Stephen Crane
Maggie a Girl of the Streets
Publishers Note
The interest which has been shown in The Red Badge of Courage has been most
gratifying but it has also involved a few inaccuracies of statement in regard
to the history of Mr Cranes literary work The Red Badge of Courage was
offered to and accepted by the publishers in December 1894 and it was
published in October 1895 As it happened the actual publication in England
came some two months later By that time the American press had appreciated the
quality of the book so cordially and unanimously as to dispose of the lingering
tradition that only a wellknown author or an author with the hall mark of
foreign approval is recognised by our reviewers
As to the book which succeeds The Red Badge of Courage it should be said
that Maggie has never been published before even in serial form The story was
put into type and copyrighted by Mr Crane three years ago but this real and
strenuous tale of New York life is now given to the public for the first time
An Appreciation
I think that what strikes me most in the story of »Maggie« is that quality of
fatal necessity which dominates Greek tragedy From the conditions it all had to
be and there were the conditions I felt this in Mr Hardys »Jude« where the
principle seems to become conscious in the writer but there is apparently no
consciousness of any such motive in the author of »Maggie« Another effect is
that of an ideal of artistic beauty which is as present in the working out of
this poor girls squalid romance as in any classic fable This will be
foolishness I know to the many foolish people who cannot discriminate between
the material and the treatment in art and think that beauty is inseparable from
daintiness and prettiness but I do not speak to them I appeal rather to such
as feel themselves akin with every kind of human creature and find neither high
nor low when it is a question of inevitable suffering or of a soul struggling
vainly with an inexorable fate
My rhetoric scarcely suggests the simple terms the author uses to produce
the effect which I am trying to repeat again They are simple but always most
graphic especially when it comes to the personalities of the story the girl
herself with her bewildered wish to be right and good with her distorted
perspective her clinging and generous affections her hopeless environments
the horrible old drunken mother a cyclone of violence and volcano of vulgarity
the mean and selfish lover dandy rowdy with his gross ideals and ambitions
her brother an Ishmaelite from the cradle who with his warlike instincts
beaten back into cunning is what the bhoy of former times has become in our
more strenuously policed days He is indeed a wonderful figure in a group
which betrays no faltering in the artists hand He with his dull hates his
warped goodwill his cowed ferocity is almost as fine artistically as Maggie
but he could not have been so hard to do for all the pathos of her fate is
rendered without one maudlin touch So is that of the simpleminded and devoted
and tedious old woman who is Georges mother in the book of that name This is
scarcely a study at all while Maggie is really and fully so It is the study of
a situation merely a poor inadequate woman of a commonplace religiosity whose
son goes to the bad The wonder of it is the courage which deals with persons so
absolutely average and the art which graces them with the beauty of the
authors compassion for everything that errs and suffers Without this feeling
the effects of his mastery would be impossible and if it went further or put
itself into the pitying phrases it would annul the effects But it never does
this it is notable how in all respects the author keeps himself well in hand
He is quite honest with his reader He never shows his characters or his
situations in any sort of sentimental glamour if you will be moved by the
sadness of common fates you will feel his intention but he does not flatter his
portraits of people on conditions to take your fancy
WD HOWELLS
Chapter I
A very little boy stood upon a heap of gravel for the honor of Rum Alley He was
throwing stones at howling urchins from Devils Row who were circling madly
about the heap and pelting him
His infantile countenance was livid with the fury of battle His small body
was writhing in the delivery of oaths
»Run Jimmie run Deyll git yehs« screamed a retreating Rum Alley child
»Naw« responded Jimmie with a valiant roar »dese micks cant make me run«
Howls of renewed wrath went up from Devils Row throats Tattered gamins on
the right made a furious assault on the gravel heap On their small convulsed
faces shone the grins of true assassins As they charged they threw stones and
cursed in shrill chorus
The little champion of Rum Alley stumbled precipitately down the other side
His coat had been torn to shreds in a scuffle and his hat was gone He had
bruises on twenty parts of his body and blood was dripping from a cut in his
head His wan features looked like those of a tiny insane demon
On the ground children from Devils Row closed in on their antagonist He
crooked his left arm defensively about his head and fought with madness The
little boys ran to and fro dodging hurling stones and swearing in barbaric
trebles
From a window of an apartment house that uprose from amid squat ignorant
stables there leaned a curious woman Some laborers unloading a scow at a dock
at the river paused for a moment and regarded the fight The engineer of a
passive tugboat hung lazily over a railing and watched Over on the Island a
worm of yellow convicts came from the shadow of a grey ominous building and
crawled slowly along the rivers bank
A stone had smashed in Jimmies mouth Blood was bubbling over his chin and
down upon his ragged shirt Tears made furrows on his dirtstained cheeks His
thin legs had begun to tremble and turn weak causing his small body to reel
His roaring curses of the first part of the fight had changed to a blasphemous
chatter
In the yells of the whirling mob of Devils Row children there were notes of
joy like songs of triumphant savagery The little boys seemed to leer gloatingly
at the blood upon the other childs face
Down the avenue came boastfully sauntering a lad of sixteen years although
the chronic sneer of an ideal manhood already sat upon his lips His hat was
tipped over his eye with an air of challenge Between his teeth a cigar stump
was tilted at the angle of defiance He walked with a certain swing of the
shoulders which appalled the timid He glanced over into the vacant lot in which
the little raving boys from Devils Row seethed about the shrieking and tearful
child from Rum Alley
»Gee« he murmured with interest »A scrap Gee«
He strode over to the cursing circle swinging his shoulders in a manner
which denoted that he held victory in his fists He approached at the back of
one of the most deeply engaged of the Devils Row children
»Ah what d hell« he said and smote the deeplyengaged one on the back of
the head The little boy fell to the ground and gave a tremendous howl He
scrambled to his feet and perceiving evidently the size of his assailant ran
quickly off shouting alarms The entire Devils Row party followed him They
came to a stand a short distance away and yelled taunting oaths at the boy with
the chronic sneer The latter momentarily paid no attention to them
»What d hell Jimmie« he asked of the small champion
Jimmie wiped his bloodwet features with his sleeve
»Well it was dis way Pete see I was goin t lick dat Riley kid and dey
all pitched on me«
Some Rum Alley children now came forward The party stood for a moment
exchanging vainglorious remarks with Devils Row A few stones were thrown at
long distances and words of challenge passed between small warriors Then the
Rum Alley contingent turned slowly in the direction of their home street They
began to give each to each distorted versions of the fight Causes of retreat
in particular cases were magnified Blows dealt in the fight were enlarged to
catapultian power and stones thrown were alleged to have hurtled with infinite
accuracy Valor grew strong again and the little boys began to brag with great
spirit
»Ah we blokies kin lick d hull damn Row« said a child swaggering
Little Jimmie was striving to stanch the flow of blood from his cut lips
Scowling he turned upon the speaker
»Ah where d hell was yehs when I was doin all d fightin« he demanded
»Youse kids makes me tired«
»Ah go ahn« replied the other argumentatively
Jimmie replied with heavy contempt »Ah youse cant fight Blue Billie I
kin lick yeh wid one han«
»Ah go ahn« replied Billie again
»Ah« said Jimmie threateningly
»Ah« said the other in the same tone
They struck at each other clinched and rolled over on the cobble stones
»Smash im Jimmie kick d damn guts out of im« yelled Pete the lad with
the chronic sneer in tones of delight
The small combatants pounded and kicked scratched and tore They began to
weep and their curses struggled in their throats with sobs The other little
boys clasped their hands and wriggled their legs in excitement They formed a
bobbing circle about the pair
A tiny spectator was suddenly agitated
»Cheese it Jimmie cheese it Here comes yer fader« he yelled
The circle of little boys instantly parted They drew away and waited in
ecstatic awe for that which was about to happen The two little boys fighting in
the modes of four thousand years ago did not hear the warning
Up the avenue there plodded slowly a man with sullen eyes He was carrying a
dinnerpail and smoking an applewood pipe
As he neared the spot where the little boys strove he regarded them
listlessly But suddenly he roared an oath and advanced upon the rolling
fighters
»Here you Jim git up now while I belt yer life out yeh damned
disorderly brat«
He began to kick into the chaotic mass on the ground The boy Billie felt a
heavy boot strike his head He made a furious effort and disentangled himself
from Jimmie He tottered away damning
Jimmie arose painfully from the ground and confronting his father began to
curse him His parent kicked him »Come home now« he cried »an stop yer
jawin er Ill lam the everlasting head off yehs«
They departed The man paced placidly along with the applewood emblem of
serenity between his teeth The boy followed a dozen feet in the rear He swore
luridly for he felt that it was degradation for one who aimed to be some vague
kind of a soldier or a man of blood with a sort of sublime license to be taken
home by a father
Chapter II
Eventually they entered into a dark region where from a careening building a
dozen gruesome doorways gave up loads of babies to the street and the gutter A
wind of early autumn raised yellow dust from cobbles and swirled it against an
hundred windows Long streamers of garments fluttered from fireescapes In all
unhandy places there were buckets brooms rags and bottles In the street
infants played or fought with other infants or sat stupidly in the way of
vehicles Formidable women with uncombed hair and disordered dress gossiped
while leaning on railings or screamed in frantic quarrels Withered persons in
curious postures of submission to something sat smoking pipes in obscure
corners A thousand odors of cooking food came forth to the street The building
quivered and creaked from the weight of humanity stamping about in its bowels
A small ragged girl dragged a red bawling infant along the crowded ways He
was hanging back babylike bracing his wrinkled bare legs
The little girl cried out »Ah Tommie come ahn Deres Jimmie and fader
Dont be apullin me back«
She jerked the babys arm impatiently He fell on his face roaring With a
second jerk she pulled him to his feet and they went on With the obstinacy of
his order he protested against being dragged in a chosen direction He made
heroic endeavors to keep on his legs denounced his sister and consumed a bit of
orange peeling which he chewed between the times of his infantile orations
As the sulleneyed man followed by the bloodcovered boy drew near the
little girl burst into reproachful cries »Ah Jimmie youse bin fightin agin«
The urchin swelled disdainfully
»Ah what d hell Mag See«
The little girl upbraided him »Youse allus fightin Jimmie an yeh knows
it puts mudder out when yehs come home half dead an its like well all get a
poundin«
She began to weep The babe threw back his head and roared at his prospects
»Ah what d hell« cried Jimmie »Shut up er Ill smack yer mout See«
As his sister continued her lamentations he suddenly struck her The little
girl reeled and recovering herself burst into tears and quaveringly cursed
him As she slowly retreated her brother advanced dealing her cuffs The father
heard and turned about
»Stop that Jim dyeh hear Leave yer sister alone on the street Its like
I can never beat any sense into yer damned wooden head«
The urchin raised his voice in defiance to his parent and continued his
attacks The babe bawled tremendously protesting with great violence During
his sisters hasty manoeuvres he was dragged by the arm
Finally the procession plunged into one of the gruesome doorways They
crawled up dark stairways and along cold gloomy halls At last the father
pushed open a door and they entered a lighted room in which a large woman was
rampant
She stopped in a career from a seething stove to a pancovered table As the
father and children filed in she peered at them
»Eh what Been fightin agin by Gawd« She threw herself upon Jimmie The
urchin tried to dart behind the others and in the scuffle the babe Tommie was
knocked down He protested with his usual vehemence because they had bruised
his tender shins against a table leg
The mothers massive shoulders heaved with anger Grasping the urchin by the
neck and shoulder she shook him until he rattled She dragged him to an unholy
sink and soaking a rag in water began to scrub his lacerated face with it
Jimmie screamed in pain and tried to twist his shoulders out of the clasp of the
huge arms
The babe sat on the floor watching the scene his face in contortions like
that of a woman at a tragedy The father with a newlyladened pipe in his
mouth sat in a backless chair near the stove Jimmies cries annoyed him He
turned about and bellowed at his wife
»Let the damned kid alone for a minute will yeh Mary Yer allus poundin
im When I come nights I cant git no rest cause yer allus poundin a kid Let
up dyeh hear Dont be allus poundin a kid«
The womans operations on the urchin instantly increased in violence At
last she tossed him to a corner where he limply lay weeping
The wife put her immense hands on her hips and with a chieftainlike stride
approached her husband
»Ho« she said with a great grunt of contempt »An what in the devil are
you stickin your nose for«
The babe crawled under the table and turning peered out cautiously The
ragged girl retreated and the urchin in the corner drew his legs carefully
beneath him
The man puffed his pipe calmly and put his great muddied boots on the back
part of the stove
»Go t hell« he said tranquilly
The woman screamed and shook her fists before her husbands eyes The rough
yellow of her face and neck flared suddenly crimson She began to howl
He puffed imperturbably at his pipe for a time but finally arose and went
to look out at the window into the darkening chaos of back yards
»Youve been drinkin Mary« he said »Youd better let up on the bot ol
woman or youll git done«
»Youre a liar I aint had a drop« she roared in reply They had a lurid
altercation in which they damned each others souls with frequence
The babe was staring out from under the table his small face working in his
excitement The ragged girl went stealthily over to the corner where the urchin
lay
»Are yehs hurted much Jimmie« she whispered timidly
»Not a damn bit See« growled the little boy
»Will I wash d blood«
»Naw«
»Will I «
»When I catch dat Riley kid Ill break is face Dats right See«
