The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-12-17
AmuSenlen1S
"Mary James Pa"

The most pleasurable comedy dra-
matte event of the near future will be
the appearance of the inimitable art
list Max Figman, supported by a large
company, in an elaborate scenic pro-
duction of the great New York Chicago
success, Mary James Pa" This COM
edy is the product of Edith Ellis, who
at one bound has leaped into popular
favor and written a play that will be
money maker for years to come. She
aid the scenes in Indiana and in addi-
ton to conceiving a very original and
clever story, has introduced a lot of
amusing life-like character sketches.
The comedy ran six months at the
Garden theater in New York, then
went over to Philadelphia for month,
and spent the whole summer in Chi
cago. Manager John Cort acquired
the property for his most prosperous
star, Max Figman, and has retained
the original cast and scenic production
Mr. Figman's date in this city will be-
Saturday. December IS, at the Keylor
Grand
Mary James pa" is the long-lost
husband of a lady printer, and one
day he drops in on the editress of the
Gosport Clarion to get introduced to
the children. That sounds almost like
the prelude in q problem play-but
wait; father is not a tragedy. He is
a gentleman and scholar, a unique
type of the literary tramp, vagrant
w.t. a diletante gypsy and an encyclo-
pedic humorist He had not abscond-
ed eleven years ago for the vulgar
purpose CT DESERVING his wife; he had
merely heard the east a-calling and
had irresponsibly answered.
why did you skip out that way?"
she asks, with justifiable Indignation,
and he answers: Pardon me, l left,
l departed, I migrated but, believe
me, did not skip When he compli-
ments his wife upon her improved ap
pearence and receives a rebuke, he
merely says: Il am not flirting with
you, my dear Now what can you do
with a man like that?
Mrs. Perkins-that's the name,
oil 81
shudder-is in the mood to turn him
out, and he debonairly takes his hat
gage him for general homework, wages
$40 a month, board and lodging and
been one of his specialties, so he ac-
cepts gleefully, only stipulating that
he shall not be addressed as Hiram,
which was the cognomen with which
his thoughtless parents had inflicted
him. He runs down a list of possible
titles, for he is as finical and exotic
in his choice of names as w. j. Lockc's
"Paragot" he is blood brother
to that beloved vagabond. Shall it be
Horatio, from the Latin. meaning ''wel-
COME or Icabod, meaning something
else? No, upon mature reflection it
shall be Nabal, from the Hebrew,
meaning ''fool'-and so Nabal throws a
towel over his arm and begins to do
the dishes
Well, the plot thickens duly, for the
editress has a suitor a daughter who
wants to run away with an actor, and
a political campaign all on her hands
at once, and the irresistible Nabal be-
gins to prove himself somewhat useful
after ALL In the second act he is seen
helping his wife get out the paper,
after the conspirators have pied" the
type on story that will put the
undesirable candidate out of the run
| ming very handy man is Nabal, but
his persif1age never loses it's amusing,
| flavor. His little daughter, Mary Jane,
who doesn't know that he is her truly
begotten father. is becoming very fond
of hi mand the self-reliant Mrs. Per-
kins shows signs of weakening. Nabal
himself. having had his fling. having.
listened to the tinkling bells of Mus
covy and the pattering feet of Geisha
girls. is beginning to feel STRINGS of
domesticity and the paternal instinct in
his heart. And so you laugh on until
the third act, to discover that the
neighbors are beginning to talk scan
dial about this imam hired girl
But before the outburst, the ingra-
tiatiag gadder tells little Mary Jane
the wonderful story of Dippy Doldub.
| which is to be his swan-song before
he bravely disappears again down the