The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-02-01
TIE U(jHHH IN BLACK
Who Did Net Fetish Grow
ing O4d.
BY HAMILTON ORMeEEE.

B BY HAMILTON ORMeEEE. q
6-@sG.a.9s&sGssSsSsGaes~s.oT3
1t was a gala night at the An1phion
academy. The Marasquin English
Opera company was TO open the sea
son there in Faust" MarasGuin never
had sung and never could sing in any
language but Italian. but his Mephis-
topheles was great imPGrSoEaticn. and
his company was more nearly English
than are most of those which sing
under that appeliatiou. Mitchell. the
tenor, was Nantucket Yankee; Neu-
man, the baritone. was born in 0sh
kosh, where his father owned a brew
cry: the contraito's English had a
Gaelic twist to it; Alice Titus. Mitch
ellis wife, who had sung Marguerite
to his Faust for Is years, was Yer
mont girl, and Miss Evans, the girl
who was to succeed the old fayorite,
came from Texarcana and had cUur-
age, beauty and voice. Hers was the
only new face. The others were es-
tablished favorites. and Brooklyn had
UUl W w tueiu UUilCf.
There were women without boanets
and wearing diamonds in two of the
boxes. Half a dozen Brooklyn Men
were in evening dress, and in the body
of the house were knots of New York
ers, who had come over TO give their
friends an suspicious start on their
new season.
Ia
black gown with little black hat,
plain as pikestafT. but jaunty as a
cock partridge In the spring. Her black
hair was freely touched with gray, and
she was well past 10, but she was not
old. Her face bore the unmistakabie
stamp Of achievement. and she looked
mature woman of fine health in the
full ripeness and kecnncSs of inteilcc-
tual power. She bore herself easily
and indifferently, as one accustomed to
crowds. A little quickPninG of interest
and long and sweeping use of her
glass as the curtain rose showed that
she had come for the opera rather than
for any social purpose.
The performance went quietly until
the vision of Marguerite was shown.
Scores of glasses We're ipveled at this
picture. a sigh Of admiration swept
over the house and then a hearty round
Of applause in recognition of the beau
ty Of the new singer. The woman in
black turned to the younger woman
who had accompanied her: she has
good points, but she doesn't make up
well Her mouth
Just behind them young girl, at
tending her first opera, exclaimed to
her escort: 'She is perfectly lovely!
How can girl look so much like an
angelr'
The escort looked down with admira-
ton into the flushed face and sparkling
eyes. he was 30 and in evening dress.
Its fine chance for me to pay
compliment, Nellie" he mUrmurcG,
"but I don't think Will She is Ger
tainly pretty, but I'm afraid she will
not make good the loss of Alice Titus.
Alice is an old stAger from further
back than I can remember. and she
positively had to stop singing last win
ter. Three or four wGmcn have tried
to fill her place, but have failed. Per
haps this girl may do better. Old al
ice could sing. though"
The nostrils of the woman in black
quivered, but the young man was too
pleasantly absorbed to observe it. 1t
was Nellie'S first opera, and he felt
obliged to dispal her Illusions as far rs
possible. That is one of the ways in
which we take our revenge Oh youth.
When Faust threw aside his students
cloak, appearing as tall, dashlng,
handsome youth, the escort leaned over
Nellie and whispered. "TIe doesn't look
as II he was the husband Of woman
of so, does hep"
The woman In black did not hear
that.
The garden scene came. and the new
Marguerite tre1nbIed as she drew her
spinning wheel in front of her to begin.
''There was q king Of Thule" Her
voice was a little uncertain, and she
hesitated occasionally. Indeed her
singing was more like that Of the real |
Marguerite than of an operate prima
donna But the voice was fresh and |
true. and there was In 1t a touch of |
that something which we call charm !
and which won her audience. The APP |
plause was so hearty that the girl |
blushed through her make up with |
pleasure. The woman in black sank |
back and sighed, "She is so young. Sc
blessedly, gloriously young"
The woman had recovered her crit /,
cal attitude by the time the jewel song. |
was reached. Her glass followed ev.
cry movement and her acute oar tudg |
ed every information. While the house !
was applauding enthusiastically she
whispered to her companion, "She is
nice girl, and she tries, but she cam
sing that, and don't believe she ever
will. Do you hear her trill wabble? /.
She missed two notes IN one OF her /
runs. 1t should have gone like this"
and In brilliant, pearly little tones al /
most under her breath the speaker ran
through one of the passages in which /
Marguerite vents her delight.
Soft as it was, the young man be- /
hind her heard the run. He looked Mt .
the singers face and started. lie .
glanced from the face to the gray hair |
Der all the things he had been saying,
and blushed deeply.
Presently Faust ~as singing his love. /
The woman In black leaned forward, |
her lips parted. her fingers uncon-
sciously marking the time; then, as the .
tenor's feryor increased and his tone /
grew clearer and more vibrant, flush .
overspread her face. As he ceased she
beat her gloved hands together as loud .
ly as she could.
A sympathetic look stole into the
young mans eyes, and while the WON
an In black was wholly occupied with
the stage he whispered softly to Mel
lie: THAT woman In front of US is
Alice Titus. She is MtchciI's wife,
and she has been blushing with pleas
ure at his singing. They sang lovers
together for years. and the company
called them the turtiydCyes."
Nellie awoke from her dream. She
glanced from the woman to the tenor
and exclaimed incredulously and loud
er than she knew: "She can't be Faust's
wife. Why, she Is grayr'
The lips of the woman in black tight
eneo, and the young man regretted his