The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1950-02-02

NEW YORK
BY NoRrR CALLAHAN
BY q CALLAHAN

81 NORTH cAIlAnAM
Sitting in a Times Square drug
store eating a hamburger, / was
surprised that the young we'll
dressed man next to me spoke,
with a friendly greeting. I ans
wered him, wondering what had
happened that a New Yorker
suddenly became friendly to a
stranger. He began to talk, intro
duced himself as being from AL
bany, told me he was in the
printing business and siped his
coffee as we chatted. Still / won
dered. Then he asked the wait
ress for his check. She laid it
at his plate. Again he turned and
talked to me, but soon quickly
excused himself, said goodbye
and walked to the door. The
waitress called to him that he
had forgotten his check. He
neither turned his head nor SEEM
ed to hear, just kept going and
out into the street, although she
repeated her call more loudly.
/ was both surprised and chagrin-
ed. / asked her if she would have
to pay for the coffee out of her
w pocket, adding that if she
did, I would pay it myself. No,
she replied. and it was only for
a dime anyway. I shook my head
and wondered again-this time
about what kind of human would
pretend to be a friend to some
one sitting near him just so he
could slip away and beat" a
check for a cup of coffee.
New York City has eight mill
lion people. Nearly twice that
number visit Manhattan, alone,
every year, and constitute the
city's second largest source Of in
come. 1t seems to me that more
and more people come here every
year-and some of them stay. 1t
may sound old for someone who
lives here to say it, but / be-
lieve the chances for happiness
back in the old home town are
generally greater than in this
big maelstom. Ranking first in
income here is the needles trade,
with publishing being third, and
printing, chemicals and shipping
next in that order.
The daughter of a prominent
advertising executive here got
married in their suburban home
the other day, and the father of
the bride, as usual, went through
q series of varied experiences.
Among all his activities and ex-
penses, so many of the neigh
bors attended that he was forced
togo to the local undertaken to
borrow enough chairs for the oc-
casin. This gentleman eyed the
father appraisingly as he left, al
il mentally measuring him for
his final earthly receptacle. Just
before the wedding it was dis
covered that the cobbler who
was supposed to stretch the brides
shoes had died during the night,
SO his weeping widow unlocked
the shoe store, but the bride had
to walk to the altar on pinched
toes. AS if this were not enough
to endure, when at the last min
ute the father stepped outside
the crowded house for a breath
of air just before the ceremony,
there on his front steps stood
the village idiot wearing a COON
skin cap-ready to enter. In des-
peration, the father finally bribed
him to go away by giving him a
sturgeon sandwich stealthily
snatched from the after-wedding
refreshments--then he himself
made a furtive dash for the
punch bowl.
A Certain teller in a local
bank looks about 40 years old,
but recently l learned that he
had just celebrated his 40th year
of service with the bank. Amazed,
/ asked him how he kept so
young looking and what his plans
were now that he had reached
such a mature milestone. He said
he lived a quite normal life but
that one thing he always made
sure of was plenty of sleep. In
regard to the future, well he
grinned and gave the answer so
many folks do, "Tll just stick a
round until retirement time"
Dropped in at the Waldorf
Astoria where they were having
a new automobile show in the
grand ballroom. Hundreds of
people milled around the snap
Ply new-model roadsters, coy
coaches and stately sedans. 1t
was a splendid diSplay and a real