Brian Moore
Moderator
While waiting patiently as my descendants and their mother hungrily oggled the wares of a Latin Quarter chocolatier, I became aware of a commotion behind me. Turning toward the din, I briefly witnessed the ending moments of a tug-o-war. The contestant on one end of a handbag was a rather tall and elegant blonde lady in a long yellow dress whom moments earlier I had noticed dining at a table streetside with a disheveled gentleman not nearly so deserving of such fine specimen of the feminine gender. Tugging mightily on the other end of the same handbag struggled her opponent, who at first glance seemed a waif, but upon more accurate focus of my eyeballs was revealed to be a young woman, not tall, but swarthy and compactly-built. A would-be thief, I quickly surmised.
To her great credit, and my utter devotion henceforward, the tall, elegant woman in yellow won the battle, retaining her handbag and all it contents, and proving the benefits of diligence and readiness at all times.
It all happened in a flash, but not so quickly that justice could not be summarily dispensed.
Note, if you will, a gentleman in dark apparel near the center of the image striding purposefully toward the camera. He is an official of the restaurant in which the elegant lady in yellow dined. A manager, I would say. Note also, just left of him in a white top and dark pantaloons, a smaller individual, back to, and striding away from, the camera. This was the would-be thief.
Moments before I snapped the shot, the gentleman in dark clothing had briefly apprehended the thief by grasping in his left fist a portion of her thick hair and then with his right hand had dispensed a mighty wallop to the side of the criminal's face. She took this as an affront and became outraged, tossing a chair into the street and bellowing obscenities for the next several moments while escaping along the street with an accomplice. She had the lungs of opera singer I can tell you, and the acoustics at this location were wonderful!
I got another couple of pictures of the mayhem but they are out of focus as I shot in haste and with a manual camera (my trusty old Canon F1). No time to focus or adjust exposure. This was the only decent image. Three days in Paris, three criminal events witnessed. What a town! We can't wait to get back.
To her great credit, and my utter devotion henceforward, the tall, elegant woman in yellow won the battle, retaining her handbag and all it contents, and proving the benefits of diligence and readiness at all times.
It all happened in a flash, but not so quickly that justice could not be summarily dispensed.
Note, if you will, a gentleman in dark apparel near the center of the image striding purposefully toward the camera. He is an official of the restaurant in which the elegant lady in yellow dined. A manager, I would say. Note also, just left of him in a white top and dark pantaloons, a smaller individual, back to, and striding away from, the camera. This was the would-be thief.
Moments before I snapped the shot, the gentleman in dark clothing had briefly apprehended the thief by grasping in his left fist a portion of her thick hair and then with his right hand had dispensed a mighty wallop to the side of the criminal's face. She took this as an affront and became outraged, tossing a chair into the street and bellowing obscenities for the next several moments while escaping along the street with an accomplice. She had the lungs of opera singer I can tell you, and the acoustics at this location were wonderful!
I got another couple of pictures of the mayhem but they are out of focus as I shot in haste and with a manual camera (my trusty old Canon F1). No time to focus or adjust exposure. This was the only decent image. Three days in Paris, three criminal events witnessed. What a town! We can't wait to get back.
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