The sun., 1916-12-31
7 HEN Margaret wycherly and
! Bayard Weller were married

NN/ Bayard Weller were married
" they made the usual prom
Uses about better or worse. richer or
poorer. and that sort OF thing. But
there was still another promise be-
tween them. 1t wasn't in the ritual. II
didn't get into the record. Nobody
knew Of 1t except just themselves.
But 1t was there. Neither Of then,
forgot 1t. And now that 1t Is being
carried out with a regular whoop at
in "The 18th Chair" they have owned
up to Its existence.
+. II seems that Mr.. WELLER, being in
that state Of optimistic recklessness
common to the newly married. prom
ised his wife that inside OF Ave years
she should play the leading part in a
Broadway theatre OF a successful play
by none other than himself.
Considering the fact that Mr.. Weller
at that time had never had a real play
produced on Broadway or anywhere
else this promise sounded somewhat
brash ever for a man in the first
stages Of matrimony. He had dabbled
in play writing. But apparently TO-
body expected that he would ever
wade in and kick up great big dra-
matte splashes like within the Law"
and 1.-THE 18th Chair"
Nobody. that is. except Mr.. WELLER
and Miss wycherly. They believed in
themselves and in each other. They
believed he could write successful
plays. They believed she could create
the leading roles in them. So they set
the alarm clock at five years ahead
from their wedding day and expected
II TO rouse them to fame and fortune
as. per schedule.
or course 1t was Mr.. Veiller's first
move. SO by way OF getting his hand
for Miss wycherly. 1t was called self
Defense." and ran a year.
But that didn't count. II wasn't a
life size play. and the Broadway part
of the promise wasn't met; for Of
course no vaudeville sketch can glue
itself to Broadway for more than a
week or two at a time.
Next Mr.. WELLER wrote and produced
"The Primrose Path" This was a SURF
enough play and Miss Wycherly did
have the leading part. But its New
York run was about as long as the tail
Of q Manx cat-which amt got no tail.
II was followed by William with
. perfectly good part which Mr.. Veil
der wrote for his wife. but which the
stony hearted manager who bought
AhA ~1o,, u,N,tArsN enN No. ov TH
seems these monsters in human form
Do exist.
That one was bad enough. but an
other was lying in wait to stop pay
ment on b. VS. promise when he C
tually did turn the trick with within
the Law" Hero was a Broadway sue
cess with a vengeance. And here was
the part of Mary Turner. In which Miss
Wycherly might have sailed into for
tune and have added popular favor to
her fame as an artist.
And tho producer wouldn't let her
have II.
Wouldn't that take the heart out OF
anybody? 1t would. Out OF almost
anybody. But Mr.. Veiller's scrapping
blood was UP mi quite appropriately
he called his next play THE Fight
by this time the original five year
limit on his promise had run out. But
his wife extended the time and hung
on for payment in full.
1t looked as II she were going to get
II I'm The Fight though her part
wasn't one that would make you 81,
up nights remembering 1t. Still the
play was going we'll until Inspector
Schmittberger or some other OF the
police dramatic critics took a dislike
20 II and deleted II from the list Of
Broadway attractions.
That made four tries without get.
ting the promise fulfilled to the salts.
faction of Its maker and makee. Sc
the maker just stopped and took a
long breath. Then he came back at Il
again. And this time the alarm clock
went OF with a bang.
Six weeks ago THE 18th Chair wa.
put on at the Forty-eightn Street The.
atre. Six weeks from now 1t will still
be there. And six times six week!
from now It will be making middl,
West audiences sit on the edge OF theil
chairs as II is making New York audi,
ences sit up now.
At least II you want to take tn,
other sid of the bet you can he &C
commodated by the wise ones alonj
the Rialto.
Tho above truthful tale OF a promis,
fulhlled was partly told in the star
dressing room by the parties most con
cerned. But we was an interview
punched so full Of holes. Between act
. procession Of privileged person.
came back and more or less fell dow
stairs into the place to add verbal con
CALCULATIONS to the telegraphcd one,
with which the walls were papered.
People sat in the cups on the tel
table, ate the cake so they could sit o,
ths plate, and otherwise reduced tn
interviewer 10 despair and the condi
ton OF a sardine in a conscientiousl,
packed box. So Miss Wycherly la
belled the fragments-Of the interview
not the intervie wer-''to he continue,
at homo the day after Christmas" An,
] extrlcated my fattened form from
tho rest Of the serried sardines an,
escaped.
II you know Miss wycherly tn
woman only by that frame of picture
in front Of the theatre you don't know
her at all. She doesn't p~hotograpl
we'll. But It isn't merely that. N
picture could give an adequate ide
Of her sincerity. her c%leverness, ne
originality.
II you should walk into her apart
ments. even though she was not Their,
you would know without a doubt tina