ADA CROSSLEY'S ADVENTURES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 134, 29 February 1908, Page 10

ADA CROSSLEY'S ADVENTURES.

! I will not pretend to have had any very terrible adventures during ..my lifo (writes Ada Crossley in an Irish paper), but ihave; 'travelled a good deal'during the course of the mauy tours which I have' undertaken in; this,'and other'.countries., I was born aiid bred in Gippsland, Australia, a district which forms tlio wildest part of, Victoria, and-I am proud. to.describe myself as, a child.' Mi the; bush;' In thosa'-, early '.days.-' I had toi.tako 1 •long;;daily ..rides- on;, horseback in," order i.o! obtain "my musical' education, ' .whidiii'.'was j afterwards: completed; in, Slolbourne.-. < saiii'jt • ' Tho i'.iirst turning pqint in my/iliffejcamo;! when..the question of trying' my_luck in Loudon "..-presented , itself, fo.r -, consideration.' . I

was ~ very doubtful about' takihg<-'tb'e -step,, and,, eventually /decided ■■ to: trust. ;;to,i lu,ck:!by spinning a. coin on tl.io' question—b.ehds i.qgo to London, tails to rom'ain in [Australia/ It camo down heads,, and; I- started on one of .the..luckiest-;ventures '.of my. life I )

Looking back over liiy lifo, I. must say that the - liiclc.,' has. certainly' ' beta with ; mo, and seldom nioro conspicuousjy 5 so than; in 1898,'ivlion, at tho' Leeds Festival, ono of tho- big singers mistook tho'hour of tho performance.' I was present at tho timo, and knowing the] •music was 'commissioned to'tako her placo,' This,;.of course, 'served to - bring. mo, before ■tho public iii a most; unexpected way, giving' me 'ono of .'tho chances: of my. life.' . . My " readers- would bb surprised, 1,.' think, did -.they., know how' oftera a public. ; performer is applied to for advice''on .all. kirts'. of.;Sub r ' jects. I saiig, at paHington .early' November,; and three, notes iWmo sent, rouncl to ..me. after' tho'concert, which will- furnish- a striking examplo .'in,;.oyklenco.of what I- say. Tho first,;was from: iiii: eccentric individual} lyho'.said ' hp'.liad inventeda smokeless fuel, and .thought, as L was constantly' touring from .town -to.'.tbwn,". I .might liko"to becomo agent for it, with, commission on sales. He suggested that at; every, concert I should announce from tho. platform tho advantages of tho fuel 1 Tho second.was from a lady who ; was anxious to, place her two daughters in a good London, school, where their education cpuld ,bo .completed. ; "I. venture," dear, madam,". she, wrote," "to trqublo you oyer this matter, knowing that your homo,is in London, and that you will' therefore probably -be. 'able, to adviso mo as to,which is tho most . fashionablo school, and the one ivhero my .girls aro likely ,to bo .'finished'to tlio best/advantage." v". The, third, letter -.yeas. frpm\ a . doctor, who, said he pas, studying ,tospecialise on; tlio throat, and wanted, to,know' whether I would leave.him, in my will,,my, larynx and vocal chords, as, after, hearing mo sing, ho was certain much . valuablo- information .''arid', knowledge might bo gleaned from their. examination!

;An ..incidont, .which must havo been moro startling .for. my noighbours' than for. myfeelf, occurred .to me ,tho other, day ,at. niy house iii St. John's Wood. Having returned from the provinces the night before, and. being engaged to sing in th' 6 afternoon, I was just congratulating i myself 'that I. could havo a few hours' rest when, tliorq was a-knock at tho front door, and tho arrival of a photo : grapher with an immonso amount of impedimenta reminded mo that 1 had consented to have somo . photographs taken. After' several pictures: wero obtained hi'tho garden,, iny husband and .I posed at ''tho, billiard-table-while- the photographer arranged his flashlight apparatus. By some miscalculation ho put rather, too much flash-light powder out, with the,result.that when ho lighted it the oxplosion was so violent that it quito shook tho windows. In order , to. let the smoke' escape all the windows, which .happened ;to be in: front of tho houso. wero'opened, and a dense .black cloud floated out into tho front garden, which speedily attracted tho attention .of >passers-byv.>.. ( Within fivo. minutes' everyone, ill, tho neighbourhood .imagined tho houso was on fird, and it was only with tho groatest difficulty, that my husband prevented.tho firo engine, being sent for. .' .