The San Francisco call., 1904-03-06
against the fiery BACKGROUND.


How did you like % said Mariposa.
as they loitered on, my singing, I
mean?"
1T was excellent. OF course. You've
got a voice. But the room was too
small-and such a room to sing in, all
crowded with ridiculous things"
Mariposa felt hurt She thought Es-
sex was the finest. the most elegant and
finished person she had ever met. He
seemed to her to breathe the atmos-
phere of those great sophisticated
cities she had never seen. In his talks
with her he now and then chilled her
by his suggestion of belonging to an
other and wiser world, to which shs
was provincial outsider.
This quality was in his manner now.
and she began to feel how raw her
poor performance must have seemed to
the man who had heard the great
prirna donnas Of London and Paris
1T was small room, of course" She
assented but had to sing somewhere,
and 1 couldn't hire a place
''ShackletOn wanted TO hear you, as
understand il. Mrs. WiHers said some
thing about his knowing your father"
There was no question about the
eoldness of his voice now. Had Mari
posa known more about men she would
have seen he was irritated.
She repeated the fable Of her fathers
early acquaintance with Jake Shackle-
ton. and of the latter's desire expressed
tc Mrs. Willers. of hearing her sing.
Mrs. WilIers is such an asst" he said
suddenly and vindictively.
Mariposa was this time hurt for her
friend and spoke up:
II don't see why you say that. I
don't think wOman's an ass who can
support herself and child as she
does''-she thought of her SIG and
added: It's very hard for a woman
TO make money"
'Oh. she's not an ass that way" he
answered She's an ass To- try and
work Shackleton up to the point of be-
coming a patron of the arts-as repre-
sented by you"
He turned on her with slight smile,
that brought no suggestion Of amuse-
ment to his somewhat saturnine face.
Isn't that her idea ?" he asked.
Mariposa felt her hopes as TO the
training Of her voice becoming mean
and vulgar.
He said he wanted to hear me-" she
said stumblingly "and she said IL
money to educate my voice, and it's all
I have, Why do you seem to disap-
prove OF it,"
"I?-disapprove? That would hardly
do. Why even If I wanted to- 1 have
not the right to- have u"
MaripCsa's face flushed. She felt
now, that she had presupposed an in
timacy between them which he wanted
politely to suggest did not exist. This
was not by any means the first time
Essex had baffled and embarrassed her.
It amused him to do ii, but to-day he
was in a bad temper and did il from
spleen
Somehow Jake Shackleton doesn't
suggest himself to me as a patron OF
the arts" he said. II don't think he
knows Yankee Doodle from God Save
the Queen
Mariposa thought Of The brilliant ar
ticle on the Italian opera, from Bellini
TO Verdi. that the man beside her had
contributed to last Sundays Trumpet,
and Jake ShackletOn's enthusiastic ad-
miration of her singing Immediately
seemed the worthless praise Of sodden
ignorance.
Then" she said desperately, you
wouldn't attach any Importance. II you
were I, to his liking my singing? It
was just the way some people like a
street organ simply because 1t plays
tunes"
"Oh, 1 wouldn't think that There's
no reason why he shouldn't know a
good voice when he hears it,"
DO you think I've got a good voice?''
said MariDosa, stopping in the street
and staring mOrOsely at him.
"Of course 1 do. dear lady"
DO you. rsaIly?"
Yes, really"
She smiled and tried to hide IL by
looking down. 1t was hardly in a man
to continue bad-humOred before this
naive display of pleasure at his COM
mending word.
You really think I might some day
become singer. professional sing
er?''
Il really do"
The smile broadened and lit her face.
You always make me feel so stupid
-and-and-as if / didn't amount to
anything" she murmured.
1t was so sweet, so childishly candid,
that it melted the last remnant OF his
bad temper.
You little goose" he said softly,
don't you know think more Of you
than / do of any one in San Francisco?
It's getting dark; take my arm till We
get to the car"
She did so and they moved forward
~ I Il