The evening world. Newspaper, December 24, 1913, Page 9

The Evenin Frances Starr a Fascinating Study _ in “The Secret.” BY CHARLES DARNTON, NB thing's certain, and that ts that every man wi “ Secret," revealed at the Belasco Theatre last aut wal cone ayes te claring with added emphasis that he doesn't undoratand women, For t matter, even the woman up & all the tricks of her sex might find herself & loss to know just what to make of Gabrielle Jannelot, who, without any sarent motive, deliberately sets to work to wreck the lives of those about her, te almost carried down to disaster herself. H To mo it is this very lack of motive that makes Henri y Decullarly interesting, The late Clyde Fitch, you may recall, sa “The. Tenth through the same glasses, though less clearly, in the woman who was a con- genital llar, Gabriele 8 more than that—a born trouble-maker, an evil gentus ‘who guts ® drop of poison into her sweetest word, and yet, curtously enough, Qeems always to regret !t the moment the word is out of her mouth, ‘Thie was the most subtle and jilumin’ ‘ng touch that marked the perform- ance of Miss Frances Starr, @ performance essentially mental in ts suggestion for two acts, and therefore ao dimcult that in the hands of @ less gifted actress it would have been inexpifcable. Even those in the audience who may have been looking desperately for the ob- vious sort of thing that Js paraded night after night at the theatre must have seen that Gabrielle, as acted by Miss Starr, was not the ordinary woman duly labelled and carefully explained befor hand by the other characters. She worked in her own why to her own ends, senseless and disastrous as they were. In the opening act Gabrielle ga the clue to Ser perverse character when, after urging her friend Henriette to marry the devoted Denis, sho dropped a word about his height—he was not a tall man, ‘There you had her if you had your ears as well as your eyes" open, and when marriage of her friends, to by and Henrlette’s former lover, Ponta Tulll, to the country house of her aunt, it was quite apparent there would be the devil to pay. This altuation got on the nerves of Henriette, who, quite nat- urally, turned on her husband and astonished that exceedingly considerate pagtioman by crying out in the face of the assembled company that he annoyed ed Frances Starr as Gabrielle Jannelot. ‘his “‘ecene” struck me asa bit ridiculous, but what saved dt from ming imp. le was the earlier confession of Denis that he had always thought of the woman he would marry as one who had never loved another man, In that interview between Gabrielle and Denis there was more analysis of duman nature than is even dreamt of in the philosophy of most playwrights, Bernstein says things that a great many people t do not express for themselves, and fn this play he gives you a great deal to think about, When Denis walked in imistakable “scene” between Henriette and the man who had really cared more tor her than she knew, there was no mls- taking the meaning of the situation. grip of the play tightened here, though the stormy scenes that followed one another were so much In the Mature of repetitions that the author's Ingenuity came irfto question, Gabdrietio’s idea of a pleasant little house party certainly wasn't the con- Ventional one, The interesting piuse of it was that she blindly made herself the victim of the situation she brought about. In the end sho had ty are her poor, horrible soul, Tt was Uke a cancer that colied for the knife ff a surgeon, The sight of tt was tragedy in itself, But here mt last as the secret—Gabrielle could not ir to see happiness that she herself had not brought about. In her seifish- ness she was unhappy {a the happiness of others, This even extended to the ster of her husband, for she had drought about a quarre! that ended in @ law suit. As for the lover of Hen- riette, she had no interest in him, had though he did his best to interest her in the way men have with women when the the field seems clear—meaning French field, of course. In other Gabrielle had everything to nothing to gain, and when she 1 out her miserable soul to her bh the pathos of was intense tragically human, For my part, there were too many ee at the last, and it went against ad ® American grain, I should say, to F ve, nee Gabrielle grovelling tue feet of Frank Reicher as Denis Le Guerin, her husband. But through tea"s Marguerite Leslie as Henriette Ou- Miss Starr siepped into the first rank pti of American uctresses, emotionay