Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-07-11
"No, SIR" faltered little Emma.


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
this amount she left her father strug-
Cling at home and started for Rock
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-f faced
old woman, was very cross. She looked
insinuatin gly at Emma, and said she
didn't know what pretty young girl
wanted of her husband. Just then Miss
Abbott spied the piano, and asked if
she might play. In a 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.
nice singing" he exclaimed; "who's
doin' it?'
"My name is Abbott" said our hero
inc, modestly. "My father used to teach
in your family
"Thunderl yes-but what are you
doing here?"
"Well, pa and ma are very poor, and
I've come here to give concert, and
want you to help me-"
"Al right. You're a plucky girl,
and I'll help you. You shall have the
Congregational Church." said Mr.. Deer
. And she did have it. 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
ishment of her poor mother, who held
up both hands and exclaimed
80, Emma, hope you haven't been
robbing somebodyn
Emma was now seventeen. She start
ed on concert trip through Illinois,
sending all the money home which she
did not want to use. On the route q
Chicago opera troupe came up behind,
saw her bills, and heard such praises
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 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 off 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 sang
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
I'M oh foH TOW or1 he
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 alone, and in the night, putting
up at cheap house called the Wash
ington House. The next night she
hastened 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 g
her face to face.
Her money giving out, she borrowed
fifteen dollars of lady in the hotel
and started for the West again. Arriv.
ing in Michigan, she advertised three
concerts. Inc nlSnIS were Dau, Inc
idea did not take, and she lost all hel
money. To pay her bill she sold hel
guitar, but went on, and, hungry ano
weary, sang in an ice cream saloon ir
the next room, making money enough
| to go back and buy it back. At Mogno
kela, Mich, poor success attended he
again. To pay her bill gentleman len
her money on her guitar, but just ther
the old Chicago opera troupe tele
graphed for her, and she Joined then
for seventy-six coucerts, the proceed
| of which she sent to her mother.
Now another troupe in the West en-
| gagged her to sing in Iowa, Kansas. ano
among the Nebraska Indians, for sevent,
nights.
| After filling these engagements, Mis-
Emma sang in Milwaukee and Chicago
but with poor success. The people ha,
never heard of her wonderful voice, an,
they would not come to hear one youn
lady sing. From the latter place littl
Emma went to Plymouth, Ind. Her
she advertised to sing in the parlor O
the United States Hotel, Lut few cam
and her money became exhausted. He
hotel bill was two dollars and a-hal1
and she took her guitar to the musi
store to sell it to pay the bill. She ais
| Dawne0 her c0Dcart dress her onlv mic