The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-04-13
LIST AS AN IDOL
The Great Musician Was Petite
by English ROyaIty.
A SOUVENIR CT THE MASTER.

The Sineular Menento That Was Ss-
oredly ard Secretly Treasured by
Cold, Rigid and Rather Disasreesble
Old Enslishwoman.
"When | was very small boy in
decd" writes Ford NJ. Uueffer In llar-
pers, "whcn | wore green velveteen
clothes. red stockings and long golden
curls. thus displaying to an unsympa-
tnetiC word me luct ut my prc-ha-
phaelite origin. was taken one day
90 very targe halI In front OF uS
was wooden platform draped all
in red. Upon the platform was
grand piano.
'In front Of me the first row OF the
stalls had been taken away, and in
place Of them there had been put three
gilded armchairs before which was
a table covered with profusion of
flowers that dropped and trailed to the
ground Suddenly there was applause
"a considerable amount of applause.
A lady and gentleman were coming
from under the dark entry that led to
Prince and Princess of Wales. There
was no doubt about that even for
small boy like myself.
"And then there was more applause.
What applause! 1t volleyed. it rolled
round the hall. All were ON their feet.
People climbed on to their chairs,
they waved hands. they waved pro-
grams. they waved hats, they shouted
for i'm the dark entrance there had ap.
peared. white and shining. head
with brown and sphinXlike features
and white and long hair and the eter.
nal wonderful smile.
"They advanced these three amid
those tremendous shouts and enthusi.
asm-the two royal personages lead
ing the master. one holding each hand.
They approached the gilded armchairs
immediately in front of me. and the
prince and princess indicated to the
mastcr that he was TO sit between
them at the table covered with flowers.
"IIe made little pantomimes OF mod
esty, he drew his hands through their
grasp, he walked quickly away from
the armchairS. and because | was just
behind them he suddenly removed me
from my seat and left me standing un-
der all the eyes. solitary In the aisle Of
the center OF the hall. while he sat
down. DO not think was frightened
by the eyes. but | know | was terribly
frightened by that great brown, aqui
line face. with the piercing glance and
the mirthess, distant inscrutable
smile.
"And Immediately just beside me
there began what appeared to he u
gentle and courtly wrestling match. 4
gentleman of the royal suit approach
ed the master. He refused 10 move
The prince approached the master lie
sat indomitably still. Then the prin-
cess came and. taking him by the hand.
drew him almost by force out Of my
stall, for ii was my stall, after all.
"And when he was once upon his
feet. as II TO clinch the matter, she sud
denly sat down In II herself, and with
sudden touch of good feeling she
took me by the hand-the small soil.
tary boy with the golden curls and the
red stociings-and sat me upon her
lap. l. alas. have no trace of the date
on which | sat in Il queens lap. for IT
was all 80 very long ago; the king Is
dead, the master is long since dead,
the hall itself is pulled down and has
utterly disappeared.
81 had distant relative oddly
enough I'M English one, not Ger
man-who married an official of the
court OF Weimar and became a lady In
waiting on the grand duchess. As far
as I know there was nothing singu-
larly sentimental about this lady.
When / knew her she was cold rigid
and rather disagreeable. She had al
ways about her peculiar and disa-
greeable odOr. and when she died a
few years ago it was discovered that
she wore round her neck Il sachet, and
In this sachet was a half smoked cigar
"This was relic of Franz Liszt. He
had begun to smoke it many years be
fore at a dinner which she had given
and. he having put IT down unfinished
she had at once seized upon II and had
worn it upon her person ever since
This sounds inexplicable and incredi
bic, but there 1t is"