Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-19
Gay Paree Not Quite Open,
But Certain Cafes Cheat
and Girls Dance With Yanks
War Time Regulations Gradually Disappearing and
Cafes, Restaurants and Bars Extend Open Hours,
Greatly Pleasing American Officers and Dough-
boys Seeking Gay Night Life of French Metropolis

ants hearing what was going or
up in Montmartre, thought they
would get into the fun and the pro
fits, too, for the champagne was
flowing like the river Marine ii
| Montmartre.
Police 1nterferes.
One or two of the smaller restau
rants near the opera tried it first
Before Maxim's the cafe de Paris o,
Ciro's could get into the game the
police came down hard. They stop.
ped the music not only downtown
but in Montmartre as we'll, and Paris
became little sad again.
The night dancing joints" have
had better success, but they are al
ways fleeing from the police. One
night the boy who calls a Taxi fol-
you after the theater whispers:
They're dancing tonight at Number
Blank, Rue Blankety-Blank."
You taxi out and draw up to a
stop in front of what appears to
be a private residence. The taxi
driver pushes a button, and the big
door swings open. As you cross
a dark courtyard you hear ,nuffled
sounds of music. A man greets you
at the door, strips your pocket
book of Sd for admission, losses your
coat and hat to the checkroom pirate
and invites you in to the dance hall.
The chances are that he is the head
waiter of one of the big Paris restau-
rants, earning himself villa on the
Seine by working overtime.
Plenty of Girls.
A waiter rushes you quart of
ordinary champagne-for $40. The
orchestra crashes out a one-step. If
you forgot to bring her along you
can still take your pick from a great
flock of blondes. brunettes, red
heads. slipping wine at a score of
tables and care1essly displaying knee
lengths of hosiery.
II like better to dance with Ameri-
cans or English" your blonde purrs
in your ear, trying out her English.
"Frenchmen not so good dancers"
I Over at one table with an Ameri-
can civilian is an American girl in
uniform that says she is over here
doing war work. But she isn't do
ing war work here at l a. m. She's
having look at corner Of Paris,
and the wine she has been drinking
has gone to her head. Right now she
is chucking half-burned cigaret
at her companion.
1t is 8 in the morning when you
leave. One of the Yvettes (there are
always several Of them) is engaged
in fight at the door with tall bru-
nette girl, who she charges in an
outburst of fearful shrieks, is trying
to steal her sweetheart. The Sweet
heart is "spifflicated" and only
amused by the scrap. He laughs
when Yvette decorates the brunette
with a black eye just before the
checkroom boy pulls the girls apart.
If You Know the Place.
No restaurant in Paris is permitted
to sell food after hours. But if you
are hungry and know the place you
can get your "tummy" full even at
this hour.
The taxi deposits you half a block
away from the restaurant and cir
cles the block first, if there is a po-
liceman in sight. You rap at door.
Presently a little man openus it,
whisks you into a long hall and
leads you back to a dimly lighted
room. There, say for S. or Sc, you
can have chicken salad, wine and
coffee, if you keep your converse
ton low, if you don't the little man
chucks you out.
Perhaps the next week you want
to dance again. The taxi-starter
gives you a new address.
But how about the old placer"
you inquire.
"Oh, the police got that night be-
fore last" he replies. "They arrested
some Americans, too"
Dives Under Supervision.
The more sordid places that used
to attract foreign nighthawks in
Paris-the "hop dives" and the rem
devious of the Apache-are under
pretty strict police regulation. One
hang-out for opium smokers, an un-
foreground place that provided ca
baret singers to amuse Summing