Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-01-03
A MODERN
PYCMALION
By BARBARA PilPps

Tf1nminknam got INTO the work NJ
writing for the screen by becoming il,
I fatuated with moving pictures OF MI.
Jeanette Meadowcroft. the heroine =,
various plays. lie followed her--or
rather. her photographs-abo bout, attend.
Ing ever production. all the wbIla
sinking deeper and deeper into a love
enthrail-icm.
FyFEa.ion fell I'm love with statue
| which he himself created and which
the goddess Venus endowed with No
Tri,nmlngham fell In love with mic.
/ lures Of = ~ iHs icing.
I.aine,ie Mcadowcroft's specially
was wi.trey. She could personate
n ci.i ~ .Ssg:rc % perfection Fin.
dowel with the gift OF poetry of mo
ton. her smile marvelousiy winning
her face mirror OF her emotions. she
seemed ciijsh rather than heroic.
birmingham had written fiction
but had never crea:es; character that
had been 10 him a real being Ii oc.
cured 10 him that II he were to write
a nj ture play for Jcanacite Meadow.
croft he would be inspired He fan
ciei that he possessed just the facul-
ties calculated to depict her PERSONAL.
~ and her gifts. He determined to TN
dertakc the work.
| He had no acquaintance with the
| real Jeanette. He had never seen
| her. Before sitting down 10 construct
his play he considered whether be had
better come In contact with her or
| leave his impressions as they WERE
| drawn from her pictures. After much
| thought he decided 10 defer meeting
her until after his play had been FIN.
/ ished.
He chose plan with very little plot
TO ii, fearing that a plot would cit.
cumscribe him In invcnting situations
that would best illustrate her peculiar
capabilities He decided 20 have Ter
/ rersonate girl In that sphere ~ lie
| from which he chose her associates.
She was born coquette. but perfect.
ly innocent A number OF young men
were IN love with her. but she loved
| none OF them. Nevertheless through
pity she tried 10 love one man and con.
scented TO become engaged to hiu. The
effort lasted week, nj the ED u
which she found she could get Up no
| feeling for him that should be called
love, and since such union was re-
pnlsive to her she broke the engage
ment. Since II was 80 brief and with.
OUT love on her part and she preferred
TO he able to tell the man she eventual
/ ~ married tAat she had never loved
before she asked her discarded lover
10 keep their trial engagement Sc
cret. To this he consented.
Then comes man Jeanette really
loves. Trimriinghnm tries hard to
form In his minds eye picture Of an
I Other man ;iian himself, bat finds Il
impossible Once engaged to Jean
neiie. his leading man. Throckmorton,
tells her that he has never loved any
other woman. To this she replies In
a half hearted way that she has never
loved any other man than ThrocSmor-
! ton. 1hro kmorton later hears o. her
/ former engagement. lie accuses her
Of having deceived him. Such limo
/ cence as he's Is highly sensitive. and
she Is crushed at the accusation. she
tries to explain. but be viii MT ils.el.
Going away rom her. he .edies Lee
prey to a conscience that burns not
within her. v bile her lover pays
marked attention 10 a very wicked Wo-
man In order TO caGse II TO burn not
ter, though she bears this brutal treat
ment In silence. Mistaking this silence
for Indifference. he acts more brutaliy
than ever The girl becomes trained
nurse. Her lover Is injured while hunt
=, Ing and Is taken to hospital where
she nurses him so tenderly that he re-
! Tents, listens TO her explanation as 10
her previous affair. and all ends hap
PLY.
| Tr'mminsham succeeded In getting
his Play accepted b. a film company
with Jeanette Meadowcroft in the
title role She played her part TO per
lection, with the result that he was
more in love with her than ever. Ihe
women Of the audience wept at the pa
thetic parts. AMI Trimmine ham want
ed 10 punch the head of the male char-
acter he hal himself created. NJ thp
makeup between the lovers he zen
duly repentant ana supremely happy.
I Trimininsharn now asked FOR an III
trodue ton IA the heroine Of his pay
He was told that no Introduction was
necessary; that she was usually Olsen,
gagged In the evening end all he haa
to do was to cali upon her in hei
apartments.
He found her In these apartments
a poorly furnished fiat--but failed u
recognize her. On the stage she some
times made up as child aud never
for older than eighteen. She now al-
peared woman of thirty. was pooris
dressed. and her old mother WIN
whom she lived, evidently belonged 20
the lower class Miss Meadowcroi''
whose real name WAS something qu'e
different. greeted him thus.
I'm glad to see man VINO has
| -.