Short Fiction · Chapter
Past One at Rooney's explained
Cork McManus, a Capulet in the East Side gang wars, is hiding out after stabbing a Montagu.
What happens
Cork McManus, a Capulet in the East Side gang wars, is hiding out after stabbing a Montagu. He meets a girl at Rooney's after hours, and they form a tentative bond. When a cop tries to arrest Cork, the girl reveals her true identity as a prostitute and bribes the officer to let him go, shattering Cork's romantic illusions.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The girl pretends to be a virtuous bookbindery worker, but her true identity as a prostitute is revealed when she bribes the cop.
Love and Romance
Cork and the girl experience a brief, intense romantic connection that is shattered by the revelation of her deception.
Crime and Consequence
Cork's stabbing of Buck Malone sets off a chain of events leading to his hiding, the meeting at Rooney's, and the final confrontation with the police.
Social Class and Wealth
Cork falsely claims to be a wealthy Wall Street broker's son, while the girl's poverty and profession highlight class divides.
Characters to notice
- Cork McManus
A Capulet gang member hiding after a stabbing; meets a girl at Rooney's and falls for her, only to discover her true profession.
- Brick Cleary
Cork's Mercutio and companion; helps him escape after the stabbing and advises him to lie low.
- Buck Malone
A Montagu wounded by Cork; refuses to name his attacker to the police.
- Dutch Mike
Saloon keeper whose place is shot up; reports the incident to the police.
- Tim Corrigan
A political fixer whose return from Europe is awaited to resolve Cork's legal troubles.
- Rooney
Proprietor of the after-hours saloon where Cork and the girl meet.
- Maguire
A corrupt cop who tries to arrest Cork but is bribed by the girl.
- Ruby
The bookbindery girl who is actually a prostitute; she saves Cork from arrest but loses his trust.
Key passages
“Only on the lower East Side of New York do the houses of Capulet and Montagu survive.”
The gang rivalries of the Lower East Side are like the feuds of Shakespeare's Capulets and Montagues.
Sets the scene for the gang conflict that drives the plot.
“He glided in under the guns and slipped a scant three inches of knife blade between the ribs of the Mulberry Hill cruiser.”
Cork stabbed Buck Malone with a short knife during the fight.
Describes the stabbing that forces Cork into hiding.
“I’m the latest thing in suitings with side vents and bell skirt when it comes to escortin’ a lady.”
Cork boasts that he is a fashionable and reliable escort.
Cork's attempt to impress the girl with his style and confidence.
“I’m declarin’ the usual dividends, Maguire.”
The girl tells the cop she is paying him his usual bribe.
Reveals the girl's true profession and her corrupt relationship with the police.
“Honest, Eddie, I was goin’ to be the best girl in the world.”
The girl confesses she intended to reform and be good for Cork.
Shows her regret and the tragic irony of her situation.
