THIRD INSTALLMENT
"No, Becka, it’s too hot.”
"You’re ’fraid. That’s what. You
don’t dast to go.”
"All right, come along,” and John
and Becka strolled casually from the
front stoop of the tenement as Becka
called, "So long! We’re going for a
walk,” to Mrs. Lipvitch who sat on
the basement steps with the twins and
Mrs. Yartin, while Mr. Lipvitch ar
gued with a customer within.
An hour later, in the dark of early
evening, the girl and boy, arm in arm,
strolled far from the crowds about
the Clothing Emporium.
"Have you got any money?” Becka
asked this frankly.
"Lipvitch—your father,” he cor
rected, "give me a dollar today.” His
hand gripped it in the bottom of the
large trouser pocket, the one without
the hole. He showed the bright silver
coin to Becka.
"Say-” Becka clasped his arm
with an insinuating pressure, leaning
toward and in front of John, as she
looked up into his face, for he was a
head taller than the girl.
"Say what?” he asked, shoving her
back somewhat roughly in his embar
rassment.
"You’re green,” she laughed ner
vously. "Say, you are green,” she af
firmed, as if a great truth had just
then been disclosed. "You don’t have
to work for nothing,” she added has
tily. "Pa should pay you,” she urged,
again looking up into his face, still
holding his arm, but refraining from
closer contact. The boy walked
straight ahead .and failed to answer.
"Y ou should get a dollar a day,” Becka
continued, "and board too—he would
have to give it—I will make him,” she
said positively.
Late that afternoon the dollar in his
pocket had been given him grudging
ly, guiltily, by Channon Lipvitch. And
this only after an argument with
Becka.
"All right, don’t give it to him,” she
retorted to his repeated protest. "When
he finds out—you look out. You ain’t
so smart,” she warned. "John can sue
you for damages, for back wages, some
day. Give him something now—five
dollars,” Becka had argued.
"No! No! Lipvitch knew the dang
er, also the. expense.
"You got to. You got to pay him
something today.” Becka was insist
ent, and, as John entered the Empo
rium on his return from an errand a
few doors away, Becka bent a parting
glance of warning on her father, her
eyes threatening exposure as she nod
ded meaningly at John. Lipvitch had
his hand in his pocket. He'fingered a
coin, a half, then in a prudent flood
of generosity he seized a silver dollar.
"Here, Chon,” his throat was husky.
"Here, Chon, I god someding by you.”
He spoke rapidly. "A dollar—you
earned idt—vages, Chon—remember,
vages,” he repeated, handing the boy
the large coin, thrusting it toward
him impulsively, as if afraid John
would not accept. "Ant remember,
Chon, I -don’d charge you nodding,
nodding a tall fer board. You ged id
all fer nodding.”
Then, after an interval of pregnant
silence, Becka having again linked
John’s arm through her own, doing so
with a small laugh, a friendly, forgiv
ing laugh, they walked out on Broad
way at a point where its wholesale
commercial aspect stretches north
ward.
To America, New York was Rome,
and still-is; the feudal city of the
Western World, taking tribute from
the ends of the earth. Other cities may
attempt to dispute this, but New
York, true to its name, keeps rising
new and fresh and more powerful
from its own continuous disintegra
tion, shafts of steel and stone spring
ing up out of the dusty demolition
constantly under way. The wrecks and
mistakes of the past feed ambition,
flaring to higher and dizzier achieve
ment.
. t .1 _ -__ .a mff 3tlr
ever was ;-o
bright and hopeful as on the summei
night when John and Becka, far frorr
their environment, walked on air, and
literally rode on it, as they sped up
town on the West Side L. The squat
green,bellied steam locomotive puffed
and wheezed, blowing its whistle as it
approached the curves, where Becks
with an "Oh!” clung close to John;
they sat in a cross Seat by an oper
window. '
Descending at Fifty-ninth Street
Becka led him eastward to Columbu:
Circle. The tall shaft in the center
the different aspect of the people, th<
absence of push carts, and t.ie deartl
of children, puzzled John. Dodging th.
whirling stream of cyclists, they enter,
ed the shaded walls of Central Pari
through a rustic arbor. The dust]
white macadam drives were lively witl
the prance of foam-flecked turn-outs
and the "clank” and "clink” of fash
ionable harness trappings.
