The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-23
GRILLE DU REGIMENT"

Love mo u j love tN09.
William 8. Lord in America.
GRILLE DU REGIMENT"
A strange story that has lately reached
this country from st. Petersburg can hard
" fail to recall TO the memory Of many .
middle-aged operatic dilettante!the pleasant
old military legend upon which the lbretto
of ono of Donizetti's melodious and popu-
lar operas was founded, well nigh half q
century ago. The Adventures Of the "FiQlia
del Reegimento" were, however, strongly
impregnated with the element of improba-
bility, from which those of the adopted
daughter of the Kexholm regiments dis
tinguished Russian cavalry corps, Of which
the present emperor of Austria is honorary
proprietor and ''chief'-are entirely free.
Maria, the infant waif which Sergt.
Sulpizo picked up from the roadside
whilst his regiment was on the march. and
which his gallant comrades unanimously
agreed to provide for in after life, as
though she had been veritably their own
flesh and blood, eventually turned out to be
lady Of exalted title, profuse wealth and.
illustrious lineage. What was still more
unlikely, when claimed by her high-born
kinsfolk and restored to her proper place in
society, she retained her affection for the
unsophisticated protectors of her infancy
and Rirlhood, and actually kept faith with
the penniless soldier of fortune to whom,
with the consent of his comrades-her COM
mon ster-fathers-she had promised
heart and hand ere she became aware that
she was countess and millionaire. Per-
haps it was the poetic unreality of this
pretty myth that impaired to it special
fascination, and established it firmly in
popular favor for no inconsiderable period
Of time, at least after 1t had reached public
cognizance in operatic Ruise, set to music
of singular sweetness and vivacitv by
the most tuneful Of Italian composers. In
the title role of The Regiments Daughter
many an accomplished songstress, living or
ceptible hearts by storm. The late Jenny
Lind thought it her most successful imper-
sonation, and those who, having been fort
innate enough to see and hear her perform
ance of the captivating part in Europe or
America, still live to bear their testimony,
of rsrey
been equaled and never excelled by any of
her successors in the queenship Of song.
Strange to say, while maintaining to the
present day its popularity in Germany
probably ~ reason of the Enthusiastically
martial character with which it's principal
Regiment dropped out of the London and
Paris operatio repertoires good many
years ago, and its performance nowadays
in either of these great musical cities is
scarcely less rare than that of Loves Elixir.
or even Of The Thieving Maybe. The
alias Masha Kexholmskala, daughter by
adoption to Thousand or 80 of valiant
Russian troopers, is the heroine, serves at
once to remind us of an all-but- forgotten
hef-d'oeuvre of comic opera. and to add q
chapter replete with touching incident and
The tale runs thus. Shortly after the
czar's hosts had invaded European Turkey,
during the sultry summer Of 1877, q trooper
Of the Kexholm regiment. while foraginQ
or doing outpost duty, in some unnamed
bulgarian village, abandoned by its inhabl.
tants under stress of friendly occupation"
came upon forlorn little 4-vear-old Turk
ish damsel, forgotten and left behind by
her parents in the panic and hurry of their
flight, and wandering about haplessly, half
starved. terror stricken and alone. The
soldier took compassion upon the tiny crea-
ture, and carried it of, perched upon his
saddlebow, to his officers. who forthwith
resolved to adopt it. Under the restorative
influence of plentiful food and judicious
petting the child soon rallied from its
WOhAI1S9A AllU I0COV0I0u lt6 6DlE1U6s 1GCOUlO
talk little; intelligently enough, at any
rate, to make its new protectors understand
that it was called Aisha, or Ayesha, q fore
name" common enough in Islam. Thence
forth this mite of Mohammedan accom-
panied the kindly Kexholmers in their
march through the Balkan, sharing their
rude fare as an honorary member of the
officers mess, and made much of by every
man in the regiment. Time went on until
fighting came to an end early in 1878, when
the Kexholm Corps took up its quarters for
the time being at San Stefano, in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the Turkish capital.
Az soon as the famous treaty of that name
had been concluded, the colonel took little
Aisha, to whom, meanwhile, social promo
ton to the rank Of young lady" had been
accorded, into Constantinople, where he
fitted her out with a good store of smart
dresses, as we'll as with highly decorative
Of fowers.upon it." Who 90 proud d- cav
and happy, then, as the miniature 'Daught-
or Of the Regiment" splendidly arrayed in
undreamt of finery, and systematically
INDUCED to the top Of her bent BY any
der such q lavish allowance Of paternal
care and affection she grew rapidly, waxed
tat and rosy, and generally fourished like
the green bay-tree. Soon after peace had
been signed the regiment was ordered
home. On ito return to Warshaw, to the gar
IlsOn OF Wn1cn city 1t properly belonged,
the Kexholm officers came to an agreement
among themselves that their adopted child
should receive liberal education at their
costs and charges, to which end they sad
died themselves with an unofficial income
tax OF per cent upon their pay, and insti-
tuted an "Aisha Fund.-" mainly supported
by 1O-copeck fines, levied upon every game
of cards played in the regimental club, and
paid regularly into the hands of the fund
trustees, as we'll as the deductions from
each officers salary. As Russian military
men are inveterate card players. the con-
tribution to Aisha's savings-box speedily
amounted to handsome sum. As soon as
she had been duly received into the bosom
of the Orthodox church, and christened by
the euphonious name of maria Kexholm-
skaia," she was placed as frst-class
boardsr in the Maria college for Young
girls at Warsaw, there to be taught ali
manner of ccomplishments-in short, the
whole duty" of crack regiments only
daughter.
Since her admission to that hiuhlvro,u