The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-12
OUIDA In GREAT POVERTY
SMALL PENSION GRANTED TO
F.iMOUS WOMAN NOVELIST.
She Made q Fortune by Her Books. hut spent
Money ReckIessly kept no Dogs and
40 Horses Blind and Deaf From En-
posure-sheltered by Old servant.

Money HecklessIy- kept SO Dogs and
40 Horses Blind and Deaf From Ex-
pOsure -sheltercd by Old servant.
Special Cable Despatch 10 THE SUN.
LONDON. July Ii.-There was general
surprise and curiosity when it was an
nounced that Miss Louisa de Ia Rance,
the novelist. Ouida. has had a pension Of
$3.50 granted TO her from the OWL list.
1t was known that she was formerly wealthy,
having made a fortune from her writings.
1t is even a greater surprise now to learn
that the venerable author. she is rs, has
been latterly in such poverty that some
times she was compelled to go without
food.
The Florence correspondent of the Daily
Mail sends a story of her recent life. He
says that until two years ago Miss de la
Rance occupied a splendid three story
villa at Lucca. She was known as THE
Lady Of the Dogs" as she invariably had
thirty, and was always seen with a number
OF them round her. Her intense fondness
for dogs, with a certain megalomania,
caused her on one occasion to give a meal
Of milk. bread and meat to every dog in
Lucca. She paid the bill for this extraor-
binary banquet willingly. although heavy
debts were crowding upon her through
her utter ignorance Of the value OF money.
1t In stated that on several occasions at
about this time she went without food for a
whole day, remarking that It was sufficient
IL her dogs ate. Frequently her maid
! appealed to the owner OF the villa for supper
for her mistress. A dispute with her land
lord about some furniture led to three law
suits, which Ouida won. but the costs fur
ther crippled her purse. and her landlord
then turned her out.
After staying at one or two places she went
to a first class hotel at viareggio. Again
t~houghtless expenditures exhausted her
resources. and her plight was such that last
September she passed a night under the
trees on the sea front. The remaining few
Of her large family OF beloved dogs were at
her side. When her maids mother found
her at s o'clock in the morning on the beach
she took her to her humble cottage at Monti
and kept her there for several months.
But that homeless night on the cold beach
caused Ouida to lose the sight OF her
left eye, and also brought about deafness
from which she has never recovered. In
February last she went TO another hotel at
Viareggio. where she stayed until July 9,
when, being again in financial straits, she
went with her ex-maid's mother to the viii
lsge Of Massaroes. five miles distant, where
she rs now living in a milkman's suualid
cottage,
She rarely goes outdoors n has few
visitors. Her health Is broken down. She
eats little. She wears white dresses Of silk
muslin. with long trains and white gloves
extending far up the arms. Last winter
she nae a new black dress with a long train.
Her passion for dogs is not diminished, al
though now she has only three, Ruff, Col.
doni and Neroino.
She has been heard to say that life would
be hopeless misery without her dogs. IL
is her fear Of endangering their lives by a
change Of climate that prevents her from
returning to England. In her happier
days. when she was able TO give away and
spend money with impulsive generosity
and disregard OF arithmetic, she had. be-
sides thirty dogs. at least forty horses. IL
is known that once since her sufferings be-
gan she went without food for four days.
through sheer want.
Ouida in poverty lie almost incredible
to those who remember the vogue OF some
OF her novels. 1t is not 30 long since every
body was reading -Strathmore. "Chandos,"
under Two Flags and the many other
works Of one Of the most prolific Of English
novelists. 1t ia probably by the last named
work. published in 1857. that Ouida is best
known. A comparatively recent theatrical
success in New York. under Two Flags"
was Paul NJ. Potter's dramatization of
this book. Besides the three mentioned,
-Tricotrin." published In 1850, Two Little
Wooden Shoes in 1875 and In Maremma,-
In 1852, are books Of hers which were
eagerly read. Lady Marabout's Troubles
10 accounted n very clever book Of short
stories. The more recent output tails
OF in quality. All old there are forty |
one novels from the pen OF Mile. de Ia Ramee. |
The best OF her works were remarkable
for the length Of time that they held public
favor.
When 0uids was about 20 years old she |
went from Bury 1t. Edmunds, where
she was born, TO London with her mother
and grandmother. and not long afterward
began her writing career. Her pen name
was her own childish INSTRUMENTATION |
OF her name, Louisa. She has lived in Italy
for many years. Two or three years ago
she attracted considerable attention by
her public utteranoes on social and mora,
topics. The somewhat ~strsitlaoed tone
she adopted was in odd contrast with the
- It