Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-12

CARPENTER, to be sure, skates perilously
close at times to that edge where the one
step more would precipltate him into alb
surdity We are not sure that he doesn't
even get one foot over now and then. But
he is man of taste and feeling, and man
ages to save himself-with Mr.. Hulls aid.
shelley Hull, young actor whom we
have watched with interest for several
years In this play is coming into his own.
His charm, his sincerity, his comic abil-
tiles. his nice feeling for romantic sug-
geston, his increasing command of voice
eoorlng, are all here visible, and will be
recognized by wide public.
There is more than a touch of Mrs.
Frances Burnett-she of the Little Prin-
cess'-in THE Cinderella Man" 1t Is a
fairy story of actual life, a romance Of
reality. a poor little rich girl who has
lived with her divorced mother in Paris
till the mother dies, comes back to her
tremendously rich and terribly grabbed
and cross father on 5th avenue. GIe is a
steel magnate, or some such ogre) The
poor little rich girl does want her ro-
nance, though, the more when her first
suitor turns out to be after her money,
and she packs him off. And she gets her
romance, which Is the play.
For next door to her house (no doubt in
the rear is an old shambles of house
q,
garret, Of course. Now, Anthony is lust
about the proudcst most cheerful, debon-
air, gentlemany, fantastic poet who ever
starved In a cold garret, neglected by
prosaic world and cut off by an Lnfeeling
, uncle because he wouldn't go into trade.
Not a penny will Anthony accept from
friends, Wrapped in tattered bed quilt,
he works at his librctto for the $4,000
prize, his only sympathizer being an old
Unl al ma M lnH D1i iFrnrn fIr .
on him twhen he should be working
downstars). because once, before Prim-
rose sank to his present low estate, he
had served In a Sentleman's family. That
touch suggests Barrie!
Well, the poor little rich girl learns
about the poor Cinderella Man, as she
calls him, and she crecps across the roof
OF his window when he Is out and starts
transforming his garret as the East In
dians transformed the garret in "The Lit
tie Princess" only she gets caught at it,
and naive and pretty friendship springs
up between the Cinderella Man and his
unknown bencfactor, and she comes often
over the roof for tea, ostensibly, hut
really that she may bring him food or
course, she lies and tells him she is the
companion OF tho poor little rich girl, for
the proud fellow would not have anything
to do with her II he knew really who
she was
But he has to find out at last, and love
Is stronger than pride, so that he wins
the girl with all her millions, and wins
the $4,000 prize as we'll and doubtless It
Is happy ending. Yes, II is a happy
ending, because this is a fairy story, a
sentimental romance of old-fashioned
lace valentine teXture-and in such
stories poet can write just as well on
million dollars as he can on an empty
stomach. Perhaps he can, anyhow!
In the conduct of this unquestionably
improbable and sentimental tale Mr..
carpenter has been less happy at times
than the judicious could wish. 1t is deli
cate task to tell fairy story in modern
setting without seeming either ridiculous
Or crudely sentimental, after the fashion
OF the old-time "Fireside Companion"
stories. There are moments when Mr..
Carpenter doesn't entirely escape the