Show U 0 HENRY e f a The Voice of the City By O. O Henry Copyright 1920 1320 by Tho The Wheeler Syndicate Inc the five years ears ago aso school children used to chant their lessons The manner of oC their delivery de- de de delivery livery was a a. singsong recitative between the tho utterance of ot an Episcopal Episcopal Epis Epis- copal minister and the drone of ofa ofa ofa I a Ur tired d sawmill I 1 mean no dis dle- respect We 0 must meet have lumber I and sawdust I remember one beautiful and Instructive little lyric that emanated emanated emanated ema ema- from tram the tho physiology class Tho most striking line of oC It was this thin I The Th shin bone Is the longest bone bono In the human body What an Inestimable boon It t would have havo been If It all the corporeal corporeal corporeal cor cor- and spiritual facts pertaining pertain pertain 1 ing to man had thus been tunefully tunefully tunefully tune tune- fully and logically Inculcated in I our youthful minds But what we gained In anatomy music and philosophy was a meagre Tho other day I became con con- fused I needed a ray of ot light I turned back to those school days daya for tor aid ald But In n all tho the nasal harmonies harmonics har har- I har-I monies we whined forth from i those hard hud benches I could not recall one that treated of ot the voice of oC agglomerated mankind In other words of oC tho composite I vocal message of ot massed human human- It ity I In other words of ot tho the Voice of ofa ofa ofa a Big City Now the Individual Is not lacking We can cnn understand the song son of ot tho the poet the ripple of ot the tho brook tho the meaning of oC the the- theman man who wants five dollars until next Monday the Inscriptions on the tombs tomba of oC the Pharaohs the the- thelan language lan lan- guage of oC flowers floers the step lively lively live live- live live-I I ly ly of ot the conductor and the tho pro pro- pre pre-I ludo of oC tho the milk cans at 4 a a. a m m. I Certain large cared ones one even assert as assert as- as sert eert that they are wise to the tho ns-I ns vibrations vi vibrations vi- vi 1 of ot the tho tympanum produced produced pro pro- by concu concussion lIlon of ot the pro pro-I air emanating from Mr II Ir James But who ho c can n comprehend hend tho the meaning of ot the voice of ot the city I went out for tor to s see First I asked Aurelia Aurella She wore oro white while Swiss and a hat with Clowers flowers flowers flow flow- ers on It It and ribbons and ends of things fluttered tl here and there Tell me I said stammering for tor I have no voice olce of t my fy tn own what does this bl big enormous big er enormous er whopping er whopping city 9 say It must have a n voice olce of ot some Bome kind Does Does' lit It ever eer speak to you ou How ITow do you OU Interpret Its Us meaning It Is a tremendous mass muse but It must have havea a key Like a a. Saratoga trunk asked AurellaNo Aurella No o said eald I. I Please do not re refer refer re- re fer to tho the lid I have o a fancy that every ry city has a R. voice Each one has something to say MY to the one onn who Co can hear henr It What does the bl big one ono say ay to you ou 1 All AU cities said Aurella Aurelia Judicial Judicially judicially Judi Judi- cial u say the same ume thing When hen the they get Iet saying It there isan Is Isan Isan an echo from So the they are unanimous Here are people said Mid MidI saidI I I. I scholastically compressed upon an IMand laland which Is mostly lamb iamb surrounded by Wall Wan street water The conjunction of ot so o many units Into so small a II space must result In an Identity or identity or rather rathen a n homo homo- that finds Its Us oral expression expression expression ex ex- through a common ch chan chan- n- n nel net It Is as you OU ml might ht say MY a cons consensus con con- s of ot translation concentrating InK ing In a a. crystallized general Idea Ide-a which reveals lt itself elf In what maybe may maybe maybe be termed the Voice of ot the City Can you tell me what hU It la I. Is' Is j i Aurella Aurelia smiled wonderfully She Shet Shep t p at rat t on the high stoop A spray pray of ot otIn In Insolent Ivy hy vy bobbed against hu her right ear r. A ray of oC Impudent moonlight flickered upon uron h her r no But I 1 was wu adamant nickel plated I