Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-04-05
ROYAL Parepa.

The New York season of music was
closing. Satiated with praise. Parepa
Rosa drew her fur wrap around her
shoulders, and stepping from the pri-
/ vate entrance of the Academy of Music,
was about to enter her carriage, when
please my ladi," in low, pleading ac-
cents, arrested her attention. 1t was
only the shrunken, misshapen form of
/ little Elm. the Italian street-singer,
with his old violin under his arm; but
the face upturned in the gaslight,
though pale and pinched, was as deli
cately cut as camo, while the eager,
wistful light in the great brilliant eyes,
the CULVER of entreaty in the soft Ital-
ian voice, held her for moment
against her escorts endeavor to save
her the annoyance of hearing beg
CARS plea.
WELL said the great singer. half
impatient, yet full of pity.
Would mi ladi please" in sweet,
broken English, and the slender brown
hands of the dwarf held up fragrant
white lily, with crystal drop in its
golden heart
..Do you mean this lovly flower for
me?" A passionate gesture was her
answer. Taking the flower, Parepa
Rosa bent her stately head You
heard me sing?''
"Mi ladi, hid under the stair. Twas
yesterday heard the voice. Oh, mi
ladi, mi ladi, could der' The words
came brokenly from quivering lips, pas
sionately in earnest. The loud voice
OF the world she had just left had never
shown Parepa Rosa the power of her
grand voice as she saw it now in these
soft, dark eyes alame and in the sob
bling, broken words: ''Mi ladi, oh, mi
ladi-I could die
Child and her voice trembled,
inject me here tomorrow at 81 and,
holding the lily caressingly to her cheek,
she stepped into her carriage and was
driven away.
1t was Parepa Rosa's last night In
n box near the stage sat little Elfin.
like one entranced. Grandly the clear
voice swelled its triumphant chords
and rang amid the arches with un-
earthly power and sweetness. The
slight frame of the boy swayed and
shook, and a look SO rapt, so intense,
came on his face, you knew his very
heart was stilled. Then the wonderous
voice thrilled softly like the faint sound
Of bugles in the early morn; again its
sweetness stole over you like the dis
tant chimes of vesper bells. Encore
after encore followed. The curtain
rolled up for the last time, and as sim
ply as possible the manager told the
audience of last nights accident, and
announced that Parepa Rosa's farewell
to them would be the simple ballad
warbled many a bitter day through the
city streets by little Elfin the Italian
musician.
Long and prolonged was the applause
and at the first pause, sweeping In with
royal grace, came our queen of song
AT her breast was the fragrant lilv.
Queen, too. by right of her beautiful,
unstained womanhood, as well as bv
the power of her sublime voice, she
stood a moment, than sang early and
softly the ballad with its refrain of
Farewell, Sweet Land" Accompany
ing her came the low, sweet wall of
little Films violin. There was silence
in that great house at the close, then a
shout went up that shook the mighty
pillars.
A whisper being heard that Parepa
Rosa meant to educate the boy music
ally. the generous hearts of few had
opened the gates of fortune for little
Elfin. To-day he is great and famous,
and they call him to play before
Princes.
Parepa Rosa! God called thee in thy
perfect womanhood, but thy voice lives
in our hearts, and at the last great day
it shall be written in shining letters on
thy name: "lnasmuch as We did it I'M
to the least of these, We did il unto
Me. Mary L. Wright IN Detroit
Pnof