The evening world. Newspaper, January 3, 1911, Page 19

, Phe New Plays Ee. BY CHARLES DARNTON. | I You are looking for that dear old stage Jady who hobblos along trailing @ “We Can’t Be as Bad as All That’ Might Be Worse. dedraggied past, you will find her at Nazimova's Theatre, where, to the extent | of three acts, Henry Arthur Jones insists “We Can't Be as Bad No, of course not! Mr, Jones doesn’t mean us at all. He means the people in his play, who are a rotten bad lot, taken as a whole. Compared with. most of | them the lady who wears an old-fashioned past with a new-fangled gown le @ Snow-white angel. Just to be agreeable she mingles with the familiar country- Rouse set of which English playwrights are so fond and of which we are ao tired. T'm at a loss to know why Mr. Jones bothered to lug the whole crowd over here when he had London right at his doorstep, unless it was because of his love for the Authors’ Producing Company, which seems to be a curiously international organization. | However, young American authors need not be alarmed. Mr. Jones has not Drought over any new ideas, The idea of his play is as old as “The Degenerate,” + The heroine's past dates back to her sweet sixteenth year, or thereabouts, when she had the misfortune to run off with a man who was married, only to have him Ge by her side—in a carriage. And now the man who was the best friend of the gentleman who was eo badly upset hangs around on the edges of the unpleasant house-party waiting for her to say she will be his wife. Her past hurte her so Scutely that she doesn’t trot It out until she has rested for a moment in his arms, | and when she does place it on exhibition and he walks sadly out of the room, ane! calle herself a fool. Mr. Jones seems to be inordinately fond of ladles with pasts, so fond of them, All That.” | indeed, that are almost led to believe that only unlovely, unpleasant women have no pasts. But Mra, Engaine, unlike the earlier Mrs. Dane, doesn't lie about She outs ‘with it quite calmly, first to Lady Carnforth—who, morally speak- ing, ts no lady—and then to Sir Ralph Newell, who loves her so that he can’t enter into the frec-and-easy spirit of the house-party at all. There is no “great Sosne” this time, but Mr. Jones makes up for this by giving us ‘ithe great pearl robbery.” To pull himself out of debdt the scapegrace brother of Lady Carnforth “Ufts" Mrs, Engaine's necklace. From the moment the necklace ts missing Mr. Jones 1a 80 busy casting pears before pasts that his play loses its balance. It doesn't settle down agale to the real business in hand until Mrs. Eng her stepdaughter Violet from the wick the girl, but lets him keep the necklace. » through the loss of her pearls, on young man. She makes him give up It's worth only $10,000 anyhow—a mere trifle to Mrs. Engaine. She closes Lady Carnforth’ mouth at the same time, and finally walks off with her past and Sir Ralph, who feels better now. If Mr. Jones hadn't written “Mrs. Dane's Defense" many years ago and if ry Davies hadn't written “Mrs, Gorringe's Necklace” what later, —I simply won't write ail that again—would seem much more striking jee at this late day. ‘The play is as wordy as its title, but it has its ine Moments, and it ie very well acted. teresting Miss Katharine Kaelred does enough to be an authority on pasts, plays the middle-aged lover with sincerity and poise, and William Hawtrey ts amusingly successful ag @ scandal-monger. Bat Ivo Dawson makes the bad young man a rather bad Joke, If you are willing to overlook the fact that the play, like its heroine, has a | you will no doubt find it interesting. Judged as a machine-made play it ts | rly g00d piece of work. “We Can't”—well, to cut it ahort, it might be worse | “Marriage a la Carte” a Success. ought to become a habit at the Casino for four ‘“a ARRIAG = A LA CARTE" M good reasons: Ivan Caryll'’s music is as lvely end pretty as the 1911 Girl; C, M. 8, McLellan’ lyrics are the brightest that have illumined Liebler & Co. have @ “find” in Mies Wehlen. She has, abov. @ feal gift for happiness, which her song, ‘Smile, Smile, Smil Nentfully, She ts not only a new figure on our stage, but @ trim and graceful cne as well. Flaxen-haire’ and blue-eyed, and with a face that lights up itke has charm rather than magnetism, and her sunny pex + together with a pleasing voice, made the whole house her friend the moment she flashed upon the scene last night. Her careful English 4g all the Detter for an