Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-07
A RBMINIscsNcE OF pARspA ROSA.

The season of music was closing. Sati-
ated with praise, Prepa Rosa drew her fur
wrap around her shoulders, and, stepping
from the private entrance of the "Grand,
was about to enter her carriage, when
Please, mi ladi, N low pleading accents,
arrested her attertion. 1t was only the
shrunken, misshapn form of little Elfin,
the italian street.s.nger, with his old violin
under his arm bat the face upturned in
the gaslight, though pale and pinched, was
as delicately cut as a cameo, while the
eager, wistful light in the great, brilliant
eyes, the culver of entreaty in the soft
italian voice held her for moment against
of hearing beggars plea.
"Well," said the great singer, half i'm
patient, yet full of pity.
"Would mi lsdi 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 lovely flower for
me ?" A passionate gesture was his answer.
Taking the flower Parepa Rosa bent her
stately head. "You heard me sing?"
"Mi ladi, hid under the stair. Twas
yesterday l heard the voice. Ga, mi ladi,
mi ladi, I could die !" The words came
brokenly from quivering lips passionately
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 afiame,
and in the sobbing, broken words, "Mi
ladi, could die I"
L.. 1o1 G
me here to- morrow at J" and holding the
lily caressipgly to her cheek she stepped
into her carriage and was driven away.
It was Parepa Ross's last night. In a
box near the stage sat little Elm like one
entranced. Grandly the clear voice swelled
its triumphant chords, and rang amid the
arches with unearthly power and sweet.
ness. 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. The wondrous voice trilled
softly, like the faint sound of bugles in the
early morn again its sweetness stole over
you like the distant chimes of vesper bells.
Encore after encore followed. The curtain
rolled for the last time, and as simply as
possible the manager told the audience Of
last nights incident and announced that
Perepa Rosa's farewell to them would be
the simple ballad warbled many bitter
day through the streets by little Elm, the
Italian musician.
Long and prolonged was the applause,
and at the first pause, sweeping with royal
grace, came our queen of song. At her
breast was the fragrant lily. Queen, too,
by right of her beautiful, unstalned wom-
anhood as well as by the power of her sub.
lime voice, she stood moment, then sang
clearly and softly the ballad with its re.
frain of " Farewell, sweet land" Accom-
panying her came the low, sweet wall of
little Elfin's violin. There was silence in
the great house at the close, then shout
went out that shook the mighty pillars.
A whisper being heard that Parepa Rosa
meant to educate the boy unsteady, the
generous hearts of few opened the gates
of fortune for little Elm. To-day he is
great and famous, Z" the boy violinist," and
they call him to play before Princes.
Parepa Rosa God called thee in thy
womanhood, but thy voice lives in our
hearts, and at the last great day it shall be
written in shining letters on thy name :
{" Inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of
these, We did it unto me.