He turned his face to the wall as if resolved to grimly bide his time
In the quarrel between husband and wife the woman was victor The man
seized his hat and rushed from the room apparently determined upon a vengeful
drunk She followed to the door and thundered at him as he made his way down
stairs
She returned and stirred up the room until her children were bobbing about
like bubbles
»Git outa d way« she persistently bawled waving feet with their
dishevelled shoes near the heads of her children She shrouded herself puffing
and snorting in a cloud of steam at the stove and eventually extracted a
fryingpan full of potatoes that hissed
She flourished it »Come t yer suppers now« she cried with sudden
exasperation »Hurry up now er Ill help yeh«
The children scrambled hastily With prodigious clatter they arranged
themselves at table The babe sat with his feet dangling high from a precarious
infant chair and gorged his small stomach Jimmie forced with feverish
rapidity the greaseenveloped pieces between his wounded lips Maggie with
side glances of fear of interruption ate like a small pursued tigress
The mother sat blinking at them She delivered reproaches swallowed
potatoes and drank from a yellowbrown bottle After a time her mood changed and
she wept as she carried little Tommie into another room and laid him to sleep
with his fists doubled in an old quilt of faded red and green grandeur Then
she came and moaned by the stove She rocked to and fro upon a chair shedding
tears and crooning miserably to the two children about their poor mother and yer
fader damn is soul
The little girl plodded between the table and the chair with a dishpan on
it She tottered on her small legs beneath burdens of dishes
Jimmie sat nursing his various wounds He cast furtive glances at his
mother His practised eye perceived her gradually emerge from a muddled mist of
sentiment until her brain burned in drunken heat He sat breathless
Maggie broke a plate
The mother started to her feet as if propelled
»Good Gawd« she howled Her glittering eyes fastened on her child with
sudden hatred The fervent red of her face turned almost to purple The little
boy ran to the halls shrieking like a monk in an earthquake
He floundered about in darkness until he found the stairs He stumbled
panicstricken to the next floor An old woman opened a door A light behind
her threw a flare on the urchins face
»Eh Gawd child what is it dis time Is yer fader beatin yer mudder or
yer mudder beatin yer fader«
Chapter III
Jimmie and the old woman listened long in the hall Above the muffled roar of
conversation the dismal wailings of babies at night the thumping of feet in
unseen corridors and rooms and the sound of varied hoarse shoutings in the
street and the rattling of wheels over cobbles they heard the screams of the
child and the roars of the mother die away to a feeble moaning and a subdued
bass muttering
The old woman was a gnarled and leathery personage who could don at will
an expression of great virtue She possessed a small music box capable of one
tune and a collection of God bless yehs pitched in assorted keys of fervency
Each day she took a position upon the stones of Fifth Avenue where she crooked
her legs under her and crouched immovable and hideous like an idol She
received daily a small sum in pennies It was contributed for the most part by
persons who did not make their homes in that vicinity
Once when a lady had dropped her purse on the sidewalk the gnarled woman
had grabbed it and smuggled it with great dexterity beneath her cloak When she
was arrested she had cursed the lady into a partial swoon and with her aged
limbs twisted from rheumatism had almost kicked the stomach out of a huge
policeman whose conduct upon that occasion she referred to when she said »The
police damn em«
»Eh Jimmie its cursed shame« she said »Go now like a dear an buy me
a can an if yer mudder raises ell all night yehs can sleep here«
Jimmie took a tendered tinpail and seven pennies and departed He passed
into the side door of a saloon and went to the bar Straining up on his toes he
raised the pail and pennies as high as his arms would let him He saw two hands
thrust down to take them Directly the same hands let down the filled pail and
he left
In front of the gruesome doorway he met a lurching figure It was his
father swaying about on uncertain legs
»Give me d can See« said the man
»Ah come off I got dis can fer dat ol woman an it ud be dirt t swipe
it See« cried Jimmie
The father wrenched the pail from the urchin He grasped it in both hands
and lifted it to his mouth He glued his lips to the under edge and tilted his
head His throat swelled until it seemed to grow near his chin There was a
tremendous gulping movement and the beer was gone
The man caught his breath and laughed He hit his son on the head with the
empty pail As it rolled clanging into the street Jimmie began to scream and
kicked repeatedly at his fathers shins
»Look at d dirt what yeh done me« he yelled »D ol woman ill be raisin
hell«
He retreated to the middle of the street but the man did not pursue He
staggered toward the door
»Ill club hell outa yeh when I ketch yeh« he shouted and disappeared
During the evening he had been standing against a bar drinking whiskies and
declaring to all comers confidentially »My home reglar livin hell Damndes
place Reglar hell Why do I come an drin whisk here thish way Cause home
reglar livin hell«
Jimmie waited a long time in the street and then crept warily up through the
building He passed with great caution the door of the gnarled woman and
finally stopped outside his home and listened
He could hear his mother moving heavily about among the furniture of the
room She was chanting in a mournful voice occasionally interjecting bursts of
volcanic wrath at the father who Jimmie judged had sunk down on the floor or
in a corner
»Why d blazes don chere try t keep Jim from fightin Ill break yer
jaw« she suddenly bellowed
The man mumbled with drunken indifference »Ah wha d hell Was odds
Wha makes kick«
»Because he tears is clothes yeh damn fool« cried the woman in supreme
wrath
The husband seemed to become aroused »Go t hell« he thundered fiercely in
reply There was a crash against the door and something broke into clattering
fragments Jimmie partially suppressed a yell and darted down the stairway
Below he paused and listened He heard howls and curses groans and shrieks a
confused chorus as if a battle were raging With it all there was the crash of
splintering furniture The eyes of the urchin glared in his fear that one of
them would discover him
Curious faces appeared in doorways and whispered comments passed to and
fro »Ol Johnsons raisin hell agin«
Jimmie stood until the noises ceased and the other inhabitants of the
tenement had all yawned and shut their doors Then he crawled up stairs with the
caution of an invader of a panther den Sounds of labored breathing came through
the broken doorpanels He pushed the door open and entered quaking
A glow from the fire threw red hues over the bare floor the cracked and
soiled plastering and the overturned and broken furniture
In the middle of the floor lay his mother asleep In one corner of the room
his fathers limp body hung across the seat of a chair
The urchin stole forward He began to shiver in dread of awakening his
parents His mothers great chest was heaving painfully Jimmie paused and
looked down at her Her face was inflamed and swollen from drinking Her yellow
brows shaded eyelids that had grown blue Her tangled hair tossed in waves over
her forehead Her mouth was set in the same lines of vindictive hatred that it
had perhaps borne during the fight Her bare red arms were thrown out above
her head in an attitude of exhaustion something mayhap like that of a sated
villain
The urchin bended over his mother He was fearful lest she should open her
eyes and the dread within him was so strong that he could not forbear to
stare but hung as if fascinated over the womans grim face
Suddenly her eyes opened The urchin found himself looking straight into an
expression which it would seem had the power to change his blood to salt He
howled piercingly and fell backward
The woman floundered for a moment tossed her arms about her head as if in
combat and again began to snore
Jimmie crawled back into the shadows and waited A noise in the next room
had followed his cry at the discovery that his mother was awake He grovelled in
the gloom his eyes riveted upon the intervening door
He heard it creak and then the sound of a small voice came to him »Jimmie
Jimmie Are yehs dere« it whispered The urchin started The thin white face
of his sister looked at him from the doorway of the other room She crept to him
across the floor
The father had not moved but lay in the same deathlike sleep The mother
writhed in uneasy slumber her chest wheezing as if she were in the agonies of
strangulation Out at the window a florid moon was peering over dark roofs and
in the distance the waters of a river glimmered pallidly
The small frame of the ragged girl was quivering Her features were haggard
from weeping and her eyes gleamed with fear She grasped the urchins arm in
her little trembling hands and they huddled in a corner The eyes of both were
drawn by some force to stare at the womans face for they thought she need
only to awake and all the fiends would come from below
They crouched until the ghostmists of dawn appeared at the window drawing
close to the panes and looking in at the prostrate heaving body of the mother
Chapter IV
The babe Tommie died He went away in an insignificant coffin his small waxen
hand clutching a flower that the girl Maggie had stolen from an Italian
She and Jimmie lived
The inexperienced fibres of the boys eyes were hardened at an early age He
became a young man of leather He lived some red years without laboring During
that time his sneer became chronic He studied human nature in the gutter and
found it no worse than he thought he had reason to believe it He never
conceived a respect for the world because he had begun with no idols that it
had smashed
He clad his soul in armor by means of happening hilariously in at a mission
church where a man composed his sermons of yous Once a philosopher asked this
man why he did not say we instead of you The man replied »What«
While they got warm at the stove he told his hearers just where he
calculated they stood with the Lord Many of the sinners were impatient over the
pictured depths of their degradation They were waiting for souptickets
A reader of words of winddemons might have been able to see the portions of
a dialogue pass to and fro between the exhorter and his hearers
»You are damned« said the preacher And the reader of sounds might have
seen the reply go forth from the ragged people »Wheres our soup«
Jimmie and a companion sat in a rear seat and commented upon the things that
didnt concern them with all the freedom of English tourists When they grew
thirsty and went out their minds confused the speaker with Christ
Momentarily Jimmie was sullen with thoughts of a hopeless altitude where
grew fruit His companion said that if he should ever meet God he would ask for
a million dollars and a bottle of beer
Jimmies occupation for a long time was to stand on streetcorners and watch
the world go by dreaming bloodred dreams at the passing of pretty women He
menaced mankind at the intersections of streets
On the corners he was in life and of life The world was going on and he was
there to perceive it
He maintained a belligerent attitude toward all welldressed men To him
fine raiment was allied to weakness and all good coats covered faint hearts He
and his order were kings to a certain extent over the men of untarnished
clothes because these latter dreaded perhaps to be either killed or laughed
at
Above all things he despised obvious Christians and ciphers with the
chrysanthemums of aristocracy in their buttonholes He considered himself above
both of these classes He was afraid of nothing
When he had a dollar in his pocket his satisfaction with existence was the
greatest thing in the world So eventually he felt obliged to work His father
died and his mothers years were divided up into periods of thirty days
He became a truck driver There was given to him the charge of a
painstaking pair of horses and a large rattling truck He invaded the turmoil
and tumble of the downtown streets and learned to breathe maledictory defiance
at the police who occasionally used to climb up drag him from his perch and
punch him
In the lower part of the city he daily involved himself in hideous tangles
If he and his team chanced to be in the rear he preserved a demeanor of
serenity crossing his legs and bursting forth into yells when foot passengers
took dangerous dives beneath the noses of his champing horses He smoked his
pipe calmly for he knew that his pay was marching on
If his charge was in the front and if it became the keytruck of chaos he
entered terrifically into the quarrel that was raging to and fro among the
drivers on their high seats and sometimes roared oaths and violently got
himself arrested
After a time his sneer grew so that it turned its glare upon all things He
became so sharp that he believed in nothing To him the police were always
actuated by malignant impulses and the rest of the world was composed for the
most part of despicable creatures who were all trying to take advantage of him
and with whom in defense he was obliged to quarrel on all possible occasions
He himself occupied a downtrodden position which had a private but distinct
element of grandeur in its isolation
The greatest cases of aggravated idiocy were to his mind rampant upon the
front platforms of all of the street cars At first his tongue strove with these
beings but he eventually became superior In him grew a majestic contempt for
those strings of street cars that followed him like intent bugs
He fell into the habit when starting on a long journey of fixing his eye
on a high and distant object commanding his horses to start and then going into
a trance of observation Multitudes of drivers might howl in his rear and
passengers might load him with opprobrium but he would not awaken until some
blue policeman turned red and began to frenziedly seize bridles and beat the
soft noses of the responsible horses
When he paused to contemplate the attitude of the police toward himself and
his fellows he believed that they were the only men in the city who had no
rights When driving about he felt that he was held liable by the police for
anything that might occur in the streets and that he was the common prey of all
energetic officials In revenge he resolved never to move out of the way of
anything until formidable circumstances or a much larger man than himself
forced him to it
Foot passengers were mere pestering flies with an insane disregard for their
legs and his convenience He could not comprehend their desire to cross the
streets Their madness smote him with eternal amazement He was continually
storming at them from his throne He sat aloft and denounced their frantic
leaps plunges dives and straddles
When they would thrust at or parry the noses of his champing horses
making them swing their heads and move their feet and thus disturbing a stolid
dreamy repose he swore at the men as fools for he himself could perceive that
Providence had caused it clearly to be written that he and his team had the
unalienable right to stand in the proper path of the sun chariot and if they so
minded obstruct its mission or take a wheel off
And if the goddriver had had a desire to step down put up his
flamecolored fists and manfully dispute the right of way he would have
probably been immediately opposed by a scowling mortal with two sets of hard
knuckles
It is possible perhaps that this young man would have derided in an
