The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-19
"A SKETCH.

in with natural and even affectlonate
| familiarity
'Catarina would weigh out a pound of
| potatoes with East Lynne" in her hand
she would haggle over an odd half-penny
with the asparagus man, dreaming-for
she was always dreaming-of the most
brilliant conquests, the most illustrious
situations of the boards"
Catarina had been six months in ..the
PROFESSION" By dlnt of what exertions.
OF what energy, resolution. had she car
rled her point! 1t was heroic, but of that
Klnd OF heroism which is utterly uncon-
sclous to the doer. Catarina knew .
! world Of things and she had nerves Of
steel. She had succeeded. And then her
chance came. Almost as one losses a.
; pail OF worsted to a kitten. they had
gwen Catar1na an interpolated song
and dance"
She could not sing little bit" for
though her vocie had a quality as
| though the sense of touch had somehow
Deen dissolved into it, the volume or
sound In singing was altogether too
Ieeple. The audience laughed, laughed
even at the beautiful Italian ewes. siu1DIv
because they were 'neW"-untiI Cata-
rlna began to dance. They had taught
her steps for fortnight, but in her ex-
cltement she had forgotten them S,a
taught her, and upon her genius. Her
dancing spoke, it sang, it laughed il
leased, yes. like the very kitten with tho
worsted; it fascinated, it struck fire
Works-it brought down the house in a
thunderclap of sudden impetuous, aston
ished applause.
met her going home one night short
~ afterwards She had slipped away.
ana was actually trudging. or rather
stepping it, like a fairy on foot. Per-
maps she liked the walk. PERHAPS if was
the habit of the old days when a half
penny doomed vast as a sovereign. She
was beautifully dressed, though outward
~ enyeloped in a coarse cloak.
IL came on to rain, and I suggested
we should take a hanson. She consent
ed with the air-in her it was no affecta-
tlon-of princess, giving me her dainty
little hand. On the way down Bavs-
water road, she alternately laughed and
cried for joy, and her whole pleasure
was that she would be able to make tho
mater" a countess
The mater, you know, suffers. al
ynough she never complains. She
has Indigestion
Poor mater! I thought of that long
campaign of suffering. Of privatIon, even
doubtless at times of starvation: and
Catar1na knew it. We came neal. Princes
Road
Tell him to STOP" Catarina cried sud
denly. Then with the confidence of Old
acquaintanceship:
Il can't bear to tell anyone my ad,
dress is in Princes Road! abhor ~
'Catarina,' 1 said, mo one. L hope,
judges you by"
She started up as if she had been
struck by whip, her eyes in the moon
light glaring like those of a tiger
throwing lustre upon the pallid, beau
ttful countenance.
The sudden glance recalled to my mind
the picture of the mater manned
and bruised from the terrible battle of
life, with her broken English. garnish-
ed with the hideous slang of Princes
Road, which she had piously accented
as the English vernacular
Catarina,' 1 pursued, firmly, mo one
hope. judges you by Princes Road. -
She seized my hand. The tears gush-
ed down her eyes: 81 thought YOU
were going to say something else. If
you had, by Jove! I'd a gone for youi''
We walked on in silence TIL we came
to the little greengrocer's shop. I was
about to bid Catarina good night. But
she said: Come in for minute and
talk to mater. She sits UP waiting for
me always. And If you tell her I danced
well she could listen to you telling 1t
hundred times''
We entered through the darkness Of
the shop. A pale light shone, however
through the crack in the parIor door
Catarina, a little surprised that the
mater" had not opened to greet her
cried out: Mater. mater. materr' as
she entered the room.
There the mater sat in the old arm
chair. In front OF her on the table was