Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-03-15
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Nearly A Duel.

Mully ulllefeIlU CRUISES COIlSpITc u
bring about a difference between
author and manager. One evening,
on his way to the theater, M. Hugo
noticed that the Playful announced a
change. He had not been advised OF
it. Nettled at what he regarded an
insult, the irascible writer made his
way to mademOiselle's room, where
Harel was present, and asked what
the bill meant. The latter replied
that he, being manager, had a right
to select the plays performed at the
Theatre Porte st. Martin.
"What have. you received to-day %
asked Hugo.
"Twenty-five hundred francs.n
"And how much do you expect to
make tomorrow by the change? ?"
Give hundred more"
"You stop Lucrezia Borgia' then
for this trifling sum-"
"Yes.n
"Why ?"
"Because choose to do So"
$50 be it E; but bear in mind that
YOU have performed the last play you
will ever get from me-"
s'The last but one,n very cody re-
piled M. Harel. "You forget that you
promised me your next play"
81 never made you any such prom
Use. I said that l would neither refuse
nor promise"
81 assert" said Nj. Harel, "that you
did make me such a PROMISE
"And l." said M. Hugo, "say that
I did not.n
Therefore you give me the lie,
monsieur, do yOu?"
"You may take it as you please,
monsieur" replied M. Hugo, and flung
himself out of the theater.
Upon returning home late at night,
M. Hugo found the following letter:
"Monsieur: Your persistence in refusing
to keep the promise which you have given
me frequently and before witnesses, and your
declaring that Il may take it as please /
regard as cause OF Offense.
81 therefore request satisfaction.
"Let me know when ana where you will
meet me. HAREL."
The next day M. Hugo rose early to
look out for seconds. AS he turned
round the boulevard, he saw coming
towards him the manager.
"Monsieur Hugo" he said, ~ wrote
you foolish letter. l am the offend
ed party, but nevertheless make the
apology. Will you forgive me, and
let me have your piece? AS matter
of course, 'Lucrezia' will be performed
this evening""
The great author, as placable as he
is irascible, could not bear malice, and
this time promised the piece. So long
as Harel continued manager of the
Theater Porte st. Martin the great dra-
matist thereafter supplied him with
pieces.
1t is question, not without inter
est, as to how much reputation, once
won, has to do with future success!
Would Sir Walter Scott's "Count Rob.
ert of Paris have been productive OF
$4,000 had "Waverly" never gone
through thirty-nine editions? Would
Thackery's Yellowplush Papers y
have been republished, yielding the
author more than $1,000, had "Vanity
FAIR proven failure? Orwould the
Christmas stories of Charles Dickens,
poor platitudes as some of them are,
have been greedily devOured by the
English reading world, had "Pick-
wickn never caused laughter, nor a
"Little Nelp' drawn tears? And Vic
tor Hugo, had "Lucrezia Borgia''
never been success, would his "Her-
man," "Maria Tudor" "Angelo,"
"Tyran de Padua," "Ruy Bias" and
"Les Burgraves" be considered to be
in artistic brilliancy the first dramas
of the nineteenth century? No one
denies. Of course, that as the great
leaders of the romanticists.in France,
against the classicists, Victor Marie
Hugo is wonderful man. He has
reached the highest distinction in lit
erature, and deserves it. But would
he have achieved all this if the fasci-
nations of MademOiselle Georges had
not made "Lucrezia Borgia" the cor
onet of the French stage? After all,
there is nothing that succeeds so well
i