,,bohemian ,,paris ,,of ,,to-,,day ,by ,w4 ,c4 ,morrow ,from ,notes ,by ,edouard ,cucuel ,illustrated ,by ,edouard ,cucuel ,second ,edition ,philadelphia ,london ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company #aijj ,illustration3 #jjja ,illustration3 #jjjh ,illustration3 #jjji ,,introduction ,,this volume is written to show the life of the students in the ,paris of to-day4 ,it has an additional interest in opening to inspection certain phases of ,bohemian life in ,paris that are shared both by the students and the public1 but that are generally unfamiliar to visitors to that wonderful city1 and even to a very large part of the city's population itself4 ,it depicts the under-side of such life as the students find1--the loose1 unconventional life of the humbler strugglers in literature and art1 with no attempt to spare its salient features1 its poverty and picturesqueness1 and its lack of adherence to generally accepted standards of morals and conduct4 ,as is told in the article describing that incomparably brilliant spectacle1 the ball of the ,four ,arts1 extreme care is taken to exclude the public and admit only artists and students1 all of whom must be properly accredited and fully identified4 ,it is well understood that such a spectacle would not be suitable for any but artists and students4 ,it is given solely for their benefit1 and with the high aim1 fully justified by the experience of the masters who direct the students1 that the event1 with its marvellous brilliancy1 its splendid artistic effects1 and its freedom and abandon1 has a stimulating and broadening effect of the greatest value to art4 ,the artists and students see in these annual spectacles only grace1 beauty1 and majesty2 their training in the studios1 where they learn to regard models merely as tools of their craft1 fits them1 and them alone1 for the wholesome enjoyment of the great ball4 ,it is a student that presents the insight which this volume gives into the life of the students and other ,bohemians of ,paris4 ,it is set forth with the frankness of a student4 ,coming from such a source1 and having such treatment1 it will have a special charm and value for the wise4 ,the students are the pets of ,paris4 ,they lend to the city a picturesqueness that no other city enjoys4 ,so long as they avoid riots aimed at a government that may now and then offend their sense of right1 their ways of living1 their escapades1 their noisy and joyous manifestations of healthy young animal life1 are good-naturedly overlooked4 ,underneath such a life there lies1 concealed from casual view1 another life that they lead1--one of hard work1 of hope1 of aspiration1 and often of pinching poverty and cruel self-denial4 ,the stress upon them1 of many kinds1 is great4 ,the utter absence of an effort to reorganize their lives upon conventional lines is from a philosophical belief that if they fail to pass unscathed through it all1 they lack the fine1 strong metal from which worthy artists are made4 ,the stranger in ,paris will here find opened to him places in which he may study for himself the ,bohemian life of the city in all its careless disregard of conventions4 ,the cafs1 cabarets1 and dance-halls herein described and illustrated have a charm that wholesome1 well-balanced minds will enjoy4 ,the drawings for the illustrations were all made from the actual scenes that they depict2 they partake of the engaging frankness of the text and of its purpose to show ,bohemian life in the ,paris of to-day without any effort at concealment4 ,w4 ,c4 ,m4 ,,bohemian ,,paris ,,our ,,studio ,,we were in wonderful ,paris at last--,bishop and ,i--after a memorable passage full of interest from ,new ,york to ,havre4 ,years of hard work were ahead of us1 for ,bishop would be an artist and ,i a sculptor4 ,illustration3 #hjbc ,for two weeks we had been lodging temporarily in the top of a comfortable little hotel1 called the ,grand something 7most of the ,parisian hotels are ,grand71 the window of which commanded a superb view of the great city1 the vaudeville playhouse of the world4 ,pour la premire fois the dazzle and glitter had burst upon us1 confusing first1 but now assuming form and coherence4 ,if we and incomprehensible at could have had each a dozen eyes instead of two1 or less greed to see and more patience to learn6 ,day by day we had put off the inevitable evil of finding a studio4 ,every night found us in the cheapest seats of some theatre1 and often we lolled on the terraces of the ,caf de la ,paix1 watching the pretty girls as they passed1 their silken skirts saucily pulled up1 revealing dainty laces and ankles4 ,from the slippery floor of the ,louvre galleries we had studied the masterpieces of ,david1 ,rubens1 ,rembrandt1 and the rest2 had visited the ,panthon1 the ,muse ,cluny2 had climbed the ,eiffel ,tower1 and traversed the ,bois de ,boulogne and the ,champs-,elyses4 ,then came the search for a studio and the settling to work4 ,it would be famous to have a little home of our very own1 where we could have little dinners of our very own cooking6 ,it is with a shudder that ,i recall those eleven days of ceaseless studio-hunting4 ,we dragged ourselves through miles of ,quartier ,latin streets1 and up hundreds of flights of polished waxed stairs1 behind puffing concierges in carpet slippers1 the puffing changing to grumbling1 as1 dissatisfied1 the concierges followed us down the stairs4 ,the ,quartier abounds with placards reading1 ,atelier d',artiste ,louer6 ,the rentals ranged from two hundred to two thousand francs a year1 and the sizes from cigar-boxes to barns4 ,but there was always something lacking4 ,on the eleventh day we found a suitable place on the sixth 7top7 floor of a quaint old house in a passage off the ,rue ,st4- ,andr-des-,arts4 ,there were overhead and side lights1 and from the window a noble view of ,paris over the house-tops4 ,illustration3 #jjbc ,a room of fair size joined the studio1 and from its vine-laced window we could look into the houses across the court1 and down to the bottom of the court as well4 ,the studio walls were delightfully dirty and low in tone1 and were covered with sketches and cartoons in oil and charcoal4 ,the price was eight hundred francs a year1 and from the concierge's eloquent catalogue of its charms it seemed a great bargain4 ,the walls settled our fate1--we took the studio4 ,it was one thing to agree on the price and another to settle the details4 ,our ,french was ailing1 and the concierge's ,french was--concierges' ,french4 ,bishop found that his pet theory that ,french should be spoken with the hands1 head1 and shoulders carried weak spots which a concierge could discover2 and then1 being somewhat mercurial1 he began floundering in a mixture of ,french and ,english words and ,french and ,american gestures1 ending in despair with the observation that the concierge was a d------ fool4 ,at the end of an hour we had learned that we must sign an iron-bound1 government-stamped contract1 agreeing to occupy the studio for not less than one year1 to give six months' notice of our leaving1 and to pay three months' rental in advance1 besides the taxes for one year on all the doors and windows1 and ten francs or more to the concierge4 ,this was all finally settled4 ,as there was no running water in the rooms 7such a luxury being unknown here71 we had to supply our needs from a clumsy old iron pump in the court1 and employ six flights of stairs in the process4 ,then the studio had to be furnished1 and there came endless battles with the furniture dealers in the neighborhood1 who kept their stock replenished from the goods of bankrupt artists and suspended mnages4 ,illustration3 #jjbe ,these marchands de meubles are a wily race1 but ,bishop pursued a plan in dealing with them that worked admirably4 ,he would enter a shop and price an article that we wanted1 and then throw up his hands in horror and leave the place as though it were haunted with a plague4 ,the dealer would always come tumbling after him and offer him the article for a half or a third of the former price4 ,in this way ,bishop bought chairs1 tables1 a large easel1 beds1 a studio stove1 book-shelves1 linen1 drapings1 water pitchers and buckets1 dishes1 cooking utensils1 and many other things1 the cost of the whole being less than one hundred and fifty francs1--and thus we were established4 ,the studio became quite a snug and hospitable retreat1 in spite of the alarming arrangement that ,bishop adopted1 to help the composition of the room4 ,his favorite cast1 the ,unknown ,woman1 occupied the place of honor over his couch1 where he could see it the first thing in the morning1 when the dawn1 stealing through the skylight1 brought out those strange and subtle features which he swore inspired him from day to day4 ,my room was filled with brilliant posters by ,chret and ,mucha and ,steinlen1--they were too bold and showy for the low tone of ,bishop's studio4 ,it all made a pretty picture1--the dizzy posters1 the solemn trunks1 the books1 the bed with its gaudy print coverings1 and the little crooked-pane window hung with bright green vines that ran thither from a box in the window of an adjoining apartment4 ,and it was all completed by the bright faces of three pretty seamstresses1 who sat sewing every day at their window across the passage4 ,under our housekeeping agreement ,bishop was made cook1 and ,i chambermaid and water-carrier4 ,it was ,bishop's duty to obey the alarm clock at six every morning and light the fire1 while ,i went down for water at the pump1 and for milk at the stand beside the court entrance1 where fat ,madame ,giot sold caf-au-lait and lait froid ou chaud1 from a sou's worth up4 ,then1 after breakfast1 ,i did the chamber work while ,bishop washed the dishes4 ,bishop could make for breakfast the most delicious coffee and flapjacks and omelette in the whole of ,paris4 ,by eight o'clock all was in order2 ,bishop was smoking his pipe and singing ,down on the ,farm while working on his life study1 and ,i was off to my modelling in clay4 ,bishop soon had the hearts of all the shop-keepers in the neighborhood4 ,the baker's dimple-cheeked daughter never worried if the scales hung a little in his favor1 at the boucherie he was served with the choicest cuts of meat1 and the fried-potato women called him mon fils and fried a fresh lot of potatoes for him4 ,even ,madame ,tonneau1 the marchande de tabac1 saw that he had the freshest packages in the shop4 ,often1 when ,i was returning home at night1 ,i encountered him making cheerily for the studio1 bearing bread by the yard1 his pockets bulging with other material for dinner4 ,ah1 he was a wonderful cook1 and we had marvellous appetites6 ,so famous did he soon become that the models 7the lady ones1 of course7 were eager to dine avec nous2 and when they did they helped to set the table1 they sewed buttons on our clothes1 and they made themselves agreeable and perfectly at home with that charming grace which is so peculiarly ,french4 ,ah1 those were jolly times6 ,the court1 or1 more properly1 le passage1 on which our window looked was a narrow little thoroughfare leading from the ,rue ,st4-,andr-des-,arts to the ,boulevard ,st4-,germain4 ,it bore little traffic1 but was a busy way withal4 ,it had iron-workers' shops1 where hot iron was beaten into artistic lamps1 grills1 and bed-frames2 a tinsmith's shop2 a blanchisserie1 where our shirts were made white and smooth by the pretty blanchisseuses singing all day over their work2 a wine-cellar1 whose barrels were eternally blocking one end of the passage2 an embossed picture-card factory1 where twoscore women1 with little hammers and steel dies1 beat pictures into cards2 a furniture shop1 where everything old and artistic was sold1 the ,htel du ,passage1 and a bookbinder's shop4 ,each of the eight buildings facing the passage was ruled by a formidable concierge1 who had her dark little living apartments near the entrances4 ,these are the despots of the court1 and their function is to make life miserable for their lodgers4 ,when they are not doing that they are eternally scrubbing and polishing4 ,they are all married4 ,m4 ,may1 le mari de notre concierge1 is a tailor4 ,he sits at the window and mends and sews all day long1 or acts as concierge when his wife is away4 ,the husband of the concierge next door is a sergeant de ville at night1 but in the early mornings as1 in a soiled blouse1 he empties ash-cans1 he looks very unlike the personage dressed at night in a neat blue uniform and wearing a short sword ,another concierge's husband fait des courses--runs errands--for sufficient pay4 ,illustration3 #ijcj ,should you fail to clean your boots on the mat1 and thus soil the glossy stairs1 have a care6--a concierge's tongue has inherited the warlike characteristics of the ,caesars4 ,rugs and carpets must not be shaken out of the windows after nine o'clock4 ,ashes and other refuse must be thrown into the big bin of the house not later than seven4 ,sharp at eleven in the evening the lights are extinguished and the doors locked for the night2 and then all revelry must immediately cease4 ,should you arrive en retard1--that is1 after eleven1--you must ring the bell violently until the despot1 generally after listening for an hour to the bell1 unlocks the catch from her couch4 ,then when you close the door and pass her lodge you must call out your name4 ,if you are out often or till very late1 be prepared for a lecture on the crime of breaking the rest of hard-working concierges4 ,after the day's work the concierges draw their chairs out into the court and gossip about their tenants4 ,the nearer the roof the lodger the less the respect he commands4 ,would he not live on a lower floor if he were able8 ,and then1 the top floor gives small tips6 ,it is noticeable that the entresol and premiers tages are clean and highly polished1 and that the cleanliness and polish diminish steadily toward the top1 where they almost disappear4 ,ah1 les concierges6 ,but what would ,paris be without them8 ,directly beneath us an elderly couple have apartments4 ,every morning at five the old gentleman starts ,french oaths rattling through the court by beating his rugs out of his window4 ,at six he rouses the ire of a widow below him by watering his plants and incidentally drenching her bird- cages4 ,not long ago she rose in violent rebellion1 and he hurled a flower pot at her protruding head4 ,it smashed on her window-sill2 she screamed ,murder6 and the whole court was in an uproar4 ,the concierges and the old gentleman's pacific wife finally restored order--till the next morning4 ,next1 to my room are an elderly lady and her sweet1 sad-faced daughter4 ,they are very quiet and dignified1 and rarely fraternize with their neighbors4 ,it is their vine that creeps over to my window1 and it is carefully tended by the daughter4 ,and all the doves and sparrows of the court come regularly to eat out of her hand1 and a lively chatter they have over it4 ,the ladies are the widow and daughter of a once prosperous stock-broker on the ,bourse1 whom an unlucky turn of the wheel drove to poverty and suicide4 ,the three seamstresses over the way are the sunshine of the court4 ,they are not so busy sewing and singing but that they find time to send arch glances toward our window1 and their blushes and smiles when ,bishop sends them sketches of them that he has made from memory are more than remunerative4 ,a young ,scotch student from ,glasgow1 named ,cameron1 has a studio adjoining ours4 ,he is a fine1 jovial fellow1 and we usually assist him to dispose of his excellent brew of tea at five o'clock4 ,every ,thursday evening there was given a musical chez lui1 in which ,bishop and ,i assisted with mandolin and guitar1 while ,cameron played the flute4 ,for these occasions ,cameron donned his breeks and kilt1 and danced the sword-dance round two table-knives crossed4 ,the ,american songs strike him as being strange and incomprehensible4 ,he cannot understand the negro dialect1 and wonders if ,america is filled with negroes and cotton plantations2 but he is always delighted with ,bishop's ,down on the ,farm4 ,illustration3 #jjcc ,life begins at five o'clock in our court4 ,the old gentleman beats his rugs1 the milk-bottles rattle1 the bread-carts rumble1 ,madame ,giot opens her milkstand1 and the concierges drag the ash-cans out into the court1 where a drove of rag-pickers fall upon them4 ,these gleaners are a queer lot4 ,individuals and families pursue the quest1 each with a distinct purpose4 ,one will seek nothing but bones1 glass1 and crockery2 another sifts the ashes for coal2 another takes only paper and rags2 another old shoes and hats2 and so on1 from can to can1 none interfering with any of the others4 ,the dogs are the first at the bins4 ,they are regularly organized in working squads1 travelling in fours and fives4 ,they are quite adept at digging through the refuse for food1 and they rarely quarrel2 and they never leave one bin for another until they have searched it thoroughly4 ,the swish of water and a coarse brush broom announces the big1 strong woman who sweeps the gutters of the ,rue ,st4-,andr-des-,arts4 ,with broad sweeps of the broom she spreads the water over half the street and back into the gutter1 making the worn yellow stones shine4 ,she is coarsely clad and wears black sabots2 and ,god knows how she can swear when the gleaners scatter the refuse into the gutter6 ,the long wail of the fish-and-mussel woman1 ,j'ai des beaux maquereaux1 des moules1 poissons frire1 frire6 as she pushes her cart1 means seven o'clock4 ,the day now really begins4 ,water-pails are clanging and sabots are clicking on the stones4 ,the wine people set up a rumble by cleaning their casks with chains and water4 ,the anvils of the iron-workers are ringing1 and there comes the tink-tink-tink of the little hammers in the embossed-picture factory4 ,the lumbering garbage-cart arrives to bear away the ash-bins1 the lead-horse shaking his head to ring the bell on his neck in announcement of the approach4 ,street-venders and hawkers of various comestibles1 each with his or her quaint musical cry1 come in numbers4 ,j'ai des beaux choux-fleurs6 ,o1 comme ils sont beaux6 ,the fruit- and potato-women come after1 and then the chair-menders4 ,these market-women are early risers4 ,they are at the great ,halles ,centrales at four o'clock to bargain for their wares2 and besides good lungs they have a marvellous shrewdness1 born of long dealings with ,french housewives4 ,always near eight may be heard1 ,du mouron pour les petits oiseaux6 and all the birds in the court1 familiar with the cry1 pipe up for their chickweed4 ,voil le bon fromage la crme pour trois sous6 cries a keen-faced little woman1 her three-wheeled cart loaded with cream cheeses2 and she gives a soup-plate full of them1 with cream poured generously over1 and as she pockets the money says1 ,voil6 ce que c'est bon avec des confitures6 ,cream cheeses and prayer6 ,on ,sunday mornings during the spring and summer the goat's-milk vender1 blowing a reed-pipe1 invades the passage with his living milk-cans1--a flock of eight hairy goats that know the route as well as he1 and they are always willing to be milked when a customer offers a bowl4 ,the tripe-man with his wares and bell is the last of the food-sellers of the day4 ,the window-glass repairer1 ,vitrier6 passes at nine1 and then the beggars and strolling musicians and singers put in an appearance4 ,in the afternoon the old-clo' man comes hobbling under his load of cast-off clothes1 crying1 ,marchand d'habits6 of which you can catch only ',chand d'habits6 and the barrel-buyer1 ,marchand de tonneaux6 ,the most musical of them all is the porcelain-mender1 who cries1 ,voici le raccommodeur de porcelaines1 faence1 cristal1 poseur de robinets6 and then plays a fragment of a hunting-song4 ,illustration3 #jjcg ,the beggars and musicians also have regular routes and fixed hours4 ,cold and stormy days are welcomed by them1 for then pity lends activity to- sous4 ,a piratical old beggar has his stand near the entrance to the court1 where he kneels on the stones1 his faithful mongrel dog beside him4 ,he occasionally poses for the artists when times are dull1 but he prefers begging1--it is easier and more remunerative4 ,three times a week we are treated to some really good singing by a blind old man1 evidently an artist in his day4 ,when the familiar sound of his guitar is heard all noises in the passage cease1 and all windows are opened to hear4 ,he sings arias from the operas4 ,his little old wife gathers up the sous that ring on the flags4 ,sometimes a strolling troupe of two actors and three musicians makes its appearance1 and invariably plays to a full house4 ,there are droves of sham singers who do not sing at all1 but give mournful howls and tell their woes to deaf windows4 ,one of them1 a tattered woman with two babies1 refused to pose for ,bishop1 although he offered her five francs for the afternoon4 ,her babies never grow older or bigger as the years pass4 ,we all know when anybody in the passage is going to take a bath4 ,there are no bath-tubs in these old houses1 but that difficulty is surmounted by a bathing establishment on the ,boulevard ,st4-,michel4 ,it sends around a cart bearing a tank of hot water and a zinc tub4 ,the man who pulls the cart carries the tub to the room1 and fills it by carrying up the water in buckets4 ,then he remains below until the bath is finished1 to regain his tub and collect a franc4 ,since we have been here the court entrance has been once draped in mourning4 ,at the head of the casket of old ,madame ,courtoise1 who lived across the way1 stood a stately crucifix1 and candles burned1 and there were mourners and yellow bead wreaths4 ,a quiet sadness sat upon the court1 and the people spoke in whispers only4 ,and there have been two weddings1--one at the blanchisserie1 where the master's daughter was married to a young mechanic from the iron shop4 ,there were glorious times at the laundry that night1 for the whole court was present4 ,it was four in the morning when the party broke up1 and then our shirts were two days late4 ,thus ran the first months of the four years of our student life in ,paris2 in its domestic aspects it was typical of all that followed4 ,we soon became members of the ,american ,art ,association1 and gradually made friends in charming ,french homes4 ,then there was the strange ,bohemian life lying outside as well as within the students' pale1 and into the spirit of it all we found our way4 ,it is to the ,bohemian1 not the social1 life of ,paris that these papers are devoted--a life both picturesque and pathetic1 filled with the oddest contrasts and incongruities1 with much suffering but more content1 and spectacular and fascinating in all its phases4 ,no one can have seen and known ,paris without a study of this its living1 struggling artistic side1 so strange1 so remote from the commonplace world surging and roaring unheeded about it4 ,on ,new ,year's ,day we had an overwhelming number of callers4 ,first came the concierge1 who cleaned our door-knob and wished us a prosperous and bonne anne4 ,she got ten francs1--we did not know what was coming4 ,the chic little blanchisseuse called next with our linen4 ,that meant two francs4 ,then came in succession two telegraph boys1 the facteur1 or postman1 who presented us with a cheap calendar1 and another postman1 who delivers only second-class mail4 ,they got a franc each4 ,then the marchand de charbon's boy called with a clean face and received fifty centimes1 and everybody else with whom we had had dealings2 and our offerings had a steadily diminishing value4 ,we could well bear all this1 however1 in view of the great day1 but a week old1 when we had celebrated ,christmas4 ,bishop prepared a dinner fit for a king1 giving the greater part of his time for a week to preparations for the great event4 ,besides a great many ,french dishes1 we had turkey and goose1 cooked for us at the rtisserie near by1 and soup1 oysters1 ,american pastries1 and a big1 blazing plum-pudding4 ,we and our guests 7there were eight in all7 donned full dress for the occasion1 and a bonne1 hired for the evening1 brought on the surprises one after another4 ,but why should not it have been a glorious evening high up among the chimney-pots of old ,paris8 for did we not drink to the loved ones in a distant land1 and were not our guests the prettiest among the pretty toilers of our court8 ,illustration3 #jjdb ,,the ,,cole ,,des ,,beaux-,,arts ,,it is about the fifteenth of ,october1 after the long summer vacation1 that the doors of the great cole des ,beaux-,arts are thrown open4 ,illustration3 #jjdc ,the first week1 called la semaine des nouveaux1 is devoted to the initiation and hazing of the new students1 who come mostly from foreign countries and the ,french provinces4 ,these festivities can never be forgotten--by the nouveaux4 ,illustration3 #jjdd ,bishop had condescendingly decided to become un lve de ,grme--with some misgivings1 for ,bishop had developed ideas of a large and free ,american art1 while ,grme was hard and academic4 ,one day he gathered up some of his best drawings and studies 7which he regarded as masterpieces7 and1 climbing to the impriale of a ,clichy 'bus1 rode over to ,montmartre1 where ,grme had his private studio4 ,he was politely ushered in by a manservant1 and conducted to the door of the master's studio through a hall and gallery filled with wonderful marble groups4 ,grme himself opened the door1 and ,bishop found himself in the great man's workshop4 ,for a moment ,bishop stood dazed in the middle of the splendid room1 with its great sculptures and paintings1 some still unfinished1 and a famous collection of barbaric arms and costumes4 ,a beautiful model was posing upon a rug4 ,but most impressive of all was the white-haired master1 regarding him with a thoughtful and searching1 but kindly1 glance4 ,bishop presently found a tongue with which to stammer out his mission1--he would be a pupil of the great ,grme4 ,the old man smiled1 and1 bidding his model retire1 inspected carefully the array of drawings that ,bishop spread at his feet1--,grme must have evidence of some ability for the magic of his brain and touch to develop4 ,sont pas mal1 mon ami1 he said1 after he had studied all the drawings2 non1 pas mal4 ,bishop's heart bounded1--his work was not bad6 ,vous tes ,amricain8 continued the master4 ,c'est un pays que j'aimerais bien visiter si le temps ne me manquait pas4 ,thus he chatted on1 putting ,bishop more and more at his ease4 ,he talked of ,america and the promising future that she has for art2 then he went into his little office1 and1 asking ,bishop's name1 filled out the blank that made him a happy pupil of ,grme4 ,he handed it to ,bishop with this parting-advice1 spoken with great earnestness3 ,il faut travailler1 mon ami--travailler6 ,pour arriver1 travailler toujours1 srieusement1 bien entendu6 ,bishop was so proud and happy that he ran all the way up the six flights of stairs to our floor1 burst into the studio1 and executed a war-dance that would have shamed an ,apache1 stepping into his paint-box and nearly destroying his sacred ,unknown4 ,that night we had a glorious supper1 with des escargots to start with4 ,early on the fifteenth of ,october1 with his head erect and hope filling his soul1 ,bishop started for the ,beaux-,arts1 which was in the ,rue ,bonaparte1 quite near4 ,that night he returned wise and saddened4 ,he had bought a new easel and two rush-bottomed tabourets1 which every new student must provide1 and1 loaded with these1 he made for the ,ecole4 ,gathered at the big gates was a great crowd of models of all sorts1 men1 women1 and children1 fat1 lean1 and of all possible sizes4 ,in the court- yard1 behind the gates1 was a mob of long-haired students1 who had a year or more ago passed the initiatory ordeal and become ancients4 ,their business now was to yell chaff at the arriving nouveaux4 ,the concierge conducted ,bishop up-stairs to the ,administration1 where he joined a long line of other nouveaux waiting for the opening of the office at ten o'clock4 ,then he produced his papers and was enrolled as a student of the ,ecole4 ,it is only in this government school of the four arts that the typical ,bohemian students of ,paris may be found1 including the genuine type of ,french student1 with his long hair1 his whiskers1 his ,latin ,quarter plug hat1 his cape1 blouse1 wide corduroy trousers1 sash1 expansive necktie1 and immense cane4 ,the ,ecole preserves this type more effectually than the other schools1 such as ,julian's and ,colarossi's1 where most of the students are foreigners in conventional dress4 ,among the others who entered ,grme's atelier at the same time that ,bishop did was a ,turk named ,haidor 7fresh from the ,ottoman capital71 a ,hungarian1 a ,siamese1 an ,american from the plains of ,nebraska1 and five ,frenchmen from the provinces4 ,they all tried to speak ,french and be agreeable as they entered the atelier together4 ,at the door stood a gardien1 whose principal business is to mark absentees and suppress riots4 ,then they passed to the gentle mercies of the reception committee and the massier within4 ,the massier is a student who manages the studio1 models1 and masse money4 ,this one1 a large fellow with golden whiskers 7size and strength are valuable elements of the massier's efficiency71 demanded twenty-five francs from each of the new-comers1--this being the masse money1 to pay for fixtures1 turpentine1 soap1 and clean towels1 et pour payer boire4 ,the ,turk refused to pay1 protesting that he had but thirty francs to last him the month2 but menacing stools and sticks opened his purse2 his punishment was to come later4 ,after the money had been collected from all the nouveaux the entire atelier of over sixty students1 dressed in working blouses and old coats1 formed in line1 and with deafening shouts of ,a boire6 boire6 placed the nouveaux in front to carry the class banner1 and thus marched out into the ,rue ,bonaparte to the ,caf des ,deux ,magots1 singing songs fit only for the studio4 ,their singing1 shouting1 and ridiculous capers drew a great crowd4 ,at the caf they created consternation with their shouting and howling until the arrival of great bowls of grog ,amricain1 cigarettes1 and gteaux4 ,rousing cheers were given to a marriage-party across the ,place ,st4-,germain4 ,the ,turk was forced to do a ,turkish dance on a table and sing ,turkish songs1 and to submit to merciless ridicule4 ,the timid little ,siamese also had to do a turn1 as did ,bishop and ,w------1 the ,american from ,nebraska1 who had been a cowboy at home4 ,after yelling themselves hoarse and nearly wrecking the caf1 the students marched back in a disorderly mob to the ,ecole4 ,then the real trouble began4 ,the gardien having conveniently disappeared1 the students closed and barricaded the door4 ,a poil6 poil6 they yelled1 dancing frantically about the frightened nouveaux2 poil les sales nouveaux6 poil6 ,they seized the ,turk and stripped him1 despite his desperate resistance2 then they tied his hands behind him and with paint and brushes decorated his body in the most fantastic designs that they could conceive4 ,his oaths were frightful4 ,he cursed them in the name of ,allah1 and swore to have the blood of all ,frenchmen for desecrating the sacred person of a ,moslem4 ,he called them dogs of infidels and ,christians4 ,but all this was in ,turkish1 and the students enjoyed it immensely4 ,en broche6 they yelled1 after they had made him a spectacle with the brushes2 en broche6 ,il faut le mettre en broche6 ,this was quickly done4 ,they forced the ,turk to his haunches1 bound his wrists in front of his upraised knees1 thrust a long pole between his elbows and knees1 and thus bore him round the atelier at the head of a singing procession4 ,four times they went round2 then they placed the helpless ,m4 ,haidor on the model-stand for future reference4 ,the bad ,french that the victim occasionally mixed with his tirade indicated the fearful damnation that he was doubtless dealing out in ,turkish4 ,a circle was then formed about him1 and a solemn silence fell upon the crowd4 ,a ,frenchman named ,joncierge1 head of the reception committee1 stepped forth1 and in slow and impressive speech announced that it was one of the requirements of the ,atelier ,grme to brand all nouveaux over the heart with the name of the atelier1 and that the branding of the ,turk would now proceed4 ,upon hearing this1 ,m4 ,haidor emitted a fearful howl4 ,but he was turned to face the red-hot studio stove and watch the branding-iron slowly redden in the coals4 ,during this interval the students sang the national song1 and followed it with a funeral march4 ,behind the ,turk's back a second poker was being painted to resemble a red-hot one4 ,the hot poker was taken from the fire1 and its usefulness tested by burning a string with it4 ,haidor grew deathly pale4 ,an intense silence sat upon the atelier as the iron was brought near the helpless young man4 ,in a moment1 with wonderful cleverness1 the painted poker was substituted for the hot one and placed quickly against his breast4 ,when the cold iron touched him he roared like a maddened bull1 and rolled quivering and moaning upon the floor4 ,the students were frantic with delight4 ,it was some time before ,haidor could realize that he was not burned to a crisp4 ,he was then taken across the atelier and hoisted to a narrow shelf fifteen feet from the floor1 where he was left to compose himself and enjoy the tortures of the other nouveaux4 ,he dared not move1 however1 lest he fall2 and because he refused to take anything in good- nature1 but glared hatred and vengeance down at them1 they pelted him at intervals with water-soaked sponges4 ,the ,hungarian and one of the ,french nouveaux were next seized and stripped4 ,then they were ordered to fight a duel1 in this fashion3 they were made to mount two stools about four feet apart4 ,the ,hungarian was handed a long paint-brush dripping with ,prussian blue1 and the ,frenchman a similar brush soaked with crimson lake4 ,then the battle began4 ,each hesitated to splash the other at first1 but as they warmed to their work under the shouting of the committee they went in with a will4 ,when the ,frenchman had received a broad splash on the mouth in return for a chest decoration of his adversary1 his blood rose1 and then the serious work began4 ,illustration3 #jjea ,both quickly lost their temper4 ,when they were unwillingly made to desist the product of their labors was startling1 though not beautiful4 ,then they were rubbed down vigorously with turpentine and soiled towels1 and were given a franc each for a bath1 because they had behaved so handsomely4 ,bishop came next4 ,he had made up his mind to stand the initiation philosophically1 whatever it might be1 but when he was ordered to strip he became apprehensive and then angry4 ,nothing so delights the students as for a nouveau to lose his temper4 ,bishop squared off to face the whole atelier1 and looked ugly4 ,the students silently deployed on three sides1 and with a yell rushed in1 but not before three of them had gone down under his fists did they pin him to the floor and strip him4 ,while ,bishop was thus being prepared1 the ,nebraskan was being dealt with4 ,he had the wisdom not to lose his temper1 and that made his resistance all the more formidable4 ,laughing all the time1 he nevertheless dodged1 tripped1 wrestled1 threw stools1 and did so many other astonishing and baffling things that the students1 though able to have conquered him in the end1 were glad to make terms with him4 ,in this arrangement he compelled them to include ,bishop4 ,as a result1 those two mounted the model throne naked1 and sang together and danced a jig1 all so cleverly that the ,frenchmen were frantic with delight1 and welcomed them as des bons amis4 ,the amazing readiness and capability of the ,american fist bring endless delight and perennial surprise to the ,french4 ,illustration3 #jjec ,the rest of the nouveaux were variously treated4 ,some1 after being stripped1 were grotesquely decorated with designs and pictures not suitable for general inspection4 ,others were made to sing1 to recite1 or to act scenes from familiar plays1 or1 in default of that1 to improvise scenes1 some of which were exceedingly funny4 ,others1 attached to a rope depending from the ceiling1 were swung at a perilous rate across the atelier1 dodging easels in their flight4 ,at half-past twelve the sport was over4 ,the barricade was removed1 the ,turk's clothes hidden1 the ,turk left howling on his shelf1 and the atelier abandoned4 ,the next morning there was trouble4 ,the director was furious1 and threatened to close the atelier for a month1 because the ,turk had not been discovered until five o'clock1 when his hoarse howls attracted the attention of the gardien of the fires4 ,his trousers and one shoe could not be found4 ,it was three months before ,haidor appeared at the atelier again1 and then everything had been forgotten4 ,bishop was made miserable during the ensuing week4 ,he would find himself roasting over paper fires kindled under his stool4 ,paint was smeared upon his easel to stain his hands4 ,his painting was altered and entirely re-designed in his absence4 ,strong-smelling cheeses were placed in the lining of his plug hat4 ,his stool-legs were so loosened that when he sat down he struck the floor with a crash4 ,his painting-blouse was richly decorated inside and out with shocking coats of arms that would not wash out4 ,one day he discovered that he had been painting for a whole hour with currant jelly from a tube that he thought contained laque4 ,then1 being a nouveau1 he could never get a good position in which to draw from the model4 ,every ,monday morning a new model is posed for the week1 and the students select places according to the length of time they have been attending4 ,the nouveaux have to take what is left4 ,and they must be servants to the ancients1--run out for tobacco1 get soap and clean towels1 clean paint-brushes1 and keep the studio in order4 ,with the sculptors and architects it is worse4 ,the sculptors must sweep the dirty1 clay-grimed floor regularly1 fetch clean water1 mix the clay and keep it fresh and moist1 and on ,saturdays1 when the week's work is finished1 must break up the forty or more clay figures1 and restore them to clay for next week's operations4 ,the architects must build heavy wooden frames1 mount the projects and drawings1 and cart them about ,paris to the different exhibition rooms4 ,at the end of a year the nouveau drops his hated title and becomes a proud ancient1 to bully to his heart's content1 as those before him4 ,mondays and ,wednesdays are criticism days1 for then ,m4 ,grme comes down and goes over the work of his pupils4 ,he is very early and punctual1 never arriving later than half-past eight1 usually before half the students are awake4 ,the moment he enters all noises cease1 and all seem desperately hard at work1 although a moment before the place may have been in an uproar4 ,grme plumps down upon the man nearest to him1 and then visits each of his lves1 storming and scolding mercilessly when his pupils have failed to follow his instructions4 ,as soon as a