The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-09
CHAPTER w.
THE STORY OF A STRANGE eIRLHooD.

CHAPTER w.
THE STORY OF STRANGE eIRLHooD.
~ shall not say much about my
childhood" the Signorina Valdi began.
"It was like that Of many other girls
left to grow up in q great city, in the
shabby gentility necessitated by small
means. My father was a doctor and
only half successful, and that in a
quarter of the town where most of
the patients never pay. and the few
that do, pay so little that comfort is
scarcely known in the house and lux
ury never. Ny mother was an invalid,
and, there being no other children, l
grew up in the comparatively empty
house a creature Of fancies and dreams.
My voice was my great companion. /
dared not sing in the parlors or where
my mother could hear me too plainly,
but would 60 away into the garret,
where in undisturbed possession Of so
much empty space, would sing and
trill till I was utterly exhausted or my
stock of songs gave out. Later, took
to acting, having seen one opera
through the kindness of school teach
er of mine who knew my passion and
had accidentally overheard my voice
one day. For even then I never sang
before any one, and If by chance I
caught any one listening my throat
choEed up and broke out into cold
perspiration. But this was insxper-
ience, as I thought, and I went on cher
ishing my dreams and acting over and
over imaginary scenes. from operas
which 1 knew only by name, creating
songs and manufacturing situations
which must have been sufficiently
crude and ridiculous, but which gave
my voice alchance and allowed enough
Of my fervor to expend itself to pre-
vent me from Ealing i'll or becoming
desperately dissatisfied or unhappy.
"When l was fourteen, my mother
died, and two years after this, my
father. But I was not discouraged.
had my voice, and, child that I was,
I imagined that had only to lift it In
public, to have fame and fortune law
ished upon me. was soon undeceived
in this regard; for, in the first place,
could not raise my voice in public,
and, in the second place, the very first
musical adept I saw explained to me
how much study and practice were nee
essary to achieve even the smallest
success. Study did not shrink from,
and practice was simply q delight. But
1 had no money, and training is expen-
sive, and so is merely living. found
difficulty in existing till one happy
tlay-was it happy?-I let my voice out
in what supposed to be an empty
church, but which in reality contained
q great teacher, who. hearing me,
thereupon took me in charge and
started me on a career which he said
would end in wealth and adulation.
".Alas, for me, l believed him. and
was no longer hungry or cold or meanly
clothed. At least, I did not feel my
hunger or the chill of the room in
which I worked at sewing or copying,
or anything which would furnish me
with daily bread. And as for my
clothes, they were so certainly destined
to change into the silver and gold tis-
sues befitting an opera queen. that l
have sometimes laughed, in passing
through the streets, to think how the
men and women who iostled me so
rudely would one day feel proud il l
cast them a glance or bestowed upon
them the haughtiest Of smiles.
MY companion and the only con-
fidante of my dreams was this old Por-
tusuese crone whom you see with me
now. I had made her acquaintance
in the depths Of my poverty, and be-
ing none too well off. had found no
other friend who could supply her
place in faithfulness and devotion. She
is not prepossessing to look at, but she
loves me; too we'll fear, for she would
not even let me die, though she kncw
my secret desperation.
But this is hurryinG on too fast.
I studied then, long and faithfully, and
practiced every hour, when I was not
obliged to work for my subsistence.
Hope sustained INC, and the days few
by on wings. My eighteenth birthday
passed. and the day was set for me to
try my voice in concert. Had I carried
out this intention, might have been
saved two more years Of useless labor
ard vain hope. But unfortunately,
at the last minute. a spirit Of opposi'
ton siezed me ard I refused to test
nv powers till could do SO with all
the eclat Of scenery and costume. I
would appear as Margherita or not at
ALL and my foolishness was listened
to. and my debut postponed.
"a new teacher now took me N
charge. was able 10 pay him some
thing, but not much, Never mind;
tboro Was future in store for me;