The Washington herald., 1918-02-21
AND LILLIAN CHESTER.


IN CHESTER.
was the one thought, to pass along a
cheerful feeling. and by reason Of
that particularly French idea, Paris
is still gay.
A new and terrible test has proved
the irresistible buoyancy of the Pari-
sian. The dire day came when 1t was
ordered that there be no more cakes!
Only those who know Paris pastry
can realize the depth Of that calam-
ity.
War bread had long since replaced
the haky white buns and rolls and
various bakery delights in which the
French and their visitors reveled
alike, but there had been no COM
plaint The pangs of that deprivation
could be alleviated a nice little gateau
with the afternoon tea or coffee. Now
what was to be donel
The tea hour was an institution, and
the cake its bulwark! Did Paris
NOPE. and close its tearooms and
cafes? No.
The Frenchman is very fond Of his
cafe. 1t is more than a feeding place;
it is a place for the meeting Of friends,
which Is why luncheon needs an hour
and a half and dinner from two to
two and a half hours. Not food oc-
cupies all the time, but the indulgence
of a pleasure which this nation of all
others has not lost; the Joy Of con-
versation.
So Paris has Its afternoon tea or
coffee Just the same, and. without
even a crust OF bread, makes up in
gaiety what 1t lacks In cakes.
'Mais. oui, c'est la guerre.'
| 1t is the warl That Is the catch
word of Paris; one hears 1t every
where. 1t Is the excuse for every
thing, particularly for a deprivation.
The next place we heard 1t was at
dinner. when the lights winked at s:l5.
There came an immediate lull In the
chatting vivacity. 1t was at that de-
lightful coffee period Of the dinner.
when the long cigars are lighted. and
the human system Is full Of peace,
and the conversation. however serious
It might have been before. turns to
drollery.
For a moment after the lights
, winked. there was a silence al
most glum, then the shrug OF the
shoulders and the cheerful smile.
Checks were paid. wraps were
donned, and chatter was resumed
as we all HleQ out.
! At $50 every dinner place in
town was empty - for gendarmes
stood at the door to see that they
were empty!
Outside we met our friend. the
Ianky American, and he was group-
ed dejectedly with three OF the boys,
wondering what next to do.
Hello" we hailed him. How
do Won like Cav P'ree2"
why, this is the most respecta-
BILE town on earth!" he complained.
We've just been up to the Mont
martre. and it's dead as a door
nail I guess the town isn't what
it used to be. It's the war"
Yes" was the admission. THE
war hasn't stopped gay Paris. but
it has stopped Gay P'ree.' II by
that you mean certain scandalous
places where the French never CO."
They grinned sheepishly. and
shifted to the other foot.
But tell me; you know New
York, don't your"
Defends City's Morals.
The glummest of the quartet did.
well, would you call Stinger
Maguire's fake Chinatown represen-
tatiye of New York life?'
He wasn't old enough to remem-
ber "Stinger" Mcguire, but he was
willing to listen. Singer was the
unappreciated genius who framed
New York's first ''yapp thrillers:
and his best bit, until a knife
which was tossed into his spine
from a Pell street window brought
to an end his brief success, was a
long funeral, with a wax corpse
more than lifelike in its lurid
shiverings.
SINGERS audience, mostly curious
souls from Squeedunk and Husk-
vile. viewed the sacred secret cere-
monies, in breathless silence and at
a dollar a throw. through the slit
of a curtain on a balcony. At the
proper moment, each night, the
members of an opposing tong broke
in. their faces distorted with blood
thirsty fury. Shrill imprecations
filled the air. the corpse was over
turned. the lights went out, the
furniture clattered and crashed. six
punches of firecrackers were let of
in the darkness, and as a close to
the evenings entertainment, the
visitors went pouring out Mott
| ShiCCI Win lHclT ucdTIS III lhClL
throats. to 60 back home and ever
after recite their narrow escape,
; and give New York the undeserved
reputation of being the most law
less city in America!
So with the thnuing wickedness
of Gay P'ree;;" mostly framed for
simps'' from Squeedunk and Husk-
Vile and New York and such cen
ters of credulity
The police decided, and wisely
that Paris. at this juncture, had nc
use for purposeless frivolity. The
business of Paris, as the business
OF France, is. war, and war, and
nothing but war; so now there is
no place for overly ebbulent Ameri-
cans to go but home-to their ho-
! tells, or pensions, or apartments, OIL
wherever.
|, Death Now Trivial.
At IL the theaters close, and all
song ceases and the only place to
get supper and a drink is where
you sleep; therefore, as far as night
carousing is concerned, Paris is not
gay.
Her true gaiety rests now, as II
always has rested, in the spirit OF
her people. They have looked into
the face Of death, but the vision OF
that grim monster has put no fear
in their eyes, since a sacrifice to
their lesser devil removes the
threat of one far more terrible: the
j EcklHANS