The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-09-06
BY FRANKLIN FYLES.

New York, Sept. 4.-The dramatic
seasons first week, although its new
plays are mostly whimsical, gives moth
ing more singular than a naive young
maiden's proposal of wedlock TO
rakish and rather oldish bachelor. None
of the conditions is usual. The bach
elor has not longed for the maiden
hopelessly, and sought to keep it a Sc
cret from her: nor has the maiden
striVen in vain to give him cue TO
speak out; and leap year has naught to
do with her behavior.
you must marry me- she says,
without word of warning, and looks
him straight into the eyes. 1 love you
and can't live any longer except as your
wire. Don't you want to be my hus-
band? Say yes. When? Why not to-
morrow"
The man knows that she has no SIMS
ter or otherwise deplorable motive; for
her ingenious naivette is as celebrated
in their social circle as his profligacy;
and this innocent girls offer of mar
riage amazes him. 1t delights him, too,
and their wedding occurs between the
plays first and second acts.
The girl who thus becomes a fond
wife in Love Watches and who
keeps eyes wide open to see miscon-
duct that her husband isn't guilty of,
ence claps its hands at her instead of
trying to reach across the footlights
and spank her. OF course she is a
charming creature. TO be so dotted on
and her authors have written a-plenty
of proof; but their Characterization
would be futile If the actress of her, in
looks. speech and manner. were not all
that they intend her to be. The per-
senator Is that Billie Burke. whom
Frohman brought here last year to aid
John Drew. she is one of those girls
with tilt-nosed and wide-eyed little
faces that soubrettes are made of nu-
merously; and she has the baby voice.
with coo and goo in it. that first heard
from Maggie Mitchell; also. many pref
~ tricks of visage and gesticulation;
and II you have seen the current Marie
Doro or Pauline Chase, you may en-
body her in your imagination, if you
add a similarity TO Maude Adams in
explosive moments. Billie is genius,
positively. in the graphic depletion of
very gentle girl who would be hellish
III she were wicked. and even in her
childish willfulness raises the devil
This JacquelineS Andre gladly be-
comes her husband fond and true; but
her blue eyes turn jealous green when
she learns that one of his sweethearts
dislikes TO give him up. and her "love
watches" him so keenly as 10 see a
liaison where really there isn't any. In
stantly the spoilt child is furious. She
has told Andre that the day she finds
MIN perfidious she will get even by go
ing to shame with the handiest man
who loves her. The day has come, as
she believes. a lover is handy. and she
hastens to deliver herself to him. This
comedy being originally French (by
De Flers and Cailavet. of course its
third-act episode is visit by the wife
TO the lover In his chambers. Yet if
the play had n wicked word. look OF
motion In Paris. ii is left out in New
York, and never was there cleaner fun
in any stage showing of willfulness in
wedlock.
Willful Jacqueline fancies she is bent
on destruction. but she is not. and for
a fact she doesn't wish to go wrong
The lover whom she selects is a book
worr1y author, who as a gallant is like
fish that doesn't know how 10 swim:
and his utterly passionless endeavor to
rouse himself to a sensual occasion is
as amusing as the childish wifes alarm
at his very mild displays of appropriate
feeling. He suggests that he ought to
Hiss her, and she says certainly; but
when he does IL she smacks him back.
but with her hand instead of her mouth.
She apologies for her failure to play
the part of recreant wife, and prom
ises she will submit TO the hug which
he proposes but she wriggles out from
his arms. plays tag with him around
the furniture and takes refuge at the
top of a stepladder. Ernest Lawford is
the best masculine value in the per-
Torrance as this lover so lukewarIn
that he chills the girls faint flare of
iniquity: and when her husband ar
rives, she is willing to go hoVhe and
be as good - thought as she has been