The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-12
Ali the Riinn

'Ath q ANAN HARRISBURG ltdUluk 1idA
 and an extremely pretty star. the re.
 mainder of the cast one of individualit,
 and pleasing interpretation, and the story of one of tie most popular of Augusta Evans Wilson's novels as a foundation this week. offering at the Bijou. Al
 the Mercy of Tiherius,a is a splendid fouI
 act drama, pathetic in it's scope and with little humor
 There must be something in the ele- mentary sadness of the play that ap- peals to the average theatregoer for the audience of last evening at the Bijou was better than the usual Monday night
 attendance in numbers and apparently very much in sympathy with the strug-
 gle of the heroine and concerned with
 the happy ending to the love story in-
 troduced in the second act.
 The first scene is the interior of the
 home of Beryl Brentano and her mother
 and brother, Bert. She starts on her
 mission to her mothers father. who has
 never forgiven his daughter for marry
 ing poor man, to make a request oi
 money from him to bear the expense ot a very necessary operation to be per formed upon her mother within short
 time. Bert bitterly denounces his grand father for his indifference to their wei fare and announces that he is going out of town to secure a new position, as he
 has lost his former one
 The second curtain rises upon the charming drawing room of a southern ante-bellum mansion. with two negro
 characters. a man and woman. that are very fair actors, but haven't learned the
 genuine negro dialect to the perfection
 essential to convince one that they aren't | black.
 Beryl arrives at this house, the homo
 of her grandfather, General Darlington i and leaves just as a thunderstorm is coming up. with the sum of money that will aid her mother But in the mean time she has met and seen the youne legal counsel of her grandfather and has been almost as favorably impressed with his appearance-which most any gir would be-and he, well, he fell in love with her at first sight and never re-
 covered. The storm progresses, and a
 very realistic one it is, too, and a man.
 who is recognized as Bert, enters the
 room, steals the will and turns the lights out as protection
 General Darlington comes into the room
 and seeing the boy, questions him, and
 as he gives him permission to help him.
 self to the cash in the room. makes a
 move towards the bell rope to summon
 the servants, but Bert leaps upon him. They clinch and are both suddenly struck
 to the floor by a bolt of lightning. Finding his grandfather dead, Bert escapes before the people in the house | discover him and as they rush in to f1n6 General Darlington dead. LennoX Dun
 bar, the young lawyer, hurries in witt Beryl as a suspect of the murder of hel
 grandfather
 The jail scene is one of intense dra.
 matic interest and it is here that Bery hears of her mothers death and prom
 ises to shield her brother who was finally
 arrested as a suspicious character. He | is released and she accused by Dunbar
 who is the prosecuting attorney for the state, of shielding this man as her lover finally causes him to break his oath of office and plead at the bar of justice for her cause Her life sentence is reduced to 9 five year term through his efforts
 and she is soon freed and cleared as when the room where her grandfather was found dead was opened the lighting
 had left photograph on the window of two men struggling in one another s grasp.
 The last act i5 set among the noun tains of Canada at the Mission of Al
 Angels, with the sunset as the time and where Bert has taken refuge after his release. He is dying and sending fol Dunbar to make a confession. He is sur prised with a visit from Beryl. Ther
 BeryI and Lennox properly arrange theil heart troubles to suit the fancy of the most particular sentimentalist and she surrenders to the Mercy of Tiberius' Miss Montell as Beryl is fetching ant sad always, accentuated by her slender ness. and one is glad when the last ae
 promises that there may be few smile! l on her pretty features in the future
 Richard Tucker, as Lennox Dunbar gives an almost faultless portrayal of hi role. Lawrence Atkinson, as Genera Atkinson; George Keryille as Ned Sin
 gleton and the French guide; William
 Ross, as Bert Brentano, and Louis Thei
 as Judge Dent are all good and abou
 evenly endowed with histrionic talent Miss Dorothy Lobdell, as Helen Single
 ton, is also pleasing, and the negro char
 acters given by Miss Bray and Lew War
 ner furnish the lightest line of the drami and cause a smile to break into the sob I and tears once in a while
 The matinees on Tuesday, Thursda. and Saturday will no doubt be the jo.
 of the school girls who have perused tn novel with many weeps and for thos
 who like a story of pathos and retribu ton every performance provides an ex l cellent opportunity