axlewide alley the approach of a flying ferry boat Yet he achieved a respect
for a fire engine As one charged toward his truck he would drive fearfully
upon a sidewalk threatening untold people with annihilation When an engine
struck a mass of blocked trucks splitting it into fragments as a blow
annihilates a cake of ice Jimmies team could usually be observed high and
safe with whole wheels on the sidewalk The fearful coming of the engine could
break up the most intricate muddle of heavy vehicles at which the police had
been swearing for the half of an hour
A fire engine was enshrined in his heart as an appalling thing that he loved
with a distant doglike devotion It had been known to overturn a street car
Those leaping horses striking sparks from the cobbles in their forward lunge
were creatures to be ineffably admired The clang of the gong pierced his breast
like a noise of remembered war
When Jimmie was a little boy he began to be arrested Before he reached a
great age he had a fair record
He developed too great a tendency to climb down from his truck and fight
with other drivers He had been in quite a number of miscellaneous fights and
in some general barroom rows that had become known to the police Once he had
been arrested for assaulting a Chinaman Two women in different parts of the
city and entirely unknown to each other caused him considerable annoyance by
breaking forth simultaneously at fateful intervals into wailings about
marriage and support and infants
Nevertheless he had on a certain starlit evening said wonderingly and
quite reverently »D moon looks like hell dont it«
Chapter V
The girl Maggie blossomed in a mud puddle She grew to be a most rare and
wonderful production of a tenement district a pretty girl
None of the dirt of Rum Alley seemed to be in her veins The philosophers up
stairs down stairs and on the same floor puzzled over it
When a child playing and fighting with gamins in the street dirt disguised
her Attired in tatters and grime she went unseen
There came a time however when the young men of the vicinity said »Dat
Johnson goil is a puty good looker« About this period her brother remarked to
her »Mag Ill tell yeh dis See Yehve edder got t go t hell er go t
work« Whereupon she went to work having the feminine aversion of going to
hell
By a chance she got a position in an establishment where they made collars
and cuffs She received a stool and a machine in a room where sat twenty girls
of various shades of yellow discontent She perched on the stool and treadled at
her machine all day turning out collars with a name which might have been noted
for its irrelevancy to anything connected with collars At night she returned
home to her mother
Jimmie grew large enough to take the vague position of head of the family
As incumbent of that office he stumbled up stairs late at night as his father
had done before him He reeled about the room swearing at his relations or
went to sleep on the floor
The mother had gradually arisen to such a degree of fame that she could
bandy words with her acquaintances among the policejustices Courtofficials
called her by her first name When she appeared they pursued a course which had
been theirs for months They invariably grinned and cried out »Hello Mary you
here again« Her grey head wagged in many courts She always besieged the bench
with voluble excuses explanations apologies and prayers Her flaming face and
rolling eyes were a familiar sight on the Island She measured time by means of
sprees and was eternally swollen and dishevelled
One day the young man Pete who as a lad had smitten the Devils Row urchin
in the back of the head and put to flight the antagonists of his friend Jimmie
strutted upon the scene He met Jimmie one day on the street promised to take
him to a boxing match in Williamsburg and called for him in the evening
Maggie observed Pete
He sat on a table in the Johnson home and dangled his checked legs with an
enticing nonchalance His hair was curled down over his forehead in an oiled
bang His pugged nose seemed to revolt from contact with a bristling moustache
of short wirelike hairs His blue doublebreasted coat edged with black
braid was buttoned close to a red puff tie and his patentleather shoes looked
like weapons
His mannerisms stamped him as a man who had a correct sense of his personal
superiority There was valor and contempt for circumstances in the glance of his
eye He waved his hands like a man of the world who dismisses religion and
philosophy and says »Rats« He had certainly seen everything and with each curl
of his lip he declared that it amounted to nothing Maggie thought he must be a
very elegant bartender
He was telling tales to Jimmie
Maggie watched him furtively with halfclosed eyes lit with a vague
interest
»Hully gee Dey makes me tired« he said »Mos ery day some farmer comes
in an tries t run d shop See But dey gits trowed right out I jolt dem
right out in d street before dey knows where dey is See«
»Sure« said Jimmie
»Dere was a mug come in d place d odder day wid an idear he wus goin t
own d place Hully gee he wus goin t own d place I see he had a still on
an I didn wanna giv im no stuff so I says Git d hell outa here an don
make no trouble I says like dat See Git d hell outa here an don make no
trouble like dat Git d hell outa here I says See«
Jimmie nodded understandingly Over his features played an eager desire to
state the amount of his valor in a similar crisis but the narrator proceeded
»Well d blokie he says T hell wid it I ain lookin for no scrap he
says see But he says Im spectable citzen an I wanna drink an
purtydamnsoon too See D hell I says Like dat D hell I says See Don
make no trouble I says Like dat Don make no trouble See Den d mug he
squared off an said he was fine as silk wid his dukes see An he wanned a
drink damnquick Dats what he said See«
»Sure« repeated Jimmie
Pete continued »Say I jes jumped d bar an d way I plunked dat blokie
was outa sight See Dats right In d jaw See Hully gee he trowed a
spittoon tru d front windee Say I taut Id drop dead But d boss he comes
in after an he says Pete yehs done jes right Yehve gota keep order an
its all right See Its all right he says Dats what he said«
The two held a technical discussion
»Dat bloke was a dandy« said Pete in conclusion »but he hadn oughta made
no trouble Dats what I says t dem Don come in here an make no trouble I
says like dat Don make no trouble See«
As Jimmie and his friend exchanged tales descriptive of their prowess
Maggie leaned back in the shadow Her eyes dwelt wonderingly and rather
wistfully upon Petes face The broken furniture grimy walls and general
disorder and dirt of her home of a sudden appeared before her and began to take
a potential aspect Petes aristocratic person looked as if it might soil She
looked keenly at him occasionally wondering if he was feeling contempt But
Pete seemed to be enveloped in reminiscence
»Hully gee« said he »dose mugs cant phase me Dey knows I kin wipe up d
street wid any tree of dem«
When he said »Ah what d hell« his voice was burdened with disdain for
the inevitable and contempt for anything that fate might compel him to endure
Maggie perceived that here was the ideal man Her dim thoughts were often
searching for far away lands where as God says the little hills sing together
in the morning Under the trees of her dreamgardens there had always walked a
lover
Chapter VI
Pete took note of Maggie
»Say Mag Im stuck on yer shape Its outa sight« he said
parenthetically with an affable grin
As he became aware that she was listening closely he grew still more
eloquent in his descriptions of various happenings in his career It appeared
that he was invincible in fights
»Why« he said referring to a man with whom he had had a misunderstanding
»dat mug scrapped like a damned dago Dats right He was dead easy See He
taut he was a scrapper But he foun out diffent Hully gee«
He walked to and fro in the small room which seemed then to grow even
smaller and unfit to hold his dignity the attribute of a supreme warrior That
swing of the shoulders which had frozen the timid when he was but a lad had
increased with his growth and education at the ratio of ten to one It combined
with the sneer upon his mouth told mankind that there was nothing in space
which could appall him Maggie marvelled at him and surrounded him with
greatness She vaguely tried to calculate the altitude of the pinnacle from
which he must have looked down upon her
»I met a chump d odder day way up in d city« he said »I was goin t see
a frien of mine When I was acrossin d street d chump runned plump inteh
me an den he turns aroun an says Yer insolen ruffin he says like dat
Oh gee I says oh gee go t hell an git off d eart I says like dat
See Go t hell an git off d eart like dat Den d blokie he got wild He
says I was a contemptble scounel er somethin like dat an he says I was
doom t everlastin pedition er somethin like dat Gee I says gee D hell
I am I says D hell I am like dat An den I slugged im See«
With Jimmie in his company Pete departed in a sort of a blaze of glory from
the Johnson home Maggie leaning from the window watched him as he walked down
the street
Here was a formidable man who disdained the strength of a world full of
fists Here was one who had contempt for brassclothed power one whose knuckles
could defiantly ring against the granite of law He was a knight
The two men went from under the glimmering streetlamp and passed into
shadows
Turning Maggie contemplated the dark duststained walls and the scant and
crude furniture of her home A clock in a splintered and battered oblong box of
varnished wood she suddenly regarded as an abomination She noted that it
ticked raspingly The almost vanished flowers in the carpetpattern she
conceived to be newly hideous Some faint attempts which she had made with blue
ribbon to freshen the appearance of a dingy curtain she now saw to be piteous
She wondered what Pete dined on
She reflected upon the collar and cuff factory It began to appear to her
mind as a dreary place of endless grinding Petes elegant occupation brought
him no doubt into contact with people who had money and manners It was
probable that he had a large acquaintance of pretty girls He must have great
sums of money to spend
To her the earth was composed of hardships and insults She felt instant
admiration for a man who openly defied it She thought that if the grim angel of
death should clutch his heart Pete would shrug his shoulders and say »Oh
evryting goes«
She anticipated that he would come again shortly She spent some of her
weeks pay in the purchase of flowered cretonne for a lambrequin She made it
with infinite care and hung it to the slightlycareening mantel over the stove
in the kitchen She studied it with painful anxiety from different points in the
room She wanted it to look well on Sunday night when perhaps Jimmies friend
would come On Sunday night however Pete did not appear
Afterward the girl looked at it with a sense of humiliation She was now
convinced that Pete was superior to admiration for lambrequins
A few evenings later Pete entered with fascinating innovations in his
apparel As she had seen him twice and he wore a different suit each time
Maggie had a dim impression that his wardrobe was prodigious
»Say Mag« he said »put on yer bes duds Friday night an Ill take yehs
t d show See«
He spent a few moments in flourishing his clothes and then vanished without
having glanced at the lambrequin
Over the eternal collars and cuffs in the factory Maggie spent the most of
three days in making imaginary sketches of Pete and his daily environment She
imagined some half dozen women in love with him and thought he must lean
dangerously toward an indefinite one whom she pictured as endowed with great
charms of person but with an altogether contemptible disposition
She thought he must live in a blare of pleasure He had friends and people
who were afraid of him
She saw the golden glitter of the place where Pete was to take her It would
be an entertainment of many hues and many melodies where she was afraid she
might appear small and mousecolored
Her mother drank whiskey all Friday morning With lurid face and tossing
hair she cursed and destroyed furniture all Friday afternoon When Maggie came
home at halfpast six her mother lay asleep amidst the wreck of chairs and a
table Fragments of various household utensils were scattered about the floor
She had vented some phase of drunken fury upon the lambrequin It lay in a
bedraggled heap in the corner
»Hah« she snorted sitting up suddenly »where d hell yeh been Why d
hell don yeh come home earlier Been loafin round d streets Yer gettin t
be a reglar devil«
When Pete arrived Maggie in a worn black dress was waiting for him in the
midst of a floor strewn with wreckage The curtain at the window had been pulled
by a heavy hand and hung by one tack dangling to and fro in the draft through
the cracks at the sash The knots of blue ribbons appeared like violated
flowers The fire in the stove had gone out The displaced lids and open doors
showed heaps of sullen grey ashes The remnants of a meal ghastly lay in a
corner Maggies mother stretched on the floor blasphemed and gave her
daughter a bad name
Chapter VII
An orchestra of yellow silk women and baldheaded men on an elevated stage near
the centre of a great greenhued hall played a popular waltz The place was
crowded with people grouped about little tables A battalion of waiters slid
among the throng carrying trays of beer glasses and making change from the
inexhaustible vaults of their trousers pockets Little boys in the costumes of
French chefs paraded up and down the irregular aisles vending fancy cakes
There was a low rumble of conversation and a subdued clinking of glasses Clouds
of tobacco smoke rolled and wavered high in air about the dull gilt of the
chandeliers
The vast crowd had an air throughout of having just quitted labor Men with
calloused hands and attired in garments that showed the wear of an endless
drudging for a living smoked their pipes contentedly and spent five ten or
perhaps fifteen cents for beer There was a mere sprinkling of men who smoked
cigars purchased elsewhere The great body of the crowd was composed of people
who showed that all day they strove with their hands Quiet Germans with maybe
their wives and two or three children sat listening to the music with the
expressions of happy cows An occasional party of sailors from a warship their
faces pictures of sturdy health spent the earlier hours of the evening at the
small round tables Very infrequent tipsy men swollen with the value of their
opinions engaged their companions in earnest and confidential conversation In
the balcony and here and there below shone the impassive faces of women The
nationalities of the Bowery beamed upon the stage from all directions
Pete aggressively walked up a side aisle and took seats with Maggie at a
table beneath the balcony
»Two beehs«
Leaning back he regarded with eyes of superiority the scene before them
This attitude affected Maggie strongly A man who could regard such a sight with
indifference must be accustomed to very great things
It was obvious that Pete had visited this place many times before and was
very familiar with it A knowledge of this fact made Maggie feel little and new
He was extremely gracious and attentive He displayed the consideration of a
cultured gentleman who knew what was due
»Say what d hell Bring d lady a big glass What d hell use is dat
pony«
»Dont be fresh now« said the waiter with some warmth as he departed
»Ah git off d eart« said Pete after the others retreating form
Maggie perceived that Pete brought forth all his elegance and all his
knowledge of highclass customs for her benefit Her heart warmed as she
reflected upon his condescension
