The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-25
TALLEY LIKES
Her LIFE ON
KANSAS farm
Never Going Back to Stage,
Famous Songbird Says
in Interview.
REJECTS RICH OFFERS
Content to Cultivate Her
$50 Acres: Owns No
Automobile.
REJECTS RICH OFFERS
BY MARION TALLEY,
Formerly of the Metropolitan Opera
COmpany)

OVoIA
Company
Copyright by and reprinted by permission
from McCaus Magazine for Novemberl
A few months ago, after four
seasons at the Metropolitan opera
house and in concert tours of this
country, announced that was
retiring. Today I'm of the same
mind, but it's not because any stone
has been left unturned to make me
change.
There have been literally hun
dreds of efforts in that direction
offers for radio, talkies, vaudeville
and concert totaling thousands OF
dollars 1.-TWO of $4,000 each for q
single radio appearance), remon-
stranceS from friends and stran-
gers, even TRADES.
People wrote, telephoned, tele-
graphed and cabled their amazed
disapprobation.
The idea Of a person my age
I'm 22-retiring, seems to be incom-
prehensible to everybody except me
and the rest of the Talleys. My
family is perfectly satisfied, but
other people suspect that there is
something back of my decision.
No Thought of Marriage
I have no thought of getting
married and my voice is Just as 1t
always was.
We Talleys try to do what we
think is right and have been salts
fled to enjoy ourselves in our home
in our own way. 1t is very hard
for us to explain ourselves, because
We honestly can't see what there
is that needs explaining.
In spite of the surprise with
which others view us, to ourselves,
we seem SO simple and normal.
Certainly the things we care most
about are simple home things.
We don't seem to have much con-
troll over our destiny. Things are
all arranged for us and we are
satisfied that this should be so. We
enjoy whatever comes. We live as
we always did, very simply. And
we don't want anything else.
Never Owned Auto
For instance, we never have
owned an automobile. Some people
think that strange, but we have
never felt the need Of one. Per-
haps we shall now that we have
the farm. We don't know yet.
The farm is at least one of the
reasons for my retirement. It was
an old dream Of ours, and always
on tour we were hunting for one
that might do. Now we've found
it.
1t includes $50 acres and is
twelve and a half miles from Colby,
Kas. In the east, it would be a
very large farm, but out in west
ern Kansas, 1t really 81 ems small.
At that, though, it's a five-mile
walk around my place, and 649
acres are in wheat, forty in corn,
200 in barley and eighty in pas
ture.
Farm Is Up-to-Date
Everything will be very up-to-
date and worked by electricity
wherever possible. I already can
run the tractor, but I want to learn
more about that and the other
farm machinery.
I expect to live and work on nv
farm and also I count on it max.
ing money for me. 1t will this
year.
Colby is a nice town of about
$500, and the young people have
mostly been off to college and prob
ably ere very pleasant. OF course.
I don't know how I'd be at a party
of young people my own age.
In New York, anyway, I'd be left
out and considered a fiat tire. I
suppose, because I don't drink or
smoke or even dance.
Never Going Back
But so far as I know now, I am
never going back either to concert
or opera. That is my entire mind
on the subject.
I can be happy without singing
in public. I do not need the ap-
plause and acclaim that go with
public life to make me contented.
Yet I liked my work very, very
much; and all the associations.
1 shall not be idle just because
I'm not singing. There is other
work. There is, for instance, the
tractor.