Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-16
BY ROBERT WELLES RICHIE.
(UnivsrsAl Services Staff CorrsspOndent.l

! ,
"A delightful comedy occurred near
noon today on the Chanps-Elysees
when ell the broad, beautiful avenue
| was roaring with traffic. And In
I this incident lay the suggestion for
this story,
A along line Of British eamions,
splas hed with the chalk mud of the
battle line, was grumbling and
snorting up the avenue, in its midst
a most monstrous appearing thing
Of canvas, for all the world like a
magnified shoe box on wheels. The
mystery was fully 20 feet long, 10
feet high and broad in proportion.
And as it trundled, trailing after a
cannon, its canvas sides waved and
quivered, but did not part to reveal
what might be hidden within.
Suddenly. without warning, one of
the tires neatly detached itself from
the off hind wheel, rolled lazily out
into the midst. of traffic and nearly
wrecked a speeding taxicab. There
was shout from the cockney driver
of the following canton and the
crippled mystery finally came to a
halt, tilted rakishly at an angle. Sew
eral cannon drivers clambered down
from their high perches and for
many minutes there was a chorus
of high, whining curses in the Curl
Gus English nose-bugling manner.
! Of course a crowd gathered and one
Paris gamin, more daring than the
rest, managed to pry apart the rear
curtain and peek in. He shrilled
his surprise.
What the Gamin Saw.
Well he might. The wrecked
monster was a Brtish army travel
ling theater-stage, row Of foot
lights, curtain and wings complete.
Such a contraption as used to wan
der from rest camp to rest camp
behind the British lines and serve
as a medium for the demonstration
of amateur soldier talent and. Incl
dentally, as blessed distraction for
battle-weary men. For all its cum
bersomeness, the thing was neatly
put together and complete, even to
the storage battery for lighting the
stage.
Here was added element of the
grotesque in the incident: Not
twenty feet away from where the
travelling theater was temporarily
wrecked. a punch and judy show
was going full blast, to the delight of
scores of children seated on rough
benches before the classic stage.
While mechanics tinkered with the
Grant tire, a dozen or so Tom
mics from the other camions sGolled
over to enjoy the antics of French
Mr.. Punch. They laughed as loudly
as the youngsters when Punch
clipped the kaiser over the head
with his truncheon.
wondered for a minute why this
conjunction of circumstances-thc
breakdown of the travelling theater
and the performance of the age-old
drama of Mr.. Punch nearby should
strike me somehow as significant,
and then l knew. Here was the
latest thing in 'theaters-motor
drawn, electric lighted, collapsihle
scenery and all-come to grief be-
fore the single survival Of the Oldest
of all drama forms. In Paris the
very old and the very modern were
met on the same street.
Melting Pot of Ages.
Yes. this incident was indeed typ
ical Of Paris of the moment when
from the east have come represent
atives of the old, old order of things
of the world that ceased to exist
500 years ago-to meet the young,
eager, daring west in settlement OF
the greatest agony ever visited upon
earth. Paris awaiting the opening
of the Peace conference is like some
great crossroads where all paths
meet and all manner of Wayfarers
find themselves brought together in
a strange company. Never before
have the old east and the new west
found themselves in such remark
able conclave,
This morning up near the Arc de
Tr:omphe, where the great sweep of
the Elysees spreads itself into the
Etoile, five Indian Sikhs, each wear
ing a full British officers uniform
but retaining the great swathings OF
the turban on his head, stopped to
ask direction of the French gen
dar-ne there. They spoke pure Eng
fish. The gendarme answered in
French, which the Indians could not
understand. A Portuguese captain
tried to intervene but his English
was no more understandable. The
Sikhs looked around for assistance.
Up stepped a ruddy faced, stocky
little corporal with the maple Leaf
Of Canada on his cap, saluted stiffly
his FIVE dark skinned superiors chat
tered voluble French for a minute
with the gendarme and then told the
Sikhs lust how to reach their desti-
nation in speech that was true
American.
East and West Smoke.
Another instance OF this fraternal
touch between east and west: Yes
terday went to a moving picture
theater. In the row before me sat
three Spahis-those big, fierce look
ing Arabs with their white bur-
houses about their shoulders who
have played such a valorous part in
the French army. On the same row
Of seats with them were two Ameri-
can doughboys. All FIVE were smok-
ing cigarettes. Said one of the two
Americans to his pal:
"These poor ginneys next to me
are smoking the leavin's~ from
breakfast food factory. Gee, but the
smell is ferceP
well. loosen up" challenged the
other, "hand 'em over a hump
The first doughboy dug down un-
der his blouse and, pulled out a
package Of the army's favorite
smoke; this he passed to the nearest
Spahi.
Feed yourselves a real smoke,
s,,,snro y hn hailnxsyAd in fhe manner