Patti’s Dog

Prima donnas, like plenty of ordinary people, often have a soft spot for pets. Adelina Patti certainly did. She owned a tiny dog of a rare Mexican breed—a gift from one of the Mexican presidents—and the little creature lived in luxury, traveling everywhere with the famous singer.

During an American tour, the dog died. Patti was inconsolable.

Not long afterward, at the end of a performance of Lucia, the diva came before the curtain to accept the audience’s applause and the flowers tossed toward her from all corners of the house. Among the tributes, someone handed up a casket of roses.

As Patti received it, the outer case of flowers suddenly sprang open. Inside, on a silk pillow, lay another tiny Mexican dog—meant to replace the one that had “joined the majority.”

The audience went wild at the sight of the surprise, and Patti was obliged to return to the curtain again and again—cradling and fondling her new treasure.