The Washington times., 1913-10-28
Beautiful Story Is Told Of Child
hoods Fancy at National
Theater.


Poor Little Rich Girl" that
! opened at the National Theater last
evening. 1t is the story of childhood s
fancy reduced to logical form-a little
girls dream made true, a long, dark,
unhappy road lightened and made
pleasant through a little child's inno-
cence. 1t is a fairy fantasy made real,
theme that reaches out and appeals
to ones sympathy, even when most
amused
There are many laughs in it. becaus /;
of the bright lines and the whimsical
IDEAS. but through all the laughs comes
the thought of the absolute helplessness
of 1.-The Poor Little Rich Girl'-such i
very little and ouch a very helpless girl
We suffer with her, and beat against
the chains of convention and environ
ment quite as he.p.essly as she does,
and long to ESCAPE 10 the other world
the JOnny Blake road-and are over
joyed as she when at last that road is
found even though It is found at the
edge OF the dark valley.
The Poor Little RIch Girl Is the
cniy and lonely daughter OF. a maker
of money who lives down town" a
place of vague Whereabouts to the lit
! tie girl. He grinds out money TO satisfy
the ambitions of the mother, who has
social bee in her bonnet Their pur-
suits leave them no time for the little
girl, who Is surrounded with paid serv- =
! itors-a governess, French ana Ger
man teachers. dancing master. and
the servants in the big and gloomy
house. She is never allowed to play
MI nfh har
mind there Is a memory of one beau
tiful week in the country, when she ran
barefoot, and waded in a stream, and
made mud pies with a boy named
Johnnie Blake and his ''long-haired
dog" Often, in the big. lonely mansion
the little girl rehearses that week in
the country, often by herself, some
times with her decrepit Teddy bear,
Puffy"
Servants Spoil
Game With Visitors.
Comes one day glorious, wonderful
occasion. when plumber and a kindly
old organ grinder join her in a game,
but the game is spoiled by the serv-
ants. Gwendolin is a silent, imagina-
tive. sensitive child, given much TO
meditation. and she hears much and re-
members. She hears the servants call
her governess "a snake in the grass"
and they say that her maid Is two
faced thing" while the footman is
called big ears" and they say that
he murders Kings English
Then comes the night of Gwendolyn's
eighth blrthday-a red-letter day-when
she is permitted to come into the draw
ing room a few minutes. to meet her
mothers guests, and blow out the can
dies on her birthday cake. Her wistful
eyes, her white face. her general air of
debility, is noticed by the doctor, who
talks to her. and tells her that he rides
hobbies, lots of them, and that some
Of them are named fresh air. exercise.
Later she stands behind the curtain and
listens while her mothers friends dis
cuss her parents, and after she has been
brought out and introduced to them she
Is packed away to bed. carrying her
faithful Teddy bear in her arms. Her
governess has obtained permission to
so away for the evening, and her maid
has made an engagement with the po-
liceman on the beat. so, to rid herself Of
her small charge, the maid overdoses
Gwendolyn with a sleeping draught and
the little girl collapses.
The doctor is called from the dining
room, and there Is much excitement,
but 1t all seems very vague and far
away to the child. and at last she finds
herself in the forest of her dreams. and