Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

ana the grand bars; and SeriOus-minded
| French offcers-like that Lieutenant Colo
| mel Gendron, who himself hoped to procure
| from the fraulein only interesting notes for
his course of lectures at the Ecole de Cuer-
re-lamented Dreyfus' imprudence in taking
afternoon tea with a foreigner, L'Autri-
chienne! Louis MIL Louis XIV, Louis XVI
and the great Napoleon all married Aus
TRANS. not to mention the present Orleans
pretender. Nothing is more remarkable
than the present-day disdain Of the Paris
patriot" for the foreigner. The English
wife of Labor and the American wife of
Clemenceau point clearly to odious cosmo-
politanism. When reminded that their own
MERCER cherishes a British spouse, good
nationalists are tempted to doubt the talk
as an invention of the syndicate Yet moth
ing is truer; and the generals son recently
boosted that, had he failed In his Saint-Cyr
examinations. papa could have got him a
commission in the British army.
The ParisianS who carp at Clemenceau's
Americana are much behind the times.
That unfortunate woman from her Ameri-
can home may feel certain satisfaction
in the fact that the man who spent her
money has ranged himself the side of
truth in the Dreyfus campaign, but 1t is a
satisfaction that comes late in life to her
Clemenceau married her in America. One
day, years afterward. when she reproached
him with some more than usually atrocious
gallantry, he replied calmly: stop making
such a fuss. Don't you know that you are
not legally my wife in France? We were
not married DelOTc d + IeICu CollSul.
Nine. LabOris Romance.
Thereupon she left him. The romance of
Nine. Labor is something like this tale re-
versed and ending happily Blonde, slen-
der, nervous and alert, speaking French
admirably and distinguished by an almost
French vivacity, and quick wit that comes
to her with her Irish blood Nine. Labor
has almost lost the outward traces of per-
fidious Albion. Yet, as Miss Maggie Okey,
she was one of the most distinguished grad
yates of the Royal Academy of Music, with
a brilliant London concert career before
her. She married NJ. Vladimir de Pach-
mann, the Russian pianist and composer,
who had his own little leaning to Gallo
'galantry." To this Nine. de Pachmann
vigorously objected, and as the eminent
Russian pianist was making good living
in London, far from the jurisdiction of the
grand synod, he was not able to make the
amiable reply of Clemenceau: Don't you
know that you are not legally my wife in
Russian" On the contrary, she who was
destined to become the partner of one of
the greatest legal skirmisherS of modern
times procured divorce and alimony from
the astonished Russian Orthodox Church
without loss of time. Her marriage with
Maitre Labor did not delay itself. as they
say in French. and turned out Of the hap
piest. Labor is the most Anglo-Saxon
Frenchman l have ever encountered-Out-
spoken fearless, combatant and go-ahead.
utterly free from the artificial, timid and
tagging correctness" that distinguishes the
udge-terrorized French advocate. His col
leagues admire him with respectful wonder,
and on more than one occasion have gath
cred round him as the champion of their
privileges. Once Labor said: Il protest.
Protest all you please!" was the cynical
reply of the French judge, whereupon 1.-The
good-natured colossus banging his books
and pounding the table, raised such an out
rageous row that the proceedings were in
terrupted for five minutes.
But, mon Dieu, what are you doing?"
cried the Judge.
81 am protesting." answered Labori, and
gained his point. II learned that trick
from Mme Labori," he explained at lunch
con.
Nine. Dreyfus.
OF Nine. Dreyfus the most that can be
said is that she Is utterly unknown. "A good
says the ancient Sanscrit proverb
gets her name in the newspapers only
twice-on the occasion of her marriage and
her 'decease." The name of Nine. Dreyfus
has been much in the papers, but 1t |
Is remarkable how little they have found
to say about her. In spite of the preten- |
slens OF certain women Journalists, she |
never has given an Interview" She has |
been accused of hardness of character I |
10 not know on what grounds. Her sreat |
preoccupation-apart from the rehabilita- |
ton of her husband-has been that her |
children should be kept in ignorance Of |
doubted. Papa is in a far-off country |
serving France Everybody loves papa. |
Ihat Is why we get so many letters" But |
here is reason to believe that the boy
1 morose little felloW-has long had a |
7agEe idea of something different. Both
children had the habit of inquiring Where
s papa now?" And the sad mother would
gather courage to concoct pious falsehoods.
One day the boy ceased asking Where is |
oapa?" 1t was a bitter day for Mme
0reyfus.
The saddest Case.
The victims of the "affaire'' are of both
sides. Indeed, the saddest case Is that of
Nine. Henry, the doubly bereaved widow of |
Dreyfus' INSCRIPTIONS enemy. Sorrow drove
Ter far from common sense; her husbands
memory drove her far from truth, and the
counsels Of the generals drove
Ter to Rennes to make a painful axhthi-
lon Of her unhappy state. Doubtless she
imagined that the picture of those home
venings would impress the judges and the
,ublic. How Henry would bring confden-
ial papers from the ministry Of war, Ito
york on after dinner" while she sat peace
ieces of paper on the center table, re |
constructing" letters by means OF narrow |
title strips of gummed paper. How Henry
inferred her bed room very late that night,
he famous bordereau in his hands and |
low "he put 1t in his hat so as not to for
ct 1t. Yet with each detail the unhappy
line. Henry was driving another nail into
he structure Of her husbands shame The
work that he brought home to do around
he cheerful lamp was forgery. The pre-
ended confidence Of her husband that his
aost famous forgery was only recon
tructiCn of verbal evidence"-if true
1ould make her accomplish, for she
ever saw the wretched man after his ar
est. The audience blushed with pain as
he went on innocently running her deposit
ion with these terrible details. Nine, |
lenry today Is far on the road to mono
lania- She sees the duty to defend her !
usband's memory in and out of season, in !
treet cars and on the way to church. and |
hen she Is out shopping. She thinks that |
verybody knows her. She sees 1t only |
roper that men should step aside and lift |
leir hats as she sweeps by.
Among the Victims.
There are other tender-hearted women
mong the victims-Mme. Esterhazy, neg
scted and ashamed; Mime. Labor, continue
lily worrying lest the assassin's bullet
hould by some obscure accident affect her
spine; Mime. Chapelon, whose
My son and the hope of her old age lost I
is scholarship. and with 1t his future, be-
ause she had promised to testify at the
ola trial; the mistress of Lemercier- Picard. q
rho saw the man she loved driven each
ay nearer to the suicide that ended his I
areervand hers; the wife Of the spy La )