The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13

! dances much better than she used to. and yet has retained the charm of gentle gIrlishness. The Piper's magic lute with which he has kept his peo. pie pure, is stolen by the wicked wo- man. and so the whole town becomes demoralized-all save Marguerite; but what can her plsmy of innqcence do to withstand Hoppers gigantic spree 2 Even the romping children, with which the scenes abound. quarrel and fight. and the one bad boy-whose worst vice has been to play marbles for keeps now becomes a masked high wayman. What can she do? Why. sing naive songs, dance modest dances ana nnaily restore the purifying pipe to the Piper. The town rounders can't see much In all that to tickle en except Hopper's transltory souse, but other folk like 1t well enough themselves and Know 1t ylii delight their children; so 1t becomes a holiday entertainment.
 Can this quaintly humorous quietly sentimental man who gives the titia 10 Mary Jane's Pa" be the Henry E Dixey once the dominate Idol of New York In "Adonis2" Versatility is ant to De detrimental In an actor. The puniics pets generally are of invari- able personality. They are firstly themselves and secondly the persons they purport to be. Dixey is one of the few who try to hide themselves in their roles and play them from tho inside out don't see any other req son than that merit why he shouldn't be new composite of Sol Smith Russel John H. Stoddart and even Joseph Jefferson by means of Mary lanes Pa" To begin with. the play Is one that Calloused New York fre- qnenters of theatres don't care for: which is a sign that the cleanermInded warmer-hearted majority Will like it and RusseI nor Stoddart ever made dollar starring la Broadway. nor Jefferson as much as-he did elsewhere We are so devillsaliy biase In that electrocuted thoroughfare.
 Do you know that most plays known names are aliases? Edith Ellis wrote T Take This Man" to set forth the duty of wife to keep the marriage VOW of which the phrase of that title Is part. It was acted last summer obscurely as "Portia Perkins" and now It fs rechristened Mary Jane's Pa" The story through these changes of name has been that Hiram Perkins went away from his wife Portia, leaviqng her to care for herself and two children that he came back six years later to find her making a living with a village newspaper; that he asked her for work, and was of- fered the job of cook and houeemaid; that humblY and patientiy he did his work; and that at length. Portla, al- though now loved by a worthy man, wouldn't take an easy divorce and marry again. but reunited connubially with the father of her children. Per- haps Mrs Ellis intended. and surely expected, that Portia would be the dominate character: but Hiram. as acted by Dixey. beats her in the com petition for audience's favor.
 Many plays of late have had scenes In newspaper establishments: they usually try to show the workings of big city Journal at the time of going to press; and almost always. in the strain for dramatic effect, they mis. represent the cool calm. methodical work of professional Journalists as a hurly-burly of loud excitement To my mind, no newspapers exhibit has been put on the stage with more truth than Portia Perkins one room In which her weakly weekly is made. Portla is writing at a plain desk in corner; one compositor is hand setting the type for the matter that isn't plate; the formes are nearly made up on a stone; the cylinder press that goes by an power at the crank Is ready to do the printing. This Is to be crucial, edition of the paper. The society news and personal gossip are all in, but they are of small ac- count this week, by comparison with the article that will defeat Skinner for nomination to the Legislature by exposing him as a criminal. Skinner has sought to buy of Portia's attack and threatened to foreclose the mort gage on her press. Preston, the rival QndfdafA fn GkfAnAr nd q Portia. urges her to get out of the light because he fears she will be crushed in' 1t. She persists in doing what she knows Is right. So Preston
 mot her enemy Skinner, but her friend Preston--pied the type of the potential article and steals some of the gear from the press. Portia has been recommended strongly to the audience by Mrs. Ellis's writing and Ann Sutheriand's acting. and the feel- ing Is all for her against both the intnical Skinner and the devoted Preston. Who will help the woman Go triumph over her friend and her foe?
 Why. Mrs. Perkins. of course. This is in the the plays next to last act Dixey has cooked and housekept without any ado: has won the love of little Mary Jane and the bigger Lucille A9tNtao NAAOAA AhO hG AS NuGlE father; has slowly got back some of his wife's lost respect: and now he becomes the active hero by resettinR the pied part Of the Skinner article, making up the form for a discarded hand press and so getting out the journal. Maybe I was interested parti- cularly by the reminder of boyhood work in a country newspaper shop, but I noted that the homely humor and pathos of Dlxey's Hiram Perkins were effectual. too.
 The title of 'Hrhe Blue Mouse" comes of the nickname of a genuine young harlot, while the namesake in 'Th0 Queen of the Moulin Rouge" is a coun- terfeit; yet contrasting presentations make the virtuous girl seem wantonly vicious. while the really vicious one takes on a semblance of virtue. The gist of 'The Blue Mouse" is that the secretary of a railway president. de- sirous of promotion and knowing the efotic nature of the boss. hires the Blue Mouse. a chorus girl courtesan, to figure as his wife, flirt with the presi- dent and give herself as the price of her pretended husbands lift to a high CT position Tho secretary and the president have wives to get jealous. the chorus girl has patrons to get wrathy. and the adjoining offices of the boss and the employs have an aE.