The orchestra of yellow silk women and baldheaded men gave vent to a few
bars of anticipatory music and a girl in a pink dress with short skirts
galloped upon the stage She smiled upon the throng as if in acknowledgment of a
warm welcome and began to walk to and fro making profuse gesticulations and
singing in brazen soprano tones a song the words of which were inaudible
When she broke into the swift rattling measures of a chorus some halftipsy men
near the stage joined in the rollicking refrain and glasses were pounded
rhythmically upon the tables People leaned forward to watch her and to try to
catch the words of the song When she vanished there were long rollings of
applause
Obedient to more anticipatory bars she reappeared amidst the
halfsuppressed cheering of the tipsy men The orchestra plunged into dance
music and the laces of the dancer fluttered and flew in the glare of gas jets
She divulged the fact that she was attired in some half dozen skirts It was
patent that any one of them would have proved adequate for the purpose for which
skirts are intended An occasional man bent forward intent upon the pink
stockings Maggie wondered at the splendor of the costume and lost herself in
calculations of the cost of the silks and laces
The dancers smile of enthusiasm was turned for ten minutes upon the faces
of her audience In the finale she fell into some of those grotesque attitudes
which were at the time popular among the dancers in the theatres uptown giving
to the Bowery public the diversions of the aristocratic theatregoing public at
reduced rates
»Say Pete« said Maggie leaning forward »dis is great«
»Sure« said Pete with proper complacence
A ventriloquist followed the dancer He held two fantastic dolls on his
knees He made them sing mournful ditties and say funny things about geography
and Ireland
»Do dose little men talk« asked Maggie
»Naw« said Pete »its some damn fake See«
Two girls set down on the bills as sisters came forth and sang a duet
which is heard occasionally at concerts given under church auspices They
supplemented it with a dance which of course can never be seen at concerts given
under church auspices
After they had retired a woman of debatable age sang a negro melody The
chorus necessitated some grotesque waddlings supposed to be an imitation of a
plantation darkey under the influence probably of music and the moon The
audience was just enthusiastic enough over it to have her return and sing a
sorrowful lay whose lines told of a mothers love and a sweetheart who waited
and a young man who was lost at sea under harrowing circumstances From the
faces of a score or so in the crowd the selfcontained look faded Many heads
were bent forward with eagerness and sympathy As the last distressing sentiment
of the piece was brought forth it was greeted by the kind of applause which
rings as sincere
As a final effort the singer rendered some verses which described a vision
of Britain annihilated by America and Ireland bursting her bonds A carefully
prepared climax was reached in the last line of the last verse when the singer
threw out her arms and cried »The starspangled banner« Instantly a great
cheer swelled from the throats of this assemblage of the masses most of them of
foreign birth There was a heavy rumble of booted feet thumping the floor Eyes
gleamed with sudden fire and calloused hands waved frantically in the air
After a few moments rest the orchestra played noisily and a small fat man
burst out upon the stage He began to roar a song and stamp back and forth
before the footlights wildly waving a silk hat and throwing leers broadcast
He made his face into fantastic grimaces until he looked like a devil on a
Japanese kite The crowd laughed gleefully His short fat legs were never still
a moment He shouted and roared and bobbed his shock of red wig until the
audience broke out in excited applause
Pete did not pay much attention to the progress of events upon the stage He
was drinking beer and watching Maggie
Her cheeks were blushing with excitement and her eyes were glistening She
drew deep breaths of pleasure No thoughts of the atmosphere of the collar and
cuff factory came to her
With the final crash of the orchestra they jostled their way to the sidewalk
in the crowd Pete took Maggies arm and pushed a way for her offering to fight
with a man or two They reached Maggies home at a late hour and stood for a
moment in front of the gruesome doorway
»Say Mag« said Pete »give us a kiss for takin yeh t d show will yer«
Maggie laughed as if startled and drew away from him
»Naw Pete« she said »dat wasnt in it«
»Ah what d hell« urged Pete
The girl retreated nervously
»Ah what d hell« repeated he
Maggie darted into the hall and up the stairs She turned and smiled at
him then disappeared
Pete walked slowly down the street He had something of an astonished
expression upon his features He paused under a lamppost and breathed a low
breath of surprise
»Gawd« he said »I wonner if Ive been played fer a duffer«
Chapter VIII
As thoughts of Pete came to Maggies mind she began to have an intense dislike
for all of her dresses
»What dhell ails yeh What makes yeh be allus fixin and fussin Good
Gawd« her mother would frequently roar at her
She began to note with more interest the welldressed women she met on the
avenues She envied elegance and soft palms She craved those adornments of
person which she saw every day on the street conceiving them to be allies of
vast importance to women
Studying faces she thought many of the women and girls she chanced to meet
smiled with serenity as though forever cherished and watched over by those they
loved
The air in the collar and cuff establishment strangled her She knew she was
gradually and surely shriveling in the hot stuffy room The begrimed windows
rattled incessantly from the passing of elevated trains The place was filled
with a whirl of noises and odors
She became lost in thought as she looked at some of the grizzled women in
the room mere mechanical contrivances sewing seams and grinding out with heads
bended over their work tales of imagined or real girlhood happiness or of
past drunks or the baby at home and unpaid wages She wondered how long her
youth would endure She began to see the bloom upon her cheeks as something of
value
She imagined herself in an exasperating future as a scrawny woman with an
eternal grievance She thought Pete to be a very fastidious person concerning
the appearance of women
She felt that she should love to see somebody entangle their fingers in the
oily beard of the fat foreigner who owned the establishment He was a detestable
creature He wore white socks with low shoes He sat all day delivering
orations in the depths of a cushioned chair His pocketbook deprived them of
the power of retort
»What een hell do you sink I pie fife dolla a week for Play No py tamn«
Maggie was anxious for a friend to whom she could talk about Pete She would
have liked to discuss his admirable mannerisms with a reliable mutual friend At
home she found her mother often drunk and always raving It seemed that the
world had treated this woman very badly and she took a deep revenge upon such
portions of it as came within her reach She broke furniture as if she were at
last getting her rights She swelled with virtuous indignation as she carried
the lighter articles of household use one by one under the shadows of the
three gilt balls where Hebrews chained them with chains of interest
Jimmie came when he was obliged to by circumstances over which he had no
control His welltrained legs brought him staggering home and put him to bed
some nights when he would rather have gone elsewhere
Swaggering Pete loomed like a golden sun to Maggie He took her to a dime
museum where rows of meek freaks astonished her She contemplated their
deformities with awe and thought them a sort of chosen tribe
Pete racking his brains for amusement discovered the Central Park
Menagerie and the Museum of Arts Sunday afternoons would sometimes find them at
these places Pete did not appear to be particularly interested in what he saw
He stood around looking heavy while Maggie giggled in glee
Once at the Menagerie he went into a trance of admiration before the
spectacle of a very small monkey threatening to thrash a cageful because one of
them had pulled his tail and he had not wheeled about quickly enough to discover
who did it Ever after Pete knew that monkey by sight and winked at him trying
to induce him to fight with other and larger monkeys
At the Museum Maggie said »Dis is outa sight«
»Oh hell« said Pete »wait till next summer an Ill take yehs to a
picnic«
While the girl wandered in the vaulted rooms Pete occupied himself in
returning stony stare for stony stare the appalling scrutiny of the watchdogs
of the treasures Occasionally he would remark in loud tones »Dat jay has got
glass eyes« and sentences of the sort When he tired of this amusement he would
go to the mummies and moralize over them
Usually he submitted with silent dignity to all that he had to go through
but at times he was goaded into comment
»What d hell« he demanded once »Look at all dese little jugs Hundred
jugs in a row Ten rows in a case an bout a tousand cases What d blazes use
is dem«
In the evenings of week days he often took her to see plays in which the
dazzling heroine was rescued from the palatial home of her treacherous guardian
by the hero with the beautiful sentiments The latter spent most of his time out
at soak in palegreen snow storms busy with a nickelplated revolver rescuing
aged strangers from villains
Maggie lost herself in sympathy with the wanderers swooning in snow storms
beneath happyhued church windows while a choir within sang Joy to the World
To Maggie and the rest of the audience this was transcendental realism Joy
always within and they like the actor inevitably without Viewing it they
hugged themselves in ecstatic pity of their imagined or real condition
The girl thought the arrogance and graniteheartedness of the magnate of the
play was very accurately drawn She echoed the maledictions that the occupants
of the gallery showered on this individual when his lines compelled him to
expose his extreme selfishness
Shady persons in the audience revolted from the pictured villainy of the
drama With untiring zeal they hissed vice and applauded virtue Unmistakably
bad men evinced an apparently sincere admiration for virtue The loud gallery
was overwhelmingly with the unfortunate and the oppressed They encouraged the
struggling hero with cries and jeered the villain hooting and calling
attention to his whiskers When anybody died in the palegreen snow storms the
gallery mourned They sought out the painted misery and hugged it as akin
In the heros erratic march from poverty in the first act to wealth and
triumph in the final one in which he forgives all the enemies that he has left
he was assisted by the gallery which applauded his generous and noble
sentiments and confounded the speeches of his opponents by making irrelevant but
very sharp remarks Those actors who were cursed with the parts of villains were
confronted at every turn by the gallery If one of them rendered lines
containing the most subtile distinctions between right and wrong the gallery
was immediately aware that the actor meant wickedness and denounced him
accordingly
The last act was a triumph for the hero poor and of the masses the
representative of the audience over the villain and the rich man his pockets
stuffed with bonds his heart packed with tyrannical purposes imperturbable
amid suffering
Maggie always departed with raised spirits from these melodramas She
rejoiced at the way in which the poor and virtuous eventually overcame the
wealthy and wicked The theatre made her think She wondered if the culture and
refinement she had seen imitated perhaps grotesquely by the heroine on the
stage could be acquired by a girl who lived in a tenement house and worked in a
shirt factory
Chapter IX
A group of urchins were intent upon the side door of a saloon Expectancy
gleamed from their eyes They were twisting their fingers in excitement
»Here she comes« yelled one of them suddenly
The group of urchins burst instantly asunder and its individual fragments
were spread in a wide respectable halfcircle about the point of interest The
saloon door opened with a crash and the figure of a woman appeared upon the
threshold Her grey hair fell in knotted masses about her shoulders Her face
was crimsoned and wet with perspiration Her eyes had a rolling glare
»Not a damn cent more of me money will yehs ever get not a damn cent I
spent me money here fer tree years an now yehs tells me yehll sell me no more
stuff T hell wid yeh Johnnie Murckre Disturbance Disturbance be damned T
hell wid yeh Johnnie «
The door received a kick of exasperation from within and the woman lurched
heavily out on the sidewalk
The gamins in the halfcircle became violently agitated They began to dance
about and hoot and yell and jeer Wide dirty grins spread over each face
The woman made a furious dash at a particularly outrageous cluster of little
boys They laughed delightedly and scampered off a short distance calling out
over their shoulders to her She stood tottering on the curbstone and thundered
at them
»Yeh devils kids« she howled shaking her fists The little boys whooped
in glee As she started up the street they fell in behind and marched
uproariously Occasionally she wheeled about and made charges on them They ran
nimbly out of reach and taunted her
In the frame of a gruesome doorway she stood for a moment cursing them Her
hair straggled giving her red features a look of insanity Her great fists
quivered as she shook them madly in the air
The urchins made terrific noises until she turned and disappeared Then they
filed off quietly in the way they had come
The woman floundered about in the lower hall of the tenement house and
finally stumbled up the stairs On an upper hall a door was opened and a
collection of heads peered curiously out watching her With a wrathful snort
the woman confronted the door but it was slammed hastily in her face and the
key was turned
She stood for a few minutes delivering a frenzied challenge at the panels
»Come out in d hall Mary Murphy damn yeh if yehs want a scrap Come ahn
yeh overgrown terrier come ahn«
She began to kick the door She shrilly defied the universe to appear and do
battle Her cursing trebles brought heads from all doors save the one she
threatened Her eyes glared in every direction The air was full of her tossing
fists
»Come ahn d hull damn gang of yehs come ahn« she roared at the
spectators An oath or two catcalls jeers and bits of facetious advice were
given in reply Missiles clattered about her feet
»What d hells d matter wid yeh« said a voice in the gathered gloom and
Jimmie came forward He carried a tin dinnerpail in his hand and under his arm
a truckmans brown apron done in a bundle »What d hells wrong« he demanded
»Come out all of yehs come out« his mother was howling »Come ahn an
Ill stamp yer damn brains under me feet«
»Shet yer face an come home yeh damned old fool« roared Jimmie at her
She strided up to him and twirled her fingers in his face Her eyes were darting
flames of unreasoning rage and her frame trembled with eagerness for a fight
»T hell wid yehs An who d hell are yehs I aint givin a snap of me
fingers fer yehs« she bawled at him She turned her huge back in tremendous
disdain and climbed the stairs to the next floor
Jimmie followed cursing blackly At the top of the flight he seized his
mothers arm and started to drag her toward the door of their room
»Come home damn yeh« he gritted between his teeth
»Take yer hands off me Take yer hands off me« shrieked his mother
She raised her arm and whirled her great fist at her sons face Jimmie
dodged his head and the blow struck him in the back of the neck »Damn yeh« he
