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Show FPU DRAMATIST ! TELLS OFJiPOLEBI Vaucaire, Noted Writer, Recites Re-cites How Grandfather Made Emperor's Acquaintance. ON RETURN FROM LBA Perfumer at Grasse Eats Violets Vio-lets Thought by Napoleon to Contain Poison. ,Spe.ciil Cable to The Tribune PARIS, .Tu!'-- 20.M. Maurice Vaucaire is a well-known French dramatist. He collaborated with SardOU In ;i three-act play In verse, "La Jeunesse de Figaro. " He wrote "Hans the Flute Ha-yer,1 and the "Manor Lescaut," to which Puccini wrote tho music, and his "Chatterton" to the music of Leoncavallo ha., become a classic. Put he cin lo more than write plays. He tells a story better thrn any man In Paris Here is one of his stories A erpat many pears am r was a very snuill boy. and at that happy time my grandfather was fond of telling me how Be, when he was seven yean old, made the acquaintance or the Emperor Napoleon. Napo-leon. My grandfather was a flower-K flower-K rower at Grasse. His father had grown v.lolets and orange blossoms before him arid a low days after Napoleon landed from Elba to be exact, on March 2, 1815 my grandfather, Jean Paul Be-delle, Be-delle, made the great man's acquaintance. Ho user! t tell the storv In this w;ay. I will tell it to you In ills own words: The emperor arrived at the Golfe Juan on board the Inconstant. He had Cambronno. Drouot and Bc-trand with him. and 1100 men. He landed at S o'clock In the afternoon, and he left for Grasse at midnight. Cool Reception. The little town, or at all events, the townspeople, wished that he were anywhere else. The townspeople of Grasse did not know Just what they ought to do with him There was no enthusiasm in Grasse for the Emperor Em-peror Napoleon on March 2, 1815. I remember my father removing hla nightcap and scratching his head, and explaining how badly the townspeople towns-people of Grasse were treating the emperor. I remember ho-w he sprang out of bed and pulled me out of mine. "Little man," he said, "the people of Grasse do not know how to treat Napoleon. You and I are going to show them. Put on your beat clothes " Ten minutes afterwards my father put a fine- bunch of violets into my hand srnd off we went, he in his best clothes, I In mine. It was bitterly cold: there was snow on the ground, and we ran nil the way to Iceep warm. Everv now and again my father j".iverv now aim jusiun my iawioi would shout. ' Vive 1'Empereur," and though I was out of breath, he made me do the same The emperor, when we found him. was standing in the middle Of a group of soldiers with the tricolor cockade. Outside the circle cir-cle of the soldiers stood a crowd of townspeople, gazing in silence at Napoleon. Na-poleon. Now, then," said my father, slip through the soldiers' legs and give your flowers to the emperor. Be quick. Ho must not leave Grasse with the bad Impression he has got already." Presents the Violets. I slipped through the legs of a big grenadier, and ran to where the emperor em-peror was standing. I pushed the violets Into his hand, and fell on my knees In front of him, I don't know why I did that, but It seomed exactly the right thing to do. "What does the boy want?" asked the emperor, who seemed In a very bed temper. "Sire," aald somebody I was told afterwards that It was Drouot "flowers "flow-ers are the Industry of the country. These have been sent you as a welcome." wel-come." "Do you think so?" paid the emperor. em-peror. "J 'don't." Another general, Cambronne It was, took the flowers and was going to smell thorn. "Don't do that," shouted Napoleon. "This may be a Bourbon trlrk. T I don't trust these people Throw tho I flowers down." Cambronne dropped the violets and I began to cry. "Where did you got those flowers, child?" the emperor growled. I was trembling all over. It wasn't the cold It was because of his voice. "Father gave thorn to mo for you." I said. "Where is he?" I pointed to him without a word. "Bring the man here," said Napoleon Napo-leon sharply Father Faces Emperor. My rather faced the emperor. He was ery pale and looked as though Napoleon's big eyes had turned him into stono. 'TTou gave the child those flowers to give to me," Napolson said, "Yes, sire." "What Is your name?: "Evaristn BedeDe," my father said. "I am a distiller of perfume. Th emperor stared at him as I hough be wouid read ids mind. "Why did you send me those violets?" vio-lets?" he asked. "As a homage from a humble individual." in-dividual." tny father said. Everybody Every-body was looking at him, and everybody every-body looked suspicious. "There is some trick In this." said the emperor, "Trick?" cald my father ' A trick In a bouquet of flowers?" Napoleon luughcd a short, nasty laugh like a bark. "Poison," ho said. "The th.lng has been done before. We know the Bourbons." My father smiled. "Sire." he said, "there lu no poison In these flowers and I will prove It." He snatched up the bouquet and two soldiers leaped forward. "Leave him alone." Napoleon barked. Proves Loyalty. The two man, my father and the emperor, stood staring into one another's an-other's eyes My father laughed again. Then, very slowly with his eyes on th emperor's syes, he ndsed ths violets to his mouth and began eating them He took mouthful after mouthful, eating the petals as though they had been preserved and crystallised crystal-lised In sugar, and his eyes never left, the emperor's face till lie had eaten tip the bouquet, stalks and alL He nearly choked over the stalks 'Tiers! You yrul pot deny that X i am still aJlve. sire, he aald ss he finished, "and I am aot a friend of tho Bourbons." The emperor smiled a slow smile. "Ton are a good fellow," he siUd. shaking henrts with my father and pinching his ear. Then ho slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a napoleon, which ho handed to me. I had never seen one before- Five minutes afterwards the little army of 1100 marched on to Salter cm 1 |
