Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-09-30
THE LITTLE SHEPHERD
OF BARGAIN ROW
Sarah Padden, One of the Most Pop
ular Actresses of the Day
Coming to the Grand
Tuesday Evening,
Oct R
A STRONG CAST AND
BEAUTIFUL SCENIC EQUIPMENT
As Nora Blake Miss Padden is Said
to Have an Unusual Role, and
the Play Forms Splendid
Dramatic Material.

Sarah Padden, supported by what
in these days Of short casts may
really be considered a very large
company, comes to he Grand opera
house next Tuesday evening, Oct. 6,
in Howard McKent Barnes de-
lightful new play, THE Little Shep-
herd of Bargain Row. As Nora
Blake Miss Padden is said to have
an unusual role. 1t is the story of
a poor girl. who with pluck and am
bition, works her way from scrub
girl to a position of trust and re-
sponsibil.ty with large jewelry
firm. This business house meets
with reverses. BY an odd twist of
fate Nora is placed in a position to
save the honor of the firm. The
story of the manner in which she
makes good Is out of the ordin-
larry and forms splendid dramatic
material. Incidentally there is an
absorbing love story and comedy
IL.
Critics have united in pronouncing
the play as the best from the pen
of an American writer since the
production of THE Lion and The
Mouse"
The United Play Co. has engaged
a strong cast to support Miss Pad
den and has supplied beautiful
scenic equipment. The following Is
taken from the Peoria STAR
No more enthusiastic audience
ever appeared in a Peoria theater
thaa that which delightedly watch
ed Miss Sarah Padden, as Nora, in
the new play written for her by
Howard McKent Barnes. Valiently
fitting at the shame and hypocrisies
of this vain-glorious world, last
night, and contrary to custom on
too many occasions in real life, get
ting away with it, too Mr. Barnes
new play. which bears the alluring
title of THE Little Shepherd of Bar
gain Row." is built of good sturdy
stuff. 1t is warm with human feel
ing, gay with human fun and, to use
the staunch theatrical vernacular, it
has the wallop in every scene and
situation.
Nora is a business woman, clear
eyed and womanly and sweet and
brave with the courage of youth and
with plenty of brains to back it up
with She finds herself not only in
the store, where her brains make
her power, but also in other rela-
tions of life, where her youth and
charms stand her in good stead,
surrounded by hypocrisy and pre-
tense. Her honest soul rebels at the
"bunc'' she sees handed out by ev-
erybody around her-her heart sick
ems at the smallness and contempti-
bility and dishonesty everywhere.
And she has the courage and the vo-
cabulary to protest against it, Nora
is sort of Maggie Pepper in the
matter of handling up-to-date slang
in such way as to make it seem
the natural language of the up-to
date girl And Mr.. Barnes has pro-
vided her with lines which fairly
bristle with home Truths so sugar.
coated with witty epigram and sea-
soned by humorous thrusts at this
vile bunc-loving world. that the au-
dience not only gulps them down
eagerly, but begs for more.
The characters are well drawn
and the play altogether is timely,
clever and extremely interesting
one, we'll worth the while of every
| thinking person.
AS for Miss Padden, she fairly
blossoms in the role of Nora. Her
real emotional gifts, long ago trium-
phantly proven by her splendid work
in that enormously successful but
somewhat gloomy play, 'Kindling,"
now shine forth in brilliant contrast
to a charming vein of humor which
the young stars warmest admirers
scarcely suspected her of possessing.
And never was the soft feminity OF
her personality, which has done
more than anything else to make
her a star at an age when most ac-
tresses are still struggling to set
one-line parts, more beguilingly ap-
parent. Miss Padden as Nora, Is