St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-06
PATHS CASTLE IN WALES.

for the future.
PATHS CASTLE IN WALES.
Some Extraordinary Precautions
Against Burglars and Hospital
BILE Parrot.
Pail Mall Gazette.
The castle is about mile and half
distant from the little station OF Pen
wilt, being reached by a road which
Nine. Patti has made. The first thing
that strikes you is the notice to burg
lars to the effect that numerous
traps for their capture are streWn
about the castle grounds. Patti loves
dogs, who constitute themselves her
protectors of right, when numerous
savage animals browse about seeking
whom they may devOur. But there is
one in articular-Prince, l think, they
call him-who lives in apalatlal kennel
Just on the top of the steep terrace
which is cut down TO the river bank.
Here he leads monastic existence
growing and grumbling and showing
his teeth to all corners. BY some mag
zeal electrical continuance it is arranged
that Prince shall escape when the
castle is alarmed, and pity
the enterprising burglar who
is interviewed by Prince. "A
word to wise house robbers0 Some
months ago guest opened his window
in the middle of the night, and was hor-
rifed to find that he had alarmed the
whole house; so when you pay a
visit to Craig-y-NoS you are warned not
to open your window, for if you do you
set the electric currents in motion, and
play the deuce with the nerves of the
sleepers. 1t all sounds like chapter
in Monte Cristo. These precautions
have been taken since an attempt to
break into the castle was made some
time ago-I am happy to say, without
avail. Mr.. Nicolini has quite an armory
in his dressing room, consisting OF
score of rifles and fowling-pieces, so
Craig-yNos would stand siege very
well.
| cannot imagine a more grateful
sight than the brightly lighted hall into
which you enter the castle, hung With
hundreds of trophies which the famous
prima donna has won in every part OF
the world, paintings and buSts on the
walls. and garden of lovely French
flowers, fashioned into wreaths and
harps, and placed in beautifully
wrought golden receptacles. the names
of which l know not. Here your eye
is arrested by portraits of Patti and
NicOlini, there by Illuminated addresses,
here, again, by piscatorial trophies,
which seem to be swimming about in
what is but cunningly simulated water.
At one end of the hall is the bOudoir, in
the center is the drawing room, and at
the other extreme the dining room,
through which you descend into that
charming conservatory and living room,
IN which you could spend a lifetime
with great comfort and Joy. Imagine a
long and lofty house of glass. filled
with palms and ferns. and hanging
plants of every description, with fount-
aims FLASHING and birds singing. 1t is a
veritable Eden.
At one end are madame's three gray
parrots. If you tap on the screen which
stands behind one of them, and wait for
ten seconds, he invites you to Come
n,""COme in," as naturally as possible.
His comrades have accomplishments,
too. Then on the wall is squirrel.
who has just come out and is revolving
at hundred turns minute on one OF
those wire wheels which are supposed
to compensate him for the joys of the
forest. Open the glass doors at the end
of the conservatory and you find your
self in long passage which leads you
into the beautifully fragrant and re-
poseful summer garden, which is now
too small for the growing timber. And
the whole atmosphere, bitter cold as it
is without, is like the tropics, and the
view from the windows is as lovely as
it is possible to conceive. Madame's
boudoir is a charming little apartment,
in which many of her most sacred
treasures are kept. On the walls you
see the big photograph of the old Ger
man emperor; Mr.. SAINTS portrait of
Patti, which was hung in the academy
year or two ago: photograph OF Gou-
nod, presented after 'Romeo and Jul
liet' in Paris. A richly carved case is
full of valuables. such as silver and
golden wreaths, and photographs OF
emperors and kings, queens and prin-
cesSes, for Nine. Patti has had them all
at her feet.
In the drawing room it is the same
story. You spend your evening after
dinner in the splendid billiard rooms,
which contain what must surely be the
finest pocketless billiard tables ever
manufactured. But not billiard tables
alone. but music in barrels. A whole
side of one of the rooms is occupied by
magnificent orchestrion. Madame
consults gilded volume. selects her
opera, the Genius of the Lamp is called,
descends to the lower regions. where
the best brands of music are kept in
stock to the tune Of 100 or more barrels,
inserts one into the mouth of the vast
instrument, gives the handle few
turns and leaves it to pour forth whole
volume of melody. which as often as
not Madame browns by her own magic
is music gallery, and one of the hap
piest moments of your life arrives when
Patti sits down and plays her favorite
negro minstrel song, called "Maggie