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 a one act piece. The cur
tain rises on sculptors 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-
ouaintance; it is very necessary that one
should know that The sculptor is
about to be married. and he is making
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
affective. The window is huge one.
such as you see in studios. and outside
of it wintry London, cold clear sky
With an indefinable effect Of distance in
il. the tall stone buildings that look like
ateel in the hard white light OF the cleo
tries. and swinging in the storm the
lights themselves, the Iron lilies of the
Strand" as Mr.. LIE Gallienne calls them.
II ia a wonderful bit Of scenic painting g
with its effect of vastness cold. 1t is
like Broadway on winter night when
Won are a stranger there. AS the young
man looks out into the street he notices
a woman lying there and dashes out to
helm her. In a moment he returns,
bearing in his arms frail little figure
that we all know so well. and OF which
Wa are all a little afraid, despite its
seeming fragility. He places her in
chair before the fire, and when the heat
reyives her, she asks for hsr hat and her
flowers. for che is a flower girl. The
obliping artist dashes cut again and re-
turns with a big basket and hat-Oh,
such hat, such pathetic, bedraggled
little hat. Knowing people tell me that
in London flower girls actually do wear
inst such hats. which has strengthened
INV determination to go there. Ihe
.culptor and Minnie have tea very COM
fortably together and she tells him very
a;mply and naturally what bad day 1t
has been for her and how poorly the
flowers sold, and how she lives IN some
awful 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 tne
tea is over they discover that 1t is Two
o'clock in the morning and she csn
afford a cab, and one OF the aekns
friends has stolen his hat. She 60
proposes to just stay there all g ],
says she'll sleep in corner or any g.
nlace The astonished artists aspele
and remarks that he'll seek shelter ~:
one Of his friends. Minnie sayseneR
on home alone il he does, she'll nes y
for turning anybody out, and She
Gee why she will disturb him af}eb:
Finally he lets down sort OF eis
- from the wall and Minnie asoep31
to it by means of stepladder and, =;
.,,;., lies down to sleep on hiss
lust as they are comfortably - E
down to sleep the artists trienoisk