The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-07-03

hOOND the ntTOlC uSuTe OF
IA Camilla Won Stroheim had al
1 y ways whirled encourage.
She had been a prima donna
since she had flashed, at a robust
seventeen, a magnificent Brunhilde,
upon public that welcomed her per-
manently to it's bosom. For the first
fourteen years of her triumphant
career, during the lifetime of Herr
Graf Won Stroheim, one of Germany's
magna-es she had three times toured
around the world in operate and con-
cert capacity, success always in her
wake
After the death of her husband,
Camilla had spent most of her time
in America, travelling in continuous
tours with her daughter,
Paula Won StrOheim, daughter of
Camilla, had been born in the Waldorf
Astoria in New York city, christened
in Berlin and educated by governess
and tutors Of practically every civ
ilized country of the world. At seven
teen she was a pasty-faced girl, given
to occasional Outbursts of tiny pim-
Piles, narrow shouldered. slightly near
sighted, and as far removed as posi-
ble from the eXuberant, creature
beauty of her mother and in no way
similar to the stout expansive figure
that haG been her fathers.
Curious but Won Stroheim, prob
ably toe busy with the glitter of her
own career. had never been acutely
conscious of these physically shortcom-
ings of her daughter. She adored
her. She lavished endearments, gifts.
indulgences. and was most deliberately
demonstrative She had a nickname
for Paula ridiculous one. "Pet-cat."
"My darling-cums Pet-cat. what
would mother do without your" my
angel-faced Pet-cat. how could Won
your"
Angel-face or no angle-face, we'll
might Won StrOheim ask herself that
question
From the time Paula had been six
she had slavishly been serving her
mother BY the time she was sixteen.
no lady's maid. no masseur. no at
tendant of any kind whatsoever. could
bring to Won StroIeim the sedative
kind Of relaxation that emanated from
the f1ngertips of her daughter. Paula
served her mother heart, soul and
body. She was on call in the watches
of the night, when the great diva,
given to insomnia. wanted to talk
She was on call in the wings Of the
opera house. when the great diva, i'm
patient of her physicians. wanted
Paula, who stood waiting with throat
syringe. She was on call with the train
schedule; concert schedule: hotel
schedule. In other words. the frail
and pasty-faced little Paula was
doomed to walk in the wake of
grandeur.
Until she was about nineteen how
ever. these realiZations did not bite
in. Her alteration Of her mother was
so colossal that it dwarfed her sense
of relative values.
AS the members of the encourage
and tn, sychophants who hung on the
outskirts Of the retinue that surround
ed the great prima donna used to say.
Pet-cat was her sole reverence. Pet
cat was the only creature on earth
she really loved. And fiercely Paula
loved in return worshipped the flower
strewn ground on which her mother
trod, had no thought of self because
hers wa bound up in the magnificence
of Won Stroheim
1t was when Paula was nineteen
that there wedged into her life an
emotion that was new, terrifying and
ecstatic. A secret emotion. which she
would not admit at first even to her.
self, and yet as it became more and
more apparent 1t was wonderful to
lie on the cot she invariably occupied
at the foot Of her mothers great bed.
and let these strange ecstasies sweep
over her in floods of enchanted SEN
sations.
Paula was in love with the small
blond accompanies who had Joined her
mothers retinue a few months pre-
vious. He was a German fellow, teu-
tonic, blue-eyed, yellow-haired. who
spoke English as huently as he spoke
his native tongue, a brilliant musician
with promise Of a fine career Of his
own. after few years of apprentice
ship as accompanist Won Stroheim
was not easy to serve in this capacity.
Her experience with accompanies
was varied and full of all kinds of re-
gretable experiences. They came,
they went. She was known as a
''holy terror" to the pianists who had
served her and young Meyer Gluck
was not unaware of this when he en-
listed as her pianist.
OF all his predecessors, however,