Evening star. [volume], March 01, 1936, Page 8, Image 88

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Illustration by
Dan Content
“I told you never
to come here —
You’d best forget
me,” she said.
“But I had to see
you, Bess,”
the boy pleaded
iA story which proves that tragedy and comedy are all
around you—ifyou have the eye to see and the heart to understand
by GILBERT WRIGHT
Working like I do as a restaurant
cashier gives me lots of chances
to study people and keep an eye
out on what happens in the
restaurant, which is one thing a cashier is for.
That is why I got the idea of becoming liter
ary and writing a story as a side line. Of
course, when I write it and get the money, the
restaurant will see me no more. But I feel that
I ought to keep on cashiering until a story
happens in our restaurant, so I can write it.
If the restaurant was a big one it might
get held up, or if it was a night-club, a gang
ster would maybe get shot. But it's only a
very small restaurant, so probably the only
thing that could happen to make a story
would be a fire. And there is a very good
chance of that, the way Mike is so careless
with the grease. Mike owns the restaurant
and does the cooking. He is big and his face
is blue with shaved whiskers and the back of
his head is practically without a profile. He
cooks and watches how things go on, through
the serving window.
We are supposed to have two waitresses
but we have only got one right now. Her name
is Mable and she is about fifty and pretty
hard. There is very little that gets by Mable.
I guess she has been through plenty but she
never says much. She doesn't bother with
make-up any more and her lips are pretty
thin and tight. Her feet are giving out on her.
The other waitress we had until yesterday
was named Bessie. She told Mike she was
twenty-two and in some ways she looked it,
but I’ll bet anything she wasn’t a day over
seventeen. She could have been quite cute if
she would have smiled often. Of course, she
smiled at the customers like we all do, because
Mike is persistent about that. But I mean, she
would have looked very sweet if a smile was
just to come on her face without being pulled
there. I saw it happen only one time and that
was yesterday noon. She wras very dainty and
blonde and had a little kid figure. You never
would have believed that she would walk right
out of the restaurant with a self-confessed
jail bird.
Of course the men customers sized her up
plenty and gave her lots of openings. But in
spite of what I know about her now, I really
don't believe she ever dated any of them. A
clever girl can hide that sort of thing but you
can always tell if a man has gone out with a
waitress, because he shows it the very next
time he comes in.
Bessie was clever all right because it takes
a very clever girl to smuggle a quart of Grade
A out of Mike's restaurant every day like she
did. I first saw her do it nearly a month ago,
and I thought it was my duty to tell Mike.
But Mable saw me see Bessie take the milk
and advised me not to mention it. I asked her
what Bessie did with the milk and she said .
Bessie had a small cat in her room and that
she couldn’t keep it on the six dollars a week
she was getting from Mike without borrowing
a little milk. And I said it must be some cat to
drink a quart. But Mable didn’t answer. She
Can be a very strong character when she wants
to, Mable can. So I didn’t say anything to
Mike. Mable has been with him longer than I
have anyways and owes him more loyalty.
And the minute a story happens around here
I am going to walk right out.
Well, yesterday noon we were filled up like
we always are at noon when this young fellow
came in. He took the only stool that was left
and it was right next the cashier’s booth, so I
saw what went on between him and Bessie. He
was kind of good-looking and very eager. He
had a white cover-all on with ‘‘Al’s Auto
Wash" written on the back in red letters. I
guess he was about twenty. Just a kid, but
very eager and I knew right off by the way he
looked at Bessie that he had been out with her.
Mable usually takes the first eight stools
from the cashier’s booth but just as soon as
this young fellow came in, she walked down
past Bessie and said something. Bessie looked
up quick. She got quite fussed for a second and
then went icy and very calm. She tossed her
head away from the boy and went on helping
a customer pick out his doughnut. I could see
Mable sort of shove Bessie toward the young
fellow’s er.d of the counter. It was pretty plain
that Mable wanted to give Bessie a chance to
wait on him, and it was just as plain that
I7nr>pto nroi'n’* nrr~\tnrr ♦ ri
Then a man near the young fellow com
menced to yell about the service and Mike
looked out of the window. Mable was making
herself very busy over an order and Bessie
wasn't doing a thing. So Mike nodded for her
to get busy and Bessie finally came up. As
soon as she came near him, the young fellow
leaned over and asked her what was wrong.
He had a nice voice sort of kind and hope
ful and as though he was ready to be sorry for
something he’d done if Bessie would only tell
him what it was.
But Bessie paid no attention. She took the
man's order that had done the complaining
and kept her eyes down. Then another man
wanted his pie and another had some soup
coming and Mike rang the order bell. Pretty
soon Bessie had to come near the young fellow
again and he said, “I waited and waited last
night. Why didn’t you come, Bess? Have I
done anything? Don't you like me?”
He said this very fast and quite loud, just as
if there was nobody in the whole place but
Bessie.
Bessie came up to the young fellow and
held up her pad like she was getting his order.
She said very low, “I told you never to come
here. They don’t like it.”
‘‘But 1 had to see you,” he said very des
perate. “1 must have done something or you
wouldn’t have stood me up.”
‘ ‘ I got a chance to do some sewing for a lady
across town,” said Bessie. ‘‘What will you
have?”
But l went to wnere you uve ana mere
was a light on," he said. “By then they'd
locked the main door.”
She looked at him very miserably but she
was pretty short when she said, “Don’t never
try to come up to my room! Give me an order.
Do you want me to lose my job?”
“Listen, Bess," he said, like he was very
honest, “I meant what I said. And Al’s going
to give me charge of the polishing row, which
will be five dollars more. We can do it. I’ll
take a bowl of chili.”
Bessie didn’t say anything. She went right
off to get the chili. And even when Mike has
set it out, she couldn’t seem to get around to
delivering it. She waited on everybody she
could and finally Mike asked her who ordered
the chili and so she had to take it to the young
fellow.
He never glanced at it but said, “Bess, I
ain’t got any wrong feelings for you, truly I
haven't. I meant all I said. Please see me to
night.”
“No," said Bessie “Coffee?”
“But why not? What’s wrong about it?”
“You’d best forget me," said Bessie. “Do
you want that coffee?"
“Bess,” he said very anxious, “why can’t
I come see you — you didn’t lie when you
said you wasn’t married, did you?”
“No, I ain't married.” She kind of gulped
and went off to get his coffee anyways.
She was a long time about it and Mable
came to her by the percolator and spoke to her
very low and very fast. I never before saw
Mable say so much. Pretty soon Bessie turned
to Mable and said something, and I could see
(Continued on page 13)