The courier., 1898-12-24
THE PASSING SHOW,
VILLA GATHER

more different from all other PLAYERS
than ever. She appeared here this sea.
son in her two new plays, "A Bit of Old
Chelsea" and Love Will Find Way
The tirst is one act piece. The cur
tain rises on sculptor's studio III Lon
don. The sculptor is on his knees be-
fore the CRATE in the twilight, burning
old letters, singing loft in the Silly
Night as he sorts and tears. From his
comments Cd the letters and love tokens
you gather that he is a susceptible
young man, that he has been in love and
has been loved a great many times.
Women like him, on long or short ac-
quaintance; it is very necessary that one
should know that. The sculptor is
about to be married. and he is making a
burnt offering Of these letters to the
"real thing" found at last after so many
mistakes. When the last piece Of note
paper has fiuttered into the flames, he
gets up and looks out of the window.
The stage settings in this piece are very
effective. The window is a huge one,
such as you see in studios. and outside
Of it wintry London, cold clear sky
with an indefinable effect Of distance in
it, the tall stone buildings that look like
steel iu the hard white light of the elec-
tries, and swinging in the storm the
lights themselves, the Iron lilies OF the
Strand" as Mr.. LIE Gallienne calls them.
It is wonderful bit Of scenic painting
with its effect of vastness cold. 1t is
like Broadway on winter night when
you are stranger there. AS the young
man looks out into the street he notices
q womac lying there and dashes out to
help her. In a moment he returns,
bearing in his arms frail little figure
that we all know so we'll, and OF which
we are all a little afraid. despite lite
seeming fragility. He places her in
chair before the fire, and when the heat
reyives her, she asks for her hat and her
flowers. for che is flower girl. The
obliging artist dashes cut again and re-
turns with q big basket and hat-Oh,
such hat, such pathetic. bedraggled
little hat. Knowing people tell me that
in London flower girls actually do wear
Just such hats, which has strengthened
nv determination to go there. The
sculptor and Minnie have tea very COM
fortabIy together and she tells him very
simply and naturally what bad day it
has been for her and how poorly the
flowers sold, and how she lives in some
awfrl court or other with her mother.
She feels strangely happy and comfort
able in this warm, bright room, and she
likes being waited on by this handsome
young gentleman, the like OF whom she
has never spoken to before. When the
tea is over they discover that 1t is two
o'clock in the morning and she cant
afford a cab, and one OF the aski2s
friends has stolen his hat. She cq1p16
proposes to just stay there all 49,,
says she'll sleep in corner or any - :
place The astonished artists aspAD
and remarks that he'll seek shelter vtee "a
one of his friends. Minnie sayslAau
90 home alone il he does, she'll nos - 4
for turning anybody out, and shs1nt
Gee why she will disturb him afjai.
FINALLY he let's down a sort of elsWaed I
bupk from the wall and Minnie aseqp5g 4
to it by means OF stepladder and - !.
artist lies down to sleep on hisqr !
Just as they are comfortably $500 4
down to sleep the artists friendAEtee I