Newspaper Page Text
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.77v
Wilhelm, entering New York harbor.
He had just finished a successful
autumn season abroad, singing in
various capitals and receiving the
decoration of the order of St. Michael
from the hand of the king of Bavaria.
But
"Eet eez all hot'ing," said Caruso.
"I seeng. I have always done that.
What eez zat to me heh? Bene,
bene, tra-la-la-la!" And a little show
er of golden notes rippled out over
the North river.
"Be .careful," I suggested. "You're
losing money."
"Money?" The big shoulders drew
up in an Italian shrug that shoved
Caruso's picture, drawn by him
self, only numerical figures entering
into its composition.
the fur collar of his overcoat over his
ears. "What do I care for ze money?
Eet goes like waterrr! Ever-r-ry-body
want money excep' me. I no care.
Br-r-r-r-r! Eet eez cold."
"What do you care about?"
"Me, I like to be an artist what
you call artist to draw. "Not pretty
paintings or like zat, Jrafc cartoons,
car-ic-a-tures."
"Then why. don't you?"
"But I do. Only, I am so beezy.
No tempo. I can only draw when
zere is not'ing else to do. Yet I draw,
almos' every week, caricatures- for
my frien' Marziale Sisca, to use- in
his giornale, ze newspaper, La Follia
di New York.' I no charge him for
zem I give zem to him. An' I no
draw for anybody else in ze world.
Zat eez friendship to give wizout
return.
"But eef I deed not have to seeng,
I would be better artist."
"It's a sad world," I admitted.
"What else would you like to be, sig
nor?" "Ugh a rob-berrr!" The tenor's
swarthy face took on a demoniac
look. Lips curled, eyebrows bristled
and eyes flashed.
"Again," I suggested rudely,
"you're losing money, signor. Broad
way would pay to see that."
"How of-ten moost I say I care.not
for ze rponey? Eef I were rob-berrr,
I rob for excitement an' glory."
"What sort of robber would yoju
be? A bank robber a train robber
a pirate?"
"To hold up un treno an' roba ze
passagieri, zat would be fine. But
'pirate'. what eez zat, signor?"
"Why, a sea robber."
"Gr-r-r-reat!" shouted Caruso,
striking another hundred-dollar pose,
raising his big, ivory-headed, gold
filigreed cane and holding it like a
pirate captain's cutlass. "I weel com
mand a pirate sheep. I weel sail to
inferno. An' I weel draw caricatures
of all ze men I make walka ze plak.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
A CHILD TAXPAYER
Sarah Rector, who will pay the
largest income ta in Oklahoma, is a
child of ten years.and of mixed blood.
She is the descendant of a Creek
freedman and received her allotment
of 160 acres, which has become ex
tremely valuable, owing to the fact
that the "Jones gusher," the biggest
oil well in the midcontinent field, is
'on the property. The well produces
about $2,500 worth of oil a day, and
she receives one-eighth as her share.
She, it is said, never saw the land on
which the -gusher was struck.
