The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-02-24
Prima Donna and their O,otne,.

Emma Abbott. according to TIE 81
Louis Gi0b- Democrat, is ALWAYS ready
for an interview. A. reporter met nor
behind the scenes at the opera-housetb the
other night, as happy as a lark. and
when questioned by the newspaper man
about the cause of her happy frame of
mind answered that she had won a dia-
mond ring from her husband on CIeve-
lands majority She wagered that the
democratic candidate for governor of
New York would get over 10000 ma
jority; he got over $50, 1000, and she got
the ring, fve-karat solitaire, which
sparkled upon one of her fingers
''If / had lost" said Miss Abbott. 81
would now feel very much as Mime
Gerster used to feel just about this time
when she sang Amina. How is that9
Well, she got very mad. The costnmer
who made dresses for her when she was
with Strakosch-Nina Cerol-told me
that Nine. Gerster always tore the
bridal wells she wore in Somnambula' to
pieces. So, too. when she sang Lucia
she kept picking ut the waist Of her
peasant dress until it was in ribbons
and when she came off the stage took a
scissors and cut the front She wouldn't
wear the same dress twice. Strakoscb
paid for her wardrobe, so that it did not
cost her anything to indulge her passion
to destroy the garments. Cerbi said
Gerster was very sweet off the stage.
but always got mad as a hornet when
she appeared in opera; she couldn't
sing without first getting mad. As Cerbi
said, THE more she get mad, the more
good she sing
'Mme. Cerbi, 1 suppose. knew all
the prima donnas?" the reporter sug-
gested
seOh, yes, and told many stories about
them Nilsson, she said, was greatly
feared by the costumers, because she
was so extremely hard to please. Patti
was just the contrary-very easy to suit;
she took everything just as it came
Minnie Hank was particular only about
her boots; she liked pretty boots, and
was fond of showing her nicely-shaped
feet
81 am glad to see,' said the prima.
.sthat Salvini has met with such a nice
reception in New York. He is an old
and dear friend of mine. | met him in
Florence when [ was studying in 1875.
and he took me to his home on the
Arno. where | saw his sweet little Eng
lish wife, with her blue eyes and fair
hair, worshiping her husband as if he
were god. Why, one day he fixed up
a very ordinary pedestal in one of the
rooms and covered it with green baize
and had brass tacks sticking out Al
every point. A cheap carpenter could
have fixed it up ten times more artist
cally, yet the tragedian's wife. went in
to ecstacies over it. and thought and
said there was nothing like 1t. very
simple thing but it shows how much she
thought of him and OF what he did. But
| ought not to talk of Salyini in this
way. He was very good ito me and
gave me letters that proved OF great
service. He also encouraged me to work
hard saving that all his own success had
come only from the hardest kind of "a
Dor. He told me he had studied Othelo
four years before attempting TO play it
on the stage and | see by the papers
that he gave his King Lear the same
lengthy study and attention"
Miss Abbott wanted to say something
about her own success the present sea
son, and excellence of her, company.
but the reporter cut her short, and was
moving away when the pr;ma called
out:
BE kind enough to say that Denver
baby does not exist. 1t is a first-clsss
myth. We have nothing of the infant
caliber in our company, although Gus
Hall and John Gilbert, whom we call
Jumbo and Bolivar, have asked TO be
cast for the babies in Norma, which
we are soon to produce"