Evening journal., 1915-04-30
BRAVE LASSIES
IN BOHEMIA keep
fires BURNING

Paris. April 6-(By Mail to New
York-Alrs we'll in the Latin quarter.
There's plenty of coal and plenty to
eat for the hundreds of gracious little
Minis who are holding the fort in the
land of Bohemia. The Austrian Off
GERS at Prezymsl were no Drawer than
these girls are. The men are gone but
the girls are keeping the quarter alive
and when the survivors Of the soldier
artists come trampng back again to
the Boulevard San Michel, the fires
will be burning in the attic CRATES,
the home lights will be cleaning, and
Mimi, after all these brave. fearless
days. will, at last, find time to sob.
But Mimi has had her trials. Only
recently the military got after her
with a club. When the French aero
planes climbed into the sky the other
night to chase the big Zeppelin away,
the flyers saw tremendous patch of
light on the birds eye map of Paris.
1t was Mimi. with the sky lights of the
studio ablaze: hundreds of Minis, in
fact. The shopkeepers had curtained
their windows. the hotels had shutter
ed their French plate panes, but Mimi
had not covered the studio skylights.
Who wants to hurt the Latin quar-
ter? asked Mimi. 1t belongs to the
whole world. But the French mill
tary men disagreed with Mimi; they
felt sure that a Zeppelin bomb would
find it's way in the Latin quarter just
as surely as in any other district Of
Paris. So Mimi, obeying military or
ders, spent the next two or three days
rigging sheets over the studio sky
lights, and the next Germans who
come ahying over Paris won't be able
TO let the Latin quarter go unbombed,
even il they want to.
ITS true that Mimi has some
strong arms to lean on in these dark
days: but they're only to be leaned
on. not to be Rugged by
Into the Cafe du Dome tonight a
lame whiskered young fellow will pick
his way to a certain table. Before
long two or perhaps three chic little
girls will come up and greet him with
a laugh, or a playful tap on his cheek
or even a tug at his whiskers and
soon a merry little party will be under
way. other men will come to the
table. These men won't be French
men; they'll he Russians, or Ameri-
cans or EnElishmen. Pretty soon some
one will say Let's eat" That's a
signal for the lame. whiskered chap TO
get up and go away. He knows the
girls are going to dine well this even
ing, so his worries are ended. The
girls are the Minis Of his best friends
who have gone to the front. If they
don't eat with someone else, tonight
or any other night. they'll eat with
him, out Of his little store of money
And when Mimi dimes she isn't max
IL
makes love to her! He won't be wei
come again at the table in the Cafe du
Dome. Strange arms are to lean
upon, but not to fall into.
There's laughter left in the quarter
too. For instance. you'll hear it to.
night, and every night. in the studio
Of a certain Russian woman artist
She has money and. for twelve cents
any girl from the Latin quarter car
come into her studio. seat herself a
one of the long, oilcloth covered ia
bles. and eat a good meal; If she
hasn't the twelve cents she can eat
anyhow. And then, after dinner Il
over at night musicians play and sing
as they please. while perhaps a hun
dred girls and men sit about and
smoke and take their coffee and
dream war time dreams of peace
How many Frenchmen are there
here?" I asked Dave Warschawsky
In his studio the other evening. He
looked over the crowd of French girll
and variously CARRIED men and an
swered:
"Just one. That lame fellow ovel
there is French"
The other men were Russian, Swede
italian, American. Mimi sat amonl
them and laughed and played o.
moodily saw her dreams come to lif'
in cigarette smoke while the musi'
sounded. but her heart was some
where along the French front.
If Mimi has a lover at the front sh
receives 80 cents a week from tn
army. That's coffee money, at least
And then there is the work of tn
Good Fire" charity foundation
where. for few pennies, she can bu,