student's criticism is finished he rises and follows the master to hear the other criticisms1 so that toward the close the procession is large4 ,illustration3 #jjeg ,bishop's first criticism took him all aback4 ,comment6 gasped the master1 gazing at the canvas in horror4 ,qu'est-ce que vous avez fait8 he sternly demanded1 glaring at the luckless student1 who1 in order to cultivate a striking individuality1 was painting the model in broad1 thick dashes of color4 ,grme glanced at ,bishop's palette1 and saw a complete absence of black upon it4 ,comment1 vous n'avez pas de noir8 he roared4 ,c'est trs important1 la partie matrielle6 ,vous ne m'coutez pas1 mon ami1---je parle dans le dsert6 ,vous n'avez pas d'aspect gnral1 mon ami1 and much more1 while ,bishop sat cold to the marrow4 ,the students1 crowded about1 enjoyed his discomfiture immensely1 and1 behind ,grme's back1 laughed in their sleeves and made faces at ,bishop4 ,but many others suffered1 and ,bishop had his inning with them4 ,all during ,grme's tour of inspection the model must maintain his pose1 however difficult and exhausting4 ,often he is kept on a fearful strain for two hours4 ,after the criticism the boys show ,grme sketches and studies that they have made outside the ,ecole1 and it is in discussing them that his geniality and kindliness appear4 ,grme imperiously demands two things1--that his pupils1 before starting to paint1 lay on a red or yellow tone1 and that they keep their brushes scrupulously clean4 ,woe to him who disobeys6 ,after he leaves with a cheery ,bon jour1 messieurs6 pandemonium breaks loose1 if the day be ,saturday4 ,easels1 stools1 and studies are mowed down as by a whirlwind1 yells shake the building1 the model is released1 a tattoo is beaten on the sheet-iron stove-guard1 everything else capable of making a noise is brought into service1 and either the model is made to do the danse du ventre or a nouveau is hazed4 ,the models--what stories are there6 ,every ,monday morning from ten to twenty present themselves1 male and female1 for inspection in puris naturalibus before the critical gaze of the students of the different ateliers4 ,one after another they mount the throne and assume such academic poses of their own choosing as they imagine will display their points to the best advantage4 ,the students then vote upon them1 for and against1 by raising the hand4 ,the massier1 standing beside the model1 announces the result1 and1 if the vote is favorable1 enrols the model for a certain week to come4 ,there is intense rivalry among the models4 ,strange to say1 most of the male models in the schools of ,paris are from ,italy1 the southern part especially4 ,as a rule1 they have very good figures4 ,they begin posing at the age of five or six1 and follow the business until old age retires them4 ,crowds of them are at the gates of the ,beaux-,arts early on ,monday mornings4 ,in the voting1 a child may be preferred to his seniors1 and yet the rate of payment is the same1--thirty francs a week4 ,illustration3 #jjfa ,many of the older models are quite proud of their profession1 spending idle hours in studying the attitudes of figures in great paintings and in sculptures in the ,louvre or the ,luxembourg1 and adopting these poses when exhibiting themselves to artists2 but the trick is worthless4 ,few of the women models remain long in the profession4 ,posing is hard and fatiguing work1 and the students are merciless in their criticisms of any defects of figure that the models may have1--the ,french are born critics4 ,during the many years that ,i have studied and worked in ,paris ,i have seen scores of models begin their profession with a serious determination to make it their life-work4 ,illustration3 #ijfb ,they would appear regularly at the different ateliers for about two years1 and would be gratified to observe endless reproductions of their graces in the prize rows on the studio walls4 ,then their appearance would be less and less regular1 and they would finally disappear altogether--whither8 ,some become contented companions of students and artists1 but the cafs along the ,boul' ,mich'1 the cabarets of ,montmartre1 and the dance-halls of the ,moulin ,rouge and the ,bal ,bullier have their own story to tell4 ,some are happily married2 for instance1 one1 noted for her beauty of face and figure1 is the wife of a ,new ,york millionaire4 ,but she was clever as well as beautiful1 and few models are that4 ,most of them are ordinaire1 living the easy life of ,bohemian ,paris1 and having little knowledge of le monde propre4 ,but1 oh1 how they all love dress6 and therein lies most of the story4 ,when ,marcelle or ,hlne appears1 all of a sudden1 radiant in silks and creamy lace petticoats1 and sweeps proudly into the crowded studios1 flushed and happy1 and hears the dear compliments that the students heap upon her1 we know that thirty francs a week could not have changed the gray grub into a gorgeous butterfly4 ,c'est mon amant qui m'a fait cadeau1 ,marcelle will explain1 deeming some explanation necessary4 ,there is none to dispute you1 ,marcelle4 ,this vast whirlpool has seized many another like you1 and will seize many another more4 ,and to poor ,marcelle it seems so small a price to pay to become one of the grand ladies of ,paris1 with their dazzling jewels and rich clothes6 ,an odd whim may overtake one here and there4 ,one young demoiselle1 beautiful as a girl and successful as a model a year ago1 may now be seen nightly at the ,cabaret du ,soleil d',or1 frowsy and languishing1 in keeping with the spirit of her confrres there1 singing her famous ,le ,petit ,caporal to thunderous applause1 and happy with the love1 squalor1 dirt1 and hunger that she finds with the luckless poet whose fortunes she shares4 ,it was not a matter of clothes with her4 ,it is a short and easy step from the studio to the caf4 ,at the studio it is all little money1 hard posing1 dulness1 and poor clothes2 at the cafs are the brilliant lights1 showy clothes1 tinkling money1 clinking glasses1 popping corks1 unrestrained abandon1 and midnight suppers4 ,and the studios and the cafs are but adjoining apartments1 one may say1 in the great house of ,bohemia4 ,the studio is the introduction to the caf2 the caf is the burst of sunshine after the dreariness of the studio2 and ,marcelle determines that for once she will bask in the warmth and glow4444 ,ah1 what a jolly night it was1 and a louis d'or in her purse besides6 ,marcelle's face was pretty--and new4 ,she is late at the studio next morning1 and is sleepy and cross4 ,the students grumble4 ,the room is stifling1 and its gray walls seem ready to crush her4 ,it is so tiresome1 so stupid--and only thirty francs a week6 ,bah6444 ,marcelle appears no more4 ,all the great painters have their exclusive model or models1 paying them a permanent salary4 ,these favored ones move in a special circle1 into which the ordinaire may not enter1 unless she becomes the favorite of some grand homme4 ,they are never seen at the academies1 and rarely or never pose in the schools1 unless it was there they began their career4 ,perhaps the most famous of the models of ,paris was ,sarah ,brown1 whose wild and exciting life has been the talk of the world4 ,her beautiful figure and glorious golden hair opened to her the whole field of modeldom4 ,offers for her services as model were more numerous than she could accept1 and the prices that she received were very high4 ,she was the mistress of one great painter after another1 and she lived and reigned like a queen4 ,impulsive1 headstrong1 passionate1 she would do the most reckless things4 ,she would desert an artist in the middle of his masterpiece and come down to the studio to pose for the students at thirty francs a week4 ,gorgeously apparelled1 she would glide into a studio1 overturn all the easels that she could reach1 and then shriek with laughter over the havoc and consternation that she had created4 ,the students would greet her with shouts and form a circle about her1 while she would banteringly call them her friends4 ,then she would jump upon the throne1 dispossess the model there1 and give a dance or make a speech1 knocking off every hat that her parasol could reach4 ,but no one could resist ,sarah4 ,she came up to the ,atelier ,grme one morning and demanded une semaine de femme4 ,the massier booked her for the following week4 ,she arrived promptly on time and was posed4 ,wednesday a whim seized her to wear her plumed hat and silk stockings4 ,c'est beaucoup plus chic1 she naively explained4 ,when ,grme entered the studio and saw her posing thus she smiled saucily at him1 but he turned in a rage and left the studio without a word4 ,thursday she tired of the pose and took one to please herself1 donning a skirt4 ,of course protests were useless1 so the students had to recommence their work4 ,the remainder of the week she sat upon the throne in full costume1 refusing to pose4 ,she amused herself with smoking cigarettes and keeping the nouveaux running errands for her4 ,it was she who was the cause of the students' riot in #ahic1--;a riot that came near ending in a revolution4 ,it was all because she appeared at le ,bal des ,quat'z' ,arts in a costume altogether too simple and natural to suit the prefect of police1 who punished her4 ,she was always at the ,salon on receiving-day1 and shocked the occupants of the liveried carriages on the ,champs-,elyses with her dancing4 ,in fact1 she was always at the head of everything extraordinary and sensational among the ,bohemians of ,paris4 ,but she aged rapidly under her wild life4 ,her figure lost its grace1 her lovers deserted her1 and after her dethronement as ,queen of ,bohemia1 broken-hearted and poor1 she put an end to her wretched life1--and ,paris laughed4 ,the breaking in of a new girl model is a joy that the students never permit themselves to miss4 ,among the many demoiselles who come every ,monday morning are usually one or two that are new4 ,the new one is accompanied by two or more of her girl friends1 who give her encouragement at the terrible moment when she disrobes4 ,as there are no dressing-rooms1 there can be no privacy4 ,the students gather about and watch the proceedings with great interest1 and make whatever remarks their deviltry can suggest4 ,this is the supreme test2 all the efforts of the attendant girls are required to hold the new one to her purpose4 ,when finally1 after an inconceivable struggle with her shame1 the girl plunges ahead in reckless haste to finish the job1 the students applaud her roundly4 ,illustration3 #jjfg ,but more torture awaits her4 ,frightened1 trembling1 blushing furiously1 she ascends the throne1 and innocently assumes the most awkward and ridiculous poses1 forgetting in that terrible moment the poses that she had learned so well under the tutelage of her friends4 ,it is then that the fiendishness of the students rises to its greatest height4 ,dazed and numb1 she hardly comprehends the ordeal through which she is now put4 ,the students have adopted a grave and serious bearing1 and solemnly ask her to assume the most outlandish and ungraceful poses4 ,then come long and mock-earnest arguments about her figure1 these arguments having been carefully learned and rehearsed beforehand4 ,one claims that her waist is too long and her legs too heavy2 another hotly takes the opposite view4 ,then they put her through the most absurd evolutions to prove their points4 ,at last she is made to don her hat and stockings2 and the students form a ring about her and dance and shout until she is ready to faint4 ,of course the studio has a ringleader in all this deviltry1--all studios have4 ,joncierge is head of all the mischief in our atelier4 ,there is no end to his ingenuity in devising new means of torture and fun4 ,his personations are marvellous4 ,when he imitates ,bernhardt1 ,rjane1 or ,calv1 no work can be done in the studio4 ,grme himself is one of his favorite victims4 ,but ,joncierge cannot remain long in one school2 the authorities pass him on as soon as they find that he is really hindering the work of the students4 ,one day1 at ,julian's1 he took the class skeleton1 and with a cord let the rattling1 quivering thing down into the ,rue du ,dragon1 and frightened the passers out of their wits4 ,as his father is chef d'orchestre at the ,grand ,opra1 ,joncierge junior learns all the operas and convulses us with imitations of the singers4 ,illustration3 #ijgj ,another character in the studio is le jeune ,siffert1 only twenty-three1 and one of the cleverest of the coming ,french painters4 ,recently he nearly won the ,prix de ,rome4 ,his specialty is the imitation of the cries of domestic fowls and animals1 and of street venders4 ,grme calls him mon fils1 and constantly implores him to be serious4 ,i don't see why4 ,then there is ,fiola1 a young giant from ,brittany1 with a wonderful facility at drawing4 ,he will suddenly break into a roar1 and for an hour sing one verse of a ,brittany chant1 driving the other students mad4 ,fournier is a little curly-headed fellow from the south1 near ,valence1 and wears corduroy trousers tucked into top-boots4 ,his greatest delight is in plaguing the nouveaux4 ,his favorite joke1 if the day is dark1 is to send a nouveau to the different ateliers of the ,ecole in search of le grand rflecteur4 ,the nouveau1 thinking that it is a device for increasing the light1 starts out bravely1 and presently returns with a large1 heavy box1 which1 upon its being opened1 is found to be filled with bricks4 ,then ,fournier is happy4 ,taton is the butt of the atelier4 ,he is an ingnu1 and falls into any trap set for him4 ,whenever anything is missing1 all pounce upon ,taton1 and he is very unhappy4 ,haidor1 the ,turk1 suspicious and sullen1 also is a butt4 ,caricatures of him abundantly adorn the walls1 together with the ,turkish crescent1 and ,turkish ladies executing the danse du ventre4 ,caricatures of all kinds cover the walls of the atelier1 and some are magnificent1 being spared the vandalism that spares nothing else4 ,one1 especially good1 represents ,kenyon ,cox1 who studied here4 ,w------1 the student from ,nebraska1 created a sensation by appearing one day in the full regalia of a cowboy1 including two immense revolvers1 a knife1 and a lariat depending from his belt4 ,with the lariat he astonished and dismayed the dodging ,frenchmen by lassoing them at will1 though they exercised their greatest running and dodging agility to escape4 ,they wanted to know if all ,americans went about thus heeled in ,america4 ,there is something uncanny about the little ,siamese4 ,he is exceedingly quiet and works unceasingly4 ,one day1 when the common spirit of mischief was unusually strong among the boys1 the bolder ones began to hint at fun in the direction of the ,siamese4 ,he quietly shifted a pair of brass knuckles from some pocket to a more convenient one1 and although it was done so unostentatiously1 the act was observed4 ,he was not disturbed1 and has been left strictly alone ever since4 ,one day the ,italian students took the whole atelier down to a little restaurant on the ,quai des ,grands-,augustins and cooked them an excellent ,italian dinner1 with ,chianti to wash it down4 ,two ,italian street-singers furnished the music1 and ,mademoiselle la ,modle danced as only a model can4 ,illustration3 #jjgb ,,taking ,,pictures ,,to ,,the ,,salon ,,ever since ,new ,year's1 when ,bishop began his great composition for the ,salon1 our life at the studio had been sadly disarranged2 for ,bishop had so completely buried himself in his work that ,i was compelled to combine the functions of cook with those of chambermaid4 ,illustration3 #ijgc ,this double work1 with increasing pressure from my modelling1 required longer hours at night and shorter hours in the morning4 ,but ,i was satisfied1 for this was to be ,bishop's masterpiece1 and ,i knew from the marvellous labor and spirit that he put into the work that something good would result4 ,the name of his great effort was ,the ,suicide4 ,it was like him to choose so grisly a subject1 for he had a lawless nature and rebelled against the commonplace4 ,ghastly subjects had always fascinated him4 ,from the very beginning of our domestic partnership he had shown a taste for grim and forbidding things4 ,often1 upon returning home1 ,i had found him making sketches of armless beggars1 twisted cripples1 and hunchbacks1 and1 worse than all1 disease-marked vagabonds4 ,a skull-faced mortal in the last stages of consumption was a joy to him4 ,it was useless for me to protest that he was failing to find the best in him by developing his unwholesome tastes4 ,wait1 he would answer patiently2 the thing that has suffering and character1 that is out of the ordinary1 it is the thing that will strike and live4 ,the suicide was a young woman gowned in black2 she was poised in the act of plunging into the ,seine2 a babe was tightly clutched to her breast2 and behind the unspeakable anguish in her eyes was a hungry hope1 a veiled assurance of the peace to come4 ,it fascinated and haunted me beyond all expression4 ,it was infinitely sad1 tragic1 and terrible1 for it reached with a sure touch to the very lowest depth of human agony4 ,the scene was the dead of night1 and only the dark towers of ,notre-,dame broke the even blackness of the sky1 save for a faint glow that touched the lower stretches from the distant lamps of the city4 ,in the darkness only the face of the suicide was illuminated1 and that but dimly1 though sufficiently to disclose the wonderfully complex emotions that crowded upon her soul4 ,this illumination came from three ghastly green lights on the water below4 ,the whole tone of the picture was a black1 sombre green4 ,that was all after the painting had been finished4 ,the making of it is a story by itself4 ,from the first week in ,january to the first week in ,march the studio was a junk-shop of the most uncanny sort4 ,in order to pose his model in the act of plunging into the river1 ,bishop had rigged up a tackle1 which1 depending from the ceiling1 caught the model at the waist1 after the manner of a fire-escape belt1 and thus half suspended her4 ,he secured his green tone and night effect by covering nearly all the skylight and the window with green tissue-paper1 besides covering the floor and walls with green rugs and draperies4 ,the model behaved very well in her unusual pose1 but the babe--that was the rub4 ,the model did not happen to possess one1 and ,bishop had not yet learned the difficulties attending the procuring and posing of infants4 ,in the first place1 he found scores of babes1 but not a mother1 however poor1 willing to permit her babe to be used as a model1 and a model for so gruesome a situation4 ,but after he had almost begun to despair1 and had well advanced with his woman model1 an ,italian woman came one day and informed him that she could get an infant from a friend of her sister's1 if he would pay her one franc a day for the use of it4 ,bishop eagerly made the bargain4 ,then a new series of troubles began4 ,the babe objected most emphatically to the arrangement4 ,it refused to nestle in the arms of a strange woman about to plunge into eternity1 and the strange woman had no knack at all in soothing the infant's outraged feelings4 ,besides1 the model was unable to meet the youngster's frequent demands for what it was accustomed to have1 and the mother1 who was engaged elsewhere1 had to be drummed up at exasperatingly frequent intervals4 ,all this told upon both ,bishop and ,francinette1 the model1 and they took turns in swearing at the unruly brat1 ,bishop in ,english and ,francinette in ,french4 ,neither knew how to swear in ,italian1 or things might have been different4 ,i happened in upon these scenes once in a while1 and my enjoyment so exasperated ,bishop that he threw paint- tubes1 bottles1 and everything else at me that he could reach1 and once or twice locked me out of the studio1 compelling me to kick my shins in the cold street for hours at a time4 ,on such occasions ,i would stand in the court looking up at our window1 expecting momentarily that the babe would come flying down from that direction4 ,when ,bishop was not sketching and painting he was working up his inspiration2 and that was worst of all4 ,his great effort was to get himself into a suicidal mood4 ,he would sit for hours on the floor1 his face between his knees1 imagining all sorts of wrongs and slights that the heartless world had put upon him4 ,his husband had beaten him and gone off with another woman2 he had tried with all his woman-heart to bear the cross2 hunger came to pinch and torture him2 he sought work1 failed to find it2 sought charity1 failed to find that2 his babe clutched at his empty breasts and cried piteously for food2 his heart broken1 all hope gone1 even ,god forgetting him1 he thought of the dark1 silent river1 the great cold river1 that has brought everlasting peace to countless thousands of suffering young mothers like him2 he went to the river2 he looked back upon the faint glow of the city's lights in the distance2 he cast his glance up to the grim towers of ,notre-,dame1 standing cold and pitiless against the blacker sky2 he looked down upon the black ,seine1 the great writhing python1 so willing to swallow him up2 he clutched his babe to his breast1 gasped a prayer4444 ,at other times he would haunt the ,morgue and study the faces of those who had died by felo-de-se2 he would visit the hospitals and study the dying2 he would watch the actions and read the disordered thoughts of lunatics2 he would steal along the banks2 of the river on dark nights and study the silent mystery and tragedy of it1 and the lights that gave shape to its terrors4 ,in the end ,i grew afraid of him4 ,but all things have an end4 ,bishop's great work was finished in the first days of ,march4 ,slowly1 but surely1 his native exuberance of spirits returned4 ,he would eat and sleep like a rational being4 ,his eyes lost their haunted look1 and his cheeks filled out and again took on their healthy hue4 ,and then he invited his friends and some critics to inspect his composition1 and gave a great supper in celebration of the completion of his task4 ,very generous praise was given him4 ,among the critics and masters came ,grme and ,laurens at his earnest supplication1 and it was good to see their delight and surprise1 and to note that they had no fault to find1--was not the picture finished1 and would not criticism from them at this juncture have hurt the boy without accomplishing any good8 ,well1 the painting secured honorable mention in the exhibition1 and five years later the ,french government completed the artist's happiness by buying one of his pictures for the ,luxembourg ,gallery4 ,but about the picture3 the canvas was eight by ten feet1 and a frame had to be procured for it4 ,now1 frames are expensive1 and ,bishop had impoverished himself for material and model hire4 ,so he employed a carpenter in the court to make a frame of thick pine boards1 which we painted a deep black1 with a gold cornice4 ,the whole cost was twenty- five francs4 ,next day we hired a good-sized voiture--bras at eight sous an hour1 and proceeded to get the tableau down to the court4 ,it was a devilish job1 for the ceilings were low and the stairs narrow and crooked4 ,the old gentleman below us was nearly decapitated by poking his head out of his door at an inopportune moment1 and the lady below him almost wiped the still wet babe from the canvas with her gown as she tried to squeeze past4 ,the entire court turned out to wish ,bishop good success4 ,the last day on which pictures are admitted to the ,salon1 there to await the merciless decision of the judges1 is a memorable one4 ,in sumptuous studios1 in wretched garrets2 amid affluence1 amid scenes of squalor and hunger1 artists of all kinds and degrees have been squeezing thousands of tubes and daubing thousands of canvases in preparation for the great day4 ,from every corner of ,paris1 from every quarter of ,france and ,europe1 the canvases come pouring into the ,salon4 ,every conceivable idea1 fad1 and folly is represented in the collection1 and most of them are poor2 but in each and every one a fond hope centres1 an ambition is staked4 ,strange as it may seem1 most of these pictures are worked upon until the very last day2 indeed1 many of them are snatched unfinished from their easels1 to receive the finishing touches in the dust and confusion and deafening noise of the great hall where they are all dumped like so much merchandise4 ,we saw one artist who1 not having finished his picture1 was putting on the final touches as it was borne ahead of him along the street on the back of a commissionnaire4 ,illustration3 #jjgi ,and all this accounts for the endless smearing everywhere noticeable1 and for the frantic endeavors of the artists to repair the damage at the last moment4 ,one great obstacle to poor artists is the rigid rule requiring that all tableaux shall be framed4 ,these frames are costly4 ,as a result1 some artists paint pictures of the same size year after year1 so that the same frame may be used for all1 and others resort to such makeshifts as ,bishop was compelled to employ4 ,but these makeshifts must be artistically done1 or the canvases are ignored by the judges4 ,these efforts give rise to many startling effects4 ,it was not very long1 after an easy pull over the ,boulevard ,st4-,germain1 before we crossed the ,seine at the ,pont de la ,concorde1 traversed the ,place de la ,concorde1 and turned into the ,champs-,elyses1 where1 not far away1 loomed the ,palais des ,beaux-,arts1 in which the ,salon is annually held in ,march4 ,the ,avenue des ,champs-,elyses1 crowded as it usually is in the afternoons1 was now jammed with cabs1 omnibuses1 hand-carts1 and all sorts of moving vans1 mingling with the fashionable carriages on their way to the ,bois4 ,the proletarian vehicles contained art1--art by the ton4 ,the upper decks of the omnibuses were crowded with artists carrying their pictures because they could not afford more than the three-sous fare4 ,and such an assortment of artists6 ,there were some in affluent circumstances1 who rolled along voluptuously in cabs on an expenditure of thirty-five francs1 holding their precious tableaux and luxuriantly smoking cigarettes4 ,illustration3 #jjha ,the commissionnaires had a great day of it4 ,they are the ones usually seen asleep on the street corners1 where1 when awake1 they varnish boots or bear loads by means of a contrivance on their backs4 ,on this day every one of them in ,paris was loaded down with pictures4 ,many were the hard-up students1 like ,bishop1 tugging hand-carts1 or pairing to carry by hand pictures too large to be borne by a single person4 ,and great fun they got out of it all4 ,opposite the ,palais de ,glace was a perfect sea of vehicles1 artists1 porters1 and policemen1 all inextricably tangled up1 all shouting or groaning1 and wet pictures suffering4 ,one artist nearly had a fit when he saw a full moon wiped off his beautiful landscape1 and he would have killed the guilty porter had not the students interfered4 ,portraits of handsome ladies with smudged noses and smeared eyes were common4 ,expensive gold frames lost large sections of their corners4 ,but still they were pouring in4 ,with infinite patience and skill ,bishop gradually worked his voiture-- bras through the maze1 and soon his masterpiece was in the crushing mass at the wide entrance to the ,salon4 ,there it was seized and rushed along1 and ,bishop received in return a slip of paper bearing a number4 ,while within the building we reconnoitred4 ,amid the confusion of howling inspectors1 straining porters bearing heavy pictures1 carpenters erecting partitions1 and a dust-laden atmosphere1 numerous artists were working with furious haste upon their unfinished productions4 ,some were perched upon ladders1 others squatted upon the floor1 and one had his model posing nude to the waist2 she was indifferent to the attention that she received4 ,thoughtful mistresses stood affectionately beside their artist amants1 furnishing them with delicate edibles and lighting cigarettes for them4 ,some of the pictures were so large that they were brought in rolled up4 ,one artist had made himself into a carpenter to mount his mammoth picture4 ,frightful and impossible paintings were numerous1 but the painter of each expected a premire mdaille d'honneur4 ,it was nearing six o'clock1 the closing hour4 ,chic demoiselle artistes came dashing up in cabs1 bringing with them1 to insure safe delivery1 their everlasting still-life subjects4 ,shortly before six the work in the building was suspended by a commotion outside4 ,it was a contingent of students from the ,beaux-,arts marching up the ,champs-,elyses1 yelling and dancing like maniacs and shaking their heavy sticks1 the irresistible ,sarah ,brown leading as drum-maior4 ,she was gorgeously arrayed in the most costly silks and laces1 and looked a dashing ,amazon4 ,then1 as always1 she was perfectly happy with her beloved tudiants1 who worshipped her as a goddess4 ,she halted them in front of the building1 where they formed a circle round her1 and there1 as director of ceremonies1 she required them to sing chansons1 dance1 make comic speeches1 and blaguer the arriving artists4 ,the last van was unloaded2 the great doors closed with a bang1 and the stirring day was ended4 ,all the students1 even the porters1 then joined hands and went singing1 howling1 and skipping down the ,champs-,elyses1 and wishing one another success at the coming exhibition4 ,at the ,place de la ,concorde we met a wild-eyed artist running frantically toward the ,salon with his belated picture4 ,the howls of encouragement that greeted him lent swifter wings to his legs4 ,the pictures finally installed1 a jury composed of ,france's greatest masters pass upon them4 ,the endless procession of paintings is passed before them2 the raising of their hands means approval1 silence means condemnation2 and upon those simple acts depends the happiness or despair of thousands4 ,but depression does not long persist1 and the judgment is generally accepted in the end as just and valuable4 ,for the students1 in great part1 flock to the country on sketching tours1 for which arrangements had been already made2 and there the most deeply depressed spirits must revive and the habit of work and hope come into play4 ,year after year the same artists strive for recognition at the ,salon2 and finally1 when they fail at that1 they reflect that there is a great world outside of the ,salon1 where conscientious effort is acceptable4 ,and1 after all1 a medal at the ,salon is not the only reward that life has to offer4 ,and then1 it is not always good for a student to be successful from the start4 ,just as his social environment in ,paris tries his strength and determines the presence or absence of qualities that are as useful to a successful career as special artistic qualifications1 so the trial by fire in the ,salon exhibitions hardens and toughens him for the serious work of his life ahead4 ,too early success has ruined more artists than it has helped4 ,it is interesting also to observe that1 as a rule1 the students who eventually secure the highest places in art are those whose difficulties have been greatest4 ,the lad with the pluck to live on a crust in a garret1 and work and study under conditions of poverty and self-denial that would break any but the stoutest heart1 is the one from whom to expect renown in the years to come4 ,ah1 old ,paris is the harshest but wisest of mothers6 ,h6 ah6 vive les ,quat'z' ,arts6 ,au ,molin ,rouge--en route6 the lamplit streets of ,paris as cab after cab and bus after 'bus went thundering across town toward ,montmartre1 heavily freighted with brilliantly costumed revellers of les ,quat'z' ,arts4 ,parisians ran from their dinner- tables to the windows and balconies1 blas boulevardiers paused in their evening stroll or looked up from their papers at the caf-tables1 waiters and swearing cabbies and yelling newsboys stopped in the midst of their various duties1 and all knowingly shook their heads1 ,ah1 ce sont les ,quat'z' ,arts68 ,for to-night was the great annual ball of the artists1 when all artistic ,paris crawls from its mysterious depths to revel in a splendid carnival possible only to the arts4 ,every spring1 after the pictures have been sent to the ,salon1 and before the students have scattered for the summer vacation1 the artists of ,paris and the members of all the ateliers of the four arts--painting1 sculpture1 architecture1 and engraving--combine their forces in producing a spectacle of regal splendor1 seen nowhere else in the world2 and long are the weeks and hard the work and vast the ingenuity devoted to preparations1--the designing of costumes and the building of gorgeous floats4 ,during the last three weeks the lves of the ,atelier ,grme abandoned their studies1 forgot all about the concours and the ,prix de ,rome1 and devoted all their energies to the construction of a colossal figure of ,grme's great war goddess1 ,bel-lona4 ,it was a huge task1 but the students worked it out with a will4 ,yards of sackcloth1 rags1 old coats1 paint rags1 besides pine timbers1 broken easels and stools1 endless wire and rope1 went into the making of the goddess's frame1 and this was covered with plaster of ,paris dexterously moulded into shape4 ,then it was properly tinted and painted and mounted on a chariot of gold4 ,a ,grecian frieze of galloping horses1 mounted1 the clever work of ,siffert1 was emblazoned on the sides of the chariot4 ,and what a wreck the atelier was after all was finished6 ,sacr nom d'un chien6 ,how the gardiens must have sworn when cleaning-day came round6 ,the ateliers in the ,ecole are all rivals1 and each had been secretly preparing its coup with which to capture the grand prix at the bal4 ,the great day came at last4 ,the students of our atelier were perfectly satisfied with their handiwork1 and the massier made all happy by ordering a retreat to the ,caf des ,deux ,magots1 where success to the goddess was drunk in steaming grog ,amricain4 ,then ,bellona began her perilous journey across ,paris to ,montmartre and the ,moulin ,rouge4 ,illustration3 #jjhg ,this was not an easy task1 as she was fifteen feet high2 signs and lamp- posts suffered1 and sleepy cab-horses danced as their terrified gaze beheld the giant goddess with her uplifted sword4 ,crowds watched the progress of ,bellona on the ,avenue de l',opra1 drawn by half a hundred students yelling the national hymn4 ,the pull up the steep slope of ,montmartre was heavy1 but in less than two hours from the start at the ,ecole the goddess was safely housed in the depths of the ,moulin ,rouge1 there to await her triumphs of the night4 ,bishop1 besides doing his share in the preparation of the figure1 had the equally serious task of devising a costume for his own use at the ball4 ,it was not until the very last day that he made his final decision1--to go as a ,roman orator4 ,our supply of linen was meagre1 but our only two clean bed-sheets and a few towels were sufficient1 and two kind ,american ladies who were studying music and who lived near the old church of ,st4 ,sulpice did the fitting of a toga4 ,the soles of a pair of slippers from which ,bishop cut the tops served as sandals1 and some studio properties in the way of ,oriental bracelets completed his costume4 ,i was transformed into an ,apache ,indian by a generous rubbing into my skin of burnt sienna and cadmium1 which ,i was weeks in getting rid of2 a blanket and some chicken-feathers finished my array4 ,our friend ,cameron1 next door1 went in his ,scotch kilts4 ,after supper we entered the ,boul' ,mich' and proceeded to the ,caf de la ,source1 where the students of the ,atelier ,grme were to rendezvous4 ,illustration3 #jjij ,the ,boul' was a spectacle that night4 ,time had rolled back the curtain of centuries2 ancient cemeteries had yielded up their dead2 and living ghosts of the ages packed all the gay cafs4 ,history from the time of ,adam had sent forth its traditions1 and ,eves rubbed elbows with ballet- girls4 ,there was never a jollier night in the history of the ,quartier ,latin4 ,we found the ,caf de la ,source already crowded by the ,grme contingent and their models and mistresses1 all en costume and bubbling with merriment and mischief4 ,it was ten o'clock before all the students had arrived4 ,then we formed in procession1 and yelled and danced past all the cafs on the ,boul' ,mich' to the ,luxembourg ,palace and the ,thtre de l',odon1 to take the 'buses of the ,montmartre line4 ,these we quickly seized and overloaded in violation of the law1 and then1 dashing down the quiet streets of the ,rive ,gauche1 headed for ,montmartre1 making a noise to rouse the dead4 ,as we neared the ,place ,blanche we found the little streets merging from different quarters crowded with people in costume1 some walking and others crowding almost innumerable vehicles1 and the balconies and portes-cochres packed with spectators4 ,the ,place ,blanche fronts the ,moulin ,rouge1 and it was crowded and brilliantly lighted4 ,the faade of the ,moulin ,rouge was a blaze of electric lights and colored lanterns1 and the revolving wings of the mill flamed across the sky4 ,it was a perfect night4 ,the stars shone1 the air was warm and pleasant1 and the trees were tipped with the glistening clean foliage of early spring4 ,the bright cafs fronting the ,place were crowded with gay revellers4 ,the poets of ,bohemia were there1 and gayly attired cocottes assisted them in their fun at the caf tables1 extending far out into the boulevard under the trees4 ,at one corner was ,grme's private studio1 high up in the top of the house1 and standing on the balcony was ,grme himself1 enjoying the brilliant scene below4 ,as the ,bal des ,quat'z' ,arts is not open to the public1 and as none but accredited members of the four arts are admitted1 the greatest precautions are taken to prevent the intrusion of outsiders2 and wonderful is the ingenuity exercised to outwit the authorities4 ,inside the vestibule of the ,moulin was erected a tribune 7a long bar71 behind which sat the massiers of the different studios of ,paris1 all in striking costumes4 ,it was their task not only to identify the holders of tickets1 but also to pass on the suitability of the costumes of such as were otherwise eligible to admittance4 ,the costumes must all have conspicuous merit and be thoroughly artistic4 ,nothing black1 no dominos1 none in civilian dress1 may pass4 ,many and loud were the protestations that rang through the vestibule as one after another was turned back and firmly conducted to the door4 ,once past the implacable tribunes1 we entered a dazzling fairy-land1 a dream of rich color and reckless abandon4 ,from gorgeous kings and queens to wild savages1 all were there2 courtiers in silk1 naked gladiators1 nymphs with paint for clothing1--all were there2 and the air was heavy with the perfume of roses4 ,shouts1 laughter1 the silvery clinking of glasses1 a whirling mass of life and color1 a bewildering kaleidoscope1 a maze of tangled visions in the soft yellow haze that filled the vast hall4 ,there was no thought of the hardness and sordidness of life1 no dream of the morrow4 ,it was a wonderful witchery that