cessful rival. Thus, whenever Patti
secured a large sum for her services, Nilsson demanded as much. When
competition became keen between Mapleson and Abbey, the American
impresario, Mapleson made overtures to Nilsson, as Abbey was outbidding
him for Patti, but the Swedish singer would accept no engagement at less
than Patti's figures. Feeling that Patti was the strongest drawing card,
Mapleson gave up the idea of playing Nilsson against her, and determined
to outbid Abbey for Patti. This competition resulted in the
establishment of Patti's price of $5,000 a performance, and Nilsson was
left without an engagement.

In 1884 she made a concert tour in the United States, when Brignoli sang
with her. He once caused some merriment, which went the round of the
papers, when he came forward, in a Missouri town, to apologize for
Nilsson's slight indisposition. "Madame Nilsson ees a leetle horse," he
said. Noticing a ripple of laughter amongst the audience, he repeated
the statement that Nilsson "was a leetle horse," when a facetious
occupant of the gallery brought down the house by remarking, "Well,
then, why don't you trot her out?" Brignoli was a very useful tenor, and
toured the country many times with various prima donnas. He was as full
of oddities as of music, and a very amusing story is told of him in
connection with an Havana engagement. It appears that he was displeased
at his reception, so he decided that on the next night he would punish
the people by having a sore throat. He sent notice at the proper time to
the manager, who, according to the laws of the country, was obliged to
report the fact to the government. A doctor was sent by the authorities
to ascertain the state of his health, and finding no sign of
indisposition looked very serious, and told the tenor that it was a
case of yellow fever. This so frightened the capricious singer that he
declared himself perfectly able to sing, and he took his revenge by
singing so finely that he outshone his previous reputation, and
electrified his audience.

Nilsson's first care, when she began to accrue wealth, was to purchase
farms for her parents and her brother. When she returned to Sweden in
her prime she met with such a reception as had not been known since the
time of Jenny Lind. She entered enthusiastically into the life of her
compatriots, played dances for them on the violin, as she had done in
the days of her childhood, and sang the songs of her country.

In 188