Page:Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field.djvu/50

 "'Tall, yellow-haired, lots of quicksilver in her system,' that's how Sheridan sized up Jenny. Right, you say? Well, then, her archduke wasn't so very foolish, after all, particularly as she was a sweet singer, a nimble dancer and all that. Did you say you introduced her to Grover Cleveland?"

"Sure, at one of the public afternoon receptions, when everybody went to shake hands with the President."

"General Sheridan was quite taken with Jenny," continued Twain. "He told me he went to the show night after night and didn't care how much he applauded her young beauty and fascinating voice. Yes, Phil was really smitten with Jenny. And now the admired of the most famous General of Horse defies the world to become an acknowledged royal mistress, and her sprig of royalty the black sheep of a crowned family by no means lily-white at that. She reminds me of old Field Marshal Prince de Ligne, making love to a very young girl and succeeding, or nearly succeeding, before he had time to reflect.

"'A million,' cried the Field Marshal, 'if I was a lieutenant now.'" 46