The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-07-12
"No, sir" faltered little Emma.

well, II you've walked nine miles
through this mud and slush, you'll do
to teach school for me. Sit up and
have some dinner"
Emma commenced the school the
next week, won the respect of the pa
rents and the love of the children, and
in four months took sixty dollars back
to her father in Peoria, where the large
family soon used it up.
Our heroine, with the assistance of
her father, now gave her first big con-
cert in Peoria. Quite a number of anna
teurs assisted her, Roose's Hall was
filed, the people cheered, and Emma S
father received one hundred dollars.
This was all used by her father, mother
and sister, except three dollars. With
this amount she left her father strug-
Cling at home and started for Reck
Island to visit young lady friend. She
found her friend absent, and her money
dwindled to twenty cents. With this
she went to Moline for ten cents to call
upon gentleman by the name of Deer,
in whose family her father had taught
music twenty years before. Her idea
was to get up concert. Mr.. Deer was
absent, and Mrs. Deer, a crotchety-faced
old woman, was very cross. She looked
insinuatingly at Emma, and said she
didn't know what a pretty young girl
wanted of her husband. Just then Miss
Abbott spied the piano, and asked if
she might play. In moment she was
warbling a sweet song. The old lady
dropped her dishes, wiped her hands on
her apron, and came and looked over
her glasses in astonishment. Just then
Mr.. Deer entered.
"By Jove, Matilda! That's darned
nice singing" he exclaimed; "who's
doin' it?n
"My name is Abbott" said our hero
inc, modestly. any father used to teach
in your family"
Thunder! yes-but what are you
doing here?"
"Well, pa and ma are very poor, and
I've come here to give a concert, and /
want you to help me-"
"All right. You're a plucly girl,
and I'll help you. You shall have the
Congregational Church." Said Mr.. Deer
And she did have il. She got her
bills printed, went around personally
and announced the concert, up in the
schools, and the house was crowded.
She sang with her usual sweetness,
touching every heart. 1t was a warm
night, her concert guitar was out Of
tune, and the strings broke six times
during the evening. The audience ap-
plauded while she mended them, and
laughed, and called her out dozen
times. When the concert closed. they
wanted her to repeat it, which she did.
She returned home at the end of week
with sixty dollars in cash, TO the aston
isbment of her poor mother, who held
up both hands and exclaimed:
90, Emma, | hope you haven't been
robbing somebody
Emma was now seventeen. She start
ed on a concert trip through Illinois,
sending all the money home which she
did not want to use. On the route a
Chicago opera troupe came up behind,
saw her bills, and heard such praises
from the people, that they engaged her
to sing with them for seventy five
nights, through Michigan, Indiana,
Iowa, and Wisconsin.
When her engagement was finished
she started out alone again. At Grand
Haven, Mich, she got out of money.
The audience came late, but among
them a railroad man, who gave her a
pass to New York.
Passing through Canada little Emma
had bad luck. Many times she walked
hungry from place to place, and once to
raise money she cut OIL her hair and
sold it. Music was her love, and she
forgot every discomfort in the middle OF
her beautiful songs.
Once she froze her feet, and sung
while they ached with the intense pain
which follows. The applause of the
audience overcame hunger, sorrow, and
even the pains of frozen feet.
Hearing that Parepa was in New
York, she forgot her poverty, and set
out with the one intense desire to hear
Parepa sing. On she waited toward the
big city. At Lyons, in Wayne county,
without money or friends, she stopped
to sing. She had not eaten anything
for hours, and actually sang when very
faint and hungry. With the proceeds
she bought good supper, and contin-
ued her way to New York.
Little Emma finally reached New
York alene, and in the night, putting
up at a cheap house called the Wash.
ington House. The next night she
fastened to the opera, but to her great
disappointment Parepa did not sing.
She finally heard Parepa at Steinway
Hall, but could not succeed in meeting
her face to face.
Her money giving out, she borrowed
fifteen dollars of a lady in the hotel,
and started for the West again. Arriy'
ing in Michigan, she advertised three
concerts. The nights were bad, the
idea did not take, and she lost all hel
money. To pay her bill she sold hel
guitar. but went on, and, hungry and
weary, sang in an ice cream saloon in
the next room, making money enough
to 20 back and buy it back. At Mogno
kela, Mich, poor success attended heI
again. To pay her bill a gentleman lent
her money on her guitar, but just ther
the old Chicago opera troupe teie
graphed for her, and she joined then
for seyenty.six coucerts, the proceeds
of which she sent to her mother.
Now another troupe in the West en-
gagged her to sing in Iowa, Kansas, anc
among the Nebraska Indians, for sevent,
nights.
After filling these engagements, Mis-
Emma sang in Milwaukee and Chicago
but with poor success. The people hat
never heard of her wonderful. voice, ant
they would not come to hear one yount
lady sing. From the latter place LITTLE
Emma went TO Plymouth, Ind. Herr
she advertised to sing in the parlor o
the United States Hotel, Lut few CAM
and her money became exhausted. lie