The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-07
for dMonaen
Media has confessed that one thing

shrcwd, practical Scotch head, which Is
never turned, even by the admiration of
Cars and wild alteration by the PUBLIC,
She told about il sitting at her piano
in her rooms. The talk was about sing
ers who grew demanding and foolishly
exacting because of attention. The idea
of attention from kings and royal per-
sons and rich people turning my bead"
she said. but. I'll tell you something
ihat came nearer upsetting my opinion
Of myself than anything else that ever
happened to me. l was singing in Phsia-
delphia. on the coolest light. My. how
the wind whistled and the snow blew
down the streets. At the end of the
performance it was exceedingly difficult
to get ones carriage. Women in warm
wraps were shivering and turning back
to the lobby. The pavenents were ley
and ans person preferred the house to
She air, for sleet and snow We're rolling
9pwn.
As l stepped up to my carriage an old,
very old woman stopped me. She was
th1nly clad, shabby, and the electric
lights showed me that her lips wore
blue. The sight of her struck me keenly-
1 had been singing Lucia" had been
successful, and applauded and my emo
lions were strung up. | noticed hcw
poor she was, but also that she was a
very clean, sweet old lady. She walked
toward me and said care you Melba.
Yes" l answered "I've been in the top
of the house listening to you. i've saved
the money for a long time. so | could
hear you. and T We come here to wait for
you-won't you-won't~ you-please shake
lhands with me?'
Il took the. clean old .wrinkled face
between my hands and kissed her on
both cheeks and eyes. She burst into
tears and sobbed, God bless you, beau
tiful heart; God bless you; beautiful
heart.
st got into my carriage and drove
away with that benedictien ringing in
my ears. 1t was so sweet; so guiltless Of
Battery. Many an evening since. when !
nave finished and aria. and the house mas
broken out into applause, those dear
words GOO bless you, beautiful heart
ring clear through everything"
And today the old woman cherishes
the great rmful of American Beauty
roses that the great diva crushed into
her arms. as she kissed her. 1t is an
event in her 2e. 1.-THE night Melba
kissed her"
And Melba will never forget 1t, for, as
she says. it is the only thing that turn
ed her head. She tried eagerly to find
out who the old woman was. but it Was
useless. She thinks she was probably
some antiquated singer.
Melba will talk along gaily on any Of
the subjects dear to her heart-her boy.
for instance-but she hates to talk shop.
She refuses to discuss stage matters
with even her friends.
When she was singing here the tables
and mantels in her apartments were
crowded with autograph photographs of
famous persons. The Duke of York's
picture was there and the Prince and
Princess of Wales. the Duke of Cam
bridge. the King of Sweden. She told
an amusing story of how the Swedish
King decorated her.
1--WE were in the room alone and he
presented me with a box and said: i
want to decorate you. T thanked him
and with the andacity of the New World
I asked him to pin it on my gown He
assented quickly. but said: OH /
haven't any pins; wait till l get some
pins He rushed off. came back with
pins, and in putting the decoration on,
said: 'But pins prick friendship; never
mlEQ. i SndlI KISS you OH SdSu cicSh
and that'll break the SPELL"
Besides pictures, the singer had scores
of such interesting things over here
with her, Medals presented, letters
from royalty, manuscript copies of great
music. She says these are not half she
has, and some day she will bring them
all over with her.
On her desk were only photos of her
F. Jop +olen of oil a0as He iS at q school
in England, and she hopes he will go
into the English army.
Molba has given up her beautiful hotel
In Paris and expects hereafter to live
in London. The reason of this is NOT
known. She is leaving both the French
opera house and Madame Marchesi, and
surely London weather isn't good on
threats.
She has a good reason, though, no
doubt. She hasn't that good Scotch blood
for nothing.
Among the new shapes are round tur-
bans with stiff odd brims and soft crowns.
These are worn tilted exaggeratedly far
down over the face, says "Harper's Ba-
gar The brim is faced with velvet, and
the lines are somewhat trying to most
faces; but, strangely enough, it is con-
tended that this style of hat makes a
woman look younger than her real age;
and it must be confessed that when a
dotted or one of the new spider-web wells
is worn a woman does look more youth
full, particularly when the hair is drawn
out full behind the ears. These turbans
are worn in all the different shades, and
are supposed to match a gown, or else
be worn with black. There is one shade
of blue which is very effective-a steel
blue, yet quite dark. The body or the
crown of the hat is made of satin or of
tulle put on soft and full. At the left
side there are two or three stiff eagles
uuiIls. held on with a large rhinestone or
cut-steel buckle, and below the brim at
the back punches of flowers, or anything
of that SORT. The same style of hat IN
black is not so effective, and, as a rule.
more trying. but is very much worn, so
1t must need be described. 1t is made in
quite the same way, only the lower
are white; yet it is not intended to give
the idea of a mourning hat in the least.
There is one shade of brown that looks
well in this fashion, and three or four in
gray, which. when gray is becoming. are
very effective; but gray is not a color to
oe put close against any skin or hair.
Those hats are made with the brim COW
cred with yellow velvet and gray crown
are infinitely more becoming.