Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1884-01-16

would make play, and would never hpaii-
don an idea until he had drawn from It not
only what it could yield, but what il could
yield TO him" There were mornings when
Dumas, on opening his mail, would find let
ters from half dozen of the leading newspa-
pers Of Paris all asking TOR copy. On such
occasions he would call together his literary
creditors; would obtain from one delay OF
ten days, from another three months, from
this one a week, from that one three days,
from still another twenty.four hours, ant
from the last month He would then sit
down, go doggedly to work, as DIR. johnson
used 20 say, and finish each task within the
stipulated time.
INDEFATIGkBLE.
About IN his Sundays speech told h,w,
when on one occasion he met Dumas in Mar
seilles and they came back from the theatre
at or 3 O'Clock in the morning, the indeiat-
igable novelist said to him: You, old man,
must 90 10 bed. /, who am only So, have
three feuilletons to write, which must 80 OIL
in the mornings post. III, when they are nm
ished, have any time left, shall send Mon
tigny little piece which l have promised
him" With that he lighted two long candles
and began. When About woke up, he saw
Dumas humming to himself while he shaved,
three large welI-tiled envelopes addressed to
as many different Partisan journals. and
package for Montigny, which contained that
little masterpiece, the Invitation a Ia
Valsen NJ. de Girardin, the great French
journalist, made 1t point to have one new
idea every day. Dumas had thousand
HIS coLLABoRAToRs.
But an author who produced a hundred
volumes year bad to have colaborators,
and Dumas had them by the score. His enc
mics made capital out Of this excessive col
laboratiou. They pretended that the cellar
of his house at St Germain was filled with
poor devils, hacks driving their weary quilts
under the heartless literary lash Of the burly
Dumas, and the work completed, only to be
turned off with mere pittance, while the
greedy master pocketed more than the hons
share Dumas never denied that he had col
laborators, and the collaborators themselves,
many of whom are still alive and have Sc
cured high place in current literature, have
testified to the generous treatment expert
enced at his hands If he was benefited by
their preliminary labors, they gained by his
tremendous popularity. II his talented pen
had not given life to a weary story and his
magic name appeared on the title page,
many \ book would never have found a
publisher nor a reader. As has well been
said, there were two Dumas-Dumas alone
and Dumas legion. But the productions Of
the latter bore the incontestable stamp Of the
master mind.
MANNER OF WORKING.
Dumas manner OF working was peculiar
He could write anywhere, at any time and
under all circumstances. In the midst of his
boon companions, discussing in the loudesl
tones, bis pen kept steadily on. He was nc
CARLYLE What would the poor wife of the
Chelsea sage not have given for such hus
bandf Dumas would even take part in the
conversation from time to time, showing that
he followed the thread Of the discussion whilt
he wrote. To new conner he gave the left
hand, without disturbing the busy right one
On a certain occasion, after hunting from
o'clock in the morning, aud having killed 81
birds, he complained of being sleepy aud re
turned to tho farm house. Wl,ea his com
panions entered at o'clock they found hin
I seated before the fire. lie said he could no
! shut his eyes on account Of the noise Of th'
animals In the farmyard, SO he hal aHuses
himself by producing play in one act
~Romulus.n
| He had way Of writing several works n
| almost the same time Thus he would pas
| from a novel to his memoirs, and then on Il
| play. He would chase from his mind al
thoughts Of the last work in order to have hi
| head quite clear for the next His pen ono
Ia hand he never stopped to study his subject
but wrote straight on. Unless writing al
/ important piece, he rarely reviewed hi
manuscript. II he was preparing play 70
some second-rate theatre he would alway
turn Off an act day, SO that in Eve days tn
whole was finished. II, however, he wisire'
to compose an important work he woul
often disappear from the house seek som
isolated village, aud return in few days wit
his task completed ~ am like hen,"
remarked, IL look for place to set"
SOLVED THE DIFFICULTY.
pun,as was indeed a geuius. Hero is on
example from a thousand: In ''Richard Dai
lington,n il was necessary in the last act {
get rid of Richards first wife, at the end Of
very violent scene, and at the moment whe
Richard awaited the coming Of the youn
woman whom he wished to marry. Duma
and his collaboration, Gonbeaux, were in
dilemma. The latter proposed that she
poisoned. "But what shall we do with lac
boay.n asked Dumas Me- he continued
"it would be better to have the house wher
the scene takes place on the edge OF a to
rent, and Richard will throw his wife out {
the window" Goubeaux objected, on tf
, ground that the spectators would be sure |
laugh at the display of legs when Richar
lifted up his wife to get her out Of the wiz
dow. Dumas took the manuscript hon
and solved the problem Ina this way, afts
these words: They win find woman here
Richard runs TO the door and locks It. In d
meantime his terrified wife rushes to u
window and shouts from the balcony, "Hell
Helpn Richard follows her; she falls on h'
, knees before him. A noise is heard in q
stairway. Richard pulls the winSow shu
Husband and wife are now on the balloon,
: A cry follows Richard. pale and wiping Il
perspiration from his brow, throws open Il
q window. He is alone. His wife has disa
peared. Dumas had gotten over the diff
Guilty while Goubesux was still racking b
: brain.
q FOND OF GOOD LIVING.
/, 1t has already been said that Dumas was
real Vatel, and with this popularity of Il
novelist this already too long letter mu
I close, without having exhausted, howeve
!, the long list of remarkable characteristics
!, this astonishing personage. He had studi
4 the subject profoundly and could distingui
the shades OF difference between the ltali.
p and Spanish OF German and Russian oookin
He was evon prouder Of his culinary superie
ity than Of his literary reputation As.
stood in front Of thu stove watching the pr
gress Of some dish. he would be writing
this kitchen table q chapter OF rome afts
g ward famous novel. Dumas was always
8 debt-often on account Of the sponsing
n his frieBds--se that even while cooking
had to keep his pen a,going.
When dinner was ready Dumas rang I
!, dinner bell himself. While his guests We
d deyouring the excellent menu the co
:. rarely touched more than two plat
: His foes used TO proclaim him 81
:. ton--a genuine Apicius But this was fai
"a Dumas was temperate not only In eatii
= but in drinking. He drank water only c
d ored with vino, aud never snokel.
r midnight he often invited bis friends
lie partake of fine little supper which