and otherwise, Her appeal to the husband who had belleved in her and Idoliaed er crowned Miss Starr with a new glory—the glory of an actress who comes Into her own, In the opening act there was too much kultting of the brows, together with a step {1 the lighter moments that was in the direction of the tango, but ax a whole Miss Starr's performance was a brilliant achievement, Though Pow!l 1 placed himself In « ther atmosphere with his Finglish accent and manner, he not only gave a note of sincerity to Gabrielle's husband but he made the most of the humor that Bernstein placed in his way, Robert Warwick, a# (he lover who disappeared so quietly, proved by hin excel- Jent work how much Pavid Belasco can do for an actor whose volce may be toe big for lls own good, and Frank Retcher gave a keenly intelligent and atmorpheric” performance as the eultor and finally the husband of Henriette. In the role of the instinctively perfect Indy whose past interfered with her present, Misa Marguerite Lesiie-—who probably haa no wish to try to disguise fact that shp {a the alster of Mies Martha Hedman—acted with distinction, nity and feeling. The play ran too much to explanations tn the end, thereby beeoml: jome- hat tedious, but if you go to the theatre to be interested ‘The Secret” in a Jay you can't afford to As a wonderful analysis of the strangest woman on the stage it 1a the play of the year. And Bernstein aside, Frances ‘tarr Was a revelation, As it ls produced in this country, “The Seer isa plendjd triumph for Belasco and his brilliant star, who makes Gabricile a Fascinatisy te an ae. ¢ World Daily Magazine, Wednesday, Dece | hs alee ipledergahyacocesoiecrieledededed Co, (The New York Evening World), RONHIOR ’ , “John, do you know you talk a lot in your sleep?” “Well, what of it? It’s the only chance | get!” of me! Mrs. 'H, P.—Well, he growls less! SYNOPSI8 OF PRECEDING INSTALMENTS, Milton Brown's fad is camp |ife. Millloent, his young wife, goes to the wilderness with him, knowing oothing alont “‘rougung it," She is speedily dingusted with the kindy of amus {he forest provider She aud Milton day's fiwhing, carcting ale their lune tire: of fishing and demands to be put ashore the lunch basket, While she is alone on the bank, waiting there for Milton to return from the lake Ehree en come towant ber, One of them threat- eningly declares that the lunch basket ts his, (Continued,) ILLICENT stooped, replaced the little bundles of food in the basket and took the bas- ket on her arm. “Come on, now!" cried the man addressed as Bill. “That don't go, lady, Just hand over that lunch, It belongs to us—sce?" “Don't you dare come near me! Millicent managed to gasp. “I'll call my husband!" The men laughed. “Samay little plece, ain't she?" re- marked the man who had spoken frst, “Don't you let her kid you, Bill, ‘warned the little man, keeping alw in the background, Millicent, with her basket held close, started to get down to the shore; but Bill's companion moved to head her off. She turned to go to the other aide, but there stood Bill, his large jaw thrust forward agsressivel With dread locking her heart, she ran back among the trees until the blackberry thickets barred further advance in thig Girection, ‘The intruders were now talking in fow voice’, 1! passing a bottle around @mong themselves. What did they In- tend to do? Was it a rough backwoods Joke they were playing on her, or d they really mean ill? The tdea—say- ing the lunch was theirs! The !mpu- dence! Milicent thought of calling to Milton, but she realized he was too far away to hear, Then she thought of the revol. ver, which still lay in the Innch basket on her arm, But at this thought her heart beat faster than eve She vid not know which she feared mort—it or those ruffians, @uddenly sac raw Hill coming toward her again. 5 “Come on now," he grinned teasingly, “1 ain't going to hurt you, Jest nand ever thet junch!" “% bave @ revolver in this basket,” . Mr. Hen Peck—? really think you're fonder of that dog than you are Millcent's voice quivered. Rear me I'il—J'll shoot.” At this the two men lingering behind “If you come laughed aloud, and the little man re- peate “Don't you let ‘er kid you, Bil," Bill stepped quickly forward, Before she could move he tmd seized her arm. For an instant she hung, woking full into his bristly, grinning face, with Ite xquintis and hideous yellow teeth, She could even feel the warm waves of his alcholic breath, Suddenly she re- &ained control of her muscles. With