sat upon every soul there4 ,this splendid picture was framed by a wall of lodges1 each sumptuously decorated and hung with banners1 tableaux1 and greens1 each representing a particular atelier and adorned in harmony with the dominant ideals of their masters4 ,the lodge of the ,atelier ,grme was arranged to represent a ,grecian temple2 all the decorations and accessories were pure ,grecian1 cleverly imitated by the master's devoted pupils4 ,that of the ,atelier ,cormon repre sented a huge caravan of the prehistoric big- muscled men that appeal so strongly to ,cormon2 large skeletons of extinct animals1 giant ferns1 skins1 and stone implements were scattered about1 while the students of ,cormon's atelier1 almost naked1 with bushy hair and clothed in skins1 completed the picture4 ,and so it was with all the lodges1 each typifying a special subject1 and carrying it out with perfect fidelity to the minutest detail4 ,the event of the evening was the grand cortge2 this1 scheduled for one o'clock1 was awaited with eager expectancy1 for with it would come the test of supremacy1--the awarding of the prize for the best4 ,for this was the great art centre of the world1 and this night was the one in which its rivalries would strain the farthest reach of skill4 ,meanwhile1 the great hall swarmed with life and blazed with color and echoed with the din of merry voices4 ,friends recognized one another with great difficulty4 ,and there was ,grme himself at last1 gaudily gowned in the rich green costume of a ,chinese mandarin1 his white moustache dyed black1 and his white locks hidden beneath a black skull-cap topped with a bobbing appendage4 ,and there also was ,jean ,paul ,laurens1 in the costume of a ,norman1 the younger ,laurens as ,charlemagne4 ,landre1 the caricaturist1 was irresistible as a caricature of ,queen ,victoria4 ,puech1 the sculptor1 made a graceful courtier of the ,marie ,antoinette rgime4 ,willett was a ,roman emperor4 ,will ,dodge was loaded with the crown1 silks1 and jewels of a ,byzantine emperor4 ,louis ,loeb was a desperate ,tartar bandit4 ,castaigne made a hit as an ,italian jurist4 ,steinlen1 ,grasset1 ,forain1 ,rodin1--in fact1 nearly all the renowned painters1 sculptors1 and illustrators of ,paris were there2 and besides them were the countless students and models4 ,illustration3 #jjid ,la cavalcade6 le grand cortge6 rose the cry above the crashing of the band and the noise of the revellers2 and then all the dancing stopped4 ,emerging from the gardens through the open glass door1 bringing with it a pleasant blast of the cool night air1 was the vanguard of the great procession4 ,the orchestra struck up the ,victor's ,march1 and a great cry of welcome rang out4 ,first came a band of yelling ,indians dancing in1 waving their spears and tomahawks1 and so cleaving a way for the parade4 ,a great roar filled the glass-domed hall when the first float appeared4 ,it was daring and unique1 but a masterpiece4 ,borne upon the shoulders of ,indians1 who were naked but for skins about their loins1 their bodies stained a dark brown and striped with paint1 was a gorgeous bed of fresh flowers and trailing vines2 and reclining in this bed were four of the models of ,paris1 lying on their backs1 head to head1 their legs upraised to support a circular tablet of gold4 ,illustration3 #jjie ,upon this1 high in air1 proud and superb1 was the great ,susanne in all her peerless beauty of face and form1--simply that and nothing more4 ,a sparkling crown of jewels glowed in her reddish golden hair2 a flashing girdle of electric lights encircled her slender waist1 bringing out the marvellous whiteness of her skin1 and with delicate shadows and tones modelling the superb contour of her figure4 ,she looked a goddess--and knew it4 ,the crowd upon whom she looked down stood for a while spell- bound1 and then1 with a waving of arms and flags1 came a great shout1 ,susanne6 ,susanne6 la belle ,susanne6 ,susanne only smiled4 ,was she not the queen of the models of ,paris8 ,then came ,bellona6 ,grme1 when he conceived and executed the idea embodied in this wonderful figure1 concentrated his efforts to produce a most terrifying1 fear-inspiring image typifying the horrors of war4 ,the straining goddess1 poised upon her toes to her full height1 her face uplifted1 her head thrust forward1 with staring eyes and screaming mouth1 her short two-edged sword in position for a sweeping blow1 her glittering round shield and her coat of mail1 a huge angry python darting its tongue and raising its green length from the folds of her drapery1--all this terrible figure1 reproduced with marvellous fidelity and magnified tenfold1 overwhelmed the thousands upon whom it glowered4 ,surrounding the golden chariot was a guard of ,roman and ,greek gladiators1 emperors1 warriors1 and statesmen4 ,from the staring eyes of ,bellona flashed green fire1 whose uncanny shafts pierced the yellow haze of the ball-room4 ,under a storm of cheers ,bellona went on her way past the tribune of the judges4 ,illustration3 #jjig ,following ,bellona came a beautiful reproduction of ,grme's classical ,tanagra1 which adorns the sculpture gallery of the ,luxembourg4 ,the figure was charmingly personated by ,marcelle1 a lithe1 slim1 graceful model of immature years1 who was a rage in the studios4 ,grme himself applauded the grace of her pose as she swept past his point of vantage in the gallery4 ,illustration3 #jjii ,behind ,tanagra came ,w------1 also of the ,atelier ,grme1 dressed as an ,apache warrior and mounted on a bucking broncho4 ,he was an ,american1 from ,nebraska1 where he was a cowboy before he became famous as a sculptor4 ,he received a rousing welcome from his fellow-artists4 ,the ,atelier ,cormon came next1--a magnificent lot of brawny fellows clothed in skins1 and bearing an immense litter made of tree branches bound with thongs and weighted down with strong naked women and children of a prehistoric age4 ,it was a reproduction of ,cormon's masterpiece in the ,luxembourg ,gallery1 and was one of the most impressive compositions in the whole parade4 ,then came the works of the many other studios1 all strong and effective1 but none so fine as the three first4 ,the ,atelier ,pascal1 of architecture1 made a sensation by appearing as ,egyptian mummies1 each mummy dragging an ,egyptian coffin covered with ancient inscriptions and characters and containing a ,parisian model1 all too alive and sensuous to personate the ancient dead4 ,another atelier strove hard for the prize with eggs of heroic size1 from which as many girls1 as chicks1 were breaking their way to freedom4 ,after the grand cortge had paraded the hall several times it disbanded1 and the ball proceeded with renewed enthusiasm4 ,the tribune1 wherein the wise judges sat1 was a large and artistic affair1 built up before the gallery of the orchestra and flanked by broad steps leading to its summit4 ,it was topped with the imperial escutcheon of ,rome--battle-axes bound in fagots--and bore the legend1 ,mort aux ,tyrants1 in bold letters4 ,beneath was a row of ghastly1 bloody severed heads1--those of dead tyrants4 ,the variety and originality of the costumes were bewildering4 ,one ,frenchman went as a tombstone1 his back1 representing a headstone1 containing a suitable inscription and bearing wreaths of immortelles and colored beads4 ,another1 from the ,atelier ,bon-nat1 went simply as a stink1 nothing more1 nothing less1 but it was potent4 ,he had saturated his skin with the juice of onions and garlic1 and there was never any mistaking his proximity4 ,many were the gay ,bacchantes wearing merely a bunch of grapes in their hair and a grape-leaf4 ,at intervals during the evening the crowd would suddenly gather and form a large circle1 many deep1 some climbing upon the backs of others the better to see1 those in front squatting or lying upon the floor to accommodate the mass behind them4 ,the formation of these circles was the signal for the danse du ventre499 99 ,the danse du ventre 7literally1 belly-dance7 is of ,turkish origin1 and was introduced to ,paris by ,turkish women from ,egypt4 ,afterward these women exhibited it in the ,midway ,plaisance of the ,columbian ,exposition1 ,chicago1 and then at the ,california ,midwinter ,exposition1 ,san ,francisco4 ,as danced by ,turkish women it consists of astonishing control and movements of the abdominal and chest muscles 7hence its other name1 muscle-dance71 varied with more or less graceful steps and gyrations1 with adjuncts1 such as castanets1 scarfs1 etc41 and the seemingly perilous use of swords4 ,such clothing is worn as least obscures the play of the muscles4 ,it is danced to a particular ,turkish air1 monotonously repeated by an orchestra of male ,turkish musicians1 with ,turkish instruments1 and the dance is done solus4 ,a dance closely analogous to it1 though of a wholly independent origin1 is the hula-hula of the ,hawaiian women2 but the hula-hula lacks the grace1 dash1 and abandon of the ,turkish dance4 ,the danse du ventre1 as danced by ,french and ,american women who have picked it up1 is very different from that of the ,turkish women--different both in form and meaning4 ,whatever of suggestiveness it may be supposed to carry is1 in the adaptation1 grossly exaggerated1 and whatever of grace and special muscular skill1 evidently acquired by ,turkish women only from long and thorough drill1 is eliminated4 ,w4 ,c4 ,m4 ,illustration3 #jajc ,the name of some favorite model would be yelled1 and the orchestra would strike up the familiar ,oriental strain4 ,and there was always a model to respond4 ,then the regular dancing would be resumed until another circle was formed and another favorite goddess of the four arts would be called out4 ,it was three o'clock when supper was announced by the appearance of two hundred white-aproned waiters carrying scores of tables1 chairs1 and hampers of plate and glassware4 ,the guests fell to with a will and assisted in spreading and setting the tables2 almost in a moment the vast hall was a field of snow pricked out with the brilliant costumes of the revellers4 ,then came a frightful din of pounding on the tables for the supper4 ,again marched in the two hundred waiters1 loaded with cases of champagne1 plates of creamy soup1 roasts1 salads1 cheeses1 creams1 cakes1 ices1--a feast of ,bacchus1 indeed4 ,the banquet was enjoyed with ,bohemian abandon4 ,the twelve wise judges of the ,tribune now gravely announced their award of prizes1 and each announcement was received with ringing applause4 ,the ,atelier ,grme received first prize1--fifty bottles of champagne1 which were immediately taken possession of4 ,the other ateliers received smaller prizes1 as their merits deserved1 and all were satisfied and happy4 ,the banquet was resumed4 ,now here was ,susanne1 not content with her triumph of the early evening1 springing upon one of the central tables1 sending the crockery and glassware crashing to the floor with her dainty foot1 and serenely surveying the crowd as it greeted her tumultuously1 and1 seizing a bottle of champagne1 sending its foaming contents over as wide a circle of revellers as her strength could reach1 laughing in pure glee over her feat1 and then bathing her own white body with the contents of another bottle that she poured over herself4 ,a superb ,bacchante she made6 ,a general salute of popping corks and clinking glasses greeted her1 and she acknowledged the compliment with the danse du ventre4 ,susanne was so sure of the adoration and affection of the ateliers6 ,her dance was a challenge to every other model in the chamber4 ,one after another1 and often several at a time1 they mounted the tables1 spurned the crockery to the floor1 and gave the danse du ventre4 ,the ,moulin was indeed a wild scene of joyous abandonment1 and from an artistic point of view grand1 a luminous point in the history of modern times4 ,here were the life1 the color1 the grace of the living picture1 with a noble background of surrounding temples1 altars1 statues1--a wonderful spectacle1 that artists can understand and appreciate4 ,illustration3 #jajc ,the feast wore merrily through the small hours until the cold blue dawn began to pale the lights in the ceiling4 ,strangely beautiful was this color effect1 as the blue stole downward through the thick yellow glamour of the hall1 quickening the merry-makers with a new and uncanny light1 putting them out of place1 and warning them thence4 ,but still the ball went rolling on4 ,though the floor was slippery with wine and dangerous from broken glass1 dancing and the cutting of capers proceeded without abatement4 ,the favorite danse du ventre and songs and speeches filled the night to the end of the ball1 and then the big orchestra1 with a great flourish1 played the ,victor's ,march4 ,this was the signal for the final procession4 ,the vast concourse of students and artists poured forth into the cool1 sweet morning air1 and the bal was at an end4 ,paris was asleep1 that early ,april morning1 save for the street-sweepers and the milkmaids and the concierges4 ,but the ,place ,blanche was very much awake4 ,the morning air was new wine in stale veins1 and it banished fatigue4 ,en cavalcade6 en cavalcade6 was the cry2 and in cavalcade it was4 ,a great procession of all the costumers was formed1 to march ensemble across ,paris to the ,quartier ,latin4 ,even the proud ,bellona was dragged along in the rear1 towering as high as the lower wings of the now motionless red windmill4 ,she seemed to partake in the revelry1 for she swayed and staggered in an alarming fashion as she plunged recklessly down the steeps of ,montmartre4 ,illustration3 #jajg ,the deserted ,rue ,blanche re-echoed the wild yells and songs of the revellers and the rattling of the string of cabs in the rear4 ,the rows of heaped ash-cans that lined the way were overturned one after another1 and the oaths and threatening brooms of the outraged concierges went for nothing4 ,even the poor diligent rag- and bone-pickers were not spared2 their filled sacks1 carrying the result of their whole night's hunt1 were taken from them and emptied4 ,a string of carts heavily laden with stone was captured near the ,rue ,lafayette1 the drivers deposed1 and the big horses sent plunging through ,paris1 driven by ,roman charioteers1 and making more noise than a company of artillery4 ,when the ,place de l',opra was reached a thousand revellers swarmed up the broad stairs of the ,grand ,opra like colored ants1 climbed upon the lamp-posts and candelabra1 and clustered all over the groups of statuary adorning the magnificent faade4 ,the band took up a position in the centre and played furiously1 while the artists danced ring-around-a- rosy1 to the amazement of the drowsy residents of the neighborhood4 ,the cavalcade then re-formed and marched down the ,avenue de l',opra toward the ,louvre1 where it encountered a large squad of street-sweepers washing the avenue4 ,in an instant the squad had been routed1 and the revellers1 taking the hose and brooms1 fell to and cleaned an entire block1 making it shine as it had never shone before4 ,cabs were captured1 the drivers decorated with ,roman helmets and swords1 and dances executed on the tops of the vehicles4 ,one character1 with enormous india-rubber shoes1 took delight in permitting cabs to run over his feet1 while he emitted howls of agony that turned the hair of the drivers white4 ,illustration3 #iaaj ,as the immense cavalcade filed through the narrow arches of the ,louvre court-yard it looked like a mediaeval army returning to its citadel after a victorious campaign2 the hundreds of battle-flags1 spears1 and battle-axes were given a fine setting by the noble architecture of the ,pavillon de ,rohan4 ,within the court of the ,louvre was drawn up a regiment of the ,garde ,municipale1 going through the morning drill2 and they looked quite formidable with their evolutions and bayonet charges4 ,but when the mob of ,greek and ,roman warriors flung themselves bodily upon the ranks of the guard1 ousted the officers1 and assumed command1 there was consternation4 ,illustration3 #jaaa ,all the rigid military dignity of the scene disappeared1 and the drill was turned into such a farce as the old ,louvre had never seen before4 ,the officers1 furious at first1 could not resist the spirit of pure fun that filled the mob1 and took their revenge by kissing the models and making them dance4 ,the girls had already done their share of the conquering by pinning flowers to military coats and coyly putting pretty lips where they were in danger4 ,even the tall electric-light masts in the court were scaled by adventurous students1 who attached brilliant flags1 banners1 and crests to the mast-heads far above the crowd4 ,to the unspeakable relief of the officers1 the march was then resumed4 ,the ,pont du ,carrousel was the next object of assault2 here was performed the solemn ceremony of the annual sacrifice of the ,quat'z' ,arts to the river ,seine4 ,the mighty ,bellona was the sacrifice4 ,she was trundled to the centre of the bridge and drawn close to the parapet1 while the disciples of the four arts gathered about with uncovered heads4 ,the first bright flashes of the morning sun1 sweeping over the towers of ,notre-,dame1 tipped ,bellona's upraised sword with flame4 ,the band played a funeral march4 ,prayers were said1 and the national hymn was sung2 then ,bellona was sent tottering and crashing over the parapet1 and with a mighty plunge she sank beneath the waters of the ,seine4 ,a vast shout rang through the crisp morning air4 ,far below1 poor ,bellona rose in stately despair1 and then slowly sank forever4 ,the parade formed again and proceeded to the ,beaux-,arts1 the last point of attack4 ,up the narrow ,rue ,bonaparte went singing the tired procession2 the gates of the ,ecole opened to admit it1 cabs and all1 and the doors were shut again4 ,then in the historic court-yard of the government school1 surrounded by remnants of the beautiful architecture of once stately chateaux and palaces1 and encircled by graceful ,corinthian columns1 the students gave a repetition of the grand ball at the ,moulin ,rouge4 ,a strange and incongruous sight it was in the brilliant sunshine1 and the neighboring windows and balconies were packed with onlookers4 ,but by halfpast seven every trace of the ,bal des ,quat'z' ,arts had disappeared1--the great procession had melted away to the haunts of ,bohemia4 ,illustration3 #eaad ,,boulevard ,,saint-,,michel ,illustration3 #jaae ,,of course the proper name for the great thoroughfare of the ,quartier ,latin is the ,boulevard ,saint-,michel1 but the boulevardiers call it the ,boul' ,mich'1 just as the students call the ,quatre ,arts the ,quat'z' ,arts1 because it is easier to say4 ,the ,boul' ,mich' is the student's highway to relaxation4 ,mention of it at once recalls whirling visions of brilliant cafs1 with their clattering of saucers and glasses1 the shouting of their white-aproned garons1 their hordes of gay and wicked damsels dressed in the costliest and most fashionable gowns1 and a multitude of riotous students howling class songs and dancing and parading to the different cafs as only students can4 ,this is the head-quarters of the ,bohemians of real ,bohemia1 whose poets haunt the dim and quaint cabarets and read their compositions to admiring friends2 of flower-girls who offer you un petit bouquet1 seulement dix centimes1 and pin it into your button-hole before you can refuse2 of ,turks in picturesque native costume selling sweetmeats2 of the cane man loaded down with immense sticks2 of the stems a yard long2 of beggars1 gutter-snipes1 hot-chestnut venders1 ped- lers1 singers1 actors1 students1 and all manner of queer characters4 ,illustration3 #iaaf ,the life of the ,boul' ,mich' begins at the ,panthon1 where repose the remains of ,france's great men1 and ends at the ,seine1 where the gray ,gothic towers and the gargoyles of ,notre-,dame look down disdainfully upon the giddy traffic below4 ,the eastern side of the ,boul' is lined with cafs1 cabarets1 and brasseries4 ,this is historic ground1 for where now is the old ,htel ,cluny are still to be seen the ruins of ,roman baths1 and not a great distance hence are the partly uncovered ruins of a ,roman arena1 with its tiers of stone seats and its dens4 ,the tomb of ,cardinal ,richelieu is in the beautiful old chapel of the ,sorbonne1 within sound of the wickedest caf in ,paris1 the ,caf d',harcourt4 ,illustration3 #jaag ,in the immediate vicinity are to be found the quaint jumbled buildings of old ,paris1 but they are fast disappearing4 ,and the ,quartier abounds in the world's greatest schools and colleges of the arts and sciences4 ,it was often our wont on ,saturday evenings to saunter along the ,boul'1 and sometimes to visit the cafs4 ,to ,bishop particularly it was always a revelation and a delight1 and he was forever studying and sketching the types that he found there4 ,he was intimately acquainted in all the cafs along the line1 and with the mysterious rendezvous in the dark and narrow side streets4 ,american beverages are to be had at many of the cafs on the ,boul'1--a recent and very successful experiment4 ,the idea has captured the fancy of the ,parisians1 so that ,bars ,amricains1 which furnish cocktails and sours1 are numerous in the cafs4 ,imagine a ,parisian serenely sucking a manhattan through a straw1 and standing up at that6 ,the ,boul' ,mich' is at its glory on ,saturday nights1 for the students have done their week's work1 and the morrow is ,sunday4 ,nearly everybody goes to the ,bal ,bullier4 ,this is separated from the crowded ,boul' ,mich' by several squares of respectable dwelling-houses and shops1 and a dearth of cafs prevails thereabout4 ,at the upper end of the ,luxembourg is a long stone wall brilliantly bedecked with lamps set in clusters1--the same wall against which ,marchal ,ney was shot 7a striking monument across the way recalls the incident74 ,at one end of this yellow wall is an arched entre1 resplendent with the glow of many rows of electric lights and lamps1 which reveal the colored bas-reliefs of dancing students and gri-settes that adorn the portal4 ,near by stands a row of voitures1 and others are continually dashing up and depositing ,latin-,quarter swells with hair parted behind and combed forward toward the ears1 and dazzling visions of the demi-monde in lace1 silks1 and gauze4 ,and there is a constantly arriving stream of students and gaudily dressed women on foot4 ,big gardes municipaux stand at the door like stone images as the crowd surges past4 ,illustration3 #jaba ,to-night is one-franc night4 ,an accommodating lady at the box-office hands us each a broad card1 and another1 au vestiaire1 takes our coats and hats and charges us fifty centimes for the honor4 ,descending the broad flight of softly carpeted red stairs1 a brilliant1 tumultuous1 roaring vision bursts upon us1 for it is between the dances1 and the visitors are laughing and talking and drinking4 ,the ball-room opens into a generous garden filled with trees and shrubbery ingeniously devised to assure many a secluded nook1 and steaming garons are flying hither and thither serving foaming bocks and colored syrups to nymphs in bicycle bloomers1 longhaired students under tam o'shanters1 and the swells peculiar to le ,quartier ,latin4 ,ah6 ,monsieur ,beeshop1 comment vas tu8 ,tiens6 le voil1 ,beeshop6 ,ah1 mon ange6 and other affectionate greetings made ,bishop start guiltily1 and then he discovered ,hlne and ,marcelle1 two saucy little models who had posed at the cole4 ,there also was ,fannie1 formerly 7before she drifted to the cafs7 our blanchisseuse1 leaning heavily upon the arm of son amant1 who1 a butcher-boy during the day1 was now arrayed in a cutaway coat and other things to match1 including a red cravat that ,fannie herself had tied2 but he wore no cuffs4 ,many other acquaintances presented themselves to ,bishop1 somewhat to his embarrassment4 ,one1 quite a swell member of the demi-monde1 for a moment deserted her infatuated companion1 a gigantic ,martinique negro1 gorgeously apparelled1 and ran up to tease ,bishop to paint her portrait l'oil1 and also to engage him for la prochaine valse4 ,illustration3 #jabc ,the musicians were now playing a schottische1 but large circles would be formed here and there in the hall1 where clever exhibitions of fancy dancing would be given by students and by fashionably gowned damsels with a penchant for displaying their lingerie and hosiery4 ,the front of the band-stand was the favorite place for this4 ,here four dashing young women were raising a whirlwind of lingerie and slippers1 while the crowd applauded and tossed sous at their feet4 ,next to us stood a fat1 cheery-faced little man1 bearing the unmistakable stamp of an ,american tourist4 ,his hands were in his pockets1 his silk hat was tipped back1 and his beaming red face and bulging eyes showed the intensity of his enjoyment4 ,without the slightest warning the slippered foot of one of these dancers found his shining tile and sent it bounding across the floor4 ,for a moment the ,american was dazed by the suddenness and unearthly neatness of the feat2 then he emitted a whoop of wonder and admiration1 and in ,english exclaimed1--,you gol-darned bunch of ,french skirts--say1 you're all right1 you are1 ,marie6 ,bet you can't do it again6 ,he confided to ,bishop that his name was ,pugson and that he was from ,cincinnati4 ,why1 he exclaimed1 joyously1 ,paris is the top of the earth6 ,you artists are an enviable lot1 living over here all the time and painting-- ,gad6 look at her6 and he was pushing his way through the crowd to get a better view of an uncommonly startling dancer1 who was at the moment an indeterminate fluffy bunch of skirts1 linen1 and hosiery4 ,ah1 what tales he will tell of ,paris when he returns to ,cincinnati1 and how he will be accused of exaggerating6 ,the four girls forming the centre of attraction were now doing all manner of astonishing things possible only to ,parisian feminine anatomy4 ,in another circle near by was ,johnson1 the ,american architect1 stirring enthusiastic applause as he hopped about1 ,indian fashion1 with a little brunette whose face was hidden in the shadow of her immense hat1 her hair en bandeau1 la de ,mrode4 ,could this really be the quiet ,johnson of the ,ecole1 who but a week ago had been showing his mother and charming sister over ,paris8 ,and there1 too1 was his close friend1 ,walden1 of ,michigan1 leading a heavy blonde to the dance6 ,there were others whom we knew4 ,the little ,siamese was flirting desperately with a vision in white standing near his friend1 a ,japanese1 who1 in turn1 was listening to the cooing of a clinging bloomer girl4 ,even ,haidor1 the ,turk1 was there1 but he was alone in the gallery4 ,many sober fellows whom ,i had met at the studio were there1 but they were sober now only in the sense that they were not drunk4 ,and there were law students1 too1 in velveteen caps and jackets1 and students in the sciences1 and students in music1 and nglig poets1 littrateurs1 and artists1 and every model and cocotte who could furnish her back sufficiently well to pass the censorship of the severe critic at the door4 ,if she be attractively dressed1 she may enter free2 if not1 she may not enter at all4 ,illustration3 #jabe ,the gayety increased as the hours lengthened2 the dancing was livelier1 the shouting was more vociferous1 skirts swirled more freely1 and thin glasses fell crashing to the floor4 ,it was pleasanter out in the cool garden1 for it was dreadfully hard to keep from dancing inside4 ,the soft gleam of the colored lamps and lanterns was soothing1 and the music was softened down to an echo4 ,the broken rays of the lanterns embedded in the foliage laid bright patterns on the showy silks of the women1 and the garons made no noise as they flitted swiftly through the mazes of shrubbery4 ,at one end of the garden1 surrounded by an hilarious group1 were four wooden rocking-horses worked on springs4 ',astride of two of these were an army officer and his companion1 a bloomer girl1 who persistently twisted her ankles round her horse's head4 ,the two others were ridden by a poet and a jauntily attired gri-sette4 ,the four were as gleeful as children4 ,illustration3 #iabh ,a flash-light photographer did a driving trade at a franc a flash1 and there were a shooting-gallery1 a fortune-teller1 sou-in-the-slot machines1 and wooden figures of negroes with pads on their other ends1 by punching which we might see how hard we could hit4 ,we are back in the ball-room again1--it is hard to keep out4 ,the gayety is at its height1 the ,bal ,bullier is in full swing4 ,the tables are piled high with saucers1 and the garons are bringing more4 ,the room is warm and suffocating1 the dancing and flirting faster than ever4 ,now and then a line is formed to crack the whip1 and woe betide anything that comes in its way6 ,illustration3 #jaca ,our genial1 generous new friend from ,cincinnati was living the most glorious hour of his life4 ,he had not been satisfied until he found and captured the saucy little wretch who had sent his hat spinning across the room2 so now she was anchored to him1 and he was giving exhibitions of ,american grace and agility that would have amazed his friends at home4 ,for obviously he was a person of consequence there4 ,when he saw us his face beamed with triumph1 and he proudly introduced us to his mignonette-scented conquest1 ,mad-dem-mo-zel ,madeleine 7which he pronounced ,madelyne71 the queen of the ,latin ,quarter4 ,but blamed if ,i can talk the blooming lingo6 he exclaimed1 ruefully4 ,you translate for me1 won't you8 he appealed to ,bishop1 and ,bishop complied4 ,in paying compliments thus transmitted to ,madeleine he displayed an adeptness that likely would have astounded his good spouse1 who at that moment was slumbering in a respectable part of ,paris4 ,but the big black ,martinique negroes1--they haunted and dominated everything1 and the demimonde fell down and worshipped them4 ,they are students of law and medicine1 and are sent hither from the ,french colonies by the government1 or come on their private means4 ,illustration3 #jacb ,they are all heavy swells1 as only negroes can be2 their well-fitted clothes are of the finest and most showy material2 they wear shining silk hats1 white waistcoats1 white spats1 patent leathers1 and very light kid gloves1 not to mention a load of massive jewelry4 ,the girls flutter about them in bevies1 like doves to be fed4 ,at exactly a quarter-past midnight the band played the last piece1 the lights began to go out1 and the ,bal ,bullier was closed4 ,out into the boulevard surged the heated crowd1 shouting1 singing1 and cutting capers as they headed for the ,boul' ,mich'1 there to continue the revelries of which the ,bal ,bullier was only the beginning4 ,a la ,taverne du ,panthon6 ,au ,caf ,lorrain6 ,au ,caf d',harcourt6 were the cries that range through the streets1 mingled with the singing of half a thousand people4 ,illustration3 #jacc ,in this mob we again encountered our ,american acquaintance with his prize1 and as he was bent on seeing all that he could of ,paris1 he begged us to see him through1 explaining that money was no object with him1 though delicately adding that our friends must make so many calls upon our hospitality as to prove a burden at times4 ,he had only two days more in ,paris1 and the hours were precious1 and we will do things up in style1 he declared buoyantly4 ,he did4 ,bishop's arm was securely held by a little lassie all in soft creamy silks4 ,she spoke ,engleesh1 and demurely asked ,bishop if we will go to ze caf ensemble1 n'est-ce-pas8 and ,bishop had not the heart to eject her from the party4 ,and so five of us went skipping along with the rest1 ,mr4 ,pugson swearing by all the gods that ,paris was the top of the earth6 ,when we reached the lower end of the ,jardin du ,luxembourg1 at the old ,palais1 the bright glow of the cafs1 with their warm stained windows and lighthearted throngs1 stretched away before us4 ,ah1 le ,boul' ,mich' never sleeps6 ,there are still the laughing grisettes1 the singing and dancing students1 the kiosks all aglow2 the marchand de marrons is roasting his chestnuts over a charcoal brazier1 sending out a savory aroma2 the swarthy ,turk is offering his wares with a princely grace2 the flower-girls flit about with freshly cut carnations1 violets1 and ,marchal ,niel roses1--,this joli bouquet for your sweetheart1 they plead so plaintively2 the pipe man plies his trade2 the cane man mobs us1 and the sellers of the last editions of the papers cry their wares4 ,illustration3 #iacd ,an old pedler works in and out among the caf tables with a little basket of olives1 deux pour un sou4 ,the crawfish seller1 with his little red crevisses neatly arranged on a platter2 ,italian boys in white blouses bearing baskets filled with plaster casts of works of the old masters gewgaw pedlers1--they are still all busily at work1 each adding his mite to the din4 ,the cafs are packed1 both inside and out1 but the favorite seats are those on the sidewalk under the awnings4 ,illustration3 #jace ,we halted at the ,caf d',harcourt4 ,here the crowd was thickest1 the sidewalk a solid mass of humanity2 and the noise and the waiters as they yelled their orders1 they were there4 ,and des femmes--how many6 ,the ,caf d',harcourt is the head-quarters of these wonderful creations of clothes1 paint1 wicked eyes1 and graceful carriage4 ,we worked our way into the interior4 ,here the crowd was almost as dense as without1 but a chance offered us a vacant table2 no sooner had we captured it than we were compelled to retreat1 because of a battle that two excited demoiselles were having at an adjoining table4 ,in another part of the room there was singing of ,les sergents sont des brave gens1 and in the middle of the floor a petite cocotte1 her hat rakishly pulled down over her eyes1 was doing a dance very gracefully1 her white legs gleaming above the short socks that she wore1 and a shockingly high kick punctuating the performance at intervals4 ,illustration3 #jacg ,at other tables were seated students with their friends and mistresses1 playing dominoes or recounting their petites histoires4 ,one table drew much attention by reason of a contest in drinking between two seasoned habitus1 one a ,martinique negro and the other a delicate blond poet4 ,the negro won1 but that was only because his purse was the longer4 ,every consommation is served with a saucer1 upon which is marked the price of the drink1 and the score is thus footed la fin de ces joies4 ,there are some heavy accounts to be settled with the garons4 ,ah6 voil ,beeshop6 ,tiens6 mon vieux6 ,comment vas-tu8 clamored a half-dozen of ,bishop's feminine acquaintances1 as they surrounded our table1 overwhelming us with their conflicting perfumes4 ,illustration3 #jaci ,these denizens of the ,boul' have an easy way of making acquaintances1 but they are so bright and mischievous withal that no offence can be taken2 and they may have a stack of saucers to be paid for4 ,among the many caf frequenters of this class fully half know a few words of ,english1 ,italian1 ,german1 and even ,russian1 and are so quick of perception that they can identify a foreigner at a glance4 ,consequently our table was instantly a target1 principally on account of ,mr4 ,pugson1 whose nationality emanated from his every pore4 ,illustration3 #jada ,ah1 milord1 how do you do8 ,i spik ,engleesh a few4 ,es eet not verra a beautiful night8 is what he got4 ,you are si charmant1 monsieur6 protested another1 stroking ,bishop's ,valasquez beard2 and then1 archly and coaxingly1 ,qu'est-ce que vous m'offrez1 monsieur8 ,payez-moi un bock8 ,yes8 ,mr4 ,pugson made the garons start4 ,he ordered everything and the best in the house 7in ,english72 but it was the lordliness of his manner that told1 as he leaned back in his chair and smoked his ,londrs and eyed ,madeleine with intense satisfaction4 ,in the eyes of the beholders that action gave him the unmistakable stamp of an ,american millionaire4 ,tell you1 boys1 he puffed1 ,i'm not going to forget ,paree in a hurry4 ,and ,mademoiselle ,madeleine1 how she revelled6 ,mr4 ,pugson bought her everything that the venders had to sell1 besides1 for himself1 a wretched plaster cast of a dancing-girl that he declared was dead swell4 ,i'll take it home and startle the natives1 he added2 but he didn't1 as we shall see later4 ,then he bought three big canes as souvenirs for friends1 besides a bicycle lamp1 a mammoth pipe1 and other things4 ,a hungry-looking sketch artist who presented himself was engaged on the spot to execute ,mr4 ,pugson's portrait1 which he made so flattering as to receive five francs instead of one1 his price4 ,at a neighboring table occupied by a group of students was ,bi-,bi-dans- la-,pure1 one of the most famous characters of the ,quartier and ,montmartre4 ,with hilarious laughter the students were having fun with ,bi-,bi by pouring the contents of their soup-plates and drinking-glasses down his back and upon his sparsely covered head2 but what made them laugh more was ,bi-,bi's wonderful skill in pulling grotesque faces4 ,in that line he was an artist4 ,his cavernous eyes and large1 loose mouth did marvellous things1 from the ridiculous to the terrible2 and he could literally laugh from ear to ear4 ,poor ,bi-,bi-dans-la-,pure6 ,illustration3 #jadc ,he had been a constant companion of the great ,verlaine1 but was that no more1 since ,verlaine had died and left him utterly alone4 ,you may see him any day wandering aimlessly about the ,quartier1 wholly oblivious to the world about him1 and dreaming doubtless of the great dead poet of the slums1 who had loved him4 ,here comes old ,madame ,carrot1 a weazened little hunchback1 anywhere between sixty and a hundred years of age4 ,she is nearly blind1 and her tattered clothes hang in strips from her wreck of a form4 ,a few thin strands of gray hair are all that cover her head4 ,bon soir1 ,mre ,carrot6 ma petite mignonne1 viens donc qu'on t'embrasse6 ,o sont tes ailes8 and other mocking jests greet her as she creeps among the tables4 ,but ,mre ,carrot scorns to beg3 she would earn her money4 ,look6 ,with a shadowy remnant of grace she picks up the hem of her ragged skirt1 and with a heart-breaking smile that discloses her toothless gums1 she skips about in a dance that sends her audience into shrieks of laughter1 and no end of sous are flung at her feet4 ,she will sing1 too1 and caricature herself1 and make pitiful attempts at high kicking and anything else that she is called upon to do for the sous that the students throw so recklessly4 ,there are those who say that she is rich4 ,in the rear end of the caf the demoiselle who had anchored herself to the ,martinique negro at the ,bal ,bullier was on a table kicking the negro's hat1 which he held at arm's length while he stood on a chair4 ,plus haut6 plus haut encore6 she cried2 but each time1 as he kept raising it1 she tipped it with her dainty slipper2 and then1 with a magnificent bound1 she dislodged with her toe one of the chandelier globes1 which went crashing with a great noise to the floor2 and then she plunged down and sought refuge in her adorer's arms4 ,the night's excitement has reached its height now4 ,there is a dizzy whirl of skirts1 feathers1 