The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1879-09-13

1t is easy TO imagine the mothers rage
and the terrible expression OF il she visit
ed upon her poor father. The most viru-
lent OF these letters were suppressed
when the book was printed, but have
since been published in tins paper, as
viii be hereafter mentioned Even IN
| the book we are favored with few choice
specimens Here is one. with only one
| word held backbone cannot help Won
| dering what the adjective could have
been which the editor does not dare to
print.
| Had MY means been NOR ample, not even
tRc y conduct adopted toward mt during
| the whole process OF this marriage could have
| made me stoop to the mean revenge Of sup
pressing the pceGniary allowance 10 chtd;
iu. ! believe every ore who has not made
hatreo and contempt Of me q systematic pro
cceding must confess that the time has now
| arrived for me TO attend more closely to my
| interest than my relations have done for me.
Therefore she draws tine prlncely al
lowance Of 5000 a year she had been Civ
ing him, piece OF economy winch can
only be properly appreciated in the
light Of gorgeous description we find
further on of the jewels, laces, silks, and
satins she possessed and used as the nee
| essary adjuncts Of her place in society"
The word that can be said of Madame
Bonapartc ls, that she was very handsome,
very witty, and lived free from the breath
Of scandal. She was, indeed, evidently
too selfish q woman ever to risk her rep
utation or let any foolish sentiment or
fancy influence her.
The wit and bitterness ot her letters is
| wonderful. No extracts can do it jus
tice. She is never tired Of gibing against
the slavery Of child-bearing, among other
things.
! think il IS quite as rational 70 60 to
balls and dinners us it is 10 get children,
which people must do IN Baltimore to
kill time. should prefer a child Of
mine going to court and dancing every
evening, in good company, 10 marrying
y beggar and bringing children into the
world to deplore existence.
| The letters contain all wit that can he
| thought Of, free from wisdom all sense
! but common sense-al humor but good
| humor. They would 10 for fine moral
| lesson against what s tnewn - world
| liness. ~
! Early II tie summer III 1915 Madame
Eonapartc returned TO America and took
up her residence IN Baltimore. The last
| eighteen wears Of her Iltc were spent IN
| Ietlreneut. She lived III i quiet board
ing-iouse. Her time was employed in
| recalling the brilliant events OF her Eu-
| ropean career aud IN obtaining safe in
vestments tor the savings OF her large in
come. Her fortune amounted to 1900,
| 600, which yielded her an income of
| nearly 100000 per annum, out OF which
She spen. something like 5000 a year
| In her old age she often said,
| "Oncc | had everything but money; now
| / have nothing but money !.
| Parsimonous to all others, she was hbcr-
| al 70 her grandsons. She was
annoyed by the familiarity ct Mrs. -,
| who remarked: madame. ] am very
glad to M ct you. | hear yon were once
| very beautiful. How cid are you now?'
! To which Madame Bonapartc curtly re-
| piled, Nine hundred and ninety years,
| ninetv-nine days, and nine minutes
Wnen negroes We're admitted to Congress
she eaustically remarked that .'Baboons
were IN the senate and monkeys IN the
House, which was carrying republican
principles out to their legitimate ends. =
Her perfectly unemouonal nature
Was on Of the causes Of her prolonged
existence She was free from all those
corroding passions which consume human
life Her beauty, III one form or another,
never t0rsook her. The fullncss of figure
Which generally disappears with advanc-
ing age she still retained, and the palms
| OF her hands were rs rosy as an infant S.
lfer forehead was still fair, and her dark
eyes never lost their brightness until
quenched by death.
10 these observations on the published
rock may properly be added = word con
cenllng the suppressed letters copies
~ which appeared ii the Tribune Of
August r. 1879. Tney we're left out II
tho book III the request OF some u, the
suryiylng members ot the family, but
| VIII doubtless be Included ia subsequent
editions, as they have now seen the light.
They are all ON the subject Of the sons
marriage, and are a little more indecent
| ly violent than those not suppressed, Of
which mention is made above. It seems
certain that the expression on page "a Of
the book, Zone who had received moth
| ING but unkindness from her
declared her to be the most lovely crea-
ture she had ever beheld,' must have
been scarcely veiled allusion to Mad
ame Bonapart's daughter-in-law, whom
She never torgaye for beng the cause Of
| her son S .'mesall.dnce.
| The book unsconseiously incalculates
unmitigatcd contempt for the whole Bo-
napart family except Madame Mere
She seems to have been wise ano good,
and one is at q loss TO account for the
issuing Of SO bad a growth from 50 fine a
stock, until he betninks himself that a