The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-22

correspondence. and it notified him that her
guardian was about to take her away and
urged him to follow them. BY some ac-
cident Prosper failed TO receive the letter,
with the result that the lovers were sep
arated and in time she married baron and
forgot Prosper, while he got over his love
with equal facility. As the play opens the
two meet for the first time since her mar
riage and the story of the letter is told to
Prosper. The idea occurs 10 them both that
II must still be in the old vase and each
wishes to get 1t, the baroness naturally fear
ing to have such a feryent love note fail
into the hands of the man she had ceased
TO care for. AS they start for the vase an
interruption occurs and it Is not until
toward the close OF the act that Prosper
succeeds in getting possession Of the letter
by very cleyerly leading the conversation
into a comparison of Japanese and french
art which enables him to handle the vase IN
question and, without being observed, 10
take the letter therefrom. Suzanne de Rus
Vile, a friend of the baroness, takes a hand
in the difficulty and determines TO recover
the letter and there ensues a very spirited
dialogue between Suzanne and. prosper IN
which the former assures the young man
that he will not only give up the letter, but
she will force him to burn 1t in her pres
ence. He laughs at this and finally offers TO
let her have the letter II she is able TO ma
it among his effects. The second act shows
his bachelor apartments and Suzanne UNI
dertakes to search for the letter She ng-
ures that, being a clever man, he will not
attempt to hide it in some out-of-the-way
place but will leave it where she would
least expect to find it and her theory proves
correct. she discovers the letter WITHOUT a
great deal of difficulty and, desiring to
carry out her prophecy that she would
make him burn it in her sight, she substl-
tutes some blank paper for the letter, and
removing all the matches from his room,
crumples it up and thraWs it on the hearth,
thinking that he would naturally use il 10
light his cigar. In this she is not mistaken,
but before it is much burned he throws IL
out the window and two friends, one OF
whom is an entomologist and who happened
TO be calling on him just then, pick II up ana
stuff it in the barrel of a gun in order TO
keep a specimen from escaping. 1t is after
wards removed and used by one of these
friends who scribbles a love message ON 1T
to his sweetheart, not observing the writing
on the other side. Thus the scrap of paper
goes on its mad career through the play,
making Suzanne and Prosper fall in love
with each other. In the end 1t is salts
factorily disposed of and the play has
natural and delightful ending. There is not
a stupid moment in the entire piece.
Miss Shannon Will appear to charming ad-
vantage as Suzanne, role which suits her
admirably, while Mr.. Hansel has an equally
tween these two are full of the humor and
spontaneous raillery that mark those be-
tween Beatrice and Benedict in Shakspeare'S
Much Ado About Nothing" Miss Daily is
the baroness, Miss Berg her younger sister
Mathtde, whom Prosper starts IN TO win, but
who is eventually captured by a handsome
young Frenchman imperSonaIed by Mr..
rest of the members of the stock cor .pany
have excellent roles. "A Scrap of Paper
will be staged with the customary elegance
and the dresses worn will be unusually
handsome. The usual matinees will he given
Wednesday and Saturday.