As I caught her eye she gave a quick start, and
then deliberately turned her head in another direction, and pretended
not to have seen me. At this act I rushed out into the street, and it
was with great difficulty that I was able to control my feelings.
The next evening I met her in the park, and was further surprised when
she not only failed to mention the incident, but intimated that she had
spent the evening at an entirely different place. She appeared so
innocent, however, and was so charming in her manner that I almost
immediately forgot the affair, and said nothing about it. A few nights
later, though, as I was walking down Broadway, near Twenty-seventh
street, I noticed a large crowd of men and women gathered, and
questioning a bystander as to the reason thereof, I was informed that a
stylishly dressed lady was "too drunk to navigate" and was in the hands
of a policeman. As I craned my neck to get a glimpse of the unfortunate
woman, I was shocked beyond expression to find that it was none other
than Arletta who had created the commotion. Horrified, I rushed through
the crowd, pushing men right and left, until I had reached the
policeman, who was holding her up by the arm and trying to ascertain her
name and address. She could hardly stand, and seemed dazed to the point
of falling, but as I spoke her name, her memory revived somewhat, and,
fixing her half-closed eyes upon me, she said: "Why, hello Jack" And
then, turning to the officer, remarked: "This is my friend Jack; he will
take me home.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181