Questions About O. Henry's TRACKED TO DEATH (2)

1. "A myriad of lamps that line the Champs Elysées and the Rouge et Noir, cast their reflection in the dark waters of the Seine as it flows gloomily past the Place Vendome and the black walls of the Convent Notadam." --- O. Henry Tracked to Doom

"Rouge et Noir" is the name of a book. Does it refer to a street here? I don't do French.2. "A garçon is selling absinthe to such of the motley crowd as have a few sous, dealing it out in niggardly portions in broken teacups."--- O. Henry Tracked to Doom

Here, does "have a few sous" mean that they have much money or little money, or not too much? In the later part, it is said that "'Hist!' suddenly says Chamounix the rag-picker, who is worth 20,000,000 francs, 'some one comes!'" It seem that they or some of them are really rich. Then how to paraphrase "a few sous" ? I don't do French. A few sous isn't much money.
3. "He went to the bar, laid his card on the counter, bought a drink of absinthe, and then drawing from his pocket a little mirror, set it up on the counter and proceeded to don a false beard and hair and paint his face into wrinkles, until he closely resembled an old man seventy-one years of age."--- O. Henry Tracked to Doom

What's the card here? Identity card? Why did he lay the card on the counter? Could be ID card, could be a calling card. I can't tell from the context and I'm not sure ID cards were routinely carried at the time O. Henry was writing.
4. Does "Holy Saint Bridget!" have the similar meaning to "Oh, my God!"? Yes.

Literal translation is red and black. I do not know if it refers to a street, a building a town square or something else.


very little money. A few cents. What is the smallest coin in china?

an identity card of some type. he puts the card on the bar and gets into a diguise. once he has the siguise in place no one is able to identify him even though his card is on the bar.

This story is pure nonsense. It is not written to make good english sense.

In China, the smallest coin is called "Fen", similar to a penny, and it is made from alumel. Larger units of measurement are "Jiao" and "Yuan", each being 10 times higher in value than the smaller one. Actually this category also applies to paper money.

Finally, I stumble to the end of the story and find the unexpected swap of identities, which makes me so confused. If you have finished the reading of it, could you tell me:
1. The story seems to compose of three parts, and the second part looks strange, a little irrelevant to the other two parts. Why? It seems that the only thing relevant is that in the end of the second part Tictocq appears.
2. When do Tictocq and Gray Wolf change their identities? From the very beginning? Oh, my God!

I have finished the whole story.

I do not understnd it. It is not written to be understood in any conventional sense.
It is a silly nonsensical tale that is written specifically to not make sense.
I cannot tell you how to understand it as i do not understand it myself.

A few sous is = to one or two fen.