And with the black art of this nigh
of swift unusual motion and of rar
sights, with Becka, soft and confiding
clinging closely on his arm, with th
dread of Grogans forgotten in the dis
tant alleys of the slums, the boy ex
panded to an influence beyond th
measure of his understanding. He fel
the secretive whispering of tne dart
Far to the North, from the direc
tion of the Mall, band music filtere
through the leaves, for the air wj
still, and presently captured moon
light, prisoned in a lake, was discover
ed through a parting of the trees. John
and Becka turned toward this, to the
lower walks, the perfect ones planned
long ago by a master gardener. Find
ing a secluded spot they sat down, the
still surface of the reflecting pond
almost at their feet. They were close
together, a lilac bush screened them
from the walk; they talked idly. Sud
denly the light of the lake went out
as a cloud drifted across the moon.
"You do, John, I know you do. Lil
ly Firkin saw you.” Becka, in tones of
pouting banter, was accusing John.
Suddenly he found himself forgiven,
forgiven for things he had never done,
for lapses he had not committed, for
things he had never even thought
about, forgiven with the cool moist
lips of Becka pressing eagerly against
his own, stilling all protest of inno
cence, or of revolt.
His voice rasped. He choked and
struggled, vibrant with the contact,
holding Becka with convulsive
strength. The first drops of rain found
them oblivious to the coming storm.
The boy, ill clad, hard in body, with
few ideas but those of strife, released
the girl; her sudden "Oh!” coming
with the return of breath almost
crushed out of her. John jumped up,
picked up her straw hat, and pulling
her by the arm led her to the bole of
a huge sycamore whose broad leaves
promised some shelter from the rain.
Quick flashes of lightning, followed
by harsh, rumbling peals of thunder,
were punctuated by the puny cries and
screams of women running from the
park as sudden swirls of cool air and
rain whipped about the trees. Then
John and Becka, like Paul and Vir
ginia of the story, naked, not of body
but of mind, raced beneath the trees
and -the lashing of the storm for the
park gate at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-1
ninth Street. They took the East Side
L., down again into the familiar close
ness of the slums.
The end of September, in the city
of perpetual change, brings with it
the first refreshing whisper of cooler
airs; a new vitality springs to life
among the heat-weary dwellers in the
city. Sol Bernfeld had come back from
the road after questionable success in
providing crayon enlargements of
family album portraits, with the Paris
Spicy Package as a side line. The spicy
package being a bulky surreptious en
velope, sold sealed "Against the law,
you know, to show it,” to be opened
by the purchaser "Strictly in private.”
It was a suggestive package, retailing
at twenty-five cents, or two bits, and
sold wholesale to candy choppers on
trains at seven, flat, a gross. Sol sold
few of the crayon enlargements but
did get rid of his entire stock of spicy
packages to the -farmers and their
hands, even disposing of them to wo
men by the simple process of refus
ing to even tell them what he was
seIlinS
Un his return to tne vaty, ovi xvunu
Becka in a receptive frame of mind
and John Breen pursuing his way in
dogged silence. Becka’s efforts, balk
ed by his awkward inexperience, had
at least served to place him upon a
meager wage, in the size of which she
evinced small interest. She soon walk
ed out with Sol, then earning, as she
boastfully confided to John, the
princely salary of twenty-five dollars
a week as runner for a Bowery bur
lesque show. And, furthermore, she
was to appear in the chorus, of a leg
show, "in. tights!”—a secret carefully
kept from Channon Lipvitch, but
whispered slyly to John. And to prove
it Becka showed John a photograph
that brought a hot flush to his face.
"Silly,” she cried, "I’m an actress, you
know.” But for all that a coolness
sprang up between them, and John
refused tickets to the show.
