Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-17

~ .s e. lsaas.sss' 81.
10 MISS MARY
oo oooooooooooooooooooooooo
EXT season host of popular nov /
els will be presented to the thea
ter going public through the me- /
dunn of the drama. The dramatiza-
ton of successful stories is one of the
developments of recent stage history.
Every tale that enjoys large run is
put into the hands of a more or less
sl>illfui adapter, and as rule makes
money for author, adapter and man
ager, owing to the public's desire to see
the creatures of imagination in the con-
crete. Edgerton Castle is to collab-
crate with David Belasco in the dram
atization of The Bath Comedy" in
which Mrs. Leslie Carter may appear;
William H. Crane is to appear in |
dramatization of David Harum"
When Knighthood Was In Flower" !
will be presented by Miss Julia Mar
lowe, who will appear in the role of
appear in the title role in Janice Mer-
edith" and James K. Hackett. as the
hero in Richard Carvel." Viola Allen
will star in dramatization of Marion
Crawford's In the Palace of the King"
Henry E. Dixey is expected to present
DR.. s. Weir Mitchelrs THE Adventures
of Francois Mary Cholmondeleys
novel, Ped Pottage,' and F. Hoplsin-
son Smiths s.Caleb West so it is said,
will also he put upon the stage.
\ The most talked of demonstrations,
however, will be Miss Mary Johnstons
ITO Have and TO Hold, in which Hen
ry Miller is to appear, and Prisoners
of Hope" which has just been an
nounced in preparation for the stage.
Miss Johnstons books have been the
most notable of the season So far as
popularity goes, and managers believe
that they will be equally popular on
the stage as plays.
| Only once in n decade does writer
wake up and find himself or herself fa-
nous. Miss Mary Johnston had that
exceptional experience after the publi-
cation of her first volume. This was
surprising, as the book deals with
period not hitherto popular with novel
readers. Feninlore Cooper and George
| w. Slmms both were writers of colo-
MIA! romances, but neither of them
ever produced anything so graceful, SO
dainty, so full of charming sentiment.
as the story by the young southern wo-
man who came a tyro into the literary
world to claim it's highest honors.
"Prisoners of Hope" Miss Johnston's
/ first novel; is an unusual book, and that
I Is one of it's chief charms with the pub
Vic. It's author had story to tell. and
lit was sirnple one-a variation of the
! old theme of love and sorrow and re-
Inunciation.
The scene is laid in Virginia in the
| days when Sir William Berkeley was
governor The hero is an English gem
! tleman. the son of one of Cromwells
I officers, whom change in fortune and
/ kings has made first prisoner in Eng
Hand at Newgate and then a bondserv-
ant of one of the wealthy planters of
4 the Old Dominion colony. The theme
1 of the story is the hopeless love of the
1 bondman for the beautiful daughter of
the planter.
4 The bondman's rival is the nephew OF
his master, man of title and fashion
j from the court of King Charles II who
4 adds to the misery of the hero's life,
/ but in the end is forced to pay his trib-
4 ate of respect to the bondmans nobil-
I ity of soul. There are adventures galore
/ in the book--a rising of the slaves
against their masters, with the bond
man as the leader in their councils
but their opponent when 1t comes to
4 massacre The daughter of the planter
/ is carried Off by the Indians after a
combined attack of the slaves, white
and black, assisted by the savages. The
hero, with friendly Indian, follows her
into the wilderness and at the risk of
/ his life rescues her only to renounce
her forever just when he learns that her
heart is his The ending is a tragic and
an unusual one and must be read to be
4 appreciated.
.t1o Have and to Hold Miss John
ston's second novel, is a more cheerful
story, although full of intrigue and
/ fighting, like PRISONERS of Hope" The
Lady Jocelyn Lee, a ward of King
iCharles III, disguised as a serving maid,
takes passage to America on the ship
! which is carrying wives to the planters
in Virginia. She hopes thus to escape a
\ titled but rascally sutton, the kings ia
vorite of the moment. 1t is only when
she reaches America that she realizes
the gravity of the step she has taken.
but is saved from insult by mar
riage with Captain Ralph. The noble
sutton comes to America in the king s
! ship in search Of his lost fiancee, and,
although armed with authority from
the king his efforts to regain possess
sion of the beautiful heiress are in vain.
Captain Ralph declines to give up his
j. bride, who, although she does not care
lfar her husband, is loath to fall into