The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23
balls and sspqpe,s in PsEi. and vienna. She

AiNN0Htu WIN q bWeEt EBnCu hNNbhJs
Never. never. All, you little know, Nine.
Knapp, what sorrow and distress every one has
l Sei s%Sh h ssay g flt,ld J home s% only Ike 'G ri. t snS fr asSSs
who really love me boforo I became so notorious
for notorious ! have been: meyer famous
prettily. furnished for those. days in, a mining
town. Gardens were made about tho house, and
wide in search OF ali manner OF strange plants
and crazy wild shubhory from tho mountain
sidss and eanons 20 plant there. Tho Countess
herself donned old calico gowns and got down
on her hands and knees and planted many n
shrNh. She was tho first person In that region
believe hers was tho hrst collection of growing
cacu made for ornamental purposes among the
After a few months a wooden bear pen was
established on tho place and two black bears
that had been captured were put there.
more than her bears. She never missed q daily
visit to the boasts, and usually she went to feed
The Countess introduced the evening salon
at Grass Valley. She had to be In n whirl OF
s sSS s,s sGS,Sl excitement e5S on 'Ims all ,s The time sb much TsaI rs
Every one in Nevada. county knew about the
were obviously called. by the hundreds Of per
sons who cravod invitations to them. Only q
Stewart Of Nevada chattod with me about Lola
Montes's salon, and how he used to count the
days between the receptions, for he was often
the cottage of the Countess. There were cham.
new fancy drinks were tried there as fast as any
one In the company heard OF them. Cake, fruit,
comprised the edibles; and every one smoked.
Of Preston .. Brooks Of South Carolina wal usu.
About a dozen persons looked forward every
week to tho Wednesday evening salon at the
out, every neat story that was read or heard,
every bit OF eloquence or scrap of humor or
R %ss pse sSas eday until St 5h tRss G neat s %Sa cam eSpe aieGss;
meeting it was c~alled-took place at the Coun-
tess,s; Sometimes the genial spirits would Pre-;
always a feature Of these affairs. The Countess
tongues at the dkoinsEs at the house. the Countess
made her receptions only the more frequent and
noisy. Sometimes she would array herself In
her old stage gowns and prove to her visitors
that she had not forgotten how to dance, and at
for the refreshments for the next meeting.
One day she had a war of words with a local
i SaiaGr sa hs ! STFi he NEXT 8pU week az sh dpIesi9 pa al 1iea
an item insinuating that the meetings at the
the Countess saw the item she dressed herself
in her riding habit, and with her riding whip In
her ha NV went straight thm 10 see Sh nn,:I n Sne
stands, and gave him as many hard cuts across
the face as she could until shipley. who was u
whip and wrenched It from her grasp.
Another time she came home and found a
from the premises. He told her to 60 TO Hadcs.
and she ran into the. house, and, coming out
with aiIooaa loaded Si,i m I9sast in m her little an1 hands az h:r chased based
died she was inconsolable for a few days. Once,
when she heard that q Methodist clergyman
chatting dancer. she Vent home, dressed in hOr
skiris. a dancing a SSTei wI,a very aHd shs siee HsiSsy
waist. and long, silk stockings. and, putting
on ~ a pair .,rs Of he he1 Ky Shoes Walked Sonss kE oaln sS
at the front door, and asked for the Rev. Mr..
Wilson. Mrs. Wilson, was paralyzed to have u
speak. When Mr.. Wilson came in his parlor the
Countess told him she had come to show how
and asked him to tell her wherein her deviltry
was. A short time a~fterward she repented her
act and sent a good money donation to the pas
There were some excellent traits in Lola
Montez; She was easily moved to help the poor
woman who had a mean husband and an un.
happy home. She once told me that the noblest
true wife. I could relate several instances OF
how this charming woman. of the world used to
Cabins When they We're very iii or dying. She
could to cheer the poor fellows lonely hours BY
her presence and the singing OF a ballad. TIL
miles from their old homes, and that there were
where she was to help the sick and dying. ap
pealed to her powerfully. She gave generously
from her purse whenever the hat was passed tc
bury a miner, for good collins used to cost sew
eral times as much in the mining towns in the
Sierras as anywhere else.
Along in 1856 the Countess money wat
running low. The nephews Of Victor Hugo wen
back to France; the many young men wero tiret
of the salon. All the songs that the companJ
knew in the four languages that the Countess
spoke productivity had been sung threadbarc
the musical instruments had become we'll worn
AMI there was not a new story to be told, Z
humorous or pathetic recitation to be made, nnC
no original jokes remained to be cracked. TIL,
Countess plainly was restless to return. to ,hel
former life of gayety, and the letters she hat
London gave her reason to believe she might b
q favorite in Europe again. A letter from
friend urged her to come to Melbourne. Aus
tralla, where the new gold mines had gathered
the liyeliest kind Of people. So In the winter o
| ls56-'57 she sold her property In Grass Valley
and sailed from San Francisco for Australia
heard from her several times in Australia nt
subsequently in Bombay and Cairo"