Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-17
SANG FOR MAD KING
EXPERIENCE OF NINE. PATTI
WITH LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA.
Led to Darkened Theater-White Face
Of Crazed Monarch the Only Thing
Visible in the Gloom.

From Tit-Bts.
The following remarkable story, which
we believe is quite new to English readers,
reaches us from gentleman who heard 1t
from the lips of one of Nine. PATHS inti-
mate friends.
1t was more than thirty years ago, when
Europe was ringing with the fame of Nine.
PATHS matchless voice, that Ludwig II,
the mad King of Bavaria, set his heart on
hearing the diva sing in his private theater
in Munich. He wrote letter after letter
begging even imploring, her to sing to him
and Offering her extravagant sums Of
money; but Patti, dreading the experience,
persistently refused his offers. At last
Ludwig tempted her with a fee so enor-
nous that she could not resist it, and she
yielded.
When she reached Munich on the day ap-
pointed she found to her disgust-for she
was accustomed to being received every
where as a queen-that not even carriage
had been sent for her, and she and her
maid made their way as best they could to
the nearest hotel. She had scarcely finished
luncheon when gorgeously attired officer
was announced, who handed her letter
from the king, with the curt Information
that he should expect her at o'clock pune
tually at the palace, where Nine Fischer,
who would sing with her, would give her
further directions With the letter was a
program drawn up by his majesty.
Meets Many Insults.
This cavalier treatment Of the Queen
of Song was more than she could bear,
and Nine. Patti stamping her foot in an
ger, exclaimed: Il have never been treated
SO rudely in my life! win not sing-never!
never! never! and you can tell the king
sou And it was some time before the
messenger, with all his diplomatic arts.
3al L.
crowning indignity was to come for Just as
mudame had recovered her equanimity her
eyes fell on a postscript to the letter, which
had escaped her notice at the first reading.
Patti to appear in pure white, without any
color whatever and not by any means to
wear a satin gown, but soft wool. Silk Is
painful to his majesty.
For once the great prima donna had no
words to meet such unparalleled insolence,
and she fell back into chair in helpless
amazement. When she recovered her speech
it was to declare point-blank that she could
that ended the matter" However, in time
her sense of amusement and the officer
pleading triumphed, over her indignation,
and she promised to obey the royal instruc-
tons. "A s.
Before the royal carriage arrived and
Patti was driven to the palace and con-
Quoted through the long dim corridors and
rooms to the private theater, which, to her
dLHdZcHlet1t, Sic tOssStN III duSOluI0 Qdf AucSS
save for the f1tfuE atght of the moon.
White Fscein the Gloom.
AS she stood on the dark stage and an
unseen orchestral began soft prelude she
fancied she saw fhrppgh the gloom white
face from box Opposite to her. 'Tt was
horrible she aftermard said; s.the great
black empty theatef, the strains Of music
coming from I knew not where, and that
one white face, the only suggestion of life
anywhere, looking at me from out of the
darkness. Cold shiyers ran down my back
and when opened my mouth to begin the
aria not a sound came from It,"
1t would be difficult to imagine a situation
more trying even to person Of the strong
est nerves The king, for he was the
owner of the uncanny white face, when he
failed to hear the expected voice. rose ex-
citedly from his seat and leaned forward
out of the box, the moonlight falling on his
spectral face. The growing horror OF her
situation seemed to rouse the singer out of
her stupor of fright. and with q mighty
effort her imprisoned voice rang out, food
ing the empty building with sweetness TT
was the effort of my life,' she said later.
II was desperate, but when found my
voice put my head back and clenched my
hands and sang-sang as have rarely sung
before or since
As she was waiting the signal to sing
again messenger appeared with the an