Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-18

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tenporaneous fiction.
CHAPTER /.
"HERE are old Parisfans who
will tell you pompously that
the boulevards. like the polit-
icai cafes, have ceased to ex-
wards 70 longer gossip Of Louis Napo-
leon, the return Of the Bourbons or OF
General Boulanger, for these highways
are always too busiiy stirring with
present movements not to be forgetful
OF their yesterdays. In the shade of
the buildings and awnings the loun-
gers, the Iookers-on in Paris, the audi
ence OF the, boulevard, sit at little ta-
bles. slipping coffee from long glasses.
drinking absinth or bright colored
sirups and gazing over the heads OF
.throngs afoot at others borne along
through the sunshine Of the street in
carriages, In cabs, In glittering auto
mobiles or high on the tops Of omni-
buses.
From all the continents the multi
tudes come to join In that procession
Americans tagged with race cards and
intending hilarious disturbances, puz-
zled Americans worn with guidebook
plodding, Chinese princes in silk, queer
Antillean dandies Of swarthy origin
and fortune, ruddy English thinking Of
nothing, panid English with upper
teeth barred and eyes hungrily search
ing for signboards Of tea rooms. over
Europeanized Japanese unpIeasantly
Immaculate, burnoosed sheiks from the
desert and rcd n4kzed Semitic paedleEs.
Italian mobiles is English tweeds, SUI
iIdanese negroes staggering In frock
coats, slim Spaniards. squat Turks.
travellers. idlers. exiles, fugiuves,
iiportsmen. ALI the tribes and kinds Of
men are tributary here to the Partisan
stream, which on fair day in spring
already cverfiows the banks with its
own much mingled waters-soberly
clad burgesses, bearded, amiable and
in no fatal hurry; well kept men OF
itbe world swiriing by In miraculous
|limousines. iegless cripples Topping on
bands and leather pads, thin whiskered
students in velveteen, walrus mustach-
ed veterans In broadcl0ths, keen faced
old prelates, shabby young priests,
fcavalrymen in casque and cutrass,
Eworkingmen turned horse and harness
ed to carts. sidewalk testers, itiuefant
venders Of questionable wares. shady
hoafers dressed to resemble gold show
Iering America. motor cyclists in leath-
Ter, hairy musicians, blue gendarmes,
Ebaggy red zouaves, purple faced, glazed
matted. scarlet waistcoated. cigarette
smoking cabmen, calling one another
l.-onions," ''camels" and names even
more terrible. Women are prevalent
lover all the, concourse-fair women.
dark women, pretty women, gilded WON
len, naughty women, Indifferent women,
friendly women. merry women, hne
women in fine clothes, rich women In
lane clothes, poor women in fine clothes,
WORLDLY old women reclining befurred
Ia electric landaulets, wordy old WON
len hoidenishly trunding carts full
fof flowers. wonderful automobile WON.
len, quick glimpsed, in multiple wells Of
white and brown and sea green; WON
ZEN in rags and tags and women drap-
ed, coifed and befrilled in the deliri-
nam Of maddened poet-milliners and
Nhe hasheesh dreams Of ladies' tai
lors.,
So il you sit at the little tables often
lenough-that is. il you become an am
atour boulevardier-you begin to rec
|ognize the transient stars Of the pag-
|eant, those to whom the boulevard al
aowS 1 dubious and fugitive role Of
ceiebrity and whom 1t greets with 4
slight flutter, the turning of heads, .
tmufmr of, comment and the incredu-
hous boulevard smile, which seems to
says lou see-maiame uui monsieur
paaa1ng there. Evidently they think
I'VE stiu believe IN them"
/ This futter heralded and followed
ahe passing OF white touring car
with the procession one afternoon Just
before the Grand Prix, though It need
I'd no boulevard celebrity to make the
nanwho lolled In the tonneau conspic-
|uous. simply for that, notoriety was
superfluous; so were the remarkable
IT. and power Of his car; 20 was the
Elaborate touring costume Of dannels
and pongse he wore; 20 was even the
knAmeied presence Of the dancer who
sat Beside him. His face would have
done it without AceesDor1es.
NJ old friend George Ward and
bad met for our apesitif at the Terrace
tArue, ~ the Madeleine, when the
Nhitn automobile came shaking fits