The Portland daily press., 1896-11-28
A MUSICAL STAR.

/ On coming home one evening I found
among lot of invitations the following
card;
"The Countess Foricelli, at home, Thurs
day, January the twentieth-music.
Then below was written in ink:
mile. Vittoria Trajonska.
Who was Vittoria TrajonskaP I felt quite
distrustful. Perhaps I was to hear So
nata full of complicated harmonies or
grand aria bristling with vocalizations
"most difficult to execute" And recalled
the story of the man to whom some one
remarked, "You are about to hear very
difficult sonata, % and who answered with
a sigh, "If it were only impossible. y
1t was a rather queer set besides that
you met at the countess AN odd mixture
of about every nationality, and, it must be
admitted, OF every kind of society. Side
by side with well known and well estab-
lished names you met certain overdecorated
majors who had not certainly won their
rank in the regular army, and Russian
princesses who must have acquired theirs
by right Of seniority. In excuse it was
said of the hostess, "She's foreigner. ="
And as, after all, hers was very amusing
house, as her balls were charming and her
suppers perfect, society went there anyhow,
though with certain restrictions. AS for
the young men, it was for them Moham-
med's paradise Many of the fair foreigners
possibly had husbands somewhere, but they
had forgotten them in far distant lands
and seemed to be able to get on beautiful
5v without them Tn cbnrt all thir rrc oOn-
sidered, there was not much risk of being
bored, and on the date mentioned put in
an appearance in the countess dining
rooms
"Oh, my dear friend" she said as soon
as she saw me, gesticulating, as was her
custom, chow very glad am to see you!
You will hear wonder tonight vittoria
Trajonska. You know the Trajonskas,
the best blood in Poland The father
fisked his entire fortune in the instruction
Of 1856. The brother is in Siberia. They
are noble hearts Come and be presented {"
She took me into little room hung in
mauve satin, with bands of black velvet,
and there found myself face to face with
a tall girl with roll Of music in her hand
She was magnifcently handsome. Her
regular pro&le stood out against the dark
AlaASlAS30 11h0 al bA4u14QO CaDlOOs Ol1O w 6S
pale and dark and had great blue eyes
edged with black lashes that turned back
and gave strange energy to her glance
Her black satin evening dress fell about
her in long folds She wore no jewels.
A simple spray of white lilac was fastened
in her Jet black hair.
"This gentleman is a thorough must
clan" said the countess as she presented
me, land quite worthy to appreciate your
wonderful talent"
I bowed.
you'll see," she went on to me, "that
you will be most enthusiastic. Mademoi-
selle sings with her soul. In every song she
puts part of her life-which means that
If she is not careful the sword will wear
out the scabbard. Now, as you know each
other, I must go and settle my other
guests; SO I'll leave you"
And the scatter Drained countess depart
ed, leaving me with the fair Vittoria. ]
looked at her. By way of keeping herself
in countenance, she leaned her beautiful
bare arm on the mantelpiece and began to
turn over the score she was holding. The
silence became embarrassing.
You should save yourself, mademoi-
selle," said, land not trifie with your
artistic temperament.
She raised her great blue eyes to mine.
"Saye myself What for?'' she answer.
ed. 81 have mover been able to do things
by halves. When anything pleases me,
give myself to it passionately. love mu-
sic. 1t is a fair land, full of dreams which
allow us to soar above the little yexations
of life and to forget much.
"There are some people, " she went on,
"who see in art only trade. Art is a
sacred thing, which requires a worthy
frame When bird can no longer sing on
the tree which pleases it, it should be
muta''
But you forget, mademoiselle, % I ven
tured, "that there are some poor birds
which must sing to live"
"Then they had better die.
I was really quite moved. This Ian
guage, full of the Polish bombast that car
ries every feeling to an extreme, these
words that would have appeared to me
ridiculously exaggerated from any one else,
seemed quite simple from the lips of this
tall, handsome girl. AS she spoke her face
had become TRANSPORTED. We were stand
ing close together. Almost unconsciously
I held out my hand to her. She hesitated,
slightly surprised. Then she put her long,
slim fingers into mine and shook hands
cordially. "This is compact of friend
ship" said, keeping her hand in mine.
''Oh, I do not give my friendship Sc
quickly. Besides, 1 am not a woman;
am comrade. We may be good comrades,
if you like"
just then the countess came back.
"Ha, hal The Toe is broken, 1 see. am
very glad, for you were made to under
stand each other. My dear, you are going
to have a splendid audience-the Paraberes,
the Boisonforts, the Precy Bussacs. Colo
mel Tournecourt has come with Jemil-
Pasha. AS for you," turning to me, eff
you want scat, you had better hurry, for
the hrst drawing room is crowded.
l bowed to the fair Vittoria and made
my way out to the front. A platform, with
apiano, formed the stage. Before this plat
form a very swell audience, from which,
however, young girls seemed to have been
Systematically excluded, was crowded on
to gilt chairs
Far from following the absurd custom
of collecting all the women together in the
first room and leaving the men to stand up
in the doorways, the countess was in the