Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-10

exterior lurked a refined and acute mind
He was minister of the interior through
out the trOublous Buulanger epoch. com
ing in for a large share of the obloauy,
heaped on the government by the imnas-
stoned supporters of the general. This.
however, left him quite unperturbed, and
he accepted his successes with the same
spirit of calm. On the fateful 18th of
January Gen. Boulanger had hardly fin
lshed buckling his valise when a jealous
detective rushed breathless to the minis
try of the interior.
He Went Back to Bed.
Although it was l o'clock in the morn
ing. the official insisted on the minister
being awakened. and, when he appeared,
blurted out. breathlessIy:
General Boulanger is leaving
'All right" said NJ. Constans, coldly.
But, your excellency, he will escape
ne is. perhaps, even now at the
Care du Nord.'
We'll. what OF it, You surely don't
expect me to go to the station and see
him off,
So saying NJ Constans turned his back
on the detective and went back to bed
In spite OF this mperturbablity NJ. Con-
STAINS admitted that one man had sue
ceeded in astonishing him. Emile Loubet,
aIterWard president of the republic. did
When l left the ministry Of the in
terror, said NJ. Constans in telling the
story. Il handed over to my successor
the key of the safe containing the secret
service money. 1t was then the begin
ming of March, and I had a nice little
sum, more than a million, in bundles of
10000 francs. NJ. Loubet did a thing
which | should not have believed pos
sible ="
Hore NJ CopstonS ,ton,,o5 oaa o.,,~a
DO you know what he did?''
Some one yentured a guess
Not at ALL resumed NJ. Constants M
Loubet signed me receipt for the sum
it was there
Empress Was His Guest.
The passing away of Honore Champion
has recalled the days when for several
weeks this well known bookseller enter
tanned unawares the Empress of Russia.
Day by day he showed her majesty the
Libraries and museums of Paris, calling
her Mile. ,Hesse. She concealed her iden-
tity from her guide until the last plan
ming. however, to surprise him when the
opportune moment came.
NJ. Champion was one of the last repre-
sentatives Of the old school of French
booksellers. He began his career at a
time when the seller of books. instead of
being In maze of wholesale and retail
discounts. de luxe editions, fine binding
and eagerness to bring out a "best-seller."
was to a great degree the collaboration
and friend of his clients. and it was al
most as colleague that Champion was
treated by the phlologists and members
of the Academy of Inscriptions and Bellies
Lettres, who met every Friday after the
session Of the academy in his store, on
the Quai Malaquais. The late Duke TAU
male in particular had very high opin-
ion of the knowledge and character OF
Honore Champion, and never missed an
opportunity Of showing his esteem. One
day he sent for him and said:
Greeted From Royal Carriage.
champion. a young lady of very high
family is coming to Paris shortly. and
she wishes to have some one guide her to
the museums. libraries and collections.
Her name is Mile. Hesse: that is all that
can tell you. Will you be her guide?'
Champion readily agreed. and he
piloted the mysterious young woman
for several weeks until she left. after
thanking him very warmly.
The bookseller had forgotten all
about the incident, when one day the
Empress Of Russia happened to pass
his door, driving in state on her way
to the academy. He gazed on the gilt
tering equipage with an idle eye. when
to his great establishment he saw the
empress smiling and waving her hand
energetically in his direction. He then
realized that the empress was no
other than Mile Hesse. Before her
Duchess of Hesse. and she it was whom
he had escorted through the art treas
ures of the capita.
David Canvases Shown.
The exhibition of the works of the
celebrated revolutionary painter,
Jacques Louis David, and his pupils
has just been opened and proves of
very great historical as well as artistic
interest.
Anatole France counts among his
cherished possessions book of
sketches made by David for his state
picture of the coronation of Napoleon.
He found 1t during his wanderings on
the quays Of Paris, which are lined by
the stalls of the secondhand bOokmen.
Rummaging in a box he unearthed the
sketch book. and at once asked the
price Five cents" said the STALL
keeper. France paid without bar
gaining.
Convicted Murderer WEEDS.
twelve years servitude for completely
~ q
at Versailles under circumstances
somewhat similar to those Of the Stein
he'll case has been allowed by special
permission of the government to marry
his sweetheart Mile. Jeanne Boulicot,
before leaving for the French penal
settlement in Guyana.
NOllet was married in handouts Two
inspectors accompanied him to the may
or's Offices where the ceremony was per-
formed. The inspectors acted as wit
nesses. The bridal couple We're allowed
to kiss once before and once after the
ceremony. Neither the months he has al
ready spent in prison nor the prospect of
twelve years penal servitude seems to
have affected the prisoner. With head
formalities of marriage with the air of a
free and happy man.
Millions for Amusement.
Statistics just published show that in
the year 1912 the receipts of the various
places. of amusement in Paris amounted
to over $13,O0O,000 as against $11 500 600
for 1911.
The constant opening up of new ways
have no effect on the increase of receipts.
The moving picture theaters evidence
this. Today they are counted by the hum
dreds In Paris, and one of them shows
total receipts for the year amounting to
500, 600.
The largest receipts of any place are