Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-16

people will be glad to know that the
tender passion, as represented on the
boards. is not all pretcnse, and that
occasionally. at least, Cupid gets in
its work, without shame or cOmpunc-
ton, right before the foOtlights. A
case in point is said to have occurred
recently in a popular comic opera
troupe in which the prima donna and
the baritone were the victims Of the
sly little god. How or where the
mutual attraction flrst began is not
stated, but that it had not only be.
gun, but was we'll advanced, was
made manifest to the audience soon
after the baritone Joined the COM
pany. 1twas part of the baritone'S
duty to kiss the prima donna, and it
was supposed that ne would do it al
ter the ordinary stage fashion, as a
tnan eats who is not hungry or drinks
who is not thirsty. But what was
the surprise Of the spectators and of
the other members of the company to
see that he performed the duty as
If he liked it, and liked it very much,
indeed. In fact, he kiss d the prima
donna with so much ardOr and en-
thusiasm, and she apparently recip-
rocated with 80 much earnestness and
vigOr, that the labial scene soon be-
came themOst prominent in the opera.
A witness in describing it said the
baritone's zeal reminded him of the
realistic manner in which Rignold,
the English actor, discharged a SINH
lar duty in Henry "" Reynolds
kiss was linked sweetness SO long
drawn out, or drawn in, that when
he began, the sporting gentlemen in
the front rows of the theater would
regularly time him to see If he would
break his previous records. The bari
itone's kisses were of the same sort,
and when he administered them in
Philadelphia he created such a sensa.
tion "that the gallery howled and
the orchestra chairs tainted" The
manager crushed behind the scenes
and asked the baritone what he
meant by such performance. In
stead OF modifying the kiss, however,
he intensified it, until the composer
and the author were entirely forgot
ten in the wild, delirious expectancy
with which the audience waited for
that kiss" The manager in despair
discharged the baritone. who said he
would rather surrender his salary
than his right to kiss the prima
donna, and to kiss her conscien-
tiously and with all the elaboration
that the scene demanded. The
prima donna declared that the inter-
ests Of art demanded that she should
support the position taken by the
baritone, and she promptly resigned
an engagement worth $4,000 rather
than not be kissed in a soulful and
resounding style. The manager stood
firm for a few days, but without the
tervent kiss the opera lost much OF
its magnetic power, and he was, it is
said, forced to capitulate and sum-
mon the prima donna and the bari
tone back to his service. A kiss for
which a man is willing to forego am
bition ana employment and a woman
1923. 900, during such IA financial crisis
as the present, must be sweet indeed.
Who would not be a baritone or
prima donna with such delightful
perquisites as this baltimore Sun.
The Singers Triumph.
II was in one of the large villages
in the central part of the State the
other night" said the commercial
traveller, land l was forced to stay
there until morning. heard that