The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-02-07
With
The AEF
BY GEORGE TUCKER
Substituting For Kenneth T.
Dixon

Dixon
~ALGIERS, Feb. 2-Delavedl-
R-Madame Bertha Pourret is
bosomy peroxide blonde with fog.
horn voice and a low opinion n
Americans. She ruins the Bristol
Bar at II Rue Michelet, which !,
conveniently near press headouar
tiers, and she says Americans
break more glasses and canes
more grief than all the Other al
lies cobined.
This opinion was Strengthened
the other night when she starred
| suddenly at a long skinny Yankee
from Texas, whose heavy CON-
mando knife fell out of his blousa
and shattered the glass top Of
table. This glass, bilious green
cannot be replaced and MADAME
Pourret was so agitated that shs
leaped around the bar with every
intention of mailing the Texan br,
he fled.
Il wasn't quick enough" as
said blithely." Ten years ago n
of had that Yankee by the nect
and slapped his ears"
Madame Pourret has been
sort of celebrity along the Pus
Michelet ever since the Allied IN,
vasion in 1912. She is no respecta,
Of rank, and most Americans ad.
mire the earthly way she has n
shouting at customers. AS a hog
caller or a coon shouter, thew
think, she could shame sopbi.
Tucker, and they regard it asa
great pity chat she wasn't born in
America, where talents are an.
preciated.
Actually, Madame Pourret was
born 40 years ago at little vii.
lage near Vichy. She moved In
Paris, worked in perfumery for
while and for 10 years was mar.
ried to French railway EN-.
ployee named Jacques Recorbet
from whom she is now divorced
and whom she heartily disliked.
In 1888 she had the wits to get
out of France and two years apo
she borrowed enough money to
buy the Bristol Bar, a comoutlag.
ed gold mine which caters to sol.
diers and civilians of all ranks
Occasionally a customer, recog.
nizing a good thing, will suggest
matrimony, but Madame Pourret
has a chilling remedy for tina.
nonsense.
Hell, no." she says, I sewed
on buttons for one man for IS
years and I'm tired of it ALL"
Her divorce she regards as one Of
the great blessings of her lie
although it ran counter to her re.
ligion.
To satisfy certain elements that
still believe in class distinction,
the Bristol makes a half hearted
gesture toward separating the Of.
ficers from the unprincipled.
There are really two bars in
three rooms. The first room. which
opens on the street, is for stand
up drinking and has tiny horse
shoe bar open to all customer. The
bar includes local wine and bran
dy at prices that range from four
to ten francs a glass.
The second room, reached by
short flight of steps, is somewhat
larger and is filled with green
topped tables and will accommodate
about forty or fifty customers at
a time. From a stool behind the
bar Madame Pourret presideS.
Civilians, officers and warrant
officers only are admitted.
Many of the regular patrons go
there only in hope of seeing
Madame Pourret 60 on one of her
shouting .sprees.
r She makes the hackles stand
right up on the back Of your neck
British officer explained.
When I was there ! beckoned
her over. She slipped down from
the stool and sauntered over and
said hello Yankee"
Hello" 1 said. sit down and
relax. I'm going to buy you \
drink"
Madame Pourret laughed and
said in French: "Nobody's going
to buy me a drink, because l
don't touch it."
She isn't touching cigarettes,
either, because she has laryngitlS.
Madame Pourret says she mlgn!
sell the Bristol one of these days
and 60 off to some nice quiet
place, if you can find a place 10
come up to her Requirements.
It'll have to be somewhere on
the seacoast with mountains IN
the background" she said
1 told her I. didn't think that
would be hard to find and then
she added her final condition ~
wants to be a dream place "l'H
sunlight and fig trees and III