The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-01
MORE NApoLEoNIc LITERATURE.

motherhood
MORE NApOLEONlC LITERATURE.
Two important documents have just
bees brought to light in Paris which
may have a tendency to alter the opin-
ioxs regarding poor dear Josephine, !"
the Rrss wife OF the heartless Emperor
as he Is SO frequently called. One OF
thena is a letter written by Josephine to
Barras, her bon ami, the day after her
first interview with Napoleon, when she
called on him as the Viscountess OF
Reauharnais to persuade him to grant
Ter q pension This is the letter:
s'Friend--I have made conquest Of
which I'm not bit proud, and you
must know that the little monkey Bona
paSte has just promised me not only to
SECURE a good pension for myself and
the srnisches,' but also to come and see
ne Now, advise me. AS you know /
1--we in a wretched hole, which at once
speaks of my poverty and of your ay-
arice. Say, is it better for me to have
nothing to offer him when he comes but
q hard and ugly horse-chair to sit on,
and plead misery, or, with your help TO
appear framed in luxuries which, be-
fore you had taken fancy for fish
wife, you said were indispensable to my
style of beauty"
On which Barras who very much
wanted to be rid of Josephine, answered
shortly: "Will send you few pretty
things. Better try and dazzle the
monkey than inspire him with pity
But Barras did not hurry and Bona
parte did, for on the morrow he rang
the bell at the front door of the Hotel
Rue Chantereine, and with a trembling
heart asked il Mime. la Vicomtesse de
Beauharnais was at home, this sonorous
name passing through his plebeian lips
like honey.
1.-THE cheyenne Beauharnais is here,
answered the officieux, for the word
servant had then been abolished. Come
in, citoyen."
And without more ado, Bonaparte
was shown into a bare ante-champer
furnished only with a copper fountain,
the lower part of an oak press and a
chest of drawers in white wood. Ihen
he entered a room, in the lower middle
of which was an ugly, big, round ma
hogany table on which were still
spread the remnant of cold luncheon,
which had evidently consisted of sau-
sages and hard-boiled eggs. The fur-
niture was completed by a few horse
hair chairs arranged along the wall,
which was decorated with half dozen
bad engravings framed in black wood.
Through the cracked panes of glass OF
a. sideboard in yellow wood Bonaparte
caught sight of a few broken dishes and
a teaurn.
Then the officieux opened the door of
a third apartment, the walls of which
were completely hidden by mirrors OF
all sizes; in it were large bed, toilet
table. a little chaise Tongue. and a few
seats all covered with yellow Marking
festooned with blue gimp. There, in her
own bedroom, the future Empress Jo-
sephine received the first visit of Ma
poleon. Soon she entered the room with
the brilliant color on her cheeks which
yexation had placed there.
But she was a. thorough woman Of
the world, and much too indolent to in
dulge in any lengthy awkward situa-
ton, so she gracefully fell on the chaise
Tongue, ostentatiously arranged on her
pretty and well-shod feet the folds of
her peignoir of blue gauZe, and half re-
clining she appeared like the most love-
ly and imposing grande dame to the
rough young soldier.
In q second letter to Barras, Jo-
sephine says: ''Of course you were too
slow and Bonaparte too quick. He has
seen me in my empty roorn and wretch
ed installation. But, never mind, send
the things at once, for / told the fiat
haired little corporal that 1 had taken
such dislike to the furniture which
had been mine when De Beauharnais
was alive that I had sent it to be sold
this very morning early, keeping only
my boudoir furnished the new things
were TO arrive; and how sorry 1 was
that he just came a few hours too soon,
and how delighted I was to see him
and patati and patata. I completely
entranced him, and could see his cur
ious vulture eyes of all colors (for
cannot tell you how many shades there
were in them) riveted on me and eager
ly looking at meat me alone. Happily
L had on my sky-blue deshabille
trimmed with Valenciennes lace Ght
one you preferred), and my silk blonde
mantilla- But hurry, send the car
round. for the villain petit crapaud i:
coming tonight with the papers abou
our pension, and 1 must have frame
worthy of me. If he goes on at the rate
he is now going, and becomes daily
more powerful and more amoureux
God knows what ! shall be able to ge
out of him.
Barras kept his word, and so die
Bonaparte, who was received next tim
he came in a drawing-room filled witt