The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 4, 1900, Page 4

LUCY HARDY, All F s Reserved I was goox glish folk had done me ——'s tour became aveled from England with trip, herself, but ager who took all paid t company—I would 2 ha scene-shifter rather than have see her, and that was e insane idea of ever love never crossed my mind, ften thought that it was a 1 ch made me rust myself into that tour- For a Madame arly free from the attacks of k this partly ar ¥ sw s of disposi- her generous readiness to help the rtunate members of her profes her rare modesty regarding her own great gifts. She seemed to sing as naturally as does, and with as little sense of al vanity. Hence, though she had iends, 1 never knew her %o antil we left England ved, in our tour, at a certain Ve ar Italian town, mever mind its name, and 80, here for the first time did Madame meet with an actual rival. There was a v ar native singer residing there, eyed, dark-browed signora, whose for a contralto, was =aid to be as e as our singer's was for a soprano. To the two prima donnas perform to- er was, of course; the great wish cf the local musical world. An opera was found or written to display both voices to thelr best advan nd the perform- ance was certairly agnificent one. The great scene was one akin to the dialogue between Hermia and Hermoine in the ‘Midsuminer Night's Dream,’ a dialogue between two jealous rivals, and as a plece of acting, as well as a musical treat, the effect” was superb. Our dear Engilsh singer looked like the arigel she was, rep- resenting the character of an oppressed and innocent maiden, while that dark- browed Italian, overwhelming her detest- ed rival with reproaches and invectives— well, the only fault I found with the Signora’s performance was that it was too real. I fancied there was a good deal of actual rage and jealousy underlying the lady’s etage representation of these pas- sions; and, once or twice, when the Eng- fessional her hotel, when, althou er kept her popularit: BRANDISHIN G ¥MY HALBERT | CONTRIVED TO DASH THE FATAL BOWL FROM THE . SINGERS HANDS: g such dlabolical looks at the n s performer that I felt thankful she had not even a stage dagger ndy. For the woman looked as if she 21d gladly rush on the stage and choke enly voice by clutching her throat. Of cou this was mere ra was all me pleas- generously ready sister pro- t and courtecus and compliment and prai s increased, when excited crowds her carriage from the theater to 1 h the native sing- the newcomer won the louder plaudits, the g er t bouquets—well, I often told myself I was a fool, but I be- gan to wish our par- ty was safe back - again in London. A voice like hers s as delicate as preclous —and great singers are forced to be as careful regarding what they ‘eat, drink and avoid’ as a man in training for a race. Madam had her own cook and her own attendants, and the anclent Italian device of a gift of drugged fruit, confectionery or the like—sufficient to injure health, if not to destroy life—would not be likely to suc- ceed in the case of a person bound to ob- serve most strict and careful rules of diet. “It may be that I had brooded over one idea until I had become morbid on the subject; but I had certainly persuaded myself that such was the hatred borne by the native prima donna to her Eng- lish rival that the former would stick at no means to remove her adversary from her path; and then local report described the Signora as a woman of most violent passions, and of not too reputable a mode of life. “I was counting the days for our visit to end; we had only another week to re- main there now. Madame was giving a series of farewell performances; one night a piece In which one of her most successful songs was introduced. In this play the heroine, immured in a dungeon, drinks off a bowl of poison brought to her by a jailer, and then, like the swan, ‘ex- pires in music.' This death song—written expressly to display Madame's voice—was and always ‘brought down the house.’ I was waiting at the side scenes when the curtaln drew up for this last act. I had no actual busi- ness to be there at the time; but not for worlds would I have lost the opportunity of seeing my angel in her great triumph hour. Squeezed behind some canvases I watched and waited. Presently, to my utter amazement, the Signora also came to the side scenes. Her official appear- ance on the boards had te ated with the last act; and, a e audience was sure to call for their old favorite, a8 well for thelr new, after the curtain had fallen, I could not understand why a lady who had a luxurious dressing room and comfortable private box at her dis- posal, should be now drifting about at the side scenes, even supposing that she was, like myself, desirous of listening to her rival's great song. “I looked closely at the Signora. She was deadly pale under her rouge, her eves burned with a wild light, and, as the cur- tain drew us and the rapturous plaudits of the audience greeted her rival, I saw that the Italidn clutched her slender. hands convulsively. ‘That woman means mischief,’ I thought to mysel with a sud- den fear. As the song rose, the jailer, who was to bring in the bowl of poison (a g0od natured Italian boy who was em- ployed in ‘dumb show’ parts), advanced to the side scene with the bowl and stood, awalting his cue, to step on the stage. “Now, Madame had considerable faith in a certaln medicated liquid, & few drops THE S UPER. of which she was wont to swallow before commencing any of her great arias. The introduction of this bowl of poison offered a very convenient opportunity for doing this just before commencing the chief song of the evening; this bowl of sup- posed poison was always mixed by her aunt in her dressing-room, a