Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-11-15
THE MOUSE TRAP"
William Dean Howelrs Farce Well
Presented.

William Dean Howell's amusing lit
tie farce, The Mouse Trap" was rem
dered Friday evening by the young
ladies of Mt. de Chantal. in honor Oh
Rev. Mothers feast-day. At seven
o'clock they were assembled in the
stately music hal! and as Mother enter
ed, they rose and sang gay chorus or
Welcome" The curtain rose prompt
ly upon a most charming drawing room
scene, with two of the leading char
acters in the foreground. Mr.. Willis
Campbell, it appeared, had made
speech against woman suffrage, and ms
fiance, Mrs. Amy Somers, a radiant
young widow, is taking him severely
to task for it in the unreasonable and
minute style characteristic Of Howells
women-not that the lady favors the
movement. but that she feels the re-
marks may derOgate from her dignity
since her engagement to the offending
lord of creation" is well known. In
the midst of a masterful, not TO say We
hement. defense of woman's courage,
which the speech has questioned. Mr.
Campbell looks searchingly across the
floor and in answer 70 her inquiry,
nonchalantly states that he thought
he had seen a mouse. In an instant,
dignity and indignation had fled. The
lady has mounted a chair, and no ef-
fort or assurance Of Mr. Campbell's
could induce her to dismOunt. Here
enters Jane, the maid, bearing cards
Of visitors. When she discovers the
cause Of her mistress singular con-
duct. she frantically throws her salver
to the ground and takes to a chair, and
the terrified shrieks become a chorus,
so that the visitors rush in to dis
cover the cause Of the uproar Hearing
in turn the cause of the terror they
take to perches, and there is not an
unoccupled chair in the room. There
was standing room only Mr. Camp
bell was reluctantly obeying the COM
mands of the terrified women by pound
ing the floor, making occasional pauses
to assure them that any self-respecting
mouse or even lion must long ago
have fed. The climax is reached when
Mrs. Roberts. Mr. Campbelis sister,
makes her way to the scene. She,
Identified woman of mature years and
in widows weeds, is all sympathy UNI
til the awful fact Of the presence OF the
mouse is revealed. when she. too, hys-
tericall ysuccumbs and flies TO the only
available perch. the piano stool, to
pour forth from that coign of vantage
a food Of hysterical reproaches upon
her hostess. her brother. the assembled
company, and last Of all, the piano
stool which she finds q most precarious
footing. because of it's being zone OF
those old-fashioned twisty things OF
course Mrs. Somers Gains her agita-
ton sufficiently 10 resent the insult to
her furniture end crushingly remarks
that she keeps it because 1t was her
mothers. Mrs. Roberts finally sees a
way out Of the difficulty and suggests
that all scream loudly, at the same time
Jumping down and running for dear
life. The first trial of this ingenious
plan fails. because each waits for all
the rest to start. On the second trial
it succeeds. and thus the tragedy ends.
There was so much excellence in the
acting of the young ladies that 1t
would seem inviduous TO single ont
any for special commendation. Fol
lowing is the cast:
Mrs. Amy Somers. Miss Laura Dent
Mrs Bemis........Nliss Grace Armstrong
Mrs. Miler.................. Miss McHenry
Mrs Curyyiu. .......... Miss Emma Forbes
Mrs. Roberts. Miss Ruth Won
Jane tho maidl..........Allss Emma lNllk
Miss Eleanor McCracken