The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-11-14
Constant Dame
By
NINA LESLIE cALLEJA
PART /

Place with a few of my old-t time
Newspaper eronies, and it was
there that ! saw the finish of a
story that began over twenty
years ego.
Danny's used 10 be speakeasy,
fack IN the twenties. With the
end a prohibition il became en-
incntiy respectable, but without
losing any of IT'S curiously secre-
tive glamour. You still feel va
gtiely that you are breaking some
kind Of a law by being there. The
bartender is not the same one.
but he could very easily be the
same one, because he looks ex-
actly hk the old one. Danny him
self has that same preoccupied
AR Of dealing in shady transac-
tons right and left that went
wlth tine saloon business twenty
years ago. The customers look
just exactly the same too: a
sprinkiing Of newspaper men: a
faded female or two with appar-
entity no occupation other than
constant bar-sitting; a couple of
rough-looking characters with
caps on talking out OF the sides
~ their mouths.
Except for the difference that
twenty years had made in the
faces u my companions and N.Y.
self. u could so easily have been
1895 instead of 1916.
AZ the moment we were COM
fofting Sam Clegg whose wife
had just run off with another
man. Sam, his elbow in a bowl of
preizeis, wagged his head dole
fully from side TO side, told us
sgain how good he'd always been
% the little woman, ever since
they were married in 1888. and
added that il was women. not
men. who were naturally poly
gamous.
Russ Foster agreed with him.
Danes said Russ, aren't salts
fled unless they have half a
aoxen men on the string all the
time. and furthermore, are al
ways on the lookout for a few
more suckers TO add TO the list"
Tim Watkins objected. 'sWo-
men. he claimed, ARE essen
tally homogeneous. All they
wani. actually. is one man. And
usually they'll stand anything
from that man. except possibly
another woman. Look at Fera
Smith.
! remembered Hera Smith very
well | had known her back in
tho old days. Everybody knows
her now. practically. for she has
become something in the way of
a legend among newspaper peo-
pie.
We fell to discussing Hera
Smith, and going over the old
story about her. She showed up
back IN 1929, looking for job.
Newspaper offices then were
pretty much as they are now. The
President of the United States
and his entire Cabinet could
Uarch through without anybody
booking up from their typewrit-
ers. but just let woman, any
sire, shape or color, set foot in
the place and everybody springs
90 attention like cavalry horses.
She caTSe in very quietly and
asked for the Managing Editor .
reminisced Tim Watkins. "I'll
never forget it. / wish ! could
tell you exactly the feeling ]
had about her when she passed
my desk. 1t was a composite of
all the sensations you get when
y0u see a cooling baby with its
toe in It's mouth, a kitten playing
with a ball of wool, the old flag
being lowered at shutdown with
a bugle blowing Taps and a
fuzzy chicken breaking out of
It's she'll. Then. while you're wal
lowing around in this sensational
slough Reason slaps you smartly
on the nape Of the neck and you
have the grace to feel ashamed
of having let your better self get
the upper hand, but at the same
time YOU hang on to the baby-kit,
ten-flag-chicken feeling because
you sort of like it after ALL
Russ Foster interrupted: They
tell me old Bannon, who was one
Of the reporters on the sheet
then. actually got up and opened
the Managing Eds door for her
This from Bannon, . who once
greeted a visiting Duchess with
'Hi-yah. Babe and always KEEP
his subway seat in the face o.
scowls, coy looks and even half.
threats from a heaving, painting
phalanx of female standee
lined up in front of him. So 20,
can see what effect Hera had or
men"
well, anyway" Tim Watkin!
went on, pretty soon out came
Badly Mallory, the Managing Ed
with Hera hanging on his arm
Name Cunningham, our sob-sis
ter al the time, gave Badly ;
IL