The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-11
ALEXANDER DUMAS.



~. u,roit are possessed by vivacious and
r,ol spirit, which frequently induces one
- ,,bor of these states of mind. pretty sure
rocine for DESTROYING or impairing healthy
mind is. TO pursue one train OF IDEAS un'uter-
ruptedly. or TO dwell too much on personal
grievances or personal merits. A comolnatlon
of the two inconvenience -conhlctlhg cares,
and an overweeniDg sense OF his own merits,
nnited IN the effects OF tolerably free LIE
have rendered that prince OF French noVellsts,
Alexander Dumas, an eccentric OF no small
dimensions. Who among English, or perhaps
Erorch. men of letters would say OF brother
in art what Dumas said of Roger de Beauvoir,
lote,v deceased who had the misfortune to
be born in affluence?
Upaa he been poor, he would have composed
yorses equal to Merys, comedies eqaal to Alfred
Nusset,s, or romances equal 10 MINE!"
uod Mr. Dickens man of business announced
before his late tour in America that he would,
af,er every reading, take off his dress-coat,
assume cooks apron and nightcap, and serve
np choice omelets ragOuts, and other dellcacies,
TO the frst.class purchasers oil tlcKets, What
wouId the British aud American people have
tbnunht of the mental health OF the author OF
"Batnaby Rudgep Yet such announcement Is
made on the part of Count Monte Christo When
his muItilarous duties permit.
II pverything which Alexander relates OF
bimsoIf he true he is perhaps being set apart
in mental and corporeal qualities. Eugene de
Mirecourt hints that his courage Is somewhat
questionable; but no one will believe the tale
after reading the account of his encounter
with his savage dog Mouton. The dog had
capped the climax of his crimes, and his
master had just administered kick to an unde-
Tended portion of his body which would have
nut any other canine savage hOrS dc combat.
Not so MOuton $50 called from his white tleece).
'Mouton uttered a low groWl, turned round,
ms with hlDOd shnt lad
three steps, and sprang at my throat.
fortunately | had guessed what was about
to happen, and so had time to put myself on
guard 1. e., at the moment of his spring ] eX-
Tended both hands towards him. Ny right hand
went into his mouth, my left met his throat.
"At the moment, ! felt pang oaly to be
compared with that felt on the drawing of q
tooth, with this difference, however, the pain
from the jaw holds only a second, the pain ex-
pcrienCed endured five minutes.
''lt was Mouton, who was grin ling my han d.
AT the same time wos squeezing his throat
81 was thoroughly sensible of one thing,
namely, that, grasping the pharynX, my only
choice Of life was to hold on, squeezing still
more vigorously, uatil his respiration was
stopped.
''And that did.
LUCKILY my hand, though small, is firm;
what 1t seizes, money excepted, it retains.
at grasped aud squeezed the throat of
Mouton so iorcby that a rafting was heard. 1t
was encouragmg; squeezed more, deter
minedly; the ratlling increased. Finally, col
Iectmg my entire strength for a last pressure,
had the satisfaction to hud Mouton's
teeth lOosing. A second after his mouth
opened, and his eyes rolled in their orbits. He
fell while | was still pressing his throat; but
my right hand was all iacersted,n
II intense copceit Teuders its possessor more
or less eccentric, Alexander Dumas may be con-
sidered the prtuCe of the class. He thus heads
one of the chapters of his "Histore de mes
Betes:"-' How brought home from Constan-
tine vultue, which cost forty thousand francs,
and the government ten thousand, " and thus
sublimely enters on the subject. We are obliged
TO clip, to some extent, the wings of the mar
rative.
Two men, attended by natives and Euro
Deans were returning from Blldan to Algiers.
'StraDger said one, that this magnificent couu-
try which we are trayersing should be so little
known. Know you any means OF popularizlng
it| Were l you, minister said the other, i
would get Dumas TO go over this very around,
and write two or three volumes on it, His book
would be sure to be read, and, out of the three
millions Of readers, fifty or sixty thousand
wohld be deeply interested.' 1T is a good idea ;
said the minister; I'll think over 1t,
'These two men were NJ, de Savady, Minister
of Public Instruction, and my good friend
Xavier de Mariner.
zone fine morning in September received an
invitation to dine with the Minister OF Public
Instruction. l was rather astonished, but
nevertheless accepted it,
IN. de SalvandY received me in his best
manner, showed his whl'est teeth, and after
dinner, taking my arm, conducted me TO the
garden, and the lollo wing conversation took
place.
"'My dear poet, you must do me service
ga poet do service 10 minister With al
my heart, if ii were only for the novelty of the
thing. What is he nature of itr
"'Hayeyou made your arrangements for next
winter?
Me make Arrangements live on a bol
like the bird. While it Is calm | remain; If it
blows spread my wings, and sail away on the
wind
"'Have you any objection to Algeria?
"'On the contrary. | was about to start for
that country at five IN the evening on the 2GCh
OF July, 1880. But at five in the morning ap-
peared in the MOniteur the famous ordinances.
So ns cad of taking the mail coach | took my
musket, and three days after, instead of entering
Marsellles, entered the Louvre Dumas has
ever loved the pomp OF war, bat, we think, has
hitherto been innocent of shedding human
blood.)
81 undertake TO devote 10000 francs to the
mission.'
land shall add four thousand myself. For
merly went on my journeys, stat in hand;
now drag whole family after me-
"When can you set of 2
"When you will. have two or three stories
TO finish: that will take q fortnight. l have
some railway shares to sell, but that can be done
IN an hour
"'But your Historic Theatrer
at can be let during my absence.'"
But Dumas would make the voyage as
prince, and the minister was oo1ged to give
him full use and possession OF royal snip o
the line TO cruise about in the Mediterranean
The journey and voyage having beeu puo
lshed soon after his return, he consideratel.
rematks:-
r''My intention is not to record here the famous
journey through Spain, where people asserted
that / went as hlstiographer to NJ. lie Due d.
Montpensier, nor the more famous voyage t(
Africa which, thanks to NJ, de Castelane, to M
Leon de Malleville, and to NJ. Lacrosse, made
such noise IN the Chamber of Deputies. No;