San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-15
SINGLE SATURDAYS.
BY REBA GREGORY pRELAT.


dom throws us more than seven days
into the same train of thought.
On Saturday night as we review
the time, we find that the volumes
we have called to our aid reflect our
own state of mind. One week we
will pour our legal information, and
tax our brains with abstract of tit
les. For the next the lighter litera
ture ola foreign tongue may claim us,
as we are led by some new suggest.
ion of the language or the author,
All Americans loves Daudet, even
those to whom French is sealed
book. The name of his translators lie
legion, yet he is often misinterpreted
by too liberal or too flOwery render
ing.
The following little gem, half gro
tesque, wholly pathetic, haunts us as
q result of the weeks reading. 1t is
slightly shortened to meet the needs
of q daily paper, and is to be found in
his book "Fsmme D'Artistes:"
A MUSICAL COUPLE.
How could they help loving each
other. Beautiful and celebrated both
of them, singing In the same pieces,
living each night five hours of the
same artificial and passionate eXis-
teuce. Que cannot play safely with
file. One cannot say twenty times
month "I love YOU" to the signs of
the flute and the tremblings of the
violin, without saying 1t In earnest at
last. They played Romeo and Juliet,
Faust and Marguerite.
Soon all Paris knew of their love
and was interested. 1t became the
curiosity of the season. They came to
admire these great stars gravita ting
softly one around the other in the
musical heaven of the opera.
At length the two stars made their
conjunction. 1t was after the final
rendering of Romeo and Juliet. From
the time of their marriage they re-
NAMED some time ia private life.
Afterward, their holiday over, they
appeared again in the same piece.
This second debut was revelation.
Up to this day the man had been the
most popular artist of the two. Older,
and thoroughly used to the prefer
ences and weakness of the public, he
had held both the parquet and the
boxes. She seemed but charming
pupil with the promise of brilliant
future; her sweet voice was still crude
and her graceful figure still angular.
They both needed maturity only, to
give them perfection.
When she appeared again the ma
turity was gained. The clear, strong,
mellow notes of her voice seemed to
flow limpid and exquisite from q
source of living water. Her beauty
also had attained its perfect blossom.
Ii was night of adulatiOn for her,
of widest triumph. AT the aide OF
the stage her husband stood un
noticed. The public had forgotten to
applaud him.
After all it was to his instructions,
to his love that she owed all this. 1t
was tenderness for him that inspired
her best effoIts. He tried to rejoice
for her, but the pride Of the artist was
too strong
He complained to the manager that
no one noticed his entrance or exits.
He complained to the press that there
was conspiracy against him.
AT each new success of the wife, the
husband became sad, angry and ir-
ratible. At first he tried to hide this
bitter feeling, but at last she discov-
cred it. Her husband was Jealous"
not with the jealousy of lover, but
the jealousy OF an artist, cold, Zero
cious implacable
He said to himself "Yet il is my
wife and I love her. He still loved
the woman dearly deeply, but he
hated the prima donna.
She tried to soothe him by every
flattering art-in vain. On the even.
i'm Of n.
"Look out my dear, you don't make
progress, you are retrogradiDg
Another time he said: "You are
singing badly. You must take holt
day. You will fail If you don't
rest.n
He read the notices in the paper.
came into her room, the journal in his
hand, white with rage.
"The author of this article Is your
Iover'.' Alas for the poor ,envied feted
beautiful woman. She now wept over
the flowers she received, and let than
die in her dressing room fearing to
take them home. She wished to leave
the stage. "No," he cried, ''They
will say made you"
One night of first representation
it was whispered to her that there
was a conspiracy against her. She
could not believe it.
In the midst of a duet with her hus-
band. when singing some bars alone,
her voice reached its highest pitch,
and caught the difficult notes like
pearls upon string, she heard a hiss.
The audience were as much aston
ished as herself. She stopped mo-
.ment and looked at him, silent before
her on the stage with bad smile on
his lips.
Then half blinded with tears. she
d isa nnaarad into the side scanaR IL