The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-27
An Effort to Piece Together the Story Of the Late
Mrs. Frank Lesle's Fo,rscore Years of
Management and Matrinony

Il study OF the scene and its attendants
would have made fine material for a
Bl.@ac or Thackeray with an eye for
the rocco and human articles of vertu
taking themselves and their hostess
seriously.
And for years, with occa slonal inter
walls /; had gone on. Thee we're
veterans Of the salon among them who
looked in kindly. superior way on
the newcomers. And they all subscribed
to the baronial myth and the recon-
structed biography. and the story of a
great fortune won and held for the good
OF her Kind by the bcdlamuned figure in
the chair. II was, in fact a sorry salon.
furnishing humor to all but It's attend
ants and furnishing them with agree
aoIe food. Yet, as it was apparently
me last. the biography of the Baroness
mas or should have some public value.
The trouble with Mrs Leslie's blogra
phy Is that 1t was so varously related
10 successive generations the hi .torian
Is little confused by tho contradictions
a. well az by the supprcssions. Here.
Tor instance, Is an apparently authorized
statement that she was born In 1851
whereas II had long been conceded that
she was first married in 1854. When
apparently of late years. about tn marry
4 spanish Marquis, she was asked II he
would not make the NTH OF her hus-
bands. she innocently and sweetly
answered, "Oh! no. the third" proceed g.
ing to name three. Her Arithmetic was
difficult. Why bother about a husband
OF two. so long as they did not syn
chron.ze?
Her name originally was Marian or
Miriam Florence Folin. and she saw
the light in New orleans IN the early
80 1881 or 1888. Her own story of
her earliest days may have some reality.
II is rather long to quote in full:
Il never had any childhood. for the
word means sunshine and freedom from
care had a starved ana pin~hed lit
tie childhood az far as love and mcrr,-
ment 60" and two large tears stood in
her soft gray eyes ornamental asser-
ton by the teller Of the s;oryy. 81
was born in New Orleans and I lived
there until my marriage fourteen
years and eight months
Il had six brother and sisters and |
was the Youngest Of them all and came
when the older ones had all grown tn
manhood ard womanhood So / grew
~ = AiAiAhfAl nv was hlIhill
tolline, and my very first recollection
Is IF my dear old Creole nurse. Bella. and
her husband Prince Bella al
ways spoke in French to me My father
and | were what the Ita'.ans call sim
pa lea. He taught me- all know"
Now Tor his picture "IIe was a
sern, cold man. very learned and his
ideas about children were most rigid. %
InlS shawn hfs lot,
daughter. you may smile at ANYTHING
witty. but never laugh out loud 1t is
un,adrllke." She spoke, it appears.
french and Spanish always at home
English TO visitors and had a master
IN German when | was a little TOT"
Her father was Jealous for education:
study, study You can conquer the
world II YOU learn to speak its tongues"
or this little Marian or Miriam took
note. as We shall see
What did look ike In those days :?
! was delicate little child and know
that my hair was long and fair and I
wore 1t In a single plat down my back
and brushed smoothly from my brow"
She never had n dol. She had no
beauX. "oh, no. indeed; | was NOT al
lowed such frivolities and | was not
allowed pretty dresses or trlnketS of any
kind. That Is why I am fond of them
now. There is a craving in every
woman for affection and admiration and
pretty attire. and II the want is not
satisfied when she is a young girl II
must be later In her life Tina, il why
am so fond Of nice gowns and jewels
and admiration"
1t was twenty years ago that she