The Washington herald., 1911-03-12
Desert Gay French Capital
at This Time Of Year.
MANY TAKING THE REST CURE
"Somnarium', in Touraipe, Where
Sleep Is Only Enforced Duty, Is
Largely Patronized-Spanish Mata-
dor and Popular Dancer Elope
from Seville to Madrid.
By LA RECONTECsE.

good deal to do with this. Just now
it is next to impossible 20 find an Ameri-
can, masculine or feminine, in Ia willie
LUmiere." a good many are at Monte
Carlo and the Riviera, bat quite a num-
ber have discovered a novel resting place
in peaceful Touraine where they are
preparing for the exertions of the com
ing coronation season in London at an
establishment very appropriately called
the Somnarium."
The only duty enforced there is sleep.
Cn entering this sunderland the out
side world must he left behind. All
clothes worn outside must be discs rded
for new ones. and never put on again
until the patient is cured. The pa
TENTS arc sufferers from nervous de-
preston. melanchOlia, Or fatigue, after
A too busy Paris season. They leave not
only their clothes. but their names, be-
hind on entering. They instantly assume
the names given to the rooms they
occupy. Tho latter are called, il seems,
after famous doctors.
Rooms Painted Blue.
The practical arrangements OF the
sOmnarium seem judicioUs. All the rooms
for patients in the first stages are
painted indigo bluc-a color apparently
acknowledged to be soothing to neEras-
thenics. When the period of GONZALES
Cence is reached, patients are removed
to apartments painted green. this color
Icing still and soothing, but a tonic as
we'll. For the rest as -a:1 before. the
only imperative duty enforced on inmates
Is sleep. II they cannot obey and can
not sleep, SOmniferous scents are waited
about the establishment: for instance,
,a.r-Fr, % I'D. rrh
and ''asfalath'
For myself l do not feel the need OF
any rest cure. When there are no social
gatherings to attend | visit the theaters
l really thought that Regina Badet had
reached the limit in costume, or rather
lack Of costume. il la Femme et le
Pantin. but l find she has acquired a
new one which is sCantier stll. but in
spite OF which she is more charming than
ever, without a tinge of the suggestive
or vulgar about her. She is simply
beautiful woman. such as those must
have been who inspired Praxitcles and
other Greek sculptors to their immortal
masterpieces.
Only Stockings and Lace.
Her new garments consist chiefly OF
pair of black silk stockings and drapery
of black lace thrown carclessly over one
shoulder and causht at the waist. The
stage is then da-kened, and the light
comes from the back so she is silhouctted
against a rosy background, while she
goes through her dance.
After the play was over We went to a
funny little shop in the Fauborg Mont
martre, called La Tartine.' There you
rub elbows with all classes of society.
At La Tartine' you often find half
a. dozen luxurious cars waiting. and the
shop is usually crowded with fashionab bly,
dressed women who come in there after
the theater for the fun of the thing
all the better il a bona fide customer in
rags or a workman's blouse is having
his supper standing. clutching with both
hands a pigs foot which he washes down
with drafts of water from the fountain
il a corner. hung round with tin cups.
OF course. one is not obliged to drink at
the fountain. and there is nothing dis
gusting in clean Hew bread cut into huge
''doorsteps." all hot and Crusty. Many
OF the smartest people help themselves
from the big silver pans in which AN
douilletteS.' pigs feet. black puddinEs.
and piggeries of all sorts are set forth
in tantalizins array.
Matador and Dancer EIope.
All the senors and senuritas of Spain
are talking OF the escapade of one OF
their most noted bulfGhters, who has
run away with a noted dancer of Seville.
The dramato-Iyric adventure of Carmen
and EScamillo-as told by Merimee and
put to music by BiZet-in real life. only
with a less tragic ending. Rubinsteins
"Toreador ct AndalOuSe. modern style.
The inhabitants of Seville had hardly
recovered from the recent mysterious dis
appearance of a charming actress called
Paquita Correa from the Del Duque The
ater of their city, when they learned
with stupefaction and sorrow that their
favOrite dancer. PaStora Imperio. had
MISC vanished. Pastora was the leading
flamenco" dancer of the Andalusian
capital. and appeared nightly at the
Concert Llorens. Even her own family
did not know where she had gone to.
All the police OF Seville were put on her
track, until finally the facts leaked out.
Late one night, after the performance.
she had been seen at the Empalme sta
ton. in the suburbs of Seville. accom-
panied by the celebrated matador, Cal
Ito. Only a cloak covered her dancing
costume, and Investigations showed that
the couple had taken the night express
for Madrid.
Pastora Imperio is the daughter of
"bailadora flamenco" known under the
sobriauet of La Mejorana." and has
achieved fame for the way she danced the
garrotin and the farruca.
PIiGhtcd Troth in Mexico.
Gallto. on his side. is a member of
dynasty of buIlhghters. His father was
one of the leading matadors of the last
generation, known under the name of
''El Gallo" from the chanteclerish way
he used to strut about the piazza. Gal
Ito Cthe little COCK, whose real name is
Rafael Gomez, has inherited all his
fathers finesse and bearing. and is second
only to the celebrated Ricardo Bombita
as a public favorite in the classic bull
ring. The latter is a greater expert with
his sword. while Gallito shows more dex-
teritv with the cape" at the moment OF
inflicting the coup de grace to the bull.
The mothers of both yGallito and Pas
tora had not only been dancers of the
same school, but also friends, and their
respective children, in growing up, had
taken a fancy to each other. However,
their wandering life soon separated them;
Pastora toured the provinces and then
made her debut IN Paris, at the Moulin
Rouge. while Gallito went from one bull
ring to another. Both met again in
Mexico where Gallito paid marked at
tention to the actress. They exchanged
the hoIiest vows, but separated again
soon after, only to meet later at Seville.
Pastora had in the meanwhile, in
Vulnerable suitors, but would have none
of them. preferring the bullhghter TO the
wealthiest.
Il