The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-22

was twenty years older than herself, and
of a disagreeable character. She spent the
greater part of the year in chateau
in the Ukraine. Balzac was more for
tunate with Madame Hanska than he
had been with Madame de Castries. When
she returned to Poland, he wrote TO her
necessarily. He localized her, called her
his star, his adored mistress; but he
often had nothing to say to her-the cor
respondence was almost a fatigue he
wrote eighteen hours every day, and was
proud to say so. He described to Ma
dame Hanska the incidents of his toll,
of his struggles. One day, when he had
found $500 francs at his booksellers, he
says: Il am free for the day; my pay
ments are being made; L am tranquil for
q month. Ecco, signora, my very faith
full spouse don't 1 owe you this faith
full picture of your menage in Paris?"
Count Hanski at times became uneasy,
ana Balzac had to contrive special let
tiers in which he explained that his let
tiers to his wife were mere literary COM
positions, which she asked for. When the
Count died, his wife became free. She
had promised Dalzac to marry him. She
teen years had elapsed; the passion of
the first days in Switzerland had had
time to cool down. DALLAS was strug-
Cling constantly with his creditors; he
had to fee from house to house in Paris,
sometimes 70 conceal himself absolutely
under a false name. His dramas had no
success. Madame Hanska did not seem
in a great hurry, and found many pre-
texts for adjourning her marriage. The
Emperor of Russia would not give his
consent, which was necessary; she could
not separate herself from her children.
She put off her engagements when she
had promised TO meet him. Balzac was
determined, however, TO marry Madame
Hanska. He interrupted his work Che
was writing the 'Paysans, masterpiece
which. through the fault Of Madame Han
ska, remained unfinished), and left twice
for Poland. He was suffering from hear
disease. Madame Hanska received him
politely. took care of him, finally took
pity on him. The marriage was celebrated
on the 14th OF March. 1850, in the church
of Sainte-Barbe of Beriditchef
He returned to Paris with his wife at
the end of May, and established himself
in a little pavilion in the Rue Fortuny,
which he had bought after some happy
speculation, but which was not wholly
paid for, though he had fitted it with
pictures and other works of art and Curl
osities. His malady was making rapid
progress; he had constant suffocations.
He could no longer write or even open a
book. Madame Hanska was not at his
dying bedside, and had not been with
him in the latter part of his life. NJ.
Rebel is very harry upon her
What has passed?" he asks. I'VE don't
know; but let us admit that Balzac had
been unjust and unkind to his wife-was
not his malady, were not his sufferings
sufficient excuses. ? The attention
which the lowest of creatures. which per-
haps Madame de Castries. would have
been happy to render because she had a
heart-this cold and heartless
creature refused to bestow on him.
The page in which Victor Hugo
denounced her as immortal; immortal al
so are the letters to the 'Etrangere.'
She was, indeed, an 'etrangere' to Bal
zac and his marriage with her was an
error on both sides. A literary corre-
spondence. carried on for years. is not
proper introduction to conjugal life. This
Is perhaps the moral to be drawn from
the very imperfect, and in many senses.
shallow work of NJ. Rebel. Men of genius
are but poor lovers: they are constantly
carried out of the ordinary paths of life;
hey are the slaves of their own work.
Few are so fortunate as to find compan-
on in life ready to sink her own per-
;onality in her husbands. Balzac's case
s particularly painful, as he had bound
himself in an almost superhuman task.
and as his nature was so complex, so
mixed and with coarse elements, as to be
4 problem even TO himself.