The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-22

aDOuL ms atmosphere I0HL IS I0e OeaQly
enemy Of insomnia, and l think this must
be true, for if l am any judge this town is
at times the nOlsiest one in Europe, and vet
a BODY gets more sleep here than he could
at home, don't care where his home is.
Now we are living at a most comfortable
ana satisfactory pension, with a garden OF
shade trees and flowers and shrubs, and a
convincing air Of quiet and repoSe. But
Just across the narrow street is the little
market square, and al the corner of that is
that church that is neighbOr 10 the Roman
arch, and that narrow street, and that bill
liard-table of a market place and that
church are able, on a bet, 10 turn out more
noise to the cubic yard at the wrong time
than any other similar combination in the
earth or out Of it.
In the street you have the skull-bursting
thunder of the passing hack, u volume of
sound not produciblo by six hacks any
where else. On tie hack Is a lunatic with a
whip, which he cracks to notify the public
TO get out Of his way. This crack is as keen
ana sharp and penetrating and ear-splitiug
as q pistol shot teiose range, and the lunatic
delivers II in voleys, not single shots. You
think you Will not be able TO live till he gets
by, anu when he does get by he only leaves
a vacancy for the banuit who sells lie Petit
journal to fill with MS strange and awful
yell. lie arrives with the early morning
and the market people, and there is a dog
that arrives at about tie same time and
barkS steadily al nothing till lie dies, and
they fetch another dog just Ike him. The
bark Of this beast is the twin of the Whip
vol!ey, and stabs like knife.
by ami by what Is lett OF you the church
bell &c ;. There are many bells, and appar-
'eutly 600 or 1000 town clocks, and as thsy
are all FIVE minutes apart-probably by law
-theTe are 10 intervals. Some of them are
striking all The time-at least, after you go
IL bed they are. There is one clock that
strikes the hour, and then strikes it over
again TO STE If it was right. Then for even
ings and sundays there IS a chime-a chime
that starts in peIsaaty and unsteady, then
suddenly breaks into g frantic roar, and
boom, and crash Of warning sounds that
. makes you think Paris is up and the revolu-
lIan come again. And yet, as | have said,
one sleeps heTe-seeps Ike the dead. Once
he gets his grip on his sleep, neither hack,
nor whip, nor news fiend, nor dog, nor bell
cyclone, nor all of them together can
wrench 1t loose OF mar its deep and tranquil
- continuity. Yes. CheIe is indeed something
IN this air that is death to insomnia.
The building of the Cercle and the Villa
des Fleurs are hugs in size, and each has
. thsaier IN II, aud great restaurant, also
conveniences for gambling and general and
vaTic gated entertainment. They stand in
ornamental grounds OF great extent and
beauty. The multitUdes of fashionable
folk st at Refreshments tables in the open
air, afternoons, and listen to the music, and
ii IS there they mainly 60 20 break the Sab
bath. To get the privilege OF entering these
grounds and buildings you buy ticket for
a few francs, which is good for the whole
season. You are then free to go and come
:. a all hours, attend the plays and concerts
free, except On special occasions, to gamble.
buy refreshments, and make yourself SYM
metrically comfortable.
Nothing could be handler than those two
little theaters. The curtain doesn't rise
until 30; then between the acts one can
.: idle Tor hall an hour in the other depart
: nents of the building, damaging his appe-
: tito IN the restaurants or his pocket book in
the b&ccarat-room. The singers and actors
are from Paris, and their performance is
beyond praise.
was never in a fashionable gambling hell
until | came here. / had read several mill
= ions OF descriptions of such places but the
reality was new to me. very much wanted
to see this animal, especially the new his
toric game OF baccarat, and this was good
place, for AK ranks next to Monte Carlo
for high play and plenty Of 1t. But the re-
suit Isas what l might have expected-the
Interest OF the l90ker-On periShes with the
novelty of the spectacle; that is to say, in a
few minutes. permanent and intense in
= teTest is acquired Ia baccarat, or in any
other game, but you have to buy il. You
don't get IL by standing around looking on.
The haccarat table Is covered with green
cloth and is marked off in divisions with
chalk or something. The banker sits in the
middle, the crOupicr opposite. The Gus
III al IIS CHdlI5 bt Tie tdDie, anu inc
rest of the crowd are msssed at their backs
. and leaning over them to deposit chips or
gold coins. Constantly money and chips
are flung upon the table, and the game
seems 20 consist in the croupier's reaching
Tor those things with flexible sculling oar
=. and raking item home. 1t appeared to be
a rational enough game for him, and if |
= could have borrowed his oar | would have
: stayed, but l didn't see where the enter
tainment of the others came in.
Tiis was because | saw without perceiy-
= ing and observed without understanding.
For the widow and the orphan and tile
others do win money here. Once an old
gray mother in Israel or elsewhere pulled
out. and heard her say to her daughter or
her granddaughter as they passed me,
to quit while Pm ahead" Also there was
this statistic. A friend pointed to young
man with the dead stub of a cigar in his
mouth, which be kept munching nervously
all the Tune and pitching 500 chips on the
board, while two sweet young girls reached
down over his shoulder 20 deposit modest
little gold pieces, and said, "He's only fun
ming now; wasting few hundred to pass
the tlme-walting for the 'gold-room' to
open, you know, which wont be till we'll
after Dldnight-then you'll see him bet!
He won $4,000 there last night They
don't bet anything there but big money"
The thing l chiefly missed was the hag
gard people with the intense eye, the hunted
look, the desperate Ellen, candidates t0l
suicide aud the paupers grave. They are
in the descriptions, as rule, but they wer
of duty that night All The gamblers, NAL,
and female, old and young, looked abnor.
nIally cheerful and prosperous. However
all the nations are there, clothed richly
and speaking all the languages. Some O.
the women were painted and were evi
DENLY shaky as TO character. These item.
Tailed with the descriptions well enough.
The etiquette of the place was difficult Il
master IN the brilliant and pepuloss hall.
and corridors you don't smoke, and vol
wear your hat. no matter low many ladie
are in the thick throng of drifting human
: lily; but the moment yen cross the sacred