The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-12-28
NAPOLEON, A. Seen
by His Associates
JOSEPHINE DE BCAUHARNAIS
Copyright. 1904, by G. L. Kiimer.l

most considerable as well as ardent let
ter from Napoleon. she exclaimed.
Whit IN o,!d c;raturc :o.Iaparte is
Thus liiUciI OF tie widow Of NJ. Beau
, harna!s l'lron de Mcncv:l. private
| secretary OF Napoleon. whose memoirs
/ give al ir<.de view vi lie palace
| writes as follows of Josephine as en-
press:
Josephine had an irresistible attrac-
! ton. She WAS not il woHlan Of regular
beauty. She lad that grace Which is
more beautiful! than beautys self; she
had the soft abai.don. the supple and
elegant movements, the graceful negi-
gencc of Creole women
The emperor had loved her much
She was The wife OF his glory as much
as the wife Of bis person. for she had
welded his glory rs much as she had
welded his person. She was fond of
luxury and extravagant perhaps more
than her spirit OF charity should have
warranted, for her extravaganza often
made it impossible for her to satisfy
her charitable tastes
Of this period Nine. de Remusat, also
a witness iii the palace, says:
Notwithstanding the wishes of her
husband, she could never submit to
either order Or etiquette in her private
life. She had Il perfect ma MA for being
painted and gave her pictures to
whatsoever wanted them - relations,
friends, femmes de chambre and even
to her tradespeople.
She rose ut 8 o'clock Her toilet
consumed much time. A part of it was
entirely private, when she lavishe6 un-
wearled efforts on the preservation Of
her person and on its establishment.
with the aid of paint and powder She
never opened book. she never took
up pen and never touched a needle,
and yet she never seemed to be in the
least bored
Napoleon said at St. Helena:
Josephine was grace personified.
Everything she did was with Ne
culiar grace and delicacy. never saw
her act inelegantly during the whole
time we lived together. Her toilet was
a perfect arsenal, and she effectually
defended herself against the assaults
of time"
The 'indiScretions' of the widow
Beauharnais did not end, it seems.
when she became Nine. Bonaparte.
one historian declares that within n
year after This marriage Napoleon
dismissed from his headquarters sew
eral of Josephine's lovers" The seouel
to one of these dismissals is related nv |
the Duchesse d Abrantes. Nanoleon |
meanwhile made consul, had sailed |
away to lead the army in Egypt. and
certain former aid-de-camp, one NJ.
quickly reappeared on the
scene.
Josephine bought the estate of NAL
i'll til" cnvironS Of Paris. "and
!.erself there" saws the
Duchesse dAbran'1., las Iadv of
the castle might h;oc done in the DAYS
Of yore, while her lord and master set
forward to deliver the tomb of Christ.
Then. as now. there were always a
page, an equerry, nephew and some
times even Il good able
M. Charles inhab ited Malmaison in
the quality OF master. Friends, we
know, have privileges. Gohier, q rival
70 Napoleon i'll the directory crisis. to
whom Josephine chung for advice.
strongly persuaded her to a decided
step. Divorce said he when, all in
tears, she refused the advice to break
off connection which would COM
promise her in the eyes Of the world.
divorce. You tell me it is only friend
ship that exists between Nj. Charles
and yourself, but if that friendship is
so influential that it impels you to
violate the observances of the world
shall say to you, as if it We're love-
1ivorce'
when, after his return from Eevnt
Bonaparte was on the point of himself
enecting what Gohier advised. TO-
sephine screamed. wept and was in
despair. She would not hear of a d.
1orce when he was 1T a distance
Aueh less could she endure it when the
of his unfadiny glory
all Europe with its RAYS
But i'll cOnsenting to surrender his pro- b.
oosal Bonaparte exacted as an abso
ute condition the Punishment of NJ /:
CHARLES. Yet NJ Charles was not
vanished: GEORGE L. KILNER
l