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of time had made； apportioning to the sleepers while they lay at the mercy
of fate； the vengeance； profit； grief； reward and doom that the new figure
in the calen… dar had brought them。 Shrill and yet plaintive were the cries；
as if the young voices grieved that so much evil and so little good was in
their irresponsible hands。 Thus echoed in the streets of the helpless city the
transmission of the latest decrees of the gods； the cries of the newsboys
the Clarion Call of the Press。
Woods flipped a dime to the waiter； and said： 〃Get me a Morning
Mars。〃
When the paper came he glanced at its first page； and then tore a leaf
out of his memorandum book and began to write on it with the little old
pencil。
〃What's the news？〃' yawned Kernan。
Woods flipped over to him the piece of writing：
〃The New York Morning Mars：
〃Please pay to the order of John Kernan the one thousand dollars
reward coming to me for his arrest and conviction。
〃BARNARD WOODS。〃
〃I kind of thought they would do that；〃 said Woods； 〃when you were
jollying them so hard。 Now； Johnny； you'll come to the police station with
me。〃
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The Voice of the City
EXTRADITED FROM BOHEMIA
From near the village of Harmony； at the foot of the Green Mountains；
came Miss Medora Martin to New York with her color…box and easel。
Miss Medora resembled the rose which the autum… nal frosts had
spared the longest of all her sister blossoms。 In Harmony； when she started
alone to the wicked city to study art； they said she was a mad； reckless；
headstrong girl。 In New York； when she first took her seat at a West Side
boardinghouse table； the boarders asked： 〃Who is the nice…looking old
maid？〃
Medora took heart； a cheap hall bedroom and two art lessons a week
from Professor Angelini； a retired barber who had studied his profession in
a Harlem dancing academy。 There was no one to set her right； for here in
the big city they do it unto all of us。 How many of us are badly shaved
daily and taught the two…step imperfectly by ex…pupils of Bastien Le Page
and Gerome？ The most pathetic sight in New York except the manners
of the rush…hour crowds is the dreary march of the hopeless army of Me…
diocrity。 Here Art is no benignant goddess； but a Circe who turns her
wooers into mewing Toms and Tabbies who linger about the doorsteps of
her abode； unmindful of the flying brickbats and boot…jacks of the critics。
Some of us creep back to our native vil… lages to the skim…milk of 〃I told
you so〃； but most of us prefer to remain in the cold courtyard of our
mistress's temple； snatching the scraps that fall from her divine table
d'hote。 But some of us grow weary at last of the fruitless service。 And then
there are two fates open to us。 We can get a job driving a grocer's wagon；
or we can get swallowed up in the Vortex of Bohemia。 The latter sounds
good； but the former really pans out better。 For； when the grocer pays us
off we can rent a dress suit and the cap… italized system of humor
describes it best Get Bo… hemia On the Run。
Miss Medora chose the Vortex and thereby fur… nishes us with our little
story。
Professor Angelini praised her sketches excessively。 Once when she
had made a neat study of a horse… chestnut tree in the park he declared she
would be… come a second Rosa Bonheur。 Again a great art… ist has his
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The Voice of the City
moods he would say cruel and cutting things。 For example； Medora had
spent an after… noon patiently sketching the statue and the archi… tecture at
Columbus Circle。 Tossing it aside with a sneer； the professor informed her
that Giotto had once drawn a perfect circle with one sweep of his hand。
One day it rained； the weekly remittance from Har… mony was overdue；
Medora had a headache； the pro… fessor had tried to borrow two dollars
from her； her art dealer had sent back all her water…colors unsold； and
Mr。 Binkley asked her out to dinner。
Mr。 Binkley was the gay boy of the boarding… house。 He was forty…
nine； and owned a fishstall in a downtown market。 But after six o'clock he
wore an evening suit and whooped things up connected with the beaux arts。
The young men said he was an 〃Indian。〃 He was supposed to be an
accomplished habitue of the inner circles of Bohemia。 It was no secret that
he had once loaned 10 to a young man who had had a drawing printed in
Puck。 Often has one thus obtained his entree into the charmed circle； while
the other obtained both his entree and roast。
The other boarders enviously regarded Medora as she left at Mr。
Binkley's side at nine o'clock。 She was as sweet as a cluster of dried
autumn grasses in her pale blue oh er that very thin stuff in her
pale blue Comstockized silk waist and box… pleated voile skirt； with a soft
pink glow on her thin cheeks and the tiniest bit of rouge powder on her
face； with her handkerchief and room key in her brown walrus； pebble…
grain band…bag。
And Mr。 Binkley looked imposing and dashing with his red face and
gray mustache； and his tight dress coat； that made the back of his neck roll
up just like a successful novelist's。
They drove in a cab to the Cafe Terence； just off the most glittering
part of Broadway； which； as every one knows； is one of the most popular
and widely patronized； jealously exclusive Bohemian re… sorts in the city。
Down between the rows of little tables tripped Medora； of the Green
Mountains； after her escort。 Thrice in a lifetime may woman walk upon
clouds once when she trippeth to the altar； once when she first enters
Bohemian halls； the last when she marches back across her first garden
with the dead hen of her neighbor in her band。
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There was a table set； with three or four about it。 A waiter buzzed
around it like a bee； and silver and glass shone upon it。 And； preliminary
to the meal； as the prehistoric granite strata heralded the pro… tozoa； the
bread of Gaul； compounded after the for… mula of the recipe for the eternal
bills； was there set forth to the hand and tooth of a long…suffering city；
while the