The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-03-30
Casta Diva.

| IL
drew his easy chair close to the fire and
enconsed himself therein, wrapping his
tri-colored dressing gown about him. 81
wish | were married! know a lady
boards in the same house, too, and | be-
lieve she'd have me if l were to ask her.
| mean the pretty music teacher. She is
young, delicate and amiable; only there
seems to be something melancholy about
her. as though she had known sorrow;
besides, she is widow | like her,
| though, and / believe she likes me- LII
think this over have plenty of money,
and nobody to spend it upon. Yes, l
think l will ask pretty Madam Victor TO
marry me-"
Rap, tap, tap, Come in!-who's
there Pr
please, sir, it's your clean clothes y
"Clean clothes and pray who are you,
YOU little cherub, and where do you come
| from"
IL am Lauretta, sir, and | live with
Bridget. who washes your clothes, and
She sent me with basket tonight"
Yes, should think she had, you little
duckling; and the basket is bigger than
Yourself, Come and sit down in this
chair by the fire and warm your toes
there now! | want to talk with you.
Are you Bridgets child ?''
"Oh. no. SIR look of care passed
over the little face.
NO, | thought not, Washerwomen's
children don't have such eyes, nor such
| broad toreheads, nor such soft halr.
Well, birdie, how came you with Bridget ?
Have you no parents ?"
Il don't know. | only dream have.
Bridget lets me stay with her because
can sing"
Sing and what has that to do with
P"
''Oh, sir, sing my songs in the great
house, and they give me slxpences, anu L
take them TO Bridget"
aha you pay your board then?
Well, little Lauretta, will you sing to me
| now ?'
Yes, indeed" and the little one stands
I'D in the middle of the rug and opening
| her little rosebud mouth she sings 'Casta
Diva"
! BLESS my stars, what Il voice! L
! know something of music myselt-at
| least enough to know that such voice
should be a fortune to the one who pos
sesses it. Little one, where did you
| learn that? n
"Nurse taught me that"
| Nurse. who is nurseP"
"Nurse is dead" The dark eyes filled
with tears, and the ruby lips are CULVER
| ing.
Mr.. Parton walks up and down the
room. His curiosity was excited as well
as his pity.
please sir, shall leave my basket ?
Bridget will scold if stay so long"
"No, little one, will carry the BASKET;
am going home with YOU
Its up five flights Of stairs, sir, and
there is no light in the passage"
s'All the more reason | should go with
YOU. Now | am ready. Come, my little
Singer, YOU and l will be better acquaint-
ed before long. Don't fall down these.
stone steps; keep hold Of my hand; here
we are in Broadway. Now where do
we turn? Down Prince street, hey. and
now down Crosby. What, do you live in
this alley? Oh, never lear, little Casta
Diva; | shall tread safely enough while
this little hand leads me. Ugh! how
many more flights are there ?-only two?
Well. well, can climb them if you can.
So. this is the door?'
after coming to see a poor woman at this
hour? VIII you be seated, sir?' said
Bridget wiping a wooden chair with her
apron Your shirts were not ironed to
be suiting you, maybe?"
s.Shirts all right, Bridget, | came to
bring home your little girl, and to ask
YOU something about her. She has been
singing TO me. Will you tell me where
she come from ,"
.sYe takes bit o. trouble for q lone bit
of a child, indeed, sir; but her story is
| not 50 very long. She lived with furrn
woman in the room below, named Their
| esa. The woman said she was waiting
| maid in Lauretta's family in Italy some
where. and while she was out with the
child. then only two years old, for the
sake of air, there came big row IN the
CITY. a, d the child's father was in the
middle of it, and got kilt; and when She
reached the house all in a fright, sure it
was all on fire, and the mother Of it was
! gone. and never was she able to-tlnd her
at all. So she kept the child and comes
| TO America with it; for she heard it told
how the streets were paved with gold,
and when she come and found nary gold
nor food but for working, she had to 90
to work as we poor creatures do; and
| she took to washing in the one room down
stairs, but never a bit would she let the
child do for herself, but waited on her
! like q slave and only taught her to sing,
Gas its mother did before it, she said;
| and last year Theresa died. This poor
little creature took on SO bad that | took
her myself, only I'll be bringing her up
different entirely; I'll teach her to earn
her bread at any rate; and so | sends her
out every day to sing to the great folks,
and makes her help me carry around the
clothes; and that is all. sir"
1T was very good in you, Bridget, to
take the little orphan. You have saved
her from sad fate. You will be reward
ed, you may depend
Bridget raised her eyebrows and drop
ped courtesy, while Casta D."a, as Mr..
Parton then and ever since has called her,
hid her face in the bed, and sobbed to
hear her story related The kind gentle
man looked at her tenderly and said:
Il have plan for this poor child which
will at once relieve you of her charge,
and repay you for your goodness Of
heart Good night, little one. l will
come tomorrow. Dry your tears, for
will make you happy. Here, Bridget, is
some money for YOU, and be sure you do
not send her out to sing again. | have
something better for her to do"
Bridget dropped another courtesy, and
her mouth opened wide, for she was all
mystiied and bewildered. An hour later
and Mr.. Parton is again seated in his easy
chair before his bri ght coal fire, with his
| dressing Gown once more folded about
him. The only difference is that he smiles
instead of signing as he did before.
"Ah yes" he says. 81 see my way
clear. | can now, without hesitation, call
upon Madam Victor in her room, to inter
est her about my little Casta Diva. |
will tell her the story, and engage her to
cultivate the voice of my little protege. |
will see her tomorrow morning, and per-
haps she will accompany me to Bridgets
lodging. Not a very romantic walk to