Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-03-13
CHAPTER ~.
Box five,

Box five
Armand Moncharmin wrote such
yOluminous Memoirs during the fairly
long period of his co-management that
We may we'll ask il he ever found time
to attend to the affairs OF the opera
otherwise than by telling what went
on there. NJ. Moncharmln did not
know a note Of music, but he called
the minister OF education and fine
arts By his Christian name, had dab
bled little in society journalism and
enjoyed a considerable private in
come. Lastly, he was charming fell
low and showed that he was not lack
ing in intelligence, for, as soon as he
made up his mind to be a sleeping
partner in the opera, he selected the
best possible active manager and
went straight to FTrmin Richard.
Firmin Richard was a very distin-
guished composer. who had published
number Of successful pieces Of all
kinds and who liked nearly every form
of music and every sort of musician.
Clearly, therefore, it was the duty OF
every sort OF musician to like NJ. Fir
min Richard. The only things to be
said against him were that he was
rather masterful in his ways and en-
dowed with very hasty temper.
The first few days which the part
neTS spent al the opera were given
over to the delight Of finding them
selves the head of so magnificent an
enterprise; and they had forgotten all
about that furious, fantastic story OF
the ghost, when an incident occurred
that proved to them that the joke.
if joke it Were-Was not over. Nj.
Firmin Richard reached his Office that
morning at eleven O'Clock. His seCre-
tary, NJ. Remy, showed him half
dozen letters which he had not opened
because they were marked private.
One of the letters had at once at
tracted Richards attention not only
because the envelope was addressed
in red ink, but because he seemed to
have seen the writing before. He soon
remembered that it was the red hand
writing in which the memorandum
book had been so cuTiOusiy completed
He recognized the clumsy childish
hand. He opened the letter and read:
Dear Mr.. Manager:
4 am sorry to have to trouble you
at a time when you must be SO very
busy, renewing important engage
ments. signing fresh ones and gen
orally displaying your excellent taste.
| know what you have done for Car
lotta. Sorelh and little Jammes and
for few others whose admirable
qualities of talent or genius you have
suspected.
"Of course, when | use these words,
! do not mean to apply them to La
Carlotta, who sings like a squirt and
who ought never to have been al
lowed to leave the Ambassadors and
the Cafe Joaquin nor to La Sorelu.
who owes her su less mainly to the
coach builders; nor to little Jammes,
who dances like a calf in a field. AND
| am not speaking OF Christine Daae
either, though her genius is certain,
whereas your jealousy prevents her
from creating any important part
When all is said, you are free to con-
duct your little business as you think
best. are you not?
All the same. | should like to take
advantage of the fact that you have
not yet turned Christine Daae out OF
doors by hearing her this evening in
the part of SiebeI, as that of Mar
garita has been forbidden her since
her triumph of the other evening: and
| will ask you not to dispose of my
box today nor on the following days,
for | cannot end this letter without
telling you how dfsagreeably sur
prised | have been once or twice. to
hear, on arriving at the opera, that
my box had been sold, at the box
office, by your orders
Il did net protest, first, because /
dislike scandal. and, second, because
l thought that your predecessors,
NM. Debienne and Poligny, who were
always charming to me, had neglect
ed. before leaving. to mention my lit
tie fads to you. I have now received
a reply from those gentlemen to my
letter asking for an explanation, and
this reply proves that you know all
about my Recommendations and, con-
seQuently, that you are treating me
with outrageous contempt. II you wish
to live in peace, you must not begin
by taking away my private box.
Believe me TO be, dear Mr.. Man
ager. without prejudice to these little
observations.
Your Most Humble and Obedfent
Servant,
OPERA GHOST"
The letter was accompanied by a
! cutting from the agony-column OF the
Revue TheatraIe. which ran:
20. G-There Is no excuse for X.
and NJ We told them and left your
memOrandum-book in their hands
/ Kind regards"
NJ. Ffrmiu Richard had hardly I'm
: ished reading this letter when NJ Ar
mand Moncharmtn entered, carrying