accent that gives it @ Viennese flavor, and her ability to make herself at home on a strange stage helps her immensely. She was captivating from the first, but it remained for @ “Chantecler" song to bring out her droll fense of humor. This spring chicken is quite the best thing on the bill of “Max ria la C | One look at Harry Conorts beaming face was enough to show that he had not | taken the vell—a fear that has been steadily growing of late. His patent leather fmile ald not come off this time, and with the brightest lines in the plece to keep | him busy he was in his element as @ “performing fish.” Even songs came his Way. He made a very good beginning with “What's the Use of Going to Beit" | end later on turned another honest jaugh with ‘Thrifty Mabel” | The other men were eo homely that Mr. Conor seemed a howling beauty by | comparison, but the most awful apparition tn this chamber of male horrors, an Englishman named Charles Brown, turned out eurprisingly well when he leaned | honchalantly against a column at one side of the stage and more in confidence | ‘han in music let the audience know “Casste’s Not a Bit Like Mother.” Fle was &s merry and bright as that other Cuthbert in “The Arcadians.” The first inti mation he gave of being a comedian was when he brought down the house and Mise Elsa Ryan's hair in a desperate dance that went with the song, “Captain Dinklepop.” But the fun that this riotous turn caused was spoiled in @ measure | when he holsted Miss Ryan on his shoulder and carried her off like @ bag of unladylike tricks. Miss Ryan scored a resounding hit with “When Zim Zim | Go the Cymbals,” in the first act, and she was the life of the party until Mias Webjen came along with her clever wire-walking song. \ Vor lack of the same lively sort of music, the second act slowed down a bi, and the last act dragged dangerously toward the end, but Mf. Caryll should have | Bo diMiculty in bringing the whole performance up to concert pitch. Too much is deft to @ book that 1s not nearly so entertaining as Mr. McLellan’s clever lyrics, | But when an English showgirl eays “Tho woods seem full of your ex-fathers,” what can # poor author do to he!p htmiself? The four Galety girls were unoon- | ectously funny until they tried to sing, ‘and then they were almost tragic, ‘There was little beauty in the chorus and even less in the staging of the | Plece, but with ite delightful music and tte other good things “Marriage « la | Carte” scored a jolly euccess, Betty Vincent’s Advice to Lovers Sadden Friendships. OUNG people, do not form friendships too quickly, It Y ie easier not to make f: ds too quickly than to break a fri nip too hastily formed, These few words of advice should be remembered, par- Ucularly by girls who are prone to consider men whom they have but a few times as old acquaintances, Dear girls, do not call young men whom you have known but a few weeks by their first names, And do got | ur dignity guffictently to allow them to call you by | +> name, ae ly. A note of thanks or a formal invitation 1s ons | Vince: but Jong, friendly letters are quite different. 4, my dears, above all things, do not exchange photographs unless you ee ae well the man to Whom you are entrusting your Ifken, friendships that you Two Years. | YG man who signs his letter " wel A “Tam in love with @ young lady and I am going West to avttie, In two years I expect to be tn a position ber gn serve. Very fo in remember your dignity and reserve. St ae on raat are worth the having, anyway. Ost of Town. YOUNG girl who signs her letter A “M, P." writes: “I am engaged to @ young man | who lives out of town, Ho comos to #09 | every week, Is It proper for him to | ee over night at my house? I lve | (o marry. Would it be falr to the girt | with my father and mother?" I Jove to ask her to watt that long?” Inasmuch as you live with your father | Quite fair, and If @he ‘oves you she end mother it 1s quite propor for your ' would rather walt for you than marry Gamce to atay over night at your home. anysother mam. ref ? \* The Evening World Daily Mag ” azine, Tuesday! January 31 194i* Flossy; { Fer (Ts OY Ty wb thes Hansee’ You The LEMod , AGA, Lh *, To_opnes — 3 ‘Ww OW Yes, Floss¥s sv Hones Tre RUNT BUT Re onoe'T Peatecd ‘Tol From Tre Rex? Man - As Yin ERiend \ % PP Oh, You Ophelia! «ve rning Co, Fipss, ON 1 By Clare Victor Dwiggins (ibe New York World), 0 STAY ANO Here You, Got To CoGcs Here. PRrosaget 62 A ARTIST, HUNT THe WHY, | eect Her Was