monde go in hock and replaced by queer replicas. . . .
“So the opening night of the Met this old hag appear as she thinks resplendent in her diamond tiara. So this other old whore approach and say, ‘Oh, Miggles, you’re so smart . . . to leave the real ones at home. . . . I mean were simply mad to go around tempting fate.
“ ‘You’re mistaken, my dear. These are real.’
“ ‘Oh but Miggles dahling, they’re not. . . . I mean ask your jeweler. . . . Well just ask anybody. Haaaaaa.’
“So a Sabbath is hastily called. (Lucy Bradshinkel, look to thy emeralds.) All these old witches examining
their rocks like a citizen find leprosy on himself. “ ‘My chicken blood ruby!’
“ ‘My bleck oopalls!’ Old bitch marry so many times so many gooks and spies she don’t know her accent from her ass.. . .
“ ‘My stah sahphire!’ shriek a poule de luxe. ‘Oh it’s all so awful!’
“ ‘I mean they are strictly from Woolworth’s. . . .’
“ ‘There’s only one thing to do. I’m going to call the police,’ says a strong-minded, outspoken old thing; and she clump across the floor on her low heels and calls the fuzz.”
“Well, the faggot draws a deuce; and in the box he meets this cat who is some species of. cheap hustler, and i love sets in or at least a facsimile thereof convince the parties inna first and second parts. As continuity would have it, they are sprung at the same time more or less and take up residence in a flat on the Lower East Side.
. . . And cook in and both are working legit modest jobs. . . . So Brad and Jim know happiness for the first time.
“Enter the powers of evil. . . . Lucy Bradshinkel has