| Show f i Y 1 t iS N i d Y Awa KOUI a p A photograph of Lina Cavalieri dating from about the time when r r fell in to love with IM NJ f l r h her Between Lucien PY i H y s PYs S Present Wife and His Former Sweet Sweet- t ti 1 heart for the Possession i I 11 r of His Unusually c 4 i Lovely Daughter R t j WN st st. Marceline t as appears bal bal- ballerina ballerina 1 4 as prima t lerina lerma at the Charming Ariane who ij A v j f f t Paris Opera has been the subject of such a r spirited controversy sy between her s r. r P e 4 mother and stepmother Lina Cavalieri By MARCELINE Prima Ballerina at the Paris Pans Opera PARIS OW ON that the French courts have NOW N given me back my child and I have prevented her father the operatic singer Lucien from marrying her to the son on of his present wife the tho noted Metropolitan star Lina Cavalieri I am at last able to publish the whole truth about this Cavalieri Maratore-Cavalieri mystery which is agitating the Paris world o of the theater as nothing has in many years It may sound like a melodramatic movie mo e tale but I will tell it frankly as I told it to the judge and without blushing I am just a plain ballet baBet dancer you see ee and some people may think this is merely another case where a girl from the ballet did not watch her step step and and slipped Many may think I should have com com- compelled compelled compelled to marry me and give our child a name Others may say I was selfish in wanting my daughter to share sharo my modest existence rather than let her live a life of luxury and gayety in the mansion of the wealthy diva who is now her fathers father's legitimate wife But will anyone censure me I wonder when the whole truth is known I know a ballet girl should have no heart She should be all legs logs stiff toes and no brains Her smile should be the kind that never comes off no matter what is going on inside of her If she loves a man and lives with him hima a full dozen years without the sanction of the law she should be glad I suppose sup sup- suppose pose if there is a baby to have some one come along and take care of it nut But could I go on dancing and smiling I ask you with the torturing thought in my heart that the wealthy woman who took my man from me now wanted to take aw y my little girl too and marry her to her own son The life of a ballet dancer is a droll mixture of joys and sorrows I 1 had plenty of both as you will realize when you read my story as I told it to the Pro- Pro of the French Republic I left nothing untold In order to get my girl back I had to prefer charges of abduction She will be back with me in ina ina a few days and I 1 could force her ber to re remain re re- remain remain main under my roof until she is twenty- twenty one but she is past eighteen now and able to think for herself So I 1 will simply ask her herr Ariane do you ou want to go to your father or stay with me I will look into her beautiful eyes and try to put all my heart beart into mine so ISO that she can see all the misery and the aching of it And if she says say the terrible words that I dread I 1 will hide bide my sorrow and simply reveal to her that she cannot under the law be Ariane and anda a stepdaughter of Lina Linn Cavalieri opera singer but that she is and must remain no matter where she lives the daughter of Marceline l prima ballerina Let me tell you my story from the bei be be- r i e l 1 Nr J 1 C C Cr r a i a f f l Y f. f 1 Ji s I i a n Wi 1 Ariane Ar The chateau when she was very beautiful was a very veryl ful but soon I Is small mall l l girl girland s m a noticed that Lu Lu- Lucien Luand Luand and her mother den cien and Lina Cavalieri loved 10 ve d ginning I was seven years old when I became a pupil of the Opera Ballet I Irose Irose Irose rose to stardom in due course of time and when I was twenty I met Lucien tenor at the Opera and fell passionately in love with him He was then married to Madame Be- Be riza also of the Opera but they were very unhappy together and had decided to divorce That was in 1905 About two years later in Janu Janu- January January January ary 1908 my little girl Ariane was born This was exactly ten months be be- before before before fore the neriza l divorce finally was granted by the French courts Lucien and I had been ideal lovers and immediately he was set free we started our happy little menage together at 8 rue Anatole de la Forge As the months and years passed we were known only as Monsieur and Madame Lucien was was the happiest father and best husband imaginable I say hus husband husband husband band because we both expected to have our union legalized as soon as Lucien was firmly established as a grand opera singer with an international international international reputation Social conventions do donot donot donot not count for much in the lives of singers sing sing- singers singers ers and dancers you sec see Then one day the beautiful Italian prima donna Lina Linn Cavalieri came to our cozy little flat fiat and stayed for dinner She had great jewels which she had brought from Russia where the wealthy Prince had been be n among her ber admirers and her stories of travels and successes were most fascinating At that time Lina lived in a magnificent magnificent cent chateau at Vallan near Paris which also was a gift from Prince She invited us to come and live with her a month and when Lucien insisted that it would be bo an nn af af- affront affront affront front to refuse we went there with our baby the servants baggage and all It was only a short trip from Paris and we could motor to our work in an hour one another They did not make a se secret se- se secret secret cret of it and I went back to my mother crushed and unable to fight for my rights which were only those of a mother and sweetheart Lucien Mura Mum tore tome frankly said he was through with me I was miserable beyond expression but my my baby and my work in the opera ballet saved me when I thought of sui sui- sui- sui cide One night I danced my solo num num- number number number ber in the Faust ballet Lucien sang Faust and Lina Cavalieri occupied my personal seat in the orchestra stalls All through my dance with the forty around me the hot tears were streaming down my face but I smiled right through smiled as if this were the happiest day of my life smiled even when I curtsied before the great Faust whose eyes watched ms m indifferently Such is the lot of the dancer Upon the outbreak of the war it be be- became became became came necessary for to join his regiment at Marseilles his home city Thence he was moved to Saint Dier near the front which was