Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-05-17

Paris Letter In the Boston Herald.
Two years or so ago a superior at
tache of the United States Legation
in Paris related to me an incident
which, however, | promised not to
make use 0 fwhile he was in Office. In
my opinion the time has come when /
may tell the story, and if "Etincelle''
wishes to do a noble action she will
republish it. One pleasant evening in
autumn of1S79, General Noyes called
at Mrs. Mackay's, but the lady OF the
house soon discovered that the Minis.
ter was not in his usual very agreeabls
state of mind. Naturally she inquired
the cause of his apparent sadness,
whereupon he said to her:
Il am sorry to appear downcast at
one of your charming receptions, but
the fact is | am greatly troubled over
the Ease ofan American lady and her
daughter who are very i'll for lack of
food to eat. and who are too proud to
accept anything in the way of assist.
ance The mother The named her, but
| am not permitted TO do so) is an
artist who has not been able TO dispose
of her pictures, and my attention was
called to her cause by a letter received
from America, stating that it wa
feared there she was starving to death
| called at their apartments and the
mother only consented to see me be
cause of my official position. The
rooms they occupy are scantily fur
nished. and the clothes they wear are
threadbare and dirty. The floor was
covered with canvasses which, truth
compels me to say, are works of infe-
rior quality. The two ladies positively
refused to accept any assistance. Nc.
no" said the mother, i am an artist.
There are my works. They will bring
me money. l will wait. God will
protect us, and we will never accept
charity What could l do? Mrs.
Noyes on several occasions fixed up
some nourishing dishes, home style,
and the doctors wife took them to the
poor woman, saying he had prescribed
for them. But now the mother refuses
to accept any more such prescriptions.
She has become suspicious, and has
ordered the physician out Of her
house for having insulted her. / am
troubled because | can do nothing for
these two ladies. They are o~fexcellent
family, intelligent, but too proud to
accept assistance in any form what
ever"
Mrs. Mackey listened and said moth
ing. General Noyes remarked after
ward that be wondered at the time if
she had no heart. But he soon knew
whether she had or not. The very next
day there came to the General a pri-
vste note, written on ~delicately per
fumed paper, bearing a silver crest, a
hand holding a dagger pointed upward,
and the motto Manu- Forti," and
couchedi in language rhetorically fine
as ever any woman wrote. | shall not
attempt to repeat the precise words,
but in that note the writer told the
Minister that he knew she had a very
large house in which several rooms still
needed decorating, that she was anx-
ious to secure some pictures, was
determined they should be by Ameri-
cans, and greatly preferred them to be
the werk of an artist of her own sex.
Not being acquainted with any such
she had ventured to ask the assistance
Of the Minister, who perhaps knew
some such painters, and she would
consider it a great kindness if the
Minister would invest the amount Of
the inclJsed check in the manner Judi
Gated. That check was for many
thousand francs, and was signed
Marie Louise Mackay."
1t was the wife Of the millionaire
miner who wrote that note. Her
womsnly intelligence had discovered a
way by which those proud and starving
Americans could be assisted, and she
acted Immediately. OF course General
Noyes did as he was requested; and
when be showed the mother and the
daughter Mrs. Mackay's letter, the
former accepted it as a matter OF fact
and began TO turn over her paintings
that the Minister might make his Sc
lection. In a few days Mrs. Mackay
had in her hotel in the Rue Tilsit, 1
lot Of paintings which, to say the least
would never be admitted into the
French Salon.