Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-12-06
A ROMANCE.
The Remarkable Story Related by
a Famous Singer.

than that | shall try to tell as twas told
to me by one Of the greatest singers the
world has ever known -Four years ago, I
said the lady relating the story, there
was young American girl in an Italian
town who was studying music. She came
from quiet New England village, and
with her mother located in place cele-
brated for its masters to undergoa com
plete musical traiTlng. Her master was
a thoroughly conscientious italian, whose
voice had broken down just as he began
to be famous as tenor, and so he had
to give up his lifelong aspiration and
train others to gather in the golden for
tune that by his art he himself had hoped
to win. The girl, who been given the
sweet old puritan name of Faith, studied
diligently, and was in her second
years course when an illness attacked her
mother The small sum set aside for
Faiths musical studies was well-nigh
spent in the mothers sickness. What to
do the daughter did not know. They
were without friends, and the future was
without hope One night before retiring
the girl knelt by her bedside and fervently
prayed to God to help her. She arose
from her prayer comforted, for in her
simple way she believed in God, and that
He always heard the prayer of His child
ren, who prayed believing in Him. That
night she dreamed curious dream She
saw her dead father as he had appeared
in life. He said to her, Believe in God
He viii help you The next night the
dream was repeated. The third time she
dreamed she was at Monaco; that she had
gone inic the great kursaal where they
were playing. Shd sat down at a table
and put a sum of money on the red
square and let it stay until the
red had won thirteen times. Her father
stood behind her chair as she sat, and
when she finished he put his hands
on her head and gave her his blessing,
and then she awoke. The dream puz-
zled her She had never been at Monaco
She had never seen the gambling hall,
and yet the whole place had appeared SO
wildly in her dreaml When her teacher
came that day she told him of her dream,
and those that had preceded it. He
listened attentively. Like all Italians he
was superstitious. He thought of it all
day. When be saw her again, he said
Why not try it God helps US all IN
his own mysterious way That night
her father came again, and said: Cor
That decided her. She told her mother
that she thought little rest and recre-
alton would help her, and said her
teacher and his daughter, who were
taking little excursion, had asked her
to join them Might she gol The
mother thought few moments, and
could see no harm in it to her child
She would only be away one night. and
she had her favo1te servant to keep her
company during her daughters absence.
The next morning they (the teacher, his
daughter and Faith took their departure;
They looked upon the beautiful gardens
Of Monaco, as lovely as was the garden
of Eden before the fall At that
evening the three entered the great
kursaal. 1t was just as the
girl had seen it all in dream. The
place was full of well-dressed people,
ladies and gentlemen, and band was
playing beautiful music. In a corner the
girl recognized the table she had seen in
her dreams. With swelling heart and
emotions that can not be described, she
sat down, and the Italian stood up behind
her. During the day she had determined
what to do.
''She drew from her portemonnale two
notes, each for one English pound, and
the Italian showed her how to put them
on red spot What if it were all a
superstitious folly? What if she was
simply wasting in a wicked gambling
house the little money they had between
them and starvations She dared not
think. She must do what her fatherhad
hidden her in her dream. sMa'amselle
has won, she heard the croupier say.
Let it stay she replied, What is the
limit2' ashed the Italian. We have no
limit, the well-dressed, -blooded
man with the suave voice said She
won again and again. The red had
come up three times in succession.
She had won e16, or $50 Of our
money. Will not the lady take up her
money! said the croupier No. she
answered. Let it alone; am going to
play the red to win thirteen times He
shrugged his shoulders imperceptibly
The game went on. AT the sixth dav
her winnings were s640 She sat like a
woman in trance. When the red had
won for the eighth time she had So, $50
Oh, what should she do? Before her there
was a small fortune. Ought she not take
it and 90! BY this time a crowd had
gathered. Something new was going on.
A woman with face like the dead had
won eight times in succession on the red.
A few old gamblers began to back the
red to lcs.. 1t was impossible that it
should come up again The game CON
tinued. Nothing was heard but the click
Of ivory and the voice Of the croupier
saying: The red wins again. At
the tenth play she had $40, 240
Her excitement was uncomfortable.
Here before her was more money
than she ever had seen in all her life be-
ky1- -.