tales of the hotel st crispian, chapter 131: the long night stretches

by horace p sternwall and manfred skyline

illustrated by roy dismas and rhoda penmarq

editorial consultant: Prof. Dan Leo



for complete episode, click here

professor zender's experiment - 5. schon

by coraline o'connell

illustrated by eddie el greco and roy dismas

editorial consultant: Prof. Dan Leo

zender had always been vaguely aware that his colleagues in the modern history department regarded him as a pompous ass. he had never let this bother him. he was also aware that his field of study - anticipatory history, which he had done so much to promote and make respectable, but which was now widely considered to be totally discredited as a result of the recent worldwide upheavals - was no longer one calculated to win him fame, or a position beyond the one he now held as department chairman. if, indeed, he could hold on to his position as department chairman. he wondered what had happened to schon, his most determined adversary within the department, and if schon would be back. no doubt schon, if he returned - had zender seen him at all on the few occasions he had visited the offices during the hostilities? - would have some cutting remarks about "anticipatory history", but would he actively mount a campaign against zender? schon's specialty was the minute chronicling of the births and marriages of the prussian and bavarian aristocracies since the formation of the second empire, and he passionately believed - and defended the belief - that "history is documentation". he invariably concluded his briefs by striking the table and exclaiming - "no more and no less." zender suddenly realized - why had he not realized it before? - no doubt because he had not thought about it - that he did not care if schon mounted a new offensive against him - might in fact, welcome it, if it did not involve any serious financial consequences. financial consequences! why had he allowed such a poisonous thought to seep into his curiously and pleasantly lassitudinous brain? for is there not always a strange - though often unacknowledged - for various reasons of courtesy and proprietary - exaltation at finding one in a new situation - or leaving an old one behind forever? is there not a universal music in looking back and seeing something - no matter how previously cherished - grow smaller and smaller and finally disappearing on a receding horizon? but now the music, pleasant enough as it had been, stopped.

for complete episode, click here

tales of the hotel st crispian, chapter 130: "every question has a hundred answers"

by horace p sternwall and manfred skyline

illustrated by danny delacroix and eddie el greco

editorial consultant: Prof. Dan Leo



for complete episode, click here

l'amour, part 47

by gabrielle-jeanette perfidy

illustrated by rhoda penmarq

part forty-seven of seventy-eight

for previous chapter, click here

to begin at the beginning, click here

karl marx and friedrch angels looked down disinterestedly at leonie as she followed jean-louis into the parlor. "please make yourself comfortable, mademoiselle. would you like something - a cup of tea, perhaps?" "if you are having one yourself, monsieur," leonie answered. part 48

tales of the hotel st crispian, chapter 129: mysteries of the green room

by horace p sternwall

illustrated by roy dismas and eddie el greco

editorial consultant: Prof. Dan Leo

nolan and mortimer helped jasper up off the floor, where he had fallen during his coughing fit, and back on to his stool. "are you all right, sir?" raoul asked, with perhaps a little less friendly courtesy than he might have when the night was younger. "i am all right," jasper answered, " i just need to finish my drink." "you have finished it , sir," raoul told him. "and now it is closing time." "did not. there was plenty left. plenty. it was a double, after all." "it looks like you spilled it when you fell over," nolan told him. nolan let go of jasper's right arm. mortimer let go of his left arm and he managed to stay upright, slumping against the bar. "then you should give me another," jasper answered. "another double rye please bartender." "the bar is closed, sir." raoul turned around and announced to the bar and the room, "the bar is closed, ladies and gentlemen. the last round has been served. the prince hal room thanks you for your custom." the place was almost empty. the only customers left at the bar were the young woman who had been quietly drinking alone, and the big salesman type guy who had ordered coffee. the young woman now put her change and cigarettes into her purse and got up. "old overholt, remember," jasper announced. "make sure it's old overholt." and nobody left on the floor except the actress miss wilde, now sitting alone at a corner table, looking smashed. no problem there, thought raoul, nolan or mortimer could help her up to her suite. all in all, not a bad closing time. and there had only been one fight - the one involving young mr collinson - or had there been two? - all night. and the green room - he had to remember to check the green room. "where's my old overholt? what kind of service is this?" "the bottle of old overholt will be waiting for you, sir, if you wish to oblige us with your custom tonight, or this afternoon when we reopen. we will keep it on hand especially for you." "but i didn't finish," jasper protested. "it's not fair." "look," said nolan. "suppose you went into a liquor store and bought a bottle. and when you came out you dropped it on the sidewalk and it smashed. would the store give you another bottle free?" "i would hope so, " jasper answered. "why not?" for complete episode, click here

l'amour, part 46

by gabrielle-jeanette perfidy

illustrated by rhoda penmarq

part forty-six of seventy-eight

for previous chapter, click here

to begin at the beginning, click here



part 47

tales of the hotel st crispian, chapter 128: late sleepers and criminal types

by manfred skyline

illustrated by rhoda penmarq and danny delacroix

editorial consultant: Prof. Dan Leo

,/tr> "angela wilson from san francisco," he read, " central 5 - 2255 - hotel st crispian. the blue suite." "that's it. just wanted to make sure you could read my writing." "hotel st crispian, i know where that is, between washington square and seventh avenue, right?" "yeah. now if you don't mind calling me a cab - " "hey, i can give you a lift myself, if you want to wait a few minutes. i go almost right by there." "you're closing up?" "might as well. maisie or clyde can open the place up when they get here. they do it all the time." "all right then. what about those two guys still playing in back?" red shrugged. "they can go or stay and wait for maisie." "cool." angie took her pack of cigarettes back out of her purse. red went to get a jacket. "hotel st crispian - i knew that rung a bell." "oh yeah? about what?" "stan slade - the guy who just escaped from sing sing - he used to hang out there." "you don't say." "you see the papers?" "no, i just got back in town tonight." red came back with his jacket on. "let me just tell gus and whatshisname we're leaving." "no rush." red came back. "they say they'll wait for maisie or clyde. i'll lock them in." red locked the door behind them and they walked over to his car on the pier. "did you know slade?" red asked. "i met him once or twice. i 'd know him if i saw him." "tommy thought he was a pretty smart guy. went his own way." "i thought he was kind of high hat. thought he was the devil's own gift to women." they approached the car. "there's a pretty good reward out for him." angie laughed. "rewards. does anybody ever really get paid off on them?" for complete episode, click here