Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-21
GAMBETTA'S FATHER.
The Last Years of Has Life to Be Passed at
the Homo of Ills Distinguished Son.

the Home of His Distinguished Son.
A Paris letter says: NJ. Gambetta's
father is coming to Paris to end his days
here. He will live with his daughter,
Nine. Leris. whose husband holds good
place through the favor Of her all-power-
full brother. There is nothing more to
bind the old man to the South. He went
from Cahors to Nice on retiring from bus
mess, but now his wife and his wife's Sis
ter lie in the cemetery at Nice, and he is
naturally anxious 10 gel away from the
place: besides, in Paris he will
find it easier to play the difficult part
of the father of great man which
is Just as hard as that of a great
mans son. The old grocer has known
what ii is to have suppllcants at his coun-
ter for the favor of his boy. At one time
the crowd of office-seekers thought this
would be the shortest cut to what they
wanted, but they we're mistaken. The old
man baffied them by his very simplicity.
He told them the mere truth-that he un-
derstood nothing of his sons business, and
if he did understand it his son would be
the last man in the world to let him inter-
fere with it. So they troubled him no
more. All his latter life has been an en-
deavor to atone for his original want of
faith in ''Leon's'' destiny. AS have al
ready said in the World, he tried to bind
the boy to the counter, and was only
kept from doing so by the determine
ton of his wife to give the lad
chance in Paris. TWAS long time before
the old man forgave her, or himself, or the
boy. Now he sees that he was wrong, and
he does Fenance III self-effacement that is
not without its dignity and charm. He
takes ludicrous pains to guard himself
against compromising Leon, and leads
a solitary life because he fears that the ac-
quaintance of his choice might not always
reflect much social credit on a young man
who has his way TO make in the world. AS
a grocer he would, Of course, like to see
other grocers, but what would the boy
think? SO at Nice he lived in paradise
of cold responsibility and was as solitary
as Tithonus III his clouds. He kept away
from the cafe where he might have met
other grocers, and they did not care to
have him at the club, so he went nowhere
except now and then to the concerts and
theaters in the hope Of learning
to amuse himself in the tasteful way be-
coming father of q president of the
council. It was very noble, very self
denying. but of course he yawned through
it all. He Will probably find a little more
amusement Of a congenial sor tin his new
home. He will be less before the world
than in a town like Nice, and the people of
his household will at least understand him
and do their best to promote his comfort.
There is no reason why he should not live
in Paris or anywhere else. for he has made
his little fortune. The greater part of it
is due to his own exertions, and for the
rest he has been helped by the liberality
of his son. He has been saving man all
his life, and now, they say, he is possessed
by the odd notion that he must go on saw
ing for Leon Gambetta. The old man
has no confidence in politics
as way of earning a
living-it is part of the peasant distrust
of public life as professional" Anything
and every thing may happen, and so M.
Gambetta saves for his son. The savings
at their present state would probably keep
the son for six months at his present rate
of living. but that does not trouble the old
man. He is like the la plus belle file of
the French proverb-he can give no more
than he has. For that matter his way of
money making is not exactly favorable for
the production of great fortunes. He has
been cheese parer for eighty years, and
quite lately, when his son was making his
triumphant tour through The south of
France and all Europe was ringing with
mis- name. the father was quietly doing a
little business in fruits between France
and Italy. It was a snug affair; he was
glad to take an order for thirty francs.
But. on the whole, he is very respect
able old man. and there is no need to make
excuses for him. The ex-dictator would
be lucky if the same could be said of all
his relations But Mile. Claire Gambetta,
who sings at the concert halls, must GER
tainly be thorn in the flesh to him. If
she sang at good concert halls it might
pass. But as it is, she is to be heard in
dirty little provincial caves of harmony of
the third class. You pay nothing to go in,
but after the song the singer is allowed to
come round with hat. In this way a re-
porter of the Gautois had an opportunity
of talking with Mile. Claire Gambetta. It
was not so dear as interviewing Louise
Michel, for Louise charges ten francs an
hour for talks, always paying in the money
to the communist exchequer, while Claire
Gambetta will give you few moments
for a few sous. She is described as being
quite Southern in type, small, very dark,
with eyes of extreme vivacity. and volu
BILE manner. She is Southern too, in the
way in which she said she did not wish to
say anything about her family and the
next moment. almost without solicitation,
went off into long account of her rela-
tionship with the great man. eyes, 1 am
the cousin Of M. Leon Gambetta, cousin in
the second degree. His grandfather was
my fathers uncle. but the two branches of
the family have not been equally prosper
GUS. The Gambettas of Cahors made
their fortune; my father died plasterer.
AS long as he was alive I never asked my
ecu sin for anything, but in 1876, when 1
was left to take care of my mother and
aunt. then I thought I would address
myself to him. came to Paris; my cousin
had gone to see the king of Italy. ]
waited till he came back and then I wrote
to him. To prove that was no advent
uress, who had merely taken the name of
Gambetta. sent with my letter all the
family papers, all yellow and dog's-eared,
just as I had had them from my fathers
hands. He never replied and he never re-
turned the PAPERS" A second application
was hardly ore fortunate. M. Gambetta sent
her thirty francs, with an intimation that it
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