And, as another side line, Sol Bern
feld began to match John against like
ly boys in clandestine boxing bouts of
the lower city, taking him from hall
to hall on Saturday nights, acting as
his manager. These adventures were
a relief to the growing dislike he felt
for the Clothing Emporium and its
cloying sameness. Fighting Had become
second nature to him. He liked the
heat of combat and his craving for the
excitement of the fight grew with his
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
Tom—Was it a big wedding?
Tim—Yes. I lined up twice to kiss
the bride and nobody noticed it.
—Punch Bowl. !
NOTICE
All repair work that has been left
over six months and not called for
by
JULY 15 th
will be sold.
SALISBURY
PAWN SHOP
S Main St.Salisbury, N. C
Thousands ol women
Have Taken Cardul
on Their Mothers’ Advice
It is an impressive fact that many
women have said they learned of
the value of Cardui from their
mothers.
What stronger evidence of her con
fidence In a medicine could a mother
have than that she advises her daugh
ter to take It!
Cardul is given the credit for re
lieving so many cases of womanly
suffering that it is widely and favor
ably known. Druggists, everywhere,
sell it.
If you are weak, run-down, suffer
ing monthly, take Cardul. Take it
for a reasonable length of time and
try it thoroughly. As your health
improves, you will share the enthusi
asm of thousands of women who have
written to say: ‘‘Cardul helped me."
Rowan Printing Co.
Authorized Dealer
UNDERWOOD
TYPEWRITERS
SUNDSTRAND
ADDING MACHINES
_ •
ONE DOLLAR
PER WEEK
will buy the New Port
able Underwood. Ask
for demonstration.
Expert repair work by
factory trained me
chanic on any make
adding machine or
typewriter.
CALL... 532
for service or
demonstration
ROWAN
Printing Co.
126 North Main Street
SALISBURY, N. C.
— —
STAR LAUNDRY
"The Good One”
Laundere'rs and Dry Cleaners
Phone 24 114 West Bank St.
One Day Service
I ——————————
THE SMOKE SHOP
Phone 9167
l. NEWSPAPERS
! MAGAZINES
FOUNTAIN SERVICE
s 5c HAMBURGERS Jc
1 218 S. Main St.
Salisbury, N. C.
i nzzzz=z=zz=
s -—
BESTYET
1 Kills rats and mice. Absolutely
prevents odor from carcasses. 0ne
package proves this. BESTYET
comes in powder form, no mixing
with other foods.
50 cent size, 3 oz., is enough for
pantry, kitchen and cellar.
75 cent size, 6 oz., for chicken
house, coops and small buildings.
Sold and guaranteed by
Carolina Feed Store
210 E. Innes St. Salisbury, N. C.
CAMERAGRAPHS]
Reading Time : 3 minutes, 10 seconds
ROOSEVELTIAN SALUTE: 6ov. 1
Franklin D. Roosevelt, democratic
presidential nominee, acknowledges
cheers of delegates upon his arrival
in Chicago. That’s son James at
right.
A QUIET JULY 4th marked ,
Calvin Coolidge’e sixtieth birth- {
day. Hay fever kept him at his f
ancestral home In Vermont. |
CLOSE! Frank WyckofT, Southern\
California, left, barely nosed out \
Bob Kiesel, California, in 100- \
yard dash, at recent ICAAAA .
meet, f
yS^s. i
BEBE FRARV, Jackson
Heights, L. I., is only 8,
yet she’s one of the most
proficient "future heme
makers” enrolled in the
Campfire Girls’ Home Craft
course. Here she is shown
proudly exhibiting a Jell-O
salad, one of her favorite
creations for tempting
summer’s Jaded appetites.
DOUBLE CHAMP: Gene
Sarazen is showing golf,
dom this year, winning
both the British and the
National Open.
RURAL RHAPSODIES are the specialty of
the Fireman’s band, featured on the Thomp
kins Corners radio program (sponsored by
Post Toasties every Thursday hight). This
amusing picture is culled from “The Family
Album", offered to listeners.
DOROTHY MACKA1L, I
film star, look* oool. ya*f i
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AND
NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE CO.
PHONE 1900
Ride the street cars and avoid the parkins nuisance