Smyrna times., 1881-10-12
Male Beauties.
THE OPERA SINGERS WHO PLAY HAVOC
WILH HEARTS.

1t is hard to understand why it is, but
somehow, while girls recognize the powder
and paint, the blonde wigs and penciled
brows of prima donna as so much make
up, they refuse to analyze the charms OF
tenor, and his grease paint, luxuriant
locks and graceful mustache are admired
as his very own. Unluckily these fasci-
mated young women have no opportunity
OF seeing the adored object as he sits at
family table, deyOuring beefsteak and
onions, with three small children at his
knee and wife who perchance seasons
the meal by reading aloud the tender eflu-
sions emanative from these deuded young
creatures. 1t is a fact that with one or
two exceptions all the best-known singers
are married men with families. and | do
not know one of them who, in private life,
could be called handsome: yet they all.
even going outside the ranks of singers.
to that gross fellow with three wives
Levy-to Campanini, red,faced. fat and
with five children. are inundated with
love~Ietters, bouquets and presents. The
men who havo the most common sense
and the most principle laugh at these
epistleS and destroy them-a good thing
for the writers-but there are others. less
honorable, who dO not hesitate to take
advantage in various ways of these pretty
little ninnies. Here is an instance that
came to my knowledge last winter:
The 17-year-old daughter of DIR. W
of this city fell, or imagined she did.
wildly in love with mellow-yoiced bari
tone in the Mapleson company. Under
an assumed name she wrote him gushing
and romantic little notes, and finally sent
her photograph. The face was SO lovely
that it piqued the singers curiosity, but it
was in vain he pleaded for an opportunity
to see it. Miss W could only enjoy
her escapade as long as she maintained
: her incognito. Finally the baritone,
noting the name of the photographer.
visited his parlors and ascertained his cor
| respondents name. Then he wrote to her
under her real address, saying he had
identified her, and she could take the
, choice of having her picture and notes
back and giving him $500 in cash. or he
1 would tell reporter of the Police Gazette
and have the picture published There is
[ little likelihood such threat would have
been carried out, but the girl was so terri
e bly, frightened that she sent him all the
money she could scrape together, and the
: rest of the sum in jewelry.
Another case with better ending was
that of young lady whose father is we'll
4 known on the Stock Exchange She was
: violently smitten with Campanini, and
n used to send him no end of beautifully
!: written missives, and every night bou-
n quet Of red roses. The letters especially
: attracted the attention of the great tenor
e because they We're written in smoothly
e flowing Italian, and evidently by some
: one who was more romantic than fast OF
e wild. There was little trouble in finding
q out the fair correspondent, and Nine
y Campanini who has a good and lovely
soul, sent note to the young lady and
II asked her to call. 1t is needless to say
o the latter's delightful delusions were
G quickly dispelled before the domestic life
of the silver-toned tenor and the kindly
c advice of his good wife
The extent to which these serio-comiC
love affairs are carried on is enormous
and sometimes the parties show an anus
ing ingenuity i'll their correspondence
: Del Puente once went nearly wild with
. ungratified curiosity through the pranks
of mischievOus school girl, who was per
" petually sending him love letters, in which
she declares she never missed a single
night when he sung, and that when ht
' left New York on his tour with Hel
: Majesty's Company she should follow hin
and be present at every performance
: Sure enough, in every city where he suns
!. he received pretty note of congratula
tion, with the usual information that the
l. writer, dressed as usual, in black, wa:
I' present. Of course there were always &
n number of young and pretty women il
e this somber hue, but which was his cor
81 respondent Del Puente never could decide
y The letters were always postmarked with
l. the name of the city he happened to be
; in, and finally ne became really nervous
e with the idea of an unknown woman fol
5 lowing him in this shadowy fashion. Hi:
% curiosity was not destined to be satisfied
until long afterward, when he found that
u the fair unknown, cleverly following the
81 published route, would send stamped
but undirected letter to the postmaster oi
the city he happened to be in, with the
y request that he would ascertain the sing.
z er's name and forward it. AS long rs the
9 letter was stamped this was sure to be
Is be done, aud the tenor never failed to re.
u Oeive the missive.
~ A case of bassO infatuation was that oi
9 u daughter Of an ex-senator, still promi.
&c nent in Washington circles, who used to
u spend all her pin money in buying pres.
ents and baskets of flowers which she sent
Conley. In some mysterious way her
e father received hint Of it, and the young
of lady was sent to the Georgetown convent
a where she was educated for couple OF
IS years by way of punishment. Castle
D. though neither so young nor so charming
1t as he once was, still receives loads ol
le gushing episties which Mrs. Castle de,
murely twists into. cigar-hghters; and
Brignoli says st half teached misself ze