New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-14

by William L. Mcpherson
Here IS a irar story whioh strikes an aoso-
h,tely original note. Ne usually measure tho
guthlessness ard destrlacttreness Of todr an
terms Of human s1fering. Its tragedy Is ~
our thoughts nearly Gl,cops personal, darker
inc tho Eres aud testing the fortitude Of men
and trornen
BIT here the tragedy Of tcdr IS presented
from another point Of Vieic. The ruin Il
,rreaks is on things inananate, but stiu price
less. in0smuch as they represent the fO10erin9
, Of culture, tho striving Of the rcce otter ar
tisfic refinement and beauty. The central fg-
IRE in this story is not man nor c tcon'dfl,
but an exquisite French chdtedai, or chdtelet,
Of the Louis QstinSc period; and it is no email
tribute to the Imaginative quality and techni-
cal skill Of the lCIiter that his tale Of the
chdtelers fate GicGkens as deep and genuine
an interest as il It's subject had been some dni-
mate Uictim of ,car's heedlessness and br1t-
taiHy.
Herr Friedrich Frecksd Is to be congrdt1-
lated o., producing reel "t01,r de force" Sn
the tcoy Of tVar story.
1T WAS one Of the many small castles in
which France abounds. From the main
highway broad avenue, shaded by ancient
chestnut trees, led up TO the little park in which
stood the trim and dainty structure, built in
the style Of the sprightly years between 1850
md 1850.
In the first week of October, 1914, drove
for the first time up the chestnut lined avenue
70 the castle. in order to deliver letters and
records TO an artillery staff which was quar-
tered there.
A beautifully wrought iron gate, which
swung between two square columns, was
guarded by sentinel, who announced that the
wagon would have to stay outside the por-
tai SO ] walked up the wide, carefully kept
gravel path to the house, whose tall, gray
slate roof was visible through the turning
foliage. Like one Of those softened, feminized
creations Of the rocco period, the little castle
stood among the spreading trees. In the fore
ground a fountain played. A naked maiden
trembed on the edge of the marble basin, while
a monster Of fish spouted water at her. The
motive Of the chained Andromeda had been
changed into something petty-almost gallant.
The adjutant came to meet me at the door,
greeted ne cordially and said with the proud
manner Of collector and expert:
isn't the park an idyl and the castle
jewel? Come in; you will be astonished to see
how completely an example of the architecture
and culture Of long vanished period has been
preserved. But first wipe your feet, so that
you don't spoil the carpets or the parquet."
cannoneer with felt slippers on, came out
of the white, bright hallway. He relieved my
boots Of several pounds of the fat, yellow soil
Of France in which vines and vegetables thrive
so we'll The adjutant inspected me once more
before he passed me as clean and worthy
enough to examine the Jewel; and had a
feeling like that used to have when | was a
little boy and my great aunt used TO pull
sneakers over my shoes so that | would not
dirty the freshly scrubbed and oiled floors Of
her pedantically orderly old maids house.
tall, white folding door opened and found
myself in a room which Immediately captvated
me, so far did it seem removed from all asso-
citation with the war, or even with the century.
The dominant colors were blue and silver. The
walls, hung with paintings in the pastoral
style, were softly lighted from two high win
dows, which were yelled with yellow lace cur
tains Ebony chairs upholstered in blu.
silk, were arranged about low, round table.
A tete-a-tete chair wac placed coquettishly in a
corner In glass cases where precious blue
silver porcelain pieces, such as were SO highly
esteemed in the time Of Louis XIV.
stood still in wonderment and said:
Zone would almost expect the little mar
quse to whom al this belongs TO appear out
Of the next room, in a swelling, richly ruched
hoop skirt, trimmed with Alencon lace, and
do a minuet."
The adiutant stroked his abbreviated mus
tache and answered:
"Comrade, every member Of our staff on
entering this room for the first time had that
very same impression. Yet we do not know to
whom the castle belongs, for the whole country
around is forsaken. Not single inhabitant
has remained behind, for fear of us. We found
the chatelet just you see it, trim and per
fectly cared for, as if at any moment its mis-
tress might enter it; for it can belong only 10
= mistress Everything in it shows that And
after this unknown, to whom this little jewel
belongs, we have called it lie Chatelet de Ma
dame.'"
The colonel received me In the hunting room,
in which no single item of furnishing reminded
me Of modern times. he looked at me almost
anxiously as / seated myself in dainty chair
constructed OF antlers. The old gentleman
eshowed as great respect for the gracious,
recherche world about him as did his adjutant
A dispatch bearer, who entered clumsy and