Te Doves Rey Non in His MAMA'S KiToHeH + WHY DON’T You WHERE FP wit, Rises Handy Andy WHY DON'T SHE BRING fOdds and Ends IN THE BREAKFAST 2? ayaa THE WORST You've. & Sunday-School Teacher—Can you tell me what David said when he had Gollath, the Phil! champlon? stone In his me) 1 guess it must have been David that err FF & BRAINS ARE Goon THings! You HAVEN'T oo A PRET TF “His uncle left a pile of money on condition that he'd buy a “Did he do it?” “Yepl He went and bought Almseif the biggest diamend In town," A ew, By Joe Ryan r (Copyright, 1910, ty Meurics Leblanap gznorsr CHAPTER V. (Continued) |T was not too late. Nenutrelet | was just able to catch the| train | “Well, eal Beautrelet, rub- | Ding his hands, “I have spent ‘only two hours or so at Cherbourg, but | they were well employed.” He did not for @ moment think vu. | accusing Charlotte of lying. Weak, | unstable, capable of the worst treach- eries, those petty natures also obey pulses of sincerity; and Beautrelet read in her affri shame for the harm which #he had done and her delight in repairing it in part. He had no doubt, therefore, that Chateauroux was the other town to which Lupin! had referred and where his confeder- Atos were to telephone to him, On arrival in Paris, Beautrelet took every necessary precaution to avoid being followed, He felt that It wan 4 serious moment. He was on the right road that was leading him to his father; one act of imprudence might | ruin all. He went to the flat of one of his |#chool fellowa and came out, an hour later, irrecogniaable, rigged out as an Englishman of ures, ns bebve check cult, with — knick 5 jwtockings and a cap, a high-colored complexion and a He jumped on or | painter’e outfit and rode off to the Gare @ Austeriits. | that night at Issoudun. The ant seer mounted his machine post-o! asked to be put on to Paris. As he bad to walt, be entered into conversation | with the olerk and learnt that, two fot easly discovered the owner {he eis, who, however, had ne infor: ply. jot | mation to Another ARSENE & % © LUPIN Story The Hollow Needle” By Maurice Leblanc im-} had woolen | ior w bicycle laden with @ complete |, Ria father nimestt. The handwriting Vreeented all the peculterities, all the oddities of which well. "Wil theee lines over reach lines r you, my dear oon? I dare not believe it. tion we travelled LJ the whole of my by motor car; then, in morning, carriage. I could nothing. My eyse were bandaged. castle in which I am confined should! somewhere in the midlands, to ji \ Ite construction and the Vegetation \in the park. The room which I occupg! is on the second floor; tt is a room A pda ae One of which ts oc! y @ sorgen of e In the afternoon I Sh atlowes to about the park at certain hours, am kept under unrelaxing “I am writing this letter on the ghance of ith reaching you and to a stone. Perhaps one day I be able to throw it over the wall some peasant will pick it up. ; “But do not be distressed about ma am treated with every consideration, “Your old father, you and very sad to he ts giving you, BRAUTRELBT.' Isidore at once looked Ct marks. They read, “Cusion, The Indre!_ The department which he had been stubbornly searching fer weeks He consulted @ little pocket which he always carried, Cusion, cS Canton of Dguzon—he had been too, For sake he discarded Dervonality as an be without delay: “A letter posted on Wednesday exolaimed the Mayor, trad i whom at the end of the village and ‘Monsteur le maire, waid I. ‘And does “Certainly. Only double postage pay om it he difference.’ nd where does he live?” “He lives over there, all alone—on e hovel tha i magni away with @ great eplutter and they saw that the were flying out of Fan quickly to the cottage. The food open. They entered. At the 1 damp room, oa ® ‘wretohed straw mattress, flung on the floor iteelf, lay a man fully dressed, “Gaffer Charel!" cried the Mayor. “ip he dead, toot” ‘The man's haade were cold, his fage terribly pale, but his heart was etill beating, with @ faint, slow th @nd he seemed sot to be wounded ta say way. y to resuscitate him and, as tried they failed in their efforts, Beautrelet ‘went to fetch a 4 He hed hired out his | ceeded | horse and trap to a man who brought F | back himeelf next day. ‘atly, that same evening, Teidore found out that fede tong car had 4 paseod jun, continuing road toward Orleans, that ie to say, peo- | 4 travel nearly three hundred we pest France in order to tele- phone from Chateauroux and next to