american tragedy

Chapter 10

Chapter 17
Of course, in terms of Clyde's temperament, perhaps the Greene Davidson Hotel was the thing that had the most influence on him at that time.There is no bigger, more luxurious, or vulgar world in America.Its dimly lit, upholstered tearooms, though gloomy, are brightly lit with colored lights, making them the perfect place for a tryst.Not only are the inexperienced but high-spirited modern girls mesmerized by the sight of this luxury, even the experienced milfs, for the sake of their looks, are happy to take advantage of the darkness and ambiguity. The lights to hide their ugliness.Besides, this restaurant, like others of its kind, has some regular customers.Some enthusiastic and ambitious men, with a certain level of age and status, all think that they have to come here twice a day during lively and interesting times, and at least show their faces once, to show that they are characters on the scene.

Not long after Clyde worked here, one of the waiters who often sat with him on the so-called "jumping stool" told him that there was a kind of woman here who came in and out from time to time, just to seduce them, the waiters, and what happened improper relationship.Not long after he came, people showed him all kinds of things.Clyde couldn't figure out what was going on for a while.It made him sick to think of the business, but he was told that some of the waiters, especially the one who was not on duty with them at this time, had become "insane."

Not to mention the situation in the restaurant and the guest room, just talking about the gossip in the lounge and the bar can convince an inexperienced and unjudgmental person that as long as he has a little money and a bit of social status People, the most important thing in life is entertainment or traveling around.Most of these waiters used to live without comfort and elegance, let alone luxury. Therefore, similar to Clyde, they often exaggerated all the luxurious lives they saw.And after the sudden change in life, I thought I had the opportunity to share this blessing.What are these wealthy people? They themselves have the opportunity to enjoy a life of luxury.And why should those who are exactly like them have nothing? Why are these unhappy people so different from those who are proud? Clyde couldn't figure it out.These thoughts flashed through every waiter's mind.

Some women or girls may be inconvenient because of their situation, but because they have money, they can break into such a world, and win the favor of their own people by seduction and smiling.About envying this kind of woman, it is often talked about here, as for the matter of them hooking up with others privately, it is even more material for chatting.

For example, the young man named Rattler is the waiter in the lounge.The next afternoon Clyde was sitting with him, and saw a well-dressed, slender, hairy beauty of about thirty, with a puppy on her arm, coming in in a fur coat, and he gently He pushed Clyde with his elbow, moved his head slightly towards her, and said in a low voice, "See her? She is very quick to attract people. I can tell you about her when I have time later." Listen, hey, there's something she can't do!"

Clyde thought she was very beautiful and charming, and wanted to know more about her, so he asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"Ah, nothing, but she's fucked eight guys since I've been here. She's into Doyle," referring to the other waiter in the lounge, whom Clyde had noticed and thought He was a very Chesterfield figure in manner, manner, and appearance, and a young man worth following. "But it didn't take long, and now she's having sex with someone else."

"Really?" Clyde asked in amazement, wondering whether such good luck would also fall on him.

Ratterer went on: "It's true, that's the kind of thing she is, never enough. I was told her husband had a big lumber business somewhere in Kansas, but they don't live together anymore. She was six There is a most elegant set of rooms upstairs, but most of them don't live there, the maid told me."

This Rattler was short and fat, but handsome, always smiling, tactful and courteous, and always friendly. Clyde was attracted to him and wanted to make more friends with him.Ratterer reciprocated the affection, for he found Clyde naive and inexperienced, and was more than willing to help him as much as he could.

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the bell, and he did not speak of the woman again, but the passage had a great effect on Clyde.The appearance of this woman is pleasing enough, and she is very well dressed, with delicate skin and bright eyes.Was it true what Ratterer told him? She was beautiful.He sat there, staring ahead, a fantasy he didn't want to admit made his hair itch.

In addition, the waiter's temperament and attitude towards life also attracted his attention.That Kinsella, short and plump, with a smooth face, seemed a little dull to Clyde, but he was a good-looking one.He is energetic and is said to be a good gambler.For the first three days, as long as he had no other distractions, he was more than happy to take over Hegglund's job as a mentor to Clyde.He was more refined and eloquent than Hegglund, but Clyde thought he was not as handsome as Ratterer, nor had his sympathetic grace.

And there was Doyle, whom Clyde found particularly interesting at first, and was a little jealous of him, because he was very good-looking, well-proportioned, and elegant.The voice is soft and pleasant.He has an indescribable demeanor. Anyone who comes into contact with him immediately likes him. The staff at the counter treat him as well as the guests who come in and ask him this or that.Shoes and collars were clean and tidy, hair was cut stylishly, oiled and brushed like a movie star, and Clyde was completely captivated by his sartorial demeanor from the first moment.A very nice brown hat with a brown tie and socks, and he himself should have been wearing a jacket with a brown belt.To have a brown hat, to have a suit so well sewn and beautiful.

Hegglund, the young man who first introduced the workings here to Clyde, also had a different, not entirely irrelevant, influence on him.He is an older and more experienced waiter, and he has a greater influence on others, because he has an easy-going and nonchalant attitude towards everything except his duty in the restaurant .Hegglund was not as driven and lusty as the rest of the waiters had been educated.Add to that his expansiveness about spending money and pleasure, and courage, strength, and guts that Doyle and Kinsella couldn't match.His strength and audacity were sometimes almost irrational.This made Clyde particularly interested in him and fascinated.

