The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-06
Incorporated 1896.
100000
rleChanics Installment Company,
4 WATCHES AND DIAMONDS.
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II will sing them In my own way-a
new one and the right one, TO my think
ing. Now, you don't know with whom
ysu are dealing; you don't even know II
am intelligent. Well, then, listen. Vic
torine Demay has just died. Give me
some of her songs TO sing. You will see
that will recall her to the public. Oh,
rs for the price, only ask for a louis each
night, to begin with.
"1he bargain was concluded, and i
found myself that night on the boards of
tho El Dorado, initiating poor Demay.
Enormous success. But 1t seemed to in
torfere with the plans OF the management,
who placed my name first on the pro-
gramme, and naturally l was forced To
sing before empty benches, as the halls are
never crowded before .. Furious at this
lack of appreciation, handed in my rcsig-
nation and went 10 the Eden, where was
employed 20 sing classic songs every Fri
day. On leaving the I'll Dorado had said
to the director:
Madame, advise you to remember
my name, Yvette Guilbert-yes, Yvctte
Guilbert, to whom you gave 600 francs "a
month and to whom you will very soon
give 600 francs night
''The fat old lady laughed so heartily
that she nearly tainted. oven had To use
smelling salts on her. Well, two years ago
the management Of the El Dorado signed a
long contract with me at the rate Of 600
francs a night. Quo voulez vous? There
are certain figures that appeal to me.
at was the same thing at Lyons, where
i had gone TO sing in "A haphazard way
and to seek fortune while waiting for
things to take a favorable turn at tho
FL Dorado. knew my time would come,
go l was contonted 20 wait. What an
Odyssey, this tour to Iyonsl Suddenly
heard of n manager in search of star.
met him in the Office of an editor A star
at 40 francs a night opened my mouth,
and the Lyonese began to hiss and whistle
oh, but in n most frightful manner! /
must tell you that at that time was very
thin. You can readily imagine the re.
marks that suddenly camo to the lips Of
these brave people, who could not imagine
music hall star that did not possess avoir-
dupois What had done with my embon-
point? Had / left 1t in my tr1pk at the
hotel, and all tho rest? In buof, at the
end of three days could stand it no lon-
ger, and was forced to beat hasty retreat.
"'Haye patience, said to the manager
when leaving You have given me 1870
francs for three days, haven't you? Well,
you may assure yourself of tho fact that
the time Is not far off when you will give
me 200 francs "a night.
Last year / sang ot Lyons and was
paid /, 100 francs night. had made a
mistake Of 100 francs.
LIP I his ffrst trip TO Lyons had one re-
markable feature for me, because it was
there that first sang La Pocbarde, one
of my most successful songs, which have
since given oil over Paris and London.
cit was my first real success.
"And from that time l have enjoyed q
remarkGTTle run of luck. Oh, but such
luckl Even at the present moment can
not help but marvel at 1t, for it has been
going on for five years, and, instead of
stopping my success continues to increase
One voulez vouss | had my ideas on tho
subject. / felt that something new had
to be done in the Interpretation of songs
In fact, To strike new note.
However, what really grieyes me is tho
number of imitators l have had, and, of
course, they have all gone to the other ex-
treine. 1t was fatal. find my repertory,
as they give it, completely spoiled, so much
SO that one can barely listen to it. Ere.
quently the censure say TO me when they
refuse to sanction some of my songs that
are q trine decollete:
"'With you they would scarcely create
murmur but with your rivals they would
cause an orang outang to blush.
"And the censure is quite right just
now l am working at my repertory for
the winter season. If you only knew the
amount of labor and trouble 1t involves,
for / have to work not only for myself, but
to defy my mitators as wall. Moreover,
find the subjects of my songs myself. and,
better still, / write some of them in verse,
IL you please, even If they have to be occa
sionally brushed up by some of my liter.
ary friends. Would you like to see my
notebook"
Yvette runs to her little writing desk
and takes out little memorandum hook,
bound in morocco, which she displays with
all the delight of a child showing hidden
treasure. 1t contains bits of songs, anec-
dotes. suggestions for titles, all carefully
noted and classified AT that time all
Paris was discussing the probability of
Mile. Reichenberg leaving the Comodio
Francaise. In corner of Yvette's book
find the following note:
"If Reichcnborg leaves the Franchise,
write song with this refrain: Where Is
the little doyenne? Have you seen herr
There" continues the divette, "you see
that am never idle. 1t is true that am
well paid. How muchy VOLTA! have
succeeded in earning gao, 900 francs a year,
receiving 11i,000 francs alone for six
months performances i'm Paris. Yes, Ii Is
great, but L am not bit prouder on that
account l live very quietly and inexpen-
sively, knowing full well that 1t will not
last forever. 1 know 1t has caused much
gossip, and people say that Yvetto is mi
serly and would not spend cents II she
could help It. What do care9
"To begin with, 1 don't care for jewel
ry-moi, je maine pas los tralalas. It's
only n fad. after all, and IL amounts to
nothing Ii will not make me pretty,
will III And, when you think Of It, IL is 10
my ugliness that l owe my present posi-
tion. III had been handsome, perhaps
would not have worked SO hard. And
have reason To be proud of the fact that
please tho public just as am, in spite of
my looks 0nd my dresses OF quatre sous.
81 have very quiet tastes, and already
see myself living in retirement In the coun.
try, walking about in my garden with the