Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-24
MONTE CRISTO CHATEAU.
| Home Upon Which the Elder Dumas
Squandered q. Fortune.


Squnndered a. Fortune.
At his architectural folly of Monte
Cristo, near St Germain-en-Laye.
which he built at cost of upward Of
100000 francs and sold for $4,000
francs in 1S4S, Dumas had upinclosed
grounds and gardens, which, with the
house, afforded lodgings and entertain
ment not only to host of bohemian
''sponges," but to all the dogs, cats
and donkeys that chose to quarter
themselves in the place. 1t was called
by the neighbors ia maison de Bon
Dfeu." There was a lenagerie in the
park, peopled by three apes; Jugurtha,
the vulture, whose transport from
Africa, whence Dumas fetched him,
cost 10000 francs Gt would be too
long to tell why; big parrot called
Dual; macaw named Papa and an
other christened Everard: Lucullus,
the golden pheasant; Caesar. the game
cock; peafowl and guinea fowl:
Mysouf H., the Angora cat, and the
Scotch pointer Pritchard
This dog was Il character He was
fond of canine society, and used to
sit in the road looking out for other
dogs to invite them to keep him COM
pany at Monte Cristo. He was taken
by his master to Ham to visit Louis
Napoleon when Il prisoner there. The
latter wished to keep Pritchard, but
counted without the intelligence OF the
animal in asking Dumas before his
face to leave him behind The pointer
set up howl so piteous that the gov
ernor Of the prison withdrew the au-
thorizatiOn he had given his captive to
retain him. Some of the dogs that
Pritchard invited in stayed altogether.
Others remained oply for a meal.
One day Michel, the gardener, said
to Ills employer, Does monsieur Know
how many dogs there are in his prop |
erty:' NO, Michel, don't" "Well. |
there are thirteen" IAN unlucky !
number. Take care that they don't all |
eat together. for if they did one would |
be sure to die in the year" "Oh. it's |
not that that troubles me-" pursued |
Michel. What is it. thenT' I'm |
thinking that all these brutes are able |
to devOur in one day whole OK, |
horns and ALL" You don't mean to |
say that they'd eat the horns?" "Oh, |
if monsieur takes the matter as a |
But l don't see any joke in it."
We'll, then. Just let me lay the whip |
on twelve of them, and the house will |
be rid of them right away wait
bit, Michel. You see that all these
dogs i'll quarterlng themselves here
pay a compliment to the house. Give
them a grand dinner tomorrow and at
the end of the dessert tell them to
clear out. If they don't go, show Sc
verify" Michel was withdrawing when |
Dumas relented. Hold" he cried. |
You see, when tire bon Dieu gives us
riches. a-fine house and position he also
imposes charges upon us. Since the
dogs-which, after all, are his crea-
lures. too-Ire in the house, l prefer
that they stay l don't believe that
any one was yet ruined by what poor
brutes ate. However, see that the
number of thirteen is changed" viii |
monsieur let me turn one away, and
then there will I've only twelve2" NO;
encourage Pritchard to invite another,
which will bring them up TO fourteen"
But it VIII then be Il pack with
all my heart, provided the dogs don't
quarrel and go mad" They never
did bark and bite, but lived in fra
ternal kindness until Monte Cristo
was sold. Dumas before he left it got
thirteen friends to take as many dogs
and kept Pritchard. who died with
him of old age.