unfortunate fortunate on for him in view of the fact that he had just been signed with Lina Cavalieri for a atour atour atour tour in America He did not lot remain long with the colors however for the business of war did not agree with his voice Something went wrong with his vocal chords and be became became became came back to Paris It developed that Lina Cavalieri had obtained for him the permission to go and sing in New York Boston Philadel Philadel- Philadelphia Philadelphia phia and other American cities The papers said he could win more hearts in America by singing sin ng the Marseillaise than by fighting in the trenches of the tte Somme This was quite true When he reached New York his voice was better than ever and his successes were reported in all the Paris Pans papers 1 I forgot to say that and Cavalieri were wre duly married before they lift or 1 t f eP E rI rII I j cw I left Paris At that time legally recognized Cavalieri's son Alex Alex- Alexander Alexander Alexander ander Cavalieri as his own Alexander is now thirty-five thirty years old and an officer in the Italian flying corps It is to him they want to marry my Alane real daughter who was six years old when he and Cavalieri went to America All through the war never neve communicated with his little daughter When and Cavalieri re returned re- re returned returned turned to Paris after the war I brought suit for the support of my child and re re- received received re- re received a decree granting me francs about 25 a month This sum was paid me regularly and was raised by himself to monthly when I allowed him bim to take Ariane Ariana out three times a week This went on until 1924 when Mura Mura- tore suddenly decided to legally recognize recognize nize his daughter More and more my little girl who was then sixteen and doing well in her music and studies came under the influence of the Mura Mura- tore charm No woman could ever resist him In self-defense self I obtained the annul annul- annulment annulment ment of his legal recognition I wanted my girl to remain my girl I 1 refused to tobe tobe tobe be considered as nothing better than the childs child's wet nurse and when I read in inthe inthe inthe the social columns c cf the papers that Mademoiselle was being en en- entertained entertained entertained by wealthy American friends of her father I decided that that Made Made- Mademoiselle Mademoiselle Mademoiselle moiselle for whom 1 I had loo rw slaved and suf suf- suffered suffered suffered 3 should l remain Made Made- Mademoiselle Mademoiselle Mademoiselle moiselle Rou Rou- vier and MINE But even then I made the mistake of my life When Ariane begged me meto meto meto to let her travel with Cavalieri to Italy I consented hoping that my girls girl's heart would never give me up S I received no word from her in nine nine- nineteen nineteen nineteen teen days and the few letters she wrote later were cold and distant in tone me was wasa a changed girl She thought of nothing but amusement Her music and paint paint- painting painting painting ing were forgotten She was completely under the spell of the wealth of Lina Lins Cavalieri and md the charm of her father Still I held onto her The life she was leading in the company of her step step- stepmother stepmother stepmother mother had completely transformed her from a loving home girl who enjoyed her studies into a night-moth night who could not resist the fascination fas of jazz palaces and the champagne dens of Montmartre 1 I wanted Ari ne to make use of her wonderful talents and become an artist well able to support herself but the at at- attraction attraction attraction traction of pleasure was too much for her Last June she slept for the last time in my house bouse Her fathers father's persuasive charm and the constant display of the Cavalieri jewels weaned Ariane from her mothers mother's love and lured her to Italy Ah how I 1 remembered the impassion impassion- ate appeal in eyes when he be first won my heart and how I now realized the power he ha could wield over the heart of my child She Sho went with Cavalieri Cavalleri to Rome and notified me in a casual way that he had decided to marry Ariane Arlene to Captain Alexander Cavalieri of the Italian Flying Corps In this manner he ha expected to rein rein- reinstate reinstate reinstate state Ariane to the position she should occupy as his daughter F he said and give her the name of which was rightfully hers bers I h. h F 1 I IS I'S S h f Lucien photographed in a room of the Paris nest love which he was sharing with Marceline when he first met Cavalieri This may seem like a logical solution to some people but I the childs child's mother I. I do not think so Judge who is in charge of the case said that my complaint of abduction was well justi justi- justified fied fled and that he could have the girl legally constrained to return to her maternal ma ma- maternal maternal domicile but I am tired of fighting fight fight- fighting fighting ing this terrible battle of hearts I have ha tried my best No loving mother could have done more for her ber child So I will wiIl not let the judge use compulsion I have fought for eighteen years and I am all used up When my little girl comes back from Italy with Lina Lins Cavalieri I shall shaIl go to the Gore Care de deLyon deLTon deLyon Lyon to meet them will be bethere bethere bethere there too I suppose Perhaps I wont won't have a chance to ask i Ariane if she wants to go with her father instead of coming Home with me She may not notice me when her father takes her into his arms arras and carries her off to his waiting limousine It is uch such a terrible question to ask a n child I think my voice would fail me It would be so awful to hear her say No mother I must go with my father And yet it must be done even if my heart breaks under this last cruel blow of destiny Ariane may decide to turn her back upon me but she will never be a Mura Mura- tore with my consent Until she mar mar- marries marries marries ries with my consent she will remain Ariane daughter of Mademoiselle Mademoiselle Mademoiselle selle Marcelina Marceline prima ballerina at the Opera But nut it now begins to appear that my mother love has triumphed in the heart of Ariane as well as LS in the courts While I was writing these last few lines a telegram tele tele- telegram telegram gram arrived from her It reads Life of pleasure is meaningless less with with- without without out you Am coming home Proud to tobe tobe tobe be a That message me sage makes me the happiest woman in the world Heaven be praised my beloved Ariane is all mine again |
