The Washington herald., 1907-09-29


cast includes AIessrs. Fred Tyler. Ar
thur Lawrence. Ben Field. Theodore
Kehrwald. Albert JeannOtte. Wifred
North, Hubert Harben Bertram Harri-
son, Rex StOvell, and the Misses Ida
Darling. Phoebe Coyne, Eileen Anelin.
Lolita Robertson, Suzanne Roshulme.
Janet Darlington. and Marion Barhyte.
The COlumbia-"A Fool and a Girl &"
new play. called a Fool and Girl. %
viii receive its initial performance on
any stage at the Columbia Theater to-
morrow evening, beginning a weeks en-
gagement- with matinees on Thursday
and Saturday. This play is by David
Wark Griffith, Il new dramatist. although
no stranger In the literary world. where
he Is Well known as a short story writer
Fool and a Girl" is a play with a
serious trend, and presents a picture pos
sessing convincing human interest. It's
story shows how the lives OF a man and
woman cross and intermingle. and how
the hand of fate weaves threads for a
purpose, and where love is noble. and
victory comes 10 those who night the good
fight. The different scenes Of this play.
which are four in number. are laid in
California.
The action Of the play deals with the
story OF two women, the younger OF
which is the girl" Of the story. One
starlight night in san Francisco there
comes a romantic youth. the fool" who
for the first time has journeyed away
from home. He is very rich. too rich. AT
least so decides the two female conspira-
tors They plan upon an action. and as
the youth in question happens TO be quite
an innocent one. they decide upon an in
nocent scheme by which the younger OF
the women is 10 throw off her worldly
Sarh, her careless. slangy speech. her
rather free manner. and play the part OF
simple young girl. The scene of the
play moves, in the second act, 10 the at
mosphere Of The hop fields by the ruins
OF an old California mission, in Niles Can
yon- Here. where all classes of people
COME during the hop-picking season. most
of them rather for pleasure than for
work, here where there is much flirting.
laughing, singing. and dancing to the
pleasant accompaniment Of moonlight.
well-tuned guitars, and amorous Mexican
love songs, the scheme of the girl works
readily and the fool falls quickly in
love with his little deceiver He is
enraptured with her sweet. innocent sim
pltcity. his heart is fun Of pity, all OF
which the girl enjoys immensely. and
plays the game to the limit. working
scheme after scheme so successfully that
she obtains possession of a great deal of
his money. Suddenly she begins to feel
not quite right about the matter. The
fool Is possessed Of that rare thing. a
trusting, honest heart. All Of this Is so
different the girl has ever met with before
that the first uneasy feeling Of self-dis-
trust grows upon htr until a little tiny
spark of conscience begins 10 blaze This
little spark grows apace with the first
real love that her cold fight for itself. her
evil enviTunmented heart has ever known
something quite different from any other
experience she has ever felt A proposal
OF marriage from the fool IS readily ac-
cepted by the girl. but the strange web
OF deceit she has woven begins now to
weave backward and its meshes close in
cruelty around the weaver.
The production Of "A Fool and n Girl"
is made under the personal direction Of
Mr.. Hackett. Among the principals Of
the company are John W Dean. Frank
WundeTlee, Douglas J Wood, H. s. Had
field. J. Cleneay Mathews. Miss Fannie
Ward Miss Alison Skipworth Miss Helen
Mar, and others, in addition 20 Mexicans.
hop pickers, cafe habitUes, &c.
New NationaI-"The Silver Girl"
Unusual interest attaches to the en-
gagement Of George Fawcett at the New
National Theater this week In Edward
Peples new play. The Silver Girl. e"
Since the production OF "The Prince
Chap" in Washington Edward Peple's
career as a playwright has been watched
with interest by local playg0ers Ever
since THE Squaw Man" was produced.
there has been a deluge of Western plays
on the market, cowboy plays, Indian
plays, Mexican plays. all with any
amount Of gun play, efforts 10 initiate
this great success, until this type Of play
has been run almost into the ground
Now The Silver Girl" although It may
be called a Western play, is different
from ali the others. While the play
brings with it all the breeziness. the
frank. open hospitality OF this section
yet there is no gun play whatever and
no Indians cowboys, broncho riders, or
Mexicans are introduced to bring the
atmosphere. It Is a play OF the civilized
est II Is unique IN the fact that in
stead Of introducing Eastern characters
into Western setting. Western people
come East. and the comedy situations
resulting are numerous. The characters
are human, the men and women we see
and know. The Westerners are open,
frank. and cordial, such men as are seen
on the streets of Denver and othe- large
cities Of The West every day, and the
Fasteners. the nervous. busy men and
also the pleasure-mad ones We know so
well. Mr. Fawcett's role Is that of JEFF
fsEson Hunter Of Nevada, who is MADE