. Bohemian Paris of to-day . oua^ht three bio- canes as souvenirsfor friends, besides a bicycle lamp, a mammoth pipe,and other things. A hungry-looking sketch artistwho presented himself was engaged on the spot toexecute Mr. Pugsons portrait, which he made soflattering as to receive five francs instead of one,his price. At a neighboring table occupied by a group ofstudents was Bi-Bi-dans-la-Puree, one of the mostfamous characters of the Quartier and hilarious laughter the students were havingfun with Bi-Bi by pouring the contents of their soup-plates and drinking-glasses down h
. Bohemian Paris of to-day . oua^ht three bio- canes as souvenirsfor friends, besides a bicycle lamp, a mammoth pipe,and other things. A hungry-looking sketch artistwho presented himself was engaged on the spot toexecute Mr. Pugsons portrait, which he made soflattering as to receive five francs instead of one,his price. At a neighboring table occupied by a group ofstudents was Bi-Bi-dans-la-Puree, one of the mostfamous characters of the Quartier and hilarious laughter the students were havingfun with Bi-Bi by pouring the contents of their soup-plates and drinking-glasses down his back and uponhis sparsely covered head ; but what made themlaugh more was Bi-Bis wonderful skill in pullinggrotesque faces. In that line he was an artist. Hiscavernous eyes and large, loose mouth did marvel-lous things, from the ridiculous to the terrible ; and 136 LE BOUL MICH he could literally laugh from ear to ear. Poor Bi-Bi-dans-la-Puree! He had been a constant com-panion of the great Verlaine, but was that no more,. HAVING FUN WITH BI-BI-DANS-LA-PURfeE since Verlaine had died and left him utterly may see him any day wandering aimlessly aboutthe Ouartier, wholly oblivious to the world abouthim, and dreaming doubtless of the great dead poetof the slums, who had loved him. Here comes old Madame Carrot, a weazened littlehunchback, anywhere between sixty and a hundredyears of age. She is nearly blind, and her tatteredclothes hang in strips from her wreck of a form. Afew thin strands of gray hair are all that cover herhead. Bon soir, Mere Carrot! ma petite mignonne,viens done quon tembrasse! Ou sont tes ailes? andother mocking jests greet her as she creeps amongthe tables. But Mere Carrot scorns to beg: shewould earn her money. Look ! With a shadowy 137 BOHEMIAN PARIS remnant of grace she picks up the hem of her raggedskirt, and with a heart-breaking smile that disclosesher toothless gums, she skips about in a dance thatsends her audience into shrieks of laughter,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidbohemianpari, bookyear1900
