Infelicia

INFELICIA - INTRODUCTION. T IIE materials for n biography of Aiil. l I i n c j l lelilccn are meagre enough. . l nagazine n ticle here nntl there, a few words in this or that bool of 1. e11iiniscences, n wretched little pamphlet issued in IY S v, ilely xvritten nntl vilely rinted, n liose credi1 ility is 011 a pnr iritb its impo. i ble gl-ammar, -the arc the olily meiiiurials. of the 1 rilli lnt ant1 I eautif wlo man who tn-enty-five years L wOas the tall of t vo continents. Ilie ilormful lire is over, the passionate heal-t is zt I-eqt, the queenly I ody is du-t, m dth e j e a l o psa st has leit I I i i O g i l v d t u e save tlii Ilnn 1ful oi verse. w l i c ly o u call re. 1 1t llro gll in nu hour-wliich, oncc . e, ltl, yot cnli lever fol-get. Let us tl-y, ho re er, to i e ctoeg ether thc fclv itclns of x r w i ahli, tory that c l11 l e tlel ellrlcd 011 as nuthc itic. Adnlls 11nl tismnl nnnle nXstl elaiile IcCor l. S l e v 35 1 ol. n June 15, IS, within n fcw 11iilc. i Ne v Orle, uli, La., nt n place tllen knoxvn as Chartrain, ant1 no v a h1iluel ul. g. it the time cf her l i tlhi er Fnther, Jnn cs IIcCol- l, was l merchant in good circu i stauce b s u, t 1 usi-Ilci, rcrerses overtool him 2nd wlien she W I arely . . . 111 eight years old, he died, leaving two chiltlrcn besides Adelaide 110th younger than lierirlf, a 1vic1on.-and nothing else. Luckily, Mr. 3IcCorrl had been nli ardent lover of dancing, nncl hntl put his iittle gii-Is, nlmust as soon as they coulcl use their legs, under the tuition of a French dancing-master. Their progress had been astonislling, m dit vai prol al lyt1 irougl the dancing-masters influence tlint hIrs. RlcCortl, tlriven ljy pove-ty, secureil a positionfor her two claug11te1-si n tlie I nlleta t the Xe 7 Orleans Opera-hou e. They were I no tio the pulllic as the Tl eodore sisters, allcl s, oii I ccanie g-eat farorites 1101 only I elore, but I ehintl, the footligl ts. Atlnh vn, ir rth e brighter, the c1iec. 1-it.-t, h e more arch alitl l iquxnt. She enrly c1evelol etl n p. lssionnte lo-e of study, nucl cven ns a child, worn out ns - 11c vns Ily reheal-. ds and je-iorma. schees, d el-otetl I ers ljnre time to mnstering Sl, l li ll, Fre lcli, ant1 the cl, . iic la lgunge.. At the age of tlvelve slir is snitl to linve Ijeiyun n t allslntion of Iiomel- s Iiiclct- completing her nrtlnous task wit11 tliuml ll, says her enrly I io ral llewr, h ose wortl c in l nrtlly1 1e recei-eil, 11oweve1-u, nlesi lie linc v Greek n gl-ent dell1 lletter than lle new E11gli li. At filul-tee l she nrns n vonlnn, n11r1 Iicr rnnrvelol q beauty lind cnp iuretl tile tow11. Eefore he nns scvcnteen she hn i Innrried a l ljod1vyh o. e very nnme seenls 11, llnvc been fol--gotten, who treated lier cruelly, and vho finally allalitloned her. Ye next hear of her, still in hcr tccns, n. tile Q1ice11 of the Plnzn, the favo. itcd n11seu e nt the Iacon Thentre in Havana. Returning to the United States, she wandered out to one of the newly-created cities of Texas to assist an amateur company which, in dire need of a competent actress, had sent down to New Orleans for the purpose. For a few months she buried herself in the wilds of the new State. At Liberty, Texas, she established a paper which had a very brief existence, and at Port Levanca she met with an extraordinary adventure which was a fitting prelude to a romantic career. A huntingparty that she had joined one brightmorning fell in with an ambush of Indians, who captured her and Gus Varney, an arrant coward in the party. An Indian girl called Laulerack-herself a captive from another tribe, reserved for a repugnant wedding-took pity on the white maiden, and they 110th seized an opportune moment to make their escape from the camp...