return, at an acute angie, by the Paris road? ‘This tmmense definite object: place assigned to him. oa this place {s within reach of hand,” sald Laldore to himself, quiv- ctreu't had @ more to move M. Beautrelet air as I. at once, Taking « He set to work aan . he divided it into raromce ich he visited one after the Other, entering the farmho making the peasants talk, calling on the school- fnasters, the BMayors, the parish priests, Rhatting to the Women. It seemed to fin that he must attain his end with- rt delay and his dreams grew until it was no lon 4 to deliver, but all those whom Pepin was holding captive: Raymonde APisaint-Veran, Gantmard, Holmlook ‘and others, many would, me, reach Lupin's strong- [ot she come the impenctrable retreat | hold. tne was Dilig up the treasures of | where he nad robbed the wile world, | eee after # fortnight’s usoless search- ‘ie enthusiasm ended by slacken- 1a he very soon lost confidence. 18 aig success Was Blow tn appearing, eonone day to the next, almost, he from ite belleve In tt; and, though he continued to pursue his plan of investi- coy, he Would have felt @ real eur- vese it his efforts had led to the small. covery. days of discouragement. He read tn the coy papers that the Comte de Gesvres ana his daughter had left Ambrumesy ang gone to stay Near Nice. He alee Nurned that Harlington had been re- leased, that gentleman's innocence hav- {ex vecome felt-obvious, tn accordance ‘With the indications supplied by Arsene lapilore changed his headquarters, ee tablished himself for two daye at the Chatre, tor two days at Argenton, The was the same, Terust then, he Was nearly throwing up the game. Evidently, the gig in which hia father had been’ carrted off could only have furnished @ stage, which had been followed by another stage, fur- imned by some other conveyance, And his father was far away, Hie was thinking of leaving, when, one Monday morning, he saw on the en- | yelope of an unstamped letter, sent on to him from Paris, a handwriting that ing, ‘get him trembling with emotion, go | great was his excitement that, for some 6 dared not open the letter \ tor tear of @ disappointment, His hand shook, Was !t possible? Was this not fa trap for him by bis infernal enemy? Ho tore open the envelope. It waa in- | goed @ letter from his father, ezitten dp | In the middle of the night lowed, howev: Isidore, who watching by his side, observed breathing became stronger whole being appeared to be thro off the invisible bonds that it At daybreak he woke up end te sumed his normal functions; ate, and moved about. But the wees long he was unable to reply young man's questions and his seemed as though till numbed bg, inexplicable torpor. ‘The next day he asked Beautretets “What are you doing hore, est” _ It wee the Gret time that Be Gad shown surprise at the presences of @ stranger beside him, Gradually, in this way, he all bis faculties. He talked. He plans. But, when Beautrelet asked about the events immediately his sleep, he seemed not to And Beautrelet felt that he not understand, Hehadlost the tion of all thet had happened Friday before. It was ithe « his father alone whom | S*? truth lay there, in those eves seen the walls of the park behing his father was watting for him, ém hands which had picked in that muddled brain which whieh from those bands, from that Sau fe was unable to extract the faintest of the truth #0 near at hand! Oh, that impalpable and obstacle, against which all his hurled themselves in vain, thar bulit up of silence and oblivion! How clearly it Dore the mark of Arsene kau- pin! lone, informed, no doubt, that M. Beautrelet had attempted to give a signal, he alone could have struck with partial death the one man whose evi- dence could injure him. It was not that Beautrelet felt himself to be discovered or thought that Lupin, hearing of is stealthy attack and knowing that « letter had reached him, was def himvelf against him personally, But what an amount of foresight and real intelligence 4t displayed to suppress eay possible accusation on the part of that chance weyfarer! Nobody now that within the walls of a park lay @ prisoner asking ‘or help, Nobo¢y? Yes, Beautrelet. Gaffer Charel was unable to speak. Very well, But as least one could find out which fetr okt man had visited and which was Jowical road that he had taken to by. And along this road perhaps dt would at last b@ possible to find— Isidore, not to cept with the in such Aan je now dec! He now “io Be ¥ 4