, 1889-08-29
AMELIE RIVES.
The Author of "Tho Quick or the
Dead?" Will Abandon Lit
erature for Art.
A Slender, Willowy Blonde who
is Passionately Fond Of Horses
and Dogs.

report that Amelie Rives will abandon
literature for art. She feels that she is
not appreciated and declares that "a
book is certain to create discussion
among n large class of people untitled
by education 10 comprehend the fine
points of an authors work, while pic
ture, she asserts, "attracts attention on
" from those competent TO pass upon
its merits"
Thus she stands committed to accept
all future criticism as the Judgment of
the competent A private interview
with her during her recent visit in Wash
ington impressed me with a sense of her
youth, which amounted almost to child.
ishness which is not conveyed by read
ing her books.
Her personal appearance is certainly
very pleasing. In height she IL about
five feet two, and in figure slender. will
lowy and graceful. She Is Il very decided
blonde, with soft, fair skin, rosy cheeks
pretty mouth and teeth, and fully ycl.
low hair, which she wears in loose coil
low on the neck, while naturally curly
out hiding IT, She was dressed in n
flowing robe of soft, clinging white crepe,
which had the appearance of being
folded about her, rather than
"cut and iittcd.n 1t fell in easy, grace
full folds over the bosom, leaving the
plump neck exposed in V-shape, and fell
from the back of the neck in q long soft,
trailing mass. An immense bunch OF
creamy roses, with abundant foliage,
caught gracefully at the bust, completed
Il picture altogether pleasing and pretty
to look at.
ON one occasion she received her
guests publicly at her parlors at the
Hotel Arno, but she did il with rather
an air of being bored or of comforting Il
favor.
Desiringto speak to young lady
present, she called her to her side, and
together they left the room without q
word of apology, thus unceremoniously
leaving her guests to entertain them
selves as best they could. A little later
on Il pet dog followed his mistress into
the room, and evidently frightened by
the MANY strange faces and the hum OF
voices, turned to beat hasty retreat.
Regardless of those convorsing with
her, Mrs. Chanler dashed after him.
eXclaiming: oh! don't let him go
why, he's the incest caller I've" and
the rest ofthe sentence was lost in the
long corridor whence she had chased the
dog. Knowing her fondness for ami.
mails. it was not hard for those who had
heard thi, much to finish the sentence.
a lady standing near me did this, add.
ing; 81 guess, ii that is her opinion of
us, | will be going"
Her unceremonious dash after her
canine friend over, she returned to her
place and went on talking polite
and went; some moved by admiration
and others by curiosity All at once she
became interested in the efforts of an
acquaintance who had picked up the
late popular craze "Pigs in clover and
who was frantically tryingto drive them
into the pen. In an instant all other
duty seemed forgotten and she was by
her friends side, evidently absorbed in
this intricate and eXasperating puzzle,
and when at last her friend succeeded in
her efforts she dropped her hands like
pleased school girl, and then took try
at the puzzle herself while we all looked
on to see this popular tor unpopular)
authoress drive pigs.
At reception given Mrs. Chanler the
following evening she wore an elegant
gown of cardinal plush; with draperies
of crepe the same shade. The bodice
was decollette and trimmed with ex-
quisite old lace about the neck and form
ing the short sleeves. On this occasion
she was decidedly more conventional
and neither chased.dogs nor drove pigs.
Amclie Riyes may almost be said TO
be of semi French descent, hdr grand
father being minister plenipotentiary to
France in the early hGliof the present
century, her aunt being named by the
of Louis PHILIPPE, and her father having
been born in Paris, and boasting Laiay
ettc as his godfather
The early years of Amclie's life were
passed at CASTLE hill, in Albemarle
county, Virginia, the home of her grand
father. AT the age of q, her father re-
moved to Mobile, Ala. She was NOR
bidly sensitive child, disliked and
dreaded by children WHO did not under
stand her precocious vagaries. She tied
the curling leaves of tie maple to the
legs Off kutydid and set 1t free, praying
God to send them back with "a real
fairy In the leaf. She was greatly dis
tressed because the devil was excluded
from Paradise, and prayed earnestly
that he might be reinstated. Early i'll
life she had decided ideas regarding love
and marriage, and it is-vury evident,
from the forward young heroines who
figure in her novels, that this style of
precocity is exceedingly interesting and
satisfactory TO hCreslf, Mt least.
From childhood she has been all eX
ccllent horsewomau, though her prowess
in that direction has been greatly ex-
aggsrated by the newspapers. Hardly
a day passes during her visits to Castle
Hill, however, that She does not mount
her f.lvorite bay, "Usurper," for a long
ride over the breezy hills of Virginia.
Her fondness for horses and dogs is
well known, but IL requires more 'gush"
than | possess to enable me to go into
ecstacies over Amelie Rivcs or anybody
else who clashes n dog until her arm
drops" Us IL recent writer who visited
Mrs. Chanler while she was still Miss
Rlves pretends to do. 1t seems that she
took the guest on an evening walk to
the ice house Judging from the twaddle
he writes, he certainly was fresh enough
to have justified her in putting him on
ice) and took along u fine collie and
u BordelaiX dog, which was so savage
his mistress carried stout dog whip for
protection. a brace of greyhounds
Joined them aud as they approached
meadow down by the. pond-their
minds "deep in absorbing CONVERSE
tion-they suddenly missed the dogs,
only TO find them flying after the sheep
in the meadow. The older ones answered
Miss Rives' whistle, but "Dum' and
"Deen (short for Tweedledum and
Tweedledec) being unbroken pups, re-
fused to return, so Miss Il. took French
leave and gavo chase. She caught
"Dum" after nc had killed lamb. and
"holding him to the ground lashed him
till her arm dropped"
lie goes on TO say: "What picture
she made, with the crouching, yelping
hound, her face swept with color from
brow to chin; the dark blue of her "Tam
OShanter" crushing the short curls
against her forehead. / stood in idle
admiration mournfully regretting my
inability to secure the picture, with its
And then this lover of the beautiful