Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-07-22
CHAPTER x.
Zilla PaQet.

ZiIla Paget.
 Do you mind if l am atrociously
 frank with you?" It was Grant Oswald who spoke.
 Enoch Wentworth and he sat far back in the darkened orchestra at the Goth am, watching rehearsal. Wentworth nodded, but turned startled glance upon the man beside him.
 Simply because l know how power ful your play is, l want to suggest touch that will make it stronger
 "What?"
 Understand, this is not criticism. If you don't think well of it we'll never mention it again." Oswald ap-
 preached the subject automatically.
 He had begun to discover strangely l uneven temper in Enoch. There were days when he stood upon the heights of triumphant anticipation, then came intervals when everything and every body were at odds.
 What did you think of changing?" Tt is not changing" Oswald spoke thoughtfully. What l have in mind ie elaboration. You have made Cor della loyal, tender woman, but the l mother ought to be more of foil to her. She is cruel now, vain, selfish and deceitful, but-she is not bad enough. When it can be done, I be- lieve in choosing an actress who has something in common with the role she is to play. Character comes out every time, even in acting. Don't you agree with me?"
 "To 8 certain extent"
 "Of course, in cases of downright genius it is different There is Merry. If we except tragedy, I believe he could portray any character from gay est comedy to intense emotion. pre- dict for your sisters 'Cordelia' sue cess that will stir New York to enthu-
 siasm, but she could never play any thing but sweet, true-hearted woman. No matter how hard she tried, she
 would fail in the part of false, un- scrupulous adventuress: i.. Do you see
 what am driving at?'' : "I think I do.'' t.-: "When you read your play to me
 and John Esterbrook's,,.. wife took shape before my eyes, Zilla Paget came to my memory. I asked you then
 to reserve the part for her, because, if can judge human nature, she is the woman's prototype" bn ivn nate if Mrs. Esterbrook' is not bad enough for her. '> I'm not as merciless as that! Let
 me tell you what judge her by. Sea son after season she was cast in Lon don companies for women of the lower type or of. bad morals. Sometimes
 she was a cold-bloodsd, .scheming ad- venturess, or a creature so cruel, so heartless and unwomanly that she seemed defamation of the sex. Miss Paget was making name for herself when an idiotic manager cast
 her as a sweet, refined, home-loving woman. I never sat through such a pitiful failure. She played it for two nights, then she was thrown aside. She had long run of hard luck. Man agers forgot how remarkably she had played bad woman. The failure as a good woman was laid up against her" q thought she had tremendous success last winter"
 "She had She came in, after drift ing through the provinces in small parts, and chance threw in her way one of the most dastardly female parts ever put on the stage. She made it so real that, blase old theater goer as I am, longed to throttle her. One night happened to meet her socially. Zilla Paget assured me that in one case at least my theory was right. She was everything she portrayed on the stage. and beyond this. she was abso.
 lutely drunken with vanity."' Are you sure she is so bad?" Enoch spoke coldly "She is one of the most beautiful women ever saw in my life."
 "That makes her more dangerous. have actually doubted whether l did right when I brought her to a new country and put her among decent people"
 Have you anything against the woman except-theories?" Gro be continued.) Citrolax.