New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-07
ALPHONSE DAUDET.
THE LAST DAYS OF MAN OF GENIUS.

THE LAST DAYS OF y MAN or ur->iCS'
Paris correspondence Of The London Daily News
Daude;'s death was sudden. though long arpre-
hendcd He had suffered for over fifteen years
rom locomo;or ataxia The disease was acute for
tor,ur,ng for the las, four or i've years. hut 1t
did not interfere with mis- intellectual iacultles AS
the defensive. and putting forth all its power 70
rss:. Sn; i bseam m ~ LUNCHEON or
dinner where there were persons with whom he Was
in toucn They stimulated him 10 that degree that
he became like a burning house famed by rosy
wind and with no hre-enginc 10 play upon H. lncre
exquisite perhaps than anything he wrote but ms
afia,us haa escaped his control He went on as
Gifts When the company began 10 drop or there
was collapse. ard the torturing MACY pe'a a1
to arrange abont revvals OF his plays he very
seldom IN the closing years 81 ms e wen" near
the forest OF Senart. where he spent his summers
T ~ No oneed TO he able to ramble along the
Seine through field and forest He was s9r"E,
driving Having los; the power assniiate food
easily, he could not recoup lost sirensth' re
eentrated il the eyes whish were less lamSe mt.
vealed the intensity Of his cerebral life: a.
HIS spirit also seemed 10 nay" ~ payfi humor
and saw the world gdcd with sunshine, f 5u,
Of 1a fnS the IN Sssh and tpaGo! and
feeling There was touch or Ham.ct IN tnoSe
The dea n last year OF his Old friend and master IN
the literary art Edmond de GoncoCrt was a Sc
where Goncourt was staying on a visit Da1 ,1e,
Was doWns,airs ard his cues; yns x on nat e Corr
court dying. Under the starting erecI OF tnS
news ne ncrI ane unoe The paraiytic state
quite disappeared to return when ihs conpte s ser
heard the death agony as he climbed me S'H En-
lie could hardly believe that The whHe rlsiu ~ ~
S TaT man WHATS the matcr ASKED paudet
simply this After p"ss.1g sooa h'g EAT Inc n
snd SsllrHro Sc, As he spoke the doctor in
3ected ether into the dying mans arm. and Daudet;
bending down embraced him. m!nClins (Hs ne Salu
himself his tears with the cold sweat from ron Con.
more q: him and spoke endcarngly 20 him nut 40
r mod,c wdS s pSndes hand as # wishing BE- let
alone He apparently did not want to be rStan TO-
reaction OF the death scene on Daudet was cruel
Dsudot lived for some time on hfth floor with
a lift IN the Rue dc bclechasse re ny tho.
his noaladv might yield 20 medical treatmon; when
ne took this Nat. but climbing the stairs Was 100
prisoner. When he was last summer IN NE l eOu'i,
Try Nine Daudet found first foe neiWeeh +.
vas not allowed to 90 to any trouble about the
fitting but he could not hep tdss'tns ana nnT-y 70
pass the winter at the new place f ne was he
become accustomed He was as i ampu,a,'e sdrt s
~ mn" counter-rritants or distractions were de-
vjsed hy the devoted wife and children 20 taKe ms
were invited 20 come and chat with him ahout .he
revival o. "sapho his hook tnar ~ ma TIE pre-
vaing cheerfuness around him seemed 10 nave
ndG IL was in better spirits than gsu, wh9n he "a,
Gh and fell b hack KIM q b onnd Srs no
Spouse. The children and servants or Sa Pntan
Wsre fetched in haste They both said that death
had come though he was not yet dead tn 5tes'
ma nraveS Then the face grew gradually rig.d ana
the nostris that had ben pi1SnGio Flec-
ttrjcity Vas tried The tongue for an hour s vas
a fsnr.tio1S Nns found useless lie no more
mi his family could not realize this or recorSSne
themseyes 10 e 10 perseyere and refused 10
give up hoping. though there was no reasoh"o'e
e Baude looked forward 70 spending ba m Hsr
chss MI Re9ea Wig Sa9 bef p1 in1ed "e to sun
Win him on Christmas Eve. Daudet was io r.S
man Of the 9qe' o5 "a nose sarscenc heads
which one often sees in the South Of France Inc
s SoK h and fell on his shoulders These beautiful
black eyes Of his were eX;reiney % ;,bin thcir
range Of vision and thus cultivated the v vs19i
ne ~ 10 in AMBUSH for his characters and
TO sketch them slyy lie thus SAetcneu exnol,ent
yT,lrar NJ Bravot the Deputy, who figures in ne
novel as the Nabob. Daudet owed 70 his 5000
is the ' dsvghsr Of great cabinet maker Who
had contract 70 furnish the pa!aces o. ne khf
was a novel with 4 key. He would have been un-
faithful TO his principles had he not drawn from
novel and in les Rois en- Ext" when a secretary
Of the Due de MOrny. Before ne obtained the post
AZ the Petlt-Bourton he used 10 dine at cheap
table dhtte with GambetM; That stStesmaA
Was brought into another move as Nurna RoumeS-
tan though DaUdet himself disclaimeG the identi-
fcation. A very cXalied lady-indeed, lady
with an only son doomed 10 traGica dea.h-did
not suspect when she visited the De Mornys that
Daudet in ambush there. He poruays her
with slight difelfnCeS IN Jack. he was
brought UP among pious Catholics and Royalisis
Eis aesthetic sense held him in the Catholic
Church. None the less. I've was a Freet thinker.
Many OF the newspapers are in mourning for him
They are unanimous IN lamentlng his death as a
France.