Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-29
ALPHoNsE DAUDET Ar HOME.
An Interesting Account OF the Great
French Novelist.

Il
was younger than am now, when
saw Alphonse Daudet IN Paris At that
time celebrated painters, musicians and
poets were in the habit of meeting each
other at the house of Stevens, the painter
of animals, and also at that of my coun-
tryman, the beloved and lamented Nittis,
who, like Daudet, was born in humble
life, but in the course Of few years had
won celebrity, and founded new school
of painting.
1t was on an evening in the month Of
March that rang the bell at my friends
door. AS soon as it was opened for me
deafening shouts of laughter assaied my
ears ON all sides. There, mounted ON
horseback, his bOst being his steed a
billiard cue in his hand, red cloak over
his shoulders, in the attitude of an Auda-
lusian picador, Alphonse Daudet appear
ed before me surrounded by the most
noted celebrities Of Paris who were all
laughing uprOariuusly. Seeing that fine
head, half Italian, half : lauish, covered
with luXunant hair, long and curing;
watching those animated gestures and
motions, and the ardur which me threw
into this boys play, felt sire ii must be
IA good man WhocOuld thus return to thr
work of the day.
Drawn by that curiosity which some
times SEXES upon us after rcHulngH GOOD
book by a iaNOlitC author ! determined
one day to surprise Daudet i'm the sauctu-
airy where he FORCES his masterpieces.
| While ascending the stairs of small
| house which ONerlOOks the garden Of the
| Luxembourg, bright, sunny house,
Whcra the Windows are filled with plants
| and green leaves, could not help Won
dering whether should find him seated
| at work before his desk, or ON the trapcZp,
| training his supple limbs for Il sham bull
| fight
/ assembled the steps of Il staircase, neat,
| but without ornament, gliding or tinsel,
where one might imagine ones self in the
| country. If by any chance you should
ever visit Alphonse Daudet, Il maid ser
want will open the door for you at the
| third story of this house, and without
asking your name Will usher you into a
| little parlOr, very small, square room,
with two rows of chairs embroidered in
! bright cOlors. The walls are covered with
small but valuable paintings in rich
| frames. This parlOr is harmonious gay,
and filled with elegant brio II hrac, and
somehow reminds YOU of a brief sentence
| with sUuOrOus epthets in the romance OF
| "kin-S in Exile On one side, at TIE
right, is the boudoir of Nine. Daudes
! She has Il slender form, 4 small, intellI-
| Stul, tION II lace inc lace III very warm
coloriug, like faces OF those rare Venetian
women who do not appear to nave been
| stolen from the pictures oil IItlan, but
| who seem to have come from the East in
company with potent Saractus. AT the
! left Is Daudet's study; also Il very small
rOOm where, at the time visited 1t, there
were only two chairs in the corners, some
easy chairs i'll the middle, ana bookcase
at the end of the room. Here, also, the
| furniture is gay, the arm chairs are lux
urious and of delicate colOrs, and the
books have elegant bindings of green or
rose, without gliding or other evidence Of
poor taste.
Think for moment of Numa Rune
stan, the eloquent hero of one OF Daudet' )
novels. Think of Carducca, the great and
good poet of whom Italy is so proud to-
day, and III this way you will form clear
idea of the French novelist, for he has the
cordial speech, the impulsive affection,
the all conquering sympathy of the one
the sincere courtesy, almost timid, which
experiences Il kind of embarrassment in
revealing itself, the broad shoulders, the
large, curly head, the small, white. ner-
vous hands of the other. These hands are
in perpetual motion, accompanying his
glancing thought or extending Themselves
as if to ward of any attack on his shrink
ing ditldence.
You enter Daudet's home, and you are
at once captivated by the spontaneous
dltCtlbu ne lttN lSHtS Oh all dIOulu MN
You will wish to call him master ~ and
! know not how it happens. but still
sweeter name will spring to your lips, that
OF friend.
Meantime, he throws back his maguif-
cent head upon the cushions of his luul@
ing chair and speaks, according TO Ia,
custom, OF whatever comes into his miuG
with maryellou, ailiuence and It cares.
ing southern intonation which il does not
SUIT nm To correct or modify. II trulu
time to time you venture to iuicrpUlHtc q
weak remark into this flowing stream Ct
tropes and metaphor, he viii rise and
offer you cigar, for he has them always
at hand, and they are choice ones
In Il short time be- touched upon a great
variety of topics. He spoke to me of his
novels, of his projects, OF his Illustrations
of his publishers and of his pirates.
asked him if he had ever visited Italy
"NO,' unfortunately :aid he. Il have
scarcely ever gone beyond the Hirjcrd d,
GCHOr0. | have been once in Sardinia
where one of my relations was French
consul. The interior Of that island, lis
inhabitants and its mountains seem to
ma ;ntn,.o. i,,r D,rL,,,.. ..,,,,, 10. ,,,.,