Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-20
Her FIRST LOVE AT FORTY.
ouida Had a Little Romance Of Her
Own.
THE MARQUIS WAS A FLlRT,
But She Got Even With Him in n
Novei-wbat to DO with Duph-
cate Wedding Girs-woman
Gossip.
Touisn's Only Love.

fair OF Ouida, the famous novelist, has
often been referred to, aud many.
though generally incorrect, accounts OF
IL have been'given. Possibly no one
knows all OF its circumstances, though
every one In Florence knows the name
of its hero, the MARQUIS de Stufa a
member OF one of the oldest Florentine
families. Ouida always boasted that
she was above the weakness OF love,
says the Philadelphia Times. But she
found the marquis a man OF literary
tastes, artistic refinement and passion
ate energy, which interested her at
once. Acquaintance soon ripened into
friendship, and afterwards, on Ouida's
part into love-her first love, and she
maiden of forty summers! But the mar
quis, while he admired the writer, only
triled with the woman. He not only
failed to return her affection, but fell in
love with fair Italian, less brilliant,
but younger and more beautiful than
herself. The result of this affair was
the novel, "Friendship," in which
Ouida gave her version of this real ro-
nance, taking care to make the mar
quis very weak character, Hamlet
i'm firm of purpose" but not possessing
"Hamlets superb mental gifts. This
love affair was not only Il bitter disap-
pointment to Ouida, but it made her
for a time the laughing-stock of
Florence. For weeks she shut
herself up In her villa, some two miles
from the city, with her cats and dogs,
and refused to see any visitors. Her
evening drives tothe Cacine and on the
Arno we're abandoned, and the places
which once had seen her every day now
saw her no more. Although this strict
seclusion is no Logger kept up, still she
is much less accessible than she was be-
fore this disappointing in love.
Cuida,s villa is situated on one Of the
lovely hills that overlook Florence.
Her garden, though small, was in beau
Maremma sheep dogs The villa is in
Italian style, and the vine-clad piazza
commands charming view of Florence
and the classic Arno. The stately
Duomo, which inspired Michael Angelo
to rear the mighty dome of st. Peters,
raises its lofty head in the center of the
city. Santa Croce, the Westminster
Abbey of Florence, is seen to the right,
while above the azure sky of Italy
smiles perpetually upon one Of the fair
est scenes in the world. The Protestant
cemetery, just outside of Florence, con-
teins the remains of Mrs. Browning,
Arthur Clough and Mrs. Savage Ian
dor. Swinburne addressed the follow
ing lines in memoriam of Landor:
And thou, o Florence, to thy trust
Receive and keep,
Keep safe his dedicated dust
His sacred sleep!
There is mystery about Ouida which
piques curiosity, but which the most
persistent Interviewer has never been
able to penetrate. She was once asked
how she came to know so much about
camp life, clubs, barracks, gambling
houses and other places only frequented
by men, and she IS reported to have
leaned her head upon her hand,
and, looking straight at her questioner
with provoking smile, to have saucily
answered. b" lt,.is none OF your busi
ness" Her real name is Louise de la
Rance. Her father was "a Frenchman,
her mother English, and, while her
tastes and manners ar French, her
features are decidedly English. Her
face is fair and oval, her eyes are deep
blue in color and very large and express
sive; her golden brown hair, which for
merly was worn loose aud flowed down
her shoulders, is no longer kept in
''much admired disorder but is dis
creetly braided as belts II middle-aged
woman. She is about the medium
nelgnU. slender ana graceful.
She passes much time in the open air,
driving and walking, and from April to
October is out all the time except when
eating and sleeping. Her favorite time
for driving is in the afternoon from to
6. She drives herself, and always has a
couple of pet dogs with her; in fact,
whether walking on driving, at home or
abroad, eating or reading, thinking or
writing, she has her canine companions
hu a n
for her dogs in the garden, and they are
laid to rest with IA tenderness not always
bestowed upon human beings Her
favorite st, Bernard dog, lsla, has a
marble tomb over his remains, with
an inscription quite as pathetic,
though less misanthropic, than
Byron's famous lines on his favor
ite Newfoundland, Boatswain. Ouida
is an early riser; tempted by the ovely
climate of Florence, she is up at in
winter and in summer. Her literary
work is done chiefly in winter, but she
has no particular hours of the day for
writing, taking up her pen only when
she is in the humor to write. She does
d, not remember when she commenced au-
thorship, for at the age of four she wrote
in printed letters child's story. From
her earliest girlhood she has been n
student, being trained TO masculine
modes Of thought by her father, VINO
was man OF rare intellectual gifts, but
his genius was wasted in utopian dreams
of n political millennium. This love of
study, begun so young, has never left
her, and she has added to it an appre-
citation of ali the arts that lend grace
and charm to life. She paints with
great cleverness both in oil and water
colors, and she finds her favorite sub
jects in her own household pets. A
dog or cat always appears in her land
scapes, and sometimes II horse is added.
Before her love affair with the Mar
quis de Stufa, Ouida held her regular
Friday receptions during the fashion
able season which was much frequented
by Americans aud English, with a
sprinkling of French, Italians and
other foreigners, who were attracted by
her literary fame. At these receptions
she usually wore black valvet, and the
refreshments were very simple-tea
coffee, wine and cake, also cigarettes.
| but Ouida never smokes nor drinks
wine. Her conversation is lively and
interesting, and she expresses her opiu-
ions without reserve both in society and
In her books.