The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-23
FAMOUS WRITER'S HOME
!, How Ouida Lives in Her Charming
Home in Florence Surrounded
By Friends.
She Abhors Bohemians, Never
Smokes and Does not Al
feet Mannish Airs.
In These and other Respects She Disap-
points Expectation in Very
Agreeable Manner.

IN some respects there is probably no
body who more agreeably dlsappolnts ex-
recitation than Mdlle. Louise de la Rance,
otherwise ''Ouida.'
For some reason or another the popular
idea of this distinguished writer is that
abe affects mannish airs and horsey clothes,
wears short hair and smo kes strong tobac-
90. and is habitually surrounded by Bohem-
;ana If both sexes with preponderance of
the stronger.
As point of fact, Ouida gets her dress
from Paris, never smokes, abhors Bohem-
ians, and receives as few visitors as cole
brated person can we'll do. She IS also ex-
tremely p articular as to the social quality
of those few and it ls mostly only persons OF
the highest di stinction who can feel them
selv es quite welcome within her walls.
Formerly Ouida lived at Scandlccl, in a
villa not far from the charming little town
of sigma, which inspired one of her earliest
and best Italian stories. VI late she mas
moved into Florence, and now occuples a
vast first floor in typical Palazzo in Via
del Serrugli.
There she is fitly enshrined at the end of
very long suite of rooms, and there she
receives her friends and the few strangers
they bring with them, between and P. m.
There is certain sort of characteristic
weird, prismatic gorgeousness about the
whole initiation. You ascend wide cold
staircase. funereally furnished at intervals
with busts or statues of defunct patricians.
You ring hollow-sounding bell at great
oaken door; after an interval not always
short one, manservant appears and
in answer to inquiry signifies that
Mdlle. de la Rance is at home. You follow
him through endless shadowy rooms dimly
lighted, set forth with huge palms and
other plants of imposing size. A distinct
rol IL; e 10 10 md
it then grows louder rs you tread the soft
carpet OF yet another heavilycurtai ned,
dark, yet shimmering, glimmering roo m; a
small door opens finally, and you are
ushered into the presence of the divinity.
Her shrine is a little room, the walls of
which are painted in the lovely old-fash-
toned Italian style, with birds and folia &c
and trellis-work covered with flowers. The
center of the space is filled with round
table covered with exotics, tuberoses, and
ferns in pots and vases of every shape and
hue. Two small candles furnished with
butterfly shades just enable you, and no
more, to make your way through the fra.
grant twilight to the corner fenced in with
Japanese screen, where Ouida sits on 9
low chair beside low tea table, and
stretches forth a tiny, very pretty, perfectly
ringless hand in welcome.
She is gorgeously attired, sometimes il
bronze velvet and fur, when velvet and ful
were the mode; sometimes in an enchanting
tea-gown of blue or pink brocade cleaning
in some rare fashion with silver or gold EN-
broidery. From under the rich stuffs he
little feet peep forth-feet which nigh
have been owned by Cinderella. The cos
tune also would have been most appro
pirate for Cinderella when she went to NEE
the Prince. One thinks it is a pity-fo
Ouida-that she is not going to meet tn
prince.
One feels little confused. The Who'll
apparition is bewildering. There is some
thing uncommon, fantastic about it, On
asks oneself what it recalls. Is it Cinder
ella or the Fairy Godmother or the Lady O.
Tripoli? But suddenly you are brough
suggestion of tea.
About herself she has generally little t,
say. Questioned as to her ''work, " she OBJ
jects perhaps to the term, and says she pre-
fers ''inspiration.'' If asked when the in
spiration comes, she declares that she does
not know any more than the bird knows by
the clock when it is going to sing. or thu
rose recognizes that the hour of it's bios
soming has sounded.
The writer once heard man of the worl6
boldly ask Ouida how she managed to de
scribe SO wildly scenes and places, haunt.
of fast men, which, he remarked, ''sh,
could never have SEEM" Her answer wal
characteristic. "A word enlightens me.
seem to see the whole thing then."
And to all appearance this is true. Ouid,
quite gives the impression of a person
whom the realities of life have barrel,
touched, who dwells apart in world of he
own, and who describes the lives of Others
through some happy intuition of genius.
When you leave her and go back to thu
streets again, you say to yourself that afte
all you have not seen the real Ouida, 20,
have only had an impression, and that 20,
must go back some time and try to know
her better. You may 60 back, but yol
never know her better. She always remains
an impression, sort of embodied legend
an enigma dressed by one of the grea
tailors of Paris.