Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-01-22
m iFIOVES THE BIRDS.
.,co,s coPPEE AND HIS FRIENDS fns rue HARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG.

ronehing Sight to Watch the Poet = His Pets In Public Garden--A
 ubo Is Loved by All and Is Dear s,s.tsr,, n to the Students.
 prancois coppee, the auther of "For fl1pu ning has a great many friends III las 'e1 bnt none of them is more devoted fals, ,a inc little birds that live ill the Jar tnsn 1n ', luxembourg. They know him as oin 0m nc they see him come in at one of @0n .a;ao s gates, his shoulders dropping, ia9 tl bsad " hanging folward, his face pale lls n i'll health. They know in just ig.- e..'h me of his pockets he carrios the VII, v. ,;aca of bread which he Is going to ps 9isiga g into crumbs for their benefit, and hsg ol.ss probably say in their own special aBguage' n, co. ,, pi,p qbov are not the only ones that know .h.f Goppee has in his pocket. All the fas, s.,a nuarter people who come and go ias aranoh that corner of the Luxembourg la,ssg a.5sn which faces the Odeon Enow that ts santle author rarely misses day in els l4s deyotion to the birds. And when he ', anears with q peculiar swollen appear ' rfo about one of his pockets they draw ,sistly off to a respectful distance to as soon as the circle of spectators usrtmen in blue blouses, students i1 'sduroy and slonch hats, nursemaids s;ib barelegged children-as soon as @aa clements, which might possibly n disturbing, have taken themselves far nmah cut of the way, the birds close l \ aronnd the poet until sometimes q 5sndred of them will be f1uttering about i Ii. head or hopping about his feet. 4 Then he takes out his piece of bread, sna erumbling off one corner losses Il narsal up in the air Instantly there is santter of wings, and two or three of ba birds dart upward, and the most for innate one catches the crumb in it's flight $ mi settles down again to his place in # tie flock.
 fma erunb after another Is thrown mt in this direction and that, and oc- asiopally a few are scattered on the mnpd so that the less adventurous and E weaker spirits may have their share, & finally good fat erumb is pinehed off, Int not thrown. It is held invitingly bt8een the thumb and finger, while  inc poet looks at his birds as much as to M:
 Come, come. You know your friend G5ppee Give me a proof of yonr affec- ton, as l am giving you proof of nine
 There is great flutter then among the birds, great cooking of pretty isads, much sharp glancing of bright res Finally ono particularly brave hta creature makes q wide curve to- Bard the imprisoned crumb, but his outrage deserts him on the way, and he sirVles back to his place without the pia Coppee rnbs the crumb little, s that a tiny morsel of it falls to the u0und, where 1t Is quickly picked up. # li is as if ho said to his small flock:
 See, my little friends, it Is q good aunb Where is your confidence? Have lever betrayed you?"
 & As if ashamed of having hesitated so Mg, a bird makes dart toward the oustretched hand, poises with futter- hg wings above it, picks daintily at the Gunlb and then bears it away triumph antly ill it's bill. After that it all goes merry as a marriage bell Two or three birds will be eating from his hand at the same time. They light on his shoul- der on his arm, on his hat.
 The spectators meanwhile are full of neathless interest. A child whose loud qy of delight startled the birds into hidden light is unceremoniously jer1cd eaek by his nurse with an emphatic Iais-tol. The students talk in an un- qeltone about the dear master, as they call eoppee.
 Last winter, when there was an un- usual amount of snow in Paris, Coppee gas particularly attentive to the wants a ms birds, which in their turn were more than ever appreciative of his good puces' for the snow made pretty poor scklns for them. And on cold days it sas no uncommon sight to sec the stu eals rush up to the poet after he had 4llsned his dole and turn up his coat aaiaf or tighten his muffler or button ls oyereoat.
 pear master, " they would say affec- .0lately, you must be more careful of salself You know you are not strong. ~ Il ls cold, and we need you as much sthe birds do. !"
 U ,he birds and the students he is al sass the dear master. " It was Coppee rno wrote and read the poem for the r'eii'ng of the bust of Henri Munger m'ilat l- samo Jardin du Luxembourg 'Esei s,. name is idolized by the whole s," quafter, and it is doubtful if tho lae lspen's would have permitted any one ,a,4 NilOm 4. they did not approve to take ] se s'Is '. Ill the ceremonies at the unveiling F his monument
 ~ sppee is not married. although. in s"en iashlon, he has friend to whom
 maAes mysterious references ill lis lnss as one who is dear to him and
 " sAose heart lle knows he will leave E Al Aspiaole ~ regret when he dies How