I must go so and find out out I said I what nhat is the Voice of oC the City Other cities clUes have voices It Is III an assignment I must have It New York I 1 continued In n a a. rising tone had better not hand me a cigar clear I and say Old man man I cant can't talk for publication No 0 other city acts In I that way Chicago o says unhesitatingly I 1 will Philadelphia says sas I should New Orleans says I used to Louisville says ays Dont I care If it I do St S1 Louis says says Excuse Excuse Ex cuse cuso me says Smoke up up Now New YorkI York York- I Aurella smiled I Very Ver well said cald I T I. I I 1 must go I elsewhere and find out outI I I went wont Into a palace the floored cherub and square with the cop I put my foot on the I brass brau rail and said to Em Billy Magnus Mag Mag- Magnus nus the best bartender In tho the diocese diocese diocese dio dio- cese I Billy youve you've lived In New York Yorka a a long Ions time what time what kind of of a a. song eons and dance danco does docs this old town give I you What Whal I mean Is doesn't tho the gab Jab of oC It seem to kind of ot bunch sup I up and slide over tho the bar to you ina In Ina a sort of ot amalgamated tip that hits off oft the burg In a a. kind of ot an epigram epigram epi epi- gram with a n. dash of ot bitters and anda I Ia I a slice of ot- ot Excuse mo me a minute said Billy Billy Bil Bil- I ly punching the tho button button but but- ton at the tho side door but I Ho He went awa away came cama back with an empty tin Un bucket a again vanished van van- vanished van van-I l hed with it t full returned and said to me That was Mame Maine She Sho rings I twice Sho likes a n. glass class of ot beer for tor supper Her and the kid If It you OU ever saw MW that little of ot mine brace up In his high chair and take tako his beer and and and- But Dut say what whal was yours youra I got kind of oC excited when I hear them two to rings was rings was It the tho baseball score orgin or orgin gin fizz you asked for tor I Ginger l' ale I answered ans I walked up to Broadway I 1 saw M sawa a a cop on the corner Tho The cops take kids up women omen across and men In I wont went up to him If U Im I'm not not exceeding the tho spiel limit I said let me mo asK UK you You seo Now New York during its vocative vo- vo vocative vo vo- hours It Is tho the function of ot you and your brother cops COPIt to preserve preserve pre pre- serve the acoustics of ot the tho city I There must bo be a civic voice that thatIs Is Intelligible to you At night during during durling dur dur- ling ing your lonely rounds you must have hava h heard ard It What Is la the epitome me mo of ot Its turmoil and shouting What does tho the city say y to you Friend said Mid tho the policeman spinning his club It dont don't say MY nothing I 1 get my orders from tram theman the theman theman man higher up Say I guess youre you're all aU right Stand hero hera for tor a n. few tow minutes and keep an nn eye open for tor forthe forthe the j The cop melted into the darkness darkness darkness' of ot the side street In ten minutes I he had returned Married last Tuesday he said half halt gruffly You know how they are She com comes s to that corner at 9 every night for Cor a a- a comes a-comes comes to 10 say lay layh h hello I T generally manage to bethere be ho there Say what hat was It you asked mo me a bit hats ago ago what's doing in the eft city Oh Ob theres there's a roof garden or two Just opened twelve blocks up I crossed a a. crows crow's foot of oC streetCAr streetcar street street- street 1 car tracks and skirted the tho edge oft an umbrageous park pUke An I Diana gilded heroic poised wind wind-i wind wind- i ruled on the tower shimmered In Inthe Inthe inthe the clear light of ot her namesake In Inthe Inthe inthe the sky k Along Alone came my poet hurrying hur- hur hurI I haired d. d emitting dactyls dactyls dac dac- tylI spondees nd dactylic I seized him Bill said Mid I In the magazine he is Cleon give me a a. lift I Ii I urn am on an assignment to find out the Voice of ot the CIt City You see Its It's a special order Ordinarily a symposium comprising the views nf of Henry Clews Clewe John I L I. Sullivan Edwin Edn Markham May Iy Irwin and Charles Schwab would be about t all But But t this th Is la a different mat mAt- I ter We want a