The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-12-17
Kissed to Pieces.
From the San Francisco Call.

from the San Francisco Call.
"Pd like to see the real Emma Alb
bott kiss-the one we hear about.
The one the tenor gets when all the
trials and troubles of love have been
sung away; when the old man relents
and the wicked rival is side-tracked
at Omaha, while the Abbott combi-
nation is booming on to Denver. Not
the hall coy kiss that Marguerite in
the awakening of her malden's heart
OF the first delight OF love bestows on
Faust. But the unreserved oscula-
tion that concludes the arrangement
to skip from the balcony by a knotted
sheet and hunt for Justice OF the
peace" said the reporter.
The tenor's face twitched nervously
He braced himself in his seat, leaned
his head back and backed his chair
against the wall to prepare for the
rush.
"4ou want to see my best kiss? The
real simon pure, unadulterateda article,
my Ella Wheeler kiss? Fifty dollars
each, in elegant, satin-lined, oxidized
silver cases, red foil capsules, and none
genuine without the name Emma Alb
bott blown into the bottle. Look for
the signature on the cork, and beware
of counterfeits," said the charming
lyric artistic, gaily. "Well, here goes"
The tenor dug his heels in the carpet
for purchase, gripped the arm OF q
chair as though grab bing a life preserver
in shipwreck, and then, with a whlrl
ofdrapery and flash ofrounded arms,
Emma had thrown her head on the
lapel OF his coat.
Nothing was visible to the reporter
except the tenor's hands rigidly grasp
ing the chair arms, and Emma's hand
some form. The round head, sur
rounded by a mass OF curling hair,
was flying around as though Emma
was hunting for lost diamond in the
tenor shirt collar. Once the tenor
gasped for breath, and then the search
was prosecuted with renewed vigor.
At last the kiss was over, leaving the
reporter little wiser than before, only
thankful that he was not the tenor.
When the tenor's head reappeared no
one could have recognized the hand.
some Manrico. A huge red, glowing
spot covered the entire face. The
right ear was gone, and OF the left
but a stump remained. The chin was
torn and abraided and the shirt col
lar but limp rag, and one coat lapel
looked as if it had gone through fire
and water. When the fair singer had
recovered her breath she smiliEgly
asked the reporter what he thought
OF it. He admitted that it was a
most comprehensive affair and entire
ly satisfactory to him, but it was a
bit hard on the tenor.
'Yes," said Emma, musingly;; "they
don't last long, poor fellows. l am
compelled to have four tenors on
hand all the time. They can't stand
1T more than one or two nights a
week. Some silly fellow started the
story that / was too modest to play
IL Trovatore'-all nonsense. There s
nothing immodest about the part, but
the fact is the tenor can't stand it.
They fear my Trovatore kiss and
every time I've had the opera billed
every tenor in the troupe has been
caught padding around III bare feet
on purpose to catch cold. So at last
| decided to expunge the opera from
my repertoire"
"Have you any special kiss for in
terviewers9" asked the reporter, get
ting ready to leave.
What followed isnone ofthe public
business. Ii any one wants to find
out about Emma's interviewers' kiss
let him take out a policy on his life,
hunt up a job on some newspaper and
try for himself.