Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-28

l ovouoy' anu UOu DieSS your
"One moment" / said. 49,.
part ] should Ike you TO ear.
this basket affair in which &c
my luncheon to the landlsdv I.
inn from which / came. she a.. 2
these receptacles TO travellers !, I
advertisement to her hostelrxr " :
! showed the girl the nam.
inn sewed In worsted letters on ~. =
While she was not looking a.
slipped a piece OF gold into {,
! handed 1t to her. I knew nv 49, -
wen and was sure that II She -,
the money inside she would CONN.,, ~ Y
bearer to take it, having no r,yhs '. I :. :
herself. 1t could not very well !.
turned to me. Regretting that -. :
not do more for the poor p,rl ~.
her goodby. she appearing ,-..s1
for my sympathy.
Five years had passed. I had ....,-.
down married man and had r;vs- !.
travelling abroad on foot. Pat -.
not given up taste for the f5ns A.. !.
which 1 was born. One after sno.,..
prima donnas were visiting New ~
1 went one night to the opera in r..
York when the Academy Of Musie -.
still the only opera house in tba, -
When the prima donna came NM, i.
stage her face seemed familiar ~ :, -
and when she sang recognized n Il,
voice certain qualities that had b.,-.
in that Of the girl 1 had met batvs.-
Leipzig and Dresden FIVE years hss,-.
Perhaps I might not have recorn,,.s
the face alone or the voice alone bur
the two together cor WINGED me fs,,
the lady on the stage was the ~ :
had met abroad.
kept my seat till the end Of the La,
act. when, taking out my card. / scrlh
bled beneath my name in pencil. "a,
the road to Dresden; luncheon. win
pint Of German wine," and sent IL IA
the prima donna behind the scenes !.
was not long before 1 received an iuriL
tation to meet the lady, whom fosps
waiting for me before driving to BE-,
hotel. The pressure of the hand with
which she greeted me told me how
well she remembered and how appre
ciative she was of the triding faYc,
had done her.
This is no place to talk" she sail
I'VE people of the stage always u,
after our work, and you must con,
with me for return Of the iunchsl
you gave me when was famishedS
entered the carriage with her and
on arriving at her hotel found set out
in her private parlor an elaborate sup
per. We sat down to table together,
and asked her to tell me what had
happened to her since we parted on
the road FIVE years before.
81 will begin back Of that" she said
81 will tell you how / came into the
condition you found me. But / tell It
to you only because consider that my
being in my present position is due to
your friendly advice"
Before proceeding further she show
ed me on a chain about her neck the
gold coin had slipped into the lunch
basket which 1 had sent to my land.
lady.
II am the daughter Of German
baron. was brought up, as most En-
ropean girls are, to understand that
my parents would choose the man
should marry. My father chose for ne
a man about his own age who was
very wealthy and as disagreesble as
he was wealthy. 1 was not in love
with any one else. but / rebeled
against marrying a man loathed Ny
father told me to submit or leave ne
home in which had been carefnlE
brought up, not thinking that wouG
do the latter That same night Wneh
all were in bed left in the clothes ID
which you met me and with Wnai
money 1 could scrape together
Whether my father tried to ind dc
DR. not I do not know. / think be Us
me dead to him. AT ahs
rate, l have never heard from mn
since 1 left home. AS for my motaeI
though she might yearn for me sas
be too submissive to nay ialnn
o oppose his will in anything.
After leaving you l went 10 Dfes
len, where 1 posed for artists, as wv
and, getting little moue,
ogether, began the study OF music
lid not need to make living that VIZ
ong, for my voice proved so PROMISES
hat 1 was taken up by one VINO Wa
lad to pay for the finishing OF my 3
Ication. 1 making a contract 10 siA,
Inder his management as soop 40
ad completed my studies.
I spent a pleasant hour lisfenlns
er recital. during which tune -
Did me that she was welded " n
rofession and would never take ".
and, a resolution she kept on =
blowing day my wife called on 70
lvited her to our house, and sne az
ard spent the most OF her ieisu
me there. She always wore the sV
lece / had surreptitiously forced =
, accept when she WAS "i'nV''
reuter- in the world.
Soon after my prima donna ~
Imous. after one of her returns ~.
merica TO the fatherland. she visl1N
ar parents. She found them auhe
iced from their former grandeur.
is time their daughter was oeeolnA
ch. and she continued so long IS wv
red TO pour gold into their laps
~ - >~fr1ff n