The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-07

have always been. Father wrote Mile.
de Belle Isle I'm four days He was a
most wonderful man. ! remember that
he once was writing "a play for the
Coincide. / think. and mad been unable
10 finish at the time agreed upon. On
the afternoon when the committee was
10 meet 10 hear t. however he marched
down as unconcerncdly as If he had done
al that he had promised, and read the
first four acts. all that he had written
Then he intended to tell them that he
could not have the nth act ready for
them before the day after tomorrow,
but they seemed 10 be so much Interested
i'm what he had read that ne feared the
announcement would have a bad eject on
their Judgment of the play. Having made
up his mind 10 this. he rose, and, going
to the mantclpiece. so that no one could
look over his shoulder he read the last
act from the blank paper without falter-
Ing at all / had been trembling for fear
ne would break down from the moment
when / saw what he intended 10 attempt
but his voice did not culver from the be-
ginning 10 the end"
Dumas is great art collector HIS
house is full Of pictures and bric-a-brac
of the finest Sort and not long ago this
collection overnowed into the street.
There are three places in his house whore
he can write-twO studies and his bed
room. He goes from one 10 the other or
them without apparent reason, and Is BY
no means certain 20 choose the one which
happens at the time 10 be the Quietest.
ono Of his plays was written while he
sat within a few feet of the piano upon
| which his daughter was being instructed
| In the elementary principles Of music. lie
! enjoyed that. and worked on that play
only during the hours when her music
! teacher was there, and drumming on the
| piano while he scolded her When at
! home he dTesses as probably no other
| great noyelAt in the world has habitually
| dressed. He either wears two garments
which might be called pajamas. but are
] not or he wears a long smOck frock
| around which is tackled q coarse girdle.
| rarely tied.
! lie is in a particularly good humor just
| now. because two Of his plays-written
| while he was yet a bOy-and torn from
| the stage because the Church thought
! them 10 be immoral. have just been re-
! produced in Paris under the sanction OF
the Church, by which they are pointed
| 10 as great moral lessons. These plays
are THE Womens Friend and the
| Princess Of Bagdad." lie always protested
that instead OF being immoral they de-
/ picted the awful results Of immortality
so powerfully that they would deter those
who were trembling on the brink Of sin
from taking the plunge.
| Dumas is simple and imprcsses you
| with his honesty by his manner. He IS
| ever ready 10 help any one Who needs
! help and deserves IL. be the struggler
| man or woman. He has shown more
| Young actresses how TO succeed than
1 anv other one man In all France, and
| he has helped more struggling piaywrights
| than any dozen. And he docs 1t in sucn
way that one cannot realize that No
| believes himself to be doing any one a
service.
His head is large and powerfully model
| cd. AS ne passes birthdays he gains in
HIS resemblance 10 his father, | am told
The bald part OF his head is encircled by
a girdle OF unusually luxuriant white
hair and there are few wrinkles on MS
| face save the three which form per-
| petual triangle in his brow-deep cut and
| ominous OF past sunerings. His lips are
| firm and as handsomely formed as they
| could have been In his youth; his eye 1:
superbly clear and far reaching. The
only parts OF his face which bear tbs
slightest hint OF hardness are his chfr
and jaw.
Dumas speaks almost with reverence
| OF the actresses who have helped TO make
his plays successful. Tse beautiful
| Cro,zette he can scarcely say enough OF
Her beauty and her taIenc and nsr gooc
sense In leaving the stage when she wa
certain that she had reached the zenith
OF her triumph are among his favori,'
toplcs. The famous but startling Desclee
was entirely his protege. II was through
| him tina, she was engaged. Dumas only
could make her tractable enough to b