Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-19

There was ouee a poor aud plain little
girl dwelling in little room in Stockholm
The capital Of Sweden She was a poor lit
tie girl, indeed, then; she was lonely and
neglected, and would have been very un.
happy, deprived of the kindness and care
so necessary to a child, If it had not been for
a peculiar gift. The little girl had fine
voice, and in her loveliness, In trouble or in
sorrow, she consoled herself by singing.
In fact, she sang to all she did; at her work,
at her play, running or resting, she always
sang. The woman who had her in care
went out to work during the day, and used
TO lock in the little girl. who had nothing
to enliyen her solitude but the company Of
cat. The little girl played with her cat
and sang. Once she sat by the open win.
dow and stroked her cat and sang, when
lady passed by. She heard the voice and
lookedup and saw the singer She asked
the child several questions, wenr away and
came back several days later, followed by
an old music master, whose name was
Crelius. He tried the little girls musical
ear and voice and was astonished. He
took her to the director of the Royal Opera
Of Stockholm, then a Count Puhe, whose
truly generous and kind heart was concealed
by rough.speech and a morbid temper.
Crelius introduced his little pupil to the
count, and asked him to engage her as
"eleVe for the opera"
You ask foolish thingl" said the count
gruhly, looking disdainfully d wu on the
poor little girl what shall we do with
that ugly thing2 See what feet she has!
And then her facel She will never be pre-
sentable. No, we cannot take her Away
with her. "
The music master insisted, almost indig-
nantly Well, d" exclaimed he at last IF
you will not take her poor as / am, will
take her myself and have her educated for
the scene; such another ear as she has for
music is not to be found in the world"
The count releuted. The little girl was at
last admitted into the school for eieyeS at
the opera and with some difficulty a simple
gown of black bombazine was procured for
her. The care of her musical education was
left 70 an able master, Mr.. Albert Breg,
director Of the song school OF the opera.
Some years larer, at a comedy given by
the eleves of the theater several persons
were struck by the spirit and life with
which very Young elve acted the part of
beggar girl in the play. Lovers of genial
nature were charmed, pedants almost
alarmed It was our poor little girl who
had made her FIRST appearance, now about
fourteen years Of age, frolicsonie aud full Of
fun as a child
A few years still later, a young debutante
was to sing for the FIRST time before the pub
lie in Weber's Freischutz. Atthe rehearsal
preceding the representation Of the even
ing, she sang IN a manner which made the
members of the orchestra lay down their
instruments to clap their hands in rapturous
applause. II was our poor, plain little girl
here again, who now had grown up and was
to appear before the public in the role of
Agatha. She was then in the prime of
youth, fresh. bright and serene as a morn
ing in May; perfect in form; her hands and
her arms peculiarly graceful, and lovely in
her whole appearance through the express
sion of her countenance and the noble sim
plicity and calmness of her manners. In
fact she was charming We saw not an
actress but young girl full Of natural gent
ality and grace. She seemed to move, speak
and sing without effort or art All was
nature and harmony. Her song was dis
tinguished especially by It's purity, and the
power of soul which seemed to swell in her
tones Her "mezzo voice" was delightful
In the night scene where Agatha, seeing her
lover come, breathes out her Joy in raptur-
Gus song, our young singer on turning
from the window at the back of the theater
to the spectators again was pale for joy.
And in that pale ioyousness she saug with
a burst of outhowing love and life that
called forth, not the mirth but the tears of
the auditors
From this time she was the declared
favorite of the Swedish public, whose
musical tastes and knowledge are said not
to be surpassed. And, year after year, she
continued so, though, after a time, her
voice, being overstrained, lost somewhat of
its freshness, and the public being satiated
no more crowded the house when she was
singing. Still at that time she could be
heard singing and playing more delightfully."-
than ever in Pamina Tin Zauberhote OF in
Anna Bolena, though the opera was almost
deserted. She evidently sang for the pleas
ure Of the song.
By that time she went to take lessons of
Garci in Paris, and so give the finishing
touch to her musical education. There she
acquired that warble in which she is said to
have been equaled by no singer, and which
could be compared only to that of the soar
ing and warbling lark, if the lark had a soul
And then the young girl went abroad and
sang on foreign shores and 20 foreign peOs
pie. She charmed Denmark, Germany and
England. She was caressed and courted
everywhere even to aduation At the
courts Of kings, the houses Of the great and
noble, she was feasted as one Of the gran
dees o. nature aud art. She was covered
with laurels and jewels But friends wrote of
her, In the midst Of these splendors she
only thinks Of her Sweden aud yearus for
her friends and her people"
One dusky October night crowds Of people |
(the most part, by their dress, seemed to
belong 20 the upper classes of society) /.
thronged on the shore Of the Baltic harbor
at Stockholm. All looked oward the sea /
There was a rumor of expectance and I
pleausre. Hours passed away and the
crowds still gathered, and waited and looked /
out eagerly toward the sea. AT length
brilliant rocket ros oyfully far out at the
Of the harbor and was greeted
with general buzz on the shore. There
she comesl There she isp' A large steamer
now came whelming on its triumphant way
through the docks Of ships and boats lying
in the harbor toward the shore Of the
uGkeDDgborn % TIor Fiur ror Z els ft,ariraI H.