Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-04-18
Only a Little Singer

JIM come from. He turned up one
day at the restaurant where /
always took lunch, and after standing
awkwardly at the door for a few min
utes advanced to the table where l
was seated.
He began talking to me as though he
had known me for years, and although
he was making a merry little bluff of
being entirely at his ease, embarrass-
ment was written all over his good
natured rural countenance.
1t was my vacation time. and as /
was a bit bored for amusement, l was
Immediately interested in Dagley L
offered to show him the town. and, as
l expected, he joyfully accepted.
am sorry to say that Mr.. Dagley
| developed a decided taste for investi-
! eating dance halls, beer gardens and
like places. But, most of all, he liked
to attend all sorts of variety perform
ances. He seemed determined to find
something very, very bad.
took him to concert hall. and he
sat quietly through the performance,
merely remarking that it was not half
bad l had expected that he would
find it very bad, indeed.
Seems a pity. though. for all of
| them nice boys and girls to be going
| to the bad
what boys and girls?" l asked, in
astonishmcnt.
why, the ones as danced and
sung" he replied.
But they are not bad"' l exclaimed.
well. | was always told they
was" was his calm reply.
| When Sunday came around | asked
him if he did not want to include a
visit to one of the fashionable churches
in his city experiences. The flowers
on the pulpit We're always fine, and the
music would be worth hearing.
NO, l don't care for the music" and
| there came into his face look of hard
| ness and bitterness.
Il used to go to church. but that
was before my little girl"
Have you lost her?'
Eyes, lost her-five years ago"
My Look at that woman" he ex-
claimed. as an elegantly attired lady
| swept past and entered the church.
Never saw such fine fixings before"
| She was famous singer, the idol of
the conccrt-g going public, who, during
| her short visits to her native city, gra-
| ciousiy lent her sweet voice to the
church where she had worshiped as a
child. When / told Dagley all this he
| said the bitterness coming back into
| his face:
"Oh. She is one of them singing peo-
| pie. is shef"
Look here said l. You ought to
be set right in one thing. at least, and
| believe that I'll tell you a little story
/ of an experience of my own"
1T was like this, One night l was
coming home rather late from the the
! alter As turned into my street my
| attention was attracted to young girl
who stood at the edge of the side
walk. She was crying bitterly. | was
| about to pass when she turned up and
| looked into my face. She was adorably
pretty and l stopped in answer TO
the mute appeal in her eyes
You are in troubleT
oh, sir she sohbed. L have no
place to stay tonight. II don't know
where to go
We'll, took her to a lodging house
kept by an old lady who. | knew,
would care for the girl, and paid for
room for her She did not seem
to he used to that sort of thing. and
could not have done anything else.
she was so fair ana innocent. Thank
| God. found her that night
II promised to look in In the morn
ing and see what could be done for
her, but l hardly expected to see her
again.
'Wcll, the next morning | was met
by the old lady, who told me the girls
story. She had run away from home
to 90 on the operate stage. 1t was
the same old story of few months
struggle and failure. Now her money
was all gone, ana she had been turned
o@t ON the street on the night | found
her
The laudlady was a motherly old
soul and was quite touched by the
girls story. We arranged that She
should stay with her for few DAYS
ana that ! was to try to find some
employment for her"
"Whcre is she now?"
singing in that church there on the
corner. The girl really has a sweet.
sympathetic voice. and the choir di-
rector was delighted to secure her
services"
why didn't she 70 homer"
Her father ;o!! her when She left
that he never wanted To SEQ her again. =
We'll wasn't there anybody else She
could 20 to-"
NO. There was a young man she
seemed TO ihink a good deal of. hut he
turned against her, too. when she left"