Year: 1877

'I can not, 1 will not marry Edward
Vance, but will work hard to make money
for you. mother; will teach or sew or any
thing Else, but indeed | can not marry
man whom hate, for he is cold and heart
less as the gold he worships. o mother, do
not urge me more; you know him as well as
do and you must know that he cares for
wife only TO be bis housekeeper, his drudge,
his slave You know how lightly he holds
woman's work, how sneeringly he talks of
those who, too brave to marry men they do
not love, take care of themselves by honest
labor. "Spare one the Lying death should
begin if was to marry him. Let me bid
him this night to go away from our door
and return no more" "You are mad,
Nina, to talk in this manner. You know
our condition, our poverty, your sisters de-
sire for society and dress and yet you shrink
from helping me as you could. Why do you
not like Edward Vance? Because he loves
money? Not whit more than / do. Be
cause he thinks the husband should be the
head of the family and the wife an obedient
worker2 1 have always been taught the
same Or is it because you know he is OPP
posed to the life you would lead as profes-
sional singer? Ah how L hate the thought
of your willingness to go on the stage and
sing for crowd of people who will
criticise and ridicule you. Abandon this
idea, Nina; marry Judge Vance, and
we will be so happy. You can then help your
sisters to likewise win husbands of wealth
and position, and will have the proud sat
isfaction of knowing that all of my daugh-
tiers are well settled for life. 1t seems strange
that he should prefer you, the youngest,
when Addie and Clara are more stylish and
fashionable, and should think would have
attracted him quicker than you with your
qneer notions of dependence and liberty.
You know it will make him very angry if
you sing next week at that concert, so beg
you not to offend him, for you are not the
only one who must suffer the
consequences Now, promise me you
will be his wife and will be the happi-
est mother in the world" Mrs Crawford
put her arms around her daughter and drew
her close as she made this request, knowing
full well how hard it would be for Nina to
say no to her pleadings. Poor girl, she
was sorely troubled; she did not love Ed
ward Vance, and she did so want to be a
singer; yes, professional concert singer, or
(and yet her hopes did scarcely 60 so farl a
prims donna, singing the operas she had
sung to herself for years.


Her father was dead, her mother proud
and ambitious, and her two sisters craved a
fashionable life and hated work, and there
was no one to whom she could turn
for advice and sympathy. She loved
music as she did the free, open air, and to
sing with her was to live, for her voice was
superbly strong and rich. Years ago, when
her father was alive. he had begun the train
ing that by hard work she had continued
until new her voice was well cultivated, tree
from natural or contracted faults, and good
q judges had given her the most favorable
opinions of her future il she went on the
stage, and yet her family was so opposed tc
this that she hardly dared make the venture
She knew what her life with Judge Vance
would be-a fine house, plenty of fashion
able clothes magnificent jewelry, bounding
an existence that must have no liberty
or freedom. Nothing beyond the dul
routine OF dinners and balls, nothing but
fancy work and the household money; nc
growth, no mental work; simply TO live and
petrify. f


She had never as yet sung in public, ex
cepting at the church services, but ever
there her voice had attracted attention
and she had been engaged to sing in con
cert that she knew would decide her future
Cor among her auditors was to be a promi
nent manager who had said TO some Of hi
friends that IL she fulfilled his hopes
of her that he should at once
engage her for season at a fair price, {
sum that to Nina was a fortune.
She prscticed the songs selected sgair
and again, they were airs that we're familiar
to every musician, but they were scarcely
her choice, and she hesitated before under
taking them; But friendly advice over
balanced her scruples, and faithfully she re
peated the strains. She had promised bel
mother that if she failed-if she was not en-
gagged by the msnager--she would abandon
all hopes of a professional life and marry
Edward Vance. and TO him she said the
Er:s, aiding .-a.sh- sc1.1 ..aL. lc crpo'