The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-01-20

All! Ellery Vane. you little thought
An.h0ur ago, when you besought
| This country lass to walk with YOU,
After the sun had dried the dew,
What perious danger you'd be in,
AS you tied her bonnet under your chin.
VISIT TO THE COTTAGE OF LAMARTINE
A gentleman writes from Paris to the
Boston Traveller, this pleasing sketch:
l have spent the day in visiting the
! Chalet du Bois de Boulogne, where the
distinguished author of Les GirOndins
passed his latest days and where he
died. 1t is a beautiful Swiss cottage.
such as one might we'll suppose lover
of the muses. would select Tor the play of
his Imagination and the qualification Of
his taste. 10 be born in, or live in, or
die in, the environs of Paris could hardly
afford a more delightful spot. 1t is situ-
ated in the westerly part Of Passy, where
Dr.. Franklin once resided, on the SOUTH
erly side of the broad and well-shaped
Boulevard de L'Empereur, just within
the walls of the city and near the cele-
brated park of the Bois de Boulog. e.
The cottage is Of brick, two stories high,
and tasteiully decorated with trimmings,
now profusely oyerspread with Chamber
| ing ivy. Two splendid mansions in the
midst of ample grounds adorned with
statuary rise on either hand; yet the
humble residence, consecrated by the
genius of the poet, has far more interest
Tor the travellers eye than the magnti-
cence by which it is surrounded. The
garden, enclosed by high ana ivy-man-
Tied iron fence, is finely ornamented with
chestnut, pine, oak and plane trees with
various kinds of shrubbery, amongst
which the lilac is predominant, and an
| .1.,,, Nf 1,h
amaranlhs, and other flowers, still fresh
ly blooming. So deeply is the chalet en-
lowered in the trees and vines and
foliage that Icould hardly see to make
sketch of it from the street.
| Within the cottage neatness and SIM
plicity are observable. A portait CT Ju-
lia, the poets daughter, who died in the
East, bust Of the poets friend, Aime-
Martin, some paintings in water-colOrs
by Madame Lamartine arrest the atten-
ton; and there is u register on plain
table which contains several well-known
American names. The chalet belongs to
the city of Paris, which has given the
use of it to Madame Cessiat, niece Of the
poet, during lite She herself was not
present, but Leon Boezard, one of La
martine's old servants, gave me permis-
sion to enter, and related to me Incl
dents in his masters life. ln the north
east room OF this cottage the great poet,
historian and diplomat breathed his
last breath, on the 2Sth day of February,
1869, just twenty-one years from the
time he saved his country by his energy
at the top of the stairs OF the Hotel de
Vile from the bloody flag OF anarchy.
GLOW did you feel" SAID some one to
him, "when you were there under the
LIONS pawT'
~ feared at first" replied the poet,
ssbut when my hand was buried in his
name l knew that was master."
HIS body was deposited i'll the ceme-
terry at Saint Point, Macon, where he
was born Oct. q, l790, where he wrote
his Meditations and also his Girondins,
and where costly monument has re-
Gently been erected to his memory.
! In his later days, as everybody knows,
Lamartine was extremely poor; but this
came not so much from his extravaganza
as from his unboupded llberality. His
habits of living were extremely simple
a cup of chocolate i'll the morning, and
for dinner, some rye bread, lish and We =
tables, seldom any meat, made up his
bill OF fare. Ills dress was quite as
plain as the dishes on his table. For it
tie Academicans sometimes had to
make apologies. But his door, his ear,
his purse, were always open to the de-
mand OF charity, and his failing was i'll
! giving away his mohey'ere 1t was fairly
due to him.
"If i only had one hundred trancs,"
said Lasaiile one day before him, 81
should be very happy" "Hold," replied
the poet, abe ten times happy" and he
gave him q thousand francs. The grocer
might have been waiting Tor the quar-
ter's payment. He gave all his salary
as member of the provisionary govern
ment to indigont authors, and this with
out solicitation. Charming letters ac-
companied mis- benetactions.
For IL long while he INDUCED in the
luxury.of carriage only once month |;
hut cherished the hope-this man who
had given away more than half Il million
that he should some time be able to
have II pOny-chaise. For this he laid
away secretly some savings in little
| box, One Sunday a poor woman threw
herself before him, saying: II nave sew
| EN- children. sir; we have nothing 10 eat,
and our goods are to be sold Tomorrow"
"IIow muchw demanded Lamartine,
touched with sympathy.
zone thousand Irancs," she answered.
His purse was empty, put ne tnousht
of his secret box; the thousand francs
were there, and he at once transferred
them to the hand Of the poor woman.
"But your pony-chaise," said a friend,
who happened to be present.
"My DOCTOR" replied Lamartine, "has
recommended exercise"
i While he lived at No, Rue Cambace'
res. which house visited This m0rAing,
he was one day walking in the Btule-
yard des Batignolles, and noticing the
cabinet-maker, La Moriere, repairing
some old furniture, he entered his shol
and asked him if his work went We'll and
il he had wife and children to suQeort
"And what do yon ask for that chest Of
drawersw said he.
zone hundred and fifty francs," was
, the reply.
"And for the Secretaryw
"One hundred and twenty-five francs
"And for that rosewood boxW
"One hundred and eighty francs"
, SWELL" said Lamartine, without beat
ing down the price, "bring them to MT
tomorrow morning"
: La Morliere arrived with them IN sea
Z son. when Lamartine said to him:
"How much do / owe youp'
stFour hundred and htty-tive francs,
replied the cabinet.maker.
aHere are five hundred, keep it all, i
is less than you Deserve" said Lamar
.