The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-02
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
s ADJUSTMENTS ::
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Paul Kcstcr is a young man Of in
genuity and literary skill WEo has al
ready written several plays worthy OF
note, even if they were not marvel
Gus successes. His latest effort what
1rcants MAY Come" was seen at the
Lyceuui last night 10y an audience that
came very. very far from filling the
house. Mr. Kcstcrs play was pro-
duccd hy one of the best companies
seen I'm Scranton this season. The play
ers succeed i'm making the drama inter-
cgting in bringing cut every strong
climax and telling situations the play
write planned hut they could not cure
it Of the morbid characteristics that
Will to certainty prevent it from
winning ANY large share Of enduring
popularity. Tha period OF the play is
1850, and The story Is as follows:
Roger IIa7lotou. who after an unhappy
childhood and youth of struggle ann
deprivation. drifts to London ana en-
tcrs the civil service. There he meets
Girard OBlakc. another clerk. They
become friends and presently take up
their quarters i'm an old London lodging
house called "Thc Rookery." Here in
Bohemian atmosphere of youth ana
sentiment, Roger Hazleton passes two
happy years. Here, too, he meets and
loves Mary O'Blakc. daughter of Chol-
rnondley OBlake, once gay London
beau. but for many years bCggared by
his endless suit for the Irish earIdom
Of CIan-Alalley. TO which title Rogers
friend, Girard or jerry, is also claim
ant.
Lord Dairy, son of Lord Northcote,
the English minister of foreign affairs,
has temporarily taken up his abode in
The Rookcry during one of his periodi-
ca! cuarrcls with his father. Roger has
thrown off the gloom and depression
and fatalism which the hardships of his
h1yhooi have taught him, but the shad-
ovs fall again. the ill-uck returns, with
oct cause he is dismissed from the civil
service and all doors are closed against
him The idlencSs wears on him. ON a
hcliCav at Newmarket q Gypsy reading
his hand tells him that he will not live
beyond the night Of the new year This
prediction fastcus itself on his mind, and
when he first appears in the play it is
with his hand to his forehead, just awak-
encd from a dream in which the same
fantastic words had told themselves
again.
As he tells this dream a gentleman
enters unobscrvod. As Roger ends the
recital he turns and sees Mr.. st. Glare,
the uncle of his friend Jerry. Roger
thinks that they have met at Tunbridge
ard at Raleigh years before, Mr. St.
clare declines all recognition and turns
with Jerry to enter the lattCr's room.
At this moment a step is heard upon
the stairs and the Countess Dimitri
stands in the doorway She tells them
that she has taken the lodgings above
ROdgcr goes to open the door for her
AS the countess passes along the gal
lery Mr.. St Glare advances from the
doorway "A strange coincidence" he
says, those two together" They are
mother and son, and so, without either
knowing the other, or dreaming of the
bond that mites them, they live under the
same roof. Each feels an attraction and
sympathy for the other, yet this does
not prevent the countess Dimitri from
conniving at the destruction of Halle
tons mind when St. Glare incites her
To undertake the task, promising her in
return, information for which the Rus
sian government will give her pen
sion
Later, as her conscience wakes, she
tries to escape from the bargain into
which she has been led, but she is forced
to continue her imposture, repeating to
Roger the dream which St. Clare had
overhead, and so prCying upon him that
the old fataism returns and he no long
er seeks to throw off the dread which
oppresscs him. In their despair his
friends drive the Countess Dimitri from
The RoOkcry, and in the third act she
is seen i'm rich apartments of her own
where she is followed by St. Clare and
Gregoff, and where she learns that St
Glare has not fulfilled his promises and
that he has urged her to the destruction
Of her son. ST. Glare is her husband
whom she had abandoned when the Cri.
mean war was declared.
At the time of her flight ST. Clare had
been under secretary of foreign affairs
She took advantage of his position tC
obtain copies of important government
Il Tl4.aRn f..l
nevcd with Count Grogoff, an attachC
of the Russian embassy. Her child haC
been sent by her family, years after hi,
birth in Russia, to St. Clare i'm Eng
land. st. Glare had never believed tn,
boy his son. He had thought him re
gor's and had followed with hate anC
persecution. When the countess learn,
that she has sought the destruction o
her own son she turns upon st. Clar
IN a tempest of SCorn and rage and pas
sion. saying that IA he is her son, he il
St. Clare's son also
The curtain falls as st. Glare learns
the truth for Grcgoff, whom he sup
posed was the boys father, has known
from the first that Roger was the coun
tess son and had for his own reasons
Kept the matter a secret. In the last ac
the countess and ST. Glare reach Roger.
side in time to save his mind from
breaking as the New Year bells rims
out.
Madame Janauschek never appeared
here to better advantage than she die
last night as the Countess Dimit,i. |
Is role peculiarly suited to her tai
ents and she gave a most vivid imper
sonation of the unhappy Russian
John Blair, young man who mex
season VIII support Julia Marlowe, div
lded the hOnors of the evening will
Madame JanausChek For a yount
man he proved n most intelligent anC
discriminating actor and his work hat
the finish which ordinarily is only tn,
fruit Of ripe experience.
Edmund Collier, Joseph Whiting
Maud Banks, Mabel Washburn, Johl
Hcpworth ana Myron Calico We're 9th
er members Of the company, each O
whom was worthy of a special tribute
1t Is seldom a road company contains
such galaxy of hstrionic lights a,
the one seen last night at the Lyce
um, and it is regrottable such a smal
audience saw the really line perform
anCe they gave.
Animated Song sheet.