The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million — John Shaqi
The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four MillionHenry, O.
Philosophy
The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million
Henry, O.
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Short stories
"Well, the night goes on, and the ex-tenants of the Flats groans and
stumbles around in the dark, trying to find rest and recreation in
the forest. The children is screaming with the coldness, and the
janitor makes hot tea for 'em and keeps the fires going with the
signboards that point to the Tavern and the Casino. The tenants try
to lay down on the grass by families in the dark, but you're lucky if
you can sleep next to a man from the same floor or believing in the
same religion. Now and then a Murpby, accidental, rolls over on the
grass of a Rosenstein, or a Cohen tries to crawl under the O'Grady
bush, and then there's a feeling of noses and somebody is rolled down
the hill to the driveway and stays there. There is some hair-pulling
among the women folks, and everybody spanks the nearest howling kid
to him by the sense of feeling only, regardless of its parentage and
ownership. 'Tis hard to keep up the social distinctions in the dark
that flourish by daylight in the Beersheba Flats. Mrs. Rafferty, that
despises the asphalt that a Dago treads on, wakes up in the morning
with her feet in the bosom of Antonio Spizzinelli. And Mike O'Dowd,
that always threw peddlers downstairs as fast as he came upon 'em,
has to unwind old Isaacstein's whiskers from around his neck, and
wake up the whole gang at daylight. But here and there some few got
acquainted and overlooked the discomforts of the elements. There
was five engagements to be married announced at the flats the next
morning.
"About midnight I gets up and wrings the dew out of my hair, and goes
to the side of the driveway and sits down. At one side of the park I
could see the lights in the streets and houses; and I was thinking
how happy them folks was who could chase the duck and smoke their
pipes at their windows, and keep cool and pleasant like nature
intended for 'em to.
"Just then an automobile stops by me, and a fine-looking,
well-dressed man steps out.
"'Me man,' says he, 'can you tell me why all these people are lying
around on the grass in the park? I thought it was against the rules.'
"''Twas an ordinance,' says I, 'just passed by the Polis Department
and ratified by the Turf Cutters' Association, providing that all
persons not carrying a license number on their rear axles shall keep
in the public parks until further notice. Fortunately, the orders
comes this year during a spell of fine weather, and the mortality,
except on the borders of the lake and along the automobile drives,
will not be any greater than usual.'
"'Who are these people on the side of the hill?' asks the man.
"'Sure,' says I, 'none others than the tenants of the Beersheba
Flats--a fine home for any man, especially on hot nights. May
daylight come soon!'
"'They come here be night,' says he, 'and breathe in the pure air
and the fragrance of the flowers and trees. They do that,' says he,
'coming every night from the burning heat of dwellings of brick and
stone.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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