The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-09-04

WHERE ACTRESSES AND THEIR Az
CENT ADMIRERS MEET.


legians Make Up the Parties.
At that hour when staid and solid
Gothamites are either preparing to go to
bed or are already fast asleep there be-
gins to gather in two well known Broad
way restaurants a bizarre company of
men and women who make it habit to
be very wide awake O. nights, when Or
binary mortals are abed and asleep.
These nocturnal gatherings form an odd
feature of the faster life of the big town.
They are Partisan in their Bohemian
good fellowship, and they seem to pos
sess marked interest for those who find
pleasure in contemplating the various
modes of existence that the lively me-
torpolis presents to the philosophic OBJ
server. The nocturnal bon vivants who
make up the coterie are actors and
actresses, men about town, clubmen,
collegians and professional men, who
have the faculty Of never getting sleepy
until the sun wakes up.
The restaurants have become noted re-
sorts because of the presence of these
Bohemian spirits. They are prosperous,
and in the character and quality of their
creature comforts rank in the first class.
Their prosperity has been attributed to
fortunate location. They are situated
half a mile apart on the west side of
Broadway, amid the group of fashionable
theaters and big hotels in the Tenderloin
district, that famous parallelogram Of
Gotham blocks which has for years been
known as "the heart of the city," and
which is a loca ty that the police say
"never goes to ep."
Special accoI aodations are provided
for the Bohemian set. They recall the
"Cave of Harmony" that Thackeray tells
about. In the restaurant at the south
ern end Of the big Tenderloin parallelo-
gram this Bohemian Cave of Harmony
is located on the ground floor. When
the restaurant was first established the
bower was directly back of the big
apartment where ordinary guests got
their late meals.
WHERE THEY MEET.
1t was separated from the main res
taurant by an alcove decorated with lace
curtains. When the coterie grew in
numbers, however, D new and spacious
apartment, aglow with electric lights,
was added to provide comfortable ac-
commodation for the special patrons. 1t
has mirrors and fine frescoes. In the
second restaurant the whole second floor
of the building is set aside for the Bo-
hemian bower. 1t is carpeted and COM
fortably furnished, and the indispensa-
BILE mirrors are there too.
1t is generally near midnight before
the neighboring playhouses are shut up
and the fun makers Of the stage are free
to enjoy themselves. Pretty actresses,
neat in attire, light witted and fond of
late hours and Bohemian associations
saunter in in knots of two or three. Male
escorts accompany them.
By Q o'clock the coterie is at its live
lest. 1t is a striking picture of midnight
conviviality. Soubrettes and chorus girls
are the bright particular stars. The
actors. dressed up like fashion plates,
are sort of background to the picture.
The clubmen and collegians and profess
sional men are the moths enjoying the
glitter. They are almost invariably
young. Sometimes, however, a gay old
fellow with gray hair and jolly laugh
gives the interesting spectacle of the fell
low who is trying hard to be boy and
sit up with the other boys. Whether
the moths are young or old, however,
they seem inspired with the same ardent
ambition to gain the good graces Of the
theatrical people.
Each plunges into his pocket for money
and tries to excel the others in spending
it for the entertainment of the soubrettes
H. IL nd ;,,ni foil Eoav>-
ing solid with the actors and managers
They seem to imagine that this sort OF
thing will insure good seats at the the.
alter whenever they want to go there
and that they won't have to pay for the
seats at all. In most instances this is q
very big mistake.
NOT WHAT 1T USED TO BE.
The collegians are partial to the sec
ond-story bower at the upper end Of
Broadway Yale, Harvard and Prince
ton boys go there whenever they come
to town to have good time. They boon
things when they get there too. Th'
polished cherry tables are pushed to
gether, and the soubrettes and chorus
girls draw up their chairs with the men
Sometimes as many as thirty gather il
single group. The collegians joke ant
tell college stories. The soubrettes ant
chorus girls take hand in the story tell
ing, at which some Of them have gift
Very often the sun rises while the thronI
is still there.
1t all looks feverish and unhealthy t.
the observer who has decided notion
about the hurtfulness Of late hours ant
late suppers, but there can be no doub
that the jewellers enjoy it and don
bother their heads about any of Bel
Franklin's judicious injunctions abou
going early to bed and getting up wit
the sun.
All this in marked contrast with tn
revelry that used to run fast and furiou
in the resorts that were numerous in tn
Tenderloin district a decade or 80 age
The pale faced opium eater and tn
painted women of the streets do not pas!
as rule, within the portals of these b
hemian caves. There is no boisterousnes
and no singing of songs. A stranger wi