The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28

the two bumped their way out OF tho narrow
passage at the side Of the prosceniun orch
ana eowed. But the audience wanted more.
IL came In the form OF song and dance.
ch9ly ditty, which even in the dance at the
end. when the tempo quickened, did not
lose its minor haunting note Of sadness.
All OF the typically Yiddish music has this
quality, even when it is meant to express a
The Two Orphans" was the ominous
title Of a one act play that occupied the
middle OF the program. 1t turned out to
be another side Of life in the Ghetto. Be-
ginning in humor, 1t soon held the audience
spelioound by Its crude realism and sordid
The interior scene Of the two sets the
evening had divul ged was set to represent
a sitting room Of the kind common In the
more prosperous home Of the Ghetto. A
few pieces OF tawdry. cheap furniture stood
were in the windows.
On the wall hung the portrait Of rabbini-
cal looking party. who had died exactly
year before and left second wife with
his two children by his first marriage.
So is her stepdaughter The widow has
inherited $500 from her husband and she
is the lodger's favorite.
He Is handsome in the style OF the Ghetto,
nigh colored, straight featured and sport
ing pretty mustache. AS he comes into
he shows the widow the empty pockets OF
his light red waistcoat. He says he was
robbed the night before. The widow knows
he has been gambling, but gives him S25
to start out.
Her stepson Is an idiot. She hates him
and keeps dog whip. with which she dis
ciplines him. She Is belaboring him vigor-
ously, when his sister. clad In mourning,
enters in time to prevent her from punish
ing him any further.
ITO think that our home should become
what It is, she says to her brother, "and we
are the children OF an honest man who died
only year ago to-day
The daughter goes to a desk and as the
electric lights In the hall 60 down and the
music begins she touches match to can
Of her father and she accompanies the
ceremony with hymn that lasts more than
ten minutes.
The actress who played the part Of the
daughter. was really pretty. So the audi
and even applauded her at the end Of It.
Then she goes away in search Of home
to which she may send her brother to pro-
tect him from her mot her and the lodger.
Presently the ledger returns witt part y
Of his friends. They want to Play poker
led until he goes . out IN h search arc Of
The men see his stepmother whip him,
and then lean over The dodgers chair
fondling him and combing his hair with her
own white ivory comb, which she takes from
her head. Luck goes against him at cards.
He is too lucky In love. He loses every
thing. .
man and bum, the spokesman OF the party
says to him, "and we will play with you no
more. We are glad you lost, Don't ever
speak to us again. We have seen you here
from the fat her of those two children who
are beaten and starved
Great excitement ensuee. The breast
Of the widow is filed with conflicting emo
tions.
"You shall have the last Of my money
ledger Here IL the last $50 have left
from my $500 He takes it from her.
A Ade9 IN y9SS the will Won be s sS peies
are the last woman I would ever marry.
You are cruel and have robbed your chill
dren Even II it was for me, l will not
marry you and never meant to- l am
/ going. to leave the house never to come
She pleads in vain. He goes to his room.
She determines to avenge herself. She
leaves the room and returns with bottle
Of carbolic acid. She is going 70 put it
into glass OF beer.
While she has left the room to make a
final appeal to the lodger the idiot enters
the room He sees the poison and drinks
it, The final tableau Of this slice Of life
shows the stepmother. her daughter. and
the ledger kneelng over the body OF the
idiot,
The enthusiasm that followed this act
brought up the curtain five times. The
actors bowed with pride.
During the ten minutes interIInission
that followed the orchestra played tunes
that were not Yiddish. but lively enough
NAMED vas dispelled by what the program
called a 'Coupletist,' by name San
H!inazky
no less than seven songs in succession that
contained half a dozen stanzas each. The
atmosphere of hilarity which no Fad ee,
tablished was heightened when Rachel
Cohen came to sing more ballads.
on it top Of her abnn dart locks. She wore
long red overcoat. Like those OF her prede-
cessor, her songs were nearly all sung to
familiar ragtime tunes, although the text
was Yiddish and related to various ac-
centuries in the Ghetto.
She rev weary after half dozen encores
and SD she would sing only one more
son nG;, IL o, wor. ,ow,. she esked in
Siddish.
There was no answer.
Don't you want to hear The POOR oio
Greenhon?'" -,
They answered with rush that they did.
She sang il, and the audienc e, including, The
few women, sang the chorus with her
They never missed one Of the seven verses.
The odor of beefsteak and oniors from
the restaurant downstairs gradually grew
stron ger 1t was almost overwhelming
when the song was finished.
There was a comic sketch to follow, OIL
though the hour was 1870 O'Clock when the
mara ger appeared before the curtain. He
spoke for n few minutes in liddish.
IF the gentleman who bought two tickets
last Saturday and paid a ten dollar, bill
without taking his change will come down
to tho box office, he said. she will get 49,
There was no rush. But there was an
other sketch to come. There had so far
been only three hours show for is cents.