Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-19

Paris.-Peace is not yet with us
but the man who loves hysterical,
hectic nights is beginning to come
into his own.
The wartime regulations that
smothered some of the gayest lights
of the night life of gay Paree are
| gradually but very gradually, dis
appearing. Cafes, restaurants and
bars may soon be open until II 80
p. M, whereas the closing time
throughout the war was $50. Or
chestras are beginning to tune up
in the big restaurants for the first
time since the war, and public dane
ing and cabareting will be resumed
shortly without fear of interference
by the police.
All this is of mild interest to the
average Partisan citizen, who, far
from being a boulevard bounder,
generally subways home to his fam
lily hearth every night. But it fairly
palpitates the hearts of the joy boys,
who prefer to be lulled to sleep by
the chirp of the early rising sparrows
for the night life of Paris, like
the night life of London and New
York, depends largely for its exist
ence on the presence of the out-of
cityites. And American officers and
doughboys on leave. not to mention
various attaches of foreign peace
delegations, help swell the transient
good-timer proposition by several
thousands.
Gloom for Months.
The pestiferous police have driv-
en- much of the joy out of the Paris
night life for many moons. Some
folks thought that the signing of
the armistice would bring letting
down of the bars. 1t did-for just
three days. The restaurants were
permitted to remain open until 1 80
and the agents" winked at night
dancing. But is was all over in three
days.
There began a revival in Decem-
Der. Old night-life resorts in Mont
martre began reopening. and the
word went downtown that Mont
martre was getting gay again. The
crowds began f1ocking out. and it
was a slow night when so per cent
of the diners and spectators weren't
Americans.
One cafe on the Place Pigalle,
noted for its speed in the prewar
days, installed an orchestra and in
vited dancing at dinner, in defiance
of police regulations. Two days later
it was impossible to dine there with
out reserving a table hours in ad-
vance. Some of the theatrical crowd
made it their place of rendez-
vous. Mistinguett, celebrated French
comic opera star, was generally
found there at night. So was Shirley
Kellogg, the English actress, star
ring at the Folles Bergere.
Evening Gown Reappears.
The evening gown had been most
1y taboo in Paris restaurants since
the war. 1t gradually began reap
pearing in the dinner dancing at
this cafe on the Place Pigalle. A
voluptuous black-eyed beauty Gre
ated sensation one night in a
gown that made even the old-timers
gasp. What there was of it was of
black silk that chung and clung But
what there wasn't of it was what
made the crowd drop oyster forks and
center eyes on the dance floor. Some
careless modiste had forgotten all
about making back. And the front
of that bodice-well, it was censor
ed. There were others, too, but they
still talk about the vision in black.
The Savoy, just down the street,
got its orchestra going, too, started
dancing and drew a big American
crowd. If you didn't bring your girl
along you hadn't any trouble pick
ing one from the flock of Yvettes
and Suzettes and Renees and Mar
gots and Blanches around the tables
A young French aviator, an ace
with a reputation for daredeviltry,
used to give the evening at the
Savoy an axtra "razz" by giving his
best girl complete somersault over
his shoulder at the end of a fast
fox-trot, thus tipping the crowd off
to the latest thing in lingerie.
Some of the downtown restaur-