City and town life -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
“Vell, you didn't come to de wrong place,” he said. “All de biggest
things comes to me, an' I don't mind tellin' you about 'em. 'T ain't
goin' to do no harm. Weddings an' things dey ought to be wrote up,
anyhow, if dey're done right. It's good for business. Vy don't dey have
no pictures of de supper-tables? Dot'd be good.”
“There's lots of receptions and weddings this month,” said Mrs.
Munsberg, becoming agreeably excited. “And there's plenty handsome young
girls that'd like their pictures published.
“None of them have been in Sunday papers before, and they'd like it. The
four Schwartz girls would make grand pictures. They dress splendid, and
their bridesmaids dresses came from the biggest place in Fift' Avenoo.”
“Say,” exclaimed Tembarom, rising from his chair, “I'm in luck. Luck
struck me the minute I turned in here. If you'll tell me where Schwartz
lives, and where the hall is, and the church, and just anything else
I can use, I'll go out and whoop up a page to beat the band.” He was
glowing with exultation. “I know I can do it. You've started me off.”
Munsberg and his wife began to warm. It was almost as though they had
charge of the society page themselves. There was something stimulating
in the idea. There was a suggestion of social importance in it. They
knew a number of people who would be pleased with the prospect of being
in the Sunday Earth. They were of a race which holds together, and they
gave not only the names and addresses of prospective entertainers, but
those of florists and owners of halls where parties were given.
Mrs. Munsberg gave the name of a dressmaker of whom she shrewdly guessed
that she would be amiably ready to talk to a society-page reporter.
“That Biker feller,” she said, “got things down all wrong. He called
fine white satin 'white nun's-veiling,' and he left out things. Never
said nothing about Miss Lewishon's diamond ring what her grandpa gave
her for a wedding-present. An' it cost two hundred and fifty.”
“Well, I'm a pretty big fool myself,” said Tembarom, “but I should have
known better than that.”
When he opened the door to go, Mrs. Munsberg called after him:
“When you get through, you come back here and tell us what you done.
I'll give you a cup of hot coffee.”
He returned to Mrs. Bowse's boarding-house so late that night that even
Steinberger and Bowles had ended their day. The gas in the hall was
turned down to a glimmering point, and the house was silent for the
night. Even a cat who stole to him and rubbed herself against his leg
miauwed in a sort of abortive whisper, opening her mouth wide, but
emitting no sound. When he went cautiously up the staircase he carried
his damp overcoat with him, and hung it in company with the tartan
muffler close to the heater in the upper hall. Then he laid on his
bedside table a package of papers and photographs.
After he had undressed, he dropped heavily into bed, exhausted, but
elate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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