The Opelousas courier., 1883-10-13
A Visit TO Gambetta.

below his description Oh tne soSo" d. 'he
Presidency: |
When / was in the salon I had time to
note the alterations which have been
made in the upholstery since | went at
the beginning of list &LG44er 20 pay a
visit at the Palais Bourbon. A long
perspective of open doors was before
me, and my curiosity prompted me to
explore it to the end. The first line 1
had been at the Presidency OF the
Chamber, the whole suite OF salons rae
ing the garden and the quai was IN
silk damask, with carpets OF a uniform
pattern on a uniform, chocolate ground.
Just at the end nearest to the foreign
office there was a little boudoir in sky
blue. Walls and ceilings we're done up
in brocaded satin of this color, like the
inside Of a jewel casket, and it was tur-
nished with low ~easy-chairs, couches
and poufs in the same stuff. 1t was ex-
planned to me that in the time OF the
Due de Morny, the natural half-brother
of the late Emperor by the maternal
side, this room was sacred to the En-
press Eugene, who, when she came to
balls at the Presidency, was received
there by the lady OF the house and a
small group of women of official rank.
When her Imperial Majesty had ex-
changed compliments with the select
few admitted to her presence here, she
took the arm of the Duke, and followed
the Emperor, who led the Duchess into
the ballroom. Eugenie wished the blu
chamber upholstered with light sap
green like her own sitting room at the
Tuileries, but the Duchess de Morny
resisted her pretension in this very
sturdily. The hair of the duchess de
Morny was very fair and beautiful. 1t
was fax gilded by feeble autumnal sun
beams aud not sufficiently ardent to
look to advantage standing out from q
light-green background which suited
the more auburn shade of Eugenle's
tresses. which were also thickly over
laden with gold powder. The Duchess,
therefore, in justice to herself, insisted
on the blue, which is favorable to a pa!e
blonde, provided her complexion Is
fair. 1t suits lilies whether they are
intermixed or not with roses. l had
these details from an old man-servant
at the Presidency, new on b retired
list, who had been behind the scenes
there from the time Of the first Napo.
Icons corps legislatif. 81 assure you,'
he said to me, "that the upholstery OF
this room was q cause Of heart-burnings
in the highest places and very near
being fraught with consequences OF Eu-
ropean import. Ii the czartoryskis had
| not been Royalists they would have had
the Empress on the side of the Poles
when that people revolted, eighteen
wears ago. It required all the tact and
| influence of the Due de Morny to keep
| her Majesty quiet. She wanted to have
her own way everywhere and in every
thing But the Duchess who was q Rus
sian, and had Russian ideas about the
empire, was resolved to be mistress III
her own house, and would not put uE
with the green hangings, which would
have made her appear sallow and sickly
beside the Empress"
This servant also showed me the
marks of the Shah's greasy head eno
hands. The latter members after re
pasts, which were generally taken IL
the blue drawing room, were wiped or
the backs Of luxurious arm-chairs
though table napkins mad been amply
provided for the Emperorof Emperors BY
the French Government. "This dirt
observed the old domestic, "is ignobls
III. lie President intends to have it al
cleaned and done up again" And II
INV ramble through the long suite O
drawing rooms / found that Gambettt
had done as the servant said he would
The eilded arm-chairs in the state rooms
are covered with velvet of the pale mo
tinge now fashionable with damasks
and with Beauvais and Aubusson tapes
tries. Double-pile carpets OF a neutra
tint, which gives value to the SPLENDID
of the furniture, is on all the hoors
This furniture was brought from th'
Garde Meuble, or State Pantechnicon
AS to the luxurious temple to Beaut.
at the end, it is now done up with PINK
and pearl-gray satin, and lighted with
a polychrome Venetian lustre.
had been pacing up and down som
time when the man Francois came il
and said that M. Gambetta had JUS
telephoned to him from 8 committee
o for me to be taken into the study
where I would find books and news
papers to enable me to pass anothe
haif.hour without being too mncl
and at length entered a snuggery at tn
bored. / was taken from salon to saloi
end of the palace nearest to the Cham
Der of Deputies. A desk table wa Gov
cred with q litter of books and docu
ments of all sorts, and three waste
paper baskets which were before it wer
stuffed with letters which had been cas-
into it. Gambetta's chair-an ofic
chair in leather-was at the center Q
, the table and with its back to fire, i
which burned gigantic logs. I took u
the Memories of Madame de Remusat,
the leaves of which were cut and til
margins covered with pencil annots
lions in a hand which I at once recos
. nized. Gambetta's estimate of th
moral character of Napoleon I'alway
: knew to be a low one, however great hi
: admiration for his brain power. I ws
curious to know how he was impresse
f by the revelations made by the cont
Dental lady of honor Of the Empre'
: Josephine of the domestic crimes I
! Josephine's imperial husband. But m
D curiosity was doomed not to be sati
!. fed. In q few moments a door fe
! open, and Gambetta; hopping his for
!, head with a pocket HANDKERCHIEF
sign that he had been talking q gre;
, deal-entered and advanced toward m
exeusiug himself as he did SO for nc
8 being able to get away sooner from tt
t budget committee.
3 Reason in q Wasp.
fLand and Water.J
a I.ZErnrz ~ ~ ,
~"Zoonomir," gives from his own pc
annal nhsaruafion the fnlIowinr illustr