Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-18
PARIS VIE De LUKE.
One knows Whence They Come
Nor whittier They Go.

One knows Whence They Come
Nor Whittier They Go.
C. w. Stevens. in the London Mall.
Then who is it that leads the life of
luxury" / asked.
They are flibusters. monsieur replied
the barber. NO one knows whence they
come nor whittier they so. Each year there
comes rev ones. and then they disappear.
The year after comes another, with car
riages still more gaudy and entertainments
still more costly, and giving more spleili!o
jewels to the great cocotteS. linen ne is
gone, and the bills are not paid. Yes: They
are flibusters, monsieur-but simple M
busters"
1t is quite evident to the merest stranger
that among the score Of distinct Parises
there must be one which is engaged in
nothing else but spending and pocketing
money. There are certain parts of the
world that make their money and spend it;
others that lay themselves out to assist the
spending of money made elsewhere From
the Casino of Monte Carlo to the back
street lodging house at Margate-at some
point or other in the scaie-you must know
them. OF all the places engaged in this
business the quarter of Paris in the imme-
date neighborhood Of the opera is the
chief.
From Petersburg to Buenos Ayres. from
klordike through Jerusalem to Johannes
burg, ii seems a law of nature that he who
finds himself with money should so to
Paris to spend it. And Paris devotes her
hoard of accumulated civilization. her taste
and tact. her cooks and winners. her up
holsterers and coach builders, her painters
and musicians and playwrights, to make it
more easy and agreeable TO spend great
sums OF money in Paris than anywhere
else. Where was the vie de luxe?
AT last l found it. At midnight I went to
the Cafe de Paris. Broughams with snowy
horses stood at the door: one, | observed
ket-pattern of black and yellow. Inside
the room was a-dazzle with mirrors. atloat
with music. ablaZe with Jewels. The deco
rations We're gold. the furniture satin; The
little supper tables We're almost. all flll.
and people We're still crushing in. The
walters were so many and so busy that the
room seemed full of them. On my right sat
a dark young mar of 4 Greco-JeWiSh cast
of face, eating supper in an opera hat. Re
vealed beyond him. in brief yet generous
visions, were white arms. a white neck ana
bosom. Under a branching hat appeared a
dead-white face with richly redeemed lips
and cheekbones, and large %pressioniesS
hands twinkled in ripples of light: she
could hardly hold her knife and fork for
rings. For the rest. she sat rigid; only her
eyes moved with the. stealthy side-lons
glances that mean rivalry and the habit Of
prey.
this pair We're the type of the whole as
sembly. Most of the men wore hats. all
the women. Most of the men We're Jewish
or Greco-Jewish, or Greco-Roman. or some
thing else exotic. Only a few We're English
or rican-am them a couple of En-
glish boys stared with wild amaZement at
everything-by what error had they got
there?-and a fey more We're R Rmt ian
lessly. without waiting for replies. saying
things, apparently without having any,
thing to say, eating without appetite, and
drinking without thirst.
There was a stir and a rustic. and toward
the empty table on my left came a little
group, three men and a woman. The
maitre d'hotel and a squad of walters
salaamed before them. The woman was
small. painted and powdered. of course. but
with a face half pretty v~ivacity; half low
impudence. She slipped out of her heavy
fur cIoak-seemed TO slip out of her clothes
altogether: but a glance below the waist
showed that she had a gown on. 1t was
made of a kin of black gauze, covered
with shining things OF the nature of Sc
quins. The cut-but how can I describe
the cut? The gown appeared to be glued
on to her, for it nodded every line of the
body, had no apparent support at the Shout
ders, and certainly got no purchase on the
bosom. Under the arms it was cut away.
with a sweeping suggestion of nakedness,
then reappeared somewhere under the
shoulders. and ran down in a V to an inch
above the waist. But what she lacked in
dress she made up in jewels. A thick col,
lar of pearls with diamond clasps round
her throat, strings and strings of pearls
hanging down from neck to waist. pearls
on her fingers that stood out like chalk
stones. She set herself bolt upright and
looked about her-half queen, half gutter
brat. all courtesan. Then with jerky move
ments like a canarys she began hastily
eating figs.
l was in luck indeed: I was sitting within
a yard of the most fashionable woman in
Paris. Paris. you must know. now that the
old nobility is extinct or impoverished. and
even the Napoleonic families are dying
away. finds its fulcrum of fashion in what
hey call the great cocottes. The lady at
my side will go to the great man-nilliner
of the hour-Paccard. or something, he is
called at present-and say. Make me 4
gown for the Grand PriX such has nobody
else's." Thereon he creates such a gown,
and on it alone he squanders all his genius.
1t is nothing to her what it costs. for she
will easily find a man to pay for it. 1t is
nothing to him how he n~eglects his other
patrons, for he will have everybody coming
to him after the Grand PriX for similar
adornments. 1t is nothing to anybody that
such q fashion-inevitably loud and vulgar,
or it would not be sufficiently noticed
lowers the whole standard of fashion. For
in the vie de luxe good taste no longer
exists.
How could it. when its center is the great
cocotte-the kind of lady who lives in a
fiat with three dancing masters to instruct
her ana two prize fighters to amuse her,
and whose hairdreSSer is such a great
man that he refuses to go in by the trades
mans entrance"
The bard burst out. and voices from the
supper tables took up the tune-it was ia
ra-ra-boom-de-ay"- among them a fresh
ard clear one from my left. ! looked toward
the great cocotte. At her side ate sulkiIy
a fair and pale young mana Russian
prince. her nominal host. On the other
side of the table lolled and smoked two
gross men with their hats on. drinking
steadily of whisky. There came up a
fourth man. rather unsteadily, with a pur-
pie face. a limp frilled shirt front like a
nightgown. dropping under turquoise studs.
set in diamonds. the size Of a guinea. AL
three Frenchmen talked steady, and the
Russian. plainly jealous. occasionally joined
in. But not one of them took the least
notice of the lady. She just sat there.
occasionally drinking mineral water. bot
upright. not talking. quite happy, and sang
''Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay."
The chief of the orchestra, pale. fragile.
with unkempt yellow hair and beard. a
wonderful contrast to the bloated figures
round him. walked round the room playing
a violin solo. When they had Gypsies here.
tie leader used to bend down and play his
violin into women ears and send them
mad. Tonight the filibusters got up. put
on their furS. went heavily out. Not one of
them except one bearded. ~hook-nosed.
middle-aged Greco-Jewish %filibuster. who
joked and shouted and laughed-seemed to
have enjoyed himself.
Saved Her Conscience.