Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-07-12
A SINGERS HEART.

II was 9 o'clock In Paris.
Tho bright Place dc lOpora was
filed with carriages; thocracking
Of tho drivers whips sounded star.
tlipgly clear ON the crisp wintry
air Of the splendid white night. and
the electric lights shono iitlully on
the sill;cn hats Of the, men and the
bright toilets of tho women MS they
stepped quickly from thoir brough.
anus into tho glorious blazo and
splondor of tho opera house.
Il was fashionable night. A new
singer was TO try her voice for tho
first timo in grand opera. Sho was
an American -- Madeline Bancroft
There had been much tail, about hor
voice, for she had been studying in
Paris eight years Sho had como
with her aunt 10 tho gay capital, q
tall, largo Dyed girl OF twcntyonc,
and now at twcntynino she was %
sing for tho first time before tho pub
he in tho great, bright opera house.
She had boon prepared 10 sing two
years before, but had deferred her
debut for personal reasons, but tho
public know and was waiting for her.
1t was interested in her, had been Tor
some years and now ut last sho was
TO show her power,
1t was toward the last of tho first
act when sho camo ON. She was u
graceful woman, tall and slim and
fair 10 look upon. Her face was not
exactly beautiful but 1t had about it
something that held the attention,
with its large. sad eyes and sweet
mouth full Of n strange wistfulncss
1t was delicatoly shaped face; tho
brown hair growing softly ON tho low
forehead had threads of gray through
1t; withal It was faco that spoke of
past; one felt rs II there had been
80 much that had COMO bcfore-a
pure, sad, troubled past-which ono
felt desire to know about, not from
mere idle curiosity, but that one
might feel for tho slight, sweet
woman who boro 80 much in her
lovely face.
There was no appearance of stage
fright ornervousness about the singer
as she bowed with sweet graciousncss
TO the sea Of faces before her. Aftci
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 purS
and sweet and beautiful.
There was q wondruus quality IL
,ber voice, a something that wen
&raight TO the listeners heart, somo
Wing so appealing, so tender tha'
tears sprang unbiddon TO eyes no
wont to weep.
Tho public was caphvatcdi Made
limo was a SUGGEST
In one of tho boxes nearest thu
stage sat man. At first there In,
been a listlossncss about him; an MI
Of being there from II sense of dutl
rather than from any artistic inter
est; an air that was always blase
He was goo looking man, in fault
less evening sess. He had brown eye
and tho conventional pointed bearJ
of tho typical higher class Partisan
Tho y IN was, however an Ameri
can, Robert Parkman, but he hat
lived so long in the French capita
that no had lost nearly all of tn
alert mannerism peculiar to Ameri
cans that cling so long to our couu
trymen abroad.
lie had lived in Paris ten years. hi
business was here, and no now in
tended TO live hero FOR the remainde
of his life, although he had original.
intended foreman but a few months
hut like many another the spell q
the beautiful city had crept upo
him, and he had grown to think tina
there was no other place on tho wild
earth fitto live in besides this bright
fascinating city under it's caressin
sky, o
lie liked the life Of Paris, In tn
ten years of his residence here i
had lived we'll, gaylv and at time
wildly; but TO his credit Let IL d
said, he had come out Gt tho en-
with cleaner record than mos
young mon with plenty Of money O
their disposal, who so from ID
ciudity OF American cities into I'll
aluring splendors OF Paris
10 was thrty-four years old, II
was not married. years before, in HI
college days, there had been cir
but he had forgotten her and he hn
never really loved in all his Iii.
Women wero too fond Of him. pc
haps He was ono Of thosa men oy,
whom all women rave; they like
him e2Vayagantly Madeline Ba'
croft was one OF tbeIn. She 10y,
him, had, indeed, with all her chas
heart and soul for eight years,
She met him that first year
Paris, and gave him tho whole Of h,
Eirlish affection, and ever since !