The New York herald., 1921-09-25

FAHlS, oGpL. Q.
r IFE in Paris in September is
dull. Those who have been
summering on the northern
coast or in the mountains are return
Ing rapidly, but are finding the city, as
far as the gay life is concerned, so
deadly dull that they are passing on
to Biarritz and the italian lakes or
The Lido. leaving Paris entirely in the
bands OF the tourist.
The weather has been so wonderfully
pleasant that the fashionable town
restaurants have not yet attempted to
start their usual autumn programme
OF gala dances and the restaurants In
the Bois de Boulogne have acted with
equal uncertainty because they have
expected every night that an end would
come to the summer weather and they
have not dared to announce q gala
dance In the open. fearing the usual
autumn rain. The consequence Is that
Paris has had q most informal ap-
pearance.
The American tourists are here In
great numbers. It seems that they
nave all arrived at the same time.
The hotels and shops are crowded. but
they are not the same visitors who ar
rived In June with an overabundance
Of pep" to make the spring season
seem the gayest that Paris had had
since the war. They have been travel
F,,e, %Ia or% M tiYad
nnd have returned to Paris to pull
themselves together and to make a
real business of their neglected shop
ping before embarking from Havre or
Cherbourg In the homeward bound
boats. They go to the Bois for dinner
wearing street suits and hats and then
proceed to the midnight dancing
houses. not because they want to
dance. but because It is their sacred
duty to see the night life of Mont
Enartre.
Gaining Tourist Atmosphere.
The Parroquet is the gayest of the
midnight supper rendezvous for the
moment. but II is rapidly gaining that
informal tourist atmosphere which Is
no fault at all of the formerly chic
Parrequet but Is merely due to the fact
that September has set itself down In
Paris to have It's turn. Friday nights
at the Parrequet are particularly in
formal with tourists in their tailored
costumes, and suit cases In hand, arriv-
ing to take one more all night fling at
Montmartre, one more dance and one
niore bottle of champagne before pro-
ceeding to the gare St Lazaire to catch
the early morning boat train for Havre
10 sail for America. The last week at
these midnight dancing houses has
drawn g. very mixed get OF dancers.
Besides the tourists there has been the
band from Deauville, apparently In
Paris for onfy few days on their way
to Biarritz Then the South Americans
who arc getting more and more of a
grip on Paris, have been there In great
numbers.
Mime. Victor. who has become one Of
the shining stars or the Deauville life
during the last two seasons, has been
the one woman at the ParroCuet re-
Gently who has attracted attention by
her smart costumes 1t Is not so much
that she has been properly dressed
causing heads to turn, but the fact that
every one else has been 50 badly dressed
that her dinner gown with a smart eve
ming hat naturally attracts attention
costumes. And her Jewels go long
way in drawing all eyes to one centre.
In Deauville she was known as tho
Lady with the Pear Shaped Diamond"
She was q constant gambler and q con-
slstent loser, but with rich Cuban at
her side and thirty-slx diamond brace
let's on her arm she apparently had no
fear of the morrow. She wore O. big
black velvet hat fle other night that
caused more than one envious glance.
IL was huge sailor with a fiaring fiat
brim and underneath the brim directly
over her left ear was single silver
rose smuggling close to her head with
long strands of steel beads attached to
II and dangling almost to her shoulder.
Paris Now Dining I'm Hats.
And speaking of Nine. victor's picture
hat. It 10 worth noting that Paris Is
again dining almost entirely in hats.
During tho spring season hats and
even head dresses of the simplest sort
were taboo among tho smartest Of the
smart who dined at the Pre- Catelan and
tho Chateau de Madrid. but the vogue
for evening hats Is certainly returning
and they are to be the dressy type Of
lace and paradise and the black velvet
picture hats instead OF the fancy ORR
tho Ritz for dinner the other night It
was remarked that there were only two
bare heads among the women dining,
while only two months ago hat at the
dinner table looked very much out OF
place BY the time October arrives.
however, there may be another story TO
tell, for, as have said before, Paris in
September Is In q very unsettled state
OF mind.
Among the Americans who are hero
70 settle their affairs before going 20
America is Mr.. James Deering. who is
making an effort TO sell his beautiful
mansion In Neuilly. Americans who own
property In France are finding the new
tnx regulations most inconvenient, 80
they are anxious to sell and live In
rented property. Foreigners who own
such property as Mr.. Dcering's place.
with It's magnificent gardens, find their
expenses running to 10000 francs a day
FOR taxes alone, as the ownership of prop
erty Involves so many more taxes than
the amount paid merely on the land and
building. The consequence is that few
foreigners have purchased property In
France. and those who have held any
during tho war are offering II at low
prices.
Mrs. w. l.. Rice Entcrtafns.
There are practically no smar. social
events. either among the French or the
Americans who are now in Paris There
have been few luncheon parties at tho
Ritz recently which have been Informal
fareweils for those denar rtinr for Amer