Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-28

auiries about YOU and found the answers
excellent she does not feel insulteds but
proud.
There Is big trade In free admission
tickets to impossible sights and entertain
ments. lockers even 90 to the expense OF
inserting in the daily papers such an
nouncements as:
Beer Garden Of the Sucking Cat.
Rue du vieux Pont, q Boulogne.
This famous old establishment will be
reopened under new management on the
afternoon Of April 1. The public IL in
vited to an entirely gratuitous entertain
grottoes, fireworks. Take the train from
st. Lazare or the Saint-Germain tram.
Tickets granting permission to visit the
interior OF the obelisque" bring hundreds OF
innocent foreigners. countrymen. and. yes.
even Parisians to stand patiently around
the obelisque Of Luxor In the Place de la
Concorde, where the uniformed guardian
enjoys the great day of his year. The
envelope with a blank form exactly like
those issued by the ministries to visit real
interiors. and the habit of the government
only On certain dates and ON the presenta-
ton Of tickets, adds to the reality OF the
hoax. On its back the ticket reads: ITO
be presented to the guardian Of the ODE
lisk before entering"
It Ii Really Full.
Groups of visitors stand waiting around
the ohelisk. They are very patient After
a while. nevertheless. some English or
German tourist will hand up his ticket to
the Official. saying:
1--WE wish to visit the Interior"
cit is full" replies the guardian, exter-
iorly serious. but laughing In his own In
terror.
''When will It be. emptyr' the crowd asks
ct do not know"
And then. as other ticket holders come
upon the scene, the crowd tells them i'm
portantly:
sarhe obelisk is full"
Even when the crowd learns that the
obelisk Is full OF stone 1t fingers TOT the
joy OF fooling more newcomers with the
statement that:
THE obelisk Is full
OF the same nature is the ticket to visit
the interior of the telephone tubes OF
Paris" to Inspect the underground pas
cellars of the Elysee (the presidents resi-
From some of these April fool documents
one may obtain deal OF information about
French life. There is the deliberately coun-
forfeited Fishing permit and its fellow,
the hunting permit. In this country no
one may shoot game, even on his own lana,
without license from the general govern
ment. With the license-whose price brings
In an important revenue-you may shoot
on any mans property, provided he has not
put up notice that he has stocked ana
preserved 1t for his own shooting.
From the April fool rent receipt ana no
tice to quit one may learn something OF
French law and taxation, for example, that
the tenant always pays the taxes. AT one
side are the blanks, in exact imitation OF
the real receipt. for rent so much, and
then so much for state and municipal
taxes" including doors and windows"
"water rent" electric column" and the
sinking fund for the stair carpet" The
old feudal tax on houses. according to the
number of their doors and windows, still
exists. while the stair carpet. It's rene"ai
and its cleaning, is an obligatory charge.
Another Form.
OF all these April fools the "amiable no.
tice" of the tenants intention to quit causes
the most curious confusion. Unlikely as 1t
may seem, such imitation notices, which
always bear burlesque terms. are accepted
year after year by careless landlords and
entered on the books by neglectfui clerks,
as If they were the real thing.
So the April fool documents come down
on Paris like the snowfakes of a blizzard.
They last a week and make a carnival OF
innocent lying, imposition and trickery.
Still ii is not altogether amusing for a lady
to find half a dozen stolid laboring men
gathered in her hallway waiting to move
her furniture.
.'The van is waiting below" they repeat.
and will not understand that there is some
mistake To pacify them she must hand
them something Ike a dollar In drink
money" Indeed, idle fellows go so far as to
have a good penman write orders to one or
their number as knowing contractor" for
the purpose of bfackmailing such drink
money from the well to do and timid. or
course, it is downright forgery; but they
have always the defense that they them
selves have been deceived
'It is an April Fish, quoi?"