The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08

Tor them myself. To tel the truth, the
best thing ! did at that time was 10 pile
''At the beginning, life was easy enough
had Just left school, and being stiu
young, ! had very simple tastes At FIRST
hVed very quietly with my father, and
accompanied him in all his travels
went with him to Spain, when the lnfanta
was married to the Duke de Montpensier
He worked necessarily, writing his i'm
presstons in long letters, in which he sprin-
Killed. with liberal hand the golden pow
DER OF his fancy and rich humOr. As for
me, / loafed about with my nose in the
air. gathering, here and there, bits of
experience that have remained among
the most charming ones Of my youth.
we had as companions Auguste Mar
quet and the artists, Louis BOulanger and
Eugene Giraud. From Spain we went to
AIrlca, where we visited Algiers and Tu-
ms was fond Of travelling at that time,
having already accompanied my father to
Germany and Italy. In brief, l lived his
me, even going with him to Belgium
Where ne remained for sometime after
the revolution of Is4S During the first
FOUR years after leaving college / wrote
~ Esis, Jusi as had written verses, TO do
~ YlheIs ala and TO keep busy. My novels
had at least one excuse-they brought me
some money, but so little
the deuce of it all was that my ex-
PtHses had increased for the easy and at
IIacuVe life led had caused my debts to
15,c C5 One morning l awoke with
ha9iliues amounting TO 5000 francs.
haslened to my father and exposed
my dreadful plight
Wen; my SON. he said. 1T is very
simple. You must work TO pay il on
re was seated at the table, with a pen
IN ms hand, giving me the example while
Cohunulng with his eternal smile The co
i i. labor that he had been pursuing for
Years past 1t was like q revelation IN
me! felt in precise manner. on that
gay, That the time had come for mo 10
pIeak with the useless and aimless life
hdd Deen leading hitherto, and ! under
stood that the best way ont OF the dim
Sulty had been pointed out to me by NV
tia1e AZ was time for me to take my
any as l knew that / would eventually
triumph II there was anything in me.
II was while feeling in this spirit that
one night, while wandering in the wings of
inc Iheater Historique Antony Reraud
a former manager Of the Ambioue-
SoInlque, offered to collaborate with me
IN a play for which he had found tho sub
ject in my novel OF La Dame any Cam
elias. | had already vaguely Thought Of
PuStihg the book in dramatic form but
idu DSen dlsSuaded by my father, who,
When L preached the matter to him, ex-
claimed with a laugh:
en- B S my dear boy. there is no play in
The propositions of Beraud filled me
with nope. was then not alone in think
ing tnat the romance of Marguerite eau
uef could be turned into dramai Bet
Yer sur l had found a collaboration and
II was Beraud, who was said to be an ex-
pert IN things theatrical! | fastened to
accept his OFFER already foreseeing the
POssIpiIlty OF paying, at least, a part of
my debts. But my HUSTON was Of short
duration, for / soon perceived that I
would never get along with my collabo-
razor, VINO only saw in La Dame Aux Ca
melias matter for a heavy melodrama
After lengthy discussions 1 finally agrae0
20 Iet MN use the story IL he signed the
royalties. ~ mo
Il remained eighteen months without
nearing OF the famous project, when one
DAY received the sceneies of Beraud
Mhlch appeared TO me to be one of the
lhlost absurd tning in the world. In fact I
nave nav preserved II to this day as a curios-
NY. But suddenly the idea came to me
TO write the play alone. 1t was like 20,
ti OF texer! In eight days the thing
was done, Proud of my work, but just
a DIT contrite at having disregarded INV
iathers advice, l carried my MANUSCRIPT
70 MS copyist, with the Intention OF
swearing Ihe latter to the most absolute
secrecy. But / had scarcely entered into
the copyist's room when / was surnriseS
10y my Iatner, who had just entered with
a manuscript under him arm. / was fore
sd,, therefore, TO acknowledge my diso-
Dedlence. Exercising all his parental AN,
thority, my father inflicted the most crnel
O OF PUNISHMENT MS 1 on me by forcing me to
Must acknowledge it? In the second ACT
tears came TO his eyes. At the close of
me .er tnird act he was crying like child.
keep very important appointment Mo
father promised to walt for me In ordnr
Ihat ne might hear the last two acts. on
my return he embraced me heartily Ne
had not been able to resist the tenpta-
ton to go on to the end: and. lauabino-
InIough ms tears, he predicted an i'm
mense success for me, at the same time
warning me of the trouble I would have
with the censors '''
.. He was right. lie Dame aux Came
las went through many difficulties 10
fore It was allowed to appear. but ii was
enthusiastically received on its firsr
night.
There was in me, then. the materia
for dramatist? i had to believe II since
the master of the contemporaries drama
ond his judgment From that dav 7 set
seriously to work.
IAN have told you" concluded Du-
mas, might be summed up IL the state
ment that ] owe my position as a dr9-
matte author entirely to my father who
by causing me to pay for my own cigai-s'
gave me a taste for work"
Ralph Edmf1nds