The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-17
VANITY OF A LITERARY LADY,"
Insists on Having Her Figure Form n Part
of Maupassan,'s statue.


Insists on Having Her Figure Form n Part
of Maupassan,'s statue.
From Paris Letter i'm London News.
The Maupassant monument. which
was recently unveiled. Is a monumen
to the vanity of a literary lady who
took a deep interest In M~aupassant.
She largely subscribed to the fund for
the monument and collected money for
it. but on condition hat her own full
length portrait should be brought In.
Only Maupassant's bust. observe. is
given. IL is on a tall pedestal. at the
foot Of which the lady, in "a dress of
the now fashionable style. reclines on
a sofa OF the chaise-longue species.
Her feet stretched out. touch the
ground. The front of the skirt is plain,
but the back breadths form stiT deep
folds and are arranged as IL by a fem
me de One sees the ruche
trimming on the wrong side edge. The
forearms are bare. the upper arms COW
cred with pulled sleeves. One hand Is
thrown negligently Onward on the
back of the sofa and the elbow OF the
other rests on a pillow, while the hand
belonging to 1t supports the lead. IL
is very unsculptural and might well
be the advertisement In marble or
some leading dressmaker. The lady's
hair is in the plain bands that came
III last year. MduDdSSdft JUST IL a
good likeness. The sculptor has not
omitted the full veins in forehead and
temples and the bull neck. The FL
garo's interview with Maupassant's
mother which aul Alexis went to Nile
to obtain must be very unpleasant for
two ladies of quality.
Nine. De M~aupassant. mere. who was
wrapped up in her son. told his liter
airy friend that Guy vas to have spent
Christmas with her at Nice. He wrote
to her I'm the preceding July that the
doctors told him he must rest from
writing. He had cerebral anaemia
from overwork. and yet he said that in
writing 'L'Angelus.' hich he left un-
finished, that he was as much at ease
as in walking about his room. In Mo-
vember he went to ann to tackle
"~L'Angelus' again, and to get up
steam began an article for the Reveux
des Deux Mondes o Tourgeunier. In
order to finish this task quickly he said
to Nine. De Maupassant. mere:
You will help me greatly. mamma.
IL you read TourguenieN's chief novels
and send me a summary OF each i'm
20 or 30 lines. To reward you ] shall
come and 'reveilloner' Al Christmas
with you in the Villa des favenelles."
He loved that sunny villa. II was he
who hose IL for his mother. She was
waiting for him on Christmas eve. but
instead of Guy this telegram came:
'HdHEt VI IfNB IdHilHt. obiittu W
reveilloner i'm the lie ste. Marguerite
with Mines. y. n Y, but I shall see
out the old year and begin the new
year with you"
What passed at the lie Ste. Marguer-
lite Nine. De Maupassant is still puz-
zled to think. but she SAYS:
1T Is certain that after that accursed
reveillon. those two women. one mar
ried and the other n widow, ladies OF
quality both. and sisters. took the train
for Paris without saying why, though
on visiting terms with me. Then they
have never since made a sign. not so
much as a visiting card. After the
catastrophe on New Years eve Guy
came. He embraced me will extraor-
binary effusion and the tears rolled
down his cheeks. However. there was
nothing abnormal in his conversation
throughout the afternoon. though l no
ticed he was a little exalted But
when we sat down to dinner he talked
wildly. In spite of my applications he
insisted on going to Cannes that night.
Imagine my terror. l could not keep
him nailed down.. l was unable through
illness to follow him.. All | could do
was to warn his servant 10 watch him
closely. | have no idea whether Nine.
X. and Nine. Y. are still alive"
The following night. New Years
night. the suicidal attempt was made.
The first news OF ID was received from
u lotdi EIaDtiH on dNlui
situation for the Door mother! IL any
one had a right to hgure on the nom
ument IL was surely his Mater Dolor
osa, or a figure to symbolic her. We
all know the literary female I'm the sen
timental pose who sits a. the feet OF
the pedestal. The sculptor. Raoul Yer
net. has reduced her age by more h a
a half. She symbolizes the Parisienne.
though the want Of delicate feeling
evinced in putting herself forwa"i IL
provincial. Her attitude Is inspired by
the following quotation from Fort
CONNIE la mort"
''Sit down. darling. There. take hts
volume of poetry. open II ut vas 336
and read the verses on Door folks.
Drink them as you should the choicest
wine. slipping every word. and let in
toxication and tender feeling steal upon
you. Listen well to the answer your
heart gives. Then shut the book. raise
your eyes. think and dream"
The lady is raising her eyes accord
ing to the prescription. Henri n us
save handed over the TO the
care Of the town council. MI. lola
read a long speech. The Pare Monceau
was the proper place for the monu-
ment. They all-that is to say. the
Realist circle. to which he and Maui
passanf belonged-saw II every Sunday
from the ff.h floor OF the great and
kindly Flaubert. There met also Tour
~ruenieff. the Goncourts and Daudet.
Nobody had the slightest idea of the
literary future in store for MsupasSsn nj.
He was q kind. unaffected and rather
retiring. but very good-nstured man.
His success came like a thundertclt
and Maupsssant. with Huysmann.
Henninue. Alexis. Mirabeau. Bourget
and others set out to q the world.
C-x. 6a.uu E~-.-