The news & observer., 1897-02-18
NAT GOODWIN LAST NIGHT
THE THEATRiCAL EVENT OF THE
YEAR iN RALEIGH.
The Academy of Music Management
Has Adopted as its Motto first
Glass Attractions Only"

4 SldSS RttFdLttONS CUtIs
/ Everybody and his sweetheart was
there. OF course mean at the Academy
of Music last night to see Nat Goodwin
and Maxine Elliott in AN American
Citizen"
Never in Raleigh has there been so
large an audience assembled to witness
a theatrical attraction. The building was
literally packed from pit to dome-n0t
vacant seat anywhere.
And after it was all over there was
not man or woman who, as they went
away, did not feel that they had just
passed through one Of the real exper-
! iences of their lives-that they had seen
one of the worlds greatest comedians and
one of the worlds most beautiful wO-
men.
The play-it was dream and reality
Beautiful as a dream, but as real as life
itself, in it's naturalness of character and
incident You forgot that it was play
The men and women on the stage were
men and women in every day life With
them and at them you laughed Their
/ loves were yours and their pangs Of jeal-
! ousy touched your heart. Over the fol-
lies of love YOU grieyed and at the recital
of little Mercury's story on Christmas
eve you wept. But for the most part you
laughed-laughed tin your sides were
sore-laughed as you never laughed be-
fore. Love is serious enough when
/ you've got the disease yourself, but
there's nothing half so ridiculous as the
other fellow when he's affected i'm the
same way. Nat Goodwin made you real
ize that last night
But there was n0thing extravagant in
it. The story was a very common one.
| Barbury Brown and CTuger are prosper
Gus law firm in New York. Barbury is
sort of good d-natured, easily influenced
sort of fellow. Cruger is the very soul
of honor, patriotism and unffiching fidel-
ity to duty. OF sense he has plenty
/ but even then his sense of honor is very
often stronger than his sense of head
and causes him much trouble and mis-
cry. Brown, the other member Of the
firm, 6s q thief and schemer One fine
morning his partners wake up to find
that he has absconded with $4,000 that
belongs to two young women for whom
the firm was guardian. Cruger resolves
to make good the loss-but how to do it,
that lis the question. While he and Bar
bury are constituting themselves as a
ways and means committee Cruger
suddenly remembers that this uncle dy-
ing in England had dsinherited his own
daughter and left all the estate to him on
condition that he would adopt his name
(Carew) and marry an English woman he
fore arriving a. the age of 80 and live
in England.
Cruger had always refused to do this,
saying that he had rather be poor Am
erican than a rich Englishman But now
the name of his partner and his firm
was about TO be dishonored. Brown had
left note saying that he had drowned
himself; if the money could only be re
paid all would be well. At this juncture
an English nobleman who had the mat
ter IN charge unexpected appears and, as
it lacks only one day of being
Cruger's thErtfeth birthday, asks
him to renounce all claim to the
estate. He decides to do so, but before
carrying out his purpose, he sees his cou-
sin, the dieinherited daughter, who came
over with the nobleman, and decides 10
marry her as a purely business transac-
tion. and =diyide with her the estate Of
100000.
They wed Mt once and get the money,
Cruger paying off Browns defalcations
with it. But the young lady plainly tells
Cruger that she can never love him-and
he doesn't seem to expect it--as she had
been engaged to a man who was killed on
a glacier in Switzerland, and she could
never learn to love another.
Cruger, now Carew, for he had
changed his name, takes her at her word.
and, after an acquaintance Of only i
few hours. they separate. Time goes
on-as time willard they meet one year
later :on confetti day during the flower
carnival at Nice. Carew learns to love.
but bis wife still holds to her dead love.
Bgrbury, Of course, comes in every now
and; then to tell every woman he meets
"YGur voice is the only voice I've heard, :"
and make himself generally ridiculous.
In his wandering around he runs across
Brown, who says he was ruined by spec
ulation, but is engaged to a woman he
expects to marry and thereby get enough
to pay off his debts. This woman is
Garews wife, who thought Brown dead
in Switzerland. They meet and she ds-
covers that she no longer loves him.
but that she cares for Carew instead
3She is about 10 confess it all to her hus-
band when she sees him with another
woman, Georgia Chaplin, one Of the chill
dren whom Brown robbed as guardian,
!: and she becomes insanely jealous.
: Carew does not know who his wife's
supposedly lost lover is, and seldom sees
her She knows nothing of Browns de-
based character. But Carew meets
Borwn and Brown, not knowing of his
change of name, tells all, revealing his
devilish design only to get the woman's
money In the meantime, the woman
Of whom Mrs Carew is jealous, is really
in love with Carew Then the news
comes that the viii has been contested
and Carew has lost ALL Brown thereupOn
refuses to marry Mrs. Carew, and she
learns his real character
Carew goes away to toll and pay back
the money he has spent, and sends his wife
money for support But she seeks him
out eight months later, all mystery is
cleared up and they find that they have
learned to love most passionately
It is Christmas eve-a happy Christ