Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02

So in time it came to be regarded as the
one stale, solitary joke of a gross and I'M
imaginative old bonhomme. The regular
riders used to point the old man out and
say, Now at the gate he'll get that old
ham joke of his Off" The douaniers, who
pitied his gray hairs, would never cease to
help him out, and gravely asked each morn
ing:
Have you anything to declare%'
Eyes, two hams"-and all the rest, and
every one would laugh.
But one fine day a new inspector made
the rounds
Have you anything taxable?"
Yes. two. hams"
''Where are thev?'
Il am sitting on them"
Get uD.'
And. sure enough. there were two little
hams of the most expensive and delicate
variety; they were tied up in a black cloth
bundle. easily hidden beneath the massive
posterior Of the stout gray-haired, red
faced Old fellow of the single Joke
1ou nave made yourself liable to arrest
and fine, the dounaier began.
Not So told you that l had two hams.
me gentlemen here present will bear me
out L had no thought of smuggling them.
They could only take his name and ad-
dress.
Another celebrated omnibus line is that
OF odeon-Cl1chy-B atignolles. 1t runs north
anu soull' while the others mentioned have
gone east and west. Its southern station
is IN the Latin Quarters heart before the
arcades OF the Odeon Theater with its gov
repertoire ~ ~
| On It's way from the dingy northern heights
| OF Paris these buses skirt a while the
sparkling boulevard and then cut through
maze OF narrow business streets to drive
IN triumph underneath the arches of the
Iuleries, across the Seine and through
mat older-looking Paris of the south side
| and the Latin Quarter
Before it's station at the Odeon Won FL "a
the charming gardens of the Luxembourg
ana people often come simply to take the
ar ana listen to the military band beneath
tne Trees where one is always sure to find
an omnibus just filling up so near, and thus
ride quietly home again,
Inc northern station of this line is in the
great square of the Batignolles. Although
the o1ncial quarter of the Batignolles In
ciudes some new and handsome sections
the whole Pare Monceau and the north
western district of the Boulevard Male
Sherbes pertain to 1.-THE route these
buses travel show still the good old sordid
| Batignolles of all those detective romances
of Gaboriau and his imitators which, trans
| lated into English and sold in pirating edi-
! tons, have made the name of BatiSnolles
| household word to us Americans.
| THE Little Old Man of the BatignolleS ?''
| Who has not read it?
| The narrow street of monotonous apart
ment houses of a dirty gray ascends a
| tiresome hill. Little cafes and little wine
shops send forth their sample odors. There
| is smell of cheese and meat becoming
stale Cheap dress goods flaunt their long
| TANK lengths from poles hung out beside
| the little shop doors. Men in blouses and
\ men in shabby genteel black and women
| half slovenIy holding slovenlv babies while
they chat mark out the route. Toling up
the driver, high in air. will slash and curse
| his animals; The master Of the hiil-horses
Will curse and slash his. too-poor, worn
out ones.
Aristide Bruant. the Browning of the
Paris siums, has made among his chansons
nolres and gloomy monologues a hill
] morse man address his beast in language
something like the following: this habit OF
| talking to their horses is a universal one
among all Paris drivers.
Pslt come here till bat you; here s
an omnibus to start! Ruhau! back
up; ne! you head of a Prussianl .
| Iia! what did you do in your youth
ferhaps you ran we'll at Longchamps. Per-
maps you're the horse of Ernesse? Helm
What are you looking at? That old
| mare yonder? That still affects you? Are
you so green? There! you can see what |
think Of them! GspittinO - Come,
OLD tool turn to the left,
You're so old you must work! It's for
that that they hire you. Astonished? Well.
you amaze me! Such is life. Bear the bit
while your old legs support you
The great Lay-up comes later You'll go
| to Maquart and I'll go to the morgue."
The hill-horse man will grumble all day
] to his beast, but not with pathos. The red
| faced driver who Is louder. is much more
entertaining fellow, wit and saver of
choice slang by force of his position. When
! totl!ng up the hill he cusses humorously at
! It's steepness; when going down, the brake
and pole can scarcely check the heavy roll
| ing mass; he cusses humorously at its
| fatal ease but. best of all. when working
| on the level forced to thread a crowd of
other vehicles and men en- foot in crowded,
| marrow streets. his rich vocabulary finds
/ its full expression.
| "Voyonsn' cries an old man nearly run
| down. PAY attention, animal! Are you