gritted again He threw out his left hand and writhed his fingers about her
middle arm The mother and the son began to sway and struggle like gladiators
»Whoop« said the Rum Alley tenement house The hall filled with interested
spectators
»Hi ol lady dat was a dandy«
»Tree t one on d red«
»Ah quit yer damn scrappin«
The door of the Johnson home opened and Maggie looked out Jimmie made a
supreme cursing effort and hurled his mother into the room He quickly followed
and closed the door The Rum Alley tenement swore disappointedly and retired
The mother slowly gathered herself up from the floor Her eyes glittered
menacingly upon her children
»Here now« said Jimmie »weve had enough of dis Sit down an don make
no trouble«
He grasped her arm and twisting it forced her into a creaking chair
»Keep yer hands off me« roared his mother again
»Damn yer ol hide« yelled Jimmie madly Maggie shrieked and ran into the
other room To her there came the sound of a storm of crashes and curses There
was a great final thump and Jimmies voice cried »Dere damn yeh stay still«
Maggie opened the door now and went warily out »Oh Jimmie«
He was leaning against the wall and swearing Blood stood upon bruises on
his knotty forearms where they had scraped against the floor or the walls in
the scuffle The mother lay screeching on the floor the tears running down her
furrowed face
Maggie standing in the middle of the room gazed about her The usual
upheaval of the tables and chairs had taken place Crockery was strewn broadcast
in fragments The stove had been disturbed on its legs and now leaned
idiotically to one side A pail had been upset and water spread in all
directions
The door opened and Pete appeared He shrugged his shoulders »Oh Gawd« he
observed
He walked over to Maggie and whispered in her ear »Ah what d hell Mag
Come ahn and well have a hell of a time«
The mother in the corner upreared her head and shook her tangled locks
»T hell wid him and you« she said glowering at her daughter in the gloom
Her eyes seemed to burn balefully »Yehve gone t d devil Mag Johnson yehs
knows yehs have gone t d devil Yer a disgrace t yer people damn yeh An
now git out an go ahn wid dat doefaced jude of yours Go t hell wid him
damn yeh an a good riddance Go t hell an see how yeh likes it«
Maggie gazed long at her mother
»Go t hell now an see how yeh likes it Git out I wont have sech as
yehs in me house Git out dyeh hear Damn yeh git out«
The girl began to tremble
At this instant Pete came forward »Oh what d hell Mag see« whispered
he softly in her ear »Dis all blows over See D ol woman ill be all right
in d mornin Come ahn out wid me Well have a hell of a time«
The woman on the floor cursed Jimmie was intent upon his bruised forearms
The girl cast a glance about the room filled with a chaotic mass of debris and
at the writhing body of her mother
»Go t hell an good riddance«
Maggie went
Chapter X
Jimmie had an idea it wasnt common courtesy for a friend to come to ones home
and ruin ones sister But he was not sure how much Pete knew about the rules of
politeness
The following night he returned home from work at rather a late hour in the
evening In passing through the halls he came upon the gnarled and leathery old
woman who possessed the music box She was grinning in the dim light that
drifted through duststained panes She beckoned to him with a smudged
forefinger
»Ah Jimmie what do yehs tink I tumbled to las night It was d funnies
ting I ever saw« she cried coming close to him and leering She was trembling
with eagerness to tell her tale »I was by me door las night when yer sister
and her jude feller came in late oh very late An she the dear she was
acryin as if her heart would break she was It was d funnies ting I ever
saw An right out here by me door she asked him did he love her did he An
she was acryin as if her heart would break poor ting An him I could see
by d way what he said it dat she had been askin orften he says Oh hell
yes he says says he Oh hell yes«
Stormclouds swept over Jimmies face but he turned from the leathery old
woman and plodded on up stairs
»Oh hell yes« she called after him She laughed a laugh that was like a
prophetic croak »Oh hell yes he says says he Oh hell yes«
There was no one in at home The rooms showed that attempts had been made at
tidying them Parts of the wreckage of the day before had been repaired by an
unskilful hand A chair or two and the table stood uncertainly upon legs The
floor had been newly swept The blue ribbons had been restored to the curtains
and the lambrequin with its immense sheaves of yellow wheat and red roses of
equal size had been returned in a worn and sorry state to its place at the
mantel Maggies jacket and hat were gone from the nail behind the door
Jimmie walked to the window and began to look through the blurred glass It
occurred to him to vaguely wonder for an instant if some of the women of his
acquaintance had brothers
Suddenly however he began to swear
»But he was me frien I brought im here Dats d hell of it«
He fumed about the room his anger gradually rising to the furious pitch
»Ill kill d jay Dats what Ill do Ill kill d jay«
He clutched his hat and sprang toward the door But it opened and his
mothers great form blocked the passage
»What d hells d matter wid yeh« exclaimed she coming into the rooms
Jimmie gave vent to a sardonic curse and then laughed heavily
»Well Maggies gone t d devil Dats what See«
»Eh« said his mother
»Maggies gone t d devil Are yehs deaf« roared Jimmie impatiently
»D hell she has« murmured the mother astounded
Jimmie grunted and then began to stare out at the window His mother sat
down in a chair but a moment later sprang erect and delivered a maddened whirl
of oaths Her son turned to look at her as she reeled and swayed in the middle
of the room her fierce face convulsed with passion her blotched arms raised
high in imprecation
»May Gawd curse her forever« she shrieked »May she eat nothin but stones
and d dirt in d street May she sleep in d gutter an never see d sun shine
again D damn «
»Here now« said her son »Take a drop on yerself an quit dat«
The mother raised lamenting eyes to the ceiling
»Shes d devils own chil Jimmie« she whispered »Ah who would tink
such a bad girl could grow up in our fambly Jimmie me son Many d hour Ive
spent in talk wid dat girl an tol her if she ever went on d streets Id see
her damned An after all her bringin up an what I tol her and talked wid
her she goes t d bad like a duck t water«
The tears rolled down her furrowed face Her hands trembled
»An den when dat Sadie MacMallister next door to us was sent t d devil by
dat feller what worked in d soapfactory didnt I tell our Mag dat if she «
»Ah dats anudder story« interrupted the brother »Of course dat Sadie
was nice an all dat but see it aint dessame as if well Maggie was
diffent see she was diffent«
He was trying to formulate a theory that he had always unconsciously held
that all sisters excepting his own could advisedly be ruined
He suddenly broke out again »Ill go tump hell out a d mug what done her
d harm Ill kill im He tinks he kin scrap but when he gits me achasin
im hell fin out where hes wrong d damned duffer Ill wipe up d street
wid im«
In a fury he plunged out of the doorway As he vanished the mother raised
her head and lifted both hands entreating
»May Gawd curse her forever« she cried
In the darkness of the hallway Jimmie discerned a knot of women talking
volubly When he strode by they paid no attention to him
»She allus was a bold thing« he heard one of them cry in an eager voice
»Dere wasnt a feller come t d house but shed try t mash im My Annie says
d shameless ting tried t ketch her feller her own feller what we useter
know his fader«
»I could a tol yehs dis two years ago« said a woman in a key of triumph
»Yessir it was over two years ago dat I says t my ol man I says Dat Johnson
girl aint straight I says Oh hell he says Oh hell Dats all right I
says but I know what I knows I says an it ill come out later You wait an
see I says you see«
»Anybody what had eyes could see dat dere was somethin wrong wid dat girl
I didnt like her actions«
On the street Jimmie met a friend »What d hell« asked the latter
Jimmie explained »An Ill tump im till he cant stand«
»Oh what d hell« said the friend »Whats d use Yehll git pulled in
Everybody ill be onto it An ten plunks Gee«
Jimmie was determined »He tinks he kin scrap but hell fin out
diffent«
»Gee« remonstrated the friend »What d hell«
Chapter XI
On a corner a glassfronted building shed a yellow glare upon the pavements The
open mouth of a saloon called seductively to passengers to enter and annihilate
sorrow or create rage
The interior of the place was papered in olive and bronze tints of imitation
leather A shining bar of counterfeit massiveness extended down the side of the
room Behind it a great mahoganyimitation sideboard reached the ceiling Upon
its shelves rested pyramids of shimmering glasses that were never disturbed
Mirrors set in the face of the sideboard multiplied them Lemons oranges and
paper napkins arranged with mathematical precision sat among the glasses
Manyhued decanters of liquor perched at regular intervals on the lower shelves
A nickelplated cash register occupied a place in the exact centre of the
general effect The elementary senses of it all seemed to be opulence and
geometrical accuracy
Across from the bar a smaller counter held a collection of plates upon which
swarmed frayed fragments of crackers slices of boiled ham dishevelled bits of
cheese and pickles swimming in vinegar An odor of grasping begrimed hands and
munching mouths pervaded all
Pete in a white jacket was behind the bar bending expectantly toward a
quiet stranger »A beeh« said the man Pete drew a foamtopped glassful and set
it dripping upon the bar
At this moment the light bamboo doors at the entrance swung open and crashed
against the wall Jimmie and a companion entered They swaggered unsteadily but
belligerently toward the bar and looked at Pete with bleared and blinking eyes
»Gin« said Jimmie
»Gin« said the companion
Pete slid a bottle and two glasses along the bar He bended his head
sideways as he assiduously polished away with a napkin at the gleaming wood He
wore a look of watchfulness
Jimmie and his companion kept their eyes upon the bartender and conversed
loudly in tones of contempt
»Hes a dindy masher aint he by Gawd« laughed Jimmie
»Oh hell yes« said the companion sneering »Hes great he is Git onto
d mug on d blokie Dats enough to make a feller turn handsprings in is
sleep«
The quiet stranger moved himself and his glass a trifle further away and
maintained an attitude of obliviousness
»Gee aint he hot stuff«
»Git onto his shape Great Gawd«
»Hey« cried Jimmie in tones of command Pete came along slowly with a
sullen dropping of the under lip
»Well« he growled »whats eatin yehs«
»Gin« said Jimmie
»Gin« said the companion
As Pete confronted them with the bottle and the glasses they laughed in his
face Jimmies companion evidently overcome with merriment pointed a grimy
forefinger in Petes direction
»Say Jimmie« demanded he »what d hell is dat behind d bar«
»Damned if I knows« replied Jimmie They laughed loudly Pete put down a
bottle with a bang and turned a formidable face toward them He disclosed his
teeth and his shoulders heaved restlessly
»You fellers cant guy me« he said »Drink yer stuff an git out an don
make no trouble«
Instantly the laughter faded from the faces of the two men and expressions
of offended dignity immediately came
»Who d hell has said anyting t you« cried they in the same breath
The quiet stranger looked at the door calculatingly
»Ah come off« said Pete to the two men »Dont pick me up for no jay
Drink yer rum an git out an don make no trouble«
»Oh d hell« airily cried Jimmie
»Oh d hell« airily repeated his companion
»We goes when we git ready See« continued Jimmie
»Well« said Pete in a threatening voice »don make no trouble«
Jimmie suddenly leaned forward with his head on one side He snarled like a
wild animal
»Well what if we does See« said he
Hot blood flushed into Petes face and he shot a lurid glance at Jimmie
»Well den well see whos d bes man you or me« he said
The quiet stranger moved modestly toward the door
Jimmie began to swell with valor
»Don pick me up fer no tenderfoot When yeh tackles me yeh tackles one of
d bes men in d city See Im a scrapper I am Aint dat right Billie«
»Sure Mike« responded his companion in tones of conviction
»Oh hell« said Pete easily »Go fall on yerself«
The two men again began to laugh
»What d hell is dat talkin« cried the companion
»Damned if I knows« replied Jimmie with exaggerated contempt
Pete made a furious gesture »Git outa here now an don make no trouble
See Youse fellers er lookin fer a scrap an its damn likely yehll fin one
if yeh keeps on shootin off yer mouts I know yehs See I kin lick better men
dan yehs ever saw in yer lifes Dats right See Don pick me up fer no stuff
er yeh might be jolted out in d street before yeh knows where yeh is When I
comes from behind dis bar I trows yehs bote inteh d street See«
»Oh hell« cried the two men in chorus
The glare of a panther came into Petes eyes »Dats what I said
Unnerstan«
He came through a passage at the end of the bar and swelled down upon the
two men They stepped promptly forward and crowded close to him
They bristled like three roosters They moved their heads pugnaciously and
kept their shoulders braced The nervous muscles about each mouth twitched with
a forced smile of mockery
»Well what d hell yer goin t do« gritted Jimmie
Pete stepped warily back waving his hands before him to keep the men from
coming too near
»Well what d hell yer goin t do« repeated Jimmies ally They kept
close to him taunting and leering They strove to make him attempt the initial
blow
»Keep back now Don crowd me« ominously said Pete
Again they chorused in contempt »Oh hell«
In a small tossing group the three men edged for positions like frigates
contemplating battle
»Well why d hell don yeh try t trow us out« cried Jimmie and his ally
with copious sneers
The bravery of bulldogs sat upon the faces of the men Their clenched fists
moved like eager weapons
The allied two jostled the bartenders elbows glaring at him with feverish
eyes and forcing him toward the wall
Suddenly Pete swore furiously The flash of action gleamed from his eyes He
threw back his arm and aimed a tremendous lightninglike blow at Jimmies face
His foot swung a step forward and the weight of his body was behind his fist
Jimmie ducked his head Bowerylike with the quickness of a cat The fierce
answering blows of Jimmie and his ally crushed on Petes bowed head
The quiet stranger vanished
The arms of the combatants whirled in the air like flails The faces of the
men at first flushed to flamecolored anger now began to fade to the pallor of
warriors in the blood and heat of a battle Their lips curled back and stretched
tightly over the gums in ghoullike grins Through their white gripped teeth
struggled hoarse whisperings of oaths Their eyes glittered with murderous fire
Each head was huddled between its owners shoulders and arms were swinging
with marvelous rapidity Feet scraped to and fro with a loud scratching sound
upon the sanded floor Blows left crimson blotches upon pale skin The curses of
the first quarter minute of the fight died away The breaths of the fighters
came wheezingly from their lips and the three chests were straining and heaving
Pete at intervals gave vent to low labored hisses that sounded like a desire
to kill Jimmies ally gibbered at times like a wounded maniac Jimmie was
silent fighting with the face of a sacrificial priest The rage of fear shone
in all their eyes and their bloodcolored fists whirled
At a critical moment a blow from Petes hand struck the ally and he crashed
