Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) TURNS ABOUT TOWN ROBERT CORTES HOLLIDAY By ROBERT CORTES HOLLIDAY TURNS ABOUT TOWN MEN AND BOOKS AND CITIES BROOME STREET STRAWS WALKING-STICK PAPERS PEEPS AT PEOPLE BOOTH TARKINGTON THE MEMOIR TO: JOYCE KILMER: POEMS ESSAYS AND LETTERS TURNS ABOUT TOWN BY ROBERT CORTES HOLLIDAY [Illustration: colophon] NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY _Copyright, 1921, By George H. Doran Company_ _Printed in the United States of America_ CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THE DEDICATION OF THIS BOOK TO JOHN BUNKER, ESQRE _The Players, 16 Gramercy Park, New York City, June 10, 1921._ DEAR JOHN: I am, with your permission, dedicating to you a new book of mine--that it, on condition that you help me read the proofs. The book is to be called "Turns About Town." It will be published sometime this autumn. _Ever yours,_ BOB. _To: John Bunker, Esqre_ * * * * * _New York, 521 West 148th Street, June 12, 1921._ DEAR BOB: _You can't intimidate me by any such threat. On the contrary, I think I shall be secretly (and tremendously) pleased. As for the proofs, all I have to say is (in the words of the stage villain), "Produce your proofs!"_ _Always, dear Bob, Sincerely yours,_ JOHN. _To: Robert Cortes Holliday, Esqre_ FOREWORD More than half of these pieces were syndicated in a number of American newspapers by The Central Press Association of New York. Several others of them originally appeared in _The Bookman_. "Literary Lives" has been amplified since it was written for the New York _Times_ as a review of the "Dictionary of National Biography," Second Supplement, Volumes II and III. "Only She Was There" and "Former Tenant of His Room" are reprinted from the New York _Evening Post_. "The Sexless Camera" was contributed to a magazine called _The International_. "I Know an Editor" was written at the invitation of a gentleman whose name I cannot recall, and whether or not he ever used it in whatever publication it was with which he was connected I do not know. I thank all these friends of mine for permitting me to here reprint these articles. R. C. H. New York, 1921. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE FOREWORD vii I THE HOTEL GUEST 13 II A HUMORIST MISFITS AT A MURDER TRIAL 28 III QUEER THING, 'BOUT UNDERTAKERS' SHOPS 36 IV THE HAIRCUT THAT WENT TO MY HEAD 46