The Washington herald., 1916-01-18
PoIps-''Te.s of the storm Country.

Tess Of the Storm Country" had its
Washington premiere last night and its
presentation by the Poll Players proved
one of the most acceptable offerings of
the current season. The play. which is
a dramatization of Grace Miller Whites
novel of the same name in the creation
Of which Rupert Hughes served as play
wright, follows somewhat original lines.
but In fashion to give Florence Rittsn-
house an opportunity for the display OF
rare capacity as portrayer of O
strictly charcter part.
Tess Of the Storm Country" Tessibel
Skinner, is child of nature, lovevle,
Ingenious, warm hearted and warmer
headed; for seldom since the retirement
from public life of the late Col Thomas
Ochiltree, of Texas, has the National
Capital housed as red head.
Tess is the daughter OF a poacher who
has been wrongfully arrested for the
murder Of a game warden. The game
warden incidentally has managed shortly
before his untimely end, to have COM
promised the daughter Of the millionaire
owner of a vast game preserve in Central
New York. The millionaire Is cruel
after the fashion of millionairs-selfish,
obdurate and ungenerous. To save the
daughter from disgrace Tess assumes the
girls shame and likewise the little baby
which is born to her.
This voluntary acceptance Of an un-
earned burden creates q distinctly ad-
verse impression in the mind Of the
clergyman son of the millionaire, q
part acceptably assumed by A II. Van
Buren, When the acceptance Of the
shame is announced the clergyman had
just reached that point in the develop
ment Of the story where the confess
sion of his love was, to say the least,
imminent. The shock of Tess admis-
sion caused q postponement of his
declaration until the last act.
Throughout two acts covering a dra-
matte interval of several months Tess
tried and convicted of murder. Then.
out of the restored memory of a men
tally deficient youth. remarkably pre-
sented by ]. Hammond Daily, came the
true story Of the killing Of the game
warden. The crime was properly fas-
tened upon Ben Let's, played by Ben
Taggart In q fashion which in the days
of real melodrama would have earned
the complimentary Kisses of q super
enthusiastic gallery. Tess daddy was
freed. The millionaire's daughter
owned up. The clergyman apologized
and Immediately told his love to Tess
and the story had worked Its way to
its properly happy ending.
The part of Teola Graves, daughter
of the millionaire and sister Of the
clergyman who preferred work in the
squatter settlement of his fathers vast
estate to the charge of a Fifth avenue
temple, fell to Madeleine King. Her
work was excellent. Despite the lin
itations of the part and the exceeding
difficulty Of the role of mother to a
nameless infant, Miss King carried
through her part convincingly- and at
the same time with dignified deli
cacy.
John Kline, as Tessibeps daddy
spent but few minutes on the stage.
but made much of a somewhat atten-
uated part Howard Lang. as the MIL
liopaire, acted much as he would have
expected a millionaire to act, except
that he insisted upon wearing his
hat in church. 1t was a nice hat, of
the bottle-green Alpine variety, but
even a millionaire should show a cer-
tain respect for the sanctuary, and In
wearing his hat up to the chance1 rail
Mr.. Lang somewhat over-extended
birrsele