The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-02-13
nNNILl GnnYILLE.
rhs Talented French Woman Tells How
hhu Became an Author.

ChS Talented French Woman Tells how
hhs Became an Author.
Nc York Tribune
The lecture which Heni Grevills was
unable to deliver on Friday evening, she
ds!iyefea yesterday afternoon in Chicken
ing Hall, She was introduced by Parke
Goodwin, and spOks sitting on the edge Of
her chair, She had not pronounced q
single sentence before she and heraudienCe
were on the best possible terms, and
throughout the lecture every hssrer waA
under the spell Of her contagious smile,
her kindly expression, tho little shrugs Of
her shoulders which often expressed even
more than the word which accompanied
them, and the music Of her language; for
she smoke in French. The subject OF her
Lecture was How became an Author"
and although che spoke from beginning
to end about herself, everything approach.
ING egOtisn WAS absent. She first told
about her childish verses; how this little
Incidents OF her childhood formed them.
selves into poetry and Went singing
through her head, "Oh, I didn't write
them out," she said, because BRB i.aiI
my father would make mo copy them Tor
ali the mCmbpIs OF the family hut used
to sing them to my mother" The audi
enCe laughed heartily when MADAME
Durand told how her father taught her
foreign languages.
First We attacked Italian" said she.
my father got an Italian translation oi
'Teiemache' and made Inc translate itinto
French. Then ! translated 'IelemRche'
hack again into Italian. Then We began
German. I.translattd 'TelemaChe' IRON
German into French and from French
into German. Then my father said 1t was
time to begin to study English; so he & SyG
me an English verEion OF 'lelCmache' and
translated 1t into French and then turn.
ed it back into English. Next came Span.
ish. My father got Spanish 'Telemnche,'
hut | said: 'Telemacho' Ngain2 No, /
have had enough 'TelomRChG,' Give me
Don Qnixote.' So got Don QuixUte'
that tine instead OF 'Telemache.'"
While she was still young girl, Md.
0ms DuMnd's father took her with him 10
Russia. She gave humorous account Of
her struggles 10 aid her father in his gram.
NAUTICAL works.
"NJy daughter" said he, one day, "the
time has come when you are 10 crown all
my wishes aud bear your part in the exc
Cution Of my great work" My heart ran
over with 10y, said tho lecturer, "but my
father continued: Il am about TO begin
French grammar for the use Of Russians
and then my heart ran over much lees, Tor
remembered 'TelemaChe.
However, she assisted her father In pre-
pairing his grammar NJ. Durand also as.
sisted him and the two young people soon
found that grammatical work was much
pleasanter than they had supposed. 1t
was while BhO was in Russia that Madame
Durand was married. The FranCo.Prus.
sian war called the couple back to France.
They brought with them the works Of
Tourgenieh, which with his permission
they were to translate and publish in lie
Revue des Deux Mondes." The day al.
ter their arrival in Paris they fund that
TRANSACTIONS had already been published
In Independence Beige, and their own
translalions were without Il market. Then
followed four years Of struggle and dis.
enlargement which the lecturer described
touchingly, while at tho same time she
anlivened the description with little aneC.
doVeR, which made her hearers laugh in
spite Of u haSy film that gathered be-
ioro their eyes. Novels were writ
ten and r eCtcd by the publish.
ers. Edmond About, then connected with
"Lo Dixnenvieme Steele" refused 10 &C.
cept one Of them for nothing. Two years
later no paid a round price for the Same
book, but Henri Greville had then become
famous. Ono day Durand came home
after q stormy interview with publisher,
who bad told him not too politely that his
wife didn't know how to write. 1t was
decided that iisucCess did no begin within
four months, the husband and wife would
start for Siberia. Within q few days Du.
rand was summoned to correct the proof
Rheets OF ono Of hiD wifO's novels, which
had long before been submitted to ia
Revue DIES Deux Mondea," which had been
forgotten, aud which tho publishers had
Just decided to print.
"That Is how became an author" said
Madame Duand. "From that time on
SUCCESS was assured" In the last part Of
the lecture she told about her dramatic
works and the curious combination OF cir.
CumstanCes which had prevented her
from ever seeing one Of them acted.