plug hats1 and silken stockings2 and there is dancing on the tables1 with a smashing of glass1 while lumps of sugar soaked in cognac are thrown about4 ,a single-file march round the room is started1 each dragging a chair and all singing1 ,oh1 la pauvre fille1 elle est malade6 ,mr4 ,pugson1 tightly clutching his canes and his ,dancing-,girl1 joins the procession1 his shiny hat reposing on the pretty head of ,mademoiselle ,madeleine4 ,but his heart almost breaks with regret because he cannot speak ,french4 ,i began to remonstrate with ,bishop for his own unseemly levity1 but the gloved hand of ,mademoiselle ,madeleine was laid on my lips1 and her own red lips protested1 ,taisez-vous donc6 c'est absolument inexcusable de nous faire des sermons en ce moment6 ,en avant6 ,and we went4 ,it was two o'clock1 and the cafs were closing1 under the municipal regulation to do so at that hour1 and the ,boul' was swarming with revellers turned out of doors4 ,at the corner of the ,rue ,racine stands a small boulangerie1 where some of the revellers were beating on the iron shutters and crying1 ,voil du bon fromage au lait6 impatient at the tardiness of the fat baker in opening his shop2 for the odor of hot rolls and croissants came up through the iron gratings of the kitchen1 and the big cans of fresh milk at the door gave further comforting assurances4 ,lumbering slowly down the ,boul' were ponderous carts piled high with vegetables1 on their way to the great markets of ,paris1 the ,halles ,centrales4 ,the drivers1 half asleep on the top1 were greeted with demands for transportation1 and a lively bidding for passengers arose among them4 ,they charged five sous a head1 or as much more as they could get1 and soon the carts were carrying as many passengers as could find a safe perch on the heaped vegetables4 ,aux ,halles6 aux ,halles6 nous allons aux ,halles6 ,oh1 la1 la1 comme ils sont bons1 les choux et les potirons6 were the cries as the carts lumbered on toward the markets4 ,mr4 ,pugson had positively refused to accept our resignation1 and stoutly reminded us of our promise to see him through4 ,so our party arranged with a masculine woman in a man's coat on payment of a franc a head1 and we clambered upon her neatly piled load of carrots4 ,mr4 ,pugson1 becoming impatient at the slow progress of the big ,normandy horses1 began to pelt them with carrots4 ,the market-woman protested vigorously at this waste of her property1 and told ,mr4 ,pugson that she would charge him two sous apiece for each subsequent carrot4 ,he seized upon the bargain with true ,american readiness1 and then flung carrots to his heart's content1 the driver meanwhile keeping count in a loud and menacing voice4 ,it was a new source of fun for the irrepressible and endlessly jovial ,american4 ,along the now quiet boulevard the carts trundled in a string4 ,all at once there burst from them all an eruption of song and laughter1 which brought out numerous gendarmes from the shadows4 ,but when they saw the crowd they said nothing but ,les tudiants1 and retreated to the shadows4 ,as we were crossing the ,pont-au-,change1 opposite the ,place du ,chtelet1 with its graceful column touched by the shimmering lights of the ,seine1 and dominated by the towers of ,notre-,dame1 ,mr4 ,pugson1 in trying to hurl two carrots at once1 incautiously released his hold upon the ,dancing- ,girl1 which incontinently rolled off the vegetables and was shattered into a thousand fragments on the pavement of the bridge--along with ,mr4 ,pugson's heart4 ,after a moment of silent misery he started to throw the whole load of carrots into the river1 but he quickly regained command of himself4 ,for the first time1 however1 his wonderful spirits were dampened1 and he was as moody and cross as a child1 refusing to be comforted even by ,madeleine's cooing voice4 ,the number of carts that we now encountered converging from many quarters warned us that we were very near the markets4 ,then rose the subdued noise that night-workers make4 ,there seemed to be no end of the laden carts4 ,the great ,halles then came into view1 with their cold glare of electric lights1 and thousands of people moving about with baskets upon their backs1 unloading the vegetable carts and piling the contents along the streets4 ,the thoroughfares were literally walled and fortressed with carrots1 cabbages1 pumpkins1 and the like1 piled in neat rows as high as our heads for square after square4 ,is it possible for ,paris to consume all of this in a day8 ,every few yards were fat women seated before steaming cans of hot potage and caf noir1 with rows of generous white bowls1 which they would fill for a sou4 ,not alone were the market workers here1 for it seemed as though the ,boul' ,mich' had merely taken an adjournment after the law had closed its portals and turned it out of doors4 ,the workers were silent and busy1 but largely interspersed among them were the demi-mondaines and the singing and dancing students of the ,quartier1 all as full of life and deviltry as ever4 ,it was with these tireless revellers that the soup- and coffee-women did their most thriving business1 for fun brings a good appetite1 and the soup and coffee were good2 but better still was this unconventional1 lawless1 defiant way of taking them4 ,mr4 ,pugson's spirits regained their vivacity under the spell1 and he was so enthusiastic that he wanted to buy out one of the pleasant-faced fat women2 we had to drag him bodily away to avert the catastrophe4 ,in the side streets leading away from the markets are cafs and restaurants almost without number1 and they are open toute la nuit1 to accommodate the market people1 having a special permit to do so2 but as they are open to all1 the revellers from all parts of ,paris assemble there after they have been turned out of the boulevard cafs at two o'clock4 ,it is not an uncommon thing early of a ,sunday morning to see crowds of merry-makers from a bal masqu finishing the night here1 all in costume1 dancing and playing ring-around-a-rosy among the stacks of vegetables and the unheeding market people4 ,indeed1 it is quite a common thing to end one's night's frivolity at the ,halles and their cafs1 and take the first 'buses home in the early morning4 ,the contingent from the ,boul' ,mich'1 after assisting the market people to unload1 and indulging in all sorts of pranks1 invaded the lite cafs1 among them the ,caf ,barrette1 ,au ,veau ,qui ,tte1 ,au ,chien ,qui ,fume1 and ,le ,caveau du ,cercle4 ,illustration3 #jadi ,at this last-named place1 singing and recitations with music were in order1 a small platform at one end of the room being reserved for the piano and the performers4 ,part of the audience were in masquerade costume1 having come from a ball at ,montmartre1 and they lustily joined the choruses4 ,prices are gilt-edged here1--a franc a drink1 and not less than ten sous to the garon4 ,the contrast between the fluffy and silk-gowned demi-mondaines and the dirty1 roughly clad market people was very striking at the ,caf ,barrette4 ,there the women sit in graceful poses1 or saunter about and give evidence of their style1 silk gowns1 ,india laces1 and handsome furs1 greeting each new-comer with pleas for a sandwich or a bock2 they are always hungry and thirsty1 but they get a commission on all sales that they promote4 ,a small string orchestra gave lively music1 and took up collections between performances4 ,the array of gilt-framed mirrors heightened the brilliancy of the place1 already sufficiently aglow with many electric lights4 ,the ,caf ,barrette is the last stand of the gaudy women of the boulevards4 ,with the first gray gleam of dawn they pass with the night to which they belong4 ,it was with sincere feeling that ,mr4 ,pugson bade us good-by at five o'clock that morning as he jumped into a cab to join his good spouse at the ,htel ,continental2 but he bore triumphantly with him some sketches of the showy women at the ,caf ,barrette1 which ,bishop had made4 ,as for ,madeleine1 so tremendously liberal had she found ,mr4 ,pugson that her protestations of affection for him were voluble and earnest4 ,she pressed her card upon him and made him swear that he would find her again4 ,after we had bidden her good-night1 ,mr4 ,pugson drew the card from his pocket1 and thoughtfully remarked1 as he tore it to pieces1--,i don't think it is prudent to carry such things in your pocket4 #jaeb ,,bohemian ,,caf,s ,illustration3 #jaec ,,very often1 instead of having dinner at the studio1 we saunter over to the ,maison ,dar-blay1 passing the wall of the dismal ,cimetire du ,montparnasse on the way4 ,the ,maison ,darblay is in the little ,rue de la ,gaiet1 which1 though only a block in length1 is undoubtedly the liveliest thoroughfare in the ,quartier4 ,that is because it serves as a funnel between the ,avenue du ,maine and five streets that converge into it at the upper end4 ,particularly in the early evening the little street is crowded with people returning from their work4 ,all sorts of boutiques are packed into this minute thoroughfare1---jewelry-shops1 pork-shops1 kitchens 7where they cook what you bring while you wait on the sidewalk71 theatres1 cafs chantants1 fried-potato stalls1 snail merchants1 moving vegetable- and fruit-markets1 and everything else4 ,in the middle of the block1 on the western side1 between a millinery- shop and a butcher-shop1 stands the ,maison ,darblay1 famous for its beans and its patrons4 ,a modest white front1 curtained windows1 and a row of milk-cans give little hint of the charms of the interior4 ,upon entering we encounter the vast ,m4 ,darblay seated behind a tiny counter1 upon which are heaped a pile of freshly ironed napkins1 parcels of chocolate1 a big dish of apple-sauce1 rows of bottles containing bitters that work miracles with ailing appetites1 and the tip-box4 ,reflecting ,m4 ,darblay's beamy back and the clock on the opposite wall 7which is always fifteen minutes fast7 hangs a long mirror resplendent in heavy gilt frame2 it is the pride of the establishment1 and affords comfort to the actresses when they adjust their hats and veils upon leaving4 ,illustration3 #iaed ,m4 ,darblay is manager of the establishment1 and when it is reflected that he weighs two hundred and sixty pounds1 it may be imagined what accurate adjustments he has to make in fitting himself behind the small counter4 ,when a boarder finishes his meal he goes to ,m4 ,darblay and tells him what he has had1 including napkin and bread1 and ,m4 ,darblay scores it all down on a slate with chalk and foots it up4 ,after the bill is paid1 the tip-box is supposed by a current fiction to receive two sous for ,marie and ,augustine1 the buxom ,breton maidens who serve the tables2 but so rarely does the fiction materialize that1 when the rattle of coins is heard in the box1 the boarders all look up wonderingly to see the possible millionaire that has appeared among them1 and ,marie and ,augustine shout at the top of their voices1 ,merci bien1 monsieur6 ,illustration3 #haee ,at the opposite end of the room1 in full view1 is the cuisine1 with its big range and ruddy fires4 ,here ,madame ,darblay reigns queen1 her genial1 motherly red face and bright eyes beaming a welcome to all4 ,she is from ,lausanne1 on ,lake ,geneva1 ,switzerland1 and the independent blood of her race rarely fails its offices when ,m4 ,darblay incautiously seeks to interfere with her duties and prerogatives1 for he retreats under an appalling volley of ,french from his otherwise genial spouse2 on such occasions he seeks his own corner as rapidly as he can manage his bulk to that purpose4 ,she is a famous cook4 ,the memory of her poulets rtis and juicy gigots will last forever4 ,but greatest of all are her haricots blancs1 cooked au beurre2 it is at the shrine of her beans that her devoted followers worship4 ,and her wonderful wisdom6 ,she knows intuitively if you are out of sorts or have an uncertain appetite1 and without a hint she will prepare a delicacy that no epicure could resist4 ,she knows every little whim and peculiarity of her boarders1 and caters to them accordingly4 ,the steaks and chops are bought at the shop next door just when they are ordered1 and are always fresh4 ,there are eight marble-top tables lining the two walls1 and each table is held sacred to its proper occupants1 and likewise are the numbered hooks and napkins4 ,an invasion of these preserves is a breech of etiquette intolerable in ,bohemia4 ,even the white cat is an essential part of the establishment1 for it purringly welcomes the patrons and chases out stray dogs4 ,situated as it is1 in a group of three theatres and several cafs chantants1 it is the rendezvous of the actors and actresses of the neighborhood4 ,they hold the three tables but one from the kitchen1 on one side1 and they are a jolly crowd1 the actresses particularly4 ,illustration3 #jaeg ,they are a part of the ,quartier and echo its spirit4 ,although full of mischief and fun1 the actresses would never be suspected of singing the naughty songs that so delight the gallery gods and so often wring a murmur of protest from the pit4 ,there are ten who dine here1 but from their incessant chatter and laughter you would think them twenty4 ,on ,friday evenings1 when the songs and plays are changed1 they rehearse their pieces at dinner4 ,illustration3 #jaei ,bishop is openly fond of ,mademoiselle ,brunerye1 a sparkling little brunette singer1 who scolds him tragically for drawing horrible caricatures of her when he sits before the footlights to hear her sing4 ,but it is always she that begins the trouble at the theatre4 ,if ,bishop is there1 she is sure to see him and to interpolate something in her song about mon amant ,amricain1 and sing it pointedly at him1 to the amusement of the audience and his great discomfiture2 and so he retorts with the caricatures4 ,upon entering the restaurant the actresses remove their hats and wraps and make themselves perfectly at home4 ,they are the life of ,darblay's2 we couldn't possibly spare them4 ,one of the actors is a great swell1--,m4 ,fontaine1 leading man at the ,thtre du ,montparnasse1 opposite4 ,illustration3 #iafj ,his salary is a hundred francs a week2 this makes the smaller actors look up to him1 and enables him to wear a very long coat1 besides gloves1 patent-leather shoes1 and a shiny top-hat4 ,he occupies the place of honor1 and ,marie smiles when she serves him1 and gives him a good measure of wine4 ,he rewards this attention by depositing two sous in the tip-box every ,friday night4 ,then there are ,m4 ,marius1 ,m4 ,zecca1 and ,m4 ,dufauj who make people scream with laughter at the ,gaiet1 and ,m4 ,coppe1 the heavy villain of the terrible eyes in ,les ,deux ,gosses1 and ,mademoiselle ,walzy1 whose dark eyes sparkle mischief as she peeps over her glass1 and ,mademoiselle ,minion1 who kicks shockingly high to accentuate her songs1 and eight other actresses just as saucy and pretty4 ,the students of the ,quartier practically take charge of the theatres on ,saturday nights1 and as they are very free with their expressions of approval or disapproval1 the faces of the stage-people wear an anxious look at the restaurant on that evening4 ,the students will throw the whole theatre into an uproar with hisses that drive an actor off the stage1 or applause1 recalls1 and the throwing of two-sous bouquets and kisses to an actress who has made a hit4 ,promptly at six-forty-five every night the venerable ,m4 ,corneau enters ,darblay's1 bringing a copy of ,le ,journal4 ,he is extremely methodical1 so that any interruption of his established routine upsets him badly4 ,one evening he found a stranger in his seat1 occupying the identical chair that had been sacred to his use every evening for six years4 ,m4 ,corneau was so astonished that he hung his hat on the wrong hook1 stepped on the cat's tail1 sulked in a corner1 and refused to eat until his seat had been vacated1 and then he looked as though he wished it could be fumigated4 ,he has a very simple meal4 ,one evening he invited me--a rare distinction--to his room1 which was in the top floor of one of those quaint old buildings in the ,rue du ,moulin de ,beurre4 ,it could then be seen what a devoted scientist and student he was4 ,his room was packed with books1 chemicals1 mineral specimens1 and scientific instruments4 ,he was very genial1 and brewed excellent tea over an alcohol-stove of his own manufacture4 ,twenty years ago he was a professor at the ,ecole des ,mines1 where he had served many years2 but he had now grown too old for that1 and was living his quiet1 studious1 laborious life on a meagre pension4 ,at one table sit a sculptor1 an artist1 and a blind musician and his wife4 ,the sculptor is slender1 delicate1 and nervous1 and is continually rolling and smoking cigarettes4 ,his blond hair falls in ringlets over his collar1 and he looks more the poet than the sculptor1 for he is dreamy and distrait1 and seems to be looking within himself rather than upon the world about him4 ,augustine serves him with an absinthe ,pernod au sucre1 which he slowly sips while he smokes several cigarettes before he is ready for his dinner4 ,illustration3 #jafb ,the artist is his opposite1--a big1 bluff1 hearty fellow1 loud of voice and full of life4 ,and he is successful1 for he has received a medal and several honorable mentions at the ,salon des ,champs-lyses1 and has a fine twilight effect in the ,luxembourg ,gallery4 ,after dinner he and ,m4 ,darblay play piquet for the coffee1 and ,m4 ,darblay is generally loser4 ,illustration3 #jafc ,the blind musician is a kindly old man with a benevolent face and a jovial spirit4 ,he is the head professor of music at the ,institution des ,aveugles1 on the ,boulevard des ,invalides4 ,his wife is very attentive to him1 taking his hat and cane1 tucking his napkin under his chin1 placing the dishes where he knows how to find them1 and reading the papers to him4 ,he knows where everybody sits1 and he addresses each by name1 and passes many brisk sallies about the room4 ,one poet is vivacious1 not at all like the dreamy species to which he belongs4 ,true1 he wears long hair and a ,quartier ,latin plug1 but his eyes are not vague1 and he is immensely fond of ,madame ,darblay's beans1 of which he has been known to stow away five platefuls at a meal4 ,often he brings in a copy of ,gil ,bias1 containing a poem by himself in the middle of the page and with illustrations by ,steinlen4 ,a strange1 solitary figure used to sit in one corner1 speaking to no one1 and never ordering more than a bowl of chocolate and two sous of bread4 ,it was known merely that he was an ,hungarian and an artist1 and from his patched and frayed clothes and meagre fare it was surmised that he was poor4 ,but he had a wonderful face4 ,want was plainly stamped upon it1 but behind it shone a determination and a hope that nothing could repress4 ,there was not a soul among the boarders but that would have been glad to assist in easing whatever burden sat upon him1 and no doubt it was his suspicion of that fact and his dread of its manifestation that made him hold absolutely aloof4 ,madame ,darblay once or twice made efforts to get nearer to him1 but he gently and firmly repulsed her4 ,he was a pitiable figure1 but his pride was invincible1 and with eyes looking straight forward1 he held up his head and walked like a king4 ,he came and went as a shadow4 ,none knew where he had a room4 ,there were many stories and conjectures about him1 but he wrapped his mantle of mystery and solitude about him and was wholly inaccessible4 ,it was clear to see that he lived in another world1--a world of hopes1 filled with bright images of peace and renown4 ,after a time his seat became vacant1 and ,i shall presently tell how it happened4 ,these will suffice as types of the ,maison ,darblay1 though ,i might mention old ,m4 ,decamp1 eighty-four years of age1 and as hearty and jovial a man as one would care to see4 ,in his younger days he had been an actor1 having had a fame during the ,empire of ,napolon ,,iii4 ,and there were a professor of languages1 who gave lessons at fifteen sous an hour1 a journalist of the ,figaro1 and two pretty milliner girls from the shop next door4 ,the great event at the ,maison ,darblay came not long ago1 when ,m4 ,darblay's two charming daughters had a double wedding1 each with a comfortable dot1 for ,m4 ,darblay had grown quite rich out of his restaurant1 owning several new houses4 ,the girls were married twice1--once at the ,mairie on the ,rue ,gassendi1 and again at the ,eglise ,st4 ,pierre1 on the ,avenue du ,maine4 ,then came the great wedding-dinner at the ,maison ,darblay1 to which all the boarders were invited4 ,the tables were all connected1 so as to make two long rows4 ,the bridal-party were seated at the end next the kitchen1 and the front door was locked to exclude strangers4 ,m4 ,darblay was elegant in a new dress suit and white shirt1 but his tailor1 in trying to give him a trim figure1 made the situation embarrassing1 as ,m4 ,darblay's girth steadily increased during the progress of the banquet4 ,he made a very fine speech1 which was uproariously cheered4 ,illustration3 #iaff ,madame ,darblay was remarkably handsome in a red satin gown1 and bore so distinguished an air1 and looked so transformed from her usual kitchen appearance1 that we could only marvel and admire4 ,then came the kissing of the brides1 a duty that was performed most heartily4 ,madame ,darblay was very happy and proud1 and her dinner was a triumph to have lived for4 ,bishop sat opposite the wicked ,mademoiselle ,brunerye1 and he and she made violent love1 and behaved with conspicuous lack of dignity4 ,m4 ,fontaine1 the great1 had one of the chic milliners for partner4 ,old ,m4 ,decamp told some racy stories of the old rgime4 ,when the coffee and liqueurs came on1 the big artist brought out a guitar and the poet a mandolin1 and we had music4 ,then the poet read a poem that he had written for the occasion4 ,the actresses sang their sprightliest songs4 ,mademoiselle ,brunerye sang a fait toujours plaisir to ,bishop4 ,m4 ,fontaine gave in a dramatic manner a scene from ,les ,deux ,gosses1 the heavy villain assisting1 the cook's aprons and towels serving to make the costumes4 ,bishop sang ,down on the ,farm4 ,in short1 it was a splendid evening in ,bohemia1 of a kind that ,bohemians enjoy and know how to make the most of4 ,illustration3 #jafg ,there was one silent guest1 the strange young ,hungarian artist4 ,he ate with a ravenous appetite1 openly and unashamed4 ,after he had had his fill 7and ,madame ,darblay saw to it that he found his plate always replenished71 he smiled occasionally at the bright sallies of the other guests1 but for the most part he sat constrained1 and would speak only when addressed1--he protested that his ,french was too imperfect4 ,it was so evident that he wished to escape notice entirely that no serious effort was made to draw him out4 ,that was a hard winter4 ,a few weeks after the wedding the ,hungarian's visits to the ,maison ,dar-blay suddenly ceased4 ,the haunted look had been deepening in his eyes1 his gaunt cheeks had grown thinner1 and he looked like a hunted man4 ,after his disappearance the gendarmes came to the restaurant to make inquiries about him4 ,bishop and ,i were present4 ,they wanted to know if the young man had any friends there4 ,we told them that we would be his friends4 ,then you will take charge of his body8 they asked4 ,we followed them to the ,rue ,perceval1 where they turned us over to the concierge of an old building4 ,she was very glad we had come1 as the lad seemed not to have had a friend in the world4 ,she led us up to the sixth floor1 and then pointed to a ladder leading up to the roof4 ,we ascended it1 and found a box built on the roof4 ,it gave a splendid view of ,paris4 ,the door of the box was closed4 ,we opened it1 and the young artist lay before us dead4 ,there were two articles of furniture in the room4 ,one was the bare mattress on the floor1 upon which he lay1 and the other was an old dresser1 from which some of the drawers were missing4 ,the young man lay drawn up1 fully dressed1 his coat-collar turned up about his ears4 ,thus he had fallen asleep1 and thus hunger and cold had slain him as he slept4 ,there was one thing else in the room1 all besides1 including the stove and the bed-covering1 having gone for the purchase of painting material4 ,it was an unfinished oil-painting of the ,crucifixion4 ,had he lived to finish it1 ,i am sure it would have made him famous1 if for nothing else than the wonderful expression of agony in the ,saviour's face1 an agony infinitely worse than the physical pain of the crucifixion could have produced4 ,there was still one thing more1--a white rat that was1 hunting industriously for food1 nibbling desiccated cheese-rinds that it found on the shelves against the wall4 ,it had been the artist's one friend and companion in life4 ,and all that1 too1 is a part of life in ,bohemian ,paris4 ,on the ,rue ,marie1 not far from the ,gare ,montparnasse1 is the ,club1 a small and artistically dirty wine-shop and restaurant1 patronized by a select crowd of musketeers of the brush4 ,the warm1 dark tones of the anciently papered walls are hidden beneath a cloud of oil sketches1 charcoal drawings1 and caricatures of everything and everybody that the fancies of the ,bohemians could devise4 ,madame ,annaie is mistress of the establishment1 and her cook1 ,m4 ,annaie1 wears his cap rakishly on one side1 and attends to his business2 and he makes very good potages and rtis1 considering the small prices that are charged4 ,yet even the prices1 though the main attraction1 are paid with difficulty by a majority of the habitus1 who sometimes fall months in arrears4 ,madame ,annaie keeps a big book of accounts4 ,of the members of the club1 four are ,americans1 two ,spaniards1 one an ,italian1 one a ,welshman1 one a ,pole1 one a ,turk1 one a ,swiss1 and the rest ,french1--just fifteen in all1 and all sculptors and painters except one of the ,americans1 who is correspondent of a ,new ,york paper4 ,at seven o'clock every evening the roll is called by the ,pole1 who acts as president1 secretary1 and treasurer of the club4 ,a fine of two sous is imposed for every absence2 this goes to the smoker fund4 ,joanskouie1 the multiple officer1 has not many burdensome duties1 but even these few are a severe tax upon his highly nervous temperament4 ,besides collecting the fines he must gather up also the dues1 which are a franc a month4 ,all the members are black-listed1 including the president himself1 and the names of the delinquents are posted on the wall4 ,the marble-top tables are black with pencil sketches done at the expense of ,giles1 the ,welshman1 who is the butt of the club4 ,he is a very tall and amazingly lean ,welshman1 with a bewhiskered face1 a hooked nose1 and a frightful accent when he speaks either ,english or ,french4 ,he is an animal sculptor1 but leaves his art carefully alone4 ,he is very clever at drawing horses1 dogs1 and funny cows all over the walls2 but he is so droll and stupid1 so incredibly stupid1 that ,giles is the byword of the club4 ,every month he receives a remittance of two hundred and fifty francs1 and immediately starts out to get the full worth of it in the kinds of enjoyment that he finds on the ,boul' ,mich'1 where regularly once a month he is a great favorite with the feminine habitus of the cafs4 ,when his funds run low1 he lies perdu till mid-day2 then he appears at ,madame ,annaie's1 heavy-eyed and stupid1 staying until midnight4 ,sometimes he varies this routine by visiting his friends at their studios1 where he is made to pose in ridiculous attitudes4 ,the smoker is held on the last ,saturday night of each month1 and all the members are present4 ,long clay pipes are provided1 and a big bowl of steaming punch1 highly seasoned1 comes from ,madame ,annaie's kitchen4 ,mutually laudatory speeches and toasts1 playing musical instruments1 and singing songs are in order4 ,the ,spaniard1 with castanets1 skilfully executes the fandango on a table4 ,bishop does the danse du ventre4 ,joncierge gives marvellous imitations of ,sarah ,bernhardt and other celebrities1 including ,giles1 whose drawl and stupidity he makes irresistibly funny4 ,nor do ,grme1 ,bouguereau1 and ,benjamin ,constant escape his mimicry4 ,haidor1 the ,turk1 drawls a ,turkish song all out of tune1 and is rapturously encored4 ,the ,swiss and the ,italian render a terrific duo from ,aida1 and the ,spaniards sing the ,bullfighters' ,song superbly4 ,sketches are dashed off continually4 ,they are so clever that it is a pity ,madame ,annaie has to wipe them from the tables4 ,on ,thanksgiving-day the ,americans gave the club a ,thanksgiving dinner4 ,it was a great mystery and novelty to the other members1 but they enjoyed it hugely4 ,the turkeys were found without much trouble1 but the whole city had to be searched for cranberries4 ,at last they were found in a small grocery-shop in the ,american quarter1 on the ,avenue ,wagram4 ,bishop superintended the cooking1 ,m4 ,annaie serving as first assistant4 ,how ,m4 ,annaie stared when he beheld the queer ,american mixtures that ,bishop was concocting6 ,mon ,dieu6 ,not sugar with meat6 he cried1 aghast1 seeing ,bishop serve the turkey with cranberry sauce4 ,a dozen delicious pumpkin-pies that formed part of the menu staggered the old cook4 ,the ,italian cooked a pot of macaroni with mushroom sauce1 and it was superb4 ,the ,hole in the ,wall eminently deserves its name4 ,it is on the ,boulevard du ,montparnasse1 within two blocks of the ,bal ,bullier4 ,a small iron sign projecting over the door depicts two students looking down at the passers-by over bowls of coffee1 rolls also being shown4 ,it was painted by an ,austrian student in payment of a month's board4 ,the ,hole is a tiny place1 just sufficiently large for its two tables and eight stools1 fat ,madame ,morel1 the proprietress1 and a miniature zinc bar filled with absinthe and cognac bottles and drinking glasses4 ,the ceiling is so low that you must bend should you be very tall1 for overhead is the sleeping-room of ,madame ,morel and her niece2 it is reached by a small spiral stair4 ,illustration3 #jagc ,a narrow slit in the floor against the wall1 where the napkin-box hangs1 leads down to the dark little kitchen4 ,it is a tight squeeze for ,madame ,morel to serve her customers1 but she has infinite patience and geniality1 and discharges her numerous duties and bears her hardships with unfailing good-nature4 ,it is no easy task to cook a halfdozen orders at once1 wait on the tables1 run out to the butcher-shop for a chop or a steak1 and take in the cash4 ,but she does all this1 and much more1 having no assistant4 ,the old concierge next door1 ,madame ,mariolde1 runs in to help her occasionally1 when she can spare a moment from her own multifarious duties4 ,madame ,morel's toil-worn hands are not bien propre1 but she has a kind heart4 ,for seven years she has lived in this little ,hole1 and during that time has never been farther away than to the grocery-shop on the opposite corner4 ,her niece leaves at seven o'clock in the morning to sew all day on the other side of town1 returning at eight at night1 tired and listless1 but always with a half-sad smile4 ,so we see little of her4 ,many nights ,i have seen her come in drenched and cold1 her faded straw hat limp and askew1 and her dark hair clinging to her wet face4 ,for she has walked in the rain all the way from the ,avenue de l',opra1 unable to afford omnibus fare4 ,she usually earns from two to two and half francs a day1 sewing twelve hours4 ,the most interesting of the frequenters of the ,hole is a ,slav from ,trieste1 on the ,adriatic4 ,he is a genius in his way1 and full of energy and business sense4 ,his vocation is that of a lightning-sketch artist1 performing at the theatres4 ,he has travelled all over ,america and ,europe1 and is thoroughly hardened to the ways of the world4 ,whenever he runs out of money he goes up to the ,rue de la ,gaiet and gives exhibitions for a week or two at one of the theatres there1 receiving from fifty to sixty francs a week4 ,the students all go to see him1 and make such a noise and throw so many bouquets 7which he returns for the next night7 that the theatrical managers1 thinking he is a great drawing-card1 generally raise his salary as an inducement to make him prolong his stay when he threatens to leave4 ,but he is too thoroughly a ,bohemian to remain long in a place4 ,last week he suddenly was taken with a desire to visit ,vienna4 ,soon after he had gone four pretty ,parisiennes called and wanted to know what had become of their amant4 ,d------1 another of the habitus of the ,hole1 is a ,german musical student4 ,strangers would likely think him mentally deranged1 so odd is his conduct4 ,illustration3 #hage ,he has two other peculiarities1--extreme sensitiveness and indefatigable industry4 ,he brings his shabby violin-case every evening1 takes out his violin after dinner1 and at once becomes wholly absorbed in his practice4 ,if he would play something more sprightly and pleasing the other habitus of the ,hole would not object2 but he insists on practising the dreariest1 heaviest1 and most wearing exercises1 the most difficult tudes1 and the finest compositions of the masters4 ,all this is more than the others can bear with patience always2 so they wound his sensibilities by throwing bread and napkin-rings at him4 ,i hen he retires to the kitchen1 where1 sitting on the cooler end of the range1 he practises diligently under ,madame ,morel's benevolent protection4 ,this is all because he has never found a concierge willing to permit him to study in his room1 so tireless is his industry4 ,if ,i do not mistake1 this strange young man will be heard from some day4 ,then there is ,w------1 a student in sculpture1 with exceptionally fine talent4 ,he had been an ,american cowboy1 and no trooper could swear more eloquently4 ,he has been making headway1 for the ,salon has given him honorable mention for a strong bronze group of fighting tigers4 ,his social specialty is poker-playing1 and he has brought the entire ,hole under the spell of that magic game4 ,herr ,prell1 from ,munich1 takes delight in torturing the other habitus with accounts of dissections1 as he is a medical student at the ,acadmie de ,mdecine4 ,the ,swede1 who drinks fourteen absinthes a day1 throws stools at ,herr ,prell1 and tries in other ways to make him fight2 but ,herr ,prell only laughs1 and gives another turn of the dissection-screw4 ,the glee club is one of the features of the ,hole4 ,it sings every night1 but its supreme effort comes when one of the patrons of the ,hole departs for home4 ,on such occasions the departing comrade has to stand the dinner for all1 after which1 with its speeches and toasts1 he is escorted to the railway station with great clat1 and given a hearty farewell1 the glee club singing the parting song at the station4 ,bishop is leading tenor of the glee club4 ,,le ,,cabaret ,,du ,,soleil ,d',,or ,,it is only the name of the ,cabaret of the ,golden ,sun that suggests the glorious luminary of day4 ,and yet it is really brilliant in its own queer way1 though that brilliancy shines when all else in ,paris is dark and dead1--at night1 and in the latest hours of the night at that4 ,illustration3 #hagg ,my acquaintance with the ,golden ,sun began one foggy night in a cold ,november1 under the guidance of ,bishop4 ,lured by the fascinations of nocturnal life in the ,quartier ,latin1 and by its opportunities for the study of life in its strangest phases1 ,bishop had become an habitual nighthawk1 leaving the studio nearly every evening about ten o'clock1 after he had read a few hours from treasured books gleaned from the stalls along the river1 to prowl about with a sketchbook1 in quest of queer characters and queer places1 where strange lives were lived in the dark half of the day4 ,his knowledge of obscure retreats and their peculiar habitus seemed unlimited4 ,and what an infinite study they offer6 ,the tourist1 doing ,bohemian ,paris as he would the famous art galleries1 or ,notre-,dame1 or the ,madeleine1 or the cafs on the boulevards1 may1 under the guidance of a wise and discerning student1 visit one after another of these out-of-the-way resorts where the endless tragedy of human life is working out its mysteries2 he may see that one place is dirtier or noisier than another1 that the men and women are better dressed and livelier here than there1 that the crowd is bigger1 or the lights brighter2 but he cannot see1 except in their meaningless outer aspects1 those subtle differences which constitute the heart of the matter4 ,in distance it is not far from the ,moulin ,rouge to the ,cabaret du ,soleil d',or1 but in descending from the dazzling brilliancy and frothy abandon of the ,red ,mill to the smoke and grime of the ,golden ,sun1 we drop from the summit of the ,tour ,eiffel to the rat-holes under the bridges of the ,seine2 and yet it is in such as the ,cabaret of the ,golden ,sun that the true student finds the deeper1 the more lastingly charming1 the strangely saddening spell that lends to the wonderful ,quartier ,latin its distinctive character and everlasting fascination4 ,though ,bishop spoke to me very little of his midnight adventures1 ,i being very busy with my own work1 ,i began to have grave apprehensions on the score of his tastes in that direction2 for during the afternoons ridiculous-looking1 long-haired1 but gentlemannered persons in shabby attire1 well-seasoned with the aroma of absinthe and cigarettes1 would favor our studio with a call1 undoubtedly at ,bishop's invitation4 ,they brought with them black portfolios or rolls of paper tied with black string1 containing verses1--their masterpieces1 which were to startle ,paris1 or new songs1 which1 ,god favoring1 were to be sung at ,la ,scala or the ,ambassadeurs1 and thus bring them immortal fame and put abundant fat upon their lean ribs6 ,ah1 the deathless hope that makes hunger a welcome companion here6 ,bishop would cleverly entertain these aspiring geniuses with shop talk concerning literature and music1 and he had a charming way of dwelling upon the finish and subtlety of their work and comparing it with that of the masters4 ,it usually ended with their posing for him in different attitudes of his suggesting4 ,why waste money on professional models8 ,as ,bishop's acquaintances became more numerous among this class1 we finally set aside ,tuesday afternoons for their reception4 ,then they would come in generous numbers and enjoy themselves unreservedly with our cognac and biscuits4 ,but ah1 the rare pleasures of those afternoons1--as much for the good it did us to see their thin blood warmed with brandy and food as for their delightful entertainment of us and one another4 ,the studio was warm and cheerful on the night when ,bishop invited me to accompany him out4 ,i had been at work1 and presently1 when ,i had finished1 ,i flung myself on the divan for a rest and a smoke1 and then became aware of ,bishop's presence4 ,he was comfortably ensconced in the steamer-chair1 propped up with pillows4 ,aren't you going out to-night8 ,i inquired4 ,why1 yes4 ,let's see the time4 ,a little after eleven4 ,that's good4 ,you are finished1 aren't you8 ,now1 