The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-05
A RUSSIAN GIANTESS.
She is Only Twelve Years Old But
Is Six Feet High.

| MtT6 lull vi dCCOltlto
Madchen,n a child who was being ex
hibited at Berlin. Men like Professol
Virchoff and Dr. Schmidt wrote scien
tifc treatises concerning the enormous
size of her bones; the comic and theat
rical papers had their say abous bhe
gigantic woman slttlng "
the floor and playing VIII
dolls and toys, and the daily press
bought many a tale and many an an
ecdote concerning Elizabeth, inc IN
FAINT phenomenon. A few weeks ago
this girl arrived in London and walked
for the first time about among the
astonished crowd of comparative pig
mics at the Westminster Aquarium.
San hour before her first public ap-
pearance (writes a lady representative
of the Gasette(, / made my way
through a thick, black fog, overnang-
ing the region Of st. Stephens, to pay
a call of welcome to the Russian
| oiantess. She was not in. l was told;
had gone home to get something to
eat but would be back in a few min
utes. Presently a youthful buttons
announced, in a somewhat awe
stricken voice, The Russian Giantess.'
A gentleman entered, as l found
afterward the interpreter OF Eliza
beth, and her two relatives, neither
of whom knows a single word of any
language but Russian. l thought he
was rather a fine looking man, the
linguist who taught Russian, French,
English and German with perfect ease
and fiuency, but his figure seemed to
| shrink and shrivel up before that
which next appeared in the door
way. Ye gods, what d womanl l
| thought, as in dumb amazement sat
and gazed at the towering figure be-
fore Inc. She was wrapped in a long
brown ulster, and her face was over
Swallowed by a broad-brimmed simple
felt hat, an enormous hat, as | noticed
when afterwars she put it on a table
beside her. Behind her came two
more men, the uncles of the girl,
both typical Russians, who only
wanted a sheep skin and
top boots to represent the
Cars faithful servant, the moujik.
She looked shy and awkward, the
giant child, as she stalked about the
room. %divesting herself of her coatand
hat, and somewhat nervously twist
ing a red silk handkerchief between
her great shapely hands. What u
band of dwarfs we looked as we gazed
up at her, though there was not a per
son in the room who, except for her
presence, would not have been con-
sidered of at least medium height.
.syThae she had settled down in a.
wide armchair I brought my chair
next to her and quietly addressed a
few words to her. | meant them to
sound as If | were speaking to a small
maiden of twelve, but / am afraid |
did not quite succeed. However, at
the sound of her native tongue, d spark
came into her dark eyes, and she
turned quickly to- me with a sweet,
shy smile, while her two friends also
drew nearer, with evident delight at
hearing their own tongue through the
confusing babel of sound.
You have been out | began for
want of a better subject, in the fog,
have you not?' Yes she replied,
out in a carriage
"sDo you ever walk out?' No; why
should /? I can drive, she replied,
and as she said so she began to frown
and pout. Evidently it was not a con
genial subject. Consequently ! tried
another. What a charming dress you
are wearing: did you do any of the
embroidery yourself?' l said, touch
ing the sleeves of her picturesque ma
tional costume. She shook her long
auburn curls-natural curls they are,
and of a very beautiful color.
"'But you want some beads and a
headdress, a kokoshnik, to complete
the costume, do you notY' Yes, my
beads, she cried, in a child-like excite
ment, as the idea of her finery flashed
across her head, and immediately they
had to be produced and tied round her
neck.
land do want a kokoshnik; but
they wont give me one" she said, her
red lips forming again into q 'pout'-
a real childish pout, which has moth
ing whatever of the affected manner
ism which goes for child-like behavior
on the stage. Nonsense, nonsense
interrupted the uncle, who evil
IDENTIFY stood in wholesome dread
of his fair niece's temper, of which he
told me, in a murmured aside She
is Il good girl, out she is obstinate,
fearfully obstinate. How can a child
wear a kokoshniks' he went III. You
are not awoman, you are only q little
girl. Wait till you grow up, and then
you shall have a k~okoshnik, like other
women
"sBut why do you not wear your
hair in a plait, as all the Russian girls
do, and have it tied at the end with
ribbons, red and white and blue?' i
have not enough hair she said, and
it looks pretty with curls.' 1T was
here suggested thar she should let her
hair hang quite loose when she went
down into the hall. No. she cried,
s+fo ,,-1x,. ~ Io ~, nxra faan. r