The Thirties
Sir: Richard West's `Shanghai'd' (3 Nov- ember) certainly brought back memories of the Thirties. A 21st birthday present: London to Vladivostok by Glen Line — Glenbeg — in February 1937. Round trip f115. At present-day fares how much more?
Shanghai, March . . The Venus night club, somewhere near the docks. Their card reads:
Pink ticket. This is to certify that I . . . the legally wedded wife of . . . do hereby permit my husband to go where he pleases, drink what he can get, smoke and go fishing all he wants, play cards as often as he likes, and I further permit him to keep and enjoy the company of any lady, or ladies, he may ad- mire, as I know him to have excellent taste, and I want him to enjoy life while he is young, as he will be a long time dead. Signed . . . Legal wife. Good for night of . . . 193 . . . .
At the same night club in the company of a White Russian hostess I remember seeing a bottle on the bar shelf 'The Old Cat's Pissed'! Much later, the lights went out, we both dived under the table, a little later the lights came on. There seemed to be some obstruction as it was difficult for me to back out so it came as somewhat of a sur- prise, to say the least, to find against me someone with a knife in his back and he was very dead! We hurriedly left by taxi to -- but that's another story.
Peter W. Hopkins
C. Tajo 17,2, Heliopolis, Seville, Spain
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