The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-12
NOW P1ITI PASSED HER CHILDHoOD.
She Played Mt Opera Singing In the West
chester Village Of South Mount Vernon.

She Played Mt Opera Singing In the West
chester Village Of South Mount Vernon.
Thirty years before Adcina Patti began to
live in q Welsh castle her homo was an ugly
though substantial rectangular red brick
house in n village OF Westchester county. The
village has since changed its official name
from WashinGtonville 10 South Mount Vernon.
though its sole railway station on tho Harlem
Division OF the New lork entrn. SUI retains
tni, double system OF nOmCn"la,uro is in
creased by The fact that the village is knownto
the Post pillce Department: as Wakefield.
When la,ti was II littlo girl OF ten years or
thereaOouts there was no such confusion as
t" ne IDENTITY Of ne " v,aE" 1t ~. JMs' nGen
to be patriotcalIy even with the nelghboring
village OF Mount Vernon Iht vIilaGethe as
within half mile Of lts limits. was thorough,
~ rural in tcmrcr and habits. Farms and old
farm hpIuestcnds lay all about it, ami When
;nn wandering PATHS Dlit their bi: ugly
house tnry set II upon slope ovcrlooRlng tho
Bronx valley. with its back TO the White
South Mount Vernon l'Rtus father brought
10 his country homo hIs second wife
whom III" vito was stepmotilcr. those TO
whom Patti the husband. was strplather. and
thos" 10 whom ia" PAR were BON father and
mother. TIE lariouSiy related parents were
already Old to the stage; and even the elder
children had Begun their lilo work. Curlotta
was zIuGin: her "arIIeF songs. and Nicola WAS
ALREADY vel kuown on tho stnge. Tho l'attis
found themselves amid an oddly unsym-
rntho,i" community i.pt they cane and went
going upon long professional tours. now idling
At III" ret Trick house. Nine, Patti. tho wife.
sion upon her former nci.hbOrs than AdciiHa.
the tlau. inter-. The wife Was Il somewhat stern.
darh-ryod w"mnn.wh" impressed the Villagers
as a perroH to be treated with consideration. As
to tho lite Adelna. she Is remembered AS Il
Plump. Guud.naturrd little girl with foreign
HAIR eyes and romplcxiOn. The younger VII
layers OF Today ray a. they pass tho Patti
House. "AdeIina latti tho great singer was
horn there. but the older folk who were local
Ade,iul, whll" living at WashingtOEvlle. went
IL school IN Now York, hut un1 Of her nmuse-
m"ats wa TO gather tho village children into
tho red Irick mouse ana set NJ a singing
school Another cl Characteristic amusement OF
Adol.na was 70 play opera, and The Widow
is I"s u mo toy theatre. mad" Of cork, whicn
Adrlina owned, This. II few chairs be-
qnEnE tie lnG sDo wIST sc. and ID paf, sFcn,
and al out her former home. ACCORDING To
local tradition. la'th whilo LIVING n Mnshing-
i,2nyiiiG Gang In LunlIG at Eerk, Hotel In
have Il that this was her first rLnhiic ,appear.
Rncc, though tho biographers OF the diva tell
The laiti house was sold last year by the
man who bought IT from the PATHS, and It is
Iow occupied IN Ia" summer limG by a German
painted 's,, the red rick ,sHt lead.co or, and
has transformed the terrsced grass plot into
ace an nH%ST eo ana 2uso mny
feet above tho sidewalk. It's front door is
reached " a hiGh ,ilIght Of step, leadinG to a
owner declares that Father Patti built well.
and that he house Is as sound as a. h2 ,as
family still take ap interest in the house, and
Nicola has visited it within eighteen months.
viii revisit The old place. ' '' '' '