CHAPTER VII -Dawn O’Hara: The Girl Who Laughed

City of Milwaukee, I shall breathe a complaint to the city fathers concerning their neglect of me, a miserable alien, and–”

Blackie interrupted my tirade with a shout of amusement. “Honest, if you were to fire that line of talk at the Old Man, he’d hike you down to see Baumbach’s so fast you’d think you was on a special delivery stamp. Von Gerhard put you wise to the place yet?”

“Not he,” I replied, aggrieved. “And now I insist on being enlightened.”

“Leave it to me, kid,” was Blackie’s cheerful response. “Some fine day when the lilacs bloom, I’ll introduce you to Baumbach’s, and then you’ll feel that you really belong. Say, that onion soup of theirs—!”

But I had had enough. “See here, Blackie,” I admonished him, “remember that I am supposed to be learning the details of Milwaukee life for publication, not for gastronomic reasons. What of Von Gerhard—does he approve of Baumbach’s onion soup?”

“He sure does! But say, listen—what’s the use of talking food? Let’s get down to brass tacks. Have you heard from your sister recently?”

“Yes,” I said, briefly.

Blackie’s face became instantly solemn. “How’s she taking it—since—well, since your trouble?”

I met his sympathetic gaze with an effort at brightness. “She’s a brick, Blackie. Writes as if she hasn’t a care in the world. But I know—oh, I know the struggle she’s going through. If only I could be there to help her!”

Blackie puffed at his pipe in silence for a moment. “Girl,” he said, finally, “did it ever strike you that maybe you’re doing the best thing for her by staying right here? You’re getting a fresh start, seeing new sights, meeting new people. That’s good. When you go back to her, it’ll be with a new outlook, see? You’ll both gain by it.”

I nodded, cheered by his words. “Yes, you’re right, Blackie. And now tell me more about Milwaukee. I’m beginning to feel that, after all, I’m really a part of this quaint, old-world city.”

Blackie grinned, reached for another match, and began to enlighten me on the peculiarities, charm, and paradoxes of Milwaukee life, interspersing his narrative with anecdotes, personal experiences, and a wealth of human interest stories that brought the city and its people vividly before my eyes.