to the floor He wriggled instantly to his feet and grasping the quiet
strangers beer glass from the bar hurled it at Petes head
High on the wall it burst like a bomb shivering fragments flying in all
directions Then missiles came to every mans hand The place had heretofore
appeared free of things to throw but suddenly glasses and bottles went singing
through the air They were thrown pointblank at bobbing heads The pyramid of
shimmering glasses that had never been disturbed changed to cascades as heavy
bottles were flung into them Mirrors splintered to nothing
The three frothing creatures on the floor buried themselves in a frenzy for
blood There followed in the wake of missiles and fists some unknown prayers
perhaps for death
The quiet stranger had sprawled very pyrotechnically out on the sidewalk A
laugh ran up and down the avenue for the half of a block
»Deyve trowed a bloke inteh d street«
People heard the sound of breaking glass and shuffling feet within the
saloon and came running A small group bending down to look under the bamboo
doors and watching the fall of glass and three pairs of violent legs changed
in a moment to a crowd
A policeman came charging down the sidewalk and bounced through the doors
into the saloon The crowd bended and surged in absorbing anxiety to see
Jimmie caught first sight of the oncoming interruption On his feet he had
the same regard for a policeman that when on his truck he had for a fire
engine He howled and ran for the side door
The officer made a terrific advance club in hand One comprehensive sweep
of the long night stick threw the ally to the floor and forced Pete to a corner
With his disengaged hand he made a furious effort at Jimmies coattails Then
he regained his balance and paused
»Well well you are a pair of pictures What in hell have yeh been up to«
Jimmie with his face drenched in blood escaped up a side street pursued a
short distance by some of the more lawloving or excited individuals of the
crowd
Later from a safe dark corner he saw the policeman the ally and the
bartender emerge from the saloon Pete locked the doors and then followed up the
avenue in the rear of the crowdencompassed policeman and his charge
At first Jimmie with his heart throbbing at battle heat started to go
desperately to the rescue of his friend but he halted
»Ah what d hell« he demanded of himself
Chapter XII
In a hall of irregular shape sat Pete and Maggie drinking beer A submissive
orchestra dictated to by a spectacled man with frowsy hair and in soiled evening
dress industriously followed the bobs of his head and the waves of his baton A
ballad singer in a gown of flaming scarlet sang in the inevitable voice of
brass When she vanished men seated at the tables near the front applauded
loudly pounding the polished wood with their beer glasses She returned attired
in less gown and sang again She received another enthusiastic encore She
reappeared in still less gown and danced The deafening rumble of glasses and
clapping of hands that followed her exit indicated an overwhelming desire to
have her come on for the fourth time but the curiosity of the audience was not
gratified
Maggie was pale From her eyes had been plucked all look of selfreliance
She leaned with a dependent air toward her companion She was timid as if
fearing his anger or displeasure She seemed to beseech tenderness of him
Petes air of distinguished valor had grown upon him until it threatened to
reach stupendous dimensions He was infinitely gracious to the girl It was
apparent to her that his condescension was a marvel
He could appear to strut even while sitting still and he showed that he was
a lion of lordly characteristics by the air with which he spat
With Maggie gazing at him wonderingly he took pride in commanding the
waiters who were however indifferent or deaf
»Hi you git a russle on yehs What d hell yehs lookin at Two more
beehs dyeh hear«
He leaned back and critically regarded the person of a girl with a
strawcolored wig who upon the stage was flinging her heels about in somewhat
awkward imitation of a wellknown danseuse
At times Maggie told Pete long confidential tales of her former home life
dwelling upon the escapades of the other members of the family and the
difficulties she had had to combat in order to obtain a degree of comfort He
responded in the accents of philanthropy He pressed her arm with an air of
reassuring proprietorship
»Dey was damn jays« he said denouncing the mother and brother
The sound of the music which through the efforts of the frowsyheaded
leader drifted to her ears in the smokefilled atmosphere made the girl dream
She thought of her former Rum Alley environment and turned to regard Petes
strong protecting fists She thought of a collar and cuff manufactory and the
eternal moan of the proprietor »What een hale do you sink I pie fife dolla a
week for Play No py tamn« She contemplated Petes mansubduing eyes and
noted that wealth and prosperity was indicated by his clothes She imagined a
future rosetinted because of its distance from all that she had experienced
before
As to the present she perceived only vague reasons to be miserable Her life
was Petes and she considered him worthy of the charge She would be disturbed
by no particular apprehensions so long as Pete adored her as he now said he
did She did not feel like a bad woman To her knowledge she had never seen any
better
At times men at other tables regarded the girl furtively Pete aware of it
nodded at her and grinned He felt proud
»Mag yer a bloomin goodlooker« he remarked studying her face through
the haze The men made Maggie fear but she blushed at Petes words as it became
apparent to her that she was the apple of his eye
Greyheaded men wonderfully pathetic in their dissipation stared at her
through clouds Smoothcheeked boys some of them with faces of stone and mouths
of sin not nearly so pathetic as the grey heads tried to find the girls eyes
in the smoke wreaths Maggie considered she was not what they thought her She
confined her glances to Pete and the stage
The orchestra played negro melodies and a versatile drummer pounded
whacked clattered and scratched on a dozen machines to make noise
Those glances of the men shot at Maggie from under halfclosed lids made
her tremble She thought them all to be worse men than Pete
»Come lets go« she said
As they went out Maggie perceived two women seated at a table with some men
They were painted and their cheeks had lost their roundness As she passed them
the girl with a shrinking movement drew back her skirts
Chapter XIII
Jimmie did not return home for a number of days after the fight with Pete in the
saloon When he did he approached with extreme caution
He found his mother raving Maggie had not returned home The parent
continually wondered how her daughter could come to such a pass She had never
considered Maggie as a pearl dropped unstained into Rum Alley from Heaven but
she could not conceive how it was possible for her daughter to fall so low as to
bring disgrace upon her family She was terrific in denunciation of the girls
wickedness
The fact that the neighbors talked of it maddened her When women came in
and in the course of their conversation casually asked »Wheres Maggie dese
days« the mother shook her fuzzy head at them and appalled them with curses
Cunning hints inviting confidence she rebuffed with violence
»An wid all d bringin up she had how could she« moaningly she asked of
her son »Wid all d talkin wid her I did an d tings I tol her to remember
When a girl is bringed up d way I bringed up Maggie how kin she go t d
devil«
Jimmie was transfixed by these questions He could not conceive how under
the circumstances his mothers daughter and his sister could have been so
wicked
His mother took a drink from a bottle that sat on the table She continued
her lament
»She had a bad heart dat girl did Jimmie She was wicked t d heart an
we never knowed it«
Jimmie nodded admitting the fact
»We lived in d same house wid her an I brought her up an we never knowed
how bad she was«
Jimmie nodded again
»Wid a home like dis an a mudder like me she went t d bad« cried the
mother raising her eyes
One day Jimmie came home sat down in a chair and began to wriggle about
with a new and strange nervousness At last he spoke shamefacedly
»Well lookahere dis ting queers us See Were queered An maybe it
ud be better if I well I tink I kin look er up an maybe it ud be
better if I fetched her home an «
The mother started from her chair and broke forth into a storm of passionate
anger
»What Let er come an sleep under d same roof wid her mudder agin Oh
yes I will wont I Sure Shame on yehs Jimmie Johnson fer sayin such a
ting t yer own mudder t yer own mudder Little did I tink when yehs was a
babby playin about me feet dat yed grow up t say sech a ting t yer mudder
yer own mudder I never taut «
Sobs choked her and interrupted her reproaches
»Dere aint nottin t raise sech hell about« said Jimmie »I ony says it
ud be better if we keep dis ting dark see It queers us See«
His mother laughed a laugh that seemed to ring through the city and be
echoed and reechoed by countless other laughs »Oh yes I will wont I
Sure«
»Well yeh must take me for a damn fool« said Jimmie indignant at his
mother for mocking him »I didnt say wed make er inteh a little tin angel
ner nottin but d way it is now she can queer us Don che see«
»Aye shell git tired of d life after a while an den shell wanna be
acomin home won she d beast Ill let er in den won I«
»Well I didn mean none of dis prodgal busness anyway« explained Jimmie
»It want no prodgal dauter yeh damn fool« said the mother »It was
prodgal son anyhow«
»I know dat« said Jimmie
For a time they sat in silence The mothers eyes gloated on the scene which
her imagination called before her Her lips were set in a vindictive smile
»Aye shell cry won she an carry on an tell how Pete or some odder
feller beats er an shell say shes sorry an all dat an she aint happy
she aint and she wants to come home agin she does«
With grim humor the mother imitated the possible wailing notes of the
daughters voice
»Den Ill take er in wont I She kin cry er two eyes out on d stones of
d street before Ill dirty d place wid her She abused an illtreated her own
mudder her own mudder what loved her an shell never git anodder chance dis
side of hell«
Jimmie thought he had a great idea of womens frailty but he could not
understand why any of his kin should be victims
»Damn her« he fervidly said
Again he wondered vaguely if some of the women of his acquaintance had
brothers Nevertheless his mind did not for an instant confuse himself with
those brothers nor his sister with theirs After the mother had with great
difficulty suppressed the neighbors she went among them and proclaimed her
grief »May Gawd forgive dat girl« was her continual cry To attentive ears she
recited the whole length and breadth of her woes
»I bringed er up d way a dauter oughta be bringed up an dis is how she
served me She went t d devil d first chance she got May Gawd forgive her«
When arrested for drunkenness she used the story of her daughters downfall
with telling effect upon the policejustices Finally one of them said to her
peering down over his spectacles »Mary the records of this and other courts
show that you are the mother of fortytwo daughters who have been ruined The
case is unparalleled in the annals of this court and this court thinks «
The mother went through life shedding large tears of sorrow Her red face
was a picture of agony
Of course Jimmie publicly damned his sister that he might appear on a higher
social plane But arguing with himself stumbling about in ways that he knew
not he once almost came to a conclusion that his sister would have been more
firmly good had she better known why However he felt that he could not hold
such a view He threw it hastily aside
Chapter XIV
In a hilarious hall there were twentyeight tables and twentyeight women and a
crowd of smoking men Valiant noise was made on a stage at the end of the hall
by an orchestra composed of men who looked as if they had just happened in
Soiled waiters ran to and fro swooping down like hawks on the unwary in the
throng clattering along the aisles with trays covered with glasses stumbling
over womens skirts and charging two prices for everything but beer all with a
swiftness that blurred the view of the cocoanut palms and dusty monstrosities
painted upon the walls of the room A bouncer with an immense load of business
upon his hands plunged about in the crowd dragging bashful strangers to
prominent chairs ordering waiters here and there and quarreling furiously with
men who wanted to sing with the orchestra
The usual smoke cloud was present but so dense that heads and arms seemed
entangled in it The rumble of conversation was replaced by a roar Plenteous
oaths heaved through the air The room rang with the shrill voices of women
bubbling over with drinklaughter The chief element in the music of the
orchestra was speed The musicians played in intent fury A woman was singing
and smiling upon the stage but no one took notice of her The rate at which the
piano cornet and violins were going seemed to impart wildness to the
halfdrunken crowd Beer glasses were emptied at a gulp and conversation became
a rapid chatter The smoke eddied and swirled like a shadowy river hurrying
toward some unseen falls Pete and Maggie entered the hall and took chairs at a
table near the door The woman who was seated there made an attempt to occupy
Petes attention and failing went away
Three weeks had passed since the girl had left home The air of spaniellike
dependence had been magnified and showed its direct effect in the peculiar
offhandedness and ease of Petes ways toward her
She followed Petes eyes with hers anticipating with smiles gracious looks
from him
A woman of brilliance and audacity accompanied by a mere boy came into the
place and took seats near them
At once Pete sprang to his feet his face beaming with glad surprise
»By Gawd deres Nellie« he cried
He went over to the table and held out an eager hand to the woman
»Why hello Pete me boy how are you« said she giving him her fingers
Maggie took instant note of the woman She perceived that her black dress
fitted her to perfection Her linen collar and cuffs were spotless Tan gloves
were stretched over her wellshaped hands A hat of a prevailing fashion perched
jauntily upon her dark hair She wore no jewelry and was painted with no
apparent paint She looked cleareyed through the stares of the men
»Sit down and call your ladyfriend over« she said to Pete At his
beckoning Maggie came and sat between Pete and the mere boy
»I thought yeh were gone away fer good« began Pete at once »When did yeh
git back How did dat Bufflo busness turn out«
The woman shrugged her shoulders »Well he didnt have as many stamps as he
tried to make out so I shook him thats all«
»Well Im glad t see yehs back in d city« said Pete with gallantry
He and the woman entered into a long conversation exchanging reminiscences
of days together Maggie sat still unable to formulate an intelligent sentence
as her addition to the conversation and painfully aware of it
She saw Petes eyes sparkle as he gazed upon the handsome stranger He
listened smilingly to all she said The woman was familiar with all his affairs
asked him about mutual friends and knew the amount of his salary
She paid no attention to Maggie looking toward her once or twice and
apparently seeing the wall beyond
The mere boy was sulky In the beginning he had welcomed the additions with
acclamations
»Lets all have a drink Whatll you take Nell And you Miss
Whatsyourname Have a drink Mr you I mean«
He had shown a sprightly desire to do the talking for the company and tell
all about his family In a loud voice he declaimed on various topics He assumed
