The morning call., 1894-07-29
ECCENTRIC OUiDA.
The Call She Made OH Lord Salisbury
and the Result.

Ouida and Jimmy Whistler have caused the
Londoners TO feel overwhelming spasms of fear
at the near approach Of literary persons. Per-
hapS this accounts in some measure for the
great celebrity enjoyed by literary people In
the big English metropolis. What Mr.. Whistler
writes and says always attracts more attention
than the things he paints, While the stories OF
the manner in which Ouida has snuDbed, in
suited and berated the people VINO have tried
10 be civil TO her are innumerable.
The last time she was in London she was
wandering along ST. James place. where big
yellow house up side street caught her eve
She walked up and looked at it thoughtfuiIy
She was a queer figure of a small, Shrunken
woman of advanced years. with scanned and
wrinkled face 0ld-fashiOned ringlets hanging
in front of her ears, an odd little bonnet cock ed
askew on her head, hO0pSEirts and old-fash-
toned congress CATERS.
She leaned forward on her big umbrella and
gaZed at the house for long while. Finally
she beckoned a policeman to her, and asked
him who lived there. The policeman touched
his cap and remarked that it WAS the town
house of the Prime Minister ThereupOp
Ouida walked up TO the door, rang the bell
ana told the tiunky who opened the door to an
n0unce 10 Lady Salisbury that she was there
The fiunky looked her over carefully aud sent
a second footman upstairs with the message
while he Kept his eye upon the oddlOoking
visitor.
Lady Salisbury, like most English women.
had adored Ouida in her school days, and she
came downstairs and SET about the work of
making the novelist welcome. She was cut
short IN her speech, however, by terse in
quiry from her visitor concerning the Prime
Minister.
"If he is at home." said the novelist, 81
should be greatly obliged If you will bring him
down and l will look at him. l have never
seen him. and as | am going away from London
shortly l shall probably never have another
opportunity OF seeing him unless you bring him
in now
She seemed to regard The Marquis of Sails
bury as "a sort of prlze pig o be exhibited, and
she talked about him in such curious fashion
that Lady Salisbury went back to his study
and brought in that exalted parsonage. Ouda
look ed at him through her Spectaces with the
same air OF examining prize exhibit that was
suggested In her talk, and finally ended by ex-
pressing her approval OF the Premier.
She was invited to come and dine in an in
formal way two nights later, and the Prime
Minister, who had been enormously tickIed
by the interview, invited number of LOFTY
pers0nages to his house that night The
dinner hour came, but no Ouida. The
guests sat down and talked about the novel
lst, but not word was heard from her, and 1t
was not discovered until the following day that
she had lead speech of the Marquis OF Sails
bury on The morning If the day of the dinner
ana 1t had dlspleased her so much that she had
decided TO have nothing 10 DO with the Sails
burys there after.
AT The present time Ouida IS in pitiable con-
dltl0n. Her house ana all her personal prop
erly In Italy have been sold 10 paw her debts
and she IS almost destitute of money. Her &C.
centricities have become more and more pro-
nounced, and IL Is said that the people who are
brought into contact with her find ii almost I'M
possible 10 retain Ilieir cOmposure under The
sharp and biting comments which she makes
upon tnem.-New York Sun.