New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-12

Stratton INTRODUCE themselves To each
otkcr AS unauthorized parents % some
sixteen years standing. The Introduction
takes place through the medium Of the at
TEMPTED suicide Of Felicity because she
has been deprived for sixteen years of the
joys Of motherhood. her Mortified parents
having taken advantage of her physical
weakness at the time of child birth To ship
the infant away
After the kidnapping. Felicity found
herself wealthy. beautiful (of course. all
men her slaves (of course). and she went
the pace TO the point Of physical eN-
haustion and nervous breakdown. She
explains all this to Stratton, but she lays
the attempt at suicide to never having
seen her baby. whose sex she does NOT
know Also. to the fact that she can
marry because Of that early mistake. She
has committed the one fault that men
will not forgive. $50 she says And
thus she can have neither "A husband nor
a child TO mother O.
Stratton agrees with her deductions ana
explains that he can sympathize because
, he has drawn cards in the same game.
He then undertakes to set her on her feet
physically and also TO find her child. and
all the indications point to his recognize
ing her as his own early companion.
II seems plain enough not only from
| this much OF the story but from subse-
quent happenings. that the author In
| tended To go on with straightforward
| tale Of the reunion OF Felicity and STRAIT
/ ton by means of the child and draw a
| few sufficiently platitudnous morals, at
| the same time making his play the vehicle
! for a quantity of popular topical wit and
! humor. But ne became lost in a maze OF
words. He got in the topical stuff. loads
of IT, but his characters noundered about
| i'm mass of poorly begun and half fin
| ished arguments all more or less con-
nected with motherhood, marriage and
| legitimacy, until they had no idea where
| they were, what they were doing or why.
After the beginning of the second act,
when the fiance Of Felicity's daughter
| fell i'm love with Felicity. while only
Stratton held the key to the relationships.
! the affair became merely a puzzle. II
ceased to be human and became a ques-
ton OF dcvising complications. Poor I'M
fortunate Maisie Brctherton, daughter of
| Felicity Scarth, adopted in infancy by
chldless Colonel and Mrs. Bretherton
and brought up In the belief that she was
their daughter. was dragged through
every torture that time allowed.
First she hunted her fiance and Felicity
down and publicly debased herself by beg
gins her lance L. return TO her. This
was with the cornivancc of Mrs. Brother
ton Then her iiance made proper cad
Of himself and cast her off-publicly, OF
| course. Then before the party was al
lowed to disperse she was informed OF
her parentage. half of IT, Or. Stratton,
the strong man Of the piece, the one on
whom everybody leaned. took this task
, on himself and concealed his own part in
the affair There was no excuse for tell
ing her. II merely presented an oppor-
tunity for situation" The great weep
scene.
Neither was there any reason for MAX
ing Stratton a clandestine father. Con-
sistcnt morality on his part would have
furnished an excuse fer the thing. but
to crown all, the final curtain descended
not cast out OF all men. He would con-
done her early mistake. forgive her and
marry her.
Miss Ethel Warwick. i'm combat with all
these handicaps. made a great deal out of
the part of Felicity Scarth. OF course,
she had to contend with the first act.
when she was called upon to tell story
of her life which no one could possibly
believe. but after that there were good
many opportunities for her to act like
human being and she made the most OF
them. Norman Trevor was excellent as
DR. Stratton. Ills was the least impos-
shle part and he therefore achieved the
principal triumph Of the performance.
though as matter OF fact, il was Miss
Warwick who deserved the greatest credit
for tho fine way i'm which she succeeded
in injecting periods of credibilty into
Felicity Scarth.