a patronizing air toward Pete As Maggie was silent he paid no attention to
her He made a great show of lavishing wealth upon the woman of brilliance and
audacity
»Do keep still Freddie You talk like a clock« said the woman to him She
turned away and devoted her attention to Pete
»Well have many a good time together again eh«
»Sure Mike« said Pete enthusiastic at once
»Say« whispered she leaning forward »lets go over to Billies and have a
heluva time«
»Well its dis way See« said Pete »I got dis lady frien here«
»Oh t hell with her« argued the woman
Pete appeared disturbed
»All right« said she nodding her head at him »All right for you Well
see the next time you ask me to go anywheres with you«
Pete squirmed
»Say« he said beseechingly »come wid me a minit an Ill tell yer why«
The woman waved her hand
»Oh thats all right you neednt explain you know You wouldnt come
merely because you wouldnt come thats all«
To Petes visible distress she turned to the mere boy bringing him speedily
out of a terrific rage He had been debating whether it would be the part of a
man to pick a quarrel with Pete or would he be justified in striking him
savagely with his beer glass without warning But he recovered himself when the
woman turned to renew her smilings He beamed upon her with an expression that
was somewhat tipsy and inexpressibly tender
»Say shake that Bowery jay« requested he in a loud whisper
»Freddie you are so funny« she replied
Pete reached forward and touched the woman on the arm
»Come out a minit while I tells yeh why I cant go wid yer Yer doin me
dirt Nell I never taut yed do me dirt Nell Come on will yer« He spoke in
tones of injury
»Why I dont see why I should be interested in your explanations« said the
woman with a coldness that seemed to reduce Pete to a pulp
His eyes pleaded with her »Come out a minit while I tells yeh On d level
now«
The woman nodded slightly at Maggie and the mere boy saying »Scuse me«
The mere boy interrupted his loving smile and turned a shriveling glare upon
Pete His boyish countenance flushed and he spoke in a whine to the woman
»Oh I say Nellie this aint a square deal you know You arent goin to
leave me and go off with that duffer are you I should think «
»Why you dear boy of course Im not« cried the woman affectionately She
bended over and whispered in his ear He smiled again and settled in his chair
as if resolved to wait patiently
As the woman walked down between the rows of tables Pete was at her
shoulder talking earnestly apparently in explanation The woman waved her hands
with studied airs of indifference The doors swung behind them leaving Maggie
and the mere boy seated at the table
Maggie was dazed She could dimly perceive that something stupendous had
happened She wondered why Pete saw fit to remonstrate with the woman pleading
for forgiveness with his eyes She thought she noted an air of submission about
her leonine Pete She was astounded
The mere boy occupied himself with cocktails and a cigar He was tranquilly
silent for half an hour Then he bestirred himself and spoke
»Well« he said sighing »I knew this was the way it would be They got cold
feet« There was another stillness The mere boy seemed to be musing
»She was pulling m leg Thats the whole amount of it« he said suddenly
»Its a bloomin shame the way that girl does Why Ive spent over two dollars
in drinks tonight And she goes off with that plugugly who looks as if he had
been hit in the face with a coindie I call it rocky treatment for a fellah
like me Here waiter bring me a cocktail and make it damned strong«
Maggie made no reply She was watching the doors »Its a mean piece of
business« complained the mere boy He explained to her how amazing it was that
anybody should treat him in such a manner »But Ill get square with her you
bet She wont get far ahead of yours truly you know« he added winking »Ill
tell her plainly that it was bloomin mean business And she wont come it over
me with any of her nowFreddiedears She thinks my name is Freddie you know
but of course it aint I always tell these people some name like that because
if they got onto your right name they might use it sometime Understand Oh
they dont fool me much«
Maggie was paying no attention being intent upon the doors The mere boy
relapsed into a period of gloom during which he exterminated a number of
cocktails with a determined air as if replying defiantly to fate He
occasionally broke forth into sentences composed of invectives joined together
in a long chain
The girl was still staring at the doors After a time the mere boy began to
see cobwebs just in front of his nose He spurred himself into being agreeable
and insisted upon her having a charlotterusse and a glass of beer
»Theys gone« he remarked »theys gone« He looked at her through the
smoke wreaths »Shay lil girl we mightish well make bes of it You aint
such badlookin girl yknow Not half bad Cant come up to Nell though No
cant do it Well I should shay not Nell finelookin girl Finine You
look damn bad longsider her but by yself aint so bad Have to do anyhow Nell
gone Ony you left Not half bad though«
Maggie stood up
»Im going home« she said
The mere boy started
»Eh What Home« he cried struck with amazement »I beg pardon did hear
say home«
»Im going home« she repeated
»Great Gawd what hava struck« demanded the mere boy of himself
stupefied
In a semicomatose state he conducted her on board an uptown car
ostentatiously paid her fare leered kindly at her through the rear window and
fell off the steps
Chapter XV
A forlorn woman went along a lighted avenue The street was filled with people
desperately bound on missions An endless crowd darted at the elevated station
stairs and the horse cars were thronged with owners of bundles
The pace of the forlorn woman was slow She was apparently searching for
some one She loitered near the doors of saloons and watched men emerge from
them She furtively scanned the faces in the rushing stream of pedestrians
Hurrying men bent on catching some boat or train jostled her elbows failing
to notice her their thoughts fixed on distant dinners
The forlorn woman had a peculiar face Her smile was no smile But when in
repose her features had a shadowy look that was like a sardonic grin as if some
one had sketched with cruel forefinger indelible lines about her mouth
Jimmie came strolling up the avenue The woman encountered him with an
aggrieved air
»Oh Jimmie Ive been lookin all over fer yehs « she began
Jimmie made an impatient gesture and quickened his pace
»Ah dont bodder me Good Gawd« he said with the savageness of a man
whose life is pestered
The woman followed him along the sidewalk in somewhat the manner of a
suppliant
»But Jimmie« she said »yehs told me yehd «
Jimmie turned upon her fiercely as if resolved to make a last stand for
comfort and peace
»Say fer Gawds sake Hattie don foller me from one end of d city t d
odder Let up will yehs Give me a minutes res cant yehs Yehs makes me
tired allus taggin me See Ain yehs got no sense Do yehs want people t get
onto me Go chase yerself fer Gawds sake«
The woman stepped closer and laid her fingers on his arm »But lookahere
«
Jimmie snarled »Oh go t hell«
He darted into the front door of a convenient saloon and a moment later came
out into the shadows that surrounded the side door On the brilliantly lighted
avenue he perceived the forlorn woman dodging about like a scout Jimmie laughed
with an air of relief and went away
When he arrived home he found his mother clamoring Maggie had returned She
stood shivering beneath the torrent of her mothers wrath
»Well Im damned« said Jimmie in greeting
His mother tottering about the room pointed a quivering forefinger
»Lookut her Jimmie lookut her Deres yer sister boy Deres yer sister
Lookut her Lookut her«
She screamed at Maggie with scoffing laughter
The girl stood in the middle of the room She edged about as if unable to
find a place on the floor to put her feet
»Ha ha ha« bellowed the mother »Dere she stands Ain she purty Lookut
her Ain she sweet d beast Lookut her Ha ha lookut her«
She lurched forward and put her red and seamed hands upon her daughters
face She bended down and peered keenly up into the eyes of the girl
»Oh shes jes dessame as she ever was ain she Shes her mudders putty
darlin yit ain she Lookut her Jimmie Come here fer Gawds sake and
lookut her«
The loud tremendous railing of the mother brought the denizens of the Rum
Alley tenement to their doors Women came in the hallways Children scurried to
and fro
»Whats up Dat Johnson party on anudder tear«
»Naw Young Mags come home«
»D hell yeh say«
Through the open doors curious eyes stared in at Maggie Children ventured
into the room and ogled her as if they formed the front row at a theatre
Women without bended toward each other and whispered nodding their heads with
airs of profound philosophy
A baby overcome with curiosity concerning this object at which all were
looking sidled forward and touched her dress cautiously as if investigating a
redhot stove Its mothers voice rang out like a warning trumpet She rushed
forward and grabbed her child casting a terrible look of indignation at the
girl
Maggies mother paced to and fro addressing the doorful of eyes expounding
like a glib showman Her voice rang through the building
»Dere she stands« she cried wheeling suddenly and pointing with dramatic
finger »Dere she stands Lookut her Ain she a dindy An she was so good as
to come home t her mudder she was Ain she a beaut Ain she a dindy Fer
Gawds sake«
The jeering cries ended in another burst of shrill laughter
The girl seemed to awaken »Jimmie «
He drew hastily back from her
»Well now yer a hell of a ting ain yeh« he said his lips curling in
scorn Radiant virtue sat upon his brow and his repelling hands expressed horror
of contamination
Maggie turned and went
The crowd at the door fell back precipitately A baby falling down in front
of the door wrenched a scream like that of a wounded animal from its mother
Another woman sprang forward and picked it up with a chivalrous air as if
rescuing a human being from an oncoming express train
As the girl passed down through the hall she went before open doors framing
more eyes strangely microscopic and sending broad beams of inquisitive light
into the darkness of her path On the second floor she met the gnarled old woman
who possessed the music box
»So« she cried »ere yehs are back again are yehs An deyve kicked yehs
out Well come in an stay wid me tnight I ain got no moral standin«
From above came an unceasing babble of tongues over all of which rang the
mothers derisive laughter
Chapter XVI
Pete did not consider that he had ruined Maggie If he had thought that her soul
could never smile again he would have believed the mother and brother who were
pyrotechnic over the affair to be responsible for it
Besides in his world souls did not insist upon being able to smile »What
d hell«
He felt a trifle entangled It distressed him Revelations and scenes might
bring upon him the wrath of the owner of the saloon who insisted upon
respectability of an advanced type
»What d hell do dey wanna raise such a smoke about it fer« demanded he of
himself disgusted with the attitude of the family He saw no necessity that
people should lose their equilibrium merely because their sister or their
daughter had stayed away from home
Searching about in his mind for possible reasons for their conduct he came
upon the conclusion that Maggies motives were correct but that the two others
wished to snare him He felt pursued
The woman whom he had met in the hilarious hall showed a disposition to
ridicule him
»A little pale thing with no spirit« she said »Did you note the expression
of her eyes There was something in them about pumpkin pie and virtue That is a
peculiar way the left corner of her mouth has of twitching isnt it Dear
dear Pete what are you coming to«
Pete asserted at once that he never was very much interested in the girl
The woman interrupted him laughing
»Oh its not of the slightest consequence to me my dear young man You
neednt draw maps for my benefit Why should I be concerned about it«
But Pete continued with his explanations If he was laughed at for his
tastes in women he felt obliged to say that they were only temporary or
indifferent ones
The morning after Maggie had departed from home Pete stood behind the bar
He was immaculate in white jacket and apron and his hair was plastered over his
brow with infinite correctness No customers were in the place Pete was
twisting his napkined fist slowly in a beer glass softly whistling to himself
and occasionally holding the object of his attention between his eyes and a few
weak beams of sunlight that found their way over the thick screens and into the
shaded room
With lingering thoughts of the woman of brilliance and audacity the
bartender raised his head and stared through the varying cracks between the
swaying bamboo doors Suddenly the whistling pucker faded from his lips He saw
Maggie walking slowly past He gave a great start fearing for the
previouslymentioned eminent respectability of the place
He threw a swift nervous glance about him all at once feeling guilty No
one was in the room
He went hastily over to the side door Opening it and looking out he
perceived Maggie standing as if undecided on the corner She was searching the
place with her eyes
As she turned her face toward him Pete beckoned to her hurriedly intent
upon returning with speed to a position behind the bar and to the atmosphere of
respectability upon which the proprietor insisted
Maggie came to him the anxious look disappearing from her face and a smile
wreathing her lips
»Oh Pete « she began brightly
The bartender made a violent gesture of impatience
»Oh my Gawd« cried he vehemently »What d hell do yeh wanna hang aroun
here fer Do yeh wanna git me inteh trouble« he demanded with an air of injury
Astonishment swept over the girls features »Why Pete yehs tol me «
Petes glance expressed profound irritation His countenance reddened with
the anger of a man whose respectability is being threatened
»Say yehs makes me tired See What d hell do yeh wanna tag aroun atter
me fer Yehll do me dirt wid d ol man an deyll be hell t pay If he sees a
woman roun here hell go crazy an Ill lose me job See Ain yehs got no
sense Don be allus bodderin me See Yer brudder come in here an raised hell
an d ol man hada put up fer it An now Im done See Im done«
The girls eyes stared into his face »Pete dont yeh remem«
»Oh hell« interrupted Pete anticipating
The girl seemed to have a struggle with herself She was apparently
bewildered and could not find speech Finally she asked in a low voice »But
where kin I go«
The question exasperated Pete beyond the powers of endurance It was a
direct attempt to give him some responsibility in a matter that did not concern
him In his indignation he volunteered information
»Oh go t hell« cried he He slammed the door furiously and returned with
an air of relief to his respectability
Maggie went away
She wandered aimlessly for several blocks She stopped once and asked aloud
a question of herself »Who«
A man who was passing near her shoulder humorously took the questioning
word as intended for him
»Eh What Who Nobody I didnt say anything« he laughingly said and
continued his way
Soon the girl discovered that if she walked with such apparent aimlessness
some men looked at her with calculating eyes She quickened her step
frightened As a protection she adopted a demeanor of intentness as if going
somewhere
After a time she left rattling avenues and passed between rows of houses
with sternness and stolidity stamped upon their features She hung her head for
she felt their eyes grimly upon her
Suddenly she came upon a stout gentleman in a silk hat and a chaste black
coat whose decorous row of buttons reached from his chin to his knees The girl