if you want a little recreation and wish to see one of the queerest places in ,paris1 come with me4 ,i looked out the window4 ,a cold1 dreary night it was4 ,the chimney-pots were dimmed by the thick mist1 and the street lamps shone murkily far below4 ,it was a saddening1 soaking1 dripping night1 still1 melancholy1 and depressing1--the kind of night that lends a strange zest to in-door enjoyment1 as though it were a duty to keep the mist and the dreariness out of the house and the heart4 ,but the studio had worn me out1 and ,i was eager to escape from its pleasant coziness4 ,and this was a ,saturday night1 which means something1 even in ,paris4 ,to-morrow there would be rest4 ,so ,i cheerfully assented4 ,we donned our heaviest top-coats and mufflers1 crammed the stove full of coal1 and then sallied out into the dripping fog4 ,oh1 but it was cold and dismal in the streets6 ,the mist was no longer the obscuring1 suggestive1 mysterious factor that it had been when seen from the window1 but was now a tangible and formidable thing1 with a manifest purpose4 ,it struck through our wraps as though they had been cheesecloth4 ,it had swept the streets clear1 for not a soul was to be seen except a couple of sergents de ville1 all hooded in capes1 and a cab that came rattling through the murk with horses a-steam4 ,occasionally a flux of warm light from some caf would melt a tunnel through the monotonous opaque haze1 but the empty chairs and tables upon the sidewalks facing the cafs offered no invitation4 ,illustration3 #jaha ,in front of one of these cafs1 in a sheltered corner made by a glass screen1 sat a solitary young woman1 dressed stylishly in black1 the light catching one of her dainty slippers perched coquettishly upon a foot-rest4 ,a large black hat1 tilted wickedly down over her face1 cast her eyes in deep shadow and lent her that air of alluring mystery which the women of her class know so well how to cultivate4 ,her neck and chin were buried deep in the collar of her sealskin cape4 ,a gleam of limp white gauze at her throat lent a pleasing relief to the monotone of her attire4 ,upon the table in front of her stood an empty glass and two saucers4 ,as we passed she peered at us from beneath her big hat1 and smiled coquettishly1 revealing glistening white teeth4 ,the atmosphere of loneliness and desolation that encompassed her gave a singularly pathetic character to her vigil4 ,thus she sat1 a picture for an artist1 a text for a moralist1 pretty1 dainty1 abandoned4 ,it happened not to be her fortune that her loneliness should be relieved by us4444 ,but other men might be coming afterwards4444 ,all this at a glance through the cold ,november fog4 ,as we proceeded up the ,boul' ,mich' the cafs grew more numerous and passers-by more frequent1 but all these were silent and in a hurry1 prodded on by the nipping cold fangs of the night4 ,among the tables outside the ,caf d',harcourt crouched and prowled an old man1 bundled in ill-fitting rags1 searching for remnants of cigars and cigarettes on the sanded sidewalk4 ,from his glittering eyes1 full of suspicion1 he turned an angry glance upon us as we paused a moment to observe him1 and growled1--,allons1 tu n' peux donc pas laisser un pauv' malheureux8 ,bishop tossed him a sou1 which he greedily snatched without a word of thanks4 ,illustration3 #hahc ,at the corner1 under the gas-lamps1 stood shivering newspaper venders trying to sell their few remaining copies of la dernire dition de la presse4 ,buyers were scarce4 ,we had now reached the ,place ,st4-,michel and the left bank of the river4 ,we turned to the right1 following the river wall toward ,notre-,dame1 whose towers were not discernible through the fog4 ,here there was an unbounded wilderness of desolation and solitude4 ,the black ,seine flowed silently past dark masses that were resolved into big canal-boats1 with their sickly green lights reflected in the writhing ink of the river4 ,notre-,dame now pushed its massive bulk through the fog1 but its towers were lost in the sky4 ,near by a few dim lights shone forth through the slatted windows of the ,morgue4 ,but its lights never go out4 ,and how significantly close to the river it stands6 ,peering under the arches of the bridges1 we found some of the social dregs that sleep there with the rats4 ,it was not difficult to imagine the pretty girl in black whom we had passed coming at last through dissipation and wrinkles and broken health to take refuge with the rats under the bridges1 and it is a short step thence to the black waters of the river2 and that the scheme of the tragedy might be perfect in all its parts1 adjustments1 and relations1 behold the ,morgue so near1 with its lights that never go out1 and boatmen so skilled in dragging the river6 ,and the old man who was gathering the refuse and waste of smokers1 it was not impossible that he should find himself taking this route when his joints had grown stiffer1 though it would more likely end under the bridges4 ,the streets are very narrow and crooked around ,notre-,dame1 and their emanations are as various as the capacity of the human nose for evil odors4 ,the lamps1 stuck into the walls of the houses1 only make the terrors of such a night more formidable2 for while one may feel a certain security in absolute darkness1 the shadows to which the lamps lend life have a baffling elusiveness and weirdness1 and a habit of movement that makes one instinctively dodge4 ,but that is all the trick of the wind4 ,however that may be1 it is wonderful how much more vividly one remembers on such a night the stories of the murders1 suicides1 and other crimes that lend a particular grewsomeness to the vicinity of the ,morgue and ,notre-,dame4 ,we again turned to the right1 into a narrow1 dirty street1--the ,rue du ,haut-,pav1--whose windings brought us into a similar street1--the ,rue ,galande4 ,bishop halted in front of a low arched door-way1 which blazed sombrely in its coat of blood-red paint4 ,a twisted gas-lamp1 demoralized and askew1 depended overhead1 and upon the glass enclosing it was painted1 with artistic flourishes1--,au ,soleil d',or4 ,this was the cabaret of the ,golden ,sun1--all unconscious of the mockery of its name1 another of those whimsical disjointings in which the shadowy side of ,paris is so prolific4 ,from the interior of the luminary came faintly the notes of a song1 with piano accompaniment4 ,the archway opened into a small court paved with ill-fitted flint blocks4 ,at the farther end of it another gas-lamp flickered at the head of a flight of stairs leading underground4 ,as we approached the steps a woman sprang from the shadow1 and with a cry1 half of fear and half of anger1 fled to the street4 ,at that moment memories of the cosiness of our studio became doubly enticing1--one cannot always approach unfamiliar underground ,paris with perfect courage4 ,but ,bishop's coolness was reassuring4 ,he had already descended the steps1 and there was nothing left for me but to follow4 ,at the foot of the stairs were half-glass doors curtained with cheap red cloth4 ,a warm1 thick1 suffocating gust of air1 heavy with the fumes of beer1 wine1 and tobacco1 assailed our cold faces as we pushed open the doors and entered the room4 ,for a moment it was difficult to see clearly1 so dense was the smoke4 ,it was packed against the ceiling like a bank of fog1 diminishing in density downward1 and shot through with long banner-like streamers of smoke freshly emitted4 ,the human atmosphere of the place could not be caught at once4 ,a stranger would not have known for the moment whether he was with thieves or artists4 ,but very soon its distinctive spirit made its presence and character manifest4 ,the room--which was not a large one--was well filled with an assortment of those queer and interesting people some of whom ,bishop had entertained at the studio1 only here their characteristics were more pronounced1 for they were in their natural element1 depressed and hampered by no constraints except of their own devising4 ,a great many were women1 although it could be seen at a glance that they were not of the nymphs who flitted among the glittering cafs1 gowned in delicate laces and sheeny sculptured silks1 the essence of mignonette pervading their environment4 ,no2 these were different4 ,illustration3#jahg ,here one finds1 not the student life of ,paris1 but its most unconventional ,bohemian life4 ,here1 in this underground rendezvous1 a dirty old hole about twenty feet below the street level1 gather nightly the happy-go-lucky poets1 musicians1 and singers for whom the great busy world has no use1 and who1 in their unrelaxing poverty1 live in the tobacco clouds of their own construction1 caring nothing for social canons1 obeyers of the civil law because of their scorn of meanness1 injustice1 and crime1 suffering unceasingly for the poorest comforts of life1 ambitious without energy1 hopeful without effort1 cheerful under the direst pressure of need1 kindly1 simple1 proud1 and pitiful4 ,all were seated at little round tables1 as are the habitus of the cafs1 and their attention was directed upon a slim young fellow with curling yellow hair and a faint moustache1 who was singing1 leaning meanwhile upon a piano that stood on a low platform in one corner of the room4 ,their attention was respectful1 delicate1 sympathetic1 and1 as might be supposed1 brought out the best in the lad4 ,it was evident that he had not long been a member of the sacred circle4 ,his voice was a smooth1 velvety tenor1 and under proper instruction might have been useful to its possessor as a means of earning a livelihood4 ,but it was clear that he had already fallen under the spell of the associations to which accident or his inclination had brought him2 and this meant that henceforth he would live in this strange no-world of dreams1 hopes1 sufferings1 and idleness1 and that likely he would in time come to gather cigar-stumps on the sanded pavement of the ,caf d',harcourt1 and after that sleep with the rats under the bridges of the ,seine4 ,at this moment1 however1 he lived in the clouds2 he breathed and glowed with the spirit of shiftless1 proud1 starving ,bohemianism as it is lived in ,paris1 benignantly disdainful of the great moiling1 money-grubbing world that roared around him1 and perhaps already the adoration of some girl of poetic or artistic tastes and aspirations1 who was serving him as only the ,church gives a woman the right4 ,there was time to look about while he was singing1 though that was difficult1 so strange and pathetic a picture he made4 ,the walls of the room were dirty and bare1 though relieved at rare intervals by sketches and signs4 ,the light came from three gas-burners1 and was reflected by a long mirror at one end of the room4 ,no attention had been paid to our entrance1 except by the garon1 a heavy-set1 bull-necked fellow1 who1 with a sign1 bade us make no noise4 ,when the song had finished the audience broke into uproarious applause1 shouting1 ,bravo1 mon vieux6 ,bien fait1 ,marquis6 and the clapping of hands and beating of glasses on the marble-topped tables and pounding of canes on the floor made a mighty din4 ,the young singer1 his cheeks glowing and his eyes blazing1 modestly rolled up his music and sought his seat4 ,we were now piloted to seats by the garon1 who1 when we had settled ourselves1 demanded to know what we would drink4 ,deux bocks6 he yelled across the room4 ,deux bocks6 came echoing back from the counter1 where a fat woman presided--knitting4 ,several long-haired littrateurs--friends of ,bishop's--came up and saluted him and shook his hand1 all with a certain elegance and dignity4 ,he1 in turn1 introduced me1 and the conversation at once turned to art1 music1 and poetry4 ,whatever the sensational news of the day1 whatever the crisis in the cabinet1 whatever anything might have been that was stirring the people in the great outside commonplace world1 these men and women gave it no heed whatever4 ,what was the gross1 hard1 eager world to them8 ,did not the glories of the ,golden ,sun lend sufficient warmth to their hearts1 and were not their vague aspirations and idle hopes ample stimulants to their minds and spirits8 ,they quickly found a responsive mood in us1 and this so delighted them that they ordered the drinks4 ,the presiding genius at the piano was a whitehaired1 spiritual-looking man1 whose snowy locks gave the only indication of his age2 for his face was filled with the eternal youthfulness of a careless and contented heart4 ,his slender1 delicate fingers told of his temperament1 his thin cheeks of his poverty1 and his splendid dreamy eyes of the separate life that he lived4 ,standing on the platform beside him was a man of a very different type4 ,it was' the pianist's function to be merely a musician2 but the other man--the musical director--was one from whom judgment1 decision1 and authority were required4 ,therefore he was large1 powerful1 and big- stomached1 and had a pumpkin head1 and fat1 baggy eyes that shone through narrow slits4 ,he now stepped forward and rang a little bell1 upon which all talking was instantly hushed4 ,mesdames et messieurs1 he said1 in a large1 capable voice1 ,j'ai l'honneur de vous annoncer que ,madame ,louise ,leroux1 nous lira ses dernires oeuvres--une faveur que nous apprcierons tous4 ,illustration3 #haib ,a young woman--about twenty-three1 ,i should judge--arose from one of the tables where she had been sitting talking with an insipid-looking gentleman adorned with a blond moustache and vacant1 staring-eyes2 he wore a heavy coat trimmed with astrachan collar and cuffs1 which1 being open at the throat1 revealed the absence of a shirt from his body4 ,a ,latin ,quarter top-hat was pushed back on his head1 and his long1 greasy hair hung down over his collar4 ,madame ,leroux smiled affectionately at him as she daintily flicked the ashes from her cigarette and laid it upon the table1 and moistened her thin red lips with a yellow liqueur from her glass4 ,he responded with a condescending jerk of his head1 and1 diving into one of the inner pockets of his coat1 brought forth a roll of paper1 which she took4 ,a great clapping of hands and loud cries of her name greeted her as she stepped upon the platform1 but it was clearly to be seen from her indifferent air that she had been long accustomed to this attention4 ,the big musical director again rang his bell4 ,il tait une ,fois1 she said1 simply4 ,the pianist fingered the keys softly1 and she began to recite4 ,illustration3 #jaic ,the room was as still as a chapel4 ,every one listened in profound absorption2 even the stolid bull-necked waiter leaned against the wall1 his gaze fastened upon her with respectful interest4 ,she spoke slowly1 in a low1 sweet tone1 the soft accompaniment of the piano following the rhythm of her voice with wonderful effectiveness4 ,she seemed to forget her surroundings1--the hot1 close room1 crowded with shabby1 eccentric geniuses who lived from hand to mouth1 the poverty that evidently was her lot1--even her lover1 who sat watching her with a cold1 critical1 half-disdainful air1 making notes upon a slip of paper1 now nodding his head approvingly1 now frowning1 when pleased or displeased with her performance4 ,she was a rare picture as she thus stood and recited1 a charming swing to her trim figure1 half reclining upon the piano1 her black hair falling loosely and caressing her forehead and casting her dark eyes in deeper shadow1 and all her soul going forth in the low1 soft1 subdued passion of her verses4 ,she reminded one greatly of ,bernhardt1 and might have been as great4 ,during her whole rendering of this beautiful and pathetic tale of other times she scarcely moved1 save for some slight gesture that suggested worlds4 ,how well the lines suited her own history and condition only she could have told4 ,who was she8 ,what had she been8 ,surely this strange woman1 hardly more than a mere girl1 capable of such feelings and of rendering them with so subtle force and beauty1 had lived another life1- -no one knew1 no one cared4 ,loud shouts of admiration and long applause rang through the room as she slowly and with infinite tenderness uttered the last line with bowed head and a choking voice4 ,she stood for a moment while the room thundered1 and then the noise seemed to recall her1 to drag her back from some haunting memory to the squalor of her present condition1 and then her eyes eagerly sought the gentleman of the fur-collared coat4 ,it was an anxious glance that she cast upon him4 ,he carelessly nodded once or twice1 and she instantly became transfigured4 ,the melancholy of her eyes and the wretched dejection of her pose disappeared1 and her sad face lit up with a beaming1 happy smile4 ,she was starting to return to him1 all the woman in her awaking to affection and a yearning for the refuge of his love1 when the vociferous cries of the crowd for an encore1 and the waving of her lover's hand as a signal for her to comply1 sent her back on guard to the piano again4 ,her smile was very sweet and her voice full of trippling melody when she now recited a gay little ballad1--also her own composition1--,amours ,joyeux1--in so entirely different a spirit that it was almost impossible to believe her the same mortal4 ,every fibre of her being participated in the rollicking abandon of the piece1 and her eyes were flooded with the mellow radiance of supreme love satisfied and victorious4 ,upon regaining her seat she was immediately surrounded by a praise- giving crowd1 who shook hands with her and heartily congratulated her2 but it was clear that she could think only of him of the fur collar1 and that no word of praise or blame would weigh with her the smallest fraction of a feather's weight unless this one man uttered it4 ,she disengaged her hand from her crowding admirers and deftly donned her little white ,alpine hat1 all the while looking into the face of the one man who could break her heart or send her to heaven4 ,he sat looking at his boot1 indifferent1 bored4 ,presently he looked up into her anxious eyes1 gazed at her a moment1 and then leaned forward and spoke a word4 ,it sent her to heaven4 ,her face all aglow and her eyes shining with happiness1 she called the garon1 paid for the four saucers upon the table1 and left the room upon the arm of her lover4 ,how she does adore that dog6 exclaimed my friend the musician4 ,what does he do8 ,i asked4 ,do8 he echoed4 ,nothing4 ,it is she who does all4 ,without her he would starve4 ,he is a writer of some ability1 but too much of a socialist to work seriously4 ,in her eyes he is the greatest writer in the world4 ,she would sacrifice everything to please him4 ,without him her life would fall into a complete blank1 and her recklessness would quickly send her into the lowermost ranks4 ,when a woman like that loves1 she loves--ah1 les femmes sont difficiles comprendre6 ,my friend sighed1 burying his moustaches in a foaming bock4 ,individual definition grew clearer as ,i became more and more accustomed to the place and its habitus4 ,it seemed that nearly all of them were absinthe-drinkers1 and that they drank a great deal1--all they could get1 ,i was made to understand4 ,they care little about their dress and the other accessories of their personal appearance1 though here and there they exhibit the oddest finery1 into whose possession they fall by means which casual investigation could not discover1 and which is singularly out of harmony with the other articles of their attire and with the environment which they choose4 ,as a rule1 the men wear their hair very long and in heavy1 shaggy masses over their ears and faces4 ,they continually roll and smoke cigarettes1 though there are many pipes1 and big ones at that4 ,but though they constitute a strange crowd1 there is about them a distinct air of refinement1 a certain dignity and pride that never fail1 and withal a gentleness that renders any approach to ruffianism impossible4 ,the women take a little more pride in their appearance than the men4 ,even in their carelessness and seeming indifference there abides with nearly all of them the power to lend themselves some single touch of grace that is wonderfully redeeming1 and that is infinitely finer and more elusive than the showy daintiness of the women of the cafs4 ,as a rule1 these ,bohemians all sleep during the day1 as that is the best way to keep warm2 at night they can find warmth in the cabarets4 ,in the afternoon they may write a few lines1 which they sell in some way for a pittance1 wherewithal to buy them a meal and a night's vigil in one of these resorts4 ,this is the life of lower ,bohemia plain and simple1--not the life of the students1 but of the misfit geniuses who drift1 who have neither place nor part in the world1 who live from hand to mouth1 and who shudder when the ,morgue is mentioned1--and it is so near1 and its lights never go out6 ,they are merely protestants against the formalism of life1 rebels against its necessities4 ,they seek no following1 they desire to exercise no influence4 ,they lead their vacant lives without the slightest restraint1 bear their poverty without a murmur1 and go to their dreary end without a sigh4 ,these are the true ,bohemians of ,paris4 ,other visitors came into the ,soleil d',or and sought seats among their friends at the tables1 while others kept leaving1 bound for other rendezvous1 many staying just sufficiently long to hear a song or two4 ,they were all of the same class1 very negligently and poorly attired1 some displaying their odd pieces of finery with an exquisite assumption of unconsciousness on its account1 as though they were millionaires and cared nothing for such trivial things4 ,and the whimsical incongruities of it6 ,if one wore a shining tile he either had no shirt 7or perhaps a very badly soiled one71 or wore a frayed coat and disreputable shoes4 ,in fact1 no complete respectable dress made its appearance in the room that night1 though each visitor had his distinctive specialty1--one a burnished top hat1 another a gorgeous cravat1 another a rich velvet jacket1 and so on4 ,but they all wore their hair as long as it would grow4 ,that is the ,bohemian mark4 ,the little bell again rang1 and the heavy director announced that ,monsieur ,lon ,dcarmeau will sing one of his newest songs4 ,monsieur ,lon ,dcarmeau was a lean1 half-starved appearing man of about forty1 whose eyes were sunk deep in his head1 and whose sharp cheek-bones protruded prominently4 ,on the bridge of his thin1 angular nose set a pair of pince-nez1 attached by a broad black cord1 which he kept fingering nervously as he sang4 ,his song was entitled ,fleurs et ,penses1 and he threw himself into it with a broad and passionate eagerness that heavily strained the barrier between melodrama and burlesque4 ,his glance sought the ceiling in a frenzied quest of imaginary nymphs1 his arms swayed as he tenderly caressed imaginary flowers of sweet love and drank in their intoxicating perfume instead of the hot1 tobacco-rife smoke of the room4 ,his voice was drawn out in tremendous sighs full of tears1 and his chest heaved like a blacksmith's bellows4 ,but when he had ceased he was most generously applauded and praised4 ,during the intervals between the songs and recitations the room was noisy with laughter1 talking1 and the clinking of glasses4 ,the one garon was industriously serving boissons and yelling orders to the bar1 where the fat woman sat industriously knitting1 heedless1 as might have been expected of the keeper of the ,cave of ,adullam1 and awakening to activity only when the stentorian yells of the garon's orders rose above the din of the establishment4 ,absinthe and beer formed the principal beverages1 though1 as a rule1 absinthe was taken only just before a meal1 and then it served as an appetizer1--a sharpener of hunger to these who had so little wherewithal to satisfy the hunger that unaided nature created6 ,the mystery of the means by which these lighthearted ,bohemians sustained their precarious existence was not revealed to me2 yet here they sat1 and laughed1 and talked1 and recited the poetry of their own manufacture1 and sang their songs1 and drank1 and smoked their big pipes1 and rolled cigarettes incessantly1 happy enough in the hour of their lives1 bringing hither none of the pains and pangs and numbing evidences of their struggles4 ,and there was no touch of the sordid in the composite picture that they made1 and a certain tinge of intellectual refinement1 a certain spirituality that seemed to raise them infinitely above the plane of the lowly strugglers who won their honest bread by honest labor1 shone about them as a halo4 ,their dark hours1 no doubt1 came with the daylight1 and in these meetings at the cabaret they found an agreeable way in which to while away the dismal interval that burdened their lives when they were not asleep2 for the cabaret was warm and bright1 warmer and brighter than their own wretched little rooms au cinquime1--and coal and candles are expensive luxuries6 ,here1 if their productions haply could not find a larger and more remunerative audience1 they could at least be heard1--by a few1 it is true1 but a most appreciative few1 and that is something of value equal to bread4 ,and then1 who could tell but what fame might unexpectedly crown them in the end8 ,it has happened thus4 ,but why worry8 asked the musician4 ',laugh1 and the world laughs with you4 ,if we do not live a long life1 it is at least a jolly one1' is our motto and certainly they gave it most faithful allegiance4 ,i learned from ,bishop that the musical director received three francs a night for his services4 ,should singers happen to be lacking1 or should the evening be dull for other reason1 he himself must sing and recite2 for the tension of the ,soleil d',or must be kept forever taut4 ,the old white-haired pianist received two francs a night1 and each of these contributors to the gayety of the place was given a drink gratis4 ,so there was at least some recompense besides the essential one of appreciation from the audience4 ,glasses clinked merrily1 and poets and composers flitted about the room to chat with their contemporaries4 ,a sketch artist1 deftly drawing the portrait of a baritone's jolly little mistress1 was surrounded by a bantering group1 that passed keen1 intelligent1 and good-natured criticism on the work as it rapidly grew under his hands4 ,the whitehaired pianist sat puffing at his cigarette and looking over some music with a rather pretty young woman who had written popular songs of ,la ,villette4 ,the opening of the doors and the straggling entrance of three men sent an instant hush throughout the room4 ,verlaine6 whispered the musician to me4 ,it was indeed the great poet of the slums1--the epitome and idol of ,bohemian ,paris1 the famous man whose verses had rung throughout the length and breadth of the city1 the one man who1 knowing the heart and soul of the stragglers who found light and warmth in such places as the ,soleil d',or1 had the brains and grace to set the strange picture adequately before the wondering world4 ,the musical director1 as well as a number of others in the place1 stepped forward1 and with touching deference and tenderness greeted the remarkable man and his two companions4 ,it was easy to pick out ,verlaine without relying upon the special distinction with which he was greeted4 ,he had the oddest slanting eyes1 a small1 stubby nose1 and wiry whiskers1 and his massive forehead heavily overhung his queerly shaped eyes4 ,he was all muffled up to the chin2 wore a badly soiled hat and a shabby dark coat4 ,under one arm he carried a small black portfolio4 ,illustration3 #hbjb ,several of the women ran to him and kissed him on both cheeks1 which salutations he heartily returned1 with interest4 ,one of his companions was ,monsieur ,bi-,bi-dans-la-,pure--so he was called1 though seemingly he might have been in anything as well as soup4 ,he was an exceedingly interesting figure4 ,his sunken1 drawn1 smooth- shaven face gave terrible evidence of the excessive use of absinthe4 ,a large hooked nose overshadowed a wide1 loose mouth that hung down at the corners1 and served to set forth in startling relief the sickly leaden color of his face4 ,when he spoke1 a few straggling teeth gleamed unpleasantly4 ,he wore no overcoat1 and his jacket hung open1 disclosing a half-opened shirt that exposed his bare breast4 ,his frayed trousers dragged the ground at his heels4 ,but his eyes were the most terrible part of him2 they shone with the wild1 restless light of a madman1 and their gaze was generally flitting and distrait1 acknowledging no acquaintances4 ,afterwards1 when ,verlaine was dead1 ,i often saw ,monsieur ,bi-,bi-dansla-,pure on the street1 looking most desolate1 a roll of white manuscript in his hand1 his coat and shirt wide open1 exposing his naked breast to the biting cold wind4 ,he seemed to be living altogether in another world1 and gazed about him with the same unseeing vacant stare that so startled me that night in the ,soleil d',or4 ,when ,verlaine and his companions were seated--by displacing the artist--the recitations and songs recommenced2 and it was noticeable that they were rendered with augmented spirit1 that the famous poet of the slums might be duly impressed with the capabilities and hospitable intentions of his entertainers2 for now all performed for ,verlaine1 not for one another4 ,the distinguished visitor had removed his slouch hat1 revealing the wonderful oblong dome of his bald head1 which shone like the ,soleil d',or2 and many were the kisses reverently and affectionately bestowed upon that glistening eminence by the poet's numerous female admirers in the throng4 ,a reckless-looking young woman1 with a black hat drawn down over her eyes1 and wearing glasses1 was now reciting4 ,her hands were gloved in black1 but the finger-tips were worn through1--a fact which she made all the more evident by a peculiar gesture of the fingers4 ,as the small hours grew larger these gay ,bohemians waxed gayer and livelier4 ,formalities were gradually abandoned1 and the constraint of dignity and reserve slowly melted under the mellowing influences of the place4 ,ceremonious observances were dropped one by one2 and whereas there had been the most respectful and insistent silence throughout the songs1 now all joined heartily in the choruses1 making the dim lights dance in the exuberance of the enjoyment4 ,i had earnestly hoped that ,verlaine1 splendid as was his dignity1 might thaw under the gathering warmth of the hour1 but beyond listening respectfully1 applauding moderately1 and returning the greetings that were given him1 he held aloof from the influence of the occasion1 and after draining his glass and bidding good-night to his many friends1 with his two companions he made off to another rendezvous4 ,monsieur le ,directeur came over to our table and asked ,bishop to favor the audience with a chanson ,amricaine4 ,this rather staggered my modest friend1 but he finally yielded to entreaties4 ,the director rang his little bell again and announced that ,monsieur ,beeshup would sing a song l',amricaine4 ,this was received with uproarious shouts by all1 and several left their seats and escorted ,bishop to the platform4 ,i wondered what on earth he would sing4 ,the accompanist1 after a little coaching from ,bishop1 assailed the chords1 and ,bishop began drawling out his old favorite1 ,down on the ,farm4 ,he did it nobly1 too1 giving the accompanist occasion for labor in finding the more difficult harmonies4 ,the hearers1 though they did not understand a word of the ditty1 and therefore lost the whole of its pathos1 nevertheless listened with curious interest and respect1 though with evident veiled amusement4 ,many quick ears caught the refrain4 ,at first there came an exceedingly soft chorus from the room1 and it gradually rose until the whole crowd had thrown itself into the spirit of the melody1 and swelled it to a mighty volume4 ,bishop led the singers1 beating time with his right arm1 his left thumb meanwhile hooked in the arm-hole of his waistcoat4 ,bravo6 ,bravo1 ,beeshup6 ,bis6 they yelled1 when it was finished1 and then the room rang with a salvo of hand-clappings in unison3 #a-b--c-d-e--a-b-c- #d-e--a-b-c-d-e--a--b--c66 ,a great ovation greeted him as he marched with glowing cheeks to his seat1 and those who knew him crowded round him for a hand-shake4 ,the musician asked him if he would sing the song in private for him1 that he might write down the melody1 to which ,bishop agreed1 on condition that the musician pose for him4 ,bishop had a singularly sharp eye for opportunities4 ,the sketch artist sauntered over and sat down at our table to have a chat with ,bishop4 ,he was a singular fellow4 ,his manner was smoothed by a fine and delicate courtesy1 bespeaking a careful rearing1 whose effects his loose life and promiscuous associations could not obliterate4 ,his age was about thirty-two1 though he looked much older1--this being due in part to his hard life and in other part to the heavy whiskers that he wore4 ,an absurd little round felt hat sat precariously on his riotous mane1 and ,i was in constant apprehension lest it should fall off every time he shook his head4 ,over his shoulders was a blue cape covering a once white shirt that was devoid of a collar4 ,his fingers were all black with the crayon that he had used in sketching4 ,he said that he had already earned twelve sous that evening1 making portraits at six sous a head6 ,but there was not so much money to be made in a place like this as in the big cafs1--the frequenters were too poor4 ,illustration3 #jbjf ,i asked him where he had studied and learned his art1 for it could be easily seen that he had had some training2 his portraits were not half bad1 and showed a knowledge of drawing4 ,he thereupon told me his story4 ,he had come to ,paris thirteen years before from ,nantes1 ,brittany1 to study art4 ,his father kept a small grocery and provision-shop in ,nantes1 and lived in meagre circumstances4 ,the son having discovered what his father deemed a remarkable talent for drawing when a boy1 the father sent him to ,paris1 with an allowance of a hundred francs a month1 and he had to deny himself severely to furnish it4 ,when the young man arrived at ,paris he studied diligently at the ,ecole des ,beaux-,arts for a while1 and became acquainted with many of the students and models4 ,he soon found the easy life of the cafs1 with the models for companions1 more fascinating than the dull grind of the school4 ,it was much pleasanter to enjoy the gayety of the nights and sleep all day than drone and labor at his easel4 ,as his small allowance did not permit of extravagance1 he fell deeply into debt1 and gave more heed to absinthe than his meals1--it is cheaper1 more alluring1 and brings an exhilaration that sharpens wit and equips the soul with wings4 ,for a whole year the father was in total ignorance of his son's conduct1 but one day a friend1 who had seen the young man in ,paris1 laid the ugly story in his father's ear4 ,this so enraged the father that he instantly stopped the remittances and disowned his son4 ,all appeals for money1 all promises to reform1 were in vain1 and so the young madcap was forced to look about for a means of subsistence4 ,and thus it was that he drifted into the occupation of a sketch artist1 making portraits in the cafs all night and sleeping in daytime4 ,this brought him a scant living4 ,but there was his mistress1 ,marcelle1 always faithful to him4 ,she worked during the day at sewing1 and shared her small earnings with him4 ,all went fairly well during the summer1 but in winter the days were short1 ,marcelle's earnings were reduced1 and the weather was bitter cold4 ,still1 it was not so bad as it might be1 he protested2 but underneath his easy flippancy ,i imagined ,i caught a shadow1--a flitting sense of the hollowness and misery and hopelessness and shame of it all4 ,but ,i am not certain of that4 ,he had but gone the way of many and many another1 and others now are following in his footsteps1 deluding self-denying parents1 and setting foot in the road which1 so broad and shining at the beginning1 narrows and darkens as it leads nearer and nearer to the rat- holes under the bridges of the ,seine1 and to the grim house whose lights forever shine at night under the shadow of ,notre-,dame4 ,had monsieur a cigarette to spare8 ,monsieur had1 and monsieur thought that the thanks for it were out of all proportion to its value2 but they were totally eclipsed by the praises of monsieur's wonderful generosity in paying for a glass of absinthe and sugar for the man who made faces at six sous apiece4 ,the quiet but none the less high tension of the place1 the noise of the singing1 the rattling of glasses and saucers1 the stifling foul air of the room1 filled me with weariness and threatened me with nausea4 ,things had moved in a constant whirl all night1 and now it was nearly four o'clock4 ,how much longer will this last8 ,till five o'clock1 answered the musician2 then all the lights go out1 and the place is closed2 and our friends seek their cold1 cheerless rooms1 to sleep far into the afternoon4 ,we paid for our saucers1 and after parting adieux left in company with the musician and the aesthetic poet4 ,how deliciously sharp and refreshing was the cold1 biting air as we stepped out into the night6 ,it seemed as though ,i had been breathing molasses4 ,the fog was thicker than ever1 and the night was colder4 ,the two twisted gas-lamps were no longer burning as we crossed the slippery stone-paved court and ascended to the narrow street4 ,the musician wrapped a gray muffler about his throat and thrust his hands deep into his pockets4 ,the poet had no top-coat1 but he buttoned his thin jacket tightly about him1 and shivered4 ,shall we have some lait chaud and a croissant8 inquired the musician4 ,yes1 anything hot would be good1 even milk2 but where could we get it8 ,ah1 you shall see6 ,we had not gone far when it gave me a start to recognize a figure that we had seen in the ,boul' ,mich' on our way to the ,soleil d',or4 ,it was that of an outcast of the boulevards1 now slinking through the shadows toward the river4 ,we had been accosted by him in front of one of the brilliant cafs1 as1 trembling and rubbing his hands1 a picture of hopeless dejection and misery1 and in a quavering voice he begged us to buy him a drink of brandy4 ,illustration3 #jbaj ,it probably saved him from an attack of delirium tremens that night1 but here he was drifting1 with a singular fatality1 toward the river and the ,morgue4 ,now1 that his day's work of begging was done1 all his jackal watchfulness had disappeared1 and an inner vision seemed to look forth from his bleared eyes as their gaze strained straight and dull toward the black river4 ,it may have been a mere fancy1 but the expression in his eyes reminded me strongly of similar things that ,i had seen on the slabs in the ,morgue4 ,we crossed the ,rue du ,haut-,pav again to the river wall1 and arrived at the bridge leading back of ,notre-,dame and past the ,morgue4 ,on the farther end of the bridge1 propped against the parapet1 was a small stand1 upon a corner of which a dim lamp was burning4 ,in front were a number of milk-cans1 and on a small counter were a row of