A TETRAZZINI STORY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 819, 17 May 1910, Page 3

A TETRAZZINI STORY.

Madame Tetrazzini has just had a Enrique experience in America, one. that edds. another to the diva's growing record of good deeds. A girl, whose acquaintance she had made'in San Francisco, travelled to New Xork to hear the prima donna sing- in "Lucia di Lominermoor.". She was taken ill in the great - city, and was held by tie doctor that if she went to the opera fhe went in peril of her life. During one of her daily drives, taken by tho doctor's orders, the young invalid stopped at the .singer's residence in West End Avenue and told Tetrazzini the story of her disappointment. "You! mustn't worry," said Tetrazzini, "and perhaps in a day or two you will be well" enough to come and hear me 6ing." But the singer was too much of an optimist. Next day the girl was too ill even to take her drive. She rang up Tetrazzini on the telephone and poured he;:, tale of woes into the singer's ears. "Well, my dear," answered Tetrazzini, " *if you can't come to hear me at the opera you shall hear me sing now. I have an accompanist with me, and if you listen, I will sing the Mad Scene from 'Lucia' for you." The girl was delighted. So was the telephone operator who happened to have heard the latter part of the conversation. She notified all the exchanges that were not engaged, and in a few ■seconds the prima donna had an unseen audience of some hundred or more appreciative telephone operators waiting at telephones all over tlie town to hear the , difficult music sung by its greatest living exponent. It was twenty minutes bo■~'fore tile excerpt was finished, and during that time there wero more wires "engaged" than ever remembered in the history of the New York telephone. [ When, the last note died away Tetrazzini took ', up - the receiver and "was astounded to., hear-■'a : -chorus' of "Brava," "Jis," "Encore," - and other . expressions of appreciation come over the wire. The [invalid was too grateful ' for spoken thanks, but the singer treasures a lotter.