a scream she tore from him and Tan along the edge of the thicket, Bill followed lelsurely, ax one sure of his prey; but Miiecnt finagined him eluteh- Sull running, reached into the basket, found the die of the revolver, and—stumbled! contents of the basket flew helter saelter, But Millicent staggered quickly to her feet, expecting every minute to feel herself struck to earth again. She faced about, a wild look on her face, and the revolver still tgit in her hand, Bill, now only two steps away, stopped short, Millicent, hardly knowing What sie did, pulled the trigger. The report echoed loud along the silent shore. Hil was unhurt, although tho flash at the powder must have singed him, #0 near had he stood. He gaye @ gruf ery and sprang back. His companion were already tumbling down the gentle bank to the boat, Millicent, ail a tremble, @hut her eyes, Bang! went the revolver again. ing at Ler close behind. Tr Bill overtook ‘his pals, The three shoved at their boat, Bang! went the third shot Bil was up to his knees in water, splashing at the stern of the boat, now fairly jaunched. Bang The echo ran alarm: ly through the woods, A thick spray of pine needles came plunping to the ground, Bang! It wae the fifth shot. Hang! And the cylinder was at last empty. Already several yards on the iake two of the defeated marauders were Jeriing zy at thelr oars, Tho third eat crouched low tn th tern , stil like one ty a dream, was the ground among the parceis of junch, She found a small, heavy box, She bit {t open with her little white teeth, She turned out the greasy cartridges on the ground Her husband's words were automatioaély repeating them- solves in her ensgy, , By J. K. Bryans “I'd like to know how that Jones woman keeps her complexion.” “Corked and In a cool place.” Binks—They tell me your wife Jinks—She certainly Is, the broom! jee You tako hold of this Mttle Sieger and pull up, and that breaks her.” Sho tugged at the mechanisin, and waa duly gratified to see the empty shelis spring away. She thrust new rtridges into the smoking chambers —8iX of them. Sho presses shut and ran to the sho had stopped rowing. They were looking behind them across about twenty-five yanis of water and reeds, Millicent shut her eyes and began fir- ing over the lake. She did not stop un- tH the small click of the hammer on an empty #heil told her the revolver was again empty She opened her eyes, With a frantic creaking of rowlocks, which already was becoming Anter and fainter, the boat containing the three men was rap- idly shrinking small against the oppo- site shore line. Near, along the left- hand bank, she w Milton comng, rowing like mad. Sho rested Imply in his arm: minutes before she could sobs. “But the shooting? You are not hurt? Who did the shooting?’ Milton puzaled, for some ck her She told him as best she c what had happened, de gazed at her im amazement “A woman can do anything when she has to.” She smiled faintly in ane swer to his look. Milton's teeth olenche his ruddy cheeks turned blush, as he began fully to realize all that might have come to pans Che curs!’ he muttered agala and again, “The dirty curs!" “But the unel Millicent euddenty Mlubbered, Breaking anew inte sobs. “Taal spoiled “There, there, t sched Milton, trying lun » eatin he Nover Ww sway, mind, never to the farm rivit phone to Thom, ind anyway, and nvile The Bher- bo waiting for that bunch when ‘back, We'll fix ‘em, all right! i get lunch at the farm to-day,"* “But we can't have our piente, * sntffied d ving at ov with the Nttle def, alr through. Milton red thoir scattered e+ ngings Into the bout, and they were soon #lipping acroms the water toward the farm. ‘The boat of the three men ‘was @ hardly visible speck on the east- ‘n horizon. “They've got @ long way to go yet panted Ofiiton, “We'll catch ‘om—with ae . c ‘C a very tenderhearted woman. She alwaye hits me with the soft end of) Wovingat, 11a, by Biece ay Aluuoy “is By Paul S. eee | For some time he rowed in silence. ‘The exertiongvas telling on bh deadly hot, Suddenly he paused on his vars. “Millicent” —— he began. ‘The rippled soothingly under the bows. “Yen, dear.” she answered quickly. “Would you mind-do you suppose It would be too much trouble t “To what, dear?’ “I was just wondering.” he blurted, “if you would mind trailing my line out back of the boat? Woe might—we might, you know— Oh, hang It, T hate to go in without anything!” Why, if you think T can, of course T Wil" QMlillicent's expression was very aerloun, Me adjusted the troiling-line for her, water and again they went on in allence. Sude denly Millicent gave a little cry Good Tard!” exclaimed Milton, “What ts it?" Vaguo fears selzed him of some dread development from the re- counter in the woods, gasped Millicent. ‘Oh, I'v wot ‘There was no mistaking that tone, At once he gas kneeling bestde her in the bottom of the boat. now, easy now!" Pull in alow, pull in lo Millicent’s whole body was aqutver, Inspite of herself, she could not keep fron dragging at the line with great Jerks, All at once «@ long, eelish crea- ture flashed out of the water only a few way. a dandy!” yeiled Milton, he coached “Punt An buttom of the boat, safely enmeshed instant later there Imy tn the fn the landing net, some three feet of flopping pickerel. “Five pounds if triumphed M he's an ounce!” ton, Ue went back beaming to the oars. | Millicent looked up at him from be neath her big hat. “Milton dear," he breathed, "I'm afraid I've been an awful fool"— “Fool!* interrupted Milton indignant- ly. He mado as if to seize her in hia arms, at cost of overturning the boat "Vhy, you're the gumest little woman on earth Millicent turned suadenly demure. hat brim hid her eyes, "1 was just wondering,” she mused, "If—If wo arent coming out again early in the morning?” ee Bat) | Mondays, A KRITH MUTE, DINNER FOR THE TitTteN CI | } FAVORITE The favorite recipes of famou women of the United States are printed in The Evening World Wednesdays and Fridays. Many of the dishes described have won national renown. Mra. Adelaide Worth Bagley. Jam, on quantity aa possitde in the saucepan, Preferably an aluminum one. About three-quarters of an hour will do, but If nut thick enough, jam may be done over any time, especially when making a fresh lot. If of somo other kind, all the better, We like a “mix-up” of several kinds—strawberry, peach, plum, grape, and go do some of my frienda who “never heard of such a thing’ before. One fot, last fall, had ax kinds of fruit in It, and it was good, Baker. Mrs. J. Tho (Wife of the N. J. Congreseman.) Lemon Pie. Ta: emus, one cup sugar, one cup of milk, juice and rind of one lemon, one tablespoon cornatarch. Put the mijk and cornstarch on the atove in @ double doller and etir untt! ‘it thicke Mix the sugar, yolks of engs, juice and rind of the lemon. 5-Minute Figh | By Alma OF AMERICA’S FAMOUS WOMEN Pour fi LISSEN- WE WiLL BUY A NICE CHOP ‘INSTEAD BECAUSE I'm SuRE THE KITTEN WOULD WANT ITS Mouse STRICTLY FRESH Alas RECIPES the thickened wtik over this migtura, then return to the stove and stir for if few minut Live a pan w Bt and bake; Gi with the custard and: cogt Ith the beaten whites of the emg, t which one spoon of a hay beens * added, and brown. Mra, Charles H. Babbitt. , (Writer) Jam, three-fourtha of a pound of . ae: Jorveet in enous to" 0 pound et they emplaftee Cake, crushed fruit, added when the fruit, Wagar, wha ovp ana nene ott, has come to the boiling point. A little With. LenapooH o8 Nt: oneehiat oves, allapice and ginger} on valuing Bet aniean to tan moat jam, stir caretuily with] (ue chepved raising and epicey to taste, ® wooden spoon, cooking as Iarme &! 1, those way-back “heginning-house- Keeping days, with a big garden fruit and several varieties of wild fruit, Just a Uttle way out of town, I made varlety of preserves, jellies, jams and pickles of various kinds. Of jate, with only the fruit to be found in the Wash ington market—not always ao fresh, nor #0 “Just ripe enough”—I undertake Hut & few things, Jellies and james mostly. Firat, strawberries; second, red plum, Jelly and jam; currants and grapes, fovetines, and poache when fatriy wood ones may be found, ‘ Ono reason for my uniform siccess with jelly, I think, is that T weigh tie! quantities—pound for pound—and never cook more than a pint and a half at a time, inte from the Reanomy | A.tmi | Cook Book by syectal permission wf the 19 WB. Conkar Company, Hammond. tnd. Cong 111. by Side’ Root Ithodes aod Grae D Porter ‘Hopkins, ts With “Fate” Woocward. Copyright, 1918, by The Prem Publishing Co, (The New York Hrening World), | “The Holiday Spirit.” © greater bunk than this “holiday spirit’ gag has ever been cotned. Where does the Joyous part of tt come in? Do you meet a single per- fon who doesn't five you the tale of how Christmas costs him more and more each year money's how tighter than {t ever was—how {t's al! going ont and nothing coming in? Men shell out and kick, Women shoo themselves to the verge of a nervous slump. Your wife's