thick white bowls and a basket of croissants4 ,inside1 upon a small stove1 red with heat1 were two kettles from which issued clouds of steam bearing an odor of boiling milk4 ,a stout woman1 her face so well wrapped in a shawl that only the end of her red nose was visible1 greeted us1--,bon jour1 messieurs4 ,en voulez-vous du bon lait bien chaud8 ,she poured out four bowls of steaming milk1 and gave us each a roll4 ,for this luxury we paid three sous each2 and a feast it was1 for the shivering poet1 at least1 for he licked the hot bowl clean and ate the very crumbs of his croissant4 ,as we were bound for widely separated quarters1 our ,bohemian friends bade us an affectionate good-night1 and were soon swallowed up in the gloom4 ,we turned towards home and the ,boul' ,mich'4 ,all the cafs were closed and dark1 but the boulevard was alive with canal-boatmen1 street- sweepers1 and rumbling vegetable- and milk-carts4 ,the streets were being washed clean of all evidences of the previous day's life and turmoil1 and the great city was creeping forth from its lair to begin another4 ,illustration3 #ebac ,,the ,,caf ,,procope ,,in the short1 busy little street1 the ,rue de l',ancienne-,comdie1 which runs from the ,boulevard ,st4 ,germain1 in a line from the ,thtre ,national de l',odon and connecting with the ,rue ,mazarin1 its continuation1 the heavy dome of the ,institut looming at its end1 is to be found probably the most famous caf in ,paris1 for in its day it has been the rendezvous of the most noted ,french littrateurs1 politicians1 and savants4 ,what is more1 the ,procope was the first caf established in ,paris1 originating the appellation caf to a place where coffee is served1 for it was here that coffee was introduced to ,france as an after-dinner comforter4 ,that was when the famous caf was in its glory4 ,some of the great celebrities who made it famous have been dead for nearly two hundred years1 though its greatest fame came a century afterwards2 and now the caf1 no longer glorious as it was when the old ,thtre ,franais stood opposite1 reposes in a quiet street far from the noise and glitter and life of the boulevards1 and lives on the splendid memories that crowd it4 ,other cafs by the thousand have sprung into existence1 and the word has spread to coffee saloons and restaurants throughout ,christendom2 and the ancient rive droite nurses the history and relics of the golden days of its glory1 alone in a quiet street1 surrounded by tightly shut shops1 and the calm of a sleeping village4 ,still1 it retains many of its ancient characteristics and much of the old-time quaintness peculiar to itself and setting it wholly apart1 and it is yet the rendezvous of littrateurs and artists1 who1 if not so famous as the great men in whose seats they sit1 play a considerable rle in the life of modern ,paris4 ,the front of the caf is a neat little terrace off the street1 screened by a fanciful net-work of vines and shrubbery that spring from green painted boxes and that conceal cosey little tables and corners placed behind them4 ,instead of the usual showy plate-windows1 one still finds the quaint old window-panes1 very small carreaux1 kept highly polished by the tireless garon apprentice4 ,tacked to the white pillars are numerous copies of ,le ,procope1 a weekly journal published by ,tho1 the proprietor of the caf4 ,its contributors are the authors1 journalists1 and poets who frequent the caf1 and it publishes a number of portraits besides1 and some spirited drawings4 ,it is devoted in part to the history of the caf and of the celebrities who have made it famous1 and publishes portraits of them1 from ,voltaire to ,paul ,verlaine4 ,this same journal was published here over two hundred years ago1 in #afhi1 and it was the means then by which the patrons of the establishment kept in closer touch with their contemporaries and the spirit of the time4 ,tho is proprietor and business manager1 as well as editor4 ,illustration3 #jbae ,the following two poems will give an idea of the grace of the matter contained in ,le ,procope3 ,,une ,,espagnole ,au loin1 quand1 l'oil rveur et d'ennuis l'me pleine1 ,je suivrai sur les flots le vol des alcyons ,chaque soir surgira dans les derniers rayons ,le profil triste et doux d',ida1 de ma sirne4 ,la figure et de lys et d'iris transparente1 ,ressortira plus blanche en l'ombre des cheveux ,profonds comme un mystre et troublants et mes yeux ,boiront dans l',idal sa caresse enivrante4 ,et je rechercherai l'nigme du sourire ,railleur ou de piti qui luisait dans ses yeux ,en des paillettes d'or sous ses beaux cils ombreux4444 ,et je retomberai dans la tristesse444 et dire ,qu'un seul mot me rendrait et la vie et l'espoir3 ,belle1 mon rendez-vous n'est-il point pour ce soir8 ,l ,birr4 ,,petite ,,chanson ,d,,sol,e ,je suis seul dans la grande ville ,o nul n'a ft mon retour1 ,cour vide1 et cerveau qui vacille1 ,sans projet1 sans but1 sans amour ,je suis seul dans la grande ville4 ,le dos vot1 les bras ballants1 ,je marche au hasard dans la foule ,a longs pas lourds et nonchalants1 ,on me pousse1 heurte1 refoule1 ,le dos vot1 les bras ballants4 ,je suis accabl de silence1 ,de ce silence intrieur1 ,tel un brouillard subtil et dense1 ,qui tombe plis lourds sur le cour1 ,je suis accabl de silence4 ,ah6 quand viendront les jours heureux1 ,quand viendra la chre attendue ,qu'espre mon cour amoureux1 ,qu'implore mon me perdue1 ,ah6 quand viendront les jours heureux6 ,achille ,segard4 ,here is a particularly charming little poem1 written in the musical ,french of two or three centuries ago3 ,,un ,,bayser ,sur vostre lvre frache et rose1 ,ma mye1 ah6 laissiez-moi poser ,cette tant bonne et doulce chose1 ,un bayser4 ,telle une fleur au jour close1 le vois vostre teint se roser2 ,si ie vous redonnois1--ie n'ose1 ,un bayser4 ,laissiez-moi vous prendre1 inhumaine1 ,a chascun iour de la sepmaine ,un bayser4 ,trop tt viendront vieil aage et peine6 ,lors n'aurez plus1 l'eussiez-vous reine1 ,un bayser4 ,maistre ,guillaume4 ,the modern gas illumination of the caf1 in contrast to the fashion of brilliant lighting that prevails in the showy cafs of the boulevards1 must nevertheless be a great advance on the ancient way that it had of being lighted with crude oil lamps and candelabra4 ,but the dim illumination is in perfect keeping with the other appointments of the place1 which are dark1 sombre1 and funereal4 ,the interior of the ,procope is as dark as a finely colored old meerschaum pipe4 ,the woodwork1 the chairs1 and the tables are deeply stained by time1 the contrasting white marble tops of the tables suggesting gravestones2 and with all these go the deeply discolored walls and the many ancient paintings1--even the caisse1 behind which sits ,madame ,tho1 dozing over her knitting4 ,this caisse is a wonderful piece of furniture in itself1 of some rich dark wood1 beautifully carved and decorated4 ,madame ,tho is in black1 her head resting against the frame of an old crayon portrait of ,voltaire on the wall behind her4 ,a fat and comfortable black cat is asleep in the midst of rows of white saucers and snowy napkins4 ,the only garon1 except the garon apprentice1 is sitting in a corner drowsing over an evening paper1 but ever ready to answer the quiet calls of the customers4 ,for in the matter of noise and frivolity the ,caf ,procope is wholly unlike the boulevard cafs4 ,an atmosphere of refined and elegant suppression pervades the place2 the roystering spirit that haunts the boulevards stops at the portals of the ,procope4 ,here all is peace and tranquillity1 and that is why it is the haunt of many earnest and aspiring poets and authors2 for hither they may bring their portfolios in peace and security1 and here they may work upon their manuscripts1 knowing that their neighbors are similarly engrossed and that intrusion is not to be feared4 ,and then1 too1 are they not sitting on the same chairs and writing at the same tables that have been occupied by some of the greatest men in all the brilliant history of ,france8 ,is not this the place in which greatness had budded and blossomed in the centuries gone8 ,are not these ancient walls the same that echoed the wit1 badinage1 and laughter of the masters8 ,and there are the portraits of the great themselves1 looking down benignly and encouragingly upon the young strugglers striving to follow in their footsteps1 and into the ghostly mirrors1 damaged by time and now sending back only ghosts of shadows1 they look as the great had looked before them4 ,it is here1 therefore1 that many of the modern geniuses of ,france have drawn their inspiration1 shaking off the endless turmoil of the noisy and bustling world1 living with the works and memories of the ancient dead1 and working out their destiny under the magic spell that hovers about the place4 ,it is for this reason that the habitus are jealous of the intrusion of the curious and worldly4 ,in this quiet and secure retreat they feel no impinging of the wearing and crippling world that roars and surges through the busy streets and boulevards4 ,illustration3 #jbba ,m4 ,tho de ,bellefond is the full name of the proprietor1 but he is commonly known as ,m4 ,tho4 ,he is a jolly little man1 with an ambitious round stomach1 a benevolent face covered with a ,vandyke beard1 and a shining bald head4 ,a large flowing black cravat1 tied into an artistic nglig bow1 hides his shirt4 ,m4 ,tho came into possession of the ,procope in #ahic1 a fact duly recorded on a door panel1 along with the names of over a score of the celebrities who have made the ,procope their place of rest1 refection1 and social enjoyment4 ,m4 ,procope was a journalist in his day1 but now the ambition that moves him is to restore the ancient glory of the ,procope2 to make it again the centre of ,french brains and power in letters1 art1 and politics4 ,to this end he exerts all his journalistic tact1 a fact clearly shown by the able manner in which he conducts his journal1 ,le ,procope4 ,he has worked out the history of the caf1 and has at the ends of his fingers the life- stories of its famous patrons4 ,the ,caf ,procope was founded in #afhi by ,franois ,procope1 where it now stands4 ,opposite was the ,comdie ,franaise1 which also was opened that year4 ,the caf soon became the rendezvous of all who aspired to greatness in art1 letters1 philosophy1 and politics4 ,it was here that ,voltaire1 in his eighty-second year1 while attending the rehearsals of his play1 ,irne1 descended from his chaise--porteur at the door of the ,caf ,procope1 and drank the coffee which the caf had made fashionable4 ,it was here also that he became reconciled to ,piron1 after an estrangement of more than twenty years4 ,ste4-,foix made trouble here one day about a cup of chocolate4 ,a duel with the proprietor of the caf was the immediate result1 and after it ,ste4-,foix1 badly wounded1 exclaimed1 ,nevertheless1 monsieur1 your sword-thrust does not prevent my saying that a very sickly djeuner is une tasse de chocolat6 ,jean-,jacques ,rousseau1 after the successful representation of ,le ,devin de ,village1 was carried in triumph to the ,procope by ,condorcet1 who1 with ,jean-,jacques on his shoulders1 made a tour of the crowded caf1 yelling1 ,vive la ,musique ,franaise6 ,diderot was fond of sitting in a corner and manufacturing paradoxes and materialistic dissertations to provoke the lieutenant of police1 who would note everything he said and report it to the chief of police4 ,the lieutenant1 ambitious though stupid1 one night told his chief that ,diderot had said one never saw souls2 to which the chief returned1 ,m4 ,diderot se trompe4 ,l'me est un esprit1 et ,m4 ,diderot est plein d'esprit4 ,danton delighted in playing chess in a quiet corner with a strong adversary in the person of ,marat4 ,many other famous revolutionists assembled here1 among them ,fabre d',eglantine1 ,robespierre1 d',holbach1 ,mirabeau1 ,camille ,desmoulins4 ,it was here that ,camille ,desmoulins was to be strangled by the reactionists in the ,revolution2 it was here that the first bonnet rouge was donned4 ,the massacre of ,december1 #agib1 was here- planned1 and the killing began at the very doors of the caf4 ,madame ,roland1 ,lucille ,desmoulins1 and the wife of ,danton met here on the ioth of ,august1 the day of the fall of the monarchy1 when bells rang and cannon thundered4 ,it was later that ,bonaparte1 then quite young and living in the ,quai ,conti1 in the building which the ,american ,art ,association now occupies1 left his hat at the ,procope as security for payment for a drink1 he having left his purse at home4 ,in short1 the old caf of the ,rue des ,fosss-,st4-,ger-main 7its old name7 was famous as the meeting-place of celebrities4 ,legendre1 the great geometrician1 came hither4 ,one remembers the verses of ,masset3 ,je joue aux dominos quelquefois chez ,procope4 ,here ,gambetta made speeches to the reactionist politicians and journalists4 ,he engaged in more than one prise de bec with le pre ,coquille1 friend of ,veuillot4 ,coquille always made sprightly and spirited replies when ,gambetta roared1 thundered1 and swore4 ,since then have followed days of calm4 ,in later times ,paul ,verlaine was a frequenter of the ,procope1 where he would sit in his favorite place in the little rear salon at ,voltaire's table4 ,this little salon1 in the rear of the caf1 is held sacred1 for its chair and table are the ones that ,voltaire used to occupy4 ,the table is on one side of the small room4 ,on the walls are many interesting sketches in oil by well-known ,french artists1 and there are fine ceiling decorations2 but all these are seen with difficulty1 so dim is the light in the room4 ,since ,voltaire's time this table has become an object of curiosity and veneration4 ,when celebrated habitus of the caf died this table was used as an altar1 upon which for a time reposed the bust of the decedent before crpe-covered lanterns4 ,during the ,revolution ,hbert jumped upon this table1 which had been placed before the door of the caf1 and harangued the crowd gathered there1 exciting them to such a pitch that they snatched the newspapers from the hands of the news-venders4 ,in a moment of passionate appeal he brought down his heavy boot-heel upon the marble with such force as to split it4 ,in the caf are three doors that are decorated in a very interesting fashion4 ,on the panels of one1 well preserved in spite of the numerous transformations through which the establishment has gone1 ,m4 ,tho conceived the happy idea of inscribing in gold letters the names of the illustrious who have visited the caf since its founding4 ,many of the panels of the ,avails are taken with full-length portraits by ,thomas1 representing1 among others1 ,voltaire1 ,rousseau1 ,robespierre1 ,diderot1 ,danton and ,marat playing chess1 ,mirabeau1 and ,gambetta4 ,there are smaller sketches by ,corot1 d',aubigny1 ,vallon1 ,courbet1 ,willette1 and ,roedel4 ,some of them are not fine specimens of art4 ,m4 ,tho is a devoted collector of rare books and engravings4 ,his library1 which contains many very rare engravings of the eighteenth century and more than one book of priceless value1 is open to his intimate friends only1 with whom he loves to ramble through his treasures and find interesting data of his caf4 ,,le ,,moulin ,,de ,,la ,,galette ,,bishop had been industriously at work upon a large black-and-white drawing4 ,the subject was a ball-room scene1--of evident low degree1 judging from the abandon of the whirling figures and the queer types that were depicted4 ,white lace skirts were sweeping high in air1 revealing black-stockinged ankles and gauzy lingerie in a way unknown to the monde propre4 ,illustration3 #hbbh ,in contrast to the grace and abandon of the female figures were the coarseness and clumsiness of their male partners4 ,the work was nearly finished1 but ,bishop professed to be dissatisfied with the foreground architecture and with the drawing of a hand belonging to one of the male dancers4 ,after boring me at length with a speech on the necessity of having a model for that hand1 he sheepishly asked me if ,i would pose for the elusive member4 ,it was then that curiosity prompted me to inquire where he had found the original of this remarkable scene4 ,mon enfant sculpteur1 he replied1 with the patronizing air of a man of the world1 this is the ,moulin de la ,galette4 ,and where is that8 ,i asked4 ,i will show you to-morrow night1 if you agree4 ,to-morrow would be ,sunday4 ,when it had passed and the evening was come1 and after we had enjoyed two courses of ,madame ,darblay's juicy gigots and irresistible beans1 with the incomparable sauce afforded by the presence of the sunny actresses who were there1 we walked over to the ,boulevard ,st4-,jacques and waited for the ,montmartre 'bus to come along4 ,these small1 ancient omnibuses are different from the other vehicles of that breed in ,paris1 in that instead of having a narrow curved stairway at the rear leading up to the impriale1 there are but three or four iron foot-rests against the outside of the rear wall1 with an iron rod on either side to cling to in mounting4 ,now1 the traveller who would reach the impriale must be something of either an acrobat or a sailor1 because1 first1 as these 'buses do not stop1 a running leap has to be made for the ladder1 and1 second1 because of the pitching and rolling of the lumbering vehicle1 the catching and climbing are not easy4 ,if you carry a cane or a parcel1 it must be held in the teeth until the ascent is made1 for both hands have all they can do in the ladder exercise4 ,the gleam of the red lamp coming down the street prepared us for a test of our agility4 ,as only one could mount the ladder at a time1 and as ,i was the first to attack the feat1 ,bishop had to run behind for nearly a block before ,i could give him the right of way up the ladder4 ,the conductor registered deux sur l'impriale as we swung to the top and took seats forward1 just behind the driver4 ,ladies and fat gentlemen are rarely1 or never1 found riding on the impriale of the ,montmartre line4 ,we wrapped up in our big warm coats and lay back smoking three-sous cigars 7always three-sous ones on ,sunday71 and as the driver cracked his whip and the heavy machine went rolling along1 we enjoyed the wonderful treat of seeing gay ,paris of a ,sunday night from the top of an omnibus4 ,there is hardly anything more delightful1 particularly from the top of a ,st4 ,jacques-,montmartre 'bus1 which generally avoids the broad1 brilliant streets and goes rolling and swaying through the narrow1 crooked streets of old ,paris4 ,here there is hardly room for such a vehicle to pass1 and one is anxious lest one's feet sweep off the gas-lamps that fly past4 ,an intimate view of the domestic life of ,paris presents itself likewise1 for1 being on a level with the second story windows1 you have flitting visions of the ,parisian mnage in all its freedom and variety4 ,at this time of the evening the windows are wide open and the dinner-tables are spread near them1 for a view of the street below4 ,on1 on we rumbled1 through seemingly interminable miles of crooked streets1 over the gay ,boul' ,mich'1 and the ,place ,st4-,michel2 across the river1 which reflected the myriads of lights along its walls and bridges2 past the ,halles1 the greatest marketplace in the world2 past the grand boulevards1 a confusing glitter of colors and lights2 past the ,folies-,bergre1 where flaming posters announced ,loie ,fuller in the throes of a fire dance2 and at last to the steep grade of ,montmartre4 ,here a third horse was added to the pair1 and slowly we were dragged up the slope4 ,at the ,boulevard ,clichy we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a terrific uproar2 bells1 steam-whistles1 hand-organs1 bands of music1 drums1 and calliopes made the bedlam4 ,the streets were blocked with moving masses of laughing people1 and the scene was gayly illuminated by rows of lamps overhead and on hundreds of stands1 merry-go-rounds1 theatres1 circuses1 museums1 and all kinds of catchpenny attractions that lined the boulevard4 ,for this was the ,fte de ,clichy4 ,far down the street1 almost hidden by a curve1 could be seen the illuminated arms of the ,moulin ,rouge slowly revolving through the night4 ,still on and up crawled the 'bus1 now in the very heart of ,montmartre1 through the lively1 crowded1 bright streets on the great hill of ,paris4 ,here are hot-chestnut venders at the corners2 fried-potato women1 serving crisp brown chips2 street hawkers1 with their heavy push-carts2 song-sellers1 singing the songs that they sell1 to make purchasers familiar with the airs2 flower-girls2 gaudy shops2 bright restaurants and noisy cafs1--all constituting that distinctive quarter of ,paris1 ,montmartre4 ,at last the summit of the hill was made1 and the panting horses must have been glad that it was all down-hill ahead4 ,bishop gave the signal to alight a block before the desired street was reached1 for by the time we could touch the ground the 'bus had covered that distance on the down run4 ,bishop led the way up a dim little street1--the ,rue ,muller1 ,i noticed on the wall4 ,it was very steep1 and at last ended at the bottom of a flight of stone steps that seemed to run into the sky4 ,their length was marked by lamps glowing one above another in long rows4 ,it was hard work climbing to the top4 ,the top at last6 ,we seemed to be among the clouds4 ,far below us lay the great shining city1 spreading away into distance2 and although it was night1 the light of a full moon and untold thousands of lamps in the streets and buildings below enabled us easily to pick out the great thoroughfares and the more familiar structures4 ,there was the ,opra1 there the ,panthon1 there ,notre-,dame1 there ,st4-,sulpice1 there the ,invalides1 and1 uplifted to emulate the eminence on which we stood1 the ,tour ,eiffel1 its revolving searchlight at the apex shining like an immense meteor or comet with its misty trail stretching out over the city4 ,the roar of life faintly reached our ears from the vast throbbing plain1 where millions of human mysteries were acting out their tragedies4 ,the scene was vast1 wonderful1 entrancing4 ,far above us still a maze of rafters1 beams1 and scaffolding fretted the sky1--the skeleton of that beautiful but unfinished ,church of the ,sacr- ,cour1 crowning the very summit of ,montmartre4 ,there seemed to be no life here1 for not a soul did we meet1 and not a light shone except that of the moon4 ,bishop guided me through a maze of steep stony passages1 between the walls of dark gardens1 turning now to the right1 again to the left1 through archways and courts2 and ,i wondered how he could remember them all4 ,before ,i could fully comprehend our position we were confronted by two black1 gaunt1 uncanny objects with long outstretched arms that cut across the sky like giant skeleton sentinels forbidding our farther advance4 ,but the sounds of lively music and the glow of rows of white-globed lamps quickly banished the illusion and advertised the fact that we were in a very material and sensual world1 for they announced the ,moulin de la ,galette at the foot of the passage4 ,the spectres against the sky were only very1 very old windmills1 relics of the time1 three centuries gone1 when windmills crowded the summit of ,montmartre to catch all the winds that blew4 ,now they stand1 stark1 dead1 silent1 and decaying2 their stately revolutions are no more2 and the skeleton frames of their fans look down on a marvellous contrast1 the intensely real life of the ,galette4 ,illustration3 #jbcd ,we fell in line with many others at the ticket office1 and paid the fifty centimes admission fee 7ladies twenty-five centimes74 ,we were relieved of our hats and canes by a stout old woman in the vestiaire1 who claimed two sous from each4 ,following the up-hill passage of the entrance1 the walls of which are painted with flowers and garden scenes1 we entered the great ball-room4 ,what a brilliant scene of life and light6--at first a blur of sound1 light1 and movement1 then gradually resolving into the simple elements composing it4 ,the floor was covered with dancers1 and the girls were making a generous display of graceful anatomy4 ,a large band at the farther end of the room1 on an inclined stand1 was the vortex of the din4 ,the promenade encircling the hall was crowded with hatless laughing girls and smooth-faced boys wearing caps or flat-brimmed low-crowned hats2 their trousers fitted tight at the knees1 and their heads were closely cropped4 ,these were strolling in groups1 or watching the dancers1 or sitting at the rows of wooden tables drinking4 ,all within the vast hall had gone to enjoy their ,sunday night as much as possible4 ,to most of the girls this was the one night in the week when1 not tired out from the drudgery of hard work1 they could throw aside all cares and live in the way for which their cramped and meagre souls yearned4 ,this is a rendezvous for the humble workers of the city1 where they may dress as best they can1 exchange their petites histoires1 and abandon themselves to the luxury of the dance2 for they are mostly shop-girls1 and blanchisseuses1 and the like1 who1 when work fails them1 have to hover about the dark streets at night1 that prosperous-looking passers-by may be tempted by the pleading of their dark saucy eyes1 or be lured by them to some quiet spot where their lovers lie in wait with a lithe and competent black slung-shot4 ,no mercy for the hapless bourgeois then6 ,for the dear ,henris and ,jacques and ,louises must have their sous for the comforts of life1 as well as the necessities1 and such luxuries as tobacco and drink must be considered2 and if the money wherewith all this may be bought is not produced by ,marcelle or ,hlne or ,marie1 she will get a beating for her slothfulness or lack of skill1 and will be driven into the street with a hurting back to try again4 ,and so ,henri1 ,jacques1 or ,louis basks in the sun1 and smokes cigarettes with never a care1 except that of making his devoted little mistress perform her duties1 knowing well how to retain her affection by selfishness and brutality4 ,this night1 however1 all that was forgotten4 ,it was the one free1 happy night of the week1 the night of abandon and the dance1 of laughter1 drinking1 and jollity1 for which one and all had longed for a whole impatient and dreary week2 and ,henri1 ,jacques1 and ,louis could spend on drinks with other of their feminine acquaintances the sous that their mistresses had provided4 ,the band played lustily2 the lights shone2 the room was filled with laughter1--let the dance go on6 ,stationed in different parts of the room were the big soldiers of the ,garde ,municipale1 in their picturesque uniform so familiar to all the theatre-goers of ,paris4 ,they were here to preserve order1 for the dancers belong to an inflammable class1 and a blaze may spring up at any moment4 ,equally valuable as a repressing force was a burly1 thick- necked1 powerful man who strolled hither and thither1 his glance everywhere and always veiling a threat4 ,he wore a large badge that proclaimed him the master of ceremonies4 ,true1 he was that1 which was something1 but he was a great deal more1--a most astonishingly prompt and capable bouncer4 ,the male frequenters of the place were evidently in mortal terror of him1 for his commanding size and threatening manner1 and his superbly developed muscles1 contrasted strikingly with the cringing manner and weak bodies of ,henri and his kind2 and should he look their way with a momentary steadiness of glance and poise of figure1 their conversation would instantly cease1 and they would slink away4 ,we seated ourselves at a vacant table that commanded a sweeping view of the floor and the promenade4 ,a seedy-looking garon worked his way through the crowd and took our order for beer2 and mean1 stale beer it was4 ,but we did not care for that4 ,bishop was all afire with enjoyment of the scene1 for1 he protested1 the place was infinitely rich in types and character1--the identical types that the great ,steinlen loves to draw4 ,and here is an interesting thing3 ,the girls all were of that chic and petite order so peculiar to certain classes of ,parisian women1 some hardly so high as ,bishop's shoulder1 which is itself not very high2 and though they looked so small1 they were fully developed young women1 though many of them were under twenty4 ,they wore no hats1 and for the most part1 unlike their gorgeous sisters of the boulevard cafs1 they were dressed plainly1 wearing black or colored waists and skirts4 ,but ah6--and here the unapproachable instinct-skill of the ,french-woman shows itself1--on these same waists and skirts were placed here and there1 but always just where they ought to be1 bows and ribbons2 and it was they that worked the miracle of grace and style4 ,and the girls had a certain beauty1 a beauty peculiar to their class1--not exactly beauty1 but pleasing features1 healthy color1 and1 best of all and explaining all1 an archness of expression1 a touch of sauciness1 that did for their faces what the bows and ribbons did for their gowns4 ,illustration3#jbdj ,near us a large door opened into the garden of the ,moulin2 it was filled with trees and benches and tables1 and amidst the dark foliage glowed colored ,chinese lanterns1 which sifted a soft light upon the revellers assembled beneath them in the cool evening air4 ,on one side of the garden stretched ,paris far down and away1 and on the other side blazed the ,moulin de la ,galette through the windows4 ,a waltz was now being danced4 ,strange to say1 it was the one dismal feature of the evening1 and that was because the ,french do not know how to dance it1 reversing being unknown4 ,and there was an odd variety of ways in which the men held their partners and the dancers each other4 ,some grasped each other tightly about the waist with both arms1 or similarly about the necks or shoulders1 and looked straight into each other's face without a smile or an occasional word4 ,it was all done in deadly earnest1 as a serious work4 ,it was in the quadrille that the fun came1 when the girls varied the usual order by pointing their toes toward the chandeliers with a swish of white skirts that made the by- standers cry1 ,encore1 ,marcelle6 ,the men1 yearning for a share of the applause1 cut up all sorts of antics and capers1 using their arms and legs with incredible agility1 making grotesque faces1 and wearing hideous false noses and piratical moustaches4 ,securing a partner for a dance was the easiest thing possible4 ,any girl was eligible1--simply the asking1 the assent1 and away they went4 ,bishop's pencil kept moving rapidly as he caught fleeting notes of faces1 dresses1 attitudes--everything--for his unfinished piece at the studio4 ,a number of promenaders1 attracted by his sketching1 stopped to watch him4 ,that dance was now finished1 and the dancers separated wherever they stopped1 and turned away to seek their separate friends2 there was no waste of time in escorting the girls to seats1 for that is not fashionable at ,montmartre4 ,the girls came flocking about ,bishop1 curious over his work1 and completely shut out his view4 ,oh6 exclaimed one saucy petite blonde1 let me see my portrait6 ,i saw you sketching me during the dance4 ,et moi1--moi aussi6 cried the others1 until ,bishop1 overwhelmed1 surrendered his book for the inspection of bright1 eager eyes4 ,has not monsieur a cigarette8 archly asked a girl with a decided nez retrouss4 ,oui1 ,i answered1 handing her a packet1 from which with exquisite1 unconscious daintiness she selected one4 ,the whole bevy then made a similar request1 and we were soon enveloped in a blue haze4 ,vous ferez mon portrait1 n'est-ce-pas8 begged a dark-eyed beauty of ,bishop1 in a smooth1 pleasant voice4 ,she had a striking appearance4 ,a mass of rebellious black hair strove persistently to fall over her oval face1 and when she would neglect to push it back her eyes1 dark and melancholy1 shone through its tangle with a singular wild lustre4 ,her skin was dark1 almost swarthy1 but it was touched with a fine rosy glow of health and youth4 ,her features were perfect2 the nose was slightly romanesque1 the chin firm1 the lips red and sensuous4 ,when she drew our attention with her request she was standing before us in a rigid1 half- defiant1 half-commanding posture2 but when she quickly added1 ,i will pose for you1--see8 and sat down beside me1 opposite ,bishop1 her striking native grace asserted itself1 for from a statue of bronze she suddenly became all warmth and softness1 every line in her perfect1 lithe figure showing her eagerness1 and eloquent with coaxing4 ,it was clear that ,bishop was deeply impressed by the striking picture that she made2 it was her beautiful wild head that fascinated him most4 ,no1 ,i am first1 insisted a little vixen1 hard-featured and determined4 ,jamais de la vie6 ,c'est moi6 protested others1 with such fire that ,i feared there would be trouble4 ,the turmoil had the effect of withdrawing ,bishop's attention momentarily from the beautiful tigress beside me4 ,he smiled in bewilderment4 ,he would be happy to draw them all1 but---- ,at last he pacified them by proposing to take them in turn1 provided they would be patient and not bother him4 ,to this they poutingly agreed2 and ,bishop1 paying no more attention to the girl beside me1 rapidly dashed off sketch after sketch of the other girls4 ,exclamations of surprise1 delight1 or indignation greeted each of the portraits as it was passed round4 ,bishop was seeking character1 and as he was to retain the portraits1 he made no efforts at flattery4 ,all this time the dark-eyed one had sat in perfect silence and stillness beside me1 watching ,bishop in wonder4 ,she had forgotten her hair1 and was gazing through it with more than her eyes as his pencil worked rapidly4 ,i studied her as well as ,i could as she sat all heedless of my existence4 ,her lips slightly curved at the corners into a faint suggestion of a smile1 but as ,bishop's work kept on and the other girls monopolized him1 the lips gradually hardened4 ,the shadow of her chin fell upon her smooth throat1 not darkening it too much for me to observe that significant movements within it indicated a struggle with her self- control4 ,bishop was now sketching a girl1 the others having run off to dance2 they would return in their order4 ,the girl beside me said to me1 in a low voice1 without looking at me1--,monsieur est ,anglais8 ,no1 ,i answered4 ,ah6 ,amricain8 ,yes4 ,and your friend8 nodding toward ,bishop4 ,american also4 ,is he---- but she suddenly checked herself with odd abruptness1 and then quickly asked1 with a shallow pretence of eager interest1 ,is ,america far from ,paris8 ,and so she continued to quiz me rather vacantly concerning a great country of whose whereabouts she had not the slightest idea4 ,then she was silent1 and ,i imagined that she was gathering herself for some supreme effort4 ,suddenly she turned her marvellous eyes full toward me1 swept the wild hair from her face1 looked almost fiercely at me a moment1 and1 rigid from head to foot1 asked1 half angrily1 and then held her breath for the answer1--,is he married8 ,the question was asked so suddenly and so strangely1 and with so commanding a manner1 that ,i had not a moment to consider the wisdom of lying4 ,no1 ,i answered4 ,she sank back into her chair with a deep breath1 all softness and grace again1 and her wild hair fell back over her face4 ,she had lost all interest in the ball4 ,while her companions were enjoying themselves in the dance1 she sat motionless and silent beside me1 watching ,bishop4 ,an uncomfortable feeling had taken possession of me4 ,presently ,i abruptly asked her why she did not dance4 ,she started4 ,dance8 she replied4 ,she looked over the hall1 and an expression of scorn and disgust came into her face4 ,not with that espce de voyous1 she vehemently added2 and then she turned to watch ,bishop again4 ,i now noticed for the first time that a group of the human vampires1 standing apart at a little distance1 were watching us closely and talking in low tones among themselves4 ,my attention had been drawn to them by a defiant look that the girl had shot at them4 ,one of them was particularly repulsive4 ,he was rather larger and stronger than the others4 ,his garb was that of his species1--tight trousers1 a nglig shirt1 and a rakish cap being its distinguishing articles4 ,he stood with his hands in his pockets and his head thrust forward4 ,he had the low1 brutal face of his kind4 ,it was now pale with rage4 ,i asked the girl what her name was4 ,hlne1 she answered1 simply4 ,her other name8 ,oh1 just ,hlne4 ,sometimes it was ,hlne ,crespin1 for ,crespin was her lover's name4 ,all this with perfect frankness4 ,where is he8 ,i asked4 ,c'est lui avec la casquette1 she answered1 indicating the brute whom ,i have just described1 but ,i had expected that4 ,i hate him now6 she vehemently added4 ,no1 she had neither father nor mother2 had no recollection of parents4 ,sometimes she worked in a printing shop in the ,rue ,victor ,mass when extra hands were needed4 ,after the girl who had been posing was dismissed another took her place2 then another1 and another1 and others2 and still others were waiting4 ,the girl beside me had been watching these proceedings with increasing impatience4 ,some of the girls were so delighted that they threw their arms round ,bishop's neck and kissed him4 ,others called him endearing names4 ,at last it was evident that the dark girl could bear it no longer4 ,she had been growing harder and harder1 more and more restless4 ,i continued to watch her narrowly1--she had forgotten my existence4 ,gradually the natural rich color in her cheeks deepened1 her eyes blazed through the tangled hair1 her lips were set4 ,suddenly1 after a girl had been more demonstrative than the others1 she rose and confronted ,bishop4 ,all this time he had not even looked at her1 and that1 while making me uneasy1 had made her furious4 ,we three were alone4 ,true1 we were observed by many1 for invasions by foreigners were very rare at the ,moulin de la ,galette1 and we were objects of interest on that account2 and the sketching by ,bishop had sent our fame throughout the hall4 ,in a low1 quiet voice the girl said to ,bishop1 as he looked up at her wonderingly1--,you promised to draw mine long ago4 ,i had never seen my friend more embarrassed than he was at that moment4 ,he stumbled over his excuses1 and then asked her to pose to suit her fancy4 ,he did it very gently1 and the effect was magical4 ,she sank into her chair and assumed the indolently graceful pose that she had unconsciously taken when she first seated herself4 ,bishop gazed at her in silence a long time before he began the sketch2 and then he worked with a sure and rapid hand4 ,after it was finished he handed it to her4 ,instantly she was transfigured4 ,she stared at the picture in wonder and delight1 her lips parted1 her chest hardly moving from her nearly suppressed breathing4 ,do ,i look like that8 she asked1 suspiciously4 ,indeed1 it was an exquisite little piece of work1 for ,bishop had idealized the girl and made a beautiful portrait4 ,did you not see me draw it while looking at you8 he replied1 somewhat disingenuously4 ,will you give it to