John Roderigo Dos Passos

Name: Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly
Author: John Roderigo Dos Passos

Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

Summary

“Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly”, published in 1925, is a work by John Roderigo Dos Passos. It explores elements such as Fifth Avenue, James Merivale and Mauretania.

Quotes from Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (John Roderigo Dos Passos)

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Bright flakes of cloud were scaling off a sky of crushing indigo over the Battery where groups of dingy darkdressed people stood round the Ellis Island landing station and the small boat dock waiting silently for something. Frayed smoke of tugs and steamers hung low and trailed along the opaque glassgreen water. A threemasted schooner was being towed down the North River. A newhoisted jib flopped awkwardly in the wind. Down the harbor loomed taller, taller a steamer head on, four red stacks packed into one, creamy superstructure gleaming. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ The stars jiggle sedately against the slate sky, the red and white stripes writhe against the clouds.
In the gale of brassbands and trampling horses and rumbling clatter of cannon, shadows like the shadows of claws grasp at the taut flags, the flags are hungry tongues licking twisting curling.
Oh it's a long way to Tipperary . . . Over there! Over there!
The harbor is packed with zebrastriped skunk-striped piebald steamboats, the Narrows are choked with bullion, they're piling gold sovereigns up to the ceilings in the Subtreasury. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Jimmy was sweating and staggering with a suitcase in each hand and packages under his arms. In Ellen's arms the baby was cooing stretching tiny spread hands towards the faces all round.
"D'you know it?" said Jimmy as they crossed the gangplank, "I kinder wish we were just going on board. . . . I hate getting home."
"I dont hate it. . . . There's H . . . I'll follow right along. . . . I wanted to look for Frances and Bob. Hello. . . ." "Well I'll be . . ." "Helena you've gained, you're looking wonderfully. Where's Jimps?" ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ When the waiter leans over to take away the empty oystershells he can see through the window, beyond the graystone parapet, the tops of a few buildings jutting like the last trees at the edge of a cliff and the tinfoil reaches of the harbor littered with ships. "I'm lecturin you this time, George. . . . Lord knows you used to lecture me enough in the old days. Honest it's rank foolishness," Gus McNiel is saying. ". . . It's rank foolishness to pass up the chance of a political career at your time of life. . . . There's no man in New York better fitted to hold office . ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Shuffle shuffle, bright lights, pink blobbing faces, grabbing arms, tense thighs, bouncing feet. I wonder who. Shuffle, droning saxophone tease, shuffle in time to the drum, trombone, clarinet. Feet, thighs, cheek to cheek, Somebody loves me. . . . Shuffle shuffle. I wonder who.
The baby with tiny shut purplishpink face and fists lay asleep on the berth. Ellen was leaning over a black leather suitcase. Jimmy Herf in his shirtsleeves was looking out the porthole.
"Well there's the statue of Liberty. . . . Ellie we ought to be out on deck."
"It'll be ages before we dock. . . . Go ahead up. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ At last when she had finished her soup she roused herself and said: "Well Jimmy, are you going back to newspaper work?"
"I guess so."
"James has had three jobs offered him already. I think it's remarkable."
"I guess I'll go in with the Major though," said James Merivale to Ellen who sat next to him. "Major Goodyear you know. Cousin Helena. . . . One of the Buffalo Goodyears. He's head of the foreign exchange department of the Banker's Trust. . . . He says he can work me up quickly. We were friends overseas."
"That'll be wonderful," said Maisie in a cooing voice, "wont it Jimmy?" ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly
There are flags on all the flagpoles up Fifth Avenue. In the shrill wind of history the great flags flap and tug at their lashings on the creaking goldknobbed poles up Fifth Avenue. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Much too broke to have anything. . . . Frances what do you do about milk in New York?"
"How should I know, Helena?" Frances Hildebrand flushed and walked to the window.
"Oh well we'll give him his food again. . . . He's done fairly well on it on the trip." Ellen had laid the baby on the bed. He lay kicking, looking about with dark round goldstone eyes.
"Isnt he fat?"
"He's so healthy I'm sure he must be halfwitted. . . . Oh Heavens and I've got to call up my father. . . . Isnt family life just too desperately complicated?"
Ellen was setting up her little alcohol stove on the washstand. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ There is a humming whine of electric trains over their heads, an occasional violet flash from the wet rails. Behind them beyond barges tugboats carferries the tall buildings, streaked white with whisps of steam and mist, tower gray into sagged clouds. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ She gave his hand a last playful tap and he got to his feet.
He put tips into the soft palm of the barber and the hard palm of the colored boy who handed him his hat, and walked slowly up the white marble steps. On the landing was a mirror. Captain James Merivale stopped to look at Captain James Merivale. He was a tall straightfeatured young man with a slight heaviness under the chin. He wore a neatfitting whipcord uniform picked out by the insignia of the Rainbow Division, well furnished with ribbons and service-stripes. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ There were still flags out, drooping from windows, waggling lazily from poles in the September breeze. He looked in the shops as he walked along; flowers, women's stockings, candy, shirts and neckties, dresses, colored draperies through glinting plateglass, beyond a stream of faces, men's razorscraped faces, girls' faces with rouged lips and powdered noses. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Now as at no other time we need men of established ability and unblemished integrity in public office, particularly in the offices requiring expert judicial and legal knowledge."
"That's what I was tryin to tell ye the other day George."
"But that's all very well Gus, but how do you know I'd be elected. . . . After all it would mean giving up my law practice for a number of years, it would mean . . ."
"You just leave that to me. . . . George you're elected already."
"An extraordinarily good steak," says Densch, "I must say. . . . No but newspaper talk aside . . . ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ The Mauretania stalked like a skyscraper through the harbor shipping. A rift of sunlight sharpened the shadow under the broad bridge, along the white stripes of upper decks, glinted in the rows of portholes. The smokestacks stood apart, the hull lengthened. The black relentless hull of the Mauretania pushing puffing tugs ahead of it cut like a long knife into the North River.
A ferry was leaving the immigrant station, a murmur rustled through the crowd that packed the edges of the wharf. "Deportees. . . . It's the communists the Department of Justice is having deported . . . deportees . ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Two stout men and a lean man sit at a table by a window. The light of a zinc sky catches brightedged glints off glasses, silverware, oystershells, eyes, George Baldwin has his back to the window. Gus McNiel sits on his right, and Densch on his left. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ The publicity value of a political career'd kinder bolster up your law practice."
"It would and it wouldn't Gus."
Densch is unrolling the tinfoil off a cigar. "At any rate it's a grand sight." He takes off his glasses and cranes his thick neck to look out into the bright expanse of harbor that stretches full of masts, smoke, blobs of steam, dark oblongs of barges, to the hazeblurred hills of Staten Island. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ Densch straightens his glasses and stares attentively at the planked steak.
"A very handsome dish Ben, a very handsome dish I must say. . . . It's just this Baldwin . . . as I look at it . . . the country is going through a dangerous period of reconstruction . . . the confusion attendant on the winding up of a great conflict . . . the bankruptcy of a continent . . . bolshevism and subversive doctrines rife . . . America . . ." he says, cutting with the sharp polished steel knife into the thick steak, rare and well peppered. He chews a mouthful slowly. ”

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Source: Wikisource

John Roderigo Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (1925)

“ We're goin to have desk space in the office of a guy I know. . . . It's all fixed. He's goin to let us have it free till we get a start. An we're goin to have office stationery. Cant get nowhere in this world without presentin things right. ”

John Roderigo Dos Passos

Summary

Quotes from Manhattan Transfer — I. Rejoicing City That Dwelt Carelessly (John Roderigo Dos Passos)

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