reations, such as "Boris"
and "Ivan the Terrible."

January, 1908, saw me on my native heath in Boston. I sang four
performances in six days--"Faust," "Madame Butterfly," "Elizabeth,"
"Pagliacci"--and the reception was a tornado of enthusiasm, to which the
historic walls of the old Boston Theater resounded. The conservative Hub
did not deserve such an appellation in the case of my welcome. I was
filled with pride and gratitude.

My own home town also wanted to share in the festivities; whereupon a
concert was arranged, and I returned to sing in the brick town hall
that had first sheltered my early efforts. At the close of the programme
I shook hands with every man, woman, and child who desired a close
scrutiny and personal greeting--and you may be sure I was not allowed to
abandon my place on the stage till all had availed themselves of this
invitation.

The following morning the Mayor and several prominent townspeople called
for me, and we visited the pupils of my former schools. They were all
ready, in line, to greet me, flags in their hands.

When an address was suggested, I arose with alacrity--and introduced my
friend Kate Douglas Wiggin, as speaker. Despite her surprise she rose
gracefully to the occasion in a most flattering little speech, to the
delight of her youthful hearers. I was, indeed, most fortunate to have
had a Mistress of Ceremonies of such tact and charm.

Meanwhile Mr. Conried's failing health was necessitating a change of
management at the Metropolitan, and the choice fell upon Mr.
Gatti-Casazza, of La Scala, Milan, in conjunction with Andreas Dippel,
the latter a member of our company and very popular with New York
audiences. With contracts for Berlin, Paris, and New York, the old cry
of "overwork" was dinned into my ears, but less than ever was the
moment for immediate rest possible. I was about to make a new contract
with the Metropolitan under a different management, new artists were
engaged who might reasonably be supposed to share some of the repertoire
which I had not yet sung.

[Illustration: "AS PRETTY A FLOCK OF BIRDS AS ONE COULD FIND ON ANY
FARM"]

It behooved me to keep well within the public eye and to make my
position as advantageous as I could under the new regime.

Not having acquaintance with Mr. Gatti-Casazza, I preferred signing my
engagement with Mr. Dippel; but all our arguments came to naught when he
found I was firm in my proposals to improve upon the old contract,