The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-28
CHRISTINE NILSSON.
The Prima Donna RI visits Her
birthplace In Sw eden-
(From the New York SUM-


Christine Nilsson has recently sold
property in Boston valued at nearly
5000 600 IL reports from Europe are to
be believed with the object OF investing
this money In her native land. Although
she has lived since her retirement from
the stage and her marriage to Span
lard almost continuously In Paris, 1t mas
been observed that she has frequently
shown a desire to return to her native
land permanently. One Of her appear
ances before an audience of any size
took place not long ago on one OF her
visits to Sweden. when she was Sere-
naded by a large number of students
from one of the universities. When they
had finished she sang to them several
Swedish folksongs from her balcony.
Recently the Countess de Casa Mi
randa. as she is known in private life,
returned TO Sweden TO visit the village
of Snugge, in which she was born nearly
sixty years ago. She had not been there
for forty years but the detail with
which she remembered the place aston
ished every member Of the party which
accompanied her Some of the original
furniture is said still to stand in the lit
tie house, which was Christine's first
home and her first remark on entering
one of the rooms was:
"Ah there is the little trundle bed on
which / passed so many nightsr'
Later. when she was walking along the
road that leads TO Vislanda, the countess
said:
There by the big stone is a fresh
spring from which all the little girls in
the neighborhood used to have to fetch
water for the coffee. can remember
it all as clearly as if 1 had done it only
yesterday.
She passed the night in an inn near
the place of her birth. and the next
morning went to a nearby village in
which some OF her youth had been pass
ed On the way the carriage turned
from the high road through a private
way AS the barrier was removed for
the vehicle 10 pass the prima donna
said:
How often have I SUDDEN through
This gatei 1 can recognize the old stone
pillars on each side Of the gate"
The old house was. of course. very
much changed. but there were still
points about it which the woman who
had played and sang there as a child
still recalled. The old threshing floor
was still intact. and the same in nearly
every detail that It WAS formerly.
Here there used to be dancing so
often in the old days" she said with a
smile, land 1 could never recall how
many times / have had TO play my old
fiddle for the dancing"
After she sought out six old friends in
the vicinity and spent some time with
them, Nine la ComteSse de Casa Mi
randa returned to Stockholm, but not
before she had left with them substan-
tial souvenirs of her visit.
Christine Nilsson is said to be one of
the richest of the retired singers, so she
can easily afford to be generous TO her
childhood friends. especially If they be-
long to a Same humble walks Of
from which she came That the large
fortunes earned by popular singers in
this country today are nothing new can
be understood from the fact that on one
of her visits here Christine Nilsson earn
ed $4,000. Jean de Reszkes $4,000 and
Calves $4,000 seem small enough COM
pared to that amount. Her profits on
other tours here were almost as great.
and her European successes helped to
swell the fortune she possesses today.
Fortunate investment was also an i'm
por;ant element in her wealth.