The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-01-20

IndI was lauRnlnBly Iakeu ny W lhS
rest of the diners.
"Mesdames eft messieurs. 1t Is q
great honor that you do me-" began
NJ. Vavin In French. and then. fixing
his beetle eye on Winthrop, he con-
tinued in English, ~ should hesitate
to respond to this Gathering idea Of
having me talk my way into this won
derful country Of America II ! did not
understand that perhaps II II the IA
honal custom" And along this line
he spoke for several minutes pleasant
ly and satirically. paying bis attention
to the rest of the guests and Issuing
them the compliments that only q
Frenchman of his ability can issue
But, seriously. there is nothing In
my life that ! regret more than TO say
that at the age of flfty-nine ! am COM
ing to America for the first time
America Is the great country Of the
woman. The entire geological process
of the universe has meant America.
because the time was bound to come
when the women would control. mon
sieur- would control the nation. The
amazon was a futile effort, q sporadic
outbreak Generalship on the part Of
the women has only paved the way
for America, the country Of. for and
By whom. II may paraphrase the
words of your remarkable patriot. MI
Alexander Lincoln"
"Abra ham" shouted winthrop.
was 1t Abraham" said ii Vavin
calmly. ut should have been Aiexan
der You will pardon me II the par
ents made a mistake OF that kind
| am quite serious in what | say. and
say II with all respect, say 1t
with the most sincere emotion-the
finest woman that | ever knew" and
into the eyes Of the speaker there
came just the suggestion Of tear
was an American woman The finest
woman that is nving'-his voice grew
strong and vigorous-"is an American
woman" Then. realizing with the
Frenchman's keen intuition that this
change In tone and sentiment had
rather startled his audience, be drop
ped his voice and added. And 1t Ii
with great satisfaction for my nation.
If not for myself. that | say that both
of these women had 10 the one In
stance "a fondness for France and In
the second a claim on France"
he was an extraordinary man. was
this Jules vavin. coming up TO Paris
at twenty with his little collection OF
poems under his arm. he bad made
the rounds of the publishers and the
Journals only to be regarded with
amazement and even with laughter
1t was at time when the Parnassians
were at their height with the sym
bolists crowding them closely and with
here and there such rampant tndi-
vidual notes as Jean Richepin's "Je
Blaspheme" adding literary chaos and
color to the situation. One publisher.
more kindly. more patient and with
more leisure than the rest at last
promised. after he had glanced over
the first poem of the series, to look
them all over. Every one else had
handed him back his manuscript after
klAuCluB at Tue uipt ""N @a~ sAAAN
ming over the titles
Poor Jules came back to the pub
fishers office the second day. his heart
full. his stomach empty. for the cheap
est of Paris living had eaten up his
funds, and there was only his mother
who took financial interest In bis wei
sare. but her income also was meager.
To have an interview with the head OF
the great firm that was Hachette's
principal rival was IN itself q step for
ward, be argued. And IL his book
should be published
The reception was most encouraging.
"Sit down, my boy" said the old gen.
tleman as Jules was ushered into his
office. an Office that had known the
presence of nearly every great literary
man Of France for years. Here Hugo
had come with his FIRST work. Lamar
tine and Balzac had conferred with
this old man, and dramatists galore
from Angler to Dumas dis had taken
his counsel II was to young vavin
another academy. dedicated to liten-
ture, having an atmosphere of its own
being, In fact. universe. different
from that which made its presence
known by the Gathering cabs outside
on the Boulevard des ltaliens.
You come from where. monsieur
be said after few minutes commune
with himself. lingering the while Jules
manuscript. which was on the desk be-
fore him when the young poet entered.
"From Haute-yoire. monsieur"
"And you are-years of ageT
Twenty. monsieur"
"And you look TO poetry as profes.
sion or trader
The old mans eyes twinkled. but
Jules did not see that. AT twenty one
sees little but oneself. one has ones
own orbit. and the things and infiu-
ences one admits al that time become
an irrevocable part of the after life OF
the young individual.
Monsieur. beg your pardon To
speak OF poetry as a trade or profes-
sion was to Jules a gratuitous insult
do not be hasty. NJ Vivian am
an old man. and ! know many things
I wish | knew less. Here you have
written many beautiful things You
have written them beautifully. but
and the old man spoke in tones that
x,ara 0anuineIy sad ''yOu have only