As he later told Clyde, his father, a Swedish baker, had abandoned his mother in Jersey City years before, leaving her to find her own way.So neither he nor his sister had a good education, nor did they have any decent social experience.He had no choice but to sneak out of Jersey City in an iron van at the age of 14.Since then, it has been self-supporting.Like Clyde, he was intoxicated with all the joys he imagined flying around him, eager to explore in all directions, but he had lost the fear of getting into trouble that was characteristic of Clyde. up.He had a friend named Sparser, a little older than he was, the chauffeur of a rich man in Kansas City, and sometimes he would sneak out his car and take Hegglund for a ride around, although his friendship was out of the ordinary , not very honest, but Hegglund always thinks that others are great, they are more capable than others, and they are also glorious.

Hegglund was not as popular as Doyle, and it was not so easy for him to win the favor of women.The women he can hook up with, no matter in terms of appearance or status, are absolutely inferior to them.But instead he is very proud of this kind of exchange, and always likes to brag about it.Clyde, who was inexperienced, took his words more seriously than anyone else, because Hegglund liked Clyde from the beginning, thinking that he might be a willing and willing object of bragging.

So he saw Clyde coming beside him, and continued to point him.Kansas City is a great place as long as you know how to live, he worked in other places before he came here, like Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, etc., but he didn't like those places. Well, that was a point he was reluctant to make at the time.He washed dishes, cleaned cars, worked as a plumber's assistant, among other things, and finally started a restaurant business in Buffalo.Later, a young man who worked there persuaded him to come to Kansas City, and now that man lives here.

"Oh, this restaurant has a lot of tips. You can't get so much anywhere. I know that. Besides, the people who work here are very nice. You are kind to others, and they are kind to you. I've been here for over a year and can't complain. Squires is a nice guy, as long as you don't get him in trouble. Of course, he's a tough guy, but he has to think about himself. You As long as you get things done, your time is yours, as long as you don't make trouble, he never fires you for no reason. The guys here are funny, all of them are good. They are not bragging, Not stingy either. I've played with them a lot, and nothing goes wrong, and they don't coax or lose their temper, and the big guys have a good time."

The impression he gave Clyde made him feel that these young people were best friends, confidantes, except for Doyle.He's a little conceited, but not too cold. "There are too many women chasing him, that's what it is." Sometimes they also go to play together, go to dances, eat out, go to the casino near the river, go to some place for fun, "Special ? Swain's Odd Land, where there are some pretty girls and stuff like that.Such a mass of news, which had never entered Clyde's ears, now filled him with thoughts and dreams, doubts, worries, and hesitations, wondering if there was something to be learned from these things. What truth, charm, and happiness can be discovered, and I don't know if he can participate in it himself.Because about this kind of thing, he had received a different set of teachings since he was a child. He listened so fascinated and fascinated him deeply, but there was also a great doubt in it.

And there was Ratterer, who at first glance was said to be a perfectly harmless character, not five feet four inches high, with a fat body as bright as clear water.The kindness cannot be added.Clyde later learned that he also came from a dubious family, so no matter in terms of social status or economics, he has never been honored by his family.But he has his own way, which makes these young people like him, and they like him very much.Talk to him about everything.He's a Whikedah native who just recently moved to Kansas City.His mother is a widow and is mainly supported by him and his sister.The two of them watched their loving, kind and compassionate mother suffer from a wicked husband during their formative years.Sometimes they can't even eat.On more than one occasion, they were evicted because they could not pay the rent.He and his sister only attended a few public schools on and off.Then, at the age of 14, he came to Kansas City and worked various odd jobs before finally working in a restaurant.His mother and sister later moved from Huikeda to Kansas City to live with him.

Apart from the luxurious style in the restaurant and the young people he got to know very quickly, what impressed Clyde even more was the endless tips.The money had accumulated in a small pile in his right trouser pocket, in dimes, nickels, quarters, and even dimes.It was the first day, and the change kept adding up, and by nine o'clock he had six and a half dollars, equal to what he had earned the previous week.

And he already knew at the time that all he needed to do was give Mr. Squires a dollar, which Hegglund had said was not much.Then, the five dollars and a half left over from a pleasant and charming night's work would be all his.He couldn't believe it was real.But at twelve o'clock sharp, the bell rang for the shift, and three young men appeared, one to replace Barnes at the office desk, and two to wait for orders.Under the order of Barnes, the original people stood up, lined up, and walked away.Before leaving in the corridor outside, Clyde approached Mr. Quails and handed him a silver dollar. "That's right," Kequels said only one word.Then Clyde went to his closet downstairs with the others, changed his clothes, and walked out to the dark street.A feeling of luck made him very excited, making him tremble, even as if he was drunk.

Just imagine that he might be able to earn so much money every day, and he started to walk home, his first thought was to get a good night's sleep, so that he could go to work in good spirits the next morning.Then it occurred to him that he didn't have to go back to the restaurant before 11:30 the next day, so he wandered into an all-night budget restaurant.At this time, what he thought in his mind was that the next day only needed to be from noon to six o'clock.It also occurred to him that he could make more money.

(End of this chapter)