The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
CRANKS PESTER CALVE
DOZENS RING SWEET SINGERS DOOR
BELL DAILY FOR FAvORS.
Media. NOrdica, SapiO and other Pri-
ma DOnnas Also Besieged by
Curious Visitors.


when off the stage and in the supposed
seclusion of her own apartments. The num-
Der of callers, freakish and otherwise, TO
whom an operate star is expected to give
audience when she ought TO be resting from
the fatigues of a night before the foot
lights is legion. Nearly all expect the
prima donra TO grant some favor, and
seem TO labor under the peculiar delusion
that the singer is as much public property
as an exhibit in the Central Park me-
nagerie or a picture in the museum. The
good natured among the prima donnas take
| II in good part and endeavor to receive as
| many of these callers as they can. Others
refuse to be annoyed by them and prefer
| to risk losing their popularity rather than
their temper by shutting themselves up in
| their rooms and denying admittance TO all
but personal friends.
| Mile. Calve is approachable only to those
who can speak French. Spanish or Italian.
| Her English is not good enough to enable
| her to converse with callers speaking only
that language. Nevertheless, Calve is too
| good natured to refuse admission to a call
er who is especially anxious to shake hands
with the prma donna.
A friend Of Calve, who recently spent the
! day with her at her rooms In the Plaza
| T1Olti SlNtS the lOllOWiilS the ildHIci
in which the prima donna rested" Early
| in the morning a card sent up on
which appeared the name of Calves medi-
| cal attendant AS Calve not feeling
well. she welcomed the doctors arrival and
sent word for him to come up. What was
the establishment of the prima donna and
| her visitor to see come in, not the doctor,
| but queer looking little man. evidently
| of German nationality, who wore a cloth
| cap and carried in his hand bulky look
| ing box.
Putting the box down on the floor in
| front of him. as though he were about TO
| perform sleight of hand tricks. in which
| the box a feature, the caller went
down on his knees on the carpet. This at
| titude of alteration Is one to which Calve
but the callers looks were not reassuring.
and the prima donna was about TO ring
for assistance when the visitor opened the
which he proceeded to lecture in voluble
German, declaring that he had come many
miles in order to give Calve an opportunity
| to purchase his unequaled curiosities.
In order TO get rid of the apparition Calve
asked the price, of one, article. which the
| peddler declared he could not afford to sell
| for less than g. 1t was worth about 10
cents. but Calve would have paid the
of her guest. who sent the peddler to the
right about.
CALVES QUEER CALLERS.
The next caller was lady who came to
inform Calve. to whom she a total
| stranger, that she about to sail for
France. and would be exceedingly obliged
if the prima donna would favor her with
few letters of introduction to her friends
on the other side. 1t took a little time to
| convince this modest lady that the prima
donna was not overwhelmed by her conde-
scension. She gave place to young girl
who called to ask Cave to hear her sing
was cut out for the operate stage.
| The singing was atrociOus, but Calve lis
tened patiently. and then told the girl
with people who liked good singing. Then
came a lady who had purchased one of
CAVES photographs ., t at a Broadway store.
| graph at the bottom of it, in order to make
II a priceless possession. Calve signed the
photograph. and another lady was ushered
in who desired very much to take photo
graph of Calves vocal cords for a sensa-
tional weekly. This caller got no nearer
| To Calve than the interpreter. who. TO the
callers intense disgust, declined to allow
her even TO see the prima donna: Naming
d well-known music-hall star the visitor
said in injured tones:
| Calve?"
y Calves well-known charitable propens-
ties lead many people to waylay her with
| begging schemes and designs, not only on
her bank account. but on her voice. Com
posers and would-be composers formed a
great proportion of the steady procession
of callers that kept the bell boys at the
Plaza or the run between the hotel desk
and Calves room for the rest of the day.
IF / gave admission to all the ambitious
women. admirers and advertising agents
who call upon me in the course of a day
my life would be a burden to me- said
Nine. Melba when asked regarding her
visitors: They usually begin coming about
o'clock in the morning. although I seldom
rise before II when / sing at the opera In
the list are women who have thrown flow
ers TO me on the previous night and who
hiaty hat hot fbArx
favor IN return from me-Iny photograph,
my autograph or some little acknowledge
ment of the gift; then come the agents for
new summer drinks and patent medicines,
who think that the use of my name will
start them on the road to fortune, and
women in society and out of IL who think
that i shall be fiattereG by their acquaint-
ance without introduction. l try as far as
possible TO answer all requests for my auto
graph, especially when girls write me from
far off cities. but the army of callers must
be treated with sort of GOODNESS or
they would prevent me from eating or
sleeping"
NORDICA HAS A SUBSTITUTE.
When L am in town." said Nine. Nordica,
my acquaintance is usually sought by
strangers through the agency of my
French poodle. / have to watch that dog
closely or he would be dosed TO death with
dainties at the hands of people who wish
to scrape up an acquaintance for some
personal reason. L am bothered in the same
manner as the other prima donnas by APP
plicants who wish to sing for all sorts
of charitable and alleged charitable per-
formances. These people would not ask me
for money, but they think that to go to
their entertainments and sing for a night
is no loss to me and would be of great gain
TO them, provided they could induce me 10
do it for nothing.
Many of my callers are not familiar with
my appearance off the stage, and IL is posi-
BILE to let some one else see them and give
them the opportunity for which their ambi-
tious souls Tonga talk with a real live
prima donna. The are biissfully ignorant
of the fact that they have not seen me- and
they can go away and boast of having
called on Nordica and been graciousy re-
ceved and the little deception is harmless
all around. This seems to be the object OF
most of the strange women who call on
me. To be able 10 say they were received
seems to give them peculiar qualification
and l suppose among cheap people they
| are regarded with envy thereafter
| OF all the singers who have visited this
| country probably none has been more unap-
proachable than Frau Lilli Lehman. The
few who possess her signature value 1t as
they 90 diamonds.
Il speak only German" said Frau Leh.
mann when asked regarding the visistors
IF the caller does not speak German [ dc
not receive her. They come to me with the
most ridiculous requests. Some even ask
If L will give them lessons in German sing
ing. | am glad TO help people when | can
but the only way for prima donna 10 get
the rest she needs when singing in grand
opera is to deny herself To callers who come
with these foolish requests.
| The latest addition to the list of grand
! opera stars Nine. Clementne De We're