Part 11 (2/2)

So would you, John Drew

3

John Drew, then promise me That as soon as I am free I may sit in the first entrance As Lamb always lets me do

And watch you fume and fret While the innocent soubrette Takes the centre of the stage a-- Way from you, John Drew”

R H D

In the summer of 1894 Richard went to London for a purely social visit, but while he was there President Carnot was assassinated, and he went to Paris to write the ”story” of the funeral and of the election of the new President

VERSAILLES, June 24, 1894

I am out here to see the election of the new President I jumped on the mail coach and came off in a hurry without any breakfast, but I had a pretty drive out, and the guard and I talked of London The palace is closed and no one is admitted except by card, so I have seen only the outside of it It is e; not a banner or a band The town is as quiet as always, and there are not 200 people gathered at the gate through which the deputies pass Coo, it isHow lively it is inside of the cha on I cannot say I shall not wait to hear the result, but will return on the coach

Nothing could be more curious than the apparent indifference of the people of Paris to the assassination of the President Two days after he died there was not a single flag at half s, the hotels and the stores were all that advertised their grief I shall have an interesting story to write of it for the Parisian series Dana Gibson and I ait until after the funeral and then go to Andorra If he does not go, I o back to London at once This has been an interesting time here, but only because it is so different from what one would expect It reads like a burlesque to note the expressions of condolence from all over the world, and toso much sympathy, and their absolute indifference to the death of Carnot It is most curious We have an ideal tiood talk and such a companions

dick

LONDON, July 15, 1894

DEAR MOTHER:

Mr Irving gave a supper last night to Mme Bernhardt and Mme Rejane

There were about twenty people, and we ate in the Beefsteak Room of the Lyceum Theater, which is so called after the old Beefsteak Club which forhtful time, and talked to all the French women and to Miss Terry, who sent her love to Dad She said, ”I did not SEE him this last visit; that is, I saw hiirl, and the picture Miss Terryup at Bernhardt and Rejane when they chattered in French onderful Neither she nor Irving could speak a word of French, and whenever any one else tried, the crowd all stood in a circle and applauded and guyed the, Miss Terry offered hter and I rode through the eht for et out of such co's robe of cardinal red and made it into cloaks, and they looked very odd and eerie with their yellow hair and red capes, and talking as fast as they could

dick

CHAPTER VIII

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

About January 1, 1895, Richard accompanied by his friends Somers Somerset and Lloyd C Griscom, afterward our minister to Tokio and ambassador to Brazil and Italy, started out on a leisurely trip of South and Central America With no very definite itinerary, they sailed froood time, and as many adventures as possible, which Richard was to describe in a series of articles These appeared later on in a voluos in Venezuela”

January, 1895

DEAR FAM:

On board Breakwater at anchor You will be pleased to hear that I a this in a fine state of perspiration in spite of the fact that I have light weight flannels, no underclothes and all the s open

It is going to storm and then it will be cooler We have had a bully tih ti froalpa At Belize the Governor treated us charave us orderlies and launches and lunches and advice andhas struck me as so sad lately as did Sir Anthony Moloney K C M G

watching us go off laughing and joking in his gilded barge to wherever we pleased and leaving hin and then a dinner tete-a-tete with his Secretary and so on to the end of his life It was pathetic to hear hiossip from the outside world and to see hoe pleased hi more bald than he was and that he would ht He had not heard of Trilby!!

We struck a beautiful place today called Livingston where ent ashore and photographed the arhteen and most of them under ten It was quite like Africa, the homes were all thatched and the children all naked and the woot on ht ere as funny as we thought theents and consuls and custom house chaps coood and keeps Griscom and Somerset in a proper frame of awe But seriously I could not ask for better companions, they are both enorht the Governor asked Somers to dinner and did not ask us aited up for hi him out over the side of the boat above the sharks until he swore he would never go away froly leisurely but he has a most audacious humor and talks to the natives in a way that fills them with pleasure but which nearlyToday we lie here taking in banannas and tomorroill see Conrad, Conrad, Conrad!! Send this to the Consul Lots of love