The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-12-31
CATARlNA:
A SKETCH.

\ NJ 4 ! 4 AXAkA ~ y
! A SKETCH.
From such surroundings? Yes, per-
haps because Of such surroundings.
Genius will flourish anywhere. and
genius has the happy faculty Of bend
Ing every difficulty to Its own advan-
tage. At any rate, though genius It.
self Il apt to be very dubious respect
ing this comforting doctrine. I cannot
but think that Princes road made Cata-
rina- Yet. truly. what . setting for
such . pearl!
Her mother was an Italian, her IA.
ther had died while she was still a
child. and from that day Catarina was
marked by fate. The mother had
bought . greengrocer's shop In that
very unlovely Princes road have re-
ferred to. and there. epsconced In that
little f0rtress-it might be truly said
hardly ever quitting guard-she had
begun and carried on through long
years one Of those terrible. grim. silent
struggles with poverty. disaster and
death with which London Is replete.
She had survived, she had been always
able Just to keep her head above wa
ter. but heaven only knows at the cost
Of what heroism. Of what intelligence
and Of what privations In that little sea
Of troubles In which her lot was cast!
The older Inhabitants of Princes road
stiil remember her a. q buxom and
high spirited young woman. speaking
English very badly. but shrewd enough
withal But the years had gradually
eebosd her Of every trace Of her for
~ beauty. and from the. first day
knew her she was . prematurely old.
Qulse. eareworn dame. her face sallow
and vithered. her cheeks drawn and
sunksn. her hair dry and dusty. and
| seAnY 93uG BmAines; e give assurance
70 the memory Of her charms 1t was In
her Italian eye. sad. but deep. iustrous.
blasing up at times with some inward
6re or occasionally revealing the
strange. yearning. hunted look of q
poor child Of the sunny south wearing
out her life In . somber cline and
among an alien people.
No; there was another testimony to
Der former beauty-Catarina! She was
about 13 when I saw her FIRST, and
most children are pretty at that age.
but no one with the eye Of an artist or
with insight into character could once
gaze upon Catarina's countenance
without inwardly resolving that that
strange. foreign looking creature was
predestined to q career"
Catarina was often to be found In the
| shop about that time or in the little
''parlour' that served for everything
ut the back. She was generally to be
| found there. In fact. for. though she
| avoided school and was not q particu.
lafly shining light In the paths of learn
Ing. the girl was devoured with a rage
| tor reading. There abe was to be
found ~ often ~ not with q smudge
upon her short nose from having han
died dusty potatoes. perched up Of
| cfouched down with "a novelette,. 9
story book. . book Of travel, Of ad
venture. She was extraordinarily pre-
cocious In her understanding Of the
world, Just as much as she was back
ward In physical development. for she
was small TOR her age. Even then she
was ambitious-she was more than am
bilious: she was fiery and resoiute
One saw 1t In the lash Of the wonder
ful eyes - she glanced up quickly
from her book. seeming In one earnes
dart to look through your own eyes in
to something. possibly the soul, be
hind!
She was delightfully."- shy, though con
Adent: timid. though fiery: rapid
though tender. When she dropped he
eyes, there was a fascination that de
pended on NO mere occurrences. tina
must indeed have been something IN
conscious, for 1t seemed really to b.
due to the lashes, with their long an,
peculiar fanlike sweep.
Catarina had resolved even to be al
actress. BY sort Of instinct she pei
ceived that that was the only avenu
by which she. could escape from tn
surroundings Of Princes road. whic
at the same time she loathed and al
Quiesced In with q natural and eve
a6ectionate familiarity.
Catarina would weigh out q pound {
potatoes with EAST Lynne" in be
hand. She would haggle over an cd
halfpenny with the asparagus maj
dreaming-for she was always dream
| ins-of the most brilliant conquest
the most illustrious situations Of Il
, | "boards,"
Catarina had been six months In ''tf
profession" By dlnt of what exc
lions. Of what energy. resolution. ha
she carried her point! 1t was heroi
but Of that kind of heroism which
! utterly unconscious to the doer. Cat
} rina knew q world Of things, and 81
had nerves Of steel. She had succee
ed. And then her chance came. A
! most as one tosses ball of worste
; to Q kitten they had given Catarina 9
, interpolated ''song and dance"
, She could not sing little Bit" 70
, though her voice had q quality
Though the sense Of touch had som