Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-03
JUST LIKE THE PLAY

Fiction is no more strange than truth-to
twist that hackneyed-phrase about a bit
and make it seem less trite.
There was performed in q Washington
theater last week little comedy Of French
manners and morals that certainly amused,
If it did not instruct, those who sat through
1t with no temperameptal hostility toward
the easy view which French people on the
stage take Of the marriage tie.
1t was story Of 4 young man and a
young woman Of Paris who had married
according to the French rule of conven-
fence. After seven years of married life
the wife finds that her husband Is addicted
to little f1irtations. He has never professed
to be madly in love with his wife. even
from the first, but he has been good pro-
WIDER and all that sort of thing, and they
have got on fairly well. But when she dis
covers his firtations she becomes wrathful
and divorces him. His protest against this
proceeding on her part Is feeble. II seems
to be all one to him, divorce or no divorce.
After year or SO of separation the young
people accidentally meet in Paris restau-
rant, where the young woman Is oining
with her parents. The divorced husband
drifts over to their table, and there Is
merry time. He resumes his calls at the
home Of the wife who has divorced him
she is living with her parents !. lie e,nH to-
marry another man, that for the first time
he Is actually in love with her. He asks
her to remarry him. She is obviously will
ing to do this. but she holds back, declaring
her intention to marry the other man. Then
she catches the other man. the one she is
engaged to marry, in bit of an affair IN
which the man Is made to appear guilty,
although he Is entirely innocent and she
denounces him. Just then, OPPORTUNITY
enough, her first husband appears on the
scene and she takes him back. She con-
cludes, she says. that men are an JUST
about the same, and that, therefore, II sne
is to marry again at all. she might as Wen
remarry No. /, for whom, she confesses'
she retains a Partially, any way. mus
the little play ends neatly enough.
Now, it happened that Christmas night
two young Washington people, man ana
a woman, were present at the theater ana
saw that play. They were married nve
tanned his majority and the girl hadn't long
graduated from short frocks. They iiVeo
together happily enough. it seemed, TOT
couple Of years. Then the young 4Wlle pc
she suddenly returned to the home OF ne PEI.
parents in this city, the home from winch
she had eloped to make a romantic Tuir-
away marriage" with her youthful aomlrer'
On Christmas night, then, the young Wo-
man sat In a theater box with her rather
and mother and some friends, witnessing
this little French comedy, and In one OF the
front seats in the orchestra sat her nus
band, alone.
The eyes of the young man and OF MS 1or-
ner wife met furtively several times curing
the progress of the play.
Along toward the finish of the comedy,
when the stage husband and wife were
sparring, so to speak, for resumption VI
their married bliss, the eyes Of the two IN
the audience met smilingly as number OF
the humorous points of the stage story
were made.
After the play the young woman and her
parents and the other members OF her party
went to one Of the hotel supper rooms LOT
bite to eat. Curiously enough, the young
woman's former husband went to that
same supper room after the play tor
grilled bone and'fa sup of ale. he SAT-
not far away from his former wire ana
the merry party. He did not join MIS-
wife and the merry party at their ia pie
this is Washington, and not Paris, and per
haps stage license doesn't go In real HE,
even in Paris. But he caught his FORMER
wife's eye several times, and she seemed 10
be glad that he caught her glaHces. for her
eyes were smiling! They had not seen each
ioti1er for more than a. year, and then her
eyes had frozen him. 30 that the mellow
hess OF her sly chances in the supper room
perhaps somewhat to the influences OF the
holiday season. 10 Anyhow. she almost
smiled at him, which Nas the main thing.
He called at the home of her parents on
the evening following Christmas The con-
straint between all hands--her parents were
present throughout tholeSening-soon wore
off. They spent a, merry evening. Inere
was little or no reference to the marriage
or the divorce that had followed. Iney
Just played whist and had some music and
chatted. The situation was unusual, but
this Is decidedly true story, which propa-
bly, accounts for its unusualness..S The
young rwoman's parents had always nked
rto their daughter leaving and dfVorc1ng
him.. They were willing to let events take
their course. ~ T.. ''74 Il
called again upon his former wife" This
time her parents wisely permitted the young
people to be alone.
Correctly and formally and, too, with
plentiful ardor, the young man proposed to
the woman who had BEEN his wife for near
ly two years.
She accepted him without reserve. There
were no stipulatfonS or agreements to be
mace on either side. there was no rehashing
of the past, no casting up, nothing I'M
pleasant Of that sort They simply agreed
to get married again and to try to be hap
py. They mutually. acknowledged that they
had been too young before.
They are going to be married within the
next couple of months, and as the new
rule among Washington ministers. as to the
marrying of divorced persons, doesn't oper-
ate in the cases OF couples remarrying.
land ell Of che trimmings" as the young
man expresses it. Having eloped before
the marriage had, of course, been an I'M
ceremontous and decloeoly nasty aHalr
Now, on the second venture with the same
bridegroom, the bride-to-be-again insists
upon a church wedding, reception at
home, a going gown, rice and old
shoes, and-a honeymoon.
A French comedy may not be strictly
correct Indeed, few of them are. But
little French comedy that will serve to re-
unite couple of hearts that have been
pining for each other, Is not such bad
thing, after all.