ANECDOTES OF A MAD KING.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXVI, Issue 3364, 8 March 1915, Page 1

ANECDOTES OF A MAD KING.

In "My Past," by Countess Mario Larisch, there arc some curious stories of the mad King Luthvig of Bavaria: King- Ludwig 11. of Bavaria Mould allow no servants to wait on liiin at dinner, and when ho pressed a spring his round,table sank through a holo in the floor; the next course vrcs> then set, and the table assr-r.:le<l into ilia dining-room again. Plenty of champagne in itn pails A\as placed near tlio King, and if the table did not rulurn quickly eno lie Hung some buttles through the hole, as an omplmic reminder to th? .servants below that he ■ objected to be kept waiting. The King had a wonderful winter garden at Munich', which' was built on - the roof'of the R.sKlenz. Thoi? was also an artificial hike wilh a painL^d panoramic background of the Himalaya mountains, and when the Kiiu; sat in the gardens a "properly" moon shed its gaseous light over the snow-capped peaksQueen Marie's bedroom was immediately \mcler tho winter garden, and one night tho Queen, wlr< was laid up with a heavy cold, was terrified owl of her wits when she' discovered that tl.o lake was leaking through tho ceilii".^'. and that a steady downpour was falling on her bed. The unfortunate lady did not quite know what to do, as she' had boon ' strictly enjoined by her doctors to_keep in one temperature; she hastily sum- . moned her attentanis, however, ana they brought a large umbrella, under which she took shelter until the leakage* was repaired. TLo King used often 'to command artistes from the theatre to perform in the winter gardens, and.l remember the fate which bei'el Josephina Sehefzky, a large, tall woman, whose one wish in life was to attract Ludwig's notice. As all the singers sang hidden, behind screens. JosephinaV chances of meeting the King face to face were exceedingly "small; but what woman is ever at a loss j'o'r an expedient? She knew how chivalrously romantic Lndwig could be on occasions, so she decided she would fall into the lake,' and entreat him to rescue her. t The eventful evening arrived, Josephine warbled her sweetest for tho benefit of the listening monarch, and when the song was over plunged heavily into the lake. There was a tremendous noise, and the water splashed to tho topmost summit of the "Himalayas," but the lady remained chin-deep in the lake, whose still waters were not so deep as they looked. "Save me, save me, Lohengrin!" cried the agitated singer. ■ The King rang the bell. "Get that woman out of the lako and send her home,"' he commanded, and* the dripging Josepliina, sadder and wiser, >valked out of the water and out of tha Residenz for ever.