Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-02-05

admiration. And then she has supreme
ly elegant figure. Tiyht-fttin2 dresses
were Invented for her sake. and she l!
faithful to them. Doubtless this fashios
would be eternal il ail women had as xoot
right to conform to 1t as she has. She Il
the daughter OF Mr.. de Brayars, who wa.
Judge In the Mauriti0s. The following
.necdote relative to her marriage with Nj
de Lesseps is known to their friends alone
It's charming. On his return from Psles.
tine Mr.. de Bragsrs had brought bach
| with him sumo roses OF Jericho for sous
ladies OF his acquaintance. Mr.. de Lesseps
who was one OF the friends OF the house
was present when the legend about these
flowers was related. Any one who hsi
some OF these roses dried may put them
| In water and express . wish II his de.
sire IL to be fulfilled, the next day the
faded flower will be found to have bloom.
| ed again.
| And you, Msdelnoiselle," said Mr.. dc
Lesseps. turning toward the young dauRh,
ter oi Mr.. de Brsgsrs, ARE you, too
going to try the experiment1"
1T Is useless, Monsieur" the young girl
replied with melancholy and emotion.
Those roses would not bloom again"
"WhyT"
, because the wish; tha, form cannot
be realized"
There was so much confusion and evil
dent emotion In this reply that Mr.. lie
Lesseps was struck and set thinking.
Try at least. Mademoiselle," he said.
taking her hand, which she did not with
draw too hastily. 1t appears that the
young girl pot the legend Of the roses to
the test. The following day they had re.
sumed their colors, and shortly aiterward
Mile. de Bragars became Nine. de L.esseps.
MI. dc Lesseps lives 10 the Rue Saint
FIorentin. One OF the most Interesting
pieces OF furniture in the salon Is a what
not containing the hundreds OF deco ratious
that have been given TO Mr.. de Lesseps.
In all the rooms oriental stuffs and rare
and costly bibelots abound. In the ante.
chamber are two enormous elephants
tusks and . collection OF umbrellas Of all
nations. Throughout the house, there
reigns comfort and elegance without osten-
tstion Of luxury. The manners OF the mas
ter and OF the mistress of the house are
simple and ahabie. A small emyloye or au
unknown journalist is received AS gracious
ly as an ambassador. Their receptions are
very animated. On Madame do Lessep's
days you cannot hear anything; everybody
Is taking, moving about aud amusing him
sell. As for hospitality, II is prscticed here
ways At the house some relation Who has
not been favored by fortune, or who has
need OF recommendations, and these v.si-
tors stay six months or year. Mr. de
LessePs Is about seventy seven years OF
age; his wife was twenty-one years old
when he married her, ln 1863. His activity
Is prodigious; he works, attends To the
duties Of his high situation, goes Into so
Ciety. takes his wife TO balls, passes the
night there, aud resumes his busy life Al
day-dawn. When he Is At lsmAtlis lie re-
ireshes himself BY = seA-bath, and then he
can very well dispense with going to bed
Every year he embarks for Egypt with his
whole family just as he would 20 to As.
nleres, and yet, heaven knows the number
OF trunks such a numerous family mist re-
QuIre. Mr.. de Lesseps has had \ country
house built At Meudon, on the model Of An
Egyptian house. with an Interior court on
to which all the rooms open. There the
legendary hospitality Is practiced on . still
larger scale.
Everybody at Paris has seen the magnia-
cent portrait that BonnAt painted OF Mr..
de I-essepsi the work is little tumultuous
and Jerky, perhaps, but 1t depicts well the
energy OF the man. The following is a re-
markable trait Of his sangfroid: On the
eve OF the opening OF the Suez Canal, by
the ex-Empress and all the sovereign
princes Of the world, an engineer came ln
terror TO tell Mr.. de Lesseps that there
was rock jutting out, In an uussemly
fashion, In the middle Of the canal, and
that there might, perhaps, 1e danger tor
the princeiy guests. Imagine the ex-Em-
press wrecked 10 the middle Of the canal
Mr.. de Lesseps replied. simply. II have
said that We should pass, and we shall
pass" The next day the passage WAS
effected without accident. His activity and
his will had got the better Of the rock.