Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-03-30
TIE WOMAN IN BLACK ?
Who Did Not Relish Grow
ing Old.

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 McphiS-
t0phClcS was Il great imperSonation, and
his company was more nearly English
than are most of those which sing
under that appcllatiOn. Mitchell, the
tenor was a Nantucket Yankee; Neu-
man, the baritone, was born in Osh-
kosh, where his father owned a brew
cry; the contralto's English had
Gaelic twist to it; Alice Titus Mitch
ellis wife, who had sung Marguerite
to his Faust for II years, was Ner-
mont girl, ana Miss Evans, the girl
who was to succeed the old faVOrite,
came from TcXarcnna and had cour
age, beauty and voice. Hers was the
only new face. The others were es-
tabliShed favoritcs, and Brooklyn had
turned out to do them honor.
There were women without bonnetS
and wearing diamonds in two of the
boxes. Half Il 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 auSpciOus start on their
new season.
Near the front sat woman in
black gown with little black hat,
plain as Il pikrStatf, but jaunty as a
cock partridge in the spring. Her black
hair was freely touched with gray, and
she was we'll past 10, but she was not
old. Her face bore the unmStakable
stamp of achievement, and she looked
mature woman of fine health in the
full ripcncSs and kcenness of intellcc-
tual power. She bore herself easily
and mdiifcrcntly, as one accustomed to
crowds. 4 little quickening 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 were levclcd 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 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 Il young girl, at
tending her first opera, exclaimed to
her escort: ''Shc is perfectly lovely!
How can Il girl look so much like an
angcl"'
The escort looked down with admira-
ton into the flushed face and sparkling
eyes. He was 80 and in evening dress.
'It's a fine chance for me to pay a
compliment. Nellie" he murmured,
but | don't think | will She is GER
tainly pretty, but Pm 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"
hN ll'NlI llN vi llic NOluuu III
quvered. but the young man was too
pleasantly absorbed to observe 1t. 1t
was Ncllie'S first opera, and he felt
obliged to dispcl 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 tall, dashlng,
hnn1Snn,n ynnth tho nSnnpf la0nn1
Nellie and whispered, "IIe 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 trcmbled as she drew her
spinning wheel in front of her to begin,
"Therc 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 a touch of
that something which we call charm
md which won her audience. The ap-
plause was so hearty that the girl
blushed through her "makc up with
pleasure The woman in black sank
oacli and sighed. "She is so young, so
olessedly. gloriously young"
The woman had recovered her criti-
cal attitude by the time the jewel song
was reached. Her glass followed ev-
cry movement and her acute ear judg-