The sun., 1890-01-12
A FRENCH DRAMA.


of them concern Dumass debut in fast Parisian
life. and, shortly afterward In the world Of let-
ters. When Alexandra was 1S years old. says
Wolfr his father, whom till then he had seen
only on Sundays, said to him:
My son, you are now man. Listen atten-
lively to what l tell you. man bearing tho
namo OF Alexandra Dumas must live in grand
style. He must dine at the Cafe de Paris he
must be generous With women; he must deny
himself nothing. Go. my son, and have no
care for the future. Atthe age OF 25, when YOU
will marry, you will receive from me 100000
frnncs to start with"
very simple lie. listened as carefully to this
advice as his father could wish and then went
away TO ohoy 1t conscientiously; lie piungeo
He ate at the Cats de Paris. Ho denied hms
self nothing and was generous with women.
Alter two years lie turned up again in his iath"
er's study with these words:
Father, / have been following your advice.
and have now 5oO00 francs debts. You will
~" Fifty thousand francs" cried Dumas tho
elder. Fifty thousand francsl But. unhappy
child. where shall 1 get thom-I who owe
6UO,UOO at least ~
Tho younger Dumas gave it up. He saw that
he must drag himself out Of the financial hole
into which his lathers advice had led him. He
did a little seribhng here and there Tor n few
toward paying his creditors the $4,000 francs
he owed. In The midst this hopeless struEEte
Marie, Duplosss. III immortal Camille. was
was Intimate with her, The fo alton CON
tinued undisturbed till the woman's creditors
francs. The young author could not give her
a penny. Consequently she discarded him and
loved her. ard. half heart broken, went to Q
rich friend with his tale of woe. The friend
presence t' oi Marie DupIessis with 1900 francs
9op have, caused splspdld I'D young @ 1sl9T Fl lex
francs. There they are This is confidential.
l IL may tel my ehum now, mayn't l. that you
Yes" answered the woman. Tell him 1
am waiting for ,,h him ;, Keep your money how
This cpl episode S,'" was va the mot from which
grew, IN the mind q little Dumas" as
Gis friends called him La IA Dame me aux HGx
ghost still fitted about, in the head Of
the insolvent young Parlsan , with the
about her SO hard. as he ewandered through the
wood OF st. Germain that he lost the Iast train
whe Whe lie IN aWoRe Eex
mo- ming he looked over his clean, bare. quiet
room and ou! tHt0 the emPy s street a and a. sad
gagged the room. and sent 70 Paris Tor clo hea.
and wrote be; ore he left them . La pnme, aux
Camflias. the first edition Of which he sSld 70
bought the second edition for 200 francs. and
refused TO have anything more TO do win the
Tof 7" he Iovy Eq1s or any oa d
Altogether tho story Of Marie DurlessIs
brought eighty louis dor 10 Dumns's POCKETS.
One day not long af cr he had gotten The tast
penny he ever expected to get from the Dame
auY Camtlas;" new!f bcmoan,ng mis- is hard ,l incS
friend to,, %%hy " don't you make play out Of
What an audacious suggestion The son of
the great and only Alexandra Dumas write a
play The eli deH mnd little DHMas auGa
thought over owe his friends suggestion and
finally went to his father with i; The elder
est Of literary sucl;IinGs. There Is no play in
the young mans timid suggestions. Little
Dumas left with ind case of the blues.
asked his great father of winter evening
after dinner o hear something he had ;ccenty
written. They drew up 10 the onen fire. side
script. and with Stiaky voice began reading:
First at. The stage represents &c.r At
he became attentive. His biz blue eyes grew
bigger, OccasiouulIyhe let out n low eXclama-
As young Alexandre proceeded. old Alexan-
dFe experienced probably the n2R,est d,,s feelings
OF his rather iGno6le lie, eIrs iilied his eyes
to himself: Thnt is beautiful beautiful. Won
derfully, beautiful; my ir end" When young
and hud laid his manuscript in his Ian, his
father REGARDED him for minute IL dead 81
tried playwright in his arms and shouted:
Was out Of my head that / had no conf.
Senfe SSnf ete IL 0 he Sdr6 % nH Yoa
will begin tho rehears lis next week"
The next week. h9Teyer, brought with It the
mile did not even get an Introductory hear:
ing Mt its reheareals D'Ennery thought Of
investigation gave up tie idea because "he
found in its archives only two impossible
Dame aux Cam@ias.'" iiosiein. director OF
the Cats intre. pronounce an equally un-
hatlernE r. judgment Mpoa w yo9nep 9 R6umaSs
Paul Ernest. director Of the, Vaudeville. how:
play and accepted it.. Fourteen, days later the
Vaudeville became bankrupt. Young Dumas
began to fear that his maiden play was rega-
who, succeeded Lrnest ms director OF me
to "H' nm throueR 1.-THE the tReatrS porter With tue
curt message that 1t was worthless to him.
One evening aS the embryo pIatyiWrGht wan his
bad luck and his 10000 francs Of debts, he was
suddenly slapped lightly on the back Gy by n
expected TO become director OF the Vaudeville.
vice Lecoqr. IN few months; And know.
you" he said. Keen It for me-" Six months
t @ 6essh &c ne
: La Dame aux Camdiias" !" IIo was stopped.
however. by the Commission of Censors.
n Paris Pa audience. we have reaiiy done You
great service" explained NJ. do beaufort OF the
Commission to the discouraged author. in
Iorbidding the piece. Otherwise it would have
been hissed from the stage"
as director OF the Vaudeville. lined his pockets
with money. by producing the play which he
thus condemned.
plet," Dumas the younger has described how.
on the recon mendation OF De Morny. the
to allow the presentation Of Camille" The
principal part was at, first assigned to Mmes
After GSds 4ssd it Sa5SSy s5S s0f
Dumas. Tho action belongs to world TIA.
do not know" Eventually an actress
OBSTACLES in the way OF tho presentation were
showed aside. The reheaTsals progressed
Young Dumas. however. was In
a very unhappy position. The actors. In HIS
unique piece had little confidence in him, and
one OF the reheafsaIs Dumas explained to the
actor. Fechter: MY dear friend in this piece
Tou must get out Of the old ruts. Boldness.