Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/220

222 knowing her former husband's friends feared her like a tigress. She threatened several times to slap their faces, till they were actually afraid to meet her on the streets. If they saw her coming, they would dart down another street, and they would not visit the hotel while she was there, even to see their best friends. The sisters of her former husband were afraid to walk on the street, while she was in the city.

This went on for several weeks, till at length the colonel was taken sick, when the ladies were running, one with a basin of water to wash his face, another with a bottle of cologne to cool his brow, some one thing, and some another; one with a little tea-pot of tea, made by her own hands, and of course the colonel, could not refuse to take that. The countess was very kind to him, but getting tired of so many ladies waiting on him, she had him removed to her own room. This opened the eyes of the ladies, and they now saw what was going on.

In the meantime, some one must have sent a dispatch to her second husband, telling him of these things, for he very unexpectedly arrived, and took her away with him. The colonel, I heard, went to a lady's where he had a severe attack of varioloid. Shortly after, he left and went to New York, where in in a short time, he was joined by the countess.

There was in the hotel a very rich lady, that the colonel, while there, tried to court with the assistance of the countess. This lady was a widow, and had nearly half a million of dollars. The countess went to work to get some of her money, and for that purpose got up a raffle to impose some of her old