The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-02-14
The Sorrow of
a Singer.

SS AubinetS had lived In retire
WNVy ment at Carriers, near Paris.
HNS Their home was a modest
MA y villa, situated In the midst of
NSl a sandy plain, dotted here and
WM there with soqnbre thickets.
81 Their little garden was kept
alive only by incessant watering.
Young Madame Aubinet passed her
time in sewing and in the details Of
housekeeping. The sole excitement OF
her life was the daily arrival Of the
train which brought her husband home
from his business. He was a clerk in
the Bureau Of the Interior.
No one would have suspected that
this blonde, fragile young woman who
spent her time in ,.te.idInS hose ard
puttering over the kitchen stove was
the daughter Of Madame Sambrina,
the celebrated opera-singer. who, after
a career of unprecedented triumph,
had come to hide her ruin and the loss
ct her glorious voice in deserted
street of Vaughbrand. Yet such was
the case.
The great singer, utterly broken
with grief and despair, and retaining
but the shadow Of her former beauty
and no remnant Of her musical power,
was possessed at this time with q
hatred of her former life and all its
associations, Her nHtke Lucille. now
shout sixteen, was in boarding
school, where she had received some
musical training. But when Sam
brina retired to Vat ghbrand. she with
drew the girl from school, and forbade
her ever to sing again-whether from
the bitter memory of her own suffer
ines, or from some vague jealousy of
the future. the poor child did not know.
After six months Of wretc'hedness,
the oDera singer took to her bed. and
ore evening. when she seemed to be
s,ItfocaitHno the airt. her sole attendant,
though she had been allowed by her
-,r,+1er TO know no one in the poor
,oars,o house. vent1Ired i'm her distress
to krock at the door Of M. James Aubi-
nat. who occupied the neighboring
ana~tr,ent.
M. Auhinet was in. He WAS a large.
rowerf1Il fellow of twenty-eieht or
nine. errr,toved even then in the min
ietrv-con1n1onpla conscientious.
hard-wnrlktng. punctual. Lucille re-
lated to him her agony. and he innme-
igiately followed her to her mothers
hedside. and remained there until the
noor woman was relieved from pain,
ard nAacefnllv asleep.
The next daw he came TO INQUIRE for
her. and the next. and the next. He
was full Of nroiudices aeadnst women
af her class. but the distress OF these
t-ro su~erin~ ones appealed TO his
kind and sin,pae heart. At last. he
~a--,, +o ni+v from his soul the mother
and to love the voarre girl. Sarobrfna
newer s-,ol.e nj her mast. and the in
evora hia rom, o-,s,rce which she showed
~ II o-ave HIN, cor1f de~ce in her. When
sha fn1t herself to ne DIVING. she called
ra-,ee A--I-et pr1 her daughter tc
r.a- ard v-,isr.red TO him.:
SET, Ia finished! T am going away
leave INV da,rehtar to vour care. She
has a. voice and she feels 1t profound.
w. Parhaps she will he a great arffsi
-h.,t IN oil Won ran to- nravent 1t. She
,-,,,s+ -,ot Iive pn,k1 die az 7 have done
II 's ton f,,1l of misery"
A,Irirat soIe-,,Iv avored - her hHs
s,,-, FOR he- dauortar and his deter.
~otna+,or, 70 -ona.a her l,ennv. He fehd
e,,r, +ha+ 40 wife and the moth e1
~ a family. she w-or,'d newer he"o~n'
en- oner-o -cinoer He ~onnnrehende et
ts1at e,,lh a career wna'1d he the r7ldr
,< s,,s rtar,rSna-s II was rot hard fo'
hs-, +r, ,,ro--,ien to u-etr51 caas1ess'v tr
svodd +ba Ja---- r"-e diving woman
-,,,---,-,r.ed. ''T'Ie~,lrs" or,1 pressed hi.
%,-a +o a,~,arv h-- belief
II.
vo,- I-+ar Tl,efIe te~a-,e MaS~rns
s,-t,i-est She submissive and low
s,o ard ann neyr1,at lacking in epirft
>~rr+ hon. r,,sla-d lited her an1 the bet
+a- pov +ta+. He invested al his li+t1'
s,vi-,o-s IN The villa AIT Carriers. snf
~aIa7 hee- aAac+tnnahel care we M
foan-ea Hire k'nos? Art thou content ?
"nh YES! on1v-"
"Orlv what''
'Tf we co,,td only go 10 the theatre
xcw and then"
He scowled, and she looked troubled
"On,v u,re would dol Only once
Hovv long TO hear inst one piece tina
NV mother used to sine?'
Her temerity surprised and alarmed
Him.
"In order to do that. you know" he
r~aponded gently. 1--WE shouIld have t.
afne and sleen in Paris-and that costs
TOO nnu6h. Wait little. Perhap~
sometime we may be able to do 1t
Rut they never went. ...
She had no maid. All day she wal
b,Iev about the housewcr9< and in the
~ara NJ her garden. In the evening shs
devoted herself to her husband. She
..Id nothing more of the theatre.
When walls had been built about tbs
.-er6en. she e-ratif1ed the Irresistible
desire to sine which was ALWAYS spring
',~ un Within her. At first. the so11nt
~ her own voice friehtened her. Ther
e',a would eT-ow bo1der and fill the all
with trilIz. Hike a lark intoxicated witt
hts own music. At such times. II hel
husband heard her. she saw shadow
settle upon his face. Sometimes he
wn,ld saw to her gently. "Remembe'
what your mother said. and sing n
-,ora .Jrst tnhirls how she suffered fo'
her singfngv Then Lucille would stop
6I,oa with fnevDressible sadness.
When she had been married thirteen
months a babe was born. One eve.
ring when she was holding him upor
hAr lap in the garden. her husband
said to her. ST have made a little more
than us,ral this year. 7 would like tc
spend 1T to give thee pleasure. What
is there that thou desirest most OF
alp" ..
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