had heard of the Grace of God and she decided to approach this man
His beaming chubby face was a picture of benevolence and kindheartedness
His eyes shone goodwill
But as the girl timidly accosted him he made a convulsive movement and
saved his respectability by a vigorous sidestep He did not risk it to save a
soul For how was he to know that there was a soul before him that needed
saving
Chapter XVII
Upon a wet evening several months after the last chapter two interminable rows
of cars pulled by slipping horses jangled along a prominent side street A
dozen cabs with coatenshrouded drivers clattered to and fro Electric lights
whirring softly shed a blurred radiance A flower dealer his feet tapping
impatiently his nose and his wares glistening with raindrops stood behind an
array of roses and chrysanthemums Two or three theatres emptied a crowd upon
the stormswept pavements Men pulled their hats over their eyebrows and raised
their collars to their ears Women shrugged impatient shoulders in their warm
cloaks and stopped to arrange their skirts for a walk through the storm People
who had been constrained to comparative silence for two hours burst into a roar
of conversation their hearts still kindling from the glowings of the stage
The pavements became tossing seas of umbrellas Men stepped forth to hail
cabs or cars raising their fingers in varied forms of polite request or
imperative demand An endless procession wended toward elevated stations An
atmosphere of pleasure and prosperity seemed to hang over the throng born
perhaps of good clothes and of two hours in a place of forgetfulness
In the mingled light and gloom of an adjacent park a handful of wet
wanderers in attitudes of chronic dejection was scattered among the benches
A girl of the painted cohorts of the city went along the street She threw
changing glances at men who passed her giving smiling invitations to those of
rural or untaught pattern and usually seeming sedately unconscious of the men
with a metropolitan seal upon their faces
Crossing glittering avenues she went into the throng emerging from the
places of forgetfulness She hurried forward through the crowd as if intent upon
reaching a distant home bending forward in her handsome cloak daintily lifting
her skirts and picking for her wellshod feet the dryer spots upon the
pavements
The restless doors of saloons clashing to and fro disclosed animated rows
of men before bars and hurrying barkeepers
A concert hall gave to the street faint sounds of swift machinelike music
as if a group of phantom musicians were hastening
A tall young man smoking a cigarette with a sublime air strolled near the
girl He had on evening dress a moustache a chrysanthemum and a look of
ennui all of which he kept carefully under his eye Seeing the girl walk on as
if such a young man as he was not in existence he looked back transfixed with
interest He stared glassily for a moment but gave a slight convulsive start
when he discerned that she was neither new Parisian nor theatrical He wheeled
about hastily and turned his stare into the air like a sailor with a
searchlight
A stout gentleman with pompous and philanthropic whiskers went stolidly
by the broad of his back sneering at the girl
A belated man in business clothes and in haste to catch a car bounced
against her shoulder »Hi there Mary I beg your pardon Brace up old girl«
He grasped her arm to steady her and then was away running down the middle of
the street
The girl walked on out of the realm of restaurants and saloons She passed
more glittering avenues and went into darker blocks than those where the crowd
travelled
A young man in light overcoat and derby hat received a glance shot keenly
from the eyes of the girl He stopped and looked at her thrusting his hands in
his pockets and making a mocking smile curl his lips »Come now old lady« he
said »you dont mean to tell me that you sized me up for a farmer«
A laboring man marched along with bundles under his arms To her remarks he
replied »Its a fine evenin aint it«
She smiled squarely into the face of a boy who was hurrying by with his
hands buried in his overcoat pockets his blond locks bobbing on his youthful
temples and a cheery smile of unconcern upon his lips He turned his head and
smiled back at her waving his hands
»Not this eve some other eve«
A drunken man reeling in her pathway began to roar at her »I ain ga no
money dammit« he shouted in a dismal voice He lurched on up the street
wailing to himself »Dammit I ain ga no money Damn ba luck Ain ga no more
money«
The girl went into gloomy districts near the river where the tall black
factories shut in the street and only occasional broad beams of light fell
across the pavements from saloons In front of one of these places whence came
the sound of a violin vigorously scraped the patter of feet on boards and the
ring of loud laughter there stood a man with blotched features
Further on in the darkness she met a ragged being with shifting bloodshot
eyes and grimy hands
She went into the blackness of the final block The shutters of the tall
buildings were closed like grim lips The structures seemed to have eyes that
looked over them beyond them at other things Afar off the lights of the
avenues glittered as if from an impossible distance Streetcar bells jingled
with a sound of merriment
At the feet of the tall buildings appeared the deathly black hue of the
river Some hidden factory sent up a yellow glare that lit for a moment the
waters lapping oilily against timbers The varied sounds of life made joyous by
distance and seeming unapproachableness came faintly and died away to a
silence
Chapter XVIII
In a partitionedoff section of a saloon sat a man with a half dozen women
gleefully laughing hovering about him The man had arrived at that stage of
drunkenness where affection is felt for the universe
»Im good fler girls« he said convincingly »Im damn good fler
Anbody treats me right I allus treas zem right See«
The women nodded their heads approvingly »To be sure« they cried in hearty
chorus »Youre the kind of a man we like Pete Youre outa sight What yeh
goin to buy this time dear«
»Anting yehs wants damn it« said the man in an abandonment of goodwill
His countenance shone with the true spirit of benevolence He was in the proper
mood of missionaries He would have fraternized with obscure Hottentots And
above all he was overwhelmed in tenderness for his friends who were all
illustrious
»Anting yehs wants damn it« repeated he waving his hands with
beneficent recklessness »Im good fler girls an if anbody treats me right
I here« called he through an open door to a waiter »bring girls drinks
damn it What ill yehs have girls Anting yehs wants damn it«
The waiter glanced in with the disgusted look of the man who serves
intoxicants for the man who takes too much of them He nodded his head shortly
at the order from each individual and went
»Damn it« said the man »wre havin heluva time I like you girls Damnd
if I dont Yer right sort See«
He spoke at length and with feeling concerning the excellencies of his
assembled friends
»Don try pull mans leg but have a heluva time Das right Das way t do
Now if I sawght yehs tryin work me fer drinks wouldn buy damn ting But yer
right sort damn it Yehs know how ter treat a fler an I stays by yehs til
spen las cent Das right Im good fler an I knows when anbody treats me
right«
Between the times of the arrival and departure of the waiter the man
discoursed to the women on the tender regard he felt for all living things He
laid stress upon the purity of his motives in all dealings with men in the world
and spoke of the fervor of his friendship for those who were amiable Tears
welled slowly from his eyes His voice quavered when he spoke to his companions
Once when the waiter was about to depart with an empty tray the man drew a
coin from his pocket and held it forth
»Here« said he quite magnificently »heres quar«
The waiter kept his hands on his tray
»I don want yer money« he said
The other put forth the coin with tearful insistence
»Here damn it« cried he »takt Yer damn goo fler an I wan yehs
takt«
»Come come now« said the waiter with the sullen air of a man who is
forced into giving advice »Put yer mon in yer pocket Yer loaded an yehs ony
makes a damn fool of yerself«
As the latter passed out of the door the man turned pathetically to the
women
»He don know Im damn goo fler« cried he dismally
»Never you mind Pete dear« said the woman of brilliance and audacity
laying her hand with great affection upon his arm »Never you mind old boy
Well stay by you dear«
»Das ri« cried the man his face lighting up at the soothing tones of the
womans voice »Das ri Im damn goo fler an wen anyone treas me ri I
treas zem ri Shee«
»Sure« cried the women »And were not goin back on you old man«
The man turned appealing eyes to the woman He felt that if he could be
convicted of a contemptible action he would die
»Shay Nell damn it I allus treas yehs shquare didn I I allus been
goo fler wi yehs aint I Nell«
»Sure you have Pete« assented the woman She delivered an oration to her
companions »Yessir thats a fact Petes a square fellah he is He never goes
back on a friend Hes the right kind an we stay by him dont we girls«
»Sure« they exclaimed Looking lovingly at him they raised their glasses
and drank his health
»Girlsh« said the man beseechingly »I allus treas yehs ri didn I Im
goo fler ain I girlsh«
»Sure« again they chorused
»Well« said he finally »les have nozzer drink zen«
»Thats right« hailed a woman »thats right Yer no bloomin jay Yer
spends yer money like a man Dats right«
The man pounded the table with his quivering fists
»Yessir« he cried with deep earnestness as if someone disputed him »Im
damn goo fler an wen anyone treas me ri I allus treas les have
nozzer drink«
He began to beat the wood with his glass
»Shay« howled he growing suddenly impatient As the waiter did not then
come the man swelled with wrath
»Shay« howled he again
The waiter appeared at the door
»Bringsh drinksh« said the man
The waiter disappeared with the orders
»Zat fler damn fool« cried the man »He insul me Im geman Can stan
be insul Im goin lickim when comes«
»No no« cried the women crowding about and trying to subdue him »Hes
all right He didnt mean anything Let it go Hes a good fellah«
»Din he insul me« asked the man earnestly
»No« said they »Of course he didnt Hes all right«
»Sure he didn insul me« demanded the man with deep anxiety in his voice
»No no We know him Hes a good fellah He didnt mean anything«
»Well zen« said the man resolutely »Im go polgize«
When the waiter came the man struggled to the middle of the floor
»Girlsh shed you insul me I shay damn lie I polgize«
»All right« said the waiter
The man sat down He felt a sleepy but strong desire to straighten things
out and have a perfect understanding with everybody
»Nell I allus treas yeh shquare din I Yeh likes me don yehs Nell
Im goo fler«
»Sure« said the woman
»Yeh knows Im stuck on yehs don yehs Nell«
»Sure« she repeated carelessly
Overwhelmed by a spasm of drunken adoration he drew two or three bills from
his pocket and with the trembling fingers of an offering priest laid them on
the table before the woman
»Yehs knows damn it yehs kin have all I got cause Im stuck on yehs
Nell damn t I Im stuck on yehs Nell buy drinksh damn t were
havin heluva time wen anyone treas me ri I damn t Nell were
havin heluva time«
Presently he went to sleep with his swollen face fallen forward on his
chest
The women drank and laughed not heeding the slumbering man in the corner
Finally he lurched forward and fell groaning to the floor
The women screamed in disgust and drew back their skirts
»Come ahn« cried one starting up angrily »lets get out of here«
The woman of brilliance and audacity stayed behind taking up the bills and
stuffing them into a deep irregularlyshaped pocket A guttural snore from the
recumbent man caused her to turn and look down at him
She laughed »What a damn fool« she said and went
The smoke from the lamps settled heavily down in the little compartment
obscuring the way out The smell of oil stifling in its intensity pervaded the
air The wine from an overturned glass dripped softly down upon the blotches on
the mans neck
Chapter XIX
In a room a woman sat at a table eating like a fat monk in a picture
A soiled unshaven man pushed open the door and entered
»Well« said he »Mags dead«
»What« said the woman her mouth filled with bread
»Mags dead« repeated the man
»D hell she is« said the woman She continued her meal When she finished
her coffee she began to weep
»I kin remember when her two feet was no bigger dan yer tumb and she
weared worsted boots« moaned she
»Well whata dat« said the man
»I kin remember when she weared worsted boots« she cried
The neighbors began to gather in the hall staring in at the weeping woman
as if watching the contortions of a dying dog A dozen women entered and
lamented with her Under their busy hands the rooms took on that appalling
appearance of neatness and order with which death is greeted
Suddenly the door opened and a woman in a black gown rushed in with
outstretched arms »Ah poor Mary« she cried and tenderly embraced the moaning
one
»Ah what terble affliction is dis« continued she Her vocabulary was
derived from mission churches »Me poor Mary how I feel fer yehs Ah what a
terble affliction is a disobedent chil«
Her good motherly face was wet with tears She trembled in eagerness to
express her sympathy The mourner sat with bowed head rocking her body heavily
to and fro and crying out in a high strained voice that sounded like a dirge
on some forlorn pipe
»I kin remember when she weared worsted boots an her two feets was no
bigger dan yer tumb an she weared worsted boots Miss Smith« she cried
raising her streaming eyes
»Ah me poor Mary« sobbed the woman in black With low coddling cries she
sank on her knees by the mourners chair and put her arms about her The other
women began to groan in different keys
»Yer poor misguided chil is gone now Mary an let us hope its fer d
bes Yehll fergive her now Mary wont yehs dear all her disobedence All
her tankless behavior to her mudder an all her badness Shes gone where her
terble sins will be judged«
The woman in black raised her face and paused The inevitable sunlight came
streaming in at the window and shed a ghastly cheerfulness upon the faded hues
of the room Two or three of the spectators were sniffling and one was weeping
loudly The mourner arose and staggered into the other room In a moment she
emerged with a pair of faded baby shoes held in the hollow of her hand
»I kin remember when she used to wear dem« cried she The women burst anew
into cries as if they had all been stabbed The mourner turned to the soiled and
unshaven man
»Jimmie boy go git yer sister Go git yer sister an well put d boots on
her feets«
»Dey wont fit her now yeh damn fool« said the man
»Go git yer sister Jimmie« shrieked the woman confronting him fiercely
The man swore sullenly He went over to a corner and slowly began to put on
his coat He took his hat and went out with a dragging reluctant step
The woman in black came forward and again besought the mourner
»Yehll fergive her Mary Yehll fergive yer bad bad chil Her life was a
curse an her days were black an yehll fergive yer bad girl Shes gone where
her sins will be judged«
»Shes gone where her sins will be judged« cried the other women like a
choir at a funeral
»D Lord gives and d Lord takes away« said the woman in black raising her
eyes to the sunbeams
»D Lord gives and d Lord takes away« responded the others
»Yehll fergive her Mary« pleaded the woman in black The mourner essayed
to speak but her voice gave way She shook her great shoulders frantically in
an agony of grief The tears seemed to scald her face Finally her voice came
and arose in a scream of pain
»Oh yes Ill fergive her Ill fergive her«