Show JPOI80N IK HZB TEL a A Prima Donnas Ad rental e In a I Queer Bstabllslmaai U When I first went to Europe said Mme Nevada to a NewYork Mail correspondent cor-respondent the other day Lstudied forthree years in Vienna and for the first few months I boarded with a woman who took advantage of my inexperience in-experience impose on me in every way possible in fact I paid a very high price and was almost starved As I think of that place now it makes me shudder The mother was a perfect old hag who went about the house in a ragged old petticoat petti-coat with her black hair tumbling down over her face and shoulders in an untidy un-tidy mass and a pair of little rats eyes peeping out at you from among the yellow wrinkles Really the things that used to take place ui that family are incredible There were two grownup grown-up daughters and I would sometimes enter the parlor and find one of them sitting quietly under the piano doing nothing apparently and often I would be awakened at night by strange sounds screams mens voices threats and oaths I was only 15 years old at the time and was too timid or unsuspicious to say anything about this but the worst thing of all was the food which they gave me There was only one kind of meat and that Ihad never been able to eat It was pork I was ashamed to complain but would cover the piece on my plate with potatoes or bread and leave the table almost famished This went on for some weeks until finally I became so pale and weak that my teacher noticed no-ticed the change and asked me about it I told him how it was and he said that I must go home at once and order some proper food Well at last I screwed up my courage and one day I said to the servant that I had to sing at a concert con-cert that night and wished hero ± her-o cook me a beefsteak and bring it to my room The old woman happened to be out at the time so I succeeded in getting the steak and I assure you I ate it ravenously Then I started off for the concert congratulating congratulat-ing myself on having managed the thing so well However I had no sooner entered the bouse than the old woman came hobbling up to me seized me by thearm forced me into a corner and commenced abusing and insulting me in the most abominable way 1 was so terrified that I forget my timidity and managed in some way to tear myself my-self from her and to rush to my room where I bolted the door and then sank down on the floor in hysterics hyster-ics Finally I grew calmer and began to think out what I had better do It was already past midnight but I commenced com-menced paking up my things at once resolved to leave the house at daybreak At about5 oclock the morning I fell asleep from sheer exhaustion and I dreamed that I saw the old hag standing stand-ing by the stove in the kitchen making some tea I followed each one of her movements and at last saw her fill a cup from the teapot and carry this in her hand to the cupboard There she reached up to a high shelf and took down a bottle marked poison from which she poured a few drops into the cup Then she put the bottle away carefully and came upstairs up-stairs to my room carrying the tea and knocked at the door At this point I awoke with an awful fright and at once looked at my clock it was just 6 and the day was breaking I arose bathed my face and was about to resume my packing when there came I a knock at my door I asked who was there and a high piercing voice which I reeogniied only too well replied It is 1 my dear I have brought you a cup of tea open the door It is needless to say that I did not do it She continued knocking and begged me to let her in but of course I refused Then she threatened me and poured forth the foulest language I have ever heard and at last she came back to persuasion saying and I can never forget for-get her words I am here on my knees like a dog and I implore you only to taste this tea which I have for you You can imagine what a state I was in by this time I was perfectly desperate and after waiting for two or three hours listening and hardly daring to breathe I cautiously opened my door and made a rush for the street There were three flights of stairs to descend and at the bottom of the second one I met the old woman glaring at me like a fiend I dont Know howl ever did it but in someway I was given the strength to push her out of the way and I escaped leaving her stretched full length on the floor And what happened after that 1 I asked Oh I simply got an officer to go there and carry off my things Of course I had no interest putting the woman in prison or anything of that I sort but dont you call that a case of supernatural warning |