Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1901-02-07
The WOMAN IN BLACK
Who Did Not Relish Grow
ing Old.
BY HAMILTON ORMSBEE.
Who Did Not Relish Groy

O'V'|s9sSts'4s&Gf e'0s.fHs0-s.0"o 80
1t was a gala night at the Amphion
academy. The Marasquin English
opera company was to open the sea-
son there in Faust" Marasquin never
had sung and never could sing in any
language but Italian, but his Mephis-
topheles was great impersonation, and
MS company was more nearly English
than are most of those which sing
under that appellation. Mitchell, the
TENOR was a Nantucket Yankee; Neu-
man, the baritone, was born in Osh-
kosh, where his father owned brew
cry; the contralto's English had a
Gaelic twist to it; Alice Titus, Mitch
ellis wife, who had sung Marguerite
to his Faust for Is years, was a Yer
mont girl, and Miss Evans, the girl
who was to succeed the old favorite,
came from TeXarcana and had cour-
age, beauty and voice. Hers was the
only new face. The others were es-
tablished favorites, and Brooklyn had
turned out to do them honor.
There were women without bonnets
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..
Near the front sat woman in a
black gown with a little black hat,
plain as pikestaff, but jaunty as a
cock partridge in the spring. Her black
hair was freely touched with gray, and
she was well past 40, but she was not
old. Her face bore the unmiStakable
stamp of achievement, and she looked
a mature woman of fine health in the
full ripeness and keenness of intellec-
tual power. She bore herself easily
and indifferently, as one accustomed to
crowds. A little quickening of interest
and a long and sweeping use Of bel
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 were leveled at this
picture, sigh Of admiration swept
over the house and then hearty round
OF applause in recognition of the beau
ty of the new singer. The woman II
black turned to the younger woman
who had accompanied her: "She has
good points, but she doesn't make uI
well. Her MOUTH
Just behind them young girl, at
tending her first opera, exclaimed tc
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 80 and in evening dress.
"Its a fine chance for me to pay q
compliment, Nellie" he murmured
''but | don't think l 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 | can remember, and she
positively had to stop singing last win,
ter. Three or four women 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 toe
pleasantly absorbed to observe it. 1t
was Nellie's first opera, and he felt
obliged to dispel her illusions as far as
possible. That is one of the ways in
which we take our revenge on youth
When Faust threw aside his students
cloak, appearing as a tall, dashing,
handsome youth, the escort leaned over
Nellie and whispered, "He doesn't look
as if 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 trembled as she drew her
spinning wheel in front of her to begin,
''There was a 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 it touch OF
that something which we call charm
and which won her audience. The ap.
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