The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million
John Stuart Mill · en
"And then," continued Carter, "we will travel on and see whatever we
wish in the world. After the European cities we will visit India and
the ancient cities there, and ride on elephants and see the wonderful
temples of the Hindoos and Brahmins and the Japanese gardens and the
camel trains and chariot races in Persia, and all the queer sights of
foreign countries. Don't you think you would like it, Masie?"
Masie rose to her feet.
"I think we had better be going home," she said, coolly. "It's
getting late."
Carter humored her. He had come to know her varying, thistle-down
moods, and that it was useless to combat them. But he felt a certain
happy triumph. He had held for a moment, though but by a silken
thread, the soul of his wild Psyche, and hope was stronger within
him. Once she had folded her wings and her cool hand had closed about
his own.
At the Biggest Store the next day Masie's chum, Lulu, waylaid her in
an angle of the counter.
"How are you and your swell friend making it? she asked.
"Oh, him?" said Masie, patting her side curls. "He ain't in it any
more. Say, Lu, what do you think that fellow wanted me to do?"
"Go on the stage?" guessed Lulu, breathlessly.
"Nit; he's too cheap a guy for that. He wanted me to marry him and go
down to Coney Island for a wedding tour!"
IV
DOUGHERTY'S EYE-OPENER
Big Jim Dougherty was a sport. He belonged to that race of men.
In Manhattan it is a distinct race. They are the Caribs of the
North--strong, artful, self-sufficient, clannish, honorable within
the laws of their race, holding in lenient contempt neighboring
tribes who bow to the measure of Society's tapeline. I refer, of
course, to the titled nobility of sportdom. There is a class which
bears as a qualifying adjective the substantive belonging to a wind
instrument made of a cheap and base metal. But the tin mines of
Cornwall never produced the material for manufacturing descriptive
nomenclature for "Big Jim" Dougherty.
The habitat of the sport is the lobby or the outside corner of
certain hotels and combination restaurants and cafés. They are mostly
men of different sizes, running from small to large; but they are
unanimous in the possession of a recently shaven, blue-black cheek
and chin and dark overcoats (in season) with black velvet collars.
Of the domestic life of the sport little is known. It has been said
that Cupid and Hymen sometimes take a hand in the game and copper the
queen of hearts to lose. Daring theorists have averred--not content
with simply saying--that a sport often contracts a spouse, and even
incurs descendants. Sometimes he sits in the game of politics; and
then at chowder picnics there is a revelation of a Mrs. Sport and
little Sports in glazed hats with tin pails.