broad brood poetic tl mystic vocalization of or the city's soul and m moaning meaning You are arc the very fry chap to give she me a hint Some years ago aRO a man got sot at the NIagara Ni Niagara NI- NI agara agars halls Falls l and gave us Us Its pitch The Tho note was about two o feet be below below below be- be low the ho the lowest G on th the piano Now ow you cant can put Now New V C York Into a note unless ss Its It's better In Indorsed Indorsed indorsed In- In than that But give Ilvo mo an Idea of oC what It would say pay If IC It lt should speak It Is bound to be bea a a. mighty and reaching far utter utter- I ance To arrive at it we wo must take t the tremendous crash of the chords of tho the days clays traffic the thel l laughter and music of or the night the solemn tones of ot Dr Parkhurst the ragtime the weeping the stealthy hum of can cab wheels the I shout of oC the press agent the tin tinkle tinkle tin tin- kle of ot fountains on the tho roof root gardens garI gardens gar gar- I dens tho the hullabaloo of oC the strawberry strawberry strawberry straw straw- berry vender and the covers of ot oti i Everybody's magazine the whispers whispers whispers whis whis- pers of ot tho lovers In th the parks parka all the these so sounds sound must mint go Into your yourl voice voice not not combined but mixed land and of th the s mixture an tin essence enee mixed made and of ot the essence an extract ex ex- tract tract-nn tract an extract of ot otI I which one drop shall form torm the I thing wo we seek seok the Do you remember asked I poet with Ith a chuckle that California Call Cali I fornia girl we wo met at Stiver's Stivers studio studio stu stu- dio last Jut week Well Im I'm on m my wa way to see ace her r. She rep repeated ted that poem of ot mine The Tribute of oC I 1 Spring word for word She's tho the smartest proposition In this I town Just at present Say how does this confounded tie look I spoiled four before I 1 SOL got one to set right And the Voice that I asked you about I Inquired Oh she doesn't sins sing said Cleon Cle Cle- on an But Hut you ought to hear henr her hr recite my An Angel el of ot the Inshore Wind Ind I passed on I cornered a newsboy newsboy news news- boy and he flashed at me prophetic prophetic prophetic pro pro- pink papers that outstripped outstripped outstripped out out- stripped the news by two to revolutions revolutions revolutions of ot the clocks clock's longest handSon handSon handSon hand Son I said Id w while lIe I J pretended to chase coins In my penny pocket pock pock- et It sometimes seem to you OU as 15 if It the city ought to be able to talk All these ups and downs and funny tunny business and queer things happening every what day day what i would It say say do you think I If It could speak Quit yer said laid the boy Wot paper yer er want I got sot no tithe to waste Its It's Mag's Mars birthday birthday birth birth- birth I da day and I want ant 30 cents cent to git gither gither her a present Hero Here was no Interpreter of oC the city's mouthpiece I bought a paper and aneS consigned Its undeclared undo undo- elated treaties Its Us premeditated murders and battles toan to toan toan an ash can A Again aln I repaired to the park and sat at In the moon shade I thought and thou thought ht and wondered why none could tell me what I asked for tor And then as swift as light from froma troma a fixed star the answer came to me I arose and nd hurried hurried hurried-hurried hurried as so many r must back around my circle I know knew the answer answer answer an an- and nd I hugged It In my breast as I flew fIe fearing tearing lest some one would stop m me and aneS demand m my secret Aurella was still sun on the stoop The moon was higher and the tho Ivy shadows were ere deeper I sat at ather ather ather her side and we wo watched a a. littlecloud little littlecloud cloud tilt at tho the drifting moon and go asunder quito pale and discomfited And then wonder of oC wonders and delight of ot delights delights' our hands somehow touched and our nn fingers ers closed together and did not part put After half hat an hour Aurella Aurelia said uld with that smile smite of or hers Do you yon know you haven't spoken a word since sinco you OU came back That said eald I T nodding wisely I Is s tho the Voice of ot tho the City |