I was not
unhappy as I was doing something to help along the good work of
regaining our footing and I worked willingly, but the operas of Norma,
Les Huguenots, Faust, Aida were heavy and required long rehearsals,
the theater was damp and cold and sometimes I wished myself out of it.
After singing in ten heavy operas I caught cold and was obliged to
stop, much to the disappointment of Mr. Lyster, as he had hoped to
take me with the troupe. But I was too ill and besides my sons were
too small to leave them behind, so I canceled my engagement and closed
my career in opera.
Before I recovered, Mr. Blake had settled as best he could and left me
to go to Reno, where his stocks were, to see if anything could be
saved at all. When he returned after three months' absence I had
taken the upper part of the house at the corner of O'Farrell and
Stockton streets, and with what furniture I still possessed I started
to rent rooms. I had also gotten the choir position as alto in St.
Patrick's church on Market street, on the lot where the Palace Hotel
now stands. While employed there a church was being built on Mission
street, where it now stands. When the basement of the new church was
finished the congregation was moved to Mission street, and we
worshiped in the basement until the main church was finished. I had
one room left to rent where I was on O'Farrell street when one day, to
my surprise on answering the bell, Mr. William Kitts of the opera
troupe called to rent a room.
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