Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-19
EcCENTRICIrIEs OF oUrpA.
An lnpromptu Call on Lord Salisbury
md How IL Resulted

Prom the New York Sun
outda and Jimmy Whistler have caused
ane Londoners 10 feel overwhelming spasra.
81 rear at the near approach Of literary
persons Perhaps this accounts in sor,e
measure Tor the great celebrity enjoyed by
literary people In the big English metrop.
ons' what Mr.. Whistler writes and save
Always attracts more attention than the
'nhes ne RANTS while the stories OF the
manner IN which ouida has snubbed, in
suited AID berated the people who have
tried to be civil 10 her are innumcrsh,e
The last time she was in Landau sho ,,-a.
wandering along ST. James place where q
Dig yellow house up a side street ca ns IN her
eye. she walked up and locked at ~
thoughttully. She vas a queer figure Of A
small, shrunken woman of advanced wears
with a scanned and wrinkled face olj-fash-
Toned ringlets hanging In front of her ears
an odd little bonnet cooked askew on her
CATERS.
She leaned forward on her big umbrella
anu gazeo at the house for a long while
flnaIly she beckoned policeman TO her
ana asked him who lived there The police
man touched his cap and remarked that IL
Mas the town house Of the prime minister,
Ihereupon Ouida walked ND TO the door
rang the bell and told the fiunky who OPEN
"a the 1oor to announce 10 Lazy Salisbury
that she was there. The funky looked her
over carefully and sent a second footinan
Up stairs with the message, while he kept
hts eye upon the odd-looking visitor
Lady Salisbury, like most English women.
had adored Ouida In her school DAYS. and
she came down stairs and set about the
work OF making the novelist welcome She
was cut short IN her speech. however. by
a terse inquiry from her visitor concerning
the prime Minister
IF he Is at home" said the novelist. II
should be greatly obliged ~ you win bring
MN down ana l VIII look at him. have
never n
from London shortly ] shall probably never
nave another opportunity OF seeing him nm
less you bring him In now"
She seemed to regard the Marquis of Sails
oury as sort OF prize pig TO be exhibited
ana she talked about him In ouch a curious
fashion that Lady Salisbury went back 10
his study and brought in that exalted per-
eonage. Oufda looked at him through her
spectacles with the same air Of examining
q prize exhibit that was suggested In her
talk end finally ended by expressing her
approval OF the premier.
she was invited to come and dine in an
INFORMAL way two nights later and the
prime minister. who had been enormously
tckled by the interview Invited a number
OF lofty personages TO his house that night
9 rne ain a, hour came byt no onida The
LIST, but not a word was heard from her, and
II was not discovered until the following
Gay that she had read u speech of the Mar
Qufs OF Salisbury on the morning OF the dsy
Of the dinner and It had dispicssed her ro
much that she had decided 70 have nothing
to DO with the Salisburys thereafter.
AZ the present time ouida is in a pitiable
condition. Her house and all Of her person
al property In Italy have been sold 70 pay
her debts and she 10 almost destitute OF
money. Her eccertricities have become
more and more pronounced. and It is said
that the people who are brought into con-
tact with her find II almost Impossible TO
retain their composure under the sharp and
biting comments which she makes upon
them.