The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-18
THEA TRICAL LETTER j. .... ,..~~4.
 OF FRANKLIN FILES

? New York. Oct ls.-TFo English, l men of the best London accent sat behind me at the first performance of | "Hjs Wife,s Family" and their conn | ments came right into my ears. The one newly from the other side asked; who is this Arnold Daly that's the star of the play?"
 The one who knew New York re- piled: He is a son of the Augustln Daly who built a theatre in Lohoon, dont you know? and he hao q sorl l of branch house here In Broadway oe-. | fore he died"
 Pretty soon William Harrigan came | into the scene with a brogue inherit | ed from Edward Harrigan and was I welcomed very heartily for hls fath- CTS sake. That's Daly-what?" "Yes, | by love-"
 Five minutes later Arnold Daly broko into the action with less au- thentic Irish tongue, and with no l-huila baloo for his star entrance. (AF- l mold may be a wicked replica of Mans held In the eceentricities Of genius, but he has the keen artistic sense
 tool The people received @,,nt s him xrnold Mar%i Daly. I was mistaken before" still
 later, Edward Herrigan got into the play. Broadway hadn't seen him in l years and good old Annie Yeamans, l once his stage comrade, now sitting I but one to me- said: Split your
 gloves. ye tarriers." The audience at- most did that same in a tremendous 1 ovation. The tourist from London said: "I fancy this must be Daly, eh.
 what?" The resident Englishman re- 1 sponded; You've got one on me, dear l boy. Of course that's Daly. Fine old l Irish make up, don't you think?" The
 new play was so full of aoquacious I frrfnn
 that It wasn't till two acts were done, and the program was carefully stud led, that the Engiishmep were sure
 of Arnold Daly.
 Broguei is" so thick and fast In the
 talk of His wife's Family" that even
 a born IFIshman a few years away
 from Ireland couldn't get the plot | though, that Mrs. GoIding Bright, who
 signs 1t as George Egerton. means it
 to illustrate the God-bless and Devil
 care disposition of the Irish race. An
 impoverished major Patrick Some-
 thing takes himself and Family from
 Ireland to the household of a barely
 prosperous English son-in-law The
 first thing Major Pat does is to brew B
 punch for his traNel-tjred self, wife, son and daughter calling cemplaeent-
 ly yet with eonvivial enthusiasm. on
 his son-in-law for the wines. cordials
 and other costly ingredients. No sub-
 stitutes could be just as good. If
 once you take off your hat to one-
 star brandy" he says. you'll never
 again get three-star as long as you
 live" And when the exactly right in- gradients of the punch are procured and concocted. he proposes the toast: God bless us to-day. for the devil , may take us tomorrow It Is a
 pity that the clever characterization | 0F Moior Paf Ia mt donA In a niav of
 any other merit.
 Nance oNeiI and Agnes" are a pe- cular actress and singular play that
 get into Broadway to compel atten- ton. Nance was produced ten years ago by Mckee Rankin. whom he had , a stock company over to the eastward of our main theatrical thoroughfare l and rumors of her talent were heard , faintly by New Workers Who Won'l ! go more than a block off that street ] to see a stage show. So Nance passed away with Rankin and his venture
 Agnes" Is billed with the name oi George Cameron as it's author. 4 ] whispered rumor says 1t was writer
 by Mir. and Mrs. Sydney Drew. sor af Mrs. John Drew and daughter o
 Mckee Rankin-a paternity to ylelt
 any sort of theatrical talent. My owr
 guess. though. Is that 1t has beer , | from than the international copyright law which would account for the Secres! of It's auth orship; for a stronger drama could be made of It's material, and ther , where would this version be? Just al
 it Is Agnes" will turn many a dream
 of mine into a nightmare. with m! head aching to remember who l am and a surgeon boring saving ant , | choppinR through my skull to fnC , | out what's the matter with my brain f Suppose. ladies, that for i've year
 vou have been the loved and loving
 wife of a surgeon; that prior to thl
 happy wedlock you married mercer e arilv millionaire yachtsman oi ulbase vessel your honeymoon trip end ed In a wreck. out of which you Wer' saved and he supposedly lost: ant
 that your arst husband isn't dead af , | fer all. but lives with all recollection
 oF biuself before the disaster knocked . ant of his brain; and he comes to you q second husband to have his memor! } restored by surgical operation To' . arc in your drawing room across , E.,,n,av iron, the laboratory In whici
 ,,oIr nresent spouse Is about to restor
 Enowledge of the past to your form
 ar ,oate. The operation has been sue cessful so many times that you can 1 doubt 1t will be so this time. With 2 in the hour the surgeon and the pa l tlent both Will hho" SNu ~ -, - ' fuI wife of the one you hate and mere . ly the mother of children by the on ' vou Inve As distracted woman whicb Is to say. an emotional actres . in ina room visible to an audience
 what will you do about 1t? Nanc r O,Neal sits dazed by what impends I gets up to pace to and fro in agitation \ tries to get into the room where tn . surgery is going on and stop It, bu 70 Ia iocEad ont: calculates incoherentl. f ana Resticulates aimlessly; finally re P solves to run away and hide from bot . mon. so that while the one she love :. cant find her. no more can the one sh !. loathes Nance makes Agnes over sl 1 feet In height, with a face not hand