Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-02-25

| n big French motor car occupied by
| two men and two very pretty women
| whirred up Riverside drive late sun
day evening and at Nineticth street
drew up and stopped Mt the approach
| to the Soldiers and Sailors monument
1t was long past the hour when the
| crowd of fashionable promenaders
| leaves the drive as the party of four
stepped out of the big, vibrating ma
chine and climbed the steps to the
| monument
One of the men was a millionaire
well known in the financial district
| The other was n great tenor. With
| them We're the mllionaire's wife and
woman known in half dozen Euro
| pean capitals rs one of the greatest
| operate coaches livng-a woman who
is constant attendant upon operate
stars and sharer in no small degree
In their musical triumphs.
II it had been made during n Sunday
or a weekday afternoon, crowd of
fashionable folk would undoubtedly
have had their curiosity piqued 10y the
peculiar visit OF four such well known
people. The whole affair was SO bi-
zarre and The sounds which soon issued
from the narrow entrance to the glis.
tening white monument were so
strange that at any but late night
hour crowd must have quickly filled
the plaza around the marble shaft. A
desire to escape any such annoying in
cidents probably led the visitors to
choose the nighttime for their visit.
THE average American is II censun-
mate ass" said the New Yorker rs he
guided the small party up the moon
lit steps to the monument "lle travels
to the utmost parts of the world,
spends barrels OF money and generally
writes Il book or two describing the
marvellous things he sees, when by re-
naming right Mt home he could have
seen sights of similar Kind which
would have Knocked the spots OF the
things on which he has wasted his
patrimony and paragraphs of superla-
tives."
But echoes, slgnor," replied the ten
or rs he grasped the Wall street mans
arm. Echoes such ms we have in the
cathedrals of Italy,
That's Just what Americans say"
retorted the New York man. "rhey 20
| into ecstatic raptures over European
| mediocrity without knowing that they
| live among the greatest collection of
marvels in the world. Listen to this"
The party had reached the door lead
| ing to the interior of the monument.
A solid cylindrical wall of marble and
| granite surrounded slender room
empty save for half dozen dried
wreaths. lying on one corner of the
stone flor. When the whole party had
wormed it's way into the monument,
| the. Wall street man babe them be
very still and with upturned face in
| toned low note An echo was heard
| which rivaled those marvellous re-
verberations which have drawn travel
| ers TO distant parts of the world and
| have been the subjects Of brilliant de
scriptions in the daily press and be-
| tween covers. The note seemed instant
| ~ transformed into a moving ball Of
| sound. lis Journey to the distant stone
| ceiling could be distinctly traced. 1t
| seemed TO be waited upward like a
| ring of smoke or q cottony dandelion
| seed The sound decreased until the
note seemed 10 strike the small, high
| ceiling, where ii fingered Il moment be-
| fore commencing its downward trip
| Gradually increasing in loudness. 1t
| came back to the floor of the monu-
ment, apparently as loud and as intact
| as when it was uttered The whole
| wonderful incident occupied only
| few seconds, but every stage Of the
| sounds trip TO the top of the monu-
ment and back was as pronounced and
as easily traced as though it had been
| a butterfly or toy balloon.
"Magnifcentw exclaimed the tenor in
tones of rapture and surprise, Il never
dreamed such marvellous echo existed
outside the baptstery at Pisa
His voice made a perfect riot of
sound within the narrow shaft Count
| less tones going and coming in rapid
succession produced an effect almost
| phIlll III ui'bh lll' ''tlS VI NA'N iiH'''''N'
| At the request Of one Of the women
| the tenor sang very slowly and softly
a few phrases OF La Donna G Mobile"
The effect was peculiarly beautiful.
| Two men seemed TO be singing one
half beat behind the other. As In the
| Wall street mans experiment each
note could be heard distinctly soaring
! aloft to the ceiling aud back. At the
return Of each note in its original vigor
and fullness the effect Of Il second
singer was produced. The union OF
the bell.lke tones Of the beautiful
voice. the wonderful echo and the pc
cuiar strangencss Of the whole sltua-
| ton brought cries OF delight from The
two women.
| II believe IT is as fine as the one IN
Pisa" said the woman who coaches
prima donnas, "nnd 90 think that we
never even heard of it before"
Peculiar fact" said the New Yorker
| striking Il match ana Illuminating the
| dark. cold interior New Workers
never know anything about New York.
| You can't sit down IN a hotel lobby or
in club and speak of echoes but
dozen men win commence to dllate on