I don't know what prompted it, but Jack Bailey came to mind this morning.
Reno, late fifties, the Primmadonna, Jack was a box man and a floor boss. I don't know his background, but I do know it would be of interest. My guess would be that he worked in many of the old "joints" around the country, he was another one of those that did not talk too much about their past, and, you knew enough to not ask.
Jack liked nice, expensive clothes and suits. He would come to work wearing a nice suit and an expensive pair of shoes, generally, alligator or some exotic leather. We had lockers, and Jack would head to his locker, take off those expensive shoes, and put on a pair of old shoes, with worn soles, some even had holes in them. If the occasion arose, and some customer complained about losing money or being broke, he was sometimes given a glimpse of a worn shoe, with a hole in it, just to emphasise just how poor we all were.
I remember on one occasions, someone from the Accounting Department approached Jack at the table, called him aside, and asked if he could PLEASE cash some of his old paychecks. He apparently would go home on payday and throw his paycheck in a drawer at his home, and forget about them.
Just another of my Nevada acquaintances that came in and out of my life, but left a lasting impression. The only guy I ever knew who had to be asked to cash his paychecks.
