The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-12-27
A SOPRANO
TENOR
By NORMAN THORNDYKE

opera company, which / took ION the
road" My singers were not such as
one expects to hear at the Metropolitan
Opera House in New York, but were
good enough for the audiences they
were intended for. When / was ex-
aiming candidates for my first lady's
part a young woman came to me who
desired the position. tried her voice,
but could not quite place it. 1t was
not exactly soprano nor was it eX-
actly an alto, being between the two.
Sometimes it sounded a little like
mans tenor. I did not exactly fancy
it, but no other woman presented her.
self for the position except one who
wanted too large a salary, and / en-
gagged the applicant. Miss Winifred
Richie she gave as her real name and
told me that 1 was at liberty to use it
on the bills.
Miss Richie was very good looking
young woman. She was attractive in
all respects excepting that in ordinary
conversation her voice was pitched
rather low for woman and seemed
trif1e harsh. But this did not prevent
her turning the heads of several Of
the male singers. MariDnelli, my tenor,
whose real name was O'Grady, became
desperately smitten with her, and his
attentions being not to her liking was
in constant dread of losing one or
both of them in the middle of the sea-
son and out on the road, where l could
not repair the deficiency.
The trouble with O'Grady was that
he was not man of any refinement,
and no rebuff could stand him off. One
day my leading lady came to me and
said that if / did not find a way to
relieve her of his attentions she would
take the matter into her own hands.
"What course will you take?' ask
ed. "Will you stick pin in him?'
mo; I'll stick nothing into him, but
he'll get an eye that will keep him Off
the boards for a week."
l smiled at the idea of a woman
repelling a lover in such fashion. Then
asked her in what way O'Grady Of
Tended her She replied that in love
scenes on the stage which they were
compelled to act together he was much
more demonstrative than was neces-
sary in stage embrace.
had talk with O'Grady, in which
told him that Miss Richie would no
longer accept his attentions. and I'm
less he would let her alone l would
send him off as soon as l could replace
him. But my warning was not effec-
tive. In the very next performance
he offended again. Nothing occurred
until the curtain was lowered at the
end of the act, when Miss Richie land
ed blow on O'Grady's eye that turn
ed it a sickly green.
was much put out with Miss Richie
for incapacitating my tenor and rated
her soundly.
Miss Turnlee, my understudy," she
said, lis quite capable of taking my
part, and will take O'Grady's part"
"Whatr
.I'll take O'Grady's part. can sing
TENOR
After she had convinced me that she
was serious tried her voice and found
that it was a far better tenor than So
prano.
what does this mean?' asked her.
1T means that | can sing in two
different voices"
The next performance was given a.
she had suggested. Miss Richie being
dressed as a man, and she produced y
far better impression than OGrady.
Indeed, as man singer she was o..
far more value to me than O'Grady
or than she was in a sopranos part.
His love for Miss Richie had moi
been enhanced by the blow he had re-
ceived from her, and now that he had
been discharged on account Of 1t he
was in a fury with her. He rushed
When she had given him the black
eye she had taken him unaWares. Now
he confronted her as an enemy. But
she had the advantage of being untram-
meled by skirts and stepped toward
him with clinched fists. Naturally
averse to such an alteration with a
woman he had so recently loved, he
retreated. But she followed him up
and by a quick stroke landed her fist
under his jaw. lifted him off his feet
and sent him sprawling on the boards.
Hearing something drop. l ran to
| he scene of action and prevented any
more fighting. | put O'Grady out and
told him not to show himself to me
or any of my company again.
The next day made new contract
with Miss Richie, doubling her salary.
to sing tenor parts and put her under
study permanently in her place. My
tenor was soon recognized by few,
persons who had seen him in a wom-
ans part. and it began to be whispered
that he was Miss Richie and not
Signor Maraseherio, rs he was adyer-
tised. The fact that l had woman
singing a mans parts drew the Curl
Gus, and my attendance increased. In
time they became so large that L gave
my tenor another raise. and finally he
was receiving as much in a month
as before he had received in year.
I brought my company back to my
starting point when the warm weather
came on and disbanded it. l asked
Miss Richie if she would sign con
tract for the next year. and she agreed
to do so on condition that her true sex
should be known. Then a secret came
out.
Tom Thurston, a good tenor singer
who could sing marvelously like a wo-
man in falsetto, hearing that wanted