Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27

caught some echo of an antiphonal voice that was
SO clear SO pure, so passionate that she stood spell
bound, her eyes questioning what her lips barely
formed
Lucia coming toward them trembling and
fearful, but flushed and eXquiSitely lovely in her
Gypsy dress, The musical director speaking to
her brskly 1t he whom she had come upon
when, chiefly because she had promised Beppo, Lucia
had presented herself at the stage door, There was
doorkeeper, and, unmolested in dusty corner OF
dsused scenery she sat through all the confusion of
the discovery that the slgnorina not the the
alter, not at her hotel and that Madame Bovo under
study to the signorina, likewise nowhere at ali
Then Lucia, in terror had crept from her and
in voice half audible, had presented herself to the
man who was making the most noise. This had
proved to be the musical director himself-and the
rest was blur of the mockery of his face and of her
own passionate protest.
1t may have been this protest, half stormy and
half terrified which, together with her great beauty
touched the scale of the decision; but it is quite
hkey-since the hour was come for ringing up the
curtain and the Marathon audience was stamping
and whistng for the overture sheer distracted
desperation and the thought that after all the town
was only Marathon really tipped the balance in her
favor. But though the town only Marathon,
and though there many who understood at
that this could not be the signorina, yet when
from the tent of the Gypsy queen Lucia came singing
that first, tender, waking song, there could be
doubt at all of her power to touch their hearts.
She sang, with all her poignant passionate youth,
IN her full, amazing tones, and all her matchless
tenderness. And yet all their simple homage had
been nothing beside the words of the musical di-
rector, uttered in his brisk staccato he stood be-
side her at the end of the act
You have the very tricks of the Signorina Agnese
herself, he was saying. One would say she had
taught you You are, 1T is true, he added to himself,
as crude as green pippin which those idiots below
there, stamping at your high notes and your dolls
face, do not know. Listen to mel" he bade her.
. The time will come when the whole world will call
for you as they are calling But God knows, he
broke off muttering, what the sgnorina is going to
say to this!'
There stir beside him, and the musical d.
rector breathed in his last words and bowed The
haG NON
the stage.
The signorina smiling. She was looking this
way and that, sparkling, radiant And she came
straight to Lucia and took her hands and looked
about with kind of enchanting pride and al
self appreciation and the prettiest egoism. We
have. she said clearly, lent ourselves to little
plot, Madame Bovo and l. y
They pressed about her with murmurs and ques-
tonlngs that were kind OF homage. Lucia her
mouth quIverng, looked up IN the signorina S face
in doubt and fear
This said the Signorina Mona Arise, Lucias
hands in hers is my discovery and my protegee.
You have heard her sing-is she not wonderful?
Tell me" cried the signorina triumphantly is
it not unique-ths occasion that have prepared"
1t was unique, Whoever had prepared the
cason, that true. But when the sgnorinas
manager who at that moment appeared, began to
say in terms picturesque the occasion itself
the sgnorina TRANQUILITY included him in the cere-
Ilony of the moment
Is it not my mother ;" she said gently to him and
to them al-'my mother herself who has taught
her, here in this Marathon: 1t is true. The very
skirt that this child when she to You to-
night the gift of my mother Together We have
discovered her-my mother and l. No one can
doubt
And accustomed they were to her vagaries
they were convinced Even the manager was con-
v:nced Already had half guessed it, said the
director. . Have ! not said that she has the very
tricks of the Signorna Agnese herself"
As everyone fell in exclamation and wonder,
Lucia stretched out her arms like child. Il ep-
POI" she cried 1t was Beppo Where is he
now?
The signorna's commentator never more
Ah'' he