The Little River news., 1922-09-13
The Prirna Donna's s
 Verdict
By JUSTIN WENTWOOD

Co. 1922. Western Newspaper Union,

Its like a thruSh'S SOng," said Olga Darkoffsky q never heard anything like it in an untrained girl of nineteen. There's a fortune for your daughter in the cities, MT. Bevan." Hank Bevan scratched his head Wal, I dunno" he soliloquized. "'PearS to me a mighty risky thing to send q girl off to New York because she's got a singing voice. How much d'you reckon it'd bring her? Twenty dollars a week?"
 dollars night, MT. Bevan," she an swered, "and your daughter trained, will probably become better singer than I am"
 You mean to tell me that gal can go straight to New York and earn five thousand a night?' demanded the in- credulous farmer.
 ''Oh, no MT. Bevan Not now. Not for five or six years. And she'll have to study, and there will be the awful struggle that lies before all of us
 Bevan nodded. "I guess I know about that he answered. same in every line. Same in my line. When I took hold of two hundred acres, it was an everlasting grind before I got penny tucked away in the bank. You'd oblige me, madame, by not say ing too much to Hclen-yOu under stand
 Olga Darkof'sky thought good deal I when she took it into her head to spend summer month in the old farmhouse, to find singing prodigy there. But Helen Bevan'S voice, with it's tlutelikc quality, amazed her. She had never heard anything like it in an untrained girl And the thought of giving new genius to the world was at war with her own lemembrances of her struggle.
 Helen came to her the next day and opened the matter, shyly saying that folks thought her voice was good. Wouldn't she just hear her sing some. thing:
 Olga Darkoffsky hesitated. well, Miss Bevan, suppose you come to me tomorrow morning, and I'll see what you can do, and give you my honest opinion" she answered.
 The little girl departed radiant The prima donna gazed wistfully after her youthful form. How long ago it seemed since she had been q girl like that with the same ineXperience, the salae ambitions. How hard the struggle had been.
 And she wondered what her life would have been if she had accepted love instead. She and Marcus had been wildly in love with each other He had begged her to abandon her hope of a career, to marry him; for one evening Olga had been terribly shaken: then she had made her choice and Marcus had gone away. He had been happily married for years. She wondered whether she was glad at the choice she had made.
 She could have married often, but with maturity had come the inevitable diSiIluSiOnment. If only she could have preserved that first illusion that she had shared with Marcus!
 She Strolled into the lane at eve ming It was growing dark. There was the sweet fragrance of the sum- mer flowers in the air. Suddenly she became aware of a couple walking on the other side of the hedge. She heard their words:
 Helen. there's nothing to it. Stay l,o,,D ,rJ ,,oorrv J1l ha UooH to you, I sure will You dunno what that life means"
 But l want to be q great singer, Jimmy" The girls voice was fearful. "When I've made my name and fame I'll come back to you.'
 You won't never come back. Gee, Helen, can't I see what's going to happen? You gotta choose between that life and me"
 Silence The mans pleading voice, again then Helen:
 1T just can't, Jimmy. 1 want success so much. I can't give it up, even for you, although l love you so dearly"
 Olga Darkoirsky passed on, d bitter little smile about her mouth. So oth- CTS were going through the same process; she was glad that she was not the only one who had to suffer.
 But she lay awake nearly all night thinking
 She rose from her piano in the morn ing as Helen entered the room radiant and fresh.
 Well child, what can you singF" she asked "Only the old songs? An nie Laurie? That's as good as any thing my dear. Now, then" She crashed out few chords on the piano and the sweet birdlike voice ! filled the room.
 Helen Bevan ended turned and stood waiting. Olga Darkoffsliy went up to her and took her hands.
 My dear, pretty voice, but not not anything special" she said. "l couldn't encourage you; no, my dear. | A nice, second class draWing-room
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