Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1903-11-13

the only time. l averted my glance
The music went on.
The scene where the unhappy Lucia,
after having been dragged to the altar
by her heartless brother, realizes the
full atroclty Of his conduct, seemed to
influence the sombre sprite-like prima
donna, for she reused herself at Last
and acted-acted with the frenzy of
passion, acted with the sublimity Of
pathos and despair. She was intense,
superb in the mad scene. Her voice
had sobs Of anguish.
Up swelled the vertiginous staccato
high above the means Of the orchestra
She raved, she wept. and the large
tears rolled down her white cheek
her hair fioated wildly over her CULVER
ing shoulders, and still rang forth her
magical, heartrending notes.
l trenbled; the house groaned.
The mad scene neared its end, and
the musicians, as If ordered, ceased
to play. They looked at her, she sang
unaccompanied. 1t was terrible, un-
ique, sublime.
The eliminating point arrived, and
the pains and pangs Of Donizetti's
masterpiece vlbrated on her lips as
they had never done on lips before.
She gazed wildly, stupidity about,
when she stopped and l saw drops
of blood ooze from her mouth; she
fell heavily upon the stage, and the
curtain went down. The house was In
tears.
Half an hour later all Milan knew
Of the miraculous performance at the
Scala. The last act of the opera was
listened to without curiosity, Lucia
not appearing in it Nothing occurred
except the indisposition of the tenor,
Grazzini, who was taken suddenly i'll.
and l afterward learned, died that
night.
Milan, outdoors, all fun and ANNA
ton, could not comprehend the story
told in the cafes and on the squares.
The reports were called exaggerated,
and the singers phenomenal voice
myth. No one could find her, and it
was in vain that 1 waited for more
than an hour In Alheri's box.
The director told me contidentially
that he was as nonplused as the audi
ence, and had never beheld the mar
velous singer before. Then, as hs
left me, he superstitiously added: "She
was a spirit, believe"
Full of conflicting thoughts, l walk
ed sadly homeward, and heard again
through the quiet streets. far away
from the riot and revel Of the carni-
val, the heavenly echo of that unut-
terably divine voice.
walked on, and passed across the
Saint 1talda Cemetery to near my
home. 1t was late. The noise of
Milan's festivities reached my ear
from time to time family.
Within 4 few steps of my house,
separated by high wall from the
end Of the graveyard, there. beneath
few cypress trees, in the full glare
Of the moon, l beheld an unusual
sight
The cemetery, through which pass
ed regularly, and which l knew In
every nook and corner, presented In
that particular spot singular aspect.
advanced. and remarked with as
constituent that a tomb had been ex-
humed.
Sure enough, the sod on either side
was all strewn and scattered here and
there, footprints were plainly visible,
and, to my horror saw that the
coffin was open. In It, wrapped rather
loosely in a faded yellow shroud, was
human form.
l was about to call for the guard,
when my eye was suddenly attracted
by a faint greenish light twinkling
near the top Of the coffin.
stopped over, and to my amaze.
ment saw diamond earring In the
lobe of the corpse's ear-the mate Of
the one had found.
The moonlight. checkered by the
ree-boughs, did not allow me to view
the face, and trembling I drew aside
and lit a match. Approaching, I gazed
ON the body. 1t was the spectral song
stress!
Utterly bewildered, with haggard
eyes and quivering knees. grasped
the coffin lid and replaced 1t over the
liyid face. On it was written In large
letters:
Virginia Cossell, queen Of soprani,
died September, 1881, requiescat In
pace.
remember wild thrill of horror
came over me and l fell senseless.
For weeks raved in delirium. When
had sufficiently recovered I left
Milan. People were still talking Of
the mysterious prlma Enthusiastically