The Detroit times., 1911-02-28

1Enle Pepper has been IN the en-.
D)cI @ Holbgook = Co, proprietors OF
ono O o. leading department stores
>(-~v0Il< any American city-for 10
years. She has come up from cash
A ElEI " the position Of assistant buyer.
Her chief ho1 Just resigned and Mag
+ ~ oDDI{oD foe the position only 70
~ turned<I oVu, It's a bitter disap-
polntmeu< nd Naggie IL feeling pref
"a blue Vhons weil-dressed young
1uc1nees man drops into the stock
room wh<fe MnRgie has been pouring
ont her 1eott 80 Hattie Murphy, one
of the stock k1rls. He IL interested
and perspa6es Nageie to become con-
61enfi6l NTH hims She speaks her
mind freely and tells him some plain
truths About Holbrook q Co. When he
(. hao Left the room she discovers that
che has been talking TO her new boss.
TIE son OF the founder OF the estabs
liohment who has just stepped into
lhs control Of the busipess. Maggie
n stunned. She turns to Hattie with
= gesture that Indicates a conviction
that she. II. done for as far as Hol
brook q co. are concerned. 'so
did I cay anything, Hatte" she
asks, not knowing what else to say:
did you say anythings My Gawd;
Thus closes the first act Of Mag
Z gie Pepper" new play by Charles
Klein, which was given its first local
. presentation In the Detroit Opera
house; Monday evening, with Miss
Rose Stahl In the title part. IL pleas
Cd the large first-night audience I'M
mensely. IL caught the crowds fancy
from the very outset and the interest
was sustained throughout the three
acts and four scenes of the drama.
The play deals with types such as
Are found in any modern department
store. types with which the shopping
public, and especially the feminine
contingent, Is familiar. But the make
believe elevator takes the public one
story higher than IL Is accustomed to
70 and gives It a glimpse OF the stock
room, where the inner workings OF
department store operation are laid
bare. The treatment of the subject
shows intimate knowledge on the part
Of the playwright. and there Is no
Tendency to overdraw the characters.
If there Is any one quality in Miss
Stahl's work that distinguishes IT
naturalness. Her Maggie Pepper is
practically her Patricia O'Brien, OF
The Chorus Lady" In new surround
+, ings. All the old familiar qualities
nre apparent In the new role, In
modified form. Maggie has the slang
speech, the independent air and the
same philosophical disposition, in fact,
al the characteristics that were SO
\ pleasingly combined In Patricia, and.
= through Miss Stahps rare art, Maggie
IS destined to become as famous as
her predecessor, IL the manner IN
which the Detroit public has received
her is criterion.
Maggie - not fired" as might be
supposed. There wouldn't have been
any story In that case. On the con-
trary, the little episode which forms
the first act makes such hit with the
( new head of the house that he pro-
notes Maggie to the coveted position
without delay. The next act shows
5 Maggie's once Aayear later In the
8 Interim, wonders have been worked
y ID the establishment The archaic old
4 methods that obtained under the old
regime have been discarded and
Maggie, with her great. resourceful
3 ness. her intimate knowledge OF the
business and the buying public, has
rehabilitated the institution. Young
& Holbrook gets all the credit for the
8 change, and the public places q wrong
construction on mis- frequent cSnsuita-
\ lions with Miss Pepper. ,Gossiping
Atongues link their names with such
sefsistency that Maggie Is finally
Srassed into rendering her resigna-
p. This satisfies Ethel Hargen, niece
Holbrook's business partner, whom
rock Is engaged to marry, for
has been insaneiy jealous OF the
buyer.
citation with Miss Pepper has
Its imprint on Holbrooks mind,
1oweverl He has learned first TO,
y and then TO love the woman
has been the real brains be-
Abbreviated Institution, but Mag
apparently, does not reciprocateI
"a A4ections He comes to her apart
tG deterntued TO pop the question
haB been imbibing and has little
baeou that gives the proposal scene
decitedly unique aspect. He be-
bomes Involved An quarrel with Mag
kie's worthless brother-in-law who
comes 10. the place looking for his
i waywards wife. and Is wounded, To
preyent q scandal he remains In Mag.
b gle6 apartments during his convale-
sceice and the impression goes out
that he has been drowned. In the
meantime he continues to urge his suit
and Maggie finally gives in because.
~ she puts 1t, she can't help herself.
There are other features OF the
story. which bring out Maggie's ten
der sympathy and solicitude for those
& IN trouble, but they are incidental TO
the main issue.
Frederick Truesdell gives an excel