The herald., 1895-11-28

pudgy old man in faded drsb coat and
bagEy trousers, a green and black striped
nightcap on his head, and IN his hand
a red cotton handkerchief.
Prellar did not believe that a woman
should be anything but pretty, pleasing
and domestic, and although Frau D.
AMI myself worked alongside of him
every day for three months, he never in
terested himself in our studies and
scarcely ever looked at them. | avenged
myself by painting literal portrait of
him with nightcap, and red handkerchief
in bold relief, and was surprised when he
pronounced it excellent.
He talked art to us, introduced US to
the distinguished people who visited him
and entertained us with "reminiscences
of Goethe, Bettini Won Arnam and List
rudely shattered. Prellar represented
her as a horrid old woman who haunted
his studio In her later days, endeavoring
to play the sane role with him tnat she
formerly had with Goethe.
One morning several months later,
after my father and sisters had joined
me, we were delighted to receive Il note
from Franz Llszt requesting the pleasure
OF our company to little musical at his
house. Nerlat escorted us, and we went
up stairs into rather PANTY furnished
room and were there presented to the
! great musician. description | have
read OF him so near as | recollect was
this: "A noble head, crowned with long
thick locks; a graceful bearing; perfect
manners; chlvalrlc presence, and. above
all, unparalleled personal magnetism.
With this ideal i'll my mind | catered the
room and saw-a tall, framed, spare
figure clothed in worn shabby black
alpaca soutane, and the strings of his
shoes united and dangling about his
ankles, high, broad forehead, large nose
and mouth. long iron-gray hair thrown
straight bacK; the tout ensenb bic i'm
mense, dirty, unkempt and down at the
heel. With thump my heart sank,
my IDEAL fled and | sat down By my
friend, Mary Edwards. the Eng lish auth
Dress. 1t ives Il warm, bright day in June
and the few guests, not more than nine,
He'd the little room. A large grand pi-
ano stood close 10 an open window, and
after the great mdster had conferred with
us a little while he played one OF his
own symphonies. We have heard Colts
chalk III New 1ork, Won Buelow in Mu-
INCH and TausIg in Dresden and thought
we had listened TO about all there could
be done in the way of piano playing. but
as l sat there breathing the delicious
sum air laden with the perfume of
flowers, so near that | could nave raised
my hand and touched him, watching
with what case and calmness he played
, the most difficult passages, how his
hands flew over the keys, scarcely seem
ing to. come in contact with them, so SOFT
and gentle was his touch, my disappoint-
ment passed away. | looked upon his
strong, massive face and discovered the
wonderful magnetism Of the man ana
when he mad finished / went to him to
try to express in my very bad Germ an
little Of the pleasure which he had
given me. | fully comprehend the fas
cination that 1 had heard and READ of
and no longer felt surprise that even the
'phleSmatlc Germans wore bracelets
made from the broken strings of his
piano. And now, as my space is linn
tied, | will finish with our dear, famous
old countryman, Hiram Powers, who was
then living in pretty little villa just
outside of the city OF Florence. l re-
member one evening spent at his house
when only his family and ourselves were
present, how he entertained us with his
experience with unprotected females
abroad. / was subject which he never
failci to grow eloquent upon and his hor-
ror of that particular individual amount
| ed almost TO frenzy. He said that they
turned up by the score, some with let