The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-09-18
CATARlNA
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 It's own adyan-
tage. At any rate, though genius 1t
self is apt TO be very dubious respect
ing this comforting doctrine, l cannot
but think that Princes road made Cata-
rim. Yet, truly, what a setting for
such n pearl,
Her mother was an Italian, her ia
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 10, and there, ensconccd IN that
little fortress 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 herolsm, of what Intelligence
and of what prlvations IN that little sea
of troubles in which her lot was cast!
The older inhabitants OF Princes road
still remember her as buXom and
high spirited young woman. speaking
English very badly, but shrewd enough
withal But the years had gradually
robbed her of every trace of her for
mer beauty, and from the first day 1
knew her she was a prematurely old,
quiet carewoin dame, her face sallow
and witbered, her checks drawn and
sunken. her hair dry and dusty, and
If any hint remained To give assurance
to the memory of her charms 1t was In
her Italian eye sad, but deep, lustrous,
blnZing up at times with some inward
fire or occasionally revealing the
strange, yearninG, hunted look Of
poor child of the sunny south wearing
out her life In somber cline and
among an alien people.
No; there was another testimony to
her former beauty -Catarina! She was
about - when | 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 Catarinas countenance
without inwardly resolving that that
strange, foreign looking creature was
predestined to career"
Catarina was often to be found In the
shop about that time or In the little
''parlour" that served for everything
at the back. She was generally to be
found there, In fact, for, though she
avoided school and was not a particu-
larry shining light in the paths OF learn
ing, the girl was devoured with rage
for reading. There she was to be
found as often as not with u smudge
upon her short nose from having han
died dusty potatoes, percbed up or
orouched down with novelette,,
story book, book of travel. Of adj
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 for her age. Even then she
was ambitious she was more than am
bilious; she was fiery and resOlute.
One saw Ii In the flash of the wonder
full eyes as she glanced up quickly
from her book, seeming in one earnest
dart to look through your own eyes In
to something, possibly the soul, be-
hind
She was delightfully."- shy, though con
nVatI
though tender. When she dropped her
eyes, there was fascination that de-
pended on no mere occurrences, that
must indeed have been something I'M
conscious, for 1t seemed really to be
due to the lashes, with their long and
peculiar fanlike sweep.
Catarina had resolved even to be IN
actress. BY sort Of instinct she per
ceived that that was the only avenue
by which she could escape from the
surroundings Of Princes road, which
at the same time she loathed and ac-
quiesced in with a natural and even
affectionate familiarity.
Catarina would weigh out pound Of
potatoes with East Lynne" in her
hand She would haggle over an odd
halfpenny with the asparagus man,
dreaming-for she was always dream
ing-of the most brilliant conquests,
the most illustrious situations of the
boards"
Catariaa had been six months in 'the
profession" BY dint Of what exer-
tons, of what energy, resolution, had
she carried her point! 1t was heroic,
but of that kind of herolsm which Is
utterly unconscious to the doer. Gaia
rina knew a world Of things. and she
had nerves Of steel, She had succeed
ed. And then her chance came. AL
most as one losses a ball Of worsted
to a kitten they had given Catarina an
interpolated ''song and dance"
She could not sing little bit" for,
though her voice had a quality as