DUST OF NEW YORK BY KONRAD BERCOVICI BONI & LIVERIGHT NEW YORK 1919 Copyright, 1919, BY BONI & LIVERIGHT, INC. _Printed in the United States of America_ _Acknowledgment is hereby made to the New York World, for permission to reprint a number of the stories included in this volume._ TO JOHN O'HARA COSGRAVE [Illustration] TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE THERESA THE VAMP 3 THE TROUBLES OF A PERFECT TYPE 13 HOW THE IBANEZES LOVE 22 THE LITTLE MAN OF TWENTY-EIGHTH STREET 31 THE NEWLY-RICH GOLDSTEINS 40 ALL IN ONE WILD ROUMANIAN SONG 52 EXPENSIVE POVERTY 60 WHY HER NAME IS MARGUERITE V. L. F. CLEMENT 68 LULEIKA, THE RICH WIDOW 77 BECAUSE COHEN COULD NEITHER READ NOR WRITE 87 THE MARRIAGE BROKER'S DAUGHTER 94 THE NEW SECRETARY OF THE PRETZEL-PAINTER'S UNION 107 THE GYPSY BLOOD THAT TELLS 116 WHEN STARK'S CAFÉ WAS CLOSED 124 BECAUSE OF BOOKKEEPING 134 THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAK 146 SOCIALISTS! BEWARE OF MRS. ROSENBERG 155 A CONFLICT OF IDEALS 162 THE HOLY HEALER FROM OMSK 174 HIRSH ROTH'S THEORY 186 THE TRAGEDY OF AFGHIAN'S LIVING RUG 197 BABETA'S DOG 208 THE PROFESSOR 224 THE PURE MOTIVE 233 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece When Ferenczy entered the café there were two different camps 8 Luleika and old Kurguz walked in Washington Street 82 "Little Father, your pulse is wonderful to-day" 182 DUST OF NEW YORK THERESA THE VAMP New York is an orchestra playing a symphony. If you hear the part of only one instrument--first violin or oboe, 'cello or French horn--it is incongruous. To understand the symphony you must hear all the instruments playing together, each its own part, to the invisible baton of that great conductor, Father Time.