The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1866-01-02
AsAD STORY.
Romhuce and Reality Of Literary Life in Paris.
Correspondents oftas American Literary Ga1etisl
pAnIs Oct Ii

Romance and Reality OF Literary Lhs In Paris.
ICorrcspondsnss Of tue American Literary GaIetsl
PARIs, Oct. l3.
Happening to he at ST. Nj, a
small town in the south Of France visit
I'd lie lunatic asylum. | have always
beeL foud Of lunalics. ! have never met
among them stupid and bad man. l
was shown into a tidy cell occupied by a
liule old man bent over desk, and writ
ing wilh hi, finger on The board with in.
expres,ible rapidity. lie rose timidly,
twrlng his linsers He was at least six
ty years old, bni occasionally did not seem
TO be above fifteen. His white, almost
blonde, hair fell in childike curls, and
his sweet face smiling AMI uneasy, wore
the expression o. infants wher they both
weep and laugh II the same time. New
erlhe less, ONE conld delecl profound grei,
lrembliug agony, in his di aled eycs,wh'ch
aort the fixed expression OF madness and
despair. Nj attendant made gesture,
and The poor old man resumed his seat
with extravagant delight, and began 10
write as fast as efer be conld Then,
seated in The corner of The cell, in front ut
this niantile old man, my attendant told
me the unhappy creatures history Some
forty or more years ago, tuere liytd N 4
small town named ST r., a young
orphan. She was intellectual, wealthy,
beautiful. Every unmarried man Of the
province was AT her feet, his eyes fixed on
her fortune. She was 50 llattered, SO adu-
latrd, so complimen'ed, her gorge would
rise at night when upon going 10 be she
would think OF the sugar forced upon her
during The day. Al last such was the
nau>ra she experienced she resolved TO
give her hahd aud all il contained to a
promising young man, who woJd give
her in affection and repni8llai substan-
tial exchange for the beauty and estate
she gave him. There was a that time in
her town prodigy OF eglte'a, who
rhymed from his iutancy-iad 'Ilsped IN
numbers He had already written many
a fable, tragedy, sonnet ndepic, and the
whole province had for firm belief that he
would bloom into great genius. She
married this progiGy that no material OBJ
slrueIon might delay his p ogtess on the
road TO lame. She blou.h him up 10
Paris, and SO planted bin in weahh's hot
house to force Ii IN TO bearfrl Strange
and nexpiicabie fatality uuhrard of ra-
tasiropho The poet bore 10 fruit. lie
had charming study il Mas nothing bul
bronze and black marble. He lived il
most favorable quiet. lie knew nothing
OF tie thorns Of lite. And after all he
rhymed as he rhymed when he was fiji
teen, mere doagerel, ii al best FIR confec
, TONERS kisses. He was the best lutte
husband that ever was sen, gentle and
: timid, amlabe and laborlou,. She was
the best little wife tha; ever was seen
and vi an invariable good humor. Never
the less, by d g she BIC tne nervous
ani irritable. He became ashamed o
: himself. Every morning be would loci
himself up in his study, write madly, bio
. quIre after quire ofpaper, read il over, an,
0 Ia despair confessed twas not WORT
: the ink il WAS writlen IN. Every evening
she would come, her heart throbbmg will
| anxiety, TO see if some good lines had a
. last made their appearance. She woul'
] question the poet, who every day hum
Z his head still lower. AT last impatienc
!, aud disdain appeared; she could not lon,
= check their outbreak; aud she upbraile,
: her husband for defranding her, becau5
in Return for her beauty and her none
!, he had not given her genius.
!. Alter thl, scene matters went from ba
/. to worse. The husband became chill
e ,colded by his wife. He lived in a stat
:, OF CONSTANT uneasiness, eternal shame. III
P hyed blushing and trembling; his hear
{ was wruhg by all the ,orinres ofthe impo
= tent artist and the insoyent man. Ii
: suffered the torments Of the damned b
J. the side of the woman he bad robbed &
E size said1, and whose only sentiment 10
t, him now was disdaintul pity. So long a
: that weman had not abandoned all hop
; OF seeing her husband bloom into gen
/. los she chained him to his writing desl
and made hin write given number G
n lines every day before dinner. The un
happy man addressed himself 10 the tas
: and daily wrote worse. Twas an hourl
! battle between them Of contempt and pair
: She laughed disdainiully. lie shiyere
: with fear and anguish.
j. lie bad spent $4,000 Of her money j
o attempting 10 become great poet Ch
was hls CALLED withers One morning i
,f refused 10 do bis daily task set him ever
Y morRing by his wife. lie had found
: The office Of some joint stock company
v copying clerks place With salary
: $50. and heuceiorwsrd he began 10 pa
I biz debt to his wife. lie lived under II
r same roof with her, bat be paid rent f.
bis room: be look his solitary meals
' restaurants whose price was iosrtscn SOU
?, he dressed himself with hls ewn none
d and neyer,heless managed 70 pay his vi
.. a considerable amount Of money annual
4 in psynsni 81 his deb. fo her IL liv,