PARIS TYPES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2471, 24 July 1901, Page 71

PARIS TYPES.

(Ft. C. Peixotto, in the Connop. litan.)

In the earliest morning hours, even be fore the first giay dawn, through the city gates of Paris come long lines of huge twowheeled carts, heaped high with vegetables an I drawn by great dappled Percheron stE-llions ; w ith them are mingled covered w-aggons loaded with butter. es;g o . cheese, and fruits. All tbefe vehicles make for a single focal point, the Halies- Centrale? — tli3 central -market of Paris situated in the very heart of the city. The sheet surroiiding this group of mammoth glass-roofed buildings soon become a toilmg mass of human beings, shouting, swearing at one another and at their noises, but finally arianging their wares in the market stalls. The heavy carrying is done by the strong mer. — les porteurs dcs halle? — and any of these big fellows can easily take three or four hundred pounds upon his back. Below the ground, the eggs, butter, and cheese are soited in celling three stoieys deep. These underground rooms were formerly lighted by flaring torches, but now the warm light and long sh idow s are rt-j-.1-iced by the coM shimmei of the electric lijrht. At 4 p m a great aucuon is held. Things are sold wholesale a Ju erie: — the bidding in teims undertsood only by the

market folk themselves. Apparent babel reigns. The market is like a great throbbing heart. As day breaks, it begins to relieve its feverish pulsations by throwing out into the main arteries of the city a multitude of vendors pushing light go-carts, loaded with what chanced to be the purchase of the day— rarely more than single article, and plainly marked at so many sous a demijjjlo—carts of asparagus, of artichokes ; strawberries, brilliant red on a green bed of leaves ; precious peaches or bright little Fiench carrots — all arranged with the greatest care and nicety. And in summer, if the day be warm, you will see the women wear great cabbage leaves upon their heads — a charming sight, I assure you. for you have no idea how attractive the strong i'aces look under the ample green shades. You will also see the flower carts, laden with lilacs in the season, or daffodils before the lilac comes ; and women carrying upon their backs tell baskets filled with soft forget-me-nots or little pots of saucyfaced pansies. -Now the cries al Paris begiu to fill the air, and wake the tardy sleepers. What a variety, and what music in the time-honoured notes! The deepvoiced "marchand tonneaux," the shrill '•'merlan a frire" — "maquereau tout frais, the melodious "mouron pour les puts oiseaux," or "a la creme, fromage a la crome," blend their notes with the clear toites of the goatherd's pipe. . . • . In the Luxembourg after 4 o'clock, and at the cafes on the "Boul' Mich'," we shall see crowds of the students whose presence adds so much life to Paris. The character of these fellows is altogether too complex for us to deal with heie, and we _ must content ourselves with a look at their inteiesting outward -aspect — as at a gallery of portraits— types well worth the brush of Vandyke. We see young men in widerimmed "soft black hats, with handsome, clear-cut faces, often wearing a youthful pointed beard, and dark masses of hair rolling down over the back of the neck. About then collars are tied wide black stocks or soft, looselyknotted bovrh-. Long capes, usually with velvet collars, hang from the shoulders or are draped in ample folds ofter the fashion of an Italian brigand. The costume is completed by excessively wide trousers of velveteen — black or brown — which are cut to bind the ankle closely. The student rarely crosses the but on ths boulevards we shall meet another Paris type whose pose is as studied and whose costume is calculated to attract as much attention. The btmlevardier takes his aimless promenade after 5 o'clock. He walks slowly, casting his glances on the pretty -girls he meets. His^ gfeyle is modelled on that of a beau of the Second 'Empire. He years military moustaches and a goatee. His slender figure is tightly encased in a black redingote, the buttonhole of which is -ornamented with a flower or the red rib--bon of th« Legion of Honour. White spats .lend an effective note between his pearl grey trousers and patent leather shoes. He 6U'ps now and then to consult (he theatrical advertisements pasted upon the cylindrical bulletin boards, or to look at the latest cartoon in the comic weeklies displayed in the little newspaper kiosks. These Fatter institutions, with their bright affiches, lend much colour to the boulevards. I am cure, too, that one would be conscious of the number and variety of tl c uniforms to be seen on the Paris streets. Aside from the soldiers, whose uniforms are most varied, and who of course are encountered in great numbers, there are the blue coats and cocked hats of the bank messengers, the bright silver buttons of the telegraph boys, the shining casques and orange lacings of the municipal guaid, and the'bra&smounted helmets of the firemen.