Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-16

and again told him why she made the
request SO Leonora naturally pushed
him out of the carriage. and he fell on
the lines and was killed. And Leonora
said that nothing In particular hap
pencd after that. except that. of course
she closed the window.
Ohlcers and executives OF man-made
laws arrested Leonora and put her on
trial Tor murdcr-very foolishiy, be-
cause the judge and the members OF tho
jury all had children OF their own. As
q matter of fact. the foreman Of tho
jury had little girl who was subject
10 sniTy colds. too: besides. Leonora
was in court most of the time during
her trial Because of all these things
and because. after all. Leonora was
perfectly Justified in acting as she
had acted. but one conclusion could b..
reached by jury of fathers. charged
by judge who was father-she was
acquitted. of course,
very simple. very human story;
with more than little heart interest
it's true. but no more than is often
found in other stories that happen
every day as part of "A newspaper
mans daily routine. Therefore, 1t has
been possible to tell it In the foregoing
bare, cold and brief recital Of facts.
But to tell 1t as n legend. in other
words TO make live The Legend of
Leonora. would require the fanci-
full genius of Barrie, the winsome,
Irresistible. representatives. of Maude
Adams and the skill and art OF
a company of all-actors = all OF
which combined last night to make 1t
thing Of joyous life-that-might-b be- OF
fantastic imagining of things-that-
could-6e, and an eNQuisitely humor Gus
eXaggeration of thing s. that -have-near-
lybeen.
Leonora is composite OF all that
men love to regard as feminine traits.
for she does not carry far enough to he
distastcful the things that men do not
| love, whether they deem them feminine
| or not \ man is told that she is to
meet seven womcn-a woman who Is all
mother, woman of no sense OF humor r,
! woman OF too great a sense of humor.
| a coquctte. sufragette, a verywoman.
and n murdercss. He meets them-all
| in one. and that one is Leonora. There
| follows bright. yet altogether natural.
| conversation. during which he learns
| that she weeps because her boy at
| school has asked for razor. but that
she has appeared in a charity affair
Tor Shakespeare's widow. or some
| thing"-as Bacchante; that she has
spoken even in Albert Hall. and that
she actually pushed n man from a rail-
| way carriage and killed him, because
| he would not shut the window when
| she had told him over and over that her
| niue girl nan n cold Ana yet. because
| he expresses some man-likc. but very
stupid and uncleareycd. disapproval OF
her course, she bursts into tears and Is
! heartbroken.
| Wherefore he loves her So far that
! Is to say. so far as the dialogue and ac-
ton dtSclose-cNccpt rs to the murder
1T is all Barrie. and Barrie Mt his mos,
| "whinsical"-the quotation marks are
| employed because the two words, Bar
rie" and whimsical" have become al
| most synonymous. while "whimsical'
has become hackneyed and worn
| though there is no other equally good
word. 1t is satiricai. but the satire has
smile In it; it makes fun of men and
or women. hut there Is wisdom and
learning in it's fun. and II is most anus.
| Ing, but the laughter Is quiet /,
| chuckles. In word---it Is Barrie
Then the scene shifts &c the court
room. and there Barrie develops a veil
new to us. 1t is still whimsical" still
clean cut in it's delicious and good
humored exposition Of the foibles O
men and women, but 1t approaches. 1
1t does not reach. farce--in it's travesty
The two scenes arc literally crowde,