor in town told me about
woman elevator operator at 295
Madison avenue who took him to
the forty-first floor. On the way up
she said that, despite the fact that
she operates the car to the top
floor of the building hundreds Of
times day. when she goes home
nights, she always walks up to her
apartment fer fear something will
go wrong with the elevatorI
The foregoing recalls a sign / saw
in the store window Of a Madison
avenue shop while riding by In a
taxi. 1t read: Decorator of nat
Iural flowers" Some day I'm going
back to find out how natural flow
'ers can be decorated.
g Bell syndicate-wNU Service.