relatives ore fatally attentive; and the presiding genius of the Kas stove, instead of presenting the breakfast plates ¢ them until they and heats the of |, as anual, burn through mark the veneer allence-cloth the table, ‘owas and pushes you on nd in the shops and there {9 a common expression of agonined strain on the face of all human If tho gift-giving wei to those you wished to please there'd be some depth to the holiday eentiment rather is it a time when you rack your weary brain making out « Let of people whom you hardly ever see, but to whan you give elther because "they-migh aend - you - something - and - then-how- cheap-you' "or elxo because your ‘* a matter of annual routine, They don't want what you nd them and you hate the sight of what thov pend you. And when the day comes you eat about two and two-thirds aa much Qn the law allows; and wuffer for tt, in a sort of fond stupor, for the rest of the day. Ah, yes, ‘tls @ merry time, this holiday seaaon! But} at St for generations | But the principle of the thing is ail right, If onty It were carried out in the way it was designed. A time when all the worid lays down its cares and joina hands in a great ring-around-e-roay kame; when each moas-covered grouch releases the little aprite of childieh galety that It Imprisone during the rest of the year. To ve chi-dren again for a day! Gurely worth working for all year, After We've been soured, disillusioned and broken under the yoke, to feel that once a year have a legitimate A Worldwide excuse, to be kids That's what Christmas eugat an to us old ‘una, to mi And that's what it WOULD mean if we'll forget about the money spent, the Juseless gifts, the family malice anaes. thetized Just for the day—tf we'd formet everything except that we're going to evs and innocent Ralety We've @n- will hover about and ight up dark shadows that we thought rable, To mean that having In idulged the holiday spirit we'll find tts j Influence cropping up in unexpected places In the weeks to come 7 Anyway, !t won't hurt to try It, fo, this holiday time let's dream ourselves back to the time when we KNEW reindeer could fly. Let's Join the kid hearts ag well as our purses dies in ov eta ke the holylay from the Instde out, to pin tt on with as Let's forget #!! the cut-and-dried rules of how to hatch the Yuletide. galety and remember that the truest rule ja the elmplest Ro a child again just for to- spirit. grow fuatead of trying. of holly A Bonehead Play. 66] DON'T know much about basetall,” re. marked the grofew@or, who was glancing throug! the sporting colamme, ‘but 1 think 1 can answer that question, ‘What la the greatest bonehead play you ever saw!’ Well!” querial the doctor, to fill up the rhetorical pauue, according 10 the Chicago Tridy | itamtet,” tmoeaaively rejoined the profesor, 1 don't exactly ane the—-the"—— | *Haumlet takes skull, ‘Alay, knew fim, Tloratlo, A fellow “1'r09 atood a goo from you," interrupted the doctor, grasping his hat and cane, “but that abselutety and unec he worst 1 heard, Henceforth strangers, Goodby! i} —— A Poor View. | N trish witow who tives tn a email frame house on the V still emailer coctage in the rear of her house that sho rents to an aged Irish women who lives alone and rarely etire out, Sot tong ago th landlady wae Calling the ton- ent of come things che hed com im the paper ond The Day’s Good Stories. vt Side In Chicago has a) eaid: An’ them ‘Turks and Bulgarians! ‘Pho do be havin’ terrible time, "Pwas only yeater: day that the Turks grabbed thin by the halt si | pulled thim down the street,” “Glory be, that’s aw ant, ‘Then she sighed eroleimed the te added: “"Puat's Jn in the rear,”"——Saturday Evening Post, Up to Date. | OM weeks ago @ brilliant perform wet’ was given at the Grand T! Montreal, Between the fire and sroo: the mage managor saud 5 “Tadicn and gi mes, by a happy inno our distingwtished manager haa decided ning wheel of Marg ment, by & sewing mashing ing of which t an ame | wilt not lose a al the King of Thuk Margagot gravely took ber aept Defare the sewing machine, on which the name of the makor yas shown in Iuminous chameters, ond then, whee ohe of the deighidis song ef be gay and happy and youthfully trre- sponsible, Some one will be sure to aay: “Oh, yes! And how about the rude awakening, the aftermath? How oold and gray the dawn will det" it w T think we'd be aston: |, 1 to find that the glamour of the” ‘ q BY . 4 “ 2 + # se x ” ” a Pa eee2nscosin Mt, though; you never age anything when yuu lie’ ™