The Press., 1911-02-15
"Rather," replied the young author.


 "Very well then; you begin, please, where the lady has ordered him from the house and he is at the door, hesi- tating to go. He tries to explain. Yes, here 1t is. Begin, We folks from the Pacific "-
 Before either of them realized exact Iy what the old man was doing with them they were playing the prelim- mary love scene in Holcomb's play with a great deal more ardor than ei ther of them would have been able to Infuse into it on the stage. When they reached the climax they both turned and looked at him little sheepishly.
 ''It was very well done, my dears, but this suggestion I would make: When you come to the end firsC you laugh a little, my dear, then he laughs a little; then you laugh more;- you laugh together. It is a panic You show your teeth. The audience must laugh with you then. Don't you seef"
 Don't you think that this attention to light is bit theatrical?' asked Hol- comb-"at least not exactly true to life?'
 "True to life?'' replied Vavin. "Do you know that 50 per cent of the cases of falling In love are in the moonlight? You know the harvest moon, the full moon that comes at harvest time and comes three nights almost at the same time. Did you ever think why?"
 Holcomb shook his head dubiously.
 "It is. my children, that harvesters, cl1 foJI in wifi h each other. Oh, 1t is q droll God, monsieur, that plays that trick for one hour on his children, and what timeI The best season of tue year. And, also again, what time? When the grapes are ripe, when there Is wine press. Pardon me, but am far from a perfect host" And he paused for moment to fill his own glass and that of Holcomb.
 "A harvest moon for one hour and the wonderful madness that goes with this," he said, raising his glass to the light. ''Is that of the theater? No; it Is a droll God. It is too bad l cannot show you. I have no arrangement here to get the blue light, which is mystery, and the green light, whi Is content, and which together make a moonlight.
 eff I am not mistaken" said Hol- comb, glancing at Vavin, ''it was moonlight when we came in, and, by the bye, this is the harvest moon."
 It would have taken a cleverer girl than Dora to fathom the depth of the plot that the imaginative old man had conceived.
 "It is true," replied Vavin vivacious- ly, land now I can show you, l will not be able to read the lines, monsieur, but you can do so for me. In that pretty little scene of yours at the end of the play Here you are" he said. opening the manuscript to the place.
 T can," replied Holcomb, awaiting Vayin's next directions and already half sensing the purpose of them.
 The elder dramatist turned out all the lights in the room and then, throw ing back the curtains at the bay win dow. ran up the blinds. A stream of moonlight shot into the room, and il was verify, as VaVin had described it, green, which is content, and blue, which is mystery"
 Now" he said, stand in that light you, my dear little Dora, facing it. and read your lines. I shall sit here and be your audience with my glass of wine''
 They stood in the moonlight as he directed and took the position which the stage directions demanded, but as they did so neither of them felt that he or she was exactly acting. A little tremor went through Dora's body as Holcomb put his arm around her, and the young man himself forgot for the time being that they were only SUD- posed to be rehearsing.
 It was a simple little scene that Hol- comb had written, but it had lot of sincerity in it and much directness and was unqualifiedly sincere:
 HE.
 You are not happy?"
 "I am honest"