The San Francisco call., 1896-12-13
GREER WRITES COMEDY.
A Play for Miss Kidder With
Plenty of seric. Comic
Hypnotism.
"a Fixed lea" Soon to Be Produced
by the Well.Known Actress.
Private Reading Last N ght.

William Greer Harrison has written an
other play-this time a comedy. It was
all prearranged with Miss Kidder when
she was here gaining fame and good
opinions in "Sans Gene" Miss, Kidder
said she wanted play and Mr.. Harrison
consented to evolve one for her. He had
something OF 1t in mind at the time and
talked it over with her, and Miss Kidder
said it was just the thinr.
She went away and Mr.. Harrison went
to work. A few days ago he received a
telegram of anxious inquiry as to the
status of the performance and the answer
was returned that copy had been mailed
to her that very day. So it is all COM
pIeted and last evening to little party of
friends assembled at the authors home
the play was given it first reading.
George Adam, who has been assistin G
Mr. Harrison in some details. especially
in arranging and interpolating the Stage
.'business," was the reader.
"a Fixed Idea" is the title ana hyp-
notism is made use of in evolving the
rather novel and somewhat daring theme.
The heroine is a delicate, highstrung.
brilliant young woman Of varying moods,
disposed to speak out just what occurs 10
her. Her name is Mabel and she is called
dex to her character.
The villain is Felix Ferris, stock
broker, who has powers as a hypnotist.
When Mabel's husband died, considerably
before the play opens, Felix, who was the
customary friend of the family, immedi-
ately began to make love to Mabel, who
| refused him. He placed her under hvp.
motto spell and tried 10 ruin her. He
| failed in this but hoping to break down
her moral safeguards undertook to create
! the impression in her mind while under
a spell that she had been guilty with him.
In this he was successful and this is the
! fixed idea" which gives the motif to the
play.
The opening scene is laid at Lake Tahoe
and there Manles' hand is sought by
| Major Tobin Standish ofthe United States
army-a gentleman after Mabers heart III
all senses of the term. She is ksur-
rounded by friends and relatives and there
| is much. pretty byplay Mabel being any,
thing but a melancholiac.
She refuses to allow man or woman to
kiss her, however, because of the sense
that her lips would be defled. Ferris
seeks ner out here and again places her
under the spell. and as he covers her face
with kisses is discovered by her lover and
| others, who come to the rescue with the
cry of coward" This is the first curtain.
The second act is still at Lake Tahoe,
and is a rather strong scene between
| Mabel and her lover, which opens by the
| army officer the edge of her Lingerie, !"
proceeds by more than half confessing,
very seriously, to her unholy relationship
with Ferris, and when he, in his horror,
| has left her alone, concludes with her
making an effective fall, with curtain.
In the third act Ferris undertakes to
| mpoverish his rival, Major Standish, by
/ -, h 80 W no TIM d
broker has been entrusted to him, but
| Mabel, who has heard of it, circumvents
| him by employing another broker. The
announcement by her that Jack is a mil
lionaire and Ferris himself is a pauper
| forms the third curtain.
In the fourth the villain comes borrow
| ing few hundred to set him up again and
| hypnotized by DR.. Lake, who has been
affording. more OR less amusement through
! tue preceding acts by practicing hypnot-
ism and other things. Under the spell and
| in the presence of Mabel he tells ali about
| it-how she has been suffering from fixed
| idea that was nothing more than hyp-
motto suggestion.
And so all ends happiIy-or which, is
an alternative to be left to Miss Kidd er
herself-Mabel, having been purged of
her imaginary sin, accepts the kisses th at
| she has SO long refused, and in excess of
| jov her weak heart leaps out of bounds
| ana breaks the vessel. She dies in her
| lovers arms.
This is the ending which Mr.. Harrison
thinks the more artistic and which he be-
lieves Miss Kidder will adopt.
| A vote taken at the table after the read
| ing last night among the little party who
had heard it found the judgment equally
| divided.
"a Fixed Idea" is a comedy-for this
serious story is enlivened by Charles
| Josselyn, a manufacturer of brain invig-
| orators; Tom Harcourt, young lawyer;
Florence Willmott, Ethel Willard. Mrs.
| Wiiloughby. Sam Lake and Mabel's
| little girl-all of whom are engaged in
making merry.
The characters are all drawn from life,
Mr.. Harrison says, all well-known San
! Franciscans
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