SAD ROMANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24135, 29 November 1941, Page 16

SAD ROMANCE

"The Witch of St. Eloped

EVERY day soldiers of Germany's garrison of occupation in Guernsey march past a neglected, ruined mansion. On it, one may depend, the Nazis bestow no more than a casual glance. For they do not know that it could tell the story of a great romance.

EVEN if they did it is to be doubted whether they would be much more interested, for romance and the swastika do not go well together. "The Witch of St. Helene" the Guernsey folk called her, and many of them were afraid to pass by night the old mansion in which she lived. Her gaunt, white-haired figure, the bats which fluttered in and out of the windows of the tumbledown building, i all gave strength to the tales of strange j spells practised by th s old woman. Lovely Young Girl Yet, this strange, unhappy, hermitlike existence was brought about by love. There was a time, three-quarters of a century ago, when the old woman was a lovely young girl, one ot the most famous beauties at the court _ot the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria. Her life might h»ve continued one ot ease and luxury had she not fallen in love with her butler, a handsome Young man more than 20 years younger than herself. Together they ran away to Guernsey, where she bought a great mansion and showered upon her young husband everything that money could buy. Unhappilv, he was not satisfied. He insisted on living life his own way, indulging iu all sorts of excesses, and he squandered his wealthy wife's money so widely that even her considerable fortune could not stand the strain. There came a time when she had to,i sell her jewels, her carriages, dismiss the servants in order to cope with the flood of bills that were pouring 1 Then, having made her virtually a pauper, the young waster deserted her and went to live with someone else

on the island. Then came the fast world war and he was banished from Guernsey as an undesirable alien. His wife, the Baroness Maria von Gersdoff, stayed behind, loving him still , but lost to "him for ever. As often as she could she followed his progress and his travels. Penniless, and having lost the capacitr tr» do a decent job of hard work, he went from country to country, unwelcome everywhere, until finally ke died. Meanwhile, a change had come over the baroness. She imagined that shewas back in her beloved Austria, a reigning beauty at a court that had long since vanished. Jn the mouldering furniture she saw thrones and crystal chandeliers. The miserable food she ate was, to her, a collection of rich dishes, prepared by the finest chefs in Europe. In the echoing corridors she imagined she saw courtiers and ambassadors and lovely women—though none was as lovely as herself. Small wonder ; that the islanders gave her mansion a wide berth! Spared Nazi Torment And so the years passed. Time seemed not to affect her. Still, gaunt and white-haired, she roamed the weed-grown" paths of the grounds, the mouldering rooms of the mansion. But, at last came the end. Some four-and-a-half rears ago, at the age of 92, she fell ill 'and was taken away by an anjbul a nee to die' in the local hospital. One cannot help feeling glad that the end came before the Nazis did. To them the poor, mad old woman would probably have afforded an excellent and heaven-sent opportunity for "sport." It was better that she should be spared that. - . Condensed from Answers,

RESCUERS REPAID Rescued from beneath tons of masonry after being missing for four days, two blitzed rabbits have lived to repay their rescuers by producing a healthy family of nine at Patcham Police Station, Brighton, Sussex. The rabbits were taken to his quarters at the police station by P.C. Redman, whose daughter Lucy cared for them.

"MARRIED ME TO WIN BET" The marriage of Billy Curtis, fourfoot midget, and Boise de Fee, 6ft. Bin. tall, has ended in divorce at Los Angeles, California. The 75-pound husband testified the marriage three years ago was "just a publicity stunt,-any-way." The wife, weight 195 pounds, was a night club bouncer. "She told me she married me to win a bet," he said.