few drops of the medicated liquid being mingled with water, and Giacone called for the bowl on his way to the stage. The Eignora now smiled pleasantly upon the lad as he stood waiting with the bowl in his hands, and the two exchanged a few whispered remarks on trivial matters, Glacone greatly flattered by the prima donna’s condescension in thus addressing him. “Suddenly the Signora, who had been twisting a ring up her finger, gave a lit- tle cry as the jewel slipped from her hand and rolled away along the floor. “‘Ah me—the ring of my mother. “Quick to oblige, Giacone, hastily set down the bowl upon the ‘property table,’ by which he was standing, and dived be- neath it in search of the missing ring. He was only*so occupled for a minute or two, but I noted that, quick as a lightning flash, the Signora’s hand traveled to her thick cofls of halr, snatched from their re- cesses a tiny bottle, from which she emp- tled something into the bowl, and replaced the phial in its hiding-place, before Gla- cone rose with the ring. “To rush forward and denounce the woman was my first impulse, but I promptly checked it. I remembered the scene, the excitement this would create, also the inevitable spoiling of Madame's great effect of the evening. No—I would save my darling—but she 1d enjoy her triumph all the same; my plan might ruin my own prospects, such as they were, but 1 would carry it out gevertheless. With & word of thanks to Glacone and a piece of silver feft in his hard the Siguora had moved away—fiend as she was, she douht- less shrank from beholding her work. And, obedient to his cue, Giacone now stepped on the stage bearing the bowl in his hands. I watched with eager eyes, saw the singer take the bowl from its prof- ferer and commence the plaintive lay In which she bewalled her fate in dying thus young and innocent, and attempted to summon up resolution to drink the fatal potion. When the first pause ensued in her song, as she hesitated to lift the bowl to her lips, I staggered on the stage with the gait of simulated drunkenness, and brandishing my halbert contrived to dash the fatal bowl from the singer's hands; it fell on the stage and its contents flooded the scene. There was an indignant cry from the audience, but Madame, an ex perienced actress, promptly picked up the empty bowl, feigned to raise it to her lips, and then burst Into the great song of the evening—her expected masterplece. In- stantly the rising tumult was hushed and the vast audience sat silent and spell- bound as the clear, sweet notes thrilled through the theater. “I fled like the wind; I heard, behind the scenes, the voice of the manager (who had learned of the accident) raging out threats and imprecations against myself, but I heeded him not; I had still a task to ful- fill before my work for that evening was ended. Hurrying down the dark passages I reached the dressing room of the Big- nora and rapped boldly at the door. “The Signorina can see no one,” said the dresser, half opening It. “I remembered the name of an Itallan nobleman which rumor had long coupled with that of the singer. “‘From the Marquis —,' I whispered, mysteriously, slipping a plece of gold (my last coin of that value) into the woman's and. “‘The largeness of this douceur seemed to convince the japitor of the truth of my story. She smiled and nodded, and in another moment I was admitted to the presence of the Signora, her attendant discreetly stand upon ceremony. o the door and put the key into my pocket. “ ‘You come from the Marquis —, and for what?" asked the Signora, rising from her couch, on which she had been half reclining, and having, I believe, not ob- served my action. She 1 promptly locked looked, Indeed, so ghastly that I thought she was about to faint. * ‘No, madame.’ ing in Italian, ‘I onl name to induce your I am come to ask u to hand me that little bottle which you have in your back hair—unless you prefer to give it up to the police.’ « ‘What bottle, fellow? Are you drunk or mad? cried the diva furiously. “ “The bottle of poison,’ I went on, cool- h ently poured I replied bluntly, speak- ;y used the Marquis’ vant to admit me. fumph 'No, she has no what you did and saved her without I knowledge. And sh great song like an angel,’ I went on C 'and to- night’s will be the greatest she has yet won. I want the b ceeded: then—perhaps I act tally, but I was utter the woman, so hardened In . ing on the couch, the signora had parti- ally disarranged her elaborate coif detected the gleam of the Ny amid the thick coils of raven halr, an by a sudden dexterous movement I pos- sessed myself of the phial, still half full of colorless liquid. “The Signora uttered a half articulats ery of rage as she saw it in my hand, withdrawing. It was no time to . THE SUNDAY CALL. hen recovering herself sald, with dig lish singer was in sole possession of the one of her greatest effects, stage and the Signora walting at the side to come on in her turn, I caught the Ital- ni «+You shall be seversly punished strage and assault upon a lad le, it merely o ins a essence, which I some e myself after the fatigues of - matter the police—and tha will analyze it—will be tha ‘but befors signora a litt it is wanted.” ts—it 1s ruin t6 break e ill or invent any I remarked, ‘and you will find it faith with your man the inmate of the convict establ to which I promise myself the pleast: assisting to consign refuse my terms. Recollect you against an a celebrit that of the manag listen to to relate my way back e 7 the fra toward with the m scene the nigh had Interceded long e, health at | traces. upe been. silenced in the grave many, years before death did stiil it. I semetimes wonder, now that she Is singing {n heaven, if the angels Bave ever whispered her my Becret.”