The Portland daily press., 1878-10-16
A New French D,ar.p

"Maiie, the Woman of the People," the new
aGd powerful French drama, is 10 be acted at
the Portland Theatre on Thursday ans Friday
evenings. The story of the plot is as follows:
1t opens with French wedding feast, aud the
happy bride and bridegroom are Marie, the
woman of the people, and Bertrand, working
man. At this feast the evil getius of this
couple appears in the shape Of j san Remy, q
drunken rascal, who has been compapion of
Bertrand, good hearted but weak felo1 ", ard
who succeeds 10 getting him drunk on this very
feast day. Countess Adelaide is married on
the same day, and as she is retiring from the
church after her marriage she meets Marie on
her way to the altar. She meets her again
during the feast, is pleased with the pretty girl
and makes her promise to apply to her if in the
future she needs friend. Under the influence
of the tempter Remy, Bertrand fast sinks into
a vagabond, and Marie suffers all the pangs of
poverty and neglect. But her infant boy, who
is weak and puny for the want of proper nour-
ishment, absorbs all her devotion, and she
works night and day to save up money enough
to secure for him nurse. She has succeeded
in laying by thirty francs, which will provide a
nurse for month. But her husband discovers
her treasure, steals it and squanders it in a
debauch with Remy. In her despair the
mother determines, as the only means of saw
ing the life of her babe, to leave it at the
founding hospital. After depositing it in the
basket, and it is received into the hospital in
her terrible agony she falls lifeless upon the
snow, and is found in this condition by her
husband, whom, when she returns to conscious
ness, she den0unces as the cause of all her
misery and the loss of their child. The con-
scence-smltten man swears to reform and to
work for the reclamation of the child, whom
be, too, dearly loves. She then gives him the
tokens by which the babe may be identified.
This description is overheard by Or. Appiani,
an Italian, and villain who ls falsely passing
as a medical gentleman. Count ass Abel aide
has also had a child, boy, who s taken from
her after its birth to be nursed, and her hus-
band Is dead Dr. Appiani attended her, and
has schemed to marry the widow for her for
tune. Her love goes out with intensity to her
child who is sick, aud she promises him that
if he will save its life her hand shall be be-
Appini overhears Marie's directions to her hus-
baud, he determines to steal her babe and palm
it off upon the countess for her own. His
plans are succeeding to his satisfaction. The
boy is brought to the countess, who seeks q
woman to take care of it when Marie presents
herself A mutual recognition takes place.
and after Marie has told her story, the count
ess gives her the money to redeem her child,
and she rushes off to the hospital. But soon
she returns in terrible anguish with the CRY
that her babe has been stolen; and after be-
and recognizes in the countess supposed babe
her owe. Upon her declaring it her own, DR..
Appiani, who is present, pr0nOunces her mad
and she is conveyed to mad-house. Events
now rapidly transpire, until the villain Appis nj
is unmasked. Bertrand and Marie, with their
child are reunited, and the countess becomes
their fast friend.