The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-29
SEES 1.-THE PERFECT WOMAN
Green Reporter Interviews Nadje at
the Novelty.

A green reporter, a mere man, and
| a bashfuI. unmarried man at that, was
assigned to interview Nadje, THE Per
! feet Woman" who is doing toe dane
4 ing acrobatic and physical culture
stunts at the Novelty this week. This
I is what he said about it:
ssReaIlv. / was just scared to death.
Like Secretary Coburn in this re-
sDect. I am afraid of women. (COburn
| said that on a witness stand recently,
you may remember.) Yes. am afraid
/ of a woman. And I was told to talk to
a woman who was an actress; no, no,
I mean that she appeared in public on
the stage. I am so confused yet that
can't talk straight. 1t is hard
enough for me to talk to an ordinary
woman, as you may have guessed, DuC
a vaudeville woman, OH my! I actual
" trsmbled at the thought.
However, Easy Lessons in Journal
ism which I have been studying, says
that reporter should never hesitate
to try any assignment. doesn't that
word assignment sound Importantly
So when the boss told me to get
story from Nadje' I said: Yes, sir,
lust as though I had been brought up
all my life to interview vaudeville peO-
pie
so went over to the Novelty in the
afternoon and saw the show: When
saw Nadjes act, with all its clever
ness, stood in awe of her more than
ever. However, I asked a slim man
wearing glasses. who was said to be
T.
Topeka, about seeing Nadje after the
performance. and he told me to go in
at the stage entrance and ask for her
and some one would take me to her
dressing room That was more en-
barrassing than ever, as I supposed
would talk to her in the wings and not
alone in the dressing room
However, I followed directions and
a man named NeWcomb took me down
stairs and knocked at the door of one
of the dressing rooms and said: Miss
Nadje, here's a newspaper man
Then he left me as the door open
ed. I have read a great many stories
about young men seeing stage girls in
their dressing rooms for the first time
and many of them read like this:
:" Madame Zenobie was seated on
her trunk smoking a cigarette as Per
civaI entered or Fluffy F1uff1es play
fully kicked her visitor under the chin
when he came in the door.
But there was nothing like this.
a becoming dressing gown. She said:
Just come in and be seated Her
voice was quite musical with a trace of
English accent.
You see. I'm used to newspaper
men, she continued, dropping as
gracefully on the trunk as snowflake
would float down upon lake. (Beaud-
full, poetic thought, isn't IT'D How
ever. [ wasn't used to vaudeville peo-
pie and she knew it, for she smiled
sweetly and said:
81 suppose the ladies of Topeka
would like to know what l eat, yes?
Well, for breakfast a glass of half milk
and half cream and dry toast; light
lunch at noon and my heaviest meal
4 made note of this and she Went
on: Now, I do not eat any meat, Elk
cept occasionally fish
II felt relieved because was sure |
she was going to urge the use or some
kind Of disagreeable breakfast food, or |
a I<f a
to physical culture. But no. She said I
that proper exercise was the thing /
That she slept with windows wide I
open: took her own exercises as soon |
as she rose for about fifteen minutes |
and then cold shower I was so glad |
she told me those things as had quite |
forgotten what I intended to ask her
g You see what exercise will do. |
Just feel the muscles on my arm
hesitated but she exclaimed. Don't be |
afraid. I won't hurt you. The muscles |
were like whipcord- Anyone could |
have the same muscles by taking the |
same exercises do she went on.
'.She also told me something about |
her life. How she was born in Lon |
don. that her father was John die |
want a famous clown. how she had /
Whistler the famous painter, but |
when she went to keep the engagement |
she met a coffin with his body in It |
being carried out of the door of his I
studio He had made the engagem ent |
with her a month ahead and had |
taken sick and died in the meantime.
Then she told of her being with the /
-Floto circus: that she was once in !
Topeka with the show.
And to think that 7 was actually
talking to a circus acrobat. I d1dn
suppose I would ever get such an OPP
portunity That I was talking to a
sure 'nough circus girl-it nearly took
nv breath away. And when she shook
hands with me and looked at me with
her big brown eyes as I 1eft-Manl