The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-12-04

guitar. She was always playing it,
mingling with its delicate strains the
appealing, pathetic notes of her own
voice. She had appeared with her
father at Some country concerts, and
of her own in which she a twenty
songs and made ten dollars. She taught
n winter at a country school.
When she returned home she found
her family in desperate straits. 1t was
necessary to do something, so Emma
literally took to the highway with her
guitar. She sang from town to town,
travelling most of the time alone. Often
she suffered from cold and hunger.
She vas forced to pawn her few trink-
cts, and on one occasion her guitar.
In need of food, she cut off her long
hair and sold it. And yet in the trials
of this struggle she did not lose her cour-
age, her high hope of the future. She
was so eager to learn and advance as
a singer that when she was about SIX
teen she played her way from Illinois
to New-York to hear Parepa-Rosa. and
then did not hear her, because the
priIna donna, i'll at the time, was not
singing.
| asked her, when she related this
story, whether she dreamed, a little
wayfarer in New York. of a time when
people would be coming from afar to
near her sing?
"Oh, | did! l did" she cried. at
was only my dreams that kept up
n.a ,,rI, - ~.
winter of 1870 in Toledo l actually
thought of suicide. l was very cold.
But | played a little on my guitar, and
something in it told me not to despair,
but to keep On. Soon afterward came
my great stroke of fortune.
Il went to Detroit, and one evening
asked the manager Of the Russell House
if l might sing and play in the hotel
parlor, and take up a collection after
ward. Some managers refused when
| made similar requests, but this n
was very kind and gave his consent.
THE parlor was filled with people who
had just come from the dining-room,
and were sitting around chatting and
reading. | always shrank from the
ordeal of ~interrupting people in hotel
parlors with my music, but my bread
and butter depended upon my doing it.
This time they listened attentivelv.
applauded, and were quite liberal with
their contributions. One who
was very handsome. looked at me keenlv
as she dropped a coin into my hand, and
said in a low voice: When YOU get
through. my child, | want To speak to
you.
Il returned to her in a few minutes.
Sit down in that chair. she commanded.
Draw it up close. And now. my dear.
| want to ask you why you are doing
this thing, Don't YOU know. don't
your relatives know, if YOU have any,
that you have a voice-a beautiful
voice, You've astonishcd me this even
ing. With training YOU can rise far
above this. | believe. yes | believe.
my girl. that under the right instruction.
YOU can become a great singer, a prirna
donna
Il was trembling from head to foot
This woman. a stranger to me. was
putting into words thoughts and longings
which | had hardly dared acknowledge
even to myself. She spoke very gently.
You are thin and pale, my child.
You are having a hard, hard time. |
know She asked me questions. and
| poured into her ears my whole history.
She became silent for several minutes.
and then exclaimed suddenly: 1 cant
let YOU 90 on like this you must come
to New-York with me. We shall find
a way to have that voice developed.
MY name is kellogg-Clara Louise
Kellogg viii you GOMEZ
Why my pillow was wet with tears
that night | won't attempt to say, be