The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-04-09
PARIS DURING FLOOD
Annoyances That Residents Were
Compelled to Endure.
Citizens Without Watches Could Not
Tell the Hour, as Clocks Had
Stopped--Transportation
Troubled Many.

Paris,-Some dozen years ago III
Paris when street ganlin wished to
he unusually funny he would yell out
"Noulez-vous un homard?" tWill you
have lobster?") The popularity Of
this slang went the way of most popu
larity. but 1t has never been equalee
until now To-day when the street
gamin wishes to be annoying he call
out, ONE heure moins dix" ut Is m
minutes to l1'). and he achieves his
result. Why? Because our nerves
are all on edge and the fact that ali
the street clocks stopped at this point
is one of the little annoyances of the
food; a mere pin prick, but pin
prick Is something after all when Il Is
repeated all day long.
Probably the inhabitants Of big
city never realize how seldom when
out Of doors they consult a watch
You could hardly go a block on the
Paris streets without being reminded
OF the time---the right time, and not
this diabolical 10 minutes to II star
ing one always in the face Is one
late for business? 1t is ten minutes
to IL Is 1T time for lunch? To go
homer To go to bed? 1t is still ten
minutes to IL. Parisians seem prone
lately to forget to take their watches.
or perhaps no one really carries a
watch nowadays. A well-dressed man
crossing the square looks up to the
clock from force of habit, groans,
fumbles in his pocket and groans
again. Finally he makes his way to
the policeman guarding the Metropoli-
tan station. The policeman shakes
his head. He has no watch; has never
felt the need of one the 10 years he
has been stationed there. Why bother
with a watch when he has three cleo.
trio clocks before his eyes?
Now that the average citizen has
got over his first feeling of thankful
ness that he Is not drowned or home.
less he is beginning to find the uncer-
tainties Of transportation, especially
II he lives five or six miles from his
place of business, still a worse Pin
prick For few mornings walking
the whole or a rart of the way was
not so bad but in the end it became
mcnotonous.
II is curious to see the eager1cse
with which elegantly clad people will
hall pleheian street car. The other
morning the place in front of La
Muette was absolutely barren of We
hicles and group OF rather elderly
business men were correspondipgly
depressed, Suddenly a rumor was
started that the Rue Taitbout line,
newly fitted up with steam engines.
was running or would shortly run.
and every one rushed away for the
terminus Of the Rue Taithout line 1t
was true; the Rue Taitbout car was
waiting. the fires we're going and the
conductor counting up his transfers
lust the way they always do tie min.
ute before they ring the bell that gives
the signal to start. Every one felt a
warm feeling of affection for the Rue
Taitbout car as he chose a seat as far
away from the door as possible, the
last person In shutting the door. OF
course, so no more fresh air might
follow. Five minutes. ten, quarter
of an hour and then a half passed.
Every few minutes the car would give
a lurch, Its machinery would grumble.
the conductor would Join the man
poking in It's interiors and when quiet
was restored returned to his blur OF
counting transfers.
why transfers." some one said
ut is the only ceg In Paris running"
But 1t isn't running" said another
"and never will. The conductor is
only keeping us here so he won't feel
lonely"
But he was wrong It did run. In
fact, 1t ran so we'll that before 1t had
gone quarter OF mile the Rue TAFT.
bout car ran into garbage wagon
and with such force that 1t is doubtful
IL 1t has yet been extricated.
II is one thing to engage cab
these days and another to keep 1t.
You may be standing on the sidewalk
giving the cabman instructions as to
where he, is to go, then turn and find
that another fellow has got in your
cab. The cabman is Indifferent; he
simply turns on his ticker, for he
knows that. the man who finally takes
the cab will have to pay for the time
consumed in the discussion.
France has always taken every biz
calamity gayly. jauntily The national
theaters, the Coincide Franchise and
the Odenn have given thair narfnrn,