me8 she asked1 eagerly4 ,certainly4 ,and will you sign your name to it8 ,bishop cheerfully complied4 ,then she took it1 kissed it1 and pressed it to her bosom2 and then1 leaning forward1 and speaking with a richness and depth of voice that she had not betrayed before1 and in the deepest earnestness1 said1--,je vous aime6 ,bishop1 staggered by this forthright declaration of affection1 blushed violently and looked very foolish4 ,but he rallied and assured her that her love was reciprocated1 for who1 he asked1 could resist so beautiful a face1 so warm a heart8 ,if he had only known1 if ,i could only have told him6 ,the girl sank back in her chair with a quizzical1 doubting smile that showed perfect white teeth and changed to bright dimples the suggestion of a smile that fluttered at her mouth-corners4 ,she carefully folded the sketch and daintily tucked it away in her bosom4 ,bishop had now quitted work1--,hlne had seen to that4 ,she had moved her chair close to his1 and1 looking him straight in the eyes1 was rattling away in the untranslatable argot of ,montmartre4 ,it is not the argot of the slums1 nor that of the thieves1 nor that of the students1 but that of ,montmartre2 and there are no ways of expressing it intelligibly in ,english4 ,presently she became more serious1 and with all the coaxing and pleading of which her ardent1 impetuous nature was capable1 she begged1-- ,let me be your model4 ,je suis bien faite1 and you can teach me to pose4 ,you will be kind to me4 ,i have a good figure4 ,i will do everything1 everything for you6 ,i will take care of the studio4 ,i will cook1 ,i will bring you everything1 everything you want4 ,you will let me live with you4 ,i will love no one else4 ,you will never be sorry nor ashamed4 ,if you will only---- ,that is the best translation ,i can give2 it is certainly what she meant1 though it indicates nothing of the impetuosity1 the abandon1 the eagerness1 the warmth1 the savage beauty that shone from her as she spoke4 ,bishop rose to the occasion4 ,he sprang to his feet4 ,i must dance after that6 he exclaimed1 catching her up1 laughing1 and dragging her upon the floor4 ,he could dance superbly4 ,a waltz was being played1 and it was being danced in the stiff and stupid way of the people4 ,very soon ,bishop and ,hlne began to attract general attention1 for never before had ,montmartre seen a waltz danced like that4 ,he reversed1 and glided1 and threw into the queen of dances all the grace and freedom that it demands4 ,at first ,hlne was puzzled and bewildered2 but she was agile both of mind and body1 and under ,bishop's sure guidance she put them to excellent use4 ,rapidly she caught the grace and spirit of the waltz1 and danced with a verve that she had never known before4 ,swiftly and gracefully they skimmed the length of the great hall1 then back1 and wherever they went the dancers watched them with astonishment and delight1 and gradually abandoned their own ungraceful efforts1 partly in shame1 partly in admiration1 and partly with a desire to learn how the miracle was done4 ,gradually the floor was wholly abandoned except for these two1 and all eyes watched them4 ,hlne was happy and radiant beyond all ways of telling4 ,her cheeks were flushed1 her eyes sparkled1 her lithe figure developed all the ease1 grace1 and suppleness of a cat4 ,some muttered expressions of contempt spoken near me caused me to listen without turning round4 ,they were meant for my ears1 but ,i gave no heed4 ,i knew well enough from whom they came1--,crespin and his friends4 ,and ,i realized that we were in for it4 ,true1 there were the big guards and there was the capable bouncer1 and they would glance my way now and then1 seemingly to let ,crespin know that all was understood and that it must be hands off with him4 ,there was no danger here1 but afterwards--,the waltz came to an end1 and the two were vigorously applauded4 ,this was a critical moment1 but ,bishop handled it adroitly4 ,he conducted ,hlne to a seat remote from our table1 bowed low1 and left her1 and came over to me4 ,i told him of my fears1 but he laughed4 ,he had got rid of ,hlne with perfect address1 and perhaps she was nursing an angry and aching heart after her glorious triumph2 perhaps ,bishop had whispered to her something of the danger and suggested that they have nothing more to do with each other that evening4 ,illustration3 #ibea ,presently ,i saw her start and look round4 ,crespin was behind her1 livid with rage4 ,she promptly rose and followed him into the garden4 ,bishop had not seen the movement4 ,we were near the door leading into the garden1 and by turning a little ,i could see the couple outside1 not far away4 ,crespin was standing with a bullying air1 and was evidently cursing her4 ,she had tossed back her hair and was looking him defiantly in the face4 ,i saw her lips move in speech4 ,instantly the ruffian dealt her a violent blow upon the chest1 and she staggered back against a tree1 which prevented her falling4 ,come1 let us stop that1 ,i said to ,bishop4 ,hlne's lover is beating her in the garden4 ,bishop sprang to his feet and followed me4 ,as he glanced out the window at the couple1 whom ,i pointed out1 he saw ,crespin approach the dazed girl and deal her a terrible blow in the mouth1 and he saw the blood that followed the blow4 ,we arrived in the garden as a crowd was gathering4 ,bishop pushed his way ahead and was about to spring upon the brute1 when ,hlne saw him4 ,with a supreme effort she leaped forward1 thrust ,bishop aside with a command to mind his own affairs1 threw herself into her lover's arms1 and kissed him1 smearing his face with her blood4 ,he glared at us1 triumphant4 ,the guards arrived1 and ,hlne and her lover disappeared among the trees in the darkness4 ,oh1 another unfaithful cocotte6 laughed one in the crowd1 explaining to the guards2 and they returned to their drinking and dancing1 remarking1 ,beat a woman1 and she will love you4 ,they had all missed the heroism and devotion of ,hlne's interference4 ,it was to keep a knife out of the body of the man she loved that she smeared her lover's face with her blood4 ,we saw her no more4 ,we returned to the hall and strolled round the promenade1 for we needed that to become calm again4 ,and the girls mobbed ,bishop1 for he had passed out the word that he wanted a model1 and that he would pay a franc an hour4 ,a franc an hour6 ,and so they mobbed him4 ,was not that more than they could hope to earn by a whole day's hard work8 ,yes1 they would all pose gladly1 but only in costume1 bien entendu6 ,so ,bishop was busy taking down the names of ,marcelle1 ,lorette1 ,elise1 ,marie1 and the rest1 with the names of the queer and unheard-of streets in which they lived1 mostly in the quarters of ,montmartre and the ,batignolles4 ,the can-can was now raging on the floor1 and the tired garons were dodging about with their glassladen trays4 ,dancing1 making love1 throwing lumps of sugar1 the revellers enjoyed themselves4 ,we left4 ,the moon cast gaunt shadows across the streets from the old windmills and the trees4 ,we struck out briskly1 intending to catch the last ,st4-,jacques 'bus home1 and with that purpose we threaded the maze of steep passages and streets on our way to the ,rue ,muller4 ,upon reaching the top of the hill1 behind the great skeleton of the ,sacred ,heart1 where all was silent and still as the grave1 we suddenly discovered the shadowy figures of men slipping out from a dark little street4 ,we knew what it meant4 ,with a common impulse we sprang forward1 for it was now a run for our lives4 ,i had recognized ,crespin in the lead4 ,with headlong speed we dashed down the steep incline1 swinging our canes to check an attack in the rear4 ,we had dodged out of our proper way to the ,rue ,muller1 and now it was a matter of speed1 endurance1 and luck to reach blindly some street where life and protection might be found4 ,a man clutched my coat4 ,i beat him off with my stick1 but the skirt of my coat was hanging loose1 nearly ripped off4 ,a cord went whizzing past me and caught ,bishop's hat1 but he went sturdily on bareheaded4 ,stones flew past us1 and presently one caught me a terrific1 sickening blow in the back4 ,i did not fall1 but ,i staggered in my flight1 for a strange heaviness came into my legs1 and my head soon began to ache violently4 ,crespin was desperately active4 ,i could hear him panting heavily as he gained upon us4 ,his long shadow1 cast by the moon1 showed that he was about to spring upon ,bishop4 ,i swung my cane blindly1 but with all my might1 and it fell upon his head and laid him low2 but he quickly scrambled to his feet again4 ,the ruffians were now upon us1--they were better used to the hill than we4 ,separate6 gasped ,bishop4 ,it is our only chance4 ,at the next corner we suddenly swung apart1 taking opposite directions4 ,i plunged on alone1 glad to hear for a time that footfalls were following1--they meant that the pursuit had not concentrated on ,bishop4 ,but after a while ,i realized that ,i was no longer pursued4 ,i stopped and listened4 ,there was no sound4 ,weak and trembling1 with an aching back and a splitting head1 ,i sat down in a door-way and rested4 ,that luxury was quickly interrupted by my reflecting that possibly ,bishop had been overtaken2 and ,i knew what that would mean4 ,i ran back up the hill as rapidly as my weakness and trembling and pain permitted4 ,at last ,i found myself at the corner where we had separated4 ,there was no sound from any direction4 ,i could only hope for the best and search and listen blindly through this puzzle of streets and passages4 ,presently ,i realized that ,i was near the fortifications of ,paris1 close to ,st4 ,ouen1--that is to say1 at the other end of ,paris from the ,quartier ,latin1 which was eight miles away4 ,there was nothing to do but walk home4 ,it was nearly four o'clock when ,i arrived4 ,and there was ,bishop in bed1 nursing a big lump on his head1 made by a flying stone4 ,he had reached a street where a gendarme was1 and that meant safety2 and then he had taken a cab for home1 where he was looking very ridiculous poulticing his lump and making himself sick fretting about me4 ,illustration3 #ebee ,a ,,night ,,on ,,montmarte ,illustration3 #jbef ,,near the end of a recent ,december ,bishop received a note signed ,a4 ,herbert ,thomp-kins1 written at the ,htel de l',athne1 saying that the writer was in ,paris for four days with his wife before proceeding to ,vienna to join some friends4 ,it closed by asking1 ,could you call at the hotel this evening1 say at seven8 ,this note created great excitement at our studio early one morning1 the facteur having climbed six flights of stairs 7it being near to ,new ,year7 to deliver it2 for ,mr4 ,thompkins was one of ,bishop's warmest friends in ,america4 ,his unexpected arrival in ,paris at this unseasonable time of the year was indeed a surprise1 but a most agreeable one4 ,so ,bishop spent the whole of the afternoon in creasing his best trousers1 ransacking our trunks for a clean collar to wear with my blue-fronted shirt1 polishing his top-hat1 and getting his ,velasquez whiskers trimmed and perfumed at the coiffeur's4 ,it was not every day that friends of ,mr4 ,thompkins's type made their appearance in ,paris4 ,bishop1 after hours spent in absorbing mental work1 at last disclosed his plan to me4 ,of course he would not permit me to keep out of the party1 and besides1 he needed my advice4 ,illustration3 #jbeg ,here was ,mr4 ,thompkins in ,paris1 and unless he were wisely guided he would leave without seeing the city1--except those parts and phases of it that tourists cannot keep from stumbling over4 ,it would be both a duty and a pleasure to introduce him to certain things of which he might otherwise die in ignorance1 to the eternal undevelopment of his soul4 ,but here was the rub3 ,would ,mr4 ,thompkins care to be so radically different here for one night--just one night--from what he was at home8 ,i could not see how any harm could come to ,mr4 ,thompkins or any one else with sense1 nor how ,bishop could possibly entertain him in anyway that would be disagreeable to a man of brains4 ,but ,bishop was evidently keeping something back4 ,for that matter1 he never did explain it1 and ,i have not bothered about inferences4 ,what ,mr4 ,thompkins was at home ,i do not know4 ,true1 he was very much confused and embarrassed a number of times during the evening1 but one thing ,i know1--he enjoyed himself immensely4 ,and that makes me say that no matter what he was at home1 he was a gentleman and philosopher while exploring an outlandish phase of ,parisian ,bohemian life that night under our guidance4 ,he had a prim1 precise way of talking1 and was delightfully innocent and unworldly4 ,my6 it would have been a sin for him to miss what he saw that night4 ,so ,i told ,bishop very emphatically that no matter what ,mr4 ,thompkins was at home1 nobody who knew him was likely to see him in ,paris at that time of the year1 and that it was ,bishop's duty as a friend to initiate him4 ,bishop was very happy over my advice2 but when he insisted that we should take a cab for the evening's outing1 ,i sternly reminded him of the bruises that our funds would receive on ,new ,year's1 and thus curbed his extravagance4 ,he surrendered with a pang1 for after all his preparation he felt like a duke1 and for that night1 while entertaining his friend1 he wanted to be a duke1 not a grubbing student4 ,we met ,mr4 ,thompkins at the hotel1 and ,i found him a delightful man1 with a pleasant sparkle of the eye and a certain stiffness of bearing4 ,it was his intention to have us dine with him1 but ,bishop gently took him in hand1 and gradually gave him to understand that on this night in a lifetime he was in the hands of his friends1 to do as they said1 and to ask no questions4 ,mr4 ,thompkins looked a little puzzled1 a little apprehensive1 and withal not unwilling to be sacrificed4 ,the first thing we did was to introduce ,mr4 ,thompkins to a quiet restaurant famous for its coquilles ,st4-,jacques2 it is in the old ,palais ,royal4 ,this is the dinner that ,bishop ordered3 ,hutres ,portugaises4 ,sauterne4 ,mdoc4 ,consomm4 ,coquilles ,st4-,jacques4 ,macaroni la ,milanaise4 ,filet de bouf4 ,pommes nouvelles sautes4 ,crme petit ,suisse4 ,eclairs4 ,caf4 ,mr4 ,thompkins's enjoyment of the meal was as generous as his praise of ,bishop's skill in ordering it1 and he declared that the wines particularly were a rare treat4 ,by the time that dinner had been finished he was enthusiastic about ,paris4 ,he said that it was a wonderful city1 and that he was entirely at our disposal for the night4 ,i suppose1 gentlemen1 he suggested1 that you are going to invite me to the opera4 ,now1 ,i have no objections to that1 and ,i am sure ,i shall be delighted1--it is only one evening in a lifetime1 perhaps4 ,but ,i shall insist that you go as my guests4 ,bishop laughed merrily1 and slapped his friend on the back in a way that ,i never should have employed with a man of so much dignity4 ,the opera1 old man6 cried ,bishop4 ,why1 you blessed idiot1 you act like a tourist6 ,the opera6 ,you can go there any time4 ,to-night we shall see ,paris6 and he laughed again4 ,the opera6 he repeated4 ,oh1 my6 ,you can fall over the opera whenever you please4 ,this is an opportunity for a tour of discovery4 ,mr4 ,thompkins laughed with equal heartiness1 and declared that nothing would delight him more than to be an explorer--for one night in a lifetime4 ,the ,boul' ,mich' or ,montmartre8 ,bishop whispered to me4 ,montmartre1 ,i replied2 ,heaven1 ,death1 ,hell1 and ,bruant4 ,never had the ,avenue de l',opra appeared so brilliant and lively as on that cold1 crisp ,december night1 as we strolled towards the boulevards4 ,its thousands of lights1 its dashing equipages with the jingling harness of horses drawing handsome women and men to the ,opra1 its swiftly moving cabs and heavy 'buses rolling over the smooth wooden pavement1 the shouts of drivers and the cracking of whips1 the throngs of gay people enjoying the holiday attractions1 the endless rows of gaudy booths lining the street1 the flood of light and color everywhere1 the cuirassiers of the ,garde ,municipale mounted on superb horses standing motionless in the ,place de l',opra1 their long boots and steel breastplates and helmets glistening1--these all had their place1--while the broad stairs of the ,opra were crowded with beautifully gowned women and fashionable men pouring in to hear ,sibyl ,sanderson sing in ,samson and ,delilah1--all this made a wonderful picture of life and beauty1 of color1 motion1 vivacity1 and enjoyment4 ,above the entrance to the ,opra red marble columns reflected the yellow light of the gilded foyer and of the yellow blaze from the ,caf de la ,paix across the way4 ,we mounted a ,montmartre 'bus and were pulled up the hill to the ,boul' ,clichy1 the main artery of that strange ,bohemian mountain with its eccentric1 fantastic1 and morbid attractions4 ,before us1 in the ,place ,blanche1 stood the great ,moulin ,rouge1 the long skeleton arms of the ,red ,mill marked with red electric lights and slowly sweeping across the heavens1 while fanciful figures of students and dancing girls looked out the windows of the mill1 and a great crowd of lively1 chatting1 laughing people were pushing their way toward the entrance of this famous dance- hall of ,paris4 ,mr4 ,thompkins1 entranced before the brilliant spectacle1 asked somewhat hesitatingly if we might enter2 but ,bishop1 wise in the ways of ,montmartre1 replied1--,not yet4 ,it is only a little after nine1 and the ,moulin does not get wide awake for some hours yet4 ,we have no time to waste while waiting for that4 ,we shall first visit heaven4 ,illustration3 #jbfc ,mr4 ,thompkins looked surprised1 but made no response4 ,presently we reached the gilded gates of ,le ,cabaret du ,ciel4 ,they were bathed in a cold blue light from above4 ,angels1 gold-lined clouds1 saints1 sacred palms and plants1 and other paraphernalia suggestive of the approach to ,st4 ,peter's domain1 filled all the available space about the entre4 ,a bold white placard1 ,bock1 i ,franc1 was displayed in the midst of it all4 ,dolorous church music sounded within1 and the heavens were unrolled as a scroll in all their tinsel splendor as we entered to the bidding of an angel4 ,flitting about the room were many more angels1 all in white robes and with sandals on their feet1 and all wearing gauzy wings swaying from their shoulder-blades and brass halos above their yellow wigs4 ,these were the waiters1 the garons of heaven1 ready to take orders for drinks4 ,one of these1 with the face of a heavy villain in a melodrama and a beard a week old1 roared unmelodiously1--,the greetings of heaven to thee1 brothers6 ,eternal bliss and happiness are for thee4 ,mayst thou never swerve from its golden paths6 ,breathe thou its sacred purity and renovating exaltation4 ,prepare to meet thy great ,creator--and don't forget the garon6 ,a very long table covered with white extended the whole length of the chilly room1 and seated at it1 drinking1 were scores of candidates for angelship1--mortals like ourselves4 ,men and women were they1 and though noisy and vivacious1 they indulged in nothing like the abandon of the ,boul' ,mich' cafs4 ,gilded vases and candelabra1 together with foamy bocks1 somewhat relieved the dead whiteness of the table4 ,the ceiling was an impressionistic rendering of blue sky1 fleecy clouds1 and stars1 and the walls were made to represent the noble enclosure and golden gates of paradise4 ,illustration3 #hbfd ,brothers1 your orders6 ,command me1 thy servant6 growled a ferocious angel at our elbows1 with his accent de la ,villette1 and his brass halo a trifle askew4 ,mr4 ,thompkins had been very quiet1 for he was ,wonder in the flesh1 and perhaps there was some distress in his lace1 but there was courage also4 ,the suddenness of the angel's assault visibly disconcerted him1--he did not know what to order4 ,finally he decided on a verre de ,chartreuse1 green4 ,bishop and ,i ordered bocks4 ,two sparkling draughts of heaven's own brew and one star-dazzler6 yelled our angel4 ,thy will be done1 came the response from a hidden bar4 ,obscured by great masses of clouds1 through whose intervals shone golden stars1 an organ continually rumbled sacred music1 which had a depressing rather than a solemn effect1 and even the draughts of heaven's own brew and the star-dazzler failed to dissipate the gloom4 ,suddenly1 without the slightest warning1 the head of ,st4 ,peter1 whiskers and all1 appeared in a hole in the sky1 and presently all of him emerged1 even to his ponderous keys clanging at his girdle4 ,he gazed solemnly down upon the crowd at the tables and thoughtfully scratched his left wing4 ,from behind a dark cloud he brought forth a vessel of white crockery 7which was not a wash-bowl7 containing 7ostensibly7 holy water4 ,after several mysterious signs and passes with his bony hands he generously sprinkled the sinners below with a brush dipped in the water2 and then1 with a parting blessing1 he slowly faded into mist4 ,did you ever8 ,well1 well1 ,i declare6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,thompkins1 breathlessly4 ,illustration3 #jbff ,the royal cortge of the kingdom of heaven was now forming at one end of the room before a shrine1 whereon an immense golden pig sat sedately on his haunches1 looking friendly and jovial1 his loose skin and fat jowls hanging in folds4 ,lighted candles sputtered about his golden sides4 ,as the participants in the pageant1 all attachs of the place1 formed for the procession1 each bowed reverently and crossed himself before the huge porker4 ,a small man1 dressed in a loose black gown and black skull- cap1 evidently made up for ,dante1 whom he resembled1 officiated as master of ceremonies4 ,he mounted a golden pulpit1 and delivered1 in a loud1 rasping voice1 a tedious discourse on heaven and allied things4 ,he dwelt on the attractions of heaven as a perpetual summer resort1 an unbroken round of pleasures in variety1 where sweet strains of angelic music 7indicating the wheezy organ71 together with unlimited stores of heaven's own sparkling fire of life1 at a franc a bock1 and beautiful goldenhaired cherubs1 of la ,villette's finest1 lent grace and perfection to the scheme4 ,illustration3 #hbfh ,the parade then began its tour about the room1 ,dante1 carrying a staff surmounted by a golden bull1 serving as drum-major4 ,angel musicians1 playing upon sacred lyres and harps1 followed in his wake1 but the dolorous organ made the more noise4 ,behind the lyre angels came a number of the notables whom ,dante immortalized1--at least1 we judged that they were so intended4 ,the angel garons closed the cortge1 their gauzy wings and brass halos bobbing in a stately fashion as they strode along4 ,the angel garons now sauntered up and gave us each a ticket admitting us to the angel-room and the other delights of the inner heaven4 ,youarre ,eengleesh8 he asked4 ,yes8 ,ah1 theece ,eengleesh arre verra genereauz1 eyeing his fifty-centime tip with a questioning shrug4 ,can you not make me un franc8 ,ah1 eet ees dam cold in theece laigs1 pointing to his calves1 which were encased in diaphanous pink tights4 ,he got his franc4 ,dante announced in his rasping voice that those mortals wishing to become angels should proceed up to the angel-room4 ,all advanced and ascended the inclined passage-way leading into the blue4 ,at the farther end of the passage sat old ,st4 ,peter1 solemn and shivering1 for it was draughty there among the clouds4 ,he collected our tickets1 gave the password admitting us to the inner precincts1 and resented ,bishop's attempts to pluck a feather from his wings4 ,we entered a large room1 all a glamour of gold and silver4 ,the walls were studded with blazing nuggets1 colored canvas rocks1 and electric lights4 ,we took seats on wooden benches fronting a cleft in the rocks1 and waited4 ,soon the chamber in which we sat became perfectly dark1 the cleft before us shining with a dim bluish light4 ,the cleft then came to life with a bevy of female angels floating through the limited ethereal space1 and smiling down upon us mortals4 ,one of the lady angel's tights bagged at the knees1 and another's wings were not on straight2 but this did not interfere with her flight1 any more than did the stationary position of the wings of all4 ,but it was all very easily and gracefully done1 swooping down1 soaring1 and swinging in circles like so many great eagles4 ,they seemed to discover something of unusual interest in ,mr4 ,thompkins1 for they singled him out to throw kisses at him4 ,this made him blush and fidget1 but a word from ,bishop reassured him1--it was only once in a lifetime6 ,after these angels had gyrated for some time1 the head angel of the angel-room requested those who desired to become angels to step forward4 ,a number responded1 among them some of the naughty dancing-girls of the ,moulin ,rouge4 ,they were conducted through a concealed door1 and presently we beheld them soaring in the empyrean just as happy and serene as though they were used to being angels4 ,it was a marvel to see wings so frail transport with so much ease a very stout young woman from the audience1 and their being fully clothed did not seem to make any difference4 ,mr4 ,thompkins had sat in a singularly contemplative mood after the real angels had quit torturing him1 and surprised us beyond measure by promptly responding to a second call for those aspiring to angelhood4 ,he disappeared with another batch from the ,moulin ,rouge1 and soon afterwards we saw him floating like an airship4 ,he even wore his hat4 ,to his disgust and chagrin1 however1 one of the concert-hall angels persisted in flying in front of him and making violent love to him4 ,this brought forth tumultuous applause and laughter1 which completed ,mr4 ,thompkins's misery4 ,at this juncture the blue cleft became dark1 the angel-room burst into light1 and soon ,mr4 ,thompkins rejoined us4 ,as we filed out into the passage ,father ,time stood with long whiskers and scythe1 greeted us with profound bows1 and promised that his scythe would spare us for many happy years did we but drop sous into his hour- glass4 ,there was no conversation among us when we emerged upon the boulevard1 for ,mr4 ,thompkins was in a retrospective frame of mind4 ,bishop embraced the opportunity to lead us up the ,boulevard ,clichy to the ,place ,pigalle4 ,as we neared the ,place we saw on the opposite side of the street two flickering iron lanterns that threw a ghastly green light down upon the barred dead-black shutters of the building1 and caught the faces of the passers-by with sickly rays that took out all the life and transformed them into the semblance of corpses4 ,across the top of the closed black entrance were large white letters1 reading simply3 ,cafe du ,nant ,the entrance was heavily draped with black cerements1 having white trimmings1--such as hang before the houses of the dead in ,paris4 ,here patrolled a solitary croque-mort1 or hired pall-bearer1 his black cape drawn closely about him1 the green light reflected by his glazed top- hat4 ,a more dismal and forbidding place it would be difficult to imagine4 ,mr4 ,thompkins paled a little when he discovered that this was our destination1--this grisly caricature of eternal nothingness1--and hesitated at the threshold4 ,without a word ,bishop firmly took his arm and entered4 ,the lonely croque-mort drew apart the heavy curtain and admitted us into a black hole that proved later to be a room4 ,the chamber was dimly lighted with wax tapers1 and a large chandelier intricately devised of human skulls and arms1 with funeral candles held in their fleshless fingers1 gave its small quota of light4 ,large1 heavy1 wooden coffins1 resting on biers1 were ranged about the room in an order suggesting the recent happening of a frightful catastrophe4 ,the walls were decorated with skulls and bones1 skeletons in grotesque attitudes1 battle-pictures1 and guillotines in action4 ,death1 carnage1 assassination were the dominant note1 set in black hangings and illuminated with mottoes on death4 ,a half-dozen voices droned this in a low monotone3 ,enter1 mortals of this sinful world1 enter into the mists and shadows of eternity4 ,select your biers1 to the right1 to the left2 fit yourselves comfortably to them1 and repose in the solemnity and tranquillity of death2 and may ,god have mercy on your souls6 ,a number of persons who had preceded us had already pre-empted their coffins1 and were sitting beside them awaiting developments and enjoying their consommations1 using the coffins for their real purpose1--tables for holding drinking-glasses4 ,alongside the glasses were slender tapers by which the visitors might see one another4 ,illustration3 #jbgc ,there seemed to be no mechanical imperfection in the illusion of a charnel-house2 we imagined that even chemistry had contributed its resources1 for there seemed distinctly to be the odor appropriate to such a place4 ,we found a vacant coffin in the vault1 seated ourselves at it on rush- bottomed stools1 and awaited further developments4 ,illustration3 #hbgd ,another croque-mort--a garon he was--came up through the gloom to take our orders4 ,he was dressed completely in the professional garb of a hearse-follower1 including claw-hammer coat1 full-dress front1 glazed tile1 and oval silver badge4 ,he droned1--,bon soir1 ,macchabes6 99 ,buvez les crachats d'asthmatiques1 voil des sueurs froides d'agonisants4 ,prenez donc des certificats de dcs1 seulement vingt sous4 ,c'est pas cher et c'est artistique6 99 ,this word 7also ,maccabe1 argot ,macabit7 is given in ,paris by sailors to cadavers found floating in the river4 ,bishop said that he would be pleased with a lowly bock4 ,mr4 ,thompkins chose cherries l'eau-de-vie1 and ,i1 une menthe4 ,one microbe of ,asiatic cholera from the last corpse1 one leg of a lively cancer1 and one sample of our consumption germ6 moaned the creature toward a black hole at the farther end of the room4 ,some women among the visitors tittered1 others shuddered1 and ,mr4 ,thompkins broke out in a cold sweat on his brow1 while a curious accompaniment of anger shone in his eyes4 ,our sleepy pallbearer soon loomed through the darkness with our deadly microbes1 and waked the echoes in the hollow casket upon which he set the glasses with a thump4 ,drink1 ,macchabes6 he wailed3 drink these noxious potions1 which contain the vilest and deadliest poisons6 ,the villain6 gasped ,mr4 ,thompkins2 it is horrible1 disgusting1 filthy6 ,the tapers flickered feebly on the coffins1 and the white skulls grinned at him mockingly from their sable background4 ,bishop exhausted all his tactics in trying to induce ,mr4 ,thompkins to taste his bran-died cherries1 but that gentleman positively refused1--he seemed unable to banish the idea that they were laden with disease germs4 ,after we had been seated here for some time1 getting no consolation from the utter absence of spirit and levity among the other guests1 and enjoying only the dismay and trepidation of new and strange arrivals1 a rather good-looking young fellow1 dressed in a black clerical coat1 came through a dark door and began to address the assembled patrons4 ,his voice was smooth1 his manner solemn and impressive1 as he delivered a well-worded discourse on death4 ,he spoke of it as the gate through which we must all make our exit from this world1--of the gloom1 the loneliness1 the utter sense of helplessness and desolation4 ,as he warmed to his subject he enlarged upon the follies that hasten the advent of death1 and spoke of the relentless certainty and the incredible variety of ways in which the reaper claims his victims4 ,then he passed on to the terrors of actual dissolution1 the tortures of the body1 the rending of the soul1 the unimaginable agonies that sensibilities rendered acutely susceptible at this extremity are called upon to endure4 ,it required good nerves to listen to that1 for the man was perfect in his rle4 ,from matters of individual interest in death he passed to death in its larger aspects4 ,he pointed to a large and striking battle scene1 in which the combatants had come to hand-to-hand fighting1 and were butchering one another in a mad lust for blood4 ,suddenly the picture began to glow1 the light bringing out its ghastly details with hideous distinctness4 ,then as suddenly it faded away1 and where fighting men had been there were skeletons writhing and struggling in a deadly embrace4 ,a similar effect was produced with a painting giving a wonderfully realistic representation of an execution by the guillotine4 ,the bleeding trunk of the victim lying upon the flap-board dissolved1 the flesh slowly disappearing1 leaving only the white bones4 ,another picture1 representing a brilliant dance-hall filled with happy revellers1 slowly merged into a grotesque dance of skeletons2 and thus it was with the other pictures about the room4 ,all this being done1 the master of ceremonies1 in lugubrious tones1 invited us to enter the chambre de la mort4 ,all the visitors rose1 and1 bearing each a taper1 passed in single file into a narrow1 dark passage faintly illuminated with sickly green lights1 the young man in clerical garb acting as pilot4 ,the cross effects of green and yellow lights on the faces of the groping procession were more startling than picturesque4 ,the way was lined with bones1 skulls1 and fragments of human bodies4 ,illustration3 #jbgg ,o ,macchabes1 nous sommes devant la porte de la chambre de la mort6 wailed an unearthly voice from the farther end of the passage as we advanced4 ,then before us appeared a solitary figure standing beneath a green lamp4 ,the figure was completely shrouded in black1 only the eyes being visible1 and they shone through holes in the pointed cowl4 ,from the folds of the gown it brought forth a massive iron key attached to a chain1 and1 approaching a door seemingly made of iron and heavily studded with spikes and crossed with bars1 inserted and turned the key2 the bolts moved with a harsh1 grating noise1 and the door of the chamber of death swung slowly open4 ,o ,macchabes1 enter into eternity1 whence none ever return6 cried the new1 strange voice4 ,the walls of the room were a dead and unrelieved black4 ,at one side two tall candles were burning1 but their feeble light was insufficient even to disclose the presence of the black walls of the chamber or indicate that anything but unending blackness extended heavenward4 ,there was not a thing to catch and reflect a single ray of the light and thus become visible in the blackness4 ,between the two candles was an upright opening in the wall2 it was of the shape of a coffin4 ,we were seated upon rows of small black caskets resting on the floor in front of the candles4 ,there was hardly a whisper among the visitors4 ,the black-hooded figure passed silently out of view and vanished in the darkness4 ,presently a pale1 greenish-white illumination began to light up the coffin-shaped hole in the wall1 clearly marking its outline against the black4 ,within this space there stood a coffin upright1 in which a pretty young woman1 robed in a white shroud1 fitted snugly4 ,soon it was evident that she was very much alive1 for she smiled and looked at us saucily4 ,but that was not for long4 ,from the depths came a dismal wail3 ,o ,macchabe1 beautiful1 breathing mortal1 pulsating with the warmth and richness of life1 thou art now in the grasp of death6 ,compose thy soul for the end6 ,her face slowly became white and rigid2 her eyes sank2 her lips tightened across her teeth2 her cheeks took on the hollowness of death1-- she was dead4 ,but it did not end with that4 ,from white the face slowly grew livid444 then purplish black4444 ,the eyes visibly shrank into their greenish-yellow sockets4444 ,slowly the hair fell away4444 ,the nose melted away into a purple putrid spot4 ,the whole face became a semi- liquid mass of corruption4 ,presently all this had disappeared1 and a gleaming skull shone where so recently had been the handsome face of a woman2 naked teeth grinned inanely and savagely where rosy lips had so recently smiled4 ,even the shroud had gradually disappeared1 and an entire skeleton stood revealed in the coffin4 ,the wail again rang through the silent vault3 ,ah1 ah1 ,macchabe6 ,thou hast reached the last stage of dissolution1 so dreadful to mortals4 ,the work that follows death is complete4 ,but despair not1 for death is not the end of all4 ,the power is given to those who merit it1 not only to return to life1 but to return in any form and station preferred to the old4 ,so return if thou deservedst and desirest4 ,illustration3 #jbhj ,with a slowness equal to that of the dissolution1 the bones became covered with flesh and cerements1 and all the ghastly steps were reproduced reversed4 ,gradually the sparkle of the eyes began to shine through the gloom2 but when the reformation was completed1 behold6 there was no longer the handsome and smiling young woman1 but the sleek1 rotund body1 ruddy cheeks1 and self-conscious look of a banker4 ,it was not until this touch of comedy relieved the strain that the rigidity with which ,mr4 ,thompkins had sat between us began to relax1 and a smile played over his face1--a bewildered1 but none the less a pleasant1 smile4 ,the prosperous banker stepped forth1 sleek and tangible1 and haughtily strode away before our eyes1 passing through the audience into the darkness4 ,again was the coffin-shaped hole in the wall dark and empty4 ,he of the black gown and pointed hood now emerged through an invisible door1 and asked if there was any one in the audience who desired to pass through the experience that they had just witnessed4 ,this created a suppressed commotion2 each peered into the face of his neighbor to find one with courage sufficient for the ordeal4 ,bishop suggested to ,mr4 ,thompkins in a whisper that he submit himself1 but that gentleman very peremptorily declined4 ,then1 after a pause1 ,bishop stepped forth and announced that he was prepared to die4 ,he was asked solemnly by the doleful person if he was ready to accept all the consequences of his decision4 ,he replied that he was4 ,then he disappeared through the black wall1 and presently appeared in the greenish-white light of the open coffin4 ,there he composed himself as he imagined a corpse ought1 crossed his hands upon his breast1 suffered the white shroud to be drawn about him1 and awaited results1--after he had made a rueful grimace that threw the first gleam of suppressed merriment through the oppressed audience4 ,he passed through all the ghastly stages that the former occupant of the coffin had experienced1 and returned in proper person to life and to his seat beside ,mr4 ,thompkins1 the audience applauding softly4 ,a mysterious figure in black waylaid the crowd as it filed out4 ,he held an inverted skull1 into which we were expected to drop sous through the natural opening there1 and it was with the feeling of relief from a heavy weight that we departed and turned our backs on the green lights at the entrance4 ,what a wonderful contrast6 ,here we were in the free1 wide1 noisy1 brilliant world again4 ,here again were the crowds1 the venders1 saucy grisettes with their bright smiles1 shining teeth1 and alluring glances4 ,here again were the bustling cafs1 the music1 the lights1 the life1 and above all the giant arms of the ,moulin ,rouge sweeping the sky4 ,now1 quietly remarked ,bishop1 having passed through death1 we will explore hell4 ,mr4 ,thompkins seemed too weak1 or unresisting1 or apathetic to protest4 ,his face betrayed a queer mixture of emotions1 part suffering1 part revulsion1 part a sort of desperate eagerness for more4 ,illustration3 #jbhd ,we passed through a large1 hideous1 fanged1 open mouth in an enormous face from which shone eyes of blazing crimson4 ,curiously enough1 it adjoined heaven1 whose cool blue lights contrasted strikingly with the fierce ruddiness of hell4 ,red-hot bars and gratings through which flaming coals gleamed appeared in the walls within the red mouth4 ,a placard announced that should the temperature of this inferno make one thirsty1 innumerable bocks might be had at sixty-five centimes each4 ,a little red imp guarded the throat of the monster into whose mouth we had walked2 he was cutting extraordinary capers1 and made a great show of stirring the fires4 ,the red imp opened the imitation heavy metal door for our passage to the interior1 crying1--,ah1 ah1 ah6 still they come6 ,oh1 how they will roast6 ,then he looked keenly at ,mr4 ,thompkins4 ,it was interesting to note how that gentleman was always singled out by these shrewd students of humanity4 ,this particular one added with great gusto1 as he narrowly studied ,mr4 ,thompkins1 ,hist6 ye infernal whelps2 stir well the coals and heat red the prods1 for this is where we take our revenge on earthly saintliness6 ,enter and be damned1--the ,evil ,one awaits you6 growled a chorus of rough voices as we hesitated before the scene confronting us4 ,near us was suspended a caldron over a fire1 and hopping within it were half a dozen devil musis dans1 male and female1 playing a selection from ,faust on stringed instruments1 while red imps stood by1 prodding with red-hot irons those who lagged in their performance4 ,crevices in the walls of this room ran with streams of molten gold and silver1 and here and there were caverns lit up by smouldering fires from which thick smoke issued1 and vapors emitting the odors of a volcano4 ,flames would suddenly burst from clefts in the rocks1 and thunder rolled through the caverns4 ,red imps were everywhere1 darting about noiselessly1 some carrying beverages for the thirsty lost souls1 others stirring the fires or turning somersaults4 ,everything was in a high state of motion4 ,numerous red tables stood against the fiery walls2 at these sat the visitors4 ,mr4 ,thompkins seated himself at one of them4 ,instantly it became aglow with a mysterious light1 which kept flaring up and disappearing in an erratic fashion2 flames darted from the walls1 fires crackled and roared4 ,one of the imps came to take our order2 it was for three coffees1 black1 with cognac2 and this is how he shrieked the order3 ,three seething bumpers of molten sins1 with a dash of brimstone intensifier6 ,then1 when he had brought it1 ,this will season your intestines1 and render them invulnerable1 for a time at least1 to the tortures of the melted iron that will be soon poured down your throats4 ,the glasses glowed with a phosphorescent light4 ,three francs seventy- five1 please1 not counting me4 ,make it four francs4 ,thank you well4 ,remember that though hell is hot1 there are cold drinks if you want them4 ,presently ,satan himself strode into the cavern1 gorgeous in his imperial robe of red1 decked with blazing jewels1 and brandishing a sword from which fire flashed4 ,his black moustaches were waxed into sharp points1 and turned rakishly upward above lips upon which a sneering grin appeared4 ,thus he leered at the new arrivals in his domain4 ,his appearance lent new zest to the activity of the imps and musicians1 and all cowered under his glance4 ,suddenly he burst into a shrieking laugh that gave one a creepy feeling4 ,it rattled through the cavern with a startling effect as he strode up and down4 ,it was a triumphant1 cruel1 merciless laugh4 ,all at once he paused in front of a demure young ,parisienne seated at a table with her escort1 and1 eying her keenly1 broke into this speech3 ,ah1 you6 ,why do you tremble8 ,how many men have you sent hither to damnation with those beautiful eyes1 those rosy1 tempting lips8 ,ah1 for all that1 you have found a sufficient hell on earth4 ,but you1 he added1 turning fiercely upon her escort1 you will have the finest1 the most exquisite tortures that await the damned4 ,for what8 ,for being a fool4 ,it is folly more than crime that hell punishes1 for crime is a disease and folly a sin4 ,you fool6 ,for thus hanging upon the witching glance and oily words of a woman you have filled all hell with fuel for your roasting4 ,you will suffer such tortures as only the fool invites1 such tortures only as are adequate to punish folly4 ,prepare for the inconceivable1 the unimaginable1 the things that even the king of hell dare not mention lest the whole structure of damnation totter and crumble to dust4 ,the man winced1 and queer wrinkles came into the corners of his mouth4 ,then ,satan happened to discover ,mr4 ,thompkins1 who shrank visibly under the scorching gaze4 ,satan made a low1 mocking bow4 ,you do me great honor1 sir1 he declared1 unctuously4 ,you may have been expecting to avoid me1 but reflect upon what you would have missed6 ,we have many notables here1 and you will have charming society4 ,they do not include pickpockets and thieves1 nor any others of the weak1 stunted1 crippled1 and halting4 ,you will find that most of your companions are distinguished gentlemen of learning and ability1 who1 knowing their duty1 failed to perform it4 ,you will be in excellent company1 sir1 he concluded1 with another low bow4 ,then1 suddenly turning and sweeping the room with a gesture1 he commanded1 ,to the hot room1 all of you6 while he swung his sword1 from which flashes of lightning trailed and thunder rumbled4 ,we were led to the end of a passage1 where a red-hot iron door barred further progress4 ,oh1 oh1 within there6 roared ,satan4 ,open the portal of the hot chamber1 that these fresh arrivals may be introduced to the real temperature of hell6 ,illustration3 #jbij ,after numerous signals and mysterious passes the door swung open1 and we entered4 ,it was not so very hot after all4 ,the chamber resembled the other1 except that a small stage occupied one end4 ,a large green snake crawled out upon this1 and suddenly it was transformed into a red devil with exceedingly long1 thin legs1 encased in tights that were ripped in places4 ,he gave some wonderful contortion feats4 ,a poor little white ,pierrot came on and assisted the red devil in black art performances4 ,by this time we discovered that in spite of the halfmolten condition of the rock-walls1 the room was disagreeably chilly4 ,and that ended our experience in hell4 ,bishop then led us to the closed1 dark front of a house in front of which stood a suspicious-looking man1 who eyed us contemptuously4 ,bishop told him that we should like to enter4 ,the man assented with a growl4 ,he beat upon the door with a stick2 a little wicket opened1 and a villanous face peered out at us4 ,what do you want8 came from it in gruff tones4 ,to enter1 of course1 responded ,bishop4 ,are they1 all right1 do you think8 asked the face of the sentinel4 ,i think they are harmless1 was the answer4 ,several bolts and locks grated1 and the stubborn door opened4 ,enter1 you vile specimens of human folly6 hissed the inside guard as we passed within4 ,d------all three of you6 ,we had no sooner found ourselves inside than this same person1 a short1 stout man1 with long hair and a powerful frame1 and the face of a cutthroat1 struck a table with the heavy stick that he carried1 and roared to us1--,sit down6 ,mr4 ,thompkins involuntarily cowered1 but he gathered himself up and went with us to seats at the nearest table4 ,while we were doing this the habitus of the place greeted us with this song1 sung in chorus3 ,oh1 l l6 c'te gueule-- ,c'te binette4 ,oh1 l l1 c'te gueule1 ,qu'il a4 ,what are they saying8 asked ,mr4 ,thompkins2 but ,bishop spared him by explaining that it was only the latest song4 ,illustration3 #jbid ,the room had a low ceiling crossed by heavy beams4 ,wrought-iron gas lamps gave a gloomy light upon the dark1 time-browned color of the place4 ,the beams were loaded with dust1 cobwebs1 and stains1 the result of years of smoke and accumulation4 ,upon the walls were dozens of drawings by ,steinlen1 illustrating the poems of low life written by the proprietor of the caf2 for we were in the den of the famous ,aristide ,bruant1 the poet of the gutter1--,verlaine had a higher place as the poet of the slums4 ,there were also drawings by ,chret1 ,willett1 and others1 and some clever sketches in oil2 the whole effect was artistic4 ,in one corner was an old fireplace1 rich in carvings of grotesque heads and figures1 grilled iron-work1 and shining copper vessels4 ,the general impression was of a mediaeval gun-room4 ,near the fireplace1 upon a low platform1 was a piano2 grouped about it were four typical ,bohemians of lower ,bohemia2 they wore loads of hair2 their faces had a dissipated look1 their fingers were heavily stained by cigarettes2 they wore beards and nglig black cravats4 ,these were all minor poets1 and they took their turn in singing or reciting their own compositions1 afterwards making a tour of the crowded tables with a tin cup and collecting the sous upon which they lived1 and roundly cursing those who refused to contribute4 ,bishop was so delighted with the pictures on the walls that he proceeded to examine them1 but the bully with the stick thundered1--,sit down6 and shook his bludgeon menacingly4 ,bishop sat down4 ,then the brute swaggered up to us and demanded1--,what the devil do you want to drink1 anyway8 ,speak up quick6 ,when he had brought the drinks he gruffly demanded1 ,pay up6 ,upon receiving the customary tip he frowned1 glared at us with a threatening manner1 and growled1 ,humph6 c'est pas beaucoup6 and swept the money into his pocket4 ,goodness6 this is an awful place6 exclaimed ,mr4 ,thompkins under his breath4 ,he seemed to fear being brained at any moment4 ,retreat had been rendered impossible by the locking of the door4 ,we were prisoners at the will of our jailer1 and so were all the others4 ,the great ,bruant himself sat with a party of congenial ,bohemians at a table near the piano and fireplace2 they were drinking bocks and smoking cigarettes and long-stemmed pipes4 ,on the wall behind them was a rack holding the pipes of the habitus of the caf1 mostly broken and well browned4 ,each pipe was owned by a particular ,bohemian1 and each had its special place in the rack4 ,the other tables held a general assortment of lesser ,bohemians and sight-seers1 all cowed and silent under the domination of the bawling ruffian with the stick4 ,whenever he smiled 7which was rare1 a perpetual frown having creased a deep furrow between his eyes7 they smiled also1 in great relief1 and hung upon every word that his occasional lapses into an approach to good nature permitted him to utter4 ,the poets and singers howled their productions in rasping voices1 and put a strain upon the strength of the piano2 and the minor ,bohemians applauded them heartily and envied them their distinction4 ,in the midst of this performance there came a knock upon the door4 ,the bully walked up to the wicket1 peered out1 and admitted an elderly gentleman1 accompanied by a lady1 evidently his wife4 ,these the habitus greeted with the following song3 ,tout les clients sont des cochons-- ,la faridon1 la faridon donne4 ,et surtout les ceux qui s'en vont-- ,la faridon1 la faridon donne4 ,the gentleman1 somewhat abashed by this reception1 hesitated a moment1 then sought seats4 ,the two had hardly seated themselves when the burly ruffian with the stick began to recite a villanous poem reflecting upon the chastity of married women1 emphasizing it with atrocious side remarks4 ,the gentleman sprang from his seat in a rage and advanced threateningly upon the brute1 who stood leering at him and taking a firmer hold upon his stick2 but the visitor's wife caught the outraged man by the arm and restrained him4 ,a wordy war ensued 7for the gentleman was a ,frenchman71 in which the choicest argot of ,montmartre and ,la ,villette was exhausted by the ruffian4 ,he closed by shouting1--,you were not invited to enter here4 ,you asked the privilege of entering2 your wish was granted4 ,if you don't like it here1 get out6 ,the gentleman flung down a franc upon the table1 the bolts were withdrawn1 and he and his wife passed out while the roysterers sang1-- ,tout les clients sont des cochons1 etc41 amid the laughter of the smaller ,bohemians4 ,aristide ,bruant now rose from his table and strode to the centre of the room4 ,a perfect silence fell4 ,he is rather a small man1 slender1 and of delicate build2 he has a thin1 sallow face1 with piercing black eyes1 prominent cheek-bones1 and long raven-black hair falling over his shoulders from beneath a broad black slouch hat down over his eyes4 ,his unbuttoned coat showed a red flannel shirt open at the throat2 a broad sash was about his waist2 his trousers were tucked into top-boots1--the ensemble reminding one of ,buffalo ,bill4 ,he glared sullenly round upon the people1 and then sprang lightly upon a table4 ,from that perch he recited one of his poems1 selected from his book of songs and monologues4 ,it does not bear reproduction here4 ,for that matter1 being written in the argot of ,montmartre1 it could hardly be understood even by ,french scholars unfamiliar with ,montmartre4 ,happily ,mr4 ,thompkins understood not a word of it1 smiling perfunctorily out of politeness while ,bruant was uttering things that might have shocked the most hardened ,parisians4 ,there were several young women present1 and while ,bruant was reciting they ogled him with genuine adoration4 ,the other poets hung reverently upon his every word4 ,a mighty burst of applause greeted the finish of the recitation2 but ,bruant slouched indifferently to his seat1 ignoring the ovation4 ,the bully with the stick immediately stopped the noise by yelling1 ,silence6 ,this he followed up with the contribution-cup for the benefit of the idol of ,montmartre4 ,with the cup he brought the volume of ,bruant's poems from which he had given the recitation1--a cheaply printed pamphlet4 ,no one dared refuse to buy1 and no change was returned4 ,was not this the great ,aristide ,bruant1 the immortal of ,montmartre8 ,illustration3 #jcjj ,he was followed by other poets with songs and the banging of the piano4 ,we presently rose to leave1 but the bully shouted1--,sit down6 ,how dare you insult the young poet who is now singing8 ,we submissively resumed our seats4 ,after a while1 in a lull1 we respectfully rose again1 and the bully1 shouting1 ,get out6 unbarred the door and we were free4 ,mr4 ,thompkins was more deeply puzzled than he had been before that night4 ,he could not understand that such a resort1 where one is bullied and insulted1 could secure patronage4 ,but this is ,paris1 ,mr4 ,thompkins1 explained ,bishop1 somewhat vaguely2 and this particular part of ,paris is ,montmartre4 ,midnight was now close at hand1 but ,montmartre was in the height of its gayety4 ,students1 ,bohemians1 and cocottes were skipping and singing along the boulevard1--singing the songs of ,bruant4 ,the cafs were crowded1 the theatres and concert halls only in the middle of their programmes4 ,cabs were dashing about1 some stopping at the ,moulin ,rouge1 others at the ,elyse ,montmartre1 still others picking up fares for more distant attractions4 ,bishop halted in front of a quiet-looking house with curtained windows1 and bluntly asked ,mr4 ,thompkins if he would like to go to church4 ,mr4 ,thompkins caught his breath1 and an odd1 guilty look came into his face4 ,but before he could make reply ,bishop was leading the way within4 ,the interior of the place certainly looked like a church1--it was fitted to have that significance4 ,the cold1 gray stone walls rose to a vaulted ,gothic ceiling2 ,gothic pillars and arches and carved wood completed the architectural effect2 statues of saints appeared in niches1 some surmounted by halos of lighted candles2 and there were banners bearing scriptural mottoes4 ,illustration3 #icjc ,the heavy oaken tables on the floor were provided with stiff1 high- backed pulpit-chairs1 beautiful in color and carving1 and of a ,gothic type1 the whole scene suggesting a transept of ,notre-,dame4 ,mr4 ,thomp- kins had reverently removed his hat4 ,it was not long afterward that he quietly replaced it on his head4 ,no notice was taken by us of these movements4 ,at the farther end1 where the church altar belonged1 was indeed a handsomely carved altar4 ,above it sprang a graceful arch1 bearing a canopy beautifully painted in blue1 with yellow stars4 ,in the centre was a painting of ,christ upon the cross4 ,the altar was the bar1 or caisse1 of this queer caf1 and behind it sat the proprietress1 quietly knitting and waiting to fill orders for drinks4 ,the walls of the caf were almost entirely covered with framed drawings by ,rodel2 all were portraits of well-known ,bohemians of ,montmartre in characteristic attitudes1--the star patrons of this rendezvous4 ,many women figured among them1 all ,bohemian to the bone4 ,illustration3 #jcjd ,this was the ,caf du ,conservatoire1 famous for its celebrities1 the poets of ,bohemian ,paris1 among whom ,marcel ,legay is eminent4 ,it was evident that the habitus of the ,conservatoire were of a much higher order than those whom we had seen elsewhere4 ,illustration3 #hcjf ,they looked more prosperous1 were more amiable1 and acted more as other people4 ,true1 there was much long hair1 for that is a disease hard to shake off2 but when it did occur1 it was well combed and oiled4 ,and there were many flat-brimmed plug hats1 as well as collars1--clean ones1 too1 an exceptional thing in ,bohemia1 laundering being expensive4 ,but the poverty-haunted ,bohemians in the ,soleil d',or are more picturesque4 ,that1 however1 is in the ,latin ,quarter3 anything exceptional may be expected at ,montmartre4 ,when we had finished our coffee we approached the patronne behind the bar1 and bought billets for the ,salle des ,potes at two francs each4 ,this was a large room crowded with enraptured listeners to ,legay1 who was at that moment rendering his song4 ,,les ,,cloches4 ,les cloches ,catholiques1 ,du haut de leur beffroi1 ,voyaient avec effroi ,la rsurrection des ,grandes ,rpubliques4 ,les cloches rvaient1 ,en quatre-vingt onze1 ,les cloches de bronze ,rvaient4 ,legay had quite a distinguished appearance as he stood singing before the piano4 ,he wore a generously cut frock-coat1 and his waistcoat exposed a spacious show of white shirt-front4 ,illustration3 #icjg ,his long hair was carefully brushed back1 his moustaches neatly waxed2 altogether he was dainty and jaunty1 and the ladies in the room made no concealment of their adoration4 ,the accompanist was a picturesque character4 ,he was forty-five or fifty years of age2 he had long white hair and a drooping moustache1 and his heavy protruding eyes were suffused with tears evoked by the pathos of the song4 ,while he gazed up into the singer's face with tear-filled eyes he was in another life1 another world1 where there was nothing but music and poetry unalloyed to constitute his heaven4 ,for ,legay sang charmingly1 with an art and a feeling that were never obtrusive2 and his audience was aesthetic4 ,when he had finished he was cheered without stint1 and he clearly showed how much the attention pleased him4 ,illustration3 #hcjh ,his song was only one of the numbers on a very interesting programme4 ,this was the training school of the young poets and song-writers of upper ,bohemia2 this was where they made their dbut and met the test of that discriminating criticism which decided them to advance upon the world or conceal themselves for yet a while from its cruel glare2 and were they not but repeating the ordeal of the ancient ,greeks1 out of which so many noble things passed into literature8 ,these critics were as frank with their disapproval as generous with their acceptance4 ,among those who sang were ,gustave ,corbet1 ,marius ,geffroy1 ,eugene ,lemercier1 ,xavier ,privas1 ,delarbre1 and ,henri ,brallet1 men as yet unknown1 but likely to make a mark under the training1 inspiration1 and severe checks of the ,caf du ,conservatoire4 ,one of the goals for which these writers strive1 and one that1 if they win it1 means to them recognition1 is to have their poems published in ,gil ,blas1 with illustrations by the peerless ,steinlen1 as are the works of ,legay1 and also of ,bruant1 le ,terrible4 ,marcel ,legay is a familiar figure on the boulevards1 where his dainty person is often seen after nightfall1 hurrying to one or another of his haunts1 with a small roll of music under his arm1 and his fluffy hair streaming over his shoulders4 ,on certain nights of every week he sings over in the ,latin ,quarter1 at the ,cabaret des ,noctambules1 ,rue ,champollion1 near the ,chapel of the ,sorbonne4 ,the other singers that night at the ,caf du ,conservatoire each affected his peculiar style of habit1 gesture1 and pose that he deemed most fetching4 ,the entire programme was of songs3 hence the name1 ,caf du ,conservatoire4 ,after we had deft1 ,bishop bought some ,brevas cigars2 thus fortified1 we headed for the ,moulin ,rouge4 ,it was evident that ,mr4 ,thompkins had reserved his enthusiasm for the great dance-hall of ,montmartre1--,le ,moulin ,rouge1--with its women of the half world1 its giddiness1 its glare1 its noise1 its naughtiness4 ,illustration3 #jcaj ,here at last we should find all absence of restraint1 posing1 sordidness1 self-consciousness1 and appeals to abnormal appetites4 ,mr4 ,thompkins visibly brightened as we ascended the incline of the entrance and came within the influence of the life and abandon of the place4 ,indeed1 it must have seemed like fairy-land to him4 ,the soft glow of hundreds of lights fell upon the crowds in the ball-room and balconies1 with their shifting streams of color from the moving figures of dancing women in showy gowns and saucy hats1 and its many chatting1 laughing1 joyous groups at the tables along the passage and the balconies1 enjoying merry little suppers and varied consommations that kept scores of garons continually on the move4 ,a placard announced ,american ,bar2 ,american and ,english ,drinks--as bald and unashamed as that4 ,here on high stools1 ,american free-lunch fashion1 ranged along the bar1 were ,english and ,american tourists and ,french dandies sipping ,manhattan cocktails with a cherry1 brandy-and-soda1 ,tom-and-,jerry1 and the rest4 ,along the walls hung vivid paintings of some of the famous dancing-girls of the ,moulin1 their saucy faces half hidden in clouds of lacy white skirts4 ,high up on a pretty balcony at the end of the huge ball-room were the musicians1 enjoying their cigarettes and bocks between pieces4 ,a small stage occupied the opposite end of the room1 where a light vaudeville performance had been given2 but that was all over now1 and attention centred in the tables and the dancing4 ,the ,moulin ,rouge resembles very much the ,bul-lier2 but at the ,moulin the cocottes are much more dashing and gaudy than over in the ,quartier1 because the inspector at the door of the ,moulin maintains a more exacting standard on the score of the toilettes of the women whom he admits free of charge4 ,women1 women1 women6 ,there seemed no end of them2 and each was arrayed to the full limit of her means4 ,and there were ,french dandies in long-white melton coats that were very tight at the waist1 and that bore large brown-velvet collars2 their hair1 parted behind1 was brushed toward their ears2 they strolled about the place in numbers1 twirling their moustaches and ogling the girls4 ,and there were ,french army officers1 ,martinique negroes1 longhaired students and ,montmartre poets1 artists1 actors1 and many three-days-in-,paris ,english tourists wearing knickerbockers and golf-caps1 and always smoking bulldog pipes4 ,there were also two parties of ,american men with their wives and daughters1 and they enjoyed the spectacle with the natural fulness and responsiveness of their soil4 ,for the ,moulin is really now but a great show place2 it has been discovered by the outside world1 and1 unlike the other quaint places mentioned in this paper1 has suffered the change that such contact inevitably imparts4 ,it is no longer the queer old ,moulin1 genuinely1 spontaneously ,bohemian4 ,but the stranger would hardly realize that2 and so to ,mr4 ,thompkins it seemed the brilliant and showy side of ,bohemian ,paris4 ,by reason of its change in character it has less interest than the real ,bohemian ,paris that the real ,bohemians know1 enjoy1 and jealously guard4 ,many light-footed young women were amusing circles of on-lookers with spirited dancing and reckless high-kicking2 and1 being adepts in their peculiar art1 were so flashing and illusory that an attempt to analyze their movements brought only bewilderment4 ,no bones seemed to hamper their swiftness and elasticity4 ,the flash of a black stocking would instantly dissolve into a fleecy cloud of lace1 and the whirling air was a cyclone2 and there upon the floor sat the dancer in the split1 looking up with a merry laugh1 flushed cheeks1 and sparkling eyes1 twinkling from the shadow of a twisted toque2 then over her would sweep a whirlwind of other dancers1 and identities would become inextricably confused4 ,an odd-looking man1 with a sad face and marvellously long1 thin legs in tights1 did incredible things with those members2 he was merely a long spring without bones1 joints1 or hinges4 ,his cadaverous face and glittering black eyes1 above which rose a top-hat that never moved from place1 completed the oddity of his appearance4 ,he is always there in the thickest of the dancing1 and his salary is three francs a night4 ,we suddenly discovered ,mr4 ,thompkins in a most embarrassing situation4 ,a bewitching chemical blonde of the clinging type had discovered and appropriated him2 she melted all over him1 and poured a stream of bad ,english into his ear4 ,she was so very1 very thirsty1 she pleaded1 and ,monsieur was so charming1 so much a gentleman1--he was beautiful1 too4 ,oh1 ,monsieur would not be so unkind as to remove the soft1 plump arm from round his neck1--surely it did not hurt ,monsieur1 for was it not warm and plump1 and was not that a pretty dimple in the elbow1 and another even prettier in the shoulder8 ,if ,monsieur were not so charming and gracious the ladies would never1 never fall in love with him like this4 ,and oh1 ,monsieur1 the place was so warm1 and dancing makes one so thirsty6 ,mr4 ,thompkins's face was a picture of shame and despair1 and ,i have never seen a more comical expression than that with which he looked appealingly to us for help4 ,suppose some one in the hall should happen to recognize him6 ,of course there was only one thing to do4 ,mademoiselle ,blanche's thirst was of that awful kind which only shipwrecked sailors1 travellers lost in a desert1 and caf dancing-girls can understand4 ,and so four glasses of beer were ordered4 ,it was beautiful to see the grace and celerity with which ,mademoiselle ,blanche disposed of hers1 the passionate eagerness with which she pressed a long kiss upon ,mr4 ,thompkins's unwilling lips1 and the promptness with which she then picked up his glass1 drained it while she looked at him mischievously over the rim1 kissed him again1 and fled4 ,mr4 ,thompkins sat speechless1 his face blazing1 his whole expression indescribably foolish4 ,he vigorously wiped his lips with his handkerchief1 and was not himself again for half an hour4 ,innumerable bright little comedies were unconsciously played in all parts of the room1 and they were even more interesting than the antics of the dancers4 ,we presently strolled into the garden of the ,moulin1 where a performance is given in the summer4 ,there stood a great white sheet-iron elephant1 remindful of ,coney ,island4 ,in one of the legs was a small door1 from which a winding stair led into the body of the beast4 ,the entrance fee was fifty centimes1 the ticket-office at the top of the stair4 ,it was a small room inside the elephant1 and there was a small stage in the end of it1 upon which three young women were exercising their abdominal muscles in the danse du ventre4 ,mr4 ,thompkins1 dismayed at this1 would have fled had not ,bishop captured him and hauled him back to a conspicuous seat1 where the dancing-girls1 quickly finding him1 proceeded to make their work as extravagant as possible1 throwing him wicked glances meanwhile1 and manifestly enjoying his embarrassment4 ,of course the dancers came round presently for offerings of sous4 ,we returned to the dance-hall1 for it was now closing-up time1 and in order to feel a touch of kinship with ,america1 drank a gin fizz at the ,american bar1 though it seemed to be a novelty to ,mr4 ,thompkins4 ,the streets were alive with the revellers who had been turned out by the closing of the cafs1 dancehalls1 and theatres1 and the cries of cabbies rose above the din of laughter and chatter among the crowds4 ,but the night was not yet quite finished4 ,said ,bishop1--,we shall now have coffee at the ,red ,ass4 ,that was below the ,place ,pigalle1 quite a walk down to the ,rue de ,maubeuge1 through that suddenly quiet centre of artists' studios and dignified residences4 ,at last we reached ,l'ne ,rouage1--the ,red ,ass4 ,it has a small and unassuming front1 except that the window-panes are profusely decorated with painted flowers and figures1 and a red ass peers down over the narrow door4 ,l'ne ,rouge has no special distinction1 save its artistic interior and the fanciful sketches on its walls4 ,it is furnished with heavy dark tables and chairs1 and iron grilled into beautiful scrolls and chandeliers1--like the famous ,chat ,noir1 near by4 ,in fact1 ,l'ne ,rouge resembles an old curiosity shop more than anything else1 for it is filled with all imaginable kinds of antiques1 blackened by age and smoke1 and in perfect harmony4 ,it1 too1 has its particular clientle of ,bohemians1 who come to puff their long pipes that hang in racks1 and recount their hopes1 aspirations1 achievements1 and failures1 occasionally breaking into song4 ,for this they bring forth their mandolins and guitars1 and sing sentimental ditties of their own composition4 ,there is a charming air of chez soi at the ,red ,ass2 a spirit of good-fellowship pervades it2 and then1 the caf is small1 cosey1 and comfortable1 as well as artistic4 ,illustration3 #jcah ,it was in a lively commotion when we crossed the threshold1 the place being filled with littrateurs of the quarter4 ,a celebration was in progress1--one of their number had just succeeded in finding a publisher for two volumes of his poetry4 ,it was a notable event1 and the lucky ,bohemian1 flushed with money1 had settled his debts and was now treating his friends4 ,although we were strangers to him1 he cordially invited us to share the hospitality of the occasion1 and there was great applause when ,bishop presented him with a ,brevas cigar4 ,bravo1 les ,anglais6 ,ce sont des bons types1 ceux-l6 and then they sang in chorus1 a happy1 careless1 jolly crowd4 ,there was a small1 thin young sketch artist making crayon portraits of the successful poet and selling them to the poet's friends for fifty centimes apiece1--with the poet's autograph1 too4 ,in response to a call for une chanson ,anglaise1 ,bishop sang ,down on the ,farm as he had never sung it before1 his shining top-hat pushed back upon his curly hair1 his jovial face beaming4 ,at its conclusion he proposed a toast to the successful poet1 and it was drunk standing and with a mighty shout4 ,we looked in at the ,cabaret des ,quat'z' ,arts1--a bright and showy place1 but hardly more suggestive of student ,bohemianism than the other fine cafs of the boulevards4 ,and thus ended a night on ,montmartre4 ,we left ,mr4 ,thompkins at his hotel4 ,i think he was more than satisfied1 but he was too bewildered and tired to say much about it4 ,montmartre presents the extravagant side of ,parisian ,bohemianism4 ,if there is a thing to be mocked1 a convention to be outraged1 an idol to be destroyed1 ,montmartre will find the way4 ,but it has a taint of sordidness that the real ,bohemianism of the old ,latin ,quarter lacks1--for it is not the ,bohemianism of the students4 ,and it is vulgar4 ,for all that1 in its rude1 reckless1 and brazen way it is singularly picturesque4 ,it is not likely that ,mr4 ,thompkins will say much about it when he goes home1 but he will be able to say a great deal in a general way about the harm of ridiculing sacred things and turning reverence into a laugh4 ,illustration3 #jcba ,,moving ,,in ,,the ,,quartier ,,latin ,,the ,quartier ,latin takes on unwonted life about the fifteenth of ,july1 when the artists and students change their places of abode under the resistless pressure of a nomadic spirit4 ,illustration3 #hcbb ,studios are generally taken for terms ranging from three months to a year1 and the terms generally expire in ,july4 ,the artists who do not change their residence then go into the country1 and that means moving their effects4 ,it is a familiar fact that artists do not generally occupy a high position in the financial world4 ,consequently they are a very practical lot1 attending to their own domestic duties 7including washing when times are hard71 and doing their own moving when ,july comes2 but this is not a very elaborate undertaking1 the worse of them for that4 ,one day in ,july ,bishop and ,i sat in our window overlooking the court1 and observed the comedy of a ,a ,,student ,,moving ,no one thinks student in the throes of moving4 ,the old building at the end of our court was a favorite abiding-place for artists4 ,evidently1 on this day1 a young artist or art student was en dmnagement1 for his household goods were being dragged down the stairs and piled in the court preparatory to a journey in a small hand-cart standing by4 ,he was cheerfully assisted by a number of his friends and his devoted companion1 a pretty little grisette4 ,there were eight of them in all1 and their laughter and shouts indicated the royal fun they were having4 ,the cart was one of those voitures bras that are kept for hire at a neighboring location de voitures bras at six sous an hour4 ,in order to get locomotion out of it you have to hitch yourself in the harness that accompanies it1 and pull the vehicle yourself2 and that is no end of fun1 because your friends are helping and singing all the way4 ,into this vehicle they placed a rickety old divan and a very much dilapidated mattress2 then came half a sack of coal1 a tiny1 rusty1 round studio stove with interminable yards of battered and soot-filled pipe1 a pine table1 two rush-bottomed chairs1 and a big box filled with clattering dishes1 kettles1 pots1 and pans4 ,on top of this came a thick roll of dusty1 faded1 threadbare hangings and rugs1 and the meagre wardrobes of the artist and the grisette2 then a number of hat-boxes1 after which ,mademoiselle looked with great solicitude4 ,last of all came bulky portfolios filled with the artist's work1 a large number of canvases that were mostly studies of ,mademoiselle au naturel1 with such accessories as easel1 paint-boxes1 and the like1 and the linen and bedding4 ,the fat old concierge stood grumbling near by1 for the ropes were being tied over the load1 and she was anxiously waiting for her dernier adieu1 or parting tip1 that it is the custom to give upon surrendering the key4 ,but tips are sometimes hard to give1 and ,bohemian etiquette does not regard them with general favor4 ,after the load had been made snug1 the artist approached the concierge1 doffed his cap1 bowed low1 and then in a most impressively ceremonious manner handed her the key1 avowed that it broke his heart to leave her1 and commended her to ,god4 ,that was all4 ,there seems to be a special providence attending upon the vocabulary of concierges in their hour of need4 ,the shrill1 condemnatory1 interminable vocalization of this concierge's wrath indicated specific abilities of exceptional power4 ,but the artist paid no attention4 ,he hung his coat and plug hat on the inverted table-leg1 got between the shafts1 hitched himself in the harness1 and sailed out of the court1 his friends swarming around and assisting him to drag the toppling cart away4 ,and this they did with a mighty will1 yelling and singing with a vigor that wholly obliterated the concierge's noise4 ,the little grisette closed the procession1 bearing in one hand a lamp and in the other a fragile bust4 ,and so the merry party started1 possibly for the other end of ,paris1--the greater the distance the more the fun4 ,they all knew that when the voiture had been unloaded and all had fallen to and assisted the young couple in straightening out their new home1 there would be a jolly celebration in the nearest caf at the moving artist's expense4 ,so the start was made fairly and smoothly2 but the enthusiasm of the crowd was so high and the little vehicle was so top-heavy1 that at the end of the passage the comedy seemed about to merge into a tragedy4 ,it was announced to all the court in the shrill voice of the concierge1 who exultingly screamed1--,the stove has fallen out6 and the coal6 ,the things are falling all over the street6 ,oh1 you villain6 ,to the movers themselves it was merely an incident that added to the fun and zest of the enterprise4 ,illustration3 #jcbf ,my plans carried me to ,concarneau1 and ,bishop's took him to ,italy1 where ,i would join him after a while4 ,and a royal time we had in our several ways4 ,the autumn found us fresh and eager for our studies in ,paris again1 and so we returned to hunt a studio and establish ourselves in new quarters4 ,we had stored our goods with a kind ,american friend2 and as we had neither the desire nor the financial ability to violate the traditions of the ,quartier1 we greatly scandalized him and his charming family by appearing one day with a crowd of students and a voiture bras before his house and taking our effects away in the traditional fashion4 ,of course our friend would have gladly paid for the transport of our belongings in a more respectable fashion2 but where would have been the fun in that8 ,i am pleased to say that with true ,american adaptiveness he joined the singing and yelling crowd1 and danced a jig to our playing in our new quarters after a generous brew of punch had done its share in the jollity of the event4 ,illustration3 #jcbh ,ah1 dear old ,paris6 wonderful1 bewildering ,paris6 alluring1 enchanting ,paris6 ,our student years are now just ended1 and ,paris is already so crowded with workers who cannot bear to leave it that we must seek our fortune in other and duller parts of the world4 ,but ,paris has ineradicably impressed itself upon us4 ,we have lived its life2 we have been a part of its throbbing1 working1 achieving individuality4 ,what we take away will be of imperishable value1 the salt and leaven of our hopes and efforts forever4 ,,the ,,end