Connecticut western news., 1880-09-15
An Audience of One.
HOW THE KING OF BAVARIA ENJOYS AN
 OPERA.

OPERA.
 The King of Bavaria is poet, and has age over all other poets of being able to gratify them, no matter what form they may take. He is fond of the opera, but not fond of sitting in the presence of an audience therefore it has sometimes occurred in Munich that when an opera has been concluded, and the players were getting off their paint and fnery, a command has come for them to get their paint and fnery on again.
 Presently the king would arrive, soli- tary and alone, and the players would begin at the beginning and do the entire opera over again, with only that one in- dividual in that vast, solemn theatre for an audience. Once he took an odd freak into his head High up and out of sight over the stage of the Court Theatre is @ maze of interlacing water-pipes, so pierced that in case of fire innumerable little thread-like streams of water can be caused to descend, and 1n case of need this discharging can be augmented to 8 pouring flood. American managers might make note of that. The king was sole audience. The opera proceed ed; 1t was piece with a storm ill it i; the mimic thunder began to mutter, the mimic winds began to vail and sigh !, and the mimic rain to batter. The kings interest rose higher and higher it de- veloped into enthusiasm. He cried
 "It is good, very good indeed! But will have real rain 1 Turn on the wa | ter p
 The managers pleaded for reversal of the command that it would ruin the costly scenery and thesplendid costumes, but the king cried:
 "No matter, no matter I will have real rain. Turn on the water p | So the real rain was turned on and be- gan to descend in gossamer lances to the mimic flower beds and gravel walks on the stage. The richly dressed ac- tresses and actors tripped about singing bravely and pretending not to mind it. The king was delighted his enthusiasm 1 grew higher. He cried out
 "Bravo bravo More thunder more lightning Turn on more rain p
 The thunder boomed, the lightning glared, storm winds ragged and the del uge poured down. The mimic royalty on the stage, with their soaked satins clinging to their bodies, sloped around ankle-deep in the water, warbling their sweetest and best; the fddlers under the eyes of the stage sawed away for dear life, with the cold overflow spout l ing down the backs of their nechs, and the dry and happy king sat in his lofty box and wore his gloves to ribbons ap- plauding.
 "More yeti" cried the king; "more yet; let loose all the thunder, turn on all the water will hang the man that raises an umbrella p
 When this most tremendous and effec- tive storm that had ever been produced in any theater was at last over, the king's appreciation was meas asureless. He cried:
 Magnificent, magnificent l Encore! Do it again P
 But the manager succeeded in per- suading him to recall the encore, and said the company would feel sufficiently rewarded and complimented in the fact that the encore was desired by his Mai esty, without fatiguing him with repe- tition to gratify their own vanity. Dur. ing the remainder of the act the lucky performers were those whose parts re- quire change of dress the others were @ soaked, bedraggled and uncomfortable lot, but in the last degree picturesque. The stage scenery was ruined, the traE doors were so swollen that they wouldn't work for week afterward, the fine cos tunes were spoiled, and no end of minor damages were done by that remarkable storm.
 It was royal idea-that storm-anG royalty carried out But observe the moderation of the king, he did not in sist upon his encore. If he had been { gladsome, unrehecting American opera audience, he probably would have had his storm repeated until he drowned al those people.