The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-28
MAR,E BAsHK1RrsEFFs HOME.

villa upon large, well-kept, natural-looSing
garden, full of palms. eucalyptus, Spanish
bayonet, and roses. From within YOU see this
gate traced upon the band of delicious blue
sea without, like black lacework. You fol-
low the winding path and come to two villas,
larger one and smaller one. In corner
of the garden on the street is a little terrace,
a spot for taking after-dinner coffee upon, or
for watching the driving or the gay defile of
vehicles on the days of the battles of flowers.
There are rock-work, stone benches with the
letters VI. B. interlsced in the pattern of their
carving, and stone flower boxes in the shape
of old tree trunks, all the designs of Marie
Bashkirtseff's hand, as is the general plan of
the garden. / have sat there and looked over
some collections of her manuscript-the be-
ginning of novel, old letters, parts of the
Journal, iotted down in copy-books contain
ing elsewhere her school exercises and |
have tried to imagine her white-robed figure
pensive in the shade; have tried to conjure
np again that charming person, not too tame,
who pondered the deepest problems that ever
puzzled the mind of man without furrow
upon her fair young brow. Why might she
not appear again in her balcony yonder, or
by the fountain with its lilypods, or laughing
around turn of the garden BEDS Ito delight
US with her raillery, her penetrating criti-
cisms upon life, with all the graces of her
adorable young person and the talents of her
most ingenious versatile mind?
The family now occupy the smaller villa,
the two-story pavilion with a red roof, and
terrace at one side with busts and plants, and
rent the other. In Marie's time, being more
numerous than now, they lived in the more
important villa, large, three-story mansion,
at the back of the property. 1t was there
that Marie chiefly INDUCED her youthful taste
for luxury. Her chamber in crimson satin,
seems to have been marvel of coquettish ele
gance. 1t became the favorite rendezvous,
the family and intimate friends being
.apfa oir a1 al ,,r,1a
certain reserves. The hangings were damaged
after awhile by the bursting of water pipes,
and the effect was never restored with the
same completeness. A bedstead of hers,
made from her own design, still remains in
her mothers room. 1t is an elaborately
carved shell or cradle, in white and gold, the
feet being huge gilded claws. In those times,
just as her costumes were always white, all
her belongings had to be outre. original like
those of a veritable fairy princess
In ~ she had white basket phaeton, from
Binders, drawn by white ponies, and she and
Dina drove to the races in it all dressed in
white, which we may be sure made sensa-
tion along the Promenade des Anglais. But,
alas on the return they were taken between
dray without any driver on the left and a
great heap of stones on the right, the pole
was broken, and so they nearly ended in Sc
rious disaster. Her fancy in many of these
matters changed to a severe, even ascetic
simplicity in time. When she seriously began
to work, in Paris, she got herself plain iron
bed that might have served a soldier in his
campaigns.
The rear of the villa faces Oh the Rue de
France, and it was there she harangued her
good friends, the women of the people, and
did them many kindnesses which they re.
member yet. There she hung out the gar
lands and lanterns for the ftte which she
gave them of Turning the May. Do yo know
that, with all her sadness, she was rarely any
thing but gay in public.
''And TO think that before all the world, be-
ginning with my own maid, am as gay as
lark. 1t is not affectation either: it is INV
habit"
The early part of the chronicle especially is
full of laughter. She was great romp and
An ingenious practical joker. Once she de-
scended into the pavilion and pretended to
effect a robbery there, to enjoy the conster-
nation of their careless old servant, Triphon,
when he found everything turned topsy -turvy
With her ''three graces''-that is to say, her
cousin Dina and TWO young Russian friends,
Marie and Olga-she was on the point of
dancing ronde around good cure. quietly
taking his walk on the promenade They fall
into one another's arms and pretend to faint
when one OF the beaux of Nice goes away
They dress up as chambermaids and go and
get their fortunes told in the old town They
go to be photographed in a group, and prob
ably never before had the gallery of the pho
tographer witnessed such riotous hubbub of
mirth.
The members of the household now are
three, all widows. The sorrowing mother
Nine. Bashllirtseff, is in middle life, dresses
always in black has excellent features and a
countenance showing somewhat the rayages
of Illness, but in her smile there is an express
sion of great sweetness and hearty cordiality
which sweeps away every defect. She is free
and unconventional in manner and somewhat
careless of appearance, like one in whom the
great interest in life has gone out She dis
claims having any part in social life at present:
she and Nine. Romanoff see chiefly only such
friends as come in search of them and rarely
20 to the houses of others. She talks freely
of her daughter, converses with great anima-
tion and charm, and l have frequently seen
her hold a whole circle under the interest of
her words. She is impressionable, and when
on this subject is often led away involuntaTily
by the grief that mingles with her pride, till
you are touched to see the tears fall freely
from her eyes.
There is no truth in the representations
that the young genius was not also a good
and affectionate daughter. Some miscon-
ception in this effect may arise from the fact
that the editor, in his choice of materials, may
have included too many of the petulant or
half-petulant passages, while the many
charming devoted ones which would have
Offset them are not given.
Nine. Bashllrtseff is surrounded by null
titude OF pets. For more serious occupation
the cares arising out of her daughters fame
are almost profession In life. She receives a
large correspondence, vivid testimony to the
profound interest Marie has excited in all
parts of the world; she sends examples of her
pictures to various great exhibitions (as lately
to Berlin,) and she offers some OF them for
sale. She has already consented TO send the
most important OF the pictures-probably as
many as iVe-to the Worlds Fair. They will
parfaYnlV he stTrrnundad fhara and will crafty