The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-20

stage NOBODY can understand the popu-
lar enthusiasm for the royal toreadore who
| never has lived 10 Spain. The Escamiilo Of
the night entered without attracting much
attention, and passed behind the curtain.
4 Then, from the left Campanini as s'Jose. -
| darted upon the stage. The silence OF the
escurial fell upon the housed Il IS no exag-
geration to say that the splendid pageant
that bad preceded was utterly blotted from
the mind Of every person present
! Campanini scored the hit Of the night by
bis wonderful ability as an actor quito as
| much as by his voice. The king, who had
saluted Fasquelo, the pride Of the PENN
sula and entitled to wear his hat in the
presence OF his ruler like grandee OF Spain,
rose to his feet, claDped his hands, and APP
plauded Ike any other enthusiast After
| the opera / saw the great tenor at the Cafe
Fornos. and he was apparently Indifferent
to the transcendant honors thar had been
showered upon him.
But, it was different when saw him last
/ He would have given the rest OF his life for
| a repetition of such scene. The experiences
OF kings in exile. ex-Presidents of our re-
public aud aged tenors must be filled with
regrets and griefs.
Campanini was generous fellow while
his prosperity lasted. Not that he threw
| money away. or gave 1t TO his friends: but
he encouraged young singers, bought him
self a pretty country place near Padua,
where he entertained guests in truly hospi-
| table fashion and lived WE'LL but never ex-
travigantly. His chief mistake was the
lioerality with which he dispensed his voice.
He was always willing to sing tor any
charity; he was obllging TO the verge OF
4 generosity with his managers. Time and
again he had volunteered to ying when his
associates OF second tenor were 'indisposed. -
| was present at the opera the night Gers
| ter's voice failed her. The opera was ''I,a
| SuD0DahftI v 0ha nfp a
after the poor prima donna was led off the
stage in tears. Col Mapelson announced
that the money won be refunded at the
box; but Campauini who was in the foyer.
with his wife, at once volunteered 10 sing
I'll Trovatore" After q delay Of half an
hour the curtain rose and the opera was
| given TO the entire satisfaction Of the vast
audience. The night was saved, but for
that service he positively declined to receive
! a dollar This is only one OF many in
stances Of similar character. all Of which
rebound to the glory of Campanini, but
| prevented the growth of his bank account
for protection against the rainy season of
his life that has now set in.
In the commercial world it Is quite the ex-
pectation to encounter reverses. Oftener
than otherwise they are prepared for. do
| not mean in any discreditable SO Sc, but as
| matter OF strict prudence and business
forethought. Few merchants amass fort
unes without placing some Of their money
where it cannot be swept away by sudden
disaster. But the protiigacy of professional
| men and women IN general is notoI ious
How few people on the stage save money,
| o. leave fortunes behind theml Joseph
| Jefferson is the only instance Of a theatri-
cal economist that this generation
can recall. Patti has saved money. but
she is spending fortune every year on her
! Welsh castle. Barrett died poor; Jolly
| pUlxy HIo,a,ra IaPe I'LL,
the 100000 that he earned with "The
! Mighty Dollar" Lester Wallack was saved
from disaster in his last days by a noble
outburst Of sentiment on the part of the
profession, the public and the press. In
deed, the memorable testimonial was sug-
gested by John R lsiell Young in the
| Herald But nothing in Lester Wallack's
conduct toward the newspapers during his
later days warranted any such thoughtful
ness.
| The sadness of poor little Marie Aimee's
last days is quite unknown in this country,
] where she had so many devoted admirers.
! recollect distinctly her first appearance in
New York under tue opera bouffe regime of
Jim Fisk. Her success was Immediate
We had heard Tosti. but Aimee's vivacity
and suggestiveuess was revelation. Not
| one of her successors up to the time of Thee
was worthy to be thought rival. Per-
signy, Montaland and several other freaks
were brought over from the gay capital
but for fifteen years, or until her voice
failed, AIMEE was easily the popular French
| favorite.
Yet the end came, and very gloomy end
it was. | remember TO have picked up a
copy of Figaro in Paris one morning DUR
ing the summer OF 1887. Her death from a
tunor was announced in a half dozen lines
The funeral was set down at an early hour
| on the following day. Another American
and | undertook to go, and met at the
Vincennes station in the cold, raw
morning air. We alighted at little
station near Nogent, in the Marine
who drove us through the mist several
miles to tine quaint little cottage in which
Aimee had passed her last days. There
was no splendor. All the radiance of the
footllghts was gone. A few trophies and
many photographs, inscribed with words of
affectionate remembrance were there; but,
alas, frugality appeared stamped upon
| every article in the house.
The mourners appeared to be confined to
a few neighbors, an aged bonnie and a
| peaked-faced girl of perhaps 10 years. This
| little child appeared utterly friendless, and
| was plunged in the deepest sorrow. She
spoke Of the dear singer as "auntte," but
| the hare. featured old maid servant wouldn't
| clear up the mystery, and a neighbor who
1
refused to do so. The best opinien obtain
able was that the girl was waif that
Aimee had adopted in times of prosperity :
but during the three years Of the mistress
illness the child had Jared little better than
a slavey.
The funeral service was brief as that of a
| pauper's. In few minutes the little pros
| cession wendell its way to the cemetery, and
| we two Americans found ourselves among
| less than dozen mourners. Albert Wolff
was there. / remember and in my heart
| this act of his atoned for many
of the vicious things said of him
| in his latter years. After the grave was
sealed up and the few flowers that had b cen
brought to tho place of burial care
| fully bestowed. my companion made final
effort to ASCERTAIN the fate of the lonely
child. She said she was going back TO the
house she had left, and with this indie finite
reply we had to be satisfied. Aimee's effects
were hardly worth enumerating. A few,
I thousand dollars would cover their value.
She bad had her fling, poor girl. and paid
dearly for it in her last days.
julius CHAMBERS.
LEMON ELIXIR.