The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-11-08
A SINGERS HEART.


OF the drivers whips sounded star
tlingly clear on the crisp, winfry
air of the splendid white night, and
the electric lights shone fitfully on
the silken hats of the men and the
bright toilets of the women as they
stepped quickly from their brough-
ans into the glorious blaze and
splendor of the opera house.
Itwas a fashionable night. A new
singer was to try her voice for the
first time in grand opera She was
an American = Madeline Bancroft.
There had been much talk about her
voice. for she had been studying in
Paris eight years. She had come
with her aunt to the gay capital, a
tall, large eyed girl of t,venty-one.
and now at twenty-nine she was to
sing for the first time before the pub
lie in the great, bright opera house.
She had been prepared to sing two
years before, but had deferred her
debut for personal reasons, but the
public knew and was waiting for her.
It was interested IN her, had been for
some years and now at last she was
to show her power
1t was toward the last of the first
act when she came on She was a
graceful woman. tall and slim and
fair to look upon Her face was not
exactly beautiful, but it had about it
something that held the attention.
with its large. sad eyes and sweet
mouth full of strange wistfulness.
1t was a delicately shaped face; the
brown hair growing softly ON the low
forehead had threads of gray through
it; withal it was face that spoke of
past; one felt as if there had been
so much that had gone before-a
pure, sad, troubled past which one
felt a desire to know about, not from
mere idle curiosity. but that one
might feel for the slight, sweet
woman who bore so much in her
lovely face.
There was no appearance of stage
fright or nervousness about the singer
as she bowed with sweet graciousness
to the sea of faces before her. After
the first burst of applause had died
away the exquisite hush was like
death, and on this passionate still
ness her clear notes rang out pure
and sweet and beautiful.
There was a wondrous quality in
her voice, a something that went
straight to the listeners heart, some
thing so appealing, so tender that
tears sprang unbidden to eyes not
wont to weep.
The public was captivatedi Made
line was successi
In one of the boxes nearest the
stage sat man. AT first there had
been a listlessness about him; an air
of being there from sense of duty
rather than from any artistic inter
est; an air that was always blase.
He was good looking man, in fault
less evening dress. He had brown eyes
and the conventional pointed beard
of the typical higher class Partisan.
The man was, however. an Ameri-
can, Robert Parkman, but he had
lived SO long in the French capital
that he had lost nearly all of the
aiert mannerlsm peculiar TO Ameri-
ans e.alls Una. cnng SO long 70 our coun-
'fyInsn ap.oaa
ne liad llVed IN farls ten years, his
business was mere, ana ne now IN
oenueu 20 I'VE mere Ior tne remainder
~ lls lne, 'lIellougn ne mao originally
,i.enued ,.,s 20 remain put a rev months,
uus ,iAe .nany announcer tne speil OF
.ne DeautiIui eity had crept upon
lni, nm, anu ll ile ha9 grown 70 tnink tnat
I, .nsre was no otner place on the wide
ear. .h ut 70 nve Ia besides TINS bright,
las'cliis'ting L,ese''lg city unoer It's caresslng
SKY :.
ne hKed tne me OIL Paris. In the
ten years OF ms residence here he
ilau az, llsso Weh' gayiy ana at times
why, put 10 nus credit let 1t be
s.liu, ne ,ad come out at the end
Win cleaner record than most
youns men WIN plenty Oh money at
.neir aisposal, VINO go from the
c,,l c,ue.y OF Ameflcan ~ cates INTO the
''iigrinB M sp,enaors OF Farls.
-. me ~. was .nlrsy :.y Tour years Ola: he
m1S nos ,'is.riieu M 81, years Delore' IN ms
coiiese uilys, tnere had Deem girl,
the one alone of all faces that I care
to see God, Madeline. love you'll
with my soul and my life love youi
/ did not know it till tonight. but 1T
is so, and it is forever. It must al
l.. L. -