Arizona republican., 1897-12-25


 STORIES OF ALPHONSE DAUDET. His Habit of Writing From Lfe and
 the Troubles it Brought Him.
 When Alphonse Daudet, who died suddenly last week, submitted his a nous novel, "Sapho," to a firm of New York publishers, they decided that it wouldn't do for them to pub fish such book, and a cable dispatch was sent to Paris saying G fSapho' not accepted" In his astonishment D u det could think of no reason why his book should be refused He went to a friend with the cable dispatch and asked an explanation of liim The friend happened to knew English and his theory of the refusal of the mas terpiece was a curious one "The name of the heroine" he said, is in English spelled with two p's and you have written only one.'
 That explanation satisfied the French author, who immediste;y ca bled to the. American publishers: Spell 'Sapho' with two p's if you like" But even that privilege was not enough to induce the firm to pub lish poor ''Sapho."
 For many years berore his d ath Daudet suffered from a nervous S. ease which caused him at times great pain, although he believed that it in- creased his literary powers. He thought especially that it gave his brain greater power of observation and intuition than he had ever pos- sessed before
 Daudet was proud of the fact that the characters he introduced into his novels were invariably taken from life, and he once said that rather than cease to work in that way he would cease to write. This peca,darity of h $ methods more than once got him in to serious trouble. Probably the meet notable case of the kind was the m. Irlendly comment aroused by his use of the Due de Morny as enc of the characters in "Le Nabob" It was to the Due de Morny that Daudet owed ms flrst advancement in life. but that dld not prevent him from transferring the ngnre truthfully to the pages of ms DOCK. The Tartarin stories caus- ca nm much annoyance, and no end or threatening letters were sent to nlm by persons who saw themselves | portrayed.
 Daudet's habit of ske.ching from life did not prevent the gathenines t at his house from being higlhlv nonu1ar and it was at one time said thai Sar, cey, Pailleron and Daudet were the men whose invitations were most an prec1ated. His Paris home was situ- ated on the Rue de Bellechasse. and at was on Thursday evenings that he receaVed his friends. The literary men or france are we'll paid for their work, and as Daudet had fer a long tlme been an industrious a d steady writer, his circumstances were s1leh that he could live in great comfort Ills country house at Ch3mprossay was beautiful estab -ishment. and i tnere the author spent most of his time between April and December. It was during the winter that he did most Of his work, and the summer days by the Seine were reserved chief ly for rest and recreation. In the hal or Daudets Paris house stood two pieces of furniture that always att 1 tracted the attention of visitors. One was cabinet of carved oak of the Kind used in Daudet's native province to contain flour, and the other a cur lously desigs ed basket intended 10 uOlu bread.
 The Thursday evening ga herings Tn the Daudet house were a. ways made attractive by music, of which Daudet was very fond. He admired Chuck, Beethoven and Wagner. But it was the work of Chopin which appearsd to him above all other music
 Ills manner of composition he was always willing to desc ibe. He said that he never wrote a story without an aim and that several of his novels were suggested by particular ir- stances which came under his own view. He collected a series Of note books in which he wrote everything that suggested itself to him as the possible theme for a story A quota tion from one of these books VII give all idea of their character. One of them contained the following entries: Importance of a good incentive at the moment when our lives take their discretion. Our careers of art, full of wanderings, the misguided, and of trains in distress. The assurance of the one passing by, sure of his road and firm on his rails. How one would astonish him by telling him that he